Author Topic: books to read  (Read 431169 times)

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SFblah

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2550 on: October 15, 2016, 09:12:40 PM »
Just finished Camus' The Fall which I enjoyed alot. Next up is The Soccer War by Ryszard Kapuscinski who was a Polish war journalist covering conflicts in Africa, Latin America, and Middle East.


oyolar

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2551 on: October 17, 2016, 01:54:17 PM »
Taking me forever to get through this Lispector book.  Not because of it really but more so because I haven't felt like reading anything.  I think I need to take a break from fiction once I finish her for a book or two.

I also joined Audible because I thought I was using a code for a free book but it caught me because I enrolled in a free trial earlier this year.  I listened to this:



I'm a fan of Cracked, especially Robert Evans's work on it.  This was a fun listen where I learned some cool tidbits without falling into what a lot of the traps that pop academic/non-fiction books tend to where it becomes so distilled and simplified that it's useless.

Does anyone else have any other recommendations for non-fiction/educational books with humor that would make for a good audiobook?  I kinda already have a feeling that I couldn't do fiction audiobooks.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2016, 08:19:00 PM by oyolar »

shark tits

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2552 on: October 22, 2016, 06:03:09 PM »
Rusty's mom sent me a box of his books. Sad/neat how many I've read but we never got to discuss but for anyways, plowing through 'the wu tang manual' by rza. I'm digging it, you can tell he did some reading coming up. Feel like we're a dying breed

oyolar

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2553 on: October 22, 2016, 08:23:07 PM »
That is sad man, but it's awesome you got them and have something else to remember him by.

Finally finished The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector.  It took a while and is not solely her fault as I haven't felt like reading a lot lately, but this is the third novel of her that I've read and I really do think she's a much better short story writer than novelist.  The introspection she works within is hard to sustain over time and it just becomes plodding.  She's not bad, but her short stories consistently blow me away whereas her novels have moments that are amazing interspersed with just confusing/frustrating ones.

Starting book 5 of Knausgaard.  I've read the first ten pages and am already into it.  I know he's pretty divisive, but I really like his work for some reason, even though I always take some time between volumes.

AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2554 on: October 23, 2016, 02:21:40 AM »
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Since I plan on picking up another Murakami novel soon, which one would y'all recommend? So far, I'm leaning towards either Norwegian Wood or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I know some of you have been reading some Murakami lately, so I'd really appreciate some suggestions.
[close]

Personally, I liked The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle a little more, but Norwegian Wood is absolutely worth reading.
My copy of Norwegian Wood (Jay Rubin translation) has a translator's note at the very end that gives a bit of background that may help you make your decision:



Once you read those two you will be well on your way to being able to play Haruki Murakami bingo  :D


Thanks man! I really appreciate your help and input. It sounds like I'll end up reading both, but I might just start with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Haha, having read Sputnik Sweetheart, I can already see what Murakami Bingo is all about. Seems like I should put that image on a chessboard as soon as I get to my next Murakami novel.

However, it will probably take a little while until I pick up another Murakami, for the sole reason that I finally started reading 2666. It's the only major Bolano work I haven't read so far. I'm already 130 pages in and I hope to power through all 1200 pages until about Christmas. I've been thinking about the perfect time period to read 2666 ever since I finished The Savage Detectives and last week I just walked into my local bookstore, read a couple of pages and figured I might as well do it now. I got exams coming up, winter is approaching and I kinda felt like reading a book that would take me down a rabbit hole. They didn't have copies of Norwegian Wood or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, so I just stuck with good ol' Bolano. So far, I'm really liking 2666. I'm halfway through the first of five parts and it already feels very Bolanoesque. We'll see if that changes as soon as I get to the infamous part about Juarez murders.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2016, 03:07:07 AM by AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice »

cookieboy

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2555 on: October 24, 2016, 09:04:40 AM »
Had an extra credit assignment where our teacher asked us to read Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for a Soul of a New China. I found the book cheap online so I figured I'll order a few extra books. Got another Murakami book (Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the Word which was recommended by someone on here), 2 books on mathematics, a book on oil painting, a book on drawing, a book on mindfulness meditation, 1984, Fight Club, Siddhartha, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and The Doors of Perception. Pretty pumped on the selections and intend to wait till the new year before I go for another batch of books.

Grind King Rims

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2556 on: October 24, 2016, 04:55:22 PM »
Finally finished "The Unbearable Lightness of Being". Jeez, I'm a very lazy reader, but that was almost a year of me meaning to get through a 300 page book... Polished off the last hundred pages in like 2 evenings though, which is a lot for me.

A friend gave me some introductory books on Post-Modernism, which I know nothing about. Might flip through them next, otherwise it might be Frankenstein, the Elephant Man, One Hundred Years of Solitude or something old and well out of my range of comprehension, like James Joyce or Charles Dickens...

These threads are the best for recommendations.

shark tits

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2557 on: October 26, 2016, 12:43:05 PM »
Finished the RZA book & another called 'tiger in a trance' about a kid following the dead, selling acid & getting much ass the whole time. Dece read if that's your bag. Started guerrilla warfare by che Guevara, book report by the wkend.

Gray Imp Sausage Metal

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2558 on: October 26, 2016, 05:31:57 PM »
Finished the RZA book
I'd be down to read a RZA book.

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reread "Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club" on a recent business trip and enjoyed even more the second time round.

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shark tits

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2559 on: October 26, 2016, 06:12:33 PM »
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Finally finished "The Unbearable Lightness of Being". Jeez, I'm a very lazy reader, but that was almost a year of me meaning to get through a 300 page book... Polished off the last hundred pages in like 2 evenings though, which is a lot for me.

A friend gave me some introductory books on Post-Modernism, which I know nothing about. Might flip through them next, otherwise it might be Frankenstein, the Elephant Man, One Hundred Years of Solitude or something old and well out of my range of comprehension, like James Joyce or Charles Dickens...

These threads are the best for recommendations.
[close]


A personal favorite... I gotta read it again.
Right now, I'm reading "What is Literature?", by Jean Paul Sartre, and feeling downright enlightened by it. I've read his Nausea before, didn't really enjoy it as I've been told I would. But that was as I was just starting college. That about covers it. I've been pretty mentally off this week.
I dug nausea, te-read it a few times. Once upon a time I had a crush on this Lesbo (who had a baby girl) & I audited philosophy class w/ her & borowed her 'sartre for dummies" & got hooked. Remember making out w/ her in boston, dropping in on the giant volcano at city hoapital, wallriding (bank riding) down stairs & sipping Sunday wine (back when couldn't buy package alcohol on sunday).
Went on sartre binge behind that, age of reason trilogy is my favorite, check those out & short stories. Never finished 'being & nothingness' but battled w/it til it got wet on a gainer (freight train).
To gism, if you weren't overseas & refered to me by my real name (shark tits) I'd totally lace ya w/ RZA

Gray Imp Sausage Metal

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2560 on: October 26, 2016, 06:32:45 PM »
To gism, if you weren't overseas & refered to me by my real name (shark tits) I'd totally lace ya w/ RZA
okay, you're shark tits from here on in (sorry I wasn't around when you posted under that account). I'd be down for that lacing but yeah, you got the book from Rusty's parents too no? That's some treasure right there

Impish sausage is definitely gonna blow up as a euphemism this year

shark tits

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2561 on: October 26, 2016, 07:23:10 PM »
Yes suh, they're only 2 hours away so I've got so much memorabilia. I'm the type to give everything away & regret/resent afterwards (right now i wish i had all my honey back except rusty's folks & mike Leslie) but I'm ahead currently. Proximity & cost prohibitIve shipping being only issues. I'd love people to swoop by & I'd share it all but a few items

Gray Imp Sausage Metal

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2562 on: October 26, 2016, 07:50:42 PM »
you're a legend mate!
(and I'd love to try your honey too)

Impish sausage is definitely gonna blow up as a euphemism this year

botefdunn

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2563 on: November 11, 2016, 12:16:08 PM »
Written in the early 90's,  it's interesting to read this now and remember the shape of things back then.


shark tits

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2564 on: November 11, 2016, 12:22:25 PM »
Written in the early 90's,  it's interesting to read this now and remember the shape of things back then.


oh shit! that book kinda ruled. that and no more prisons were tight.
danny hoch [my avatar flipp dogg] did one called 'jails, hospitals and hiphop' which is more short stories of fictional characters than facts but gets the message across.

botefdunn

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2565 on: November 11, 2016, 12:35:22 PM »
Danny Hoch, I'll try and keep an eye out for it. Bomb the Suburbs struck me in some weird way like that book "Evasion", the Crimethinc one about the kid squatting and stealing bagels. It's corny and naive  and uncomfortable at moments, but it captures something about the spirit of things and you can tell the writer has the passion.

matta

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2566 on: November 12, 2016, 06:17:31 PM »
Does anyone else think Murakami is a horrible writer whose books are full of cringeworthy cliches, embarrassing cultural references, and shitty attempts at profundity or is that just me? kafka on the shore was PAINFUL.

AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2567 on: November 13, 2016, 12:33:47 AM »
Does anyone else think Murakami is a horrible writer whose books are full of cringeworthy cliches, embarrassing cultural references, and shitty attempts at profundity or is that just me? kafka on the shore was PAINFUL.

Not exactly. I only read Sputnik Sweetheart by Murakami (supposedly one of this weaker novels) a couple of weeks ago, but I loved his style. I love surrealist imagery and melancholy dripping from the pages, so Murakami is right up my alley.

I get your point though. I can totally see why Murakami - just based on my reading of one of his books - can come off that way.

Gray Imp Sausage Metal

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2568 on: November 14, 2016, 04:09:41 PM »
Does anyone else think Murakami is a horrible writer whose books are full of cringeworthy cliches, embarrassing cultural references, and shitty attempts at profundity or is that just me? kafka on the shore was PAINFUL.
Do keep in mind that his works are mostly translated so it's not always easy to do his writing justice. Having said that I much prefer his short stories.

Impish sausage is definitely gonna blow up as a euphemism this year

matta

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2569 on: November 14, 2016, 07:06:46 PM »
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Does anyone else think Murakami is a horrible writer whose books are full of cringeworthy cliches, embarrassing cultural references, and shitty attempts at profundity or is that just me? kafka on the shore was PAINFUL.
[close]
Do keep in mind that his works are mostly translated so it's not always easy to do his writing justice. Having said that I much prefer his short stories.
ive considered that, but, ive read a pretty sizable amount of authors in translation, some i'm sure a great deal more "nuanced" than murakami and therefore more of a challenge to 'capture', and none of them have been particularly marred.

secondly, though murakami's writing pretty uninspired in my opinion, its more of the content that bothers me rather than the actual prose, and the translator would have to be taking some massive liberties to inject his writing with a buncha bad similes and contrived magical realism

Gray Imp Sausage Metal

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2570 on: November 15, 2016, 05:00:21 PM »
I guess you just don't like Murakami then :-\
*shrugs*

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Alan

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2571 on: November 16, 2016, 09:24:28 AM »
Currently reading this for a change of pace. I like it. And a lot of it is still relevant today regarding British society.

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SFblah

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2572 on: November 17, 2016, 07:12:47 PM »
About to start this. She broke the story on Baylor hiding rape charges on a football player. Fuck Penn State, Art Briles, and Baylor.


7 year old

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2573 on: November 18, 2016, 10:25:27 AM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Does anyone else think Murakami is a horrible writer whose books are full of cringeworthy cliches, embarrassing cultural references, and shitty attempts at profundity or is that just me? kafka on the shore was PAINFUL.
[close]
Do keep in mind that his works are mostly translated so it's not always easy to do his writing justice. Having said that I much prefer his short stories.
[close]
ive considered that, but, ive read a pretty sizable amount of authors in translation, some i'm sure a great deal more "nuanced" than murakami and therefore more of a challenge to 'capture', and none of them have been particularly marred.

secondly, though murakami's writing pretty uninspired in my opinion, its more of the content that bothers me rather than the actual prose, and the translator would have to be taking some massive liberties to inject his writing with a buncha bad similes and contrived magical realism
how would you know?

oyolar

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2574 on: November 18, 2016, 01:01:35 PM »
About to start this. She broke the story on Baylor hiding rape charges on a football player. Fuck Penn State, Art Briles, and Baylor.



Is this more about her investigation process/history of working on the stories or does it look into systems/structures and how this stuff occurs and is allowed to take place?

Regarding Murakami, I'm not a fan Gabriel Garcia Marquez/magical realism so even though I have yet to read any of Murakami, I'm worried I won't like it.

matta

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2575 on: November 18, 2016, 06:29:11 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Does anyone else think Murakami is a horrible writer whose books are full of cringeworthy cliches, embarrassing cultural references, and shitty attempts at profundity or is that just me? kafka on the shore was PAINFUL.
[close]
Do keep in mind that his works are mostly translated so it's not always easy to do his writing justice. Having said that I much prefer his short stories.
[close]
ive considered that, but, ive read a pretty sizable amount of authors in translation, some i'm sure a great deal more "nuanced" than murakami and therefore more of a challenge to 'capture', and none of them have been particularly marred.

secondly, though murakami's writing pretty uninspired in my opinion, its more of the content that bothers me rather than the actual prose, and the translator would have to be taking some massive liberties to inject his writing with a buncha bad similes and contrived magical realism
[close]
how would you know?

because the writing was still good (though im sure better in the original language). unless of course the originals were bad and were improved in translation, which seems ridiculous.

7 year old

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2576 on: November 18, 2016, 07:39:09 PM »
good is relative. i'm not trying to be a dick, but the truth is you don't know.
this is something that frustrates me because there are a bunch of authors i like that i feel i've never really read, because i can't read the language they wrote in. voices are incredibly specific.

SFblah

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2577 on: November 18, 2016, 08:56:15 PM »
Expand Quote
About to start this. She broke the story on Baylor hiding rape charges on a football player. Fuck Penn State, Art Briles, and Baylor.


[close]

Is this more about her investigation process/history of working on the stories or does it look into systems/structures and how this stuff occurs and is allowed to take place?

Regarding Murakami, I'm not a fan Gabriel Garcia Marquez/magical realism so even though I have yet to read any of Murakami, I'm worried I won't like it.

It's more of the latter.

oyolar

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2578 on: November 18, 2016, 09:08:01 PM »
 Nice. That's what I was hoping it would be like.
« Last Edit: November 19, 2016, 11:52:35 AM by oyolar »

AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice

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Re: books to read
« Reply #2579 on: November 19, 2016, 04:20:32 AM »
good is relative. i'm not trying to be a dick, but the truth is you don't know.
this is something that frustrates me because there are a bunch of authors i like that i feel i've never really read, because i can't read the language they wrote in. voices are incredibly specific.

It's a complicated question. I think you're right... to a point. If you read an author in translation, you're not only judging the author's writing, but also the translation. There's good translations and there's horrible translations and they can totally change your perception of a book. However, while the language of a book is totally affected by the quality of a translation, the plot and the characters aren't as much. And no matter how good or bad a translation is, it still went through enough editing to make sure it hits kinda close to home. It's not like you're reading a totally different book.

At the end of the day, I think it's really important to be aware of the fact that we're reading translations of Murakami's original writing. It's funny though: Murakami is way more popular outside of Japan than he is inside the country. This might also be due to his "Western" style, but it also means that the translations can't be all that bad, can they?

As for Murakami, even though he's considered a "magical realist", his magical realism is very different from Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I would even say that he's more surrealist than they are "magical realist". Murakami creates dream-like worlds, in which the boundaries between reality, dreams and imagination aren't all that clear. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, on the other hand, writes modern fairytales where, for example, a baby with a tail is born like it's no big deal.