Forum Home Forum Home > Topics not related to music > General discussions
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - read any good books lately...
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

read any good books lately...
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 273274275276277 320>
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
sleeper View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: October 09 2005
Location: Entropia
Status: Offline
Points: 16449 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sleeper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 18 2014 at 12:38
Originally posted by Jim Garten Jim Garten wrote:

Originally posted by sleeper sleeper wrote:


Originally posted by The Pessimist The Pessimist wrote:


Originally posted by sleeper sleeper wrote:

Just finished Pratchett's latest, Raising Steam. It doesn't have the fall-out-of-your-chair funny moments that older books of his had (Drop Bears anyone?), but his story telling is still brilliant.

I've been meaning to get this one. What you've I find really valid too regarding later Pratchett. Up until around Wyrd Sisters I find he mostly focuses on joke telling, whereas the later he gets the better the storytelling is. I prefer his later works, The Truth and Going Postal especially...
I agree, I think he found an excellent balance from around then with Night Watch being my particular favorite.


If you've not read it yet, I'd recommend 'Monstrous Regiment' - effectively a re-write of Catch 22 for the Pratchett era.

I think at this point the only thing of his that I haven't read (besides the children's books) is Dodger, though I do have it.
Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

Back to Top
sleeper View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: October 09 2005
Location: Entropia
Status: Offline
Points: 16449 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sleeper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 18 2014 at 12:42
Originally posted by Triceratopsoil Triceratopsoil wrote:


I really enjoyed that one when I read it a few years ago.
Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

Back to Top
Horizons View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: January 20 2011
Location: Somewhere Else
Status: Offline
Points: 16952 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Horizons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 18 2014 at 12:43
Nope.
Crushed like a rose in the riverflow.
Back to Top
Triceratopsoil View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 03 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 17995 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Triceratopsoil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 18 2014 at 23:51
Austin you should read books.
Back to Top
dwill123 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 19 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 4455 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dwill123 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 19 2014 at 06:53
Back to Top
Toaster Mantis View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Toaster Mantis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 10:46


I'm not sure what to think of it so far. The prose style is elegant if bleak, with the characterization being rather nuanced even for characters who appear in just one chapter, but the author doesn't follow the "show don't tell" principle that much and I'm 100 out of 300 pages into it without being sure exactly what the red thread in the story is.

It's definitely interesting, though, kind of reminds me of a cross between James M. Cain and a less misanthropic Charles Bukowski. Also uses the Jamaican setting in very interesting ways.


Edited by Toaster Mantis - February 21 2014 at 11:49
"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
Back to Top
TheProgtologist View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Baltimore,Md US
Status: Offline
Points: 27802 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheProgtologist Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2014 at 21:42




Back to Top
Triceratopsoil View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 03 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 17995 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Triceratopsoil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2014 at 23:02
^ A while ago I read his book The Drowned World, liked it a lot
Back to Top
TheProgtologist View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Baltimore,Md US
Status: Offline
Points: 27802 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheProgtologist Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2014 at 23:17
I had heard of him but hadn't read any of his work until now.I'm liking High Rise quite a bit,despite the Lord of the Flies similarities.

Edited by TheProgtologist - February 27 2014 at 00:50


Back to Top
Toaster Mantis View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Toaster Mantis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2014 at 02:34
I really liked the one J. G. Ballard novel I read, weird I haven't read him more when I'm a huge fan of the 1960s British New Wave movement in science-fiction. Interesting how the speculation behind his writing is entirely from the "soft" social sciences, not something you see often in the genre.

Finished David Goodis' The Wounded and the Slain last week, by the way, and I still don't quite know what to think of it. The plot when it actually gets into motion is really interesting and captivating, but it doesn't start going anywhere until the halfway mark. The characterization is also some of the best I've seen in the genre, but again the prose style frustrates me as much as it amazes me.
"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
Back to Top
Toaster Mantis View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Toaster Mantis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2014 at 05:40
For the record this is what I'm reading right now:


The novel in which the late great Elmore Leonard introduced the world to the character of born-in-the-wrong-century Kentucky lawman Raylan Givens. As usual for Leonard, he does a fantastic job at telling a very complex story in a way that makes it look extremely easy.


Will be writing my Master's Thesis about this, to be specific Kant's definition of art. (possibly as contrasted with G. W. F. Hegel's) Surprised at how much of the page count the art theory stuff takes up.


Jenny Randles is one of my favourite UFO writers, and so far this is keeping up her standard with providing a good guide to identifying unusual things seen in the sky. Right now I'm at the point where she's writing a guide on how to go on UFO skywatches.


Very few albums have been as integral to shaping my taste in music as Piper at the Gates of Dawn, so it will be interesting to read an in-depth analysis of it though I'm not sure how much new Cavanagh can say when Pink Floyd might be the most overanalyzed band in rock history. Right now it seems to be taking a very biographical/sociological route, focusing not just on the band members but also the producers and businesspeople who made it possible.
"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
Back to Top
Finnforest View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: February 03 2007
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 16913 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Finnforest Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2014 at 18:14
^ I have that Piper book....a fun and informative little read.  

Back to Top
TheProgtologist View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Baltimore,Md US
Status: Offline
Points: 27802 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheProgtologist Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2014 at 23:57


Back to Top
Toaster Mantis View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Toaster Mantis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2014 at 05:37
Originally posted by Finnforest Finnforest wrote:

^ I have that Piper book....a fun and informative little read.  


Weird how different it feels from the one in the same series about Jethro Tull's Aqualung, which is more about the hows and whys of the songwriting and that LP's critical reception then vs. now. The book on Piper at the Gates of Dawn focuses very specifically on the creative processes involved in making the LP, and how the different personalities contributed to the recording.


Edited by Toaster Mantis - March 04 2014 at 04:29
"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
Back to Top
Finnforest View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: February 03 2007
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 16913 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Finnforest Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2014 at 18:58
^
Yes that particular series is ALL OVER THE MAP in terms of style and quality.  I have several....and they range from really good to quite poor.  Avoid the  book for FM's Tusk.....Thumbs Down


Edited by Finnforest - March 03 2014 at 18:58

Back to Top
TheProgtologist View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Baltimore,Md US
Status: Offline
Points: 27802 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheProgtologist Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2014 at 19:16


Back to Top
Atavachron View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Online
Points: 64338 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2014 at 22:16
currently -

SWHT


next -
Back to Top
Argor View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 06 2013
Location: Poland
Status: Offline
Points: 174 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Argor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 09 2014 at 05:55
Some time ago i finished reading "Crime And Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and it's masterpiece :) Also i read "Ice", "Black Oceans" and "Different Chants" by Jacek Dukaj and now he's my favourite Fantasy writer. Nobody can create better universes than his and write half as convinient stories in them with so well constructed characters. "Ice" is his greatest achievement i guess (it's about 1000 pages if anybody wonders) :) although i read it in Polish, don't know if in translations, language is as great as in original. I recomend it to every fan of a bit more ambitious literature and all SF fans ;)





Edited by Argor - March 09 2014 at 06:46
Back to Top
JJLehto View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: April 05 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Status: Offline
Points: 34550 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JJLehto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 09 2014 at 18:31
Recently read Slaughterhouse Five, and have to say it was pretty darn good. 

I'm back to Infinite Jest, and this thing really is a challenge! 
Back to Top
Toaster Mantis View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Toaster Mantis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 15 2014 at 05:20
Current reading material...


I'm something of a true crime junkie and an armchair scholar of esoteric occultism so this should be right up my alley. My feelings on this book are somewhat mixed, though: While the author does bring to attention quite a few obscure cases and shows a dedication to disspelling many of the myths surrounding the better known ones, he still makes several factual errors already 50 pages in. His insistence on explaining everything through sociology also strikes me as somewhat simplistic.


A direct sequel to Pronto, the last novel by Elmore Leonard I read. All the elements are there: Lots of characters manipulating each other, a very inside-jokey sense of humour, both the plot and the writing style being very complex while appearing simple etc. Being a direct sequel, though, it's much faster-paced than the other books I've read by him since he doesn't have to spend any exposition on introducing the main characters.
"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 273274275276277 320>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.313 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.