Author Topic: books to read (Read 438102 times)

ChuckRamone · « **Reply #3120 on:** July 17, 2019, 09:15:29 AM »

I bought the Eye while I worked at the Strand but I still haven’t read it even though I’ve owned it for years. Will probably read it next since you guys reminded me of him.

oyolar · « **Reply #3121 on:** July 17, 2019, 10:50:48 AM »

It can be a super fast read. Like “in two 60-90 minute readings fast” if you’re taking a decent amount of time or are slower as a reader (i.e. me).

I’d recommend reading it once through kinda quickly, without doing too much in the moment analysis and then reading it again a few days later at a slightly slower pace. You’ll get a lot more out of it the second time.

Alan · « **Reply #3122 on:** October 20, 2019, 07:42:27 AM »

Finished Red Mars the other day. It's about the first colonizers of Mars and the struggle to preserve he planet against full on exploitation. It was fascinating but somewhat sluggish at times (but only because I was over the landscape and atmospheric descriptions). Even though it was published in 1992, I don't think it's terribly outdated since its strength lies in the human/social aspects of space colonization, rather than the geological/terraforming ones, although they overlap considerably. I definitely need a break from hard sci fi, though.

Currently I'm reading At Freddie's by Penelope Fitzgerald. It's a very short novel about a children's acting school in London that supplies child actors to West End theatres, run by the eponymous character. I'm only about 20 pages in but I really like the prose. Funny and melancholic at the same time.

JB77 · « **Reply #3123 on:** October 21, 2019, 04:01:59 PM »

Mr. Featherstone’s Famous Flower Cart, Elvis In Vegas, The Outsider.

oyolar · « **Reply #3124 on:** October 21, 2019, 04:17:08 PM »

Just finished The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. It was just recently translated and wow. I really liked it. It was very...delicate I guess you can say? But disturbing too. I recommend it.

I'm going to finish this. It's really interesting. Crazy the things that experimental musicians are doing.

And then after I finish Lucier's book, I'm going to give Night Film by Marisha Pessl a read. It's frequently recommended to fans of Danielewski so I figured I'd try it. Apparently it's a love or hate type of book though so let's see how I feel.

EDIT: Ogawa cover was way too big.

Alan · « **Reply #3125 on:** October 21, 2019, 04:21:48 PM »

Putting that music book on my list. Looks sick. That Ogawa book, too!

MichaelJacksonsGhost · « **Reply #3126 on:** October 21, 2019, 07:25:50 PM »

Finished The Heart is a Lonely Hunter recently, and now I’m reading A Journey to the West. I’m about 200 pages in and it’s okay so far, but I’m a little wary of the 1800 pages I still have left. Plus my friend just brought me a whole stack of books from the states, and I’m more excited to read most of those at the moment. One of the books he brought is House of Leaves, and just flipping through the pages gets me excited to jump into it. Does anyone have any tips about how to read/not get too frustrated with the book? (I’m fairly certain I’ve seen oyolar mention it before)

oyolar · « **Reply #3127 on:** October 21, 2019, 08:44:46 PM »

I'm sure I've mentioned it or just Danielewski in general. I'm a big fan of his and have read all of his work. But House of Leaves is definitely his best. I should probably reread it again to be honest.

I'm happy to talk about it and you can find a bunch of resources online that really go through it word by word and do deep analysis of it. I didn't get into that until after I read it, but it's nice to know that's there as a resource.

I highly recommend it and can definitely talk to you about it to the best of my memory. I genuinely do think it's a great novel. The fun, weird, exciting layout adds a lot but it's not the only draw - it enhances an already compelling narrative (something I can talk about with his later books too as I don't feel that all of them execute what HoL does so well, despite his best efforts).

You'll know if it's something you want to finish pretty quickly and if it is, I don't think you'll get frustrated. My recommendation is to read through the main body of text and then read the footnotes and follow them as they go whenever they pop up (this sentence makes more sense once you start reading it). Because of this, you'll need a few bookmarks and to mentally keep track of which bookmark you're starting from next time you start reading. I think at the worst, I had 3 different bookmarks in my copy at one time, plus an index card I "translated" one chapter onto for later reading (it makes sense in the book). I didn't have much of an issue, but I also read it during a pretty relaxed summer where I could dedicated like 2 hours to just reading it if I wanted to (and I frequently did, which should give you a sense of how aresting it is). Beyond that, I'd say do outside reading after. It's rich enough by itself that you'll enjoy it and then all of people's commentaries are a fun addition.

The biggest frustration point for me was reading the book consistently for like a month and seeing one bookmark only like 150 pages in, which was demoralizing until I remembered all of the footnotes, etc. I had read, which was easily another 75 - 100 pages or so.

know_your_role · « **Reply #3128 on:** October 23, 2019, 06:04:14 PM »

Quote from: oyolar on July 17, 2019, 08:07:29 AM

I fucking love Bataille as fascinating and obscure as he is. He’s not an easy read by any means but every so often, you get these perfectly poetic and crystallizing moments and lines that blow your mind and make it worthwhile.

If you’re interested in Bataille, I recommend this fantastic biography about him to help understand his life and works: https://www.amazon.com/Georges-Bataille-Intellectual-Michel-Surya/dp/1859841538

I read it years ago but should probably reread it sometime soon as I’m more familiar with a lot of his works. Maybe after I finish The Accursed Share whenever I get around to it.

Damn looks like that guy focused. Really interested in reading some Bataille after listening to an episode about him on Hermitix podcast (best phil/lit podcast bar none). Got such a backlog of stuff to read when I'm done with study for the year but I think Bataille might cut the queue a bit

oyolar · « **Reply #3129 on:** October 23, 2019, 06:26:58 PM »

Whoa - I'll have to find that podcast. I'm always looking for more ways to learn / think about Bataille. Thanks for the info!

know_your_role · « **Reply #3130 on:** October 23, 2019, 07:46:14 PM »

Quote from: oyolar on October 23, 2019, 06:26:58 PM

Whoa - I'll have to find that podcast. I'm always looking for more ways to learn / think about Bataille. Thanks for the info!

I'm sure you won't have a hard time finding it but yeah enjoy

Also on Spotify apparently

oyolar · « **Reply #3131 on:** October 23, 2019, 09:45:56 PM »

Yep - found it already. Thanks man!

Do you know anything about the guy who hosts? I noticed he had Nick Land on as well as an episode about Evola and those are some pretty far right and anti-democratic waters. There are plenty of ways to have those conversations obviously but just curious.

Alan - let me know your thoughts on the Ogawa book when you get around to it!

MichaelJacksonsGhost · « **Reply #3132 on:** October 23, 2019, 10:17:41 PM »

Quote from: oyolar on October 21, 2019, 08:44:46 PM

I'm sure I've mentioned it or just Danielewski in general. I'm a big fan of his and have read all of his work. But House of Leaves is definitely his best. I should probably reread it again to be honest.

I'm happy to talk about it and you can find a bunch of resources online that really go through it word by word and do deep analysis of it. I didn't get into that until after I read it, but it's nice to know that's there as a resource.

I highly recommend it and can definitely talk to you about it to the best of my memory. I genuinely do think it's a great novel. The fun, weird, exciting layout adds a lot but it's not the only draw - it enhances an already compelling narrative (something I can talk about with his later books too as I don't feel that all of them execute what HoL does so well, despite his best efforts).

You'll know if it's something you want to finish pretty quickly and if it is, I don't think you'll get frustrated. My recommendation is to read through the main body of text and then read the footnotes and follow them as they go whenever they pop up (this sentence makes more sense once you start reading it). Because of this, you'll need a few bookmarks and to mentally keep track of which bookmark you're starting from next time you start reading. I think at the worst, I had 3 different bookmarks in my copy at one time, plus an index card I "translated" one chapter onto for later reading (it makes sense in the book). I didn't have much of an issue, but I also read it during a pretty relaxed summer where I could dedicated like 2 hours to just reading it if I wanted to (and I frequently did, which should give you a sense of how aresting it is). Beyond that, I'd say do outside reading after. It's rich enough by itself that you'll enjoy it and then all of people's commentaries are a fun addition.

The biggest frustration point for me was reading the book consistently for like a month and seeing one bookmark only like 150 pages in, which was demoralizing until I remembered all of the footnotes, etc. I had read, which was easily another 75 - 100 pages or so.

I really appreciate the response/insight. I’ll let everyone know (as I’m sure they’re interested) how I fair whenever I finally get around to it.

know_your_role · « **Reply #3133 on:** October 24, 2019, 03:27:49 AM »

Quote from: oyolar on October 23, 2019, 09:45:56 PM

Do you know anything about the guy who hosts? I noticed he had Nick Land on as well as an episode about Evola and those are some pretty far right and anti-democratic waters. There are plenty of ways to have those conversations obviously but just curious.

His twitter handle/blog is 'meta nomad', I've only read his recent set of blog posts about 'exiting modernity' which has a couple of interesting ideas in it. I appreciate the broad scope of ideas he has on the podcast, and I guess Evola and Land are fair game if you are going to run a podcast on fringe philosophy. I like that he doesn't have any political or ideological leaning, but just wants to talk in depth about a certain topic.

SFblah · « **Reply #3134 on:** October 24, 2019, 05:41:09 AM »

This author has been a new find I just took a chance on. Dark and humorous stories from post-WWI Paris where all his characters are usually poor, socially awkward, and hoping luck is just about to change their lives.

os89 · « **Reply #3135 on:** October 24, 2019, 06:54:08 AM »

Quote from: oyolar on October 21, 2019, 08:44:46 PM

I'm sure I've mentioned it or just Danielewski in general. I'm a big fan of his and have read all of his work. But House of Leaves is definitely his best. I should probably reread it again to be honest.

I'm happy to talk about it and you can find a bunch of resources online that really go through it word by word and do deep analysis of it. I didn't get into that until after I read it, but it's nice to know that's there as a resource.

I highly recommend it and can definitely talk to you about it to the best of my memory. I genuinely do think it's a great novel. The fun, weird, exciting layout adds a lot but it's not the only draw - it enhances an already compelling narrative (something I can talk about with his later books too as I don't feel that all of them execute what HoL does so well, despite his best efforts).

You'll know if it's something you want to finish pretty quickly and if it is, I don't think you'll get frustrated. My recommendation is to read through the main body of text and then read the footnotes and follow them as they go whenever they pop up (this sentence makes more sense once you start reading it). Because of this, you'll need a few bookmarks and to mentally keep track of which bookmark you're starting from next time you start reading. I think at the worst, I had 3 different bookmarks in my copy at one time, plus an index card I "translated" one chapter onto for later reading (it makes sense in the book). I didn't have much of an issue, but I also read it during a pretty relaxed summer where I could dedicated like 2 hours to just reading it if I wanted to (and I frequently did, which should give you a sense of how aresting it is). Beyond that, I'd say do outside reading after. It's rich enough by itself that you'll enjoy it and then all of people's commentaries are a fun addition.

The biggest frustration point for me was reading the book consistently for like a month and seeing one bookmark only like 150 pages in, which was demoralizing until I remembered all of the footnotes, etc. I had read, which was easily another 75 - 100 pages or so.

Yea he is awesome. House of Leaves is one of my favorite books. Another of his, The Fifty Year Sword is also really fun. It's a short story though so it flies by.

oyolar · « **Reply #3136 on:** October 24, 2019, 10:16:43 AM »

Quote from: know_your_role on October 24, 2019, 03:27:49 AM

Quote from: oyolar on October 23, 2019, 09:45:56 PM
Expand Quote
Do you know anything about the guy who hosts? I noticed he had Nick Land on as well as an episode about Evola and those are some pretty far right and anti-democratic waters. There are plenty of ways to have those conversations obviously but just curious.
[close]

His twitter handle/blog is 'meta nomad', I've only read his recent set of blog posts about 'exiting modernity' which has a couple of interesting ideas in it. I appreciate the broad scope of ideas he has on the podcast, and I guess Evola and Land are fair game if you are going to run a podcast on fringe philosophy. I like that he doesn't have any political or ideological leaning, but just wants to talk in depth about a certain topic.

Oh for sure. I’m not saying anything definitive, just something I noticed and wondered about. And you’re totally right that it’s not surprising that stuff pops up on fringe philosophy conversation. I’ll look into the blog posts and definitely will listen to the Bataille and probably Evola podcasts when I have a chance.

Also, definitely read The 50 Year Sword. It’s perfect for Halloween. I listen to the live performance or read it this time of year every year. The live performance is only an hour or so. I’ll share the YouTube link to the version I use this weekend.

oyolar · « **Reply #3137 on:** November 04, 2019, 06:59:47 AM »

Sorry for the double post but couldn’t do Night Film. It was just way too classic thriller genre-y. So I gave it to my mom to see if she might like it as she’s more into that and replaced it with Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor. Still working through Lucier’s Book but because I listen to the pieces he’s talking about as I read them, I didn’t have much time to do both at once last week.

theSketchLord · « **Reply #3138 on:** November 07, 2019, 11:25:06 AM »

Finally found a copy of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, although ever since I developed epilepsy maybe 2-3 years ago I have a massive problem reading.
Before that I used to read a fair bit, loved trashy sci-fi novels. Now it seems as soon as I get to the bottom of the page and have almost completely forgotten the page before.

Shame cos' I've got a stack of books to get through.

Alan · « **Reply #3139 on:** November 07, 2019, 04:17:09 PM »

How do you handle audio books? Is that an option?

theSketchLord · « **Reply #3140 on:** November 08, 2019, 05:50:52 AM »

Quote from: Alan on November 07, 2019, 04:17:09 PM

How do you handle audio books? Is that an option?

I've thought about it, I listen to a lot of podcasts and that doesn't seem a problem.
My issue is I used to love picking up really trashy novels, a lot of op shop and salvo's second hand horror/sci fi and I doubt a lot are on audio.

I'll give it a look though, cheers.

50mm · « **Reply #3141 on:** November 08, 2019, 08:59:19 AM »

Quote from: theSketchLord on November 08, 2019, 05:50:52 AM

Quote from: Alan on November 07, 2019, 04:17:09 PM
Expand Quote
How do you handle audio books? Is that an option?
[close]

I've thought about it, I listen to a lot of podcasts and that doesn't seem a problem.
My issue is I used to love picking up really trashy novels, a lot of op shop and salvo's second hand horror/sci fi and I doubt a lot are on audio.

I'll give it a look though, cheers.

You should for sure. The only reason I haven't gotten audible or something is because you only get a couple books a month which sucks. I too listen to a ton of podcasts, I've only listened to a couple audio books, I liked them, I just didn't want to pay for a subscription and they are hard to find pirated. I bet there area a lot of novels like that by small time independent writers nowadays, some of them had to have done an audio book. You could probably find a ton of that stuff.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is my rec. since I've been playing Red Dead 2. I saw someone on reddit get recommended it when they asked for a book that was like Red Dead a few years back. It's super violent, pretty philosophical, and there is a bit of Spanish in it, but it's great. I would have my translate app ready when I would read it and I'm glad I did that instead of just skipping the Spanish.

Peter Zagreus · « **Reply #3142 on:** November 08, 2019, 09:37:31 PM »

Quote from: know_your_role on October 23, 2019, 07:46:14 PM

Quote from: oyolar on October 23, 2019, 06:26:58 PM
Expand Quote
Whoa - I'll have to find that podcast. I'm always looking for more ways to learn / think about Bataille. Thanks for the info!
[close]
I'm sure you won't have a hard time finding it but yeah enjoy

Also on Spotify apparently

Good looks on this podcast. My kind of stuff.
I've been reading too much to post all of it, but...

If you haven't, get there eventually (and make sure you've got footnotes).

Just got around to reading this. It deserves any praise it gets.

So good.

For the theory heads.

Ok, I'm done.

botefdunn · « **Reply #3143 on:** November 09, 2019, 01:29:42 PM »

Quote from: 50mm on November 08, 2019, 08:59:19 AM

Quote from: theSketchLord on November 08, 2019, 05:50:52 AM
Expand Quote
Quote from: Alan on November 07, 2019, 04:17:09 PM
Expand Quote
How do you handle audio books? Is that an option?
[close]

I've thought about it, I listen to a lot of podcasts and that doesn't seem a problem.
My issue is I used to love picking up really trashy novels, a lot of op shop and salvo's second hand horror/sci fi and I doubt a lot are on audio.

I'll give it a look though, cheers.
[close]
You should for sure. The only reason I haven't gotten audible or something is because you only get a couple books a month which sucks. I too listen to a ton of podcasts, I've only listened to a couple audio books, I liked them, I just didn't want to pay for a subscription and they are hard to find pirated. I bet there area a lot of novels like that by small time independent writers nowadays, some of them had to have done an audio book. You could probably find a ton of that stuff.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is my rec. since I've been playing Red Dead 2. I saw someone on reddit get recommended it when they asked for a book that was like Red Dead a few years back. It's super violent, pretty philosophical, and there is a bit of Spanish in it, but it's great. I would have my translate app ready when I would read it and I'm glad I did that instead of just skipping the Spanish.

Good drinking game if you get the audio book, take a swig every time the narrator says "Glanton spit".

childhood · « **Reply #3144 on:** November 09, 2019, 04:50:50 PM »

I read a ton of McCarthy this summer, Child of God was pretty wild.
Currently like halfway through The Crossing.

Digital version of the book that Charlie Kaufman is adapting for his next movie:
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/44ef5394ddce26af7244012cf1a4cfab20191110003631/735dfd

"Named an NPR Best Book of the Year in 2016, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” examines the fragility of the psyche and the limitations of solitude. On a road trip to meet his parents on their secluded farm, Jake’s girlfriend is thinking of ending things. When Jake makes an unexpected detour, leaving her stranded, a twisted mix of palpable tension, psychological frailty, and sheer terror ensues."
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/charlie-kaufman-im-thinking-of-ending-things-netflix-1202676230/

https://news.avclub.com/jesse-plemons-discusses-filming-charlie-kaufmans-new-mo-1839645719

oyolar · « **Reply #3145 on:** November 09, 2019, 05:28:32 PM »

I wanted to read I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

I gotta say I was disappointed in that Hermitix episode. As they noted, they didn’t talk much about Bataille and it seemed to turn into fawning over NRx with an obligatory “but Fascism is bad!” disclaimer. Ironic considering Bataille’s relationship to the far right.

childhood · « **Reply #3146 on:** November 10, 2019, 03:01:38 PM »

You should read I’m Thinking..., it’s good, creepy, and relatively short. I got through it in a few hours.

By the end of the book, you can see why Kaufman would be interested in making it into a movie, Adaptation would well work as a companion piece to it. Really curious to see what he does with it.

no habla mango · « **Reply #3147 on:** November 10, 2019, 03:39:47 PM »

white cargo was informative.
the antifascist handbook is curious because, although it's written as pro antifa, it sort of does a bad job advocating.

Carrolls Chesthairs · « **Reply #3148 on:** November 10, 2019, 06:22:05 PM »

know_your_role · « **Reply #3149 on:** November 10, 2019, 06:43:04 PM »

Quote from: oyolar on November 09, 2019, 05:28:32 PM

I wanted to read I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

I gotta say I was disappointed in that Hermitix episode. As they noted, they didn’t talk much about Bataille and it seemed to turn into fawning over NRx with an obligatory “but Fascism is bad!” disclaimer. Ironic considering Bataille’s relationship to the far right.

fair enough, i re-listened to it and it didn't have as much talk about bataille as i remembered. guess its slim pickins in the podcast world

Author Topic: books to read (Read 438102 times)

JB77