Me, too!Originally Posted by ladysai
Me, too!
Author of The Road to the Dark Tower, Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences and The Dark Tower Companion. Co-editor with Stephen King of the anthology Flight or Fright.
Recursion by Blake Crouch. I'm trying to go slow and make it last for a while since I know it'll be forever before we get another new book by him. Good thing is I've been so busy I've barely had any time to sit down and read. I'm really enjoying it so far.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
Let me know how it is! I loved Dark Matter, so I've been looking forward to the new one. I'm reading the new Michael Koryta now, but am thinking it'll be my next one.
A NEW GAME BEGINS
I'm sure I'll love it and be raving about it once I finishHopefully I didn't just jinx myself with that statement...
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
Man, I've been dying to get that one, but am kinda making myself wait to buy it so I can "save" reading it for a while.
Currently reading: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. I haven't gotten very far into it, but I'm expecting it to be just as fun/light as Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul.
It is; cut from the same cloth. Eminently enjoyable.
Eastasia has always taught college students to feel pride or shame according to their race.
I know that I REALLY enjoyed Long Dark Tea Time. Such a fun read.It is; cut from the same cloth. Eminently enjoyable.
I just finished Mathematics: From The Birth Of Numbers by Jan Gullberg.
How was it? It may seem a bit formulaic on the surface, but it’s not derivative at all, and has more plotting than you normally see. It’s integrated pretty well, and it’s not exactly a book without a point. Looking at it from another angle, in theory there’s a limit to how much I can enjoy a book like this (my patience with nonfiction is finite), but it fulfills its function. Although readership is sometimes divided on these things, the author has powers you can really count on, which is a plus. All things being equal, when you add it all up, I suppose it was my type of book.
...in all seriousness, if you are a mathhead, look it up and see what you think. I enjoyed it.
Eastasia has always taught college students to feel pride or shame according to their race.
I just started John Steinbeck's The Pearl.
Did I choose it because Steinbeck is a towering genius of American literature? Because it's a timeless, penetrating classic from which I hope to derive wisdom and insight? Nah; I chose it because it's only 90 damn pages long. The book I really wanted to read right now is still in the mail (I should have it tomorrow) and I needed something mighty short to fill 2-3 days.
I'm only 29 pages in, and it's pretty dull going so far, but that's how it is sometimes. I've never read Steinbeck before, but if I hate it, I still want to read one of his major works (probably The Grapes Of Wrath or Of Mice And Men) to see what his best is, and then, at the very least, I'll know what all the fuss is about.
The book I really wanted to read, and am eagerly awaiting, is something I've never read before...The Exorcist. I'm so excited to read this I'm practically shaking (although not literally shaking).
Eastasia has always taught college students to feel pride or shame according to their race.
Grapes of Wrath is definitely a classic. I have the Excorcist on my read list too. My favorite horror movie of all time (not a very original pick I know) so high expectations indeed.
seeking: ANYTHING DT related #246
ANYTHING DT Related #246
Dead Zone First Edition F/F or NF/NF
I read it back in the 70's after the movie came out. I was too young to see the movie and we lived in Taiwan at the time, so american movies were limited to what the air force base would play, which was one movie a week. I drove through Taipei on my bike til I found a bookstore that sold english books. Found it and loved it. The movie , I saw years later, sucked compared to the book. Enjoy
Wish List:
Any of the following flatsigned or inscribed-
It, Shining, Salem’s Lot, Mr. Mercedes, The Stand
Brother ARC, Seed ARC
The Grapes of Wrath was torture. I read it in 9th grade and we could have chosen to read Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath, but get extra credit for Grapes since it was longer. I wish I would've picked Of Mice and Men.
A NEW GAME BEGINS
Oh man. What does that say about Grapes of Wrath that you were rewarded more for suffering through it?
A few years ago I felt compelled to read some of the classics and tried Lord Of The Flies, Of Mice & Men, Moby Dick, Robinson Crusoe and The Old Man & The Sea. I finished LOTF, OM&M and TOM&TS but tapped out on RC & MD. In the end I didn't remotely like any of them but was glad I went through the exercise. My takeaway was that I'm a slacker and only want to read books that capture my interest from the outset. The only authors I'm willing to push through with these days are SK and Dan Simmons. Of those two Simmons makes me work much harder than King.
I can see how Moby Dick would be some people's definition of a slog, but I really enjoyed it (lucky for me, since my first MD read was with a $70 special edition on which I splurged without knowing for sure if I'd even like it - more on this at http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/...1280-Moby-Dick).
I'm not opposed to dense or wordy "classics" on principle, but there has to be something there for me. Such books can be like a meatless sandwich; I can tolerate unadorned bread, but it had better be good bread.
Eastasia has always taught college students to feel pride or shame according to their race.
I just finished John Steinbeck's The Pearl.
As I mentioned before, it started off pretty dull, but then...things happened.
I found myself wondering if this was supposed to be a parable (against greed or possibly colonialism - are we supposed to blame the protagonist or those around him? Is he the "madness" or is he simply reflecting it?) or just a simple tale showing how fragile people and their relationships are, utterly at the mercy of circumstance. Perhaps all of it.
I came into this expecting not to enjoy it at all, but I did find it interesting and found myself caring about the characters. This is not to say that I loved it - it's not the kind of book that makes me say "Wow, I've gotta find more by this guy!" - but given that I have to read one of his longer classics at some point, and given that it made me think enough to write the previous paragraph, I'm not exactly dreading my next encounter with Steinbeck.
Eastasia has always taught college students to feel pride or shame according to their race.
DUDE... do you read a book a day? Its unreal the amount you can read.... I wish!
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
That's one of the best analogies I've ever heard.
I'm much less impressive than I seem; The Pearl was only 90 pages. I usually read 9,000 - 10,000 pages/year (18- 25 books, depending on the books).
Eastasia has always taught college students to feel pride or shame according to their race.
I read Moby Dick in my teens and remember enjoying it a lot, although I can't remember anything about it now. I've debated on doing a re-read now, but am scared I'll be so miserable reading it and think "Why did I decide to torture myself like this? And what was wrong with me for liking this before?"
But I completely understand the being a slacker who only wants to read books that immediately capture your attention. I am so bad about giving up on books now. I used to refuse to quit a book before finishing it, but now, I can't even count the number of books I've abandoned because they bore the crap out of me. Reading should be for fun and shouldn't feel like work.
In general I agree; I only disagree (and "disagree" is probably too strong a wrong word here) in the sense that, for me, some books are the equivalent of a walk that I don't feel like taking until I get out, and then the fresh air hits me, the trees look nice, my legs feel better, etc., despite the fact that I'd never leave the couch if I could manage it.
But don't misunderstand - some reading experiences are absolutely fatiguing; my experience with Dune was awful (details on just how awful here: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/...=1#post1135723 - I enjoy citing myself).
Eastasia has always taught college students to feel pride or shame according to their race.
Nice analogy. Allow me to fuck up or totally butcher a Hemingway, I mean George RR, or shit I don't know who quote:In general I agree; I only disagree (and "disagree" is probably too strong a wrong word here) in the sense that, for me, some books are the equivalent of a walk that I don't feel like taking until I get out, and then the fresh air hits me, the trees look nice, my legs feel better, etc., despite the fact that I'd never leave the couch if I could manage it.
But don't misunderstand - some reading experiences are absolutely fatiguing; my experience with Dune was awful (details on just how awful here: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/...=1#post1135723 - I enjoy citing myself).
I do NOT like to write, I like to HAVE WRITTEN"
That is how I feel about reading some classics.
I HATE hiking but love the view at the top.
seeking: ANYTHING DT related #246
Ready Plyer One Sub Press S/L
ANYTHING DT Related #246
Dead Zone First Edition F/F or NF/NF
Just finished NOS4A2 last nite, loved it!!!!! Favorite Joe Hill book by far. One of my favorite books ever in fact.
Started Revival today.....
Wish List:
Any of the following flatsigned or inscribed-
It, Shining, Salem’s Lot, Mr. Mercedes, The Stand
Brother ARC, Seed ARC
I'll add my own: I loathe running marathons but crossing the finish line is a magical feeling. Unless...
It's too hot. I'm getting sunburned and I still have ten miles to go. I'm having GI issues (read: I need to go boom-boom and the next washroom is 5k away). It's pouring. Or it's snowing. Or I rolled my ankle. Or some slowpoke is in the way and there's no room to pass.
Point is sometimes the battle isn't worth it. If what you're putting in isn't proportional to what you're getting out, just stop. Don't do things that aren't making you happy. Life's too short to gamble on bad books.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
