Reading is Sexy: Books Part II

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mad1 said:
tell me this, if someone wants to share - do you absolutely take an hour or two out everyday to read/ or only read in spare time or at weekends/quiet times etc?
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I don't have a schedule for reading, but most of my reading time is on the bus to and from work. Sometimes I'll read before I go to bed, but usually don't get very far before I can't keep my eyes open.

I really love weekend days where I spend hours on the couch with a book and some music playing. Especially in the fall and winter, and if it's gray and rainy. :)
 
mad1 said:
hey sometimes I read too! Ive finished couple of really good books in the past and currently reading one.

tell me this, if someone wants to share - do you absolutely take an hour or two out everyday to read/ or only read in spare time or at weekends/quiet times etc?

:wave:
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I read everyday, but do not exactly carve out specific times, etc. I typically read before I go to sleep, be it for 5 minutes or two hours......
 
UberBeaver said:
I am reading the second part, ie books 3 and 4, of the Gene Wolfe work Books of the New Sun. I have pretty much no idea what's going on, but it's still badass and I will continue reading it.
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I'm sure you're exaggerating a little re: not knowing what's going on....but, yeah, there are definitely passages or events that left me thinking "WTF"? The 2nd time I read it, which was years later, it made a little more sense.

When you are done, and have read some other stuff, please please read the books of the long sun. They are a little easier to consume, and, just fantastic.
 
So I've obviously heard a lot about this Chuck Palahniuk fella. He wrote Fight Club, of course, which became a kickass motion picture. But I'd always been a bit hesitant to actually read his stuff because he seemed like the big "it" author. Kinda the indie/hipster author of the moment.

Anyway, I checked out his novels Haunted and Choke from the library and I'm gonna read 'em.

Anyone like this guy? Like either of those books? Think he sucks? Thanks.
 
I like him. I've read everthing through Choke, I believe. He has a definite style which is straight forward and "catchy". You can read him quick, and I found I began to think in his writing style for a while after I read the first few books. Survivor is my favorite, followed by Fight Club, Invisible Monsters and Choke.I think those are the only ones I read....
 
Lullaby, Fight Club and Survivor are his best, Diary is quite good too. Rant is crazy ambitious and irreverently funny but doesn't always succeed, Haunted is like a fucked up modern day Canterbury Tales where most of the actual story will disgust you, but some of the shorts that the writers in the book "write" are quite excellent, I'd like to just see a short story collection from him. Invisible Monsters seemed pretty good but for some reason I never got around to finishing it.
 
Zoobaby14 said:
Today I bought The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, I got a bit bored and lost with Lolita. (I'm going to star again later)

I'm pretty excited to read it :D
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I was going to pick that up, but then I noticed the entire text is online, so I've been picking away at it along with my other reading/work.
 
mad1 said:
tell me this, if someone wants to share - do you absolutely take an hour or two out everyday to read/ or only read in spare time or at weekends/quiet times etc?
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I read mostly at night before falling asleep.

I also work in a library so even though I can't kick back and read, some reading does get done during those hours. It's just too hard to avoid. This morning I managed to read one of the short stories from a book by David Sedaris without a single patron interrupting me. That was nice.
 
#64 In His Sights: A True Story of Love and Obsession by Kate Brennan

Written under a pseudonym, the author writes about being stalked. And the stalker is still at large, still showing up in her life through various means (and much, much money) now and again, just because he can, just to remind her that he's still there.

Terrifying. Very well-written, but terrifying to contemplate.
 
No spoken words said:
I'm sure you're exaggerating a little re: not knowing what's going on....but, yeah, there are definitely passages or events that left me thinking "WTF"? The 2nd time I read it, which was years later, it made a little more sense.

When you are done, and have read some other stuff, please please read the books of the long sun. They are a little easier to consume, and, just fantastic.
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OK, so I just went to Wikipedia for a recap on books one and two. I had no idea they were on earth, I had no idea it was in the future, I had no idea that the sun was dimming, I had no idea that Severian was sent to Thrax after he let Thecla commit suicide, I have no idea what happened to Jonas - did he just disappear? I still don't know what the deal with Dorcas is (but maybe I'm not supposed to). Who was Jolenta and where did she go off to? Why did Severin go the party where everyone was dressed up, was that chick a prostitute, where did she go, what is the Autarch talking about, WTF was that thing that chased him around and then fell? Dude, I'm lost. And yet, I like it.
 
Can some of you please recommend what Bukowski to start with (be it collections or books)?

I preemptively thank you.
 
UberBeaver said:
OK, so I just went to Wikipedia for a recap on books one and two. I had no idea they were on earth, I had no idea it was in the future, I had no idea that the sun was dimming, I had no idea that Severian was sent to Thrax after he let Thecla commit suicide, I have no idea what happened to Jonas - did he just disappear? I still don't know what the deal with Dorcas is (but maybe I'm not supposed to). Who was Jolenta and where did she go off to? Why did Severin go the party where everyone was dressed up, was that chick a prostitute, where did she go, what is the Autarch talking about, WTF was that thing that chased him around and then fell? Dude, I'm lost. And yet, I like it.
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Ha, fuck Mike.....some of that, I can see how you missed....but how did you miss that Severian was sent to Thrax???? He gave Thecla the knife she used to kill herself.......Jonas stepped through a mirror, not sure where it took him......Dorcas was dead, Severian brought her back to life, she is likely his Grandmother.......Jolenta was working at a restaurant, then Dr Talos augmented her and made her an actress......Severian went to that party cos he was supposed to kill that woman, but he let her live/slept with her, and now he has to get the fuck on out of Thrax.....hope that helps a little....
 
No spoken words said:
Ha, fuck Mike.....some of that, I can see how you missed....but how did you miss that Severian was sent to Thrax???? He gave Thecla the knife she used to kill herself.......Jonas stepped through a mirror, not sure where it took him......Dorcas was dead, Severian brought her back to life, she is likely his Grandmother.......Jolenta was working at a restaurant, then Dr Talos augmented her and made her an actress......Severian went to that party cos he was supposed to kill that woman, but he let her live/slept with her, and now he has to get the fuck on out of Thrax.....hope that helps a little....
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Thanks for the recap.I don't remember Jonas entering a mirror - sounds like someone is ripping of Harry Potter though.

His grandmother? WTF? And now some chick wants to stab him with a knife, but some haunted wolf thing busted in. Who is this chick? And what happened to her brother? Agia - I think her name is. I feel like there are storylines just starting in the middle - and I missed a primer on WTF is going on.
 
u2popmofo said:
Can some of you please recommend what Bukowski to start with (be it collections or books)?

I preemptively thank you.
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My favorite collection of his poems has always been Love is a Dog From Hell.

I have also always liked Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit.

I would have to get back to you on the novels because I just woke up and can't decide.
 
UberBeaver said:
Thanks for the recap.I don't remember Jonas entering a mirror - sounds like someone is ripping of Harry Potter though.

His grandmother? WTF? And now some chick wants to stab him with a knife, but some haunted wolf thing busted in. Who is this chick? And what happened to her brother? Agia - I think her name is. I feel like there are storylines just starting in the middle - and I missed a primer on WTF is going on.
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Laz, on the off chance you actually listen to me and read Wolfe, the last few posts deserved *spoiler alert* markings, sorry.

Mike:

You're either missing stuff, or, the gap between reading this and the first book has been too wide. Also, this was written long before Potter was dreamed up.

Dorcas, might be his grandmother. Severian also has met his Father on this journey.

Who is Agia? She's just a very determined and resourceful woman who desperately wants revenge on Severian. Agilus, her brother, is dead and she holds Severian responsible. Severian fought Agilus at the Sanguinary Field early on...should have died but did not....eventually, Severian legally executes Agilus....that was your first hint that Severian is likely no mere mortal, his ability to have survived the initial duel.

No story lines are starting in the middle, trust me. The "wolf thing is an Alzabo", which was referenced towards the end of the first books. There's just a lot going on and not all of it is easy to follow.
 
No spoken words said:
Laz, on the off chance you actually listen to me and read Wolfe, the last few posts deserved *spoiler alert* markings, sorry.

Mike:

You're either missing stuff, or, the gap between reading this and the first book has been too wide. Also, this was written long before Potter was dreamed up.

Dorcas, might be his grandmother. Severian also has met his Father on this journey.

Who is Agia? She's just a very determined and resourceful woman who desperately wants revenge on Severian. Agilus, her brother, is dead and she holds Severian responsible. Severian fought Agilus at the Sanguinary Field early on...should have died but did not....eventually, Severian legally executes Agilus....that was your first hint that Severian is likely no mere mortal, his ability to have survived the initial duel.

No story lines are starting in the middle, trust me. The "wolf thing is an Alzabo", which was referenced towards the end of the first books. There's just a lot going on and not all of it is easy to follow.
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SPOILERS: His father - who? He's not mortal? See, I'm not getting any of this. I recall the duel with the flowers and all that. I guess I just don't remember Agia. I think part of the problem is that he tends to insert stories into the stories, little flashbacks, and that throws me off too.
 
UberBeaver said:
SPOILERS: His father - who? He's not mortal? See, I'm not getting any of this. I recall the duel with the flowers and all that. I guess I just don't remember Agia. I think part of the problem is that he tends to insert stories into the stories, little flashbacks, and that throws me off too.
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SPOILERS!:!:!:!:!:

Agia has been featured prominently in both books, you cannot miss her. She was the one who "helped" Severian prepare for his duel, though obviously she wanted him to lose. She was with Severian when they found Dorcas. She has tried to kill him on several occasions.

His Father, I think, was the waiter back in the restaurant where Severian finds a note meant for Dorcas and reads it. Ouen is his name.

Oh, and as for this all taking place on Earth.....that's a theory, and, the first time I read it I did not at all guess at that.....

I think there's some stuff going on that you've missed that a lot of people would miss the first time around, myself included....and some stuff you've missed simply because you're an addled brained douche bag with a degree from a shitty college.
 
No spoken words said:
SPOILERS!:!:!:!:!:

Agia has been featured prominently in both books, you cannot miss her. She was the one who "helped" Severian prepare for his duel, though obviously she wanted him to lose. She was with Severian when they found Dorcas. She has tried to kill him on several occasions.

His Father, I think, was the waiter back in the restaurant where Severian finds a note meant for Dorcas and reads it. Ouen is his name.

Oh, and as for this all taking place on Earth.....that's a theory, and, the first time I read it I did not at all guess at that.....

I think there's some stuff going on that you've missed that a lot of people would miss the first time around, myself included....and some stuff you've missed simply because you're an addled brained douche bag with a degree from a shitty college.
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And an ENGLISH degree at that.

OK, I remeber the chick helping him. I must have forgotten her name over the past year or so. Weird. Does he know it's his father, does his father know it's him? What happened to Jolenta?
 
UberBeaver said:
And an ENGLISH degree at that.

OK, I remeber the chick helping him. I must have forgotten her name over the past year or so. Weird. Does he know it's his father, does his father know it's him? What happened to Jolenta?
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I think he knows that it's his Father, but, while his memory is perfect, he's not a great or reliable narrator. How many authors let a fictional character lie as they narrate? No idea if Ouen knows that it's him, but there were comments made about their similar features when they met.

As for Jolenta, she died, but it's not clear if she died of the blood bat's bite, or, her no longer getting treatment from Dr. Talos.
 
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