canadad
Semi-Pro
You will have to wait now, he takes a long time.
Last book read?
- Thread starter TheCanadian
- Start date
You will have to wait now, he takes a long time.
canadad
Semi-Pro
It's the 11th book of "The Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan. Oddly enough it does contain some of those things.
canadad
Semi-Pro
Yep, it is that long. I can't imagine reading it not having read the preceding 10. I would have been totally lost.
Here is a link to information on the series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Time
Backbored
Hall of Fame
The first four books were riveting for me. Then it tapered off a bit.
canadad
Semi-Pro
I hope so, the wait for the last one was torturous.
canadad
Semi-Pro
I completely agree. There were times when I was frustrated. By book 8 I was very ready to pack it in. I have not come across anyone who was disappointed by the last three.
Backbored
Hall of Fame
It figures I gave up too soon.
Another series I came late to the party too was David Eddings The Belgariad. I think it was like book four or five, when I started. Then I had to wait every year for what seems like twenty years for each consecutive book. I still read them along with the Lord of the Rings almost every year.
norbac
Legend
The Spartacus War by Barry Strauss. Had been reading it on/off since 2009 and finally decided to read it over the past few weeks. Very readable history book, Strauss has a nice clean writing style.
Now waiting on my copy of Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles by Ron Currie Jr.
Now waiting on my copy of Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles by Ron Currie Jr.
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r2473
G.O.A.T.
Exactly!!!
I exclusively watch REALITY TV and read Emerging Topics in Actuarial Studies.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
I've tried twice to read The Silmarillion but could never make it past the beginning few chapters about creation, iirc.
Maybe i should make a third attempt and skip that portion.
The last book I read was possibly The Neuromancer. I did start Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash recently but could not get past Chapter 2 or 3.
norbac
Legend
The exact same thing happened to me with The Silmarillion.
r2473
G.O.A.T.
A Silmarill thing happened to me.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
r2473
G.O.A.T.
I thought you only read Francis Bacon
I devour anything by Bacon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6cxNR9ML8k
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
voracious reader, eh ?
Polaris
Hall of Fame
jakeytennis
Rookie
relentless by tim grover.
Fearsome Forehand
Professional
Report of the Warren Commission.
Disgruntled Worker
Professional
Re-read "Life of Pi" recently (4 months ago). Just one of the reasons the book was so much better than the movie:
"He died quickly, the life drained out of him like the liquid from his leg. The cook promptly butchered him. The leg had made for poor bait. The dead flesh was too decayed to hold on to the fishing hook; it simply dissolved in the water. Nothing went to waste with this monster. He cut up everything, including the sailor's skin and every inch of his intestines. He even prepared his genitals. When he had finished with his torso, he moved on to his arms and shoulders and to his legs. Mother and I rocked with pain and horror. Mother shrieked at the cook, 'How can you do this, you monster? Where is your humanity? Have you no decency? What did the poor boy do to you? You monster! You monster!' The cook replied with unbelievable vulgarity.
"'At least cover his face for God's sake!' cried my mother. It was unbearable to have that beautiful face, so noble and serene, connected to such a sight below. The cook threw himself upon the sailor's head and before our very eyes scalped him and pulled off his face. Mother and I vomited."
"He died quickly, the life drained out of him like the liquid from his leg. The cook promptly butchered him. The leg had made for poor bait. The dead flesh was too decayed to hold on to the fishing hook; it simply dissolved in the water. Nothing went to waste with this monster. He cut up everything, including the sailor's skin and every inch of his intestines. He even prepared his genitals. When he had finished with his torso, he moved on to his arms and shoulders and to his legs. Mother and I rocked with pain and horror. Mother shrieked at the cook, 'How can you do this, you monster? Where is your humanity? Have you no decency? What did the poor boy do to you? You monster! You monster!' The cook replied with unbelievable vulgarity.
"'At least cover his face for God's sake!' cried my mother. It was unbearable to have that beautiful face, so noble and serene, connected to such a sight below. The cook threw himself upon the sailor's head and before our very eyes scalped him and pulled off his face. Mother and I vomited."
Disgruntled Worker
Professional
And perhaps the most brutal paragraph of the entire book:
"He killed her. The cook killed my mother. We were starving. I was weak. I couldn't hold on to a turtle. Because of me we lost it. He hit me. Mother hit him. He hit her back. She turned to me and said, 'Go!' pushing me towards the raft. I jumped for it. I thought she was coming with me. I landed in the water. I scrambled aboard the raft. They were fighting. I did nothing but watch. My mother was fighting an adult man. He was mean and muscular. He caught her by the wrist and twisted it. She shrieked and fell. He moved over her. The knife appeared. He raised it in the air. It came down. Next it was up - it was red. It went up and down repeatedly. I couldn't see her. She was at the bottom of the boat. I only saw him. He stopped. He raised his head and looked at me. He hurled something my way. A line of blood struck me across the face. No whip could have inflicted a more painful lash. I held my mother's head in my hands. I let it go. It sank in a cloud of blood, her tress trailing like a tail. Fish spiralled down towards it until a shark's long grey shadow cut across its path and it vanished. I looked up. I couldn't see him. He was hiding at the bottom of the boat. He appeared when he threw my mother's body overboard. His mouth was red. The water boiled with fish."
"He killed her. The cook killed my mother. We were starving. I was weak. I couldn't hold on to a turtle. Because of me we lost it. He hit me. Mother hit him. He hit her back. She turned to me and said, 'Go!' pushing me towards the raft. I jumped for it. I thought she was coming with me. I landed in the water. I scrambled aboard the raft. They were fighting. I did nothing but watch. My mother was fighting an adult man. He was mean and muscular. He caught her by the wrist and twisted it. She shrieked and fell. He moved over her. The knife appeared. He raised it in the air. It came down. Next it was up - it was red. It went up and down repeatedly. I couldn't see her. She was at the bottom of the boat. I only saw him. He stopped. He raised his head and looked at me. He hurled something my way. A line of blood struck me across the face. No whip could have inflicted a more painful lash. I held my mother's head in my hands. I let it go. It sank in a cloud of blood, her tress trailing like a tail. Fish spiralled down towards it until a shark's long grey shadow cut across its path and it vanished. I looked up. I couldn't see him. He was hiding at the bottom of the boat. He appeared when he threw my mother's body overboard. His mouth was red. The water boiled with fish."
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Not quite Kosher of you, eh? I picture you in the AM at a Mickey D's wrestling with the moral dilemma of a buy-one-get-one-free offer on Egg McMuffins! BTW, does anyone know what makes a piece of ham into Canadian Bacon???
max
Legend
Yes, this is really great. I bought and read it when it first came out, but I was young then, and thought it a snore, and read it again about a year ago, finding it fascinating.
Perhaps it's good to get a bit of time and distance from the Lord of the Rings and hobbit stuff.
I'm waiting for the movie to come out.
canadad
Semi-Pro
It took me 15 or so years, but I finally finished "1984". I can't believe I put it down all those years ago. What an incredible novel! I always loved "Animal Farm", but I'd have to say this is my favourite Orwell book. I am reminded of the North Korean story, "Escape from Camp 14" which I read last summer.
Steady Eddy
Legend
Ann Coulter's Mugged. Believe it or not, it's pretty good.
Bagumbawalla
G.O.A.T.
Recently read "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake"- a very nicely written novel by Aimee Bender. Found it at a thrift shop. The title caught my attention.
Sometimes at a large mall or in a diner, I will look at all the people and wonder about their dreams, fears, failures, happy moments, loves, frustrations and so on- in a kind of casual way. In this novel, a young girl senses those very sorts of things when she eats some food that they prepared. She cannot avoid thos feelings.
I suppose this book is about many things, but, mostly about how people deal with, reject, protect themselves from being overwelmed by the vast ocean of human suffering. The book has a quiet, surreal, undertone. Here is a short Passage.
It can feel so lonely to see strangers out in the day, shopping on a day that is not a good one. On this one: the day I returned from the emergency room after having a fit about winting to remove my mouth. Not an easy day to look at people in their vivid clothes, in their shining hair, pointing and smiling at colorful woven sweaters.
Sometimes at a large mall or in a diner, I will look at all the people and wonder about their dreams, fears, failures, happy moments, loves, frustrations and so on- in a kind of casual way. In this novel, a young girl senses those very sorts of things when she eats some food that they prepared. She cannot avoid thos feelings.
I suppose this book is about many things, but, mostly about how people deal with, reject, protect themselves from being overwelmed by the vast ocean of human suffering. The book has a quiet, surreal, undertone. Here is a short Passage.
It can feel so lonely to see strangers out in the day, shopping on a day that is not a good one. On this one: the day I returned from the emergency room after having a fit about winting to remove my mouth. Not an easy day to look at people in their vivid clothes, in their shining hair, pointing and smiling at colorful woven sweaters.
Steady Eddy
Legend
"Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules", a collection of short stories picked by David Sedaris. After each story I think, "So what?" Even though they're short stories I still think they're way too long. All the writers seem a bit pompous, like they're saying, "See how smart I am?"
Now I've started with Jack Handey's (yes, that Jack Handey) "What I Would Tell the Martians". Some pieces are funny. At least he doesn't seem like he's caught up in his own ego.
Now I've started with Jack Handey's (yes, that Jack Handey) "What I Would Tell the Martians". Some pieces are funny. At least he doesn't seem like he's caught up in his own ego.
D
Deleted member 743561
Guest
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
Wow !
We should all get prepared for some impending circumloquacious sesquipedalian fulminations from you !
I know a gentleman @stringertom who can match you word for grandiloquent word.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
I’m spending two much thyme at The Technicolor Pachydermal Ballet too ma.s.ster the skillz uv the ritten word.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
oh i have yet to peek/peak in there. Saving the beast for last.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Ewe lye! Eye sea yew inn the front roe every knight.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
As writers:
Yuri Herrera a very concise mexican
And
Eugene Vodolazkin great fantasy writer
Last 2 books:
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
And another sci fi:
Hench: A Novel Hardcover – September 22, 2020
by Natalie Zina Walschots (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,059 ratings
Editors' pickBest Science Fiction & Fantasy
“This book is fast, furious, compelling, and angry as hell." -- Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author
The Boys meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation in this smart, imaginative, and evocative novel of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption, told with razor-sharp wit and affection, in which a young woman discovers the greatest superpower—for good or ill—is a properly executed spreadsheet.
Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? In this economy?
As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one.
So, of course, then she gets laid off.
With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.
Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing. And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance.
It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.
A sharp, witty, modern debut, Hench explores the individual cost of justice through a fascinating mix of Millennial office politics, heroism measured through data science, body horror, and a profound misunderstanding of quantum mechanics.
Yuri Herrera a very concise mexican
And
Eugene Vodolazkin great fantasy writer
Last 2 books:
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
And another sci fi:
Hench: A Novel Hardcover – September 22, 2020
by Natalie Zina Walschots (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,059 ratings
Editors' pickBest Science Fiction & Fantasy
“This book is fast, furious, compelling, and angry as hell." -- Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author
The Boys meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation in this smart, imaginative, and evocative novel of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption, told with razor-sharp wit and affection, in which a young woman discovers the greatest superpower—for good or ill—is a properly executed spreadsheet.
Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? In this economy?
As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one.
So, of course, then she gets laid off.
With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.
Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing. And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance.
It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.
A sharp, witty, modern debut, Hench explores the individual cost of justice through a fascinating mix of Millennial office politics, heroism measured through data science, body horror, and a profound misunderstanding of quantum mechanics.
Karstic
Rookie
Last two books read:
The Quest for Cosmic Justice, by Thomas Sowell
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson (Amazon links)
I'd been urged for a couple of years to give Steig Larsson's work a look, and I'm glad I finally did. Much better than movie, which usually goes without saying, and I am looking forward to continuing the series.
Thomas Sowell has been described as "the greatest intellectual of the past fifty years", at least I'd read that somewhere. What sets him apart from most others is his insistance upon empirical data to back up his conclusions. This particular book is a collection of four essays which, despite being published in 1997, is spot on today.
Give this thread some life people! It's reading season around here.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice, by Thomas Sowell
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson (Amazon links)
I'd been urged for a couple of years to give Steig Larsson's work a look, and I'm glad I finally did. Much better than movie, which usually goes without saying, and I am looking forward to continuing the series.
Thomas Sowell has been described as "the greatest intellectual of the past fifty years", at least I'd read that somewhere. What sets him apart from most others is his insistance upon empirical data to back up his conclusions. This particular book is a collection of four essays which, despite being published in 1997, is spot on today.
Give this thread some life people! It's reading season around here.
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