The Book thread

Put the world to rights here (off-topic discussion)
User avatar
Czech's Mate
Denim Demon
Posts: 4033
Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Northampton....not Wellingborough!

Re: The Book thread

Postby Czech's Mate » Mon Sep 03, 2012 4:05 pm

Re reading The Book Of Dave by Will Self....and am enjoying it even more than the fist time I read it...which I find hard to believe, cos I loved it so much first time round
Television is the opium of the people

kanet666 wrote: I can deal with the odd Slipknot track now and then. Pantera on the other hand are dreadful and I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a rusty fork than put up with them.

User avatar
Tet
Denim Demon
Posts: 7941
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2004 8:09 pm
Location: Bucks
Contact:

Re: The Book thread

Postby Tet » Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:38 am

Just finished "Gardens of the moon". Looks like I'll have to read the rest of the Malazan books now, too.

I've now started "A wise man's fear".
CH3NO2 -- It's the only way to be sure
You laugh at me because I'm different. I pity you, you're all the same...

User avatar
MetalBeast
Denim Demon
Posts: 8867
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:44 pm
Location: Nottingham

Re: The Book thread

Postby MetalBeast » Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:47 pm

Fucking hell Atlas Shrugged is slow! I don't mind Rand's writing style, but I'm about 800 pages in and haven't had any real excitement...other than perhaps my alarm at her selfish, elitist, naive view of the world.

Thankfully, I'm nearing the end of the book.
All right, so I MADE a mistake! ONE MISTAKE!
Can't a man start over?! Do I have to keep on PAYING?! HUH?!
Maybe I should make another mistake! ...maybe TWO more!

User avatar
Matty_the_Emo_Slayer
Denim Demon
Posts: 12233
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2007 6:48 pm
Location: Hellfast, Northern Fireland

Re: The Book thread

Postby Matty_the_Emo_Slayer » Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:29 pm

This week- Sommerville & Ross- The Real Charlotte and extracts from Nietzsche- The Birth Of Tragedy
Image
Upcoming Gigs
Aug 25|Bangor|PiL+Undertones+XSLF+Outcasts
Sept 7|B'fast|Rose Tattoo+Girlschool
Sept 15|Dub|Cruachan+Skyclad+Waylander
Sept 27|B'fast|RBOTN+Midnight Force
Oct 10|B'fast|Enslaved+High On Fire

User avatar
Czech's Mate
Denim Demon
Posts: 4033
Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Northampton....not Wellingborough!

Re: The Book thread

Postby Czech's Mate » Fri Sep 28, 2012 6:11 pm

Michel Houellebecq ...the map and the territory....bleak as fuck....
Television is the opium of the people

kanet666 wrote: I can deal with the odd Slipknot track now and then. Pantera on the other hand are dreadful and I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a rusty fork than put up with them.

User avatar
thehairyone
Denim Demon
Posts: 5387
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:19 pm
Location: The badger sett
Contact:

Re: The Book thread

Postby thehairyone » Fri Sep 28, 2012 6:22 pm

Tet wrote:Just finished "Gardens of the moon". Looks like I'll have to read the rest of the Malazan books now, too.

I've now started "A wise man's fear".


I couldn't get on with them. I have to give up halfway through three... or four. not sure. They all just blurred.


Currently on The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson - that man needs more awards. Lots more. Also, I'd like some of his ability to invent worlds, please. If he breaks from his usual trilogy method, these will challenge Wheel of Time.
Image

Image
Image

karastorm
Warrior of Metal
Posts: 192
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2007 11:13 am
Contact:

Re: The Book thread

Postby karastorm » Sat Sep 29, 2012 6:23 pm

Reading "snuff" at the moment and it's pretty damn well write considering the Author in question has Alzheimer's.

User avatar
Applecore
Denim Demon
Posts: 9553
Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: Parts Unknown
Contact:

Re: The Book thread

Postby Applecore » Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:11 am

Got Yahtzee Croshaw's new book "Jam" through the post this morning. Opened at the first page to have a look at his writing style and stuff. Before I knew it I'd finished the first chapter, just standing in my kitchen :lol:
Buy me a beer at:
8-11/8 - Bloodstock

User avatar
Bisset
Denim Demon
Posts: 4288
Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2008 4:08 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: The Book thread

Postby Bisset » Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:06 am

Just finished the Mistborn trilogy. Fucking spafftastic! I love Brandon Sanderson's writing style
http://www.facebook.com/farseermetal

Jobdone wrote:Currently jealous of my mate whose got tomorrow off and can just hammer it for 3 days straight.

User avatar
Metalchemyst
Denim Demon
Posts: 4999
Joined: Thu May 27, 2004 1:52 pm
Location: Grtr Manchester

Re: The Book thread

Postby Metalchemyst » Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:30 pm

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh wrote:Will have to delve into Tolkien before the first Hobbit movie is released, even though I know them backwards.

The Hobbit: Back and There Again


Image
DISTORTION JUNKIES SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH

User avatar
Matty_the_Emo_Slayer
Denim Demon
Posts: 12233
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2007 6:48 pm
Location: Hellfast, Northern Fireland

Re: The Book thread

Postby Matty_the_Emo_Slayer » Mon Oct 29, 2012 3:31 pm

James Joyce- Ullyses
Image
Upcoming Gigs
Aug 25|Bangor|PiL+Undertones+XSLF+Outcasts
Sept 7|B'fast|Rose Tattoo+Girlschool
Sept 15|Dub|Cruachan+Skyclad+Waylander
Sept 27|B'fast|RBOTN+Midnight Force
Oct 10|B'fast|Enslaved+High On Fire

User avatar
Fjar
Denim Demon
Posts: 10152
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:22 pm
Location: Alfreton, Derbyshire
Contact:

Re: The Book thread

Postby Fjar » Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:20 pm

Decided I wanted to read The Hobbit again and got it on my Kindle in seconds. Score.
Image
Luke_X wrote:Got a ruler out and I measure it about 11 inches. Which pretty good value in my mind.

User avatar
MetalBeast
Denim Demon
Posts: 8867
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:44 pm
Location: Nottingham

Re: The Book thread

Postby MetalBeast » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:55 am

Finally finished Atlas Shrugged. It was slow going because I didn't really enjoy it and getting through it felt like a chore. Wanted to finish it though, to get a proper picture of why cunts like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh like it so much.

Even looking at it objectively, putting aside for a moment my disagreement with it's philosophy, I thought it was reasonably well written buy FUCKING slow. Hardly anything exciting happens until the last third of the book and the romance aspect of it is doesn't stir much emotion. The first two thirds could have been condensed into one and I dare say that the whole thing could easily have been done in half the word count (the book is 1168 pages and 500,000+ words - in the same ball-park as all three books of Lord of the Rings) - as long as John Galt's speech was left in tact, you could edit much of it down considerably.

From my own point of view, getting round to the philosophy, this book is very elitist and right wing, advocating laissez-faire capitalism and plutocracy.

According to Rand:
- Greed is good
- Robin Hood is the epitome of evil
- Help should only be given if the recipient is virtuous (e.g. the "deserving" poor)
- Justice is the opposite of charity
- Forgiveness is a sin
- Only the elite are capable of achieving anything and everyone else is incompetent
- The workers owe everything to the entrepreneurs that employ them

My point of view is very much at odds with all of that, which is one of the reasons I didn't enjoy the book.

It beggars belief that certain high profile Americans can advocate Rand's philosophy and still claim to be Christian, especially considering Anton Lavey used as the basis of much of his brand of Satanism - "Rand with ritual" is how he described it.

I wouldn't recommend reading this book. I wouldn't say "don't read it" either but, if you do, be prepared for a very hard slog - this book is to railways what Lord of the Rings is to walking...but without the scenery...or the monsters...or anything particularly exciting until the last third of the book. Also be prepared for a lot of right-wing dogma which, if you're left-wing, will stir the sort of hatred usually reserved for Margaret Thatcher.
-----------------------
So relieved to be able to start reading something enjoyable again, gonna start on a Michael Moorcock anthology soon.

I am actually tempted to read Rand's "The Fountainhead" and "Anthem" at some point (thankfully they're much shorter than Atlas Shrugged) but that won't be anytime soon.

Probably gonna give "Atlas Drugged: Ayn Rand be Damned!" by Stephen Goldstien a go soonish though. :lol: Some consider Atlas Shrugged to be "beyond parody" so it'll be interesting to see someone having a go.
All right, so I MADE a mistake! ONE MISTAKE!
Can't a man start over?! Do I have to keep on PAYING?! HUH?!
Maybe I should make another mistake! ...maybe TWO more!

User avatar
Darkweasel
Denim Demon
Posts: 14556
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 10:08 pm
Location: Shakespeare Cuntry
Contact:

Re: The Book thread

Postby Darkweasel » Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:06 pm

Just got up to the dwarves meeting Beorn in The Hobbit.
Without doubt, the single most boring chapter of any book I've ever read ever.
Image

User avatar
Bisset
Denim Demon
Posts: 4288
Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2008 4:08 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: The Book thread

Postby Bisset » Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:41 pm

Darkweasel wrote:Just got up to the dwarves meeting Beorn in The Hobbit.
Without doubt, the single most boring chapter of any book I've ever read ever.


You sir, have obviously never read the Chronicles of Narnia. The entire run of books were dull as fook
http://www.facebook.com/farseermetal

Jobdone wrote:Currently jealous of my mate whose got tomorrow off and can just hammer it for 3 days straight.