I'm reading the Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones and I like it, even if they are a bit dorky and childish.
I just finished reading Our Haunted Planet by John Keel. It was ludicrous, but enjoyable.
Just before that I read Valis by Philip K. Dick, which was wonderful.
I'm re-reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
I never get tired of it.
i just finished valis too
also reading a go strategy book
uncanny x-men issues 1-24
and some shit by sartre and borges
whats the borges? i read fictions and labyrinth's liked all ze little stories. especially lottery of babylon.
i'm reading breakfast of champions by kurt vonnegut, its typical and good.
scanner darkly will be out soon. another philip.k.dick book turned film. its done like waking life, filmed then animated. sorry if this is telling you what you already know, but i'm very excited.
I'm reading a book on Carlos the Jackal, can't remember the authors but its a pretty defintive work on European and Middle Eastern terrorism during the 70s too. Lots of useful information on the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's activities and politics.
i had a trivial pursuit question on him. i got it wrong.
are you doing a politics course at uni?
Yeah, International Relations. Interesting character, ol' Carlos. They're still not sure if he was KGB or not, for instance.
did they catch him. you'll have to excuse my stupidity.
You'd be surprised, few people even know about the Jackal now. Alot think he's a fictional character.
Yeah, the French grabbed him in the end. He was working for Saddam Hussien at the time and wanted some plastic surgery in the Sudan, for obvious reasons. The doc put him under, the French gave him a big wad of cash and bundled him onto a plane. Next thing he knew, he was in a French military prison, where he is still staying now. He shouldnt have taken Saddam's job. He wanted revenge for 1991 but not many people were willing to it, even for the cash. If he'd said no, he'd probably still be living the high life in the Sudan, his millions keeping him well until the end.
Yeah, I remember when that happened. Most interesting how things came about in that case.
I'm reading "48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene, the 7th book of Stephen King's Dark Tower series (best thing he's writen in 15 years), and "Scoop" by Evelyn Waugh.
8)
Quote from: slothrop the wrapperi'm reading breakfast of champions by kurt vonnegut, its typical and good.
scanner darkly will be out soon. another philip.k.dick book turned film. its done like waking life, filmed then animated. sorry if this is telling you what you already know, but i'm very excited.
I love Breakfast of Champions, one of my favourite books. It's great to read on a plane. Don't go rent the movie, if you haven't already, life it TOO short.
And I am thrilled that Scanner Darkly is coming out soon, I think it was supposed to come out in July.
Quote from: Baron von HooplaQuote from: slothrop the wrapperi'm reading breakfast of champions by kurt vonnegut, its typical and good.
scanner darkly will be out soon. another philip.k.dick book turned film. its done like waking life, filmed then animated. sorry if this is telling you what you already know, but i'm very excited.
I love Breakfast of Champions, one of my favourite books. It's great to read on a plane. Don't go rent the movie, if you haven't already, life it TOO short.
And I am thrilled that Scanner Darkly is coming out soon, I think it was supposed to come out in July.
yeah kurts great. i like the openess of his writing, and the homeliness and warmth. i bought the film but never watched it, so thanks for the heads up.
I just started reading Cloud Atlas and it's cracking me up so far because the Dr. is on the beach sifting for teeth the cannibals spit out during their feasts. It's really very good. Thanks for recommending it, sloth.
I am reading one of the books Ellen Degeneres wrote. I figured it would be a good read-a-few-minutes-before-I-go-to-bed kind of books, but there have been some really hilarious moments. She gets distracted by shiny stuff, for instance :lol:
The name of the book is The Funny Thing Is.
Quote
Or let's say I am walking out of my house, and I've just had a banana. I have my banana peel in one hand and my car keys in the other. I throw my car keys in the trash and walk out with my banana peel. The other day I found my iron in the freezer. And the only reason I found it is that I was looking for my sunglasses.
I have days like this a lot. I don't think I would ever find my iron in my freezer, only because I never use my iron.
QuoteFeel better? Good. That's what I'm here for. Now, if you'll excuse me, I seem to be only using 8% of my brain right now. I'm going to go on alittle expedition to look for the other 2%. If I'm not back in a couple of days, don't worry. Something shiny must have distracted me.
Which leads me to my next question, which one of us is Ellen Degeneres :lol:
Books on C++ coding mostly. But I'm a grown man and I've had a computers for the last 10 years I should have learnt before this.
Quote from: Eldora, Oracle of AlchemyThe name of the book is The Funny Thing Is.
Quote
Or let's say I am walking out of my house, and I've just had a banana. I have my banana peel in one hand and my car keys in the other. I throw my car keys in the trash and walk out with my banana peel. The other day I found my iron in the freezer. And the only reason I found it is that I was looking for my sunglasses.
I have days like this a lot. I don't think I would ever find my iron in my freezer, only because I never use my iron.
QuoteFeel better? Good. That's what I'm here for. Now, if you'll excuse me, I seem to be only using 8% of my brain right now. I'm going to go on alittle expedition to look for the other 2%. If I'm not back in a couple of days, don't worry. Something shiny must have distracted me.
Which leads me to my next question, which one of us is Ellen Degeneres :lol:
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!1! I LOVE YOUR SENSE OF "HUMOR"!!1
you are an evil man.
(http://bbs.fuckedcompany.com/icons/thankyouthankyou.gif)
I'm reading American Psycho right now. I found the movie to be hilarious; the book, however, not so much. The book is alot more serious, but I like it as much as I like the movie.
I can't really think of much else I have read. Four years ago the net swallowed me whole, I'm just now starting to re-emerge into the wonderful world of actually getting stuff done.
Rhythm Science by Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky
I've been reading Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman M.D.. It's about the science behind radical life extension.
The New Global Terrorism by Charles Kegley. Admittedly, I boughgt it mostly because of my terrorism essay and because it is something I want to for my MA, but its actually a very concise, readable account of the history, stages, characteristics and causes of terrorism. Like all academic books, it costs alot for what you get, in this case £20 for £280 pages.
I just cleaned under my bed and found a pile of books I've never read.
Guess I put them there and forgot where they were or something.
Anyway, I'm starting to read something called 'Dark Terror 5', and it's an anthology of horror stories by Tanith Lee, Kim Newman, Peter Straub, and lots of other people. So far it's great.
Quote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomI just cleaned under my bed and found a pile of books I've never read.
Guess I put them there and forgot where they were or something.
Anyway, I'm starting to read something called 'Dark Terror 5', and it's an anthology of horror stories by Tanith Lee, Kim Newman, Peter Straub, and lots of other people. So far it's great.
Peter Straub = Teh w1n.
I know. I think he's about my favorite ever.
Have you read The Throat?
If not, I highly recommend it.
Of course it's better if you read Mystery and Koko first.
Quote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomI know. I think he's about my favorite ever.
Have you read The Throat?
If not, I highly recommend it.
Of course it's better if you read Mystery and Koko first.
Um, I think we've had this conversation before.
August of 2004, if I recall correctly.
No wonder I was experiencing deja vu.
And here I thought it was just that I'm psychic.
Crap.
Quote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomNo wonder I was experiencing deja vu.
And here I thought it was just that I'm psychic.
Crap.
Maybe you're reverse psychic.
You can see backwards in time.
TGRR,
Is gifted that way, too.
I just plain haven't read any good books lately. The textbooks ate my brain and they were soooo boring. But I did sell one back today for 70 bucks....fuck yeah. :D
*sigh* I want some cartoons. Yeeeeeah.
Night Watch, by Terry Prattchet. One of his best books, IMO. Got a very dark and pretty topical mood to it (secret police, plots, torture etc) and my favourite character of his, Sam Vimes.
I just got Yeat's Golden Dawn in the mail. Yet another present for Sara that I'm going to read before I give it to her. This is a used copy, so there's no way she'll notice I've been reading it. So far, it's pretty interesting.
i just read milton's paradise lost, and im not sure if i like it or if i want to scratch my eyes out
Quote from: mian tiao Fredi just read milton's paradise lost, and im not sure if i like it or if i want to scratch my eyes out
"It is better to rule in hell, than to serve in heaven."
Perhaps the best thing ever said, in any language.
Quote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomI just got Yeat's Golden Dawn in the mail. Yet another present for Sara that I'm going to read before I give it to her. This is a used copy, so there's no way she'll notice I've been reading it. So far, it's pretty interesting.
oou....let me know how that pans out! Sounds like one for the SSOOKN library :D
Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes. Not really a book, more an epic poem, but still very good. Incredible subversion of imagery in his writing.
Seeing Through Clothes by Anne Hollander. If you think you like art history (you don't really, nobody does), you'll like this one. Plus there is much discussion of the nakedness.
That last sentence sold it to me.
There's even an extensive exploration of pubic hair.
Quote from: Pope T.Mangrove xviiQuote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomI just got Yeat's Golden Dawn in the mail. Yet another present for Sara that I'm going to read before I give it to her. This is a used copy, so there's no way she'll notice I've been reading it. So far, it's pretty interesting.
oou....let me know how that pans out! Sounds like one for the SSOOKN library :D
I'm liking it a lot, Mang. But I haven't had enough uninterrupted time to really get into it the way it deserves.
Quote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomQuote from: Pope T.Mangrove xviiQuote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomI just got Yeat's Golden Dawn in the mail. Yet another present for Sara that I'm going to read before I give it to her. This is a used copy, so there's no way she'll notice I've been reading it. So far, it's pretty interesting.
oou....let me know how that pans out! Sounds like one for the SSOOKN library :D
I'm liking it a lot, Mang. But I haven't had enough uninterrupted time to really get into it the way it deserves.
thanks B3lla - i'll sniff out a copy one day.
I found a used copy through Amazon.
I think it's out of print, so you'll have to go the used route.
I started reading Another Roadside Attraction last night, but am finding it very hard to get into.
I never did finish Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, and I must have started it at least five times by now . . . I enjoy his writing, but it doesn't seem to grip me to want to read more.
I don't know . . . I'm going to keep trying for a while, but I hate to force myself to read . . .
Another Roadside Attraction was hard for me to read at first.
I liked it a lot better the second time I read it.
I didn't like it as much as Jitterbug Perfume or Skinny Legs and All.
Those were my two all time favorites.
Quote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of Doom
I didn't like it as much as Jitterbug Perfume or Skinny Legs and All.
Those were my two all time favorites.
I haven't read either of them, although I have Jitterbug Perfume. Maybe I'll give it a go and come back to Roadside.
There have been one or two books I didnt like the first time around but did like the second time, so maybe it needs to sit for a while.
Have you read Cowgirls, Bel
la?
Yeah, I read it. I liked it, but not as well as the other two I mentioned.
I think I've read everything Robbins ever wrote.
Have you tried Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates?
Quote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomYeah, I read it. I liked it, but not as well as the other two I mentioned.
I think I've read everything Robbins ever wrote.
Have you tried Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates?
Nope, never even heard of that one.
Should I try it first?
Nah, go for Skinny Legs and All first.
Or Still Life with Woodpecker if you're wanting something a bit shorter to start off with.
I think you'd like Still Life, actually.
Jitterbug Perfume has a lot of New Orleans in it, so that's kind of sad these days.
True, although I've read A Confederacy Of Dunces again since Katrina and it was only sad sporatically. Somehow reading about the place brings it back to life.
Quote from: Pope T.Mangrove xviiQuote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomQuote from: Pope T.Mangrove xviiQuote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of DoomI just got Yeat's Golden Dawn in the mail. Yet another present for Sara that I'm going to read before I give it to her. This is a used copy, so there's no way she'll notice I've been reading it. So far, it's pretty interesting.
oou....let me know how that pans out! Sounds like one for the SSOOKN library :D
I'm liking it a lot, Mang. But I haven't had enough uninterrupted time to really get into it the way it deserves.
thanks She Who Sees the Darkness in Your Hearts - i'll sniff out a copy one day.
Hey Mang, this website on the Golden Dawn may be of interest to you http://www.angelfire.com/ab6/imuhtuk/
I am reading "Pandora's Planet" by Peter Hamilton. It is pretty good so far, though it is very long and I have little free time.
Just picked up a copy of Dune, as everyone and their dog has already read it, seemingly. Something to do over Xmas, other than revise, eat too much etc...
I haven't read it, and have been hounded over it by various friends over time.
Let me know how it is, it just looks fucking boring to me. I prefer my sci-fi of the Philip K. Dick variety, not so much overt fantasy.
PKD, FTW!
I love Phillip K Dick. Dune's pretty good, as I remember, but i'ts been a long time, so it's hard to say if I'd still think it was food reading.
Its funny, I was reading a book today about the representation of crime and city in American literature and his name came up alot, because of the Blade Runner movie, of course. I considered buying the book for my Dad for Xmas...
Oddly enough, I've been way into Dick right now.
Just got done reading Ubik.
Alexandr I Solzhenitsyn - The Gulag Archipelago
Hugh Hefner: Tits.
Quote from: The Good Reverend RogerDeath to Poultry Hefner: Tits.
Well....JESUS ON A FROZEN LION STICK!
Quote from: Z¬?Oddly enough, I've been way into Dick right now.
Insert obligatory snark attack here.
And did anyone here make it through "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski? I got a copy as part of my "Christmas bonus" at work, and I've heard it's one of those fascinatingly fucked-up reads, so I'm excited.
Quote from: neongenesis816Alexandr I Solzhenitsyn - The Gulag Archipelago
Have you read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich? It's fantastic. I would highly recommend it.
While on the topic of Russian lit gems, I recently finished Heart of a Dog by Bulgakov, it was by far one of the most entertaining reads I've come across. It's very short so it's an excellent book to take with you on a trip.
Quote from: Baron von HooplaQuote from: She Who Lurks Beyond, Oracle of Doom
I didn't like it as much as Jitterbug Perfume or Skinny Legs and All.
Those were my two all time favorites.
I haven't read either of them, although I have Jitterbug Perfume. Maybe I'll give it a go and come back to Roadside.
There have been one or two books I didnt like the first time around but did like the second time, so maybe it needs to sit for a while.
Have you read Cowgirls, Bella?
Hey Baron, how did all this work out for you? I have attempted to read both Another Roadside Attraction and Jitterbug Perfume and have never managed to get through them. I wanted to like Robbins but somehow couldn't get into him...wondering if there is something I missed.
Quote from: Irreverend Death to Poultry, KSCQuote from: The Good Reverend RogerDeath to Poultry Hefner: Tits.
Well....JESUS ON A FROZEN LION STICK!
Leave little Juan out of this.
Listen to me.. Jesus is real! He lives down in Columbia and works with a bunch of other people picking beans to help make my morning coffee.
Quote from: Rev ThwackListen to me.. Jesus is real! He lives down in Columbia and works with a bunch of other people picking beans to help make my morning coffee.
$10 says he's fucking Juan Valdez' mule.
well yea, but who isn't? That mule is a dirty slut that will spread them for anyone with a piece of salt lick.
Quote from: Rev Thwackwell yea, but who isn't? That mule is a dirty slut that will spread them for anyone with a piece of salt lick.
I thought she loved me! (http://bbs.fuckedcompany.com/icons/cry.gif)
Kind of like how you thought your plumber loved you until you found out that he just wanted your caulk?
Quote from: Rev ThwackKind of like how you thought your plumber loved you until you found out that he just wanted your caulk?
:lol:
And I thought my dancing club loved me, until I found that they only loved my balls!
Quote from: TootsHey Baron, how did all this work out for you? I have attempted to read both Another Roadside Attraction and Jitterbug Perfume and have never managed to get through them. I wanted to like Robbins but somehow couldn't get into him...wondering if there is something I missed.
I gave up on Another Roadside Attraction for the time being. I will give it another go in a month or so, for now I have been reading
I, Robot, which for some reason I had never read, but had always been meaning to. Anyway, it's highly enjoyable.
Quote from: The Good Reverend RogerQuote from: Irreverend Death to Poultry, KSCQuote from: The Good Reverend RogerDeath to Poultry Hefner: Tits.
Well....JESUS ON A FROZEN LION STICK!
Leave little Juan out of this.
Someone has to mention him since his mule jilted him.
Quote from: Irreverend Death to Poultry, KSCQuote from: The Good Reverend RogerQuote from: Irreverend Death to Poultry, KSCQuote from: The Good Reverend RogerDeath to Poultry Hefner: Tits.
Well....JESUS ON A FROZEN LION STICK!
Leave little Juan out of this.
Someone has to mention him since his mule jilted him.
I thought we weren't going to ever bring that up again.
I'm reading a book my daughter gave me. It's called "The Villian's Guide to Better Living."
This little gem has chapters on home decorating and improvement, health, work issues, social life, and travel. Now I just have to decide whether I want to go with the poisonous garden, the carnivorous garden, the endless living labyrinth hedge maze......or all three. It's so hard to decide.
I just started Joyce's A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man, and am enjoying it immensely. It's very surreal.
Quote from: DJRubberduckyQuote from: Z¬?Oddly enough, I've been way into Dick right now.
Insert obligatory snark attack here.
And did anyone here make it through "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski? I got a copy as part of my "Christmas bonus" at work, and I've heard it's one of those fascinatingly fucked-up reads, so I'm excited.
I read that... or at least, I think I did. Its kind of hard to say, I mean, the book doesnt exactly read like a book. I dont think its something that you can read cover to cover very easily, because nearly half of the book is written in appendices and footnotes. I mean, it gets to the point where you have two different cohesive forms of thought sharing a same page, and it breaks down into absolute nonsense after a while. I suggest that you be very tired when you try to read this book, most of the time I woudlnt even pick it up unless I was seeing those weird insomnia induced shadows at the periphery of my vision.
Its kind of neat.
Quote from: Baron von Hoopla
I have been reading I, Robot, which for some reason I had never read, but had always been meaning to. Anyway, it's highly enjoyable.
Ahhh, good ol'Asimov. Have you given the Foundation series a try? It's a pretty big time commitment to read the whole set of books but IMO highly worth it.
I'm reading Diary by Chuck Palahniuk right now. I heart Chuck, he doesn't dissapoint. Not the most challenging read, but enjoyable. My favourite thing about Palahniuk are stories I read about him and his friends attending open houses just to raid people's medicine cabinets and get high. Must be a discordian at heart.
Quote from: TootsQuote from: Baron von Hoopla
I have been reading I, Robot, which for some reason I had never read, but had always been meaning to. Anyway, it's highly enjoyable.
Ahhh, good ol'Asimov. Have you given the Foundation series a try? It's a pretty big time commitment to read the whole set of books but IMO highly worth it.
It's CRAP! (http://bbs.fuckedcompany.com/icons/stfu.gif)
Quote from: The Good Reverend RogerQuote from: TootsQuote from: Baron von Hoopla
I have been reading I, Robot, which for some reason I had never read, but had always been meaning to. Anyway, it's highly enjoyable.
Ahhh, good ol'Asimov. Have you given the Foundation series a try? It's a pretty big time commitment to read the whole set of books but IMO highly worth it.
It's CRAP! (http://bbs.fuckedcompany.com/icons/stfu.gif)
This is the correct motorcycle.
Asimov is boring.
He should also stop trying to make himself sound smart.
Quote from: The Good Reverend RogerQuote from: TootsQuote from: Baron von Hoopla
I have been reading I, Robot, which for some reason I had never read, but had always been meaning to. Anyway, it's highly enjoyable.
Ahhh, good ol'Asimov. Have you given the Foundation series a try? It's a pretty big time commitment to read the whole set of books but IMO highly worth it.
It's CRAP! (http://bbs.fuckedcompany.com/icons/stfu.gif)
Crap is too harsh, thinkest I. He's exuberant in his storytelling even if his language lags to Joyce or Nabokov. Nobody's perfect, not even ol' mom and dad, t'is true, sniff, sniff, etc...
Funny you should ask: I've finished reading Paul Auster's City of Glass and was quite satisfied with both prose and plot.
In closing, cut Isaac some slack, Jack. Y'dig, fool?
(spin around 360)
JPF
Quote from: Jean-Paul FartreQuote from: The Good Reverend RogerQuote from: TootsQuote from: Baron von Hoopla
I have been reading I, Robot, which for some reason I had never read, but had always been meaning to. Anyway, it's highly enjoyable.
Ahhh, good ol'Asimov. Have you given the Foundation series a try? It's a pretty big time commitment to read the whole set of books but IMO highly worth it.
It's CRAP! (http://bbs.fuckedcompany.com/icons/stfu.gif)
Crap is too harsh, thinkest I. He's exuberant in his storytelling even if his language lags to Joyce or Nabokov. Nobody's perfect, not even ol' mom and dad, t'is true, sniff, sniff, etc...
Funny you should ask: I've finished reading Paul Auster's City of Glass and was quite satisfied with both prose and plot.
In closing, cut Isaac some slack, Jack. Y'dig, fool?
(spin around 360)
JPF
Fartre, you sound familiar . . .
I didn't mind Asimov, it was worth the read, but hardly genius. Rather like Dune, which I have just finished. Slow start, but overall not bad. I think equating it to Lord of the Rings as its sci-fi equivalent is abit much, but its certainly readable. Just dont believe the hype.
For me, the Dune, she is my favourite sci-fi book.
The fantasy, the Lord of Rings... too many elves, not too many Mentats. The Dune has the giant worm kings, too.
How can you not like?
Quote from: FartsHow can you not like?
Because it's boring?
Favorite Sci-fi book: "A Scanner Darkly", by PKD.
Actually, almost any PKD book, to be honest.
I still say one of the best sci-fi books I ever read was "Cosm" by Gregory Benford. Not something that I would consider light reading though... It's like he wrote it while trying to also finish his doctorial thesis for particle physics and quantum mechanics.
Quote from: eroticQuote from: FartsHow can you not like?
Because it's boring?
No, because it is not boring, silly man.
I do agree with your taste in Dick. Who does not like Dick, I ask you?
I hear lesbians don't like dick much. (obvious joke, so true, but it's earli in the morning and I have not had coffee yet so what the hell, it's amusing to me)
Methinks Asimov does deserve to get get some slack. Certainly I would not put him in the same category as Dick or Lem, but I found the Foundtation Series to be a really enjoyable read. The man invented a science which predicts the future...
i'm reading a book called 'doc.tor weep and other strange teeth' by gary barwin. it's a collection of short stories, but i'm seeing a common thread in the way he uses the same words over and over. can't help but notice that the characters have interchangeable sizes. i never heard of this guy before but it looks like he's written a lot of stuff so i'll have to dig up some more of his books one of these times.
What do you mean by using the same words over and over?
I tend to use "the" and "a" and "and" a lot.
weird. i use those words, too.
but he uses words like 'kafka' and 'bread dough' and i've noticed characters in different stories using the exact same phrase. it's kind of freaky how the same sentence can range from being spooky to funny to outright creepy depending on the story and who's saying it.
That's interesting, I will look into that.
Now reading some of the Sandman comics, which my local library has the good sense to stock. I can't remember the name of one, but its where Lucifer abdicates from Hell and the other is Worlds End.
"Season of Mists"
LMNO
-has all the Sandman comix, hardcover.
-is a dork.
I thought it was that, but wasn't certain. I only took it out yesterday, so I've only got through a couple of chapters.
A friend just gave me the last few Preacher books, so I will be reading those over the holidays in addition to A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man.
a newly translated rendition of dante's inferno with pop-up pictures.
Quote from: doubtless incidenta newly translated rendition of dante's inferno with pop-up pictures.
best version of dante's inferno EVER is a comedy acted out in a pit of mud =)
I just started something called "The Mexican Pig Bandit" by James Crumley.
Yesterday I started Ulysses by Joyce, I was kind of dreading it because people had told me how hard it was to read and how boring it was . . . so far I am loving it.
There was one part that I didn't care for so much, but just that one part so far . . . the rest is fairly fascinating.
So far anyway.
I'm reading "Six Wives" about the wives of Henry VIII by Phillip Starkey, and I just finished a biography of Lucrezia Borgia...I don't know what happened but over the holidays I developed a liking for biographies.
Next on the list: The Man in the High Castle. Can't wait!
Quote from: TootsI'm reading "Six Wives" about the wives of Henry VIII by Phillip Starkey, and I just finished a biography of Lucrezia Borgia...
She was reputedly more insane then her brother...
Quote from: CainQuote from: TootsI'm reading "Six Wives" about the wives of Henry VIII by Phillip Starkey, and I just finished a biography of Lucrezia Borgia...
She was reputedly more insane then her brother...
The book I read argues the oposite. That her brother Cesar had huge ambitions and killed his own brother as well as one of Lucrezia's husbands (apparently the only one she actually loved)...he did die of syphillis so he must have been fairly insane at least for a while.
He had someone stab his brother in the eyes--this is well documented apparently--nice!
Oh Cesar was insane, no doubt there.
I am reading a book about pirates and the Templar Knights. So far it is just doing an overview of the Templars.
[Just saying]
Pirates < Knights Templar < Big, Gay Cowboys.
[/Just saying]
Quote from: Eldora, Oracle of AlchemyI am reading a book about pirates and the Templar Knights. So far it is just doing an overview of the Templars.
The Teutonic Knights Templar wreaked some major havoc in Poland. In Malbork (called Marienburg in the past) there is a huge castle that the Templars built. I'm originally from that area of Poland so I've been to the castle on many a school trip. It's really well preserved, it's fantastic to see.
Two the more quirky things there are bathroom related. You can find little bearded devil sculptures on corridor walls throughout the castle. The beard of the devil points to the direction of the nearest bathroom. Some of the devils have wings, meaning that the next bathroom is far away so if you really have to go you better hurry!
The other was a trick bathroom stall. It looks like a regular bathroom but the floor is a trap door. Apparently this was a fairly popular way of disposing of enemies in that castle--invite them over to a feast, show them to that bathroom and then, bye bye! The bathrooms are built over a huge drop.
I have pics from the trip I took there two years ago, let me know if you're interested and I can send them to you.
Is it not possible the Templars' actions were not over-exaggerated in Poland as they were all over the rest of Europe?
Teutonic Knights =/= Templars.
And the Teutonic Knights were bloodthirsty bastards by everyones accounts.
I thought I'd read somewhere that what they supposedly did was drastically over-exaggerated? I could be completely wrong, I don't know a lot about them. Just curious.
From what I remember, their own side we worried about them. The Vatican, that is. Plus they were building an empire out there, which is always a bloody business.
True.
I'll go poke around the innernets and see if anything pops up. Surely there's no false information on the innernets.
Quote from: CainTeutonic Knights =/= Templars.
And the Teutonic Knights were bloodthirsty bastards by everyones accounts.
Really? Is there a connection at all? In Polish they are called "The Teutonic Knights Templar." Are the Polish on crack then?
Check it out: http://polandpoland.com/teutonic_knights_templar.html
Quote from: TootsQuote from: CainTeutonic Knights =/= Templars.
And the Teutonic Knights were bloodthirsty bastards by everyones accounts.
Really? Is there a connection at all? In Polish they are called "The Teutonic Knights Templar." Are the Polish on crack then?
Check it out: http://polandpoland.com/teutonic_knights_templar.html
If you have to ask...
Quote from: eroticQuote from: TootsQuote from: CainTeutonic Knights =/= Templars.
And the Teutonic Knights were bloodthirsty bastards by everyones accounts.
Really? Is there a connection at all? In Polish they are called "The Teutonic Knights Templar." Are the Polish on crack then?
Check it out: http://polandpoland.com/teutonic_knights_templar.html
If you have to ask...
But I didn't ask
you my dearest sweetest love. Why are you following me around the board? Better be more discreet or everyone will know you want to get it on.
OK...
Knights Templar were known as the Knights of the Temple of Soloman. That was their order, by Papal Bull. Templars was their nickname.
The Teutonic Knights Templar were a seperate religious/military order, evidenced by their areas of operation and founding documents. The Templars worked the Middle East and southern Europe, the Teutonic Knights got the Balkans and Germany/Poland. Also, the Teutonic Knights existed long after the dissolution of the Knights Templar, as any basic fact checking would prove.
Ahh, thanks for clarifying!
(http://poee.co.uk/boards/images/smiles/thumb.gif)
I just finished The Big U by neal stevenson
notta bad read at all
I'm re-reading The Secret Life of Plants. It's really cool - all about experiments into how sentient vs non-sentitent plant life is. How/why plants do better when people talk to them. How plants react when other life forms, including human life, are injured or killed, and about plants being reliable lie detector machines. Lots of scientific stuff, which is why I skimmed it before and am now reading it more in depth.
The tv show Myth Busters did a bit about talking to plants. Turns out playing thrash metal music is actually the best thing you can do for them. :shock:
no shit?
thats awsome!!
Quote from: Baron von HooplaThe tv show Myth Busters did a bit about talking to plants. Turns out playing thrash metal music is actually the best thing you can do for them. :shock:
Yeah, this book mentions that plants like music. Different species like different tunes.
anyone remember what episode tat was?
I weanna go see it now
Lemme think . . . I believe it was the episode where they were looking into whether shooting a window on a plane would cause explosive pressure changes.
But I could be wrong about that.
::salutes::
excellent
thanks
No problem, happy to serve.
in that case couldja bring me a 6 pack of Ben and Jerrys Chocolate CHip Ice Cream?
I wanna get chip faced
Quote from: Malaulin that case couldja bring me a 6 pack of Ben and Jerrys Chocolate CHip Ice Cream?
I wanna get chip faced
Can I FedEx them to you?
I'm reading the Iliad again. I dont have to, but because so much of Greek poetry makes reference to it, a refresher course might be a good idea.
Howl's Moving Castle.
Quote from: CainI'm reading the Iliad again. I dont have to, but because so much of Greek poetry makes reference to it, a refresher course might be a good idea.
you got me wanting to read that and the odyssey again
Quote from: LHXQuote from: CainI'm reading the Iliad again. I dont have to, but because so much of Greek poetry makes reference to it, a refresher course might be a good idea.
you got me wanting to read that and the odyssey again
I have internet links to e-books...
Quote from: CainQuote from: LHXQuote from: CainI'm reading the Iliad again. I dont have to, but because so much of Greek poetry makes reference to it, a refresher course might be a good idea.
you got me wanting to read that and the odyssey again
I have internet links to e-books...
downloadable?
Yeah. Go to http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Homer
I tend to cut and paste into a word processor and convert to pdf myself, but whatever you find easiest.
nice
thanks
Just starting on the 33 Strategies by Robert Greene. Page one and it alread reminds me why I love (yet would never trust) this man.
Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh. I liked it, anyway!
Quote from: agent compassionHowl's Moving Castle.
Awesome book, I need to find a copy again sometime.
Just reread V for Vendetta.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Die R?ºckeroberung von Franz Hohler
translation:
the recapture by Franz Hohler
its 9 short stories about crazy things that will never ever happen
the vampire chronicles by ann rice
watchmen by alan moore
v for vendetta by alan moore
I started reading an online copy of Titus Andronicus since it got mention in a webcomic recently, but I had to quit after Act 1, Scene 1 - the thing creeped me right the fuck out after reading the summary posted elsewhere.
Neverwhere by neil gaiman
Quote from: mian tiao noodleNeverwhere by neil gaiman
This is YES AND HELLO! Have you read American Gods?
Have you read Mein Kampf? I bet someone like you would like it.
:lol: Another shot for me...
You're gonna be shitfaced, check Apple Talk.
Only placed 2 bets so far. I'm OK.
area 7 or scarecrow by matthew reilly. uber good. really "fast paced"
I just finished Light in August, and I was already a huge Faulkner fan, but it was fantastic.
I just finished Cache 22
It was pretty darn good... at a loss as to what to follow it up with, really, I'm thinking something like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 'cause I haven't read that and its supposed to be pretty good.
Right now im reading "Double Cross Blind" by Joel N. Ross
So far its pretty good. its about WWII and stuff.
I'm reading Nicolo Machiavelli's The Prince.
Not sure if it's good yet, I'm only on chapter 4.
It gets better. Get his Discourses too, thats about republics.
In the beginning he said he wasn't going to cover republics, isn't that another book?
Yeah. Seperate, but very interesting. He comes across as cynical as fuck in The Prince, with good reason. You have to be ruthless to be a dictator, but republics have a whole seperate bunch of rules. Its most commonly known as Discourses, but thats not the full name.
Quote from: Machine Grind DreamI'm reading Nicolo Machiavelli's The Prince.
Not sure if it's good yet, I'm only on chapter 4.
its good unless your STUPID TEACHER wants you to rewrite it using modern examples which is WASTING MY FUCKING TIME right now. grrrr
I read Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle..
Self-help from the BC days, lol. One-hundred, eighty pages of "Moderate yourself, and be patient."
Quote from: mian tiao noodleQuote from: Machine Grind DreamI'm reading Nicolo Machiavelli's The Prince.
Not sure if it's good yet, I'm only on chapter 4.
its good unless your STUPID TEACHER wants you to rewrite it using modern examples which is WASTING MY FUCKING TIME right now. grrrr
get Cain and/or ECH to do your homework for you 8)
Quote from: CainYeah. Seperate, but very interesting. He comes across as cynical as fuck in The Prince, with good reason. You have to be ruthless to be a dictator, but republics have a whole seperate bunch of rules. Its most commonly known as Discourses, but thats not the full name.
What's the full name?
I cant remember. :(
Ah well, I should be able to find it once I'm done with The Prince.
FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Well, didn't he write The Prince to impress that one dude? I could be wrong about that, though.
He wrote The Prince to tell Lorenzo de Medici how to run florence.
also, in the one im writing, i have a neon coloured picture of Prince the singer on the cover...heh heh heh
So are yuo supposed to tell Bush how to run America?
Bush is a tool. If he read The Prince, all the oil execs and Enron people would've died in plane crashes or of heart attacks by now. As well as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle.
i actually dedicated my to cheney.
heh. my paper sucks, but im DONE!
also i put a pcture of Prince on the cover....heh heh
Oh dear God...
Good work with the dedication though.
Reading Four Past Midnight by Stephen King. I'm actually about halfway through Secret Window, Secret Garden. King's very good at what he does.
Finished Deception Point by Dan Brown, the best suspense writer I've ever read.
Brown? Suspense writer? Please for the love of God read some Ludlum or Robert Little, asap.
Now reading John Horgan - The Psychology of Terrorism
I just got the Illuminati Pappers by R.A.W.
I just finished "The Outlaw Sea" by William Langeweische.
Cain, you need to read this one. Ignore the nominal point of the book and focus on his description of the ocean as an economic and geopolitical entity and how it deals with the problems that arise in relation to the concept of nation-states.
That does sound interesting, I'll order it as soon as I'm back home.
Reading: "The Montauk Project" - LAIL
:lol: I'm reading the Inculabula stuff that relates to that.
Not a book but:
Hunter S. Thompson - Fear & Loathing in Elko
http://www.gonzo.org/elko.txt
I've read two books from the library in the last few weeks
Magical Thinking, by Augusten Burroughs. It's a good book written by a guy who may have a schizoid personality (hence magical thinking.) There's nothing _too_ obscene, but he does give um.. graphic descriptions of acts that would have him arrested in Utah, and a few of them involve Catholic priests. Don't say I didn't warn you! It's still interesting, but yeah... the blowjob-from-the-undertaker chapter caught me off guard.
I pulled a random book off the fiction shelves this morning, called 'Zombie.' by Joyce Carol Oates. I know if the guy who wrote the review on the back cover read the book, but it's still decent. A lot of ampersands; It's kind of like being inside the conciousness of a delusional murderer. So far, in 80 pages, I've learned how to perform an ice pick lobotomy.
"Hammer the pick five centimeters deep, through the bony deposit. Move pick medially seven to ten degrees, then laterally fifteen to twenty degrees. Remove with a twist, apply pressure to the eye socket to prevent hemmoraghing." MMMMM, I sure hope the chick sitting behing me on the bus didn't read it over my shoulder :)
i am in the middle of a philip k dick reading frenzy
last books i read this last month
do androids dream of electric sheep ? (for the 2nd time)
the 3 stigmata of palmer ledritch(for the 2nd time)
the penultimate truth (1st time)
in the middle of the divine invasion
and next in line are
galactic pot healer
a scanner darkly
flow my tears(2nd time)
martian time slip
dr bloodmoney
pkd is the shit.
I just started reading a zombie book called "Breathers"
So far, so good.
Just read a really good article from the Journal of Conservation Biology (Noss 1996) called "The Naturalists are Dying Off". The author echoes my own believe, that people in the biological sciences are spending way too much time at computers making models and way too little time in the field doing simple studies of observation and comparison. Not all science is experimental; just look at classic astronomy. Natural history, the observational study of organisms in their environment, is as important if not the most important thing a biologist should learn. Not only that, but natural history study is what gets people INTERESTED in biology. Darwin, the greatest biologist of all time, was a conssumate naturalist. Yet we are more and more retreating to computer labs and producing models with equations; how do we separate the model from the actual reality if we spend no time in the field "letting the organism speak to us", as Barbara McClintock would say. There are less and less taxonomists and systemacists every year as people retire and positions are not replaced. Natural history has become a lesser science. This is very sad.
Whats even sadder is that this lapse of care for naturalism is causing mistakes. Ecologists with no real grounding in taxonomy and natural history have been making many mistakes leading to introductions of invasive species. But how could they know? They spend all day in a computer lab with eletronic models and points of data representing organisms. They don't really know the organisms at all.
So, this paper and I are calling for a return to natural history study, where organisms once again become living beings in the context of a living planet rather than points on a screen, and where utmost enthusiasm is placed upon understanding systematics and life history rather than gaining yet another brownie point by writing a paper about some useless meaningless model.
I just watched a movie called I'm a Cyborg. It's a mental asylum movie, but most of it is from the perspective of the patients. It's looks more like a fantasy movie than say, One Flew..., but I didn't find it to be over the top and ridiculous.
Warning: It's Korean, so be prepared for Asian style and subtitles.
BTW, I know this is a book thread, but since this is a Korean film that I found on Sundance On-Demand I thought it was obscure enough to include.
Hey, I saw that film a few years ago and pretty much forgot about it.
I enjoyed it. :mrgreen:
Might have to track it down again.
Quote from: hunter s.durden on March 11, 2009, 09:14:15 PM
I just watched a movie called I'm a Cyborg. It's a mental asylum movie, but most of it is from the perspective of the patients. It's looks more like a fantasy movie than say, One Flew..., but I didn't find it to be over the top and ridiculous.
Warning: It's Korean, so be prepared for Asian style and subtitles.
BTW, I know this is a book thread, but since this is a Korean film that I found on Sundance On-Demand I thought it was obscure enough to include.
I'm looking at a raccoon named Davy, who is going through my trash eating pizza crusts. He's kind of scummy looking because raccoons are really out of place in Yonkers.
Warning: he's a little bit foamy
BTW, I know this is a book thread, but since this is an animal that nobody could possibly have seen before, I thought he was obscure enough to include.
My first spit-take in several months.
Well played, sir.
As usual: you will pay for this.
Quote from: Cramulus on March 17, 2009, 04:55:16 AM
Quote from: hunter s.durden on March 11, 2009, 09:14:15 PM
I just watched a movie called I'm a Cyborg. It's a mental asylum movie, but most of it is from the perspective of the patients. It's looks more like a fantasy movie than say, One Flew..., but I didn't find it to be over the top and ridiculous.
Warning: It's Korean, so be prepared for Asian style and subtitles.
BTW, I know this is a book thread, but since this is a Korean film that I found on Sundance On-Demand I thought it was obscure enough to include.
I'm looking at a raccoon named Davy, who is going through my trash eating pizza crusts. He's kind of scummy looking because raccoons are really out of place in Yonkers.
Warning: he's a little bit foamy
BTW, I know this is a book thread, but since this is an animal that nobody could possibly have seen before, I thought he was obscure enough to include.
:lulz:
Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison