demagogue on 18/10/2009 at 01:16
Wow... I think I'll remember that image every time I ever hear a fog horn at sea again.
I'm reading --
Archives of the Universe: A Treasury of Astronomy's Historic Works of Discovery, by Marcia Bartusiak
I like historical anthologies as a way to get into a field. Then you get all the foibles and drama and little revelations that bring it all to a human level. And you get to understand the concepts more by the messy, realistic road it took to get there rather than the pristine, artificial road that was built much later in retrospect. Also, there's just something special about reading a discovery from the actual person that first discovered it, in their own words, catching their excitement of the moment of realization, and especially pre-1940s papers had a raw edge, when the field wasn't as professional as it is now. A textbook just can quite catch the same spirit of those original papers.
Namdrol on 18/10/2009 at 18:30
Ray Bradbury is the most talented writer ever.
As a short story writer he has no equal.
Calling Mexico.
Enough said
Tocky on 19/10/2009 at 03:03
October Game is a good Bradbury short to read this time of year but then most of his are. That fog horn reminded me of his train whistle:
"The wails of a lifetime were gathered in it from other nights in other slumbering years; the howl of moon-dreamed dogs, the seep of river-cold winds through January porch screens, which stopped the blood, a thousand fire sirens weeping, or worse! The outgone shreds of breath, the protests of a billion people dead or dying, not wanting to be dead, their groans, their sighs, burst over the Earth."
Most recently I read Going Postal by Pratchet who I didn't think I liked as I'm not one for golems and dwarves and such. This was a story of redemption with style by a charlatan who doesn't understand himself and never would were he not given a task he would never accept had he a choice. He reminds me of a cross between Cary Grant and Errol Flyn somehow. Not a deep story but good fun.
Aja on 19/10/2009 at 03:05
finally reading Ulysses :cool:
Matthew on 19/10/2009 at 11:30
Found my old copy of Arthur C Clarke's 'Islands in the Sky' over the weekend so I'm giving that another run through.
scarykitties on 19/10/2009 at 13:06
Thanks to my literature classes, I've finally been forced to read Huckleberry Finn. It's not that I hate reading, I just get so antsy just sitting or lying around, staring at one thing for so long.
Scots Taffer on 19/10/2009 at 13:55
7 habits of highly effective people :sweat:
Queue on 19/10/2009 at 13:56
Quote Posted by Aja
finally reading Ulysses :cool:
I'm sorry.
Quote Posted by Namdrol
Ray Bradbury is the most talented writer ever.
As a short story writer he has no equal.
I couldn't agree more.
As for longer work, even though the recent novels have been a bit muddled, his earlier work is brilliant. The opening few paragraphs of Fahrenheit 451 are chillingly good--the simplicity of "It was a pleasure to burn" is one of the greatest opening lines of all time.
Aerothorn on 19/10/2009 at 17:08
Quote Posted by Aja
finally reading Ulysses :cool:
FWIW, a friend of mine - who is also a fine author and, in my opinion, a good judge of media - lists Ulysses as one of his favorite books (in the sense that he really enjoys it, not in an e-penis sense).
Mind you, the first thing he said when I'd informed him that I had finished
Gravity's Rainbow was "When are you going to read it again?"
Aja on 19/10/2009 at 18:42
I've found it tremendously helpful to re-read some of my more challenging novels. Often, these books are almost better the second time 'round—you already know the gists, so you can focus on the details.
As for Joyce, I love the man, I just sometimes get confused with his references. Flipping to the notes section every time he mentions an Irish street or pub or politician is not the best way to learn; I feel as though I need a history lesson going into to this stuff.
