Starker on 26/8/2017 at 01:47
Yeah, the inferred context is quite tricky. And in speech they tend to shorten words and names and they leave out particles and use English loanwords that mean something completely different in Japanese. It can be quite maddening when you are just learning the language.
Volitions Advocate on 26/8/2017 at 06:25
I sat down to this thread about 2 minutes after putting the dust cover back on a book I just finished reading. (i never leave the dust covers on the book itself unless It stays on the shelf while I'm reading. Most of the time they are in my pack so I leave the cover on the shelf)
Aside from all the journals and crap I'm reading for my masters thesis, I've been reading biographies.
The last 3 I just read:
The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher. This one she talks a lot about her teenage years and the 70s. A lot of it was about her affair with Harrison Ford on the set of Star Wars, or about the gay boys she made out with when she was a teenager. It's interesting. I got the book as a Christmas present and Carrie died before I got very far into it. I enjoyed it. Especially as a male, seeing things from a bewildering female perspective.
A Perfect Union of Contrary Things - Maynard Keenan. Of course I had to read this one because I'm such a loser for Tool and APC. It covered a lot more of his personal triumphs and goals than it did specifically with music creation and the day to day stuff in his bands. I was really looking forward to reading this one and it did not disappoint.
A Life in Parts - Bryan Cranston. This one was emotional for me here and there. Especially when he was talking about how he and his siblings felt about his dad leaving them, and how he feels about his daughter. One of my favorite passages in it is from when he is talking about his mother. She is in a retirement home because she has Alzheimer's, and she is actually having a wonderful time because she is finally not dwelling on the past. While he is reflecting on her life he says this:
"She couldn't see or appreciate the love that was available to her. She had three children, All different. All with something to give. Our love wasn't the kind she hoped for, but it was what she had, and it was real, and she didn't nurture it."
This all hit me pretty hard because of my current struggles with my family. My wife and I are separated and getting a divorce, and I haven't seen much of my kids in recent months. That last passage makes me think of my wife.
Reading sometimes really takes me down some melodramatic paths.
Anyway. The next one on my list is Dirk Benedict's "Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy." I met him in person at a local comic con, chatted with him for about 45 minutes because nobody knew who he was. I would have killed to cosplay the classic Starbuck, but I actually think he wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I would hope he would. He signed the copy I bought from him, so I'm hoping it should be a good read.
EDIT: I forgot. In an effort to add new things to my audio portfolio, I'm planning on trying my hand at producing my own audiobook. My first try will be with "A Study in Scarlett." The first Sherlock Holmes novel. That way I can record and produce it then release it for free, since Doyle has been dead for much longer than 50 years. It's public domain at this point. We'll see if I can get over that "I hate my recorded voice" problem and make something that sounds decent.
qolelis on 13/2/2018 at 06:08
Marcel Proust's alter ego is still remembering shit: I'm on the fourth book now and halfway through. I'm reading a couple of pages every day now as a part of my going to bed routine. Interestingly enough I'm going through something similar at the moment with childhood places and people no longer existing and I might be one of the few left remembering them. I've been trying to go back and find one of those places, but that of course didn't work at all. I'm even thinking about actually finishing this project and read the four remaining books too. I don't have them available yet, though. The reason I got started was because I wanted to read about the madeleine cakes and the lime blossom tea, but those are mentioned on only one little itty wee page out of several thousands, and now I'm stuck with this twat because of that one page.
SubJeff on 13/2/2018 at 07:29
Childhood's End, at last. Love these big sci fi concepts. I just read The Fountains Of Paradise too.
I keep getting biography recommendations, but I'm not that keen.
demagogue on 13/2/2018 at 08:45
I'm reading philosophy/cognitive science and history books for the most part recently.
- John Hyman's "Action, Knowledge, & Will" on Action theory. Just finished it off. Action theory is ending up being one of the keystones to my worldview.
- Mark Johnson's "The Meaning of the Body: Aesthetics of Human Understanding", basically cognitive linguistics. Reading it now; it's the next step after Hyman's book if you understand my way of thinking.
- Richard Lloyd Parry's "Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone", because I want to write a novel about Fukushima, and
- Jed Perl's "New Art City" about the art scene in late '40s & early '50s NYC and the birth of abstract expressionism among other things. I like the history of Golden Ages, certain cities in certain periods that create something truly new and inspired and are part of creating a new era in culture.
Harvester on 13/2/2018 at 08:48
Sleeping Beauties, by Stephen King and his son, Owen King.
I like it and am almost at the end. The fact that Stephen King wrote it with his son is not really noticeable in a markedly different writing style. Mostly you can notice it in the little things, such as that the references to popular culture and the expressions being used are a little more modern.
If you're a King fan, you'll probably like this book too. If you're not, this book won't sway you. If you're looking to read an atypical Stephen King book with, arguably, a little more traditional literary value (not that it will convince the literary snobs, who will never stop hating King), read Lisey's Story.
Arach on 26/2/2018 at 20:12
A few years ago I discovered Neal Asher through a book called Line War and in recent months I've been going through some of his stuff(Prador Moon,Gridlinked,Brass Man and The Line of Polity),currently reading The Voyage of the Sable Keech.
It's pretty hardcore science fiction and unlike anything I had read in the genre,but due to all the made up jargon it gets hard to follow if you just jump in a random book,especially since some concepts are introduced on a specific book and when mentioned in others that take place in the future chronologically it just assumes you are already familiar with the terms.
henke on 6/9/2018 at 07:00
I'm not much for book readin'. I read "The Secret History Of Twin Peaks" earlier this year. Good read, but it took me around 4 months to get through. I like audiobooks tho. I feel much better consuming books through my ears since it means I can go for a walk at the same time, so I feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. Which is kinda ironic since I don't mind spending lots of time sitting around playing video games and watching dumb bullshit.
ANYWAY I started an Audible subscription this summer, so I get 1 audiobook per month. My first 2 picks have been heavily podcast-influenced. My first book was "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. I've been a longtime fan of Sedaris' appearances on This American Life, his stories are always a hoot, and the book was no different. Very funny and personal stuff! Currently I'm listening to Chapo Trap House's new book "The Chapo Guide To Revolution" and becoming radicalized. I am prepared to sieze the means of production as soon as Bernie Sanders gives the signal!
Got no idea what to get next month tho. Anyone have any suggestions? I like all kinds of stuff. Sci-fi, horror, drama. My all-time favourite audiobook was Charles Portis' "True Grit", as read by Donna Tartt.
Naartjie on 6/9/2018 at 11:37
If you like True Grit, have you read any Cormac McCarthy? Sounds like you might get on well with something like All the Pretty Horses.
henke on 6/9/2018 at 12:57
Yes actually, listened to 2 of his. Liked The Road, didn't like Blood Meridian. Never heard of All The Pretty Horses. Adding it to the wishlist! :thumb: