Chatterbox: Literature Edition

Oh, Tzetze. You're falling into the pit I did. I have like thirty unread books scattered around my room. And I plan on going to the bookstore again soon.

This library book is just getting more and more overdue.

So, I've been reading Wuthering Heights for school these past couple days. I didn't expect much, since I'm neither a fan of Gothic Romance nor most 19th century literature. However, it's turning out to be pretty good. And it's making me want to reread Galilee, which is also good.

re "too many books": As related by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in The Black Swan (which I highly encourage anyone to read, great nonfiction book), Umberto Eco believes in the concept of the "anti-library." He would show guests to his house his magnificent library, and if asked how many of the books he'd read, he'd show his guests to a small room filled with some bookcases. "Well, what are all the books out there?" someone would inevitably ask. "That is my anti-library," Eco would respond. "It helps to remember how much I don't know."

That's a paraphrasing, by the way. Taleb relates it better in the book.

Isn't that what regular libraries are for?

No, regular libraries are for school science projects and the occasional Bingo night.

I don't suppose anyone could recommend a good thinking book?

One that'll take me a few days to finish?

Which reminds me, have you read Gödel Escher Bach? I was surprised to see the MIU puzzle in that one thread.

Eh, let me see what I have next to me...

Childhood's End?

edited 11th Jan '10 5:50:44 PM by Tzetze

Tzetze: By whom?

Arthur C Clarke

that works.

I need a book, i haven't read anything good in forever.

'less we're counting the Warriors books, which i read only becuase KITTEHS, but that took me two days (maybe less, i don't really remember) to finish the first five.

edited 11th Jan '10 5:54:53 PM by ElTheDaze

Clive Barker tends to write good books. I think, anyway. May I suggest Weaveworld or Abarat or Imajika or The Great and Secret Show or Galilee?

The more I read of Wuthering Heights and the more we talk about it in class, the more I appreciate Galilee, which is so obviously meant to be a 19th Century Romance.

edited 11th Jan '10 7:38:02 PM by LuckyRevenant

I really hate that this board is at the bottom right now.

I started reading (H. Bencraft Joly's translation of) The Dream Of The Red Chamber. After some progressive tense awkwardness, a giant talking rock explained that it's only meant as light reading and that it's supposed to make me Spit Take. I think I like where this is going.

I am unable to continue with The Summer Tree. This was before Kay really found his footing.

Finished Godel Escher Bach, though I might reread the last two chapters. When I read them, I was reading them quickly because I was hoping to let my friend borrow the book, but she's in California now, so that ain't happening. Still, I rushed myself through them and I just know I missed some stuff.

I'm trying to decide if I should go light-hearted and read Men at Arms next or if I should stick with the light-hearted philosophical goodness that is Hofstadter and read I Am a Strange Loop next.

Go read Men At Arms. One of my favorite books, and I bought it a week ago.

Also; I got Guards! Guards! and The Last Hero. Simply amazing illustrations.

Does this accurately descirbe harry turtledove?

•Many Harry Turtledove series have over a dozen viewpoint characters, and each book typically starts out with a little vignette for each of them, just to remind you of the position they were in at the end of the previous book. If you're lucky, the end of these sections will feature a big change for the character, or even kill them off if you're even luckier. ◦Only slightly wrong. The "little vignette" is actually either a paragraph to a half-page long reminding you of what the character was doing the last time just a few pages ago, as though you'd completely forgotten what they've been doing the same book. This gets even worse if it's a sequel series (such as Colonization to Worldwar) wherein Turtledove will beat us over the head with repetition to a point where a 200 page story becomes a 600 page borefest. Unfortunately, sometimes it does not get better.

I would start Men at Arms, but I just bought Dust of Dreams and The Many Deaths of the Black Company. Dust is the ninth book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, which I love...so, I'll be reading it next.

Finished Dürrenmatts "Der Verdacht".

Had it's ups and downs, overall pretty good and the climax was very good.

For some reason, I'm reading after the downfall really slowy. Its takes me an hour to read over 30 pages.

I'm reading Lord Of Light. A good book, and quite interesting.

It actually feels mythic, compared to other works.

I love American Psycho.

Started reading Hyperion now.

^ Good for you. Am I the only one who found "The Scholar's Tale" from said book to be incredibly disturbing.

Finished House Of Leaves, now starting Neverwhere.