Done with Michael Chabon and picked up Jared Diamond's - 'Guns, Germs and Steel'. It goes into why history unfolded differently on the different continents. Interesting read so far.
Books The BOOK thread
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I read all Diamond's work, and that was my favorite. Collapse was good as well. For me he actually goes into more detail than I need and it sort of busts up the flow. Still great reads.
I found it relatively difficult in the original to be fair, so either it's your translation, or I'm not a very good French reader - it's probably the latter.
There is so much to discover in French literature, I'm sure this thread has covered everything worth reading, but in general society, I'm convinced we don't read enough literature of other cultures, especially France.
Noooooooo!
Sorry, but he's massively environmentally determinalist, and cherry-picked and presented his examples in an extraordinarily biased manner. Not to mention the fact that he never really tackles the questions he actually sets out to answer.
It is a fascinating subject - why do complex societies fail? But Diamond's book is a poor effort. Guns, Germs & Steel was far better.
If you are interested in societal collapse then I'd highly recommend Joseph Tainter's book The Collapse of Complex Societies (1988). It is academic, but it's a far better attempt at analysing why societies fail, the processes occurring within that collapse, and the history of collapse theory.
Another decent one is Turchin's War and Peace and War (2006) though that's very much focussed upon the rise and fall of empires rather than societies.
I've temporarily given up on Guns, Germs and Steel. I found it very interesting for the first third but then then the bits on food production got a tad tiring and his habit of repeating the same line over and over again ad nauseum is grating to say the least. I'll definitely be picking this up again when I'm more in the mood for this.
Quickly reading through Carl Sagan's - 'The Dragons of Eden : Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence'. Sagan's style and language seems so soothing after Diamond.
Quickly reading through Carl Sagan's - 'The Dragons of Eden : Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence'. Sagan's style and language seems so soothing after Diamond.
Just reading Stewart Lee's 'How I Escaped My Certain Fate...'.
The bulk of it is the transcripts from his Stand Up Comedian, 90's Comedian & 41st Best Stand Up Ever shows along with equally amusing annotated notes. The structure is such you can just dip in and out of it at your leisure.
The bulk of it is the transcripts from his Stand Up Comedian, 90's Comedian & 41st Best Stand Up Ever shows along with equally amusing annotated notes. The structure is such you can just dip in and out of it at your leisure.
I keep hearing about 'Freedom' by Jonathan Franzen...any good? No spoilers please 
Just been re-reading Les Miserables at university. The best book I've read bar none. Stunningly emotional, whilst unbelievably accurate about how society would change after its publication.
Hugo is a fabulous writer; he writes in a complicated way - it took me 6 months to read it in French - but you won't ever want to put it down. A genuine privelige to read.
Hugo is a fabulous writer; he writes in a complicated way - it took me 6 months to read it in French - but you won't ever want to put it down. A genuine privelige to read.
just started "The Passage" by Justin Cronin
Its a beast of a book in size, may take a while!
Its a beast of a book in size, may take a while!
looks interesting, has been given decent reviews
Has anyone read Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything? Any good?
And could anyone recommend me good non-fiction books? Would like to stop reading fiction for a little while.
And could anyone recommend me good non-fiction books? Would like to stop reading fiction for a little while.
Recently read Power Play by Joseph Finder.
For me it was a typical thriller, well done and a real page turner. I always find these thriller type books easy to read, this was no different. I don't even know i rated it, most of the elements were good but it was a bit lacking in some areas, the character development wasnt exactly outstanding but it was very interesting, well written and hard to put down.
For me it was a typical thriller, well done and a real page turner. I always find these thriller type books easy to read, this was no different. I don't even know i rated it, most of the elements were good but it was a bit lacking in some areas, the character development wasnt exactly outstanding but it was very interesting, well written and hard to put down.
Recently finished: The entire Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Overall I'd probably say it was worth the time I put into chugging through it.
Also recently finished: Daemon and Freedom(TM) by Daniel Suarez. Brilliant technological thrillers about a computer program that manages to take over the entire world and the political and social implications. Good read even for people who aren't tech savvy and really makes you think about the current political and economic structures we have in place and the people running them.
Currently reading: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
REALLY disappointed with the ending. Not from a quality point of view. I think it's kind of brilliant in a way. More from a NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I can't believe it was all a sham sort of way.
Also recently finished: Daemon and Freedom(TM) by Daniel Suarez. Brilliant technological thrillers about a computer program that manages to take over the entire world and the political and social implications. Good read even for people who aren't tech savvy and really makes you think about the current political and economic structures we have in place and the people running them.
Currently reading: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
It really is a polarizing ending ,isn't it? I remember spending a lot of time thinking about it and came to the conclusion that it was the best way to end it. It was an almighty OMG, WTF and Shit, he didn't moment rolled into one though. I also remember getting serious goosebumps as he made his way to the tower in the end.
What I didn't like was the parts preceding it - writing himself into the story, the crimson king vs patrick danville and the ending to MIB was all disappointing to say the least. Enjoyed the series over all though.
What I didn't like was the parts preceding it - writing himself into the story, the crimson king vs patrick danville and the ending to MIB was all disappointing to say the least. Enjoyed the series over all though.
Have you heard that Ron Howard has officially signed on to do the films along with a mini-series?
Yes I have. One of the first things I do when I finish reading/watching something is to read the relevant Wikipedia articles in case I missed something so I did see the information about that.It really is a polarizing ending ,isn't it? I remember spending a lot of time thinking about it and came to the conclusion that it was the best way to end it. It was an almighty OMG, WTF and Shit, he didn't moment rolled into one though. I also remember getting serious goosebumps as he made his way to the tower in the end.
What I didn't like was the parts preceding it - writing himself into the story, the crimson king vs patrick danville and the ending to MIB was all disappointing to say the least. Enjoyed the series over all though.
Have you heard that Ron Howard has officially signed on to do the films along with a mini-series?
I thought writing himself into the story was okay, especially the part with weaving the car accident in. In a way it helped with the realism aspect seeing events from our world mixed in with events from the other worlds.
But I definitely agree about Danville. Him just getting thrown in at the end was a little weird and the whole Mordred plot line was just pointless in my opinion.
But I definitely agree about Danville. Him just getting thrown in at the end was a little weird and the whole Mordred plot line was just pointless in my opinion.
He devoted most of his entire career building up this super-villain, evil-incarnate character and then has him killed without any just cause by a character that had barely existed for a few pages. 
I was looking forward to an epic battle between Roland and Flagg at the Tower. How cool would that have been? ** Sigh **
I was looking forward to an epic battle between Roland and Flagg at the Tower. How cool would that have been? ** Sigh **So cool that the producers will probably find a way to work it into the movies even further pissing off the loyal readers.He devoted most of his entire career building up this super-villain, evil-incarnate character and then has him killed without any just cause by a character that had barely existed for a few pages.
Oh, I'm sorry - I thought this was Red Cafe, home of neanderthal football supporters.
Or so some would believe. You don't get posts like that on Red Issue!
Red Cafe - the thinking man's footie forum.
Finished Dragons at Eden by Carl Sagan and have a much more profound respect for the physiology of the human brain, we really are pretty cool and complex creatures. Yay us.
Started Greg Bear's - 'Blood Music'. Some light(er) reading to change the mood.
Started Greg Bear's - 'Blood Music'. Some light(er) reading to change the mood.
Does anyone know of any good sites, other than Scribd and Google Books, for reading free online books?
I just download book pdfs via torrent. I obtained a lot of textbooks that way; it should work with novels also.
Also, I'm just getting into "The World Is Flat" by Thomas Friedman. Very interesting intro.
Also, I'm just getting into "The World Is Flat" by Thomas Friedman. Very interesting intro.
Currently reading Russell Brand's first book, or his first Booky Wook, if you like. He's a massive, massive twat, but twats tend to have great stories and he's a tremendous writer. Thoroughly enjoying it.
Grushenka's a right flirt.
Just finished Sam Harris "Moral Landscape" Neuroscience has a lot to say about morality and free will, evil and all that kid of stuff, really fascinating read
Iain Banks - Transition.
13th book of the Wheel of Time, Towers of Midnight released today!
Will have to wait until the 10th to get my copy
Mind you might give me time to work my way through The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton as not really getting into the book currently. Have read other space opera themed sci-fi before easily and this one just isn't sitting quite right yet with me. I'm still going to wait for them all to come out. Do let me know how it goes.Got the 13th book. Started reading it. Liking it a lot so far. Very fast paced
The book on the bottom is The Black Swan and I am reading that at the moment. I've finished the other five in the past 3 weeks.
Just finished the latest Scarpetta - I used to love these books, but the latest four of five have been a great disappointment, and this was the poorest of the lot
I always used to buy the hardback, but I got this one for the kindle for mac, so it was on;t £5 - so pleased that's all I wasted
I always used to buy the hardback, but I got this one for the kindle for mac, so it was on;t £5 - so pleased that's all I wasted
Yes I read it is a break from lifeless Economics textbooks in an effort to rekindle some enthusiasm for the subject in my final year. There are some well chosen and obscure examples of the phenomena he's trying to describe, he starts with an unbelievable premise and does a good job proving his points (however limited in scope they might be!). Plus the Professors I've heard talk about it didn't dismiss it as readily as some of the other books aimed at a broader market than just academia- at the very least it is thought provoking.
Just finished reading "Three Seconds" by Roslund & Hellström. I read it in Swedish, however it's out in English now as well.
Three Seconds: Amazon.co.uk: Anders Roslund, Borge Hellstrom: Books
It's a book about an undercover operative who infiltrates himself into one of Sweden's most infamous prisons. At the same time a detective is following the trail of a murder which leads him to the undercover operative already in prison....
I found myself kind of lost after reading the Girl with the dragon tattoo series, I wanted more of that kind of book.. This book is just as explosive, it's attention to details is brilliant, and I was really sad to see it end!
Highly recommended!
Three Seconds: Amazon.co.uk: Anders Roslund, Borge Hellstrom: Books
It's a book about an undercover operative who infiltrates himself into one of Sweden's most infamous prisons. At the same time a detective is following the trail of a murder which leads him to the undercover operative already in prison....
I found myself kind of lost after reading the Girl with the dragon tattoo series, I wanted more of that kind of book.. This book is just as explosive, it's attention to details is brilliant, and I was really sad to see it end!
Highly recommended!
I read King Lear last night (Oxford English Shakespeare version with full annotations - basically a few lines of dialogue per page and then hundreds of footnotes) and it's strange reading something and enjoying it and yet feeling a little perplexed when the sudden realization appears that actually I'd have to read atleast once or twice more to really get to grips with it.
There is a common consensus amongst scholars that's the pinnacle of the western canon - Shakespeare being English Literature's 'best' writer and Lear being his 'best' work. If you want the exact quote for this I can get it.
There is a common consensus amongst scholars that's the pinnacle of the western canon - Shakespeare being English Literature's 'best' writer and Lear being his 'best' work. If you want the exact quote for this I can get it.
Makes you proud to be British.
As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods.
They kill us for their sport
They kill us for their sport
'tis the time's plague
when madmen lead the blind.
---
You do me wrong to take me out of the grave:
Thou art a soul in bliss; but I am bound
Upon a wheel of fire
---
I never quite got the bit with the fool banging on about the cockscomb.
My favorite play from the Bard. I've had the BBC production of old on tape and listened to it I don't know how many times. Was lucky enough to hear Judy Dench give a reading at a small country party one summer's eve. Classy dame.
when madmen lead the blind.
---
You do me wrong to take me out of the grave:
Thou art a soul in bliss; but I am bound
Upon a wheel of fire
---
I never quite got the bit with the fool banging on about the cockscomb.
My favorite play from the Bard. I've had the BBC production of old on tape and listened to it I don't know how many times. Was lucky enough to hear Judy Dench give a reading at a small country party one summer's eve. Classy dame.
Finished Towers of Midnight, the 13th book of Wheel of Time.
Really enjoyed it. It's far more fast paced than usual and a lot happens and moves forward. A Memory of Light is going to be epic
Oh and pete, do you like any book? Is there any book that's not rubbish, semi pornographic and shit for you?
Was going through the last 7-8 pages or so and there's nothing you seem to like!
Really enjoyed it. It's far more fast paced than usual and a lot happens and moves forward. A Memory of Light is going to be epic
Oh and pete, do you like any book? Is there any book that's not rubbish, semi pornographic and shit for you?
Was going through the last 7-8 pages or so and there's nothing you seem to like!
Just finished "Our Kind of Traitor" by John Le Carre and enjoyed the beginning and then found it got very boring. I haven't read any of his books for a long time and was disappointed. Got The Passage by Justin Cronin next.