[Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

Yeah. You read right. This is for everything that doesn't have anything to do with Eva.

Moderators: Rebuild/OT Moderators, Board Staff

Blue Monday
Angel
Angel
User avatar
Age: 34
Posts: 3363
Joined: Jun 17, 2012
Location: Earth-33

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Blue Monday » Sat Jun 23, 2018 10:43 pm

Finished Karamazov last night. Loved every page of it, and even though it's a long book, I wanted just a little bit more, to see the final outcomes of Ivan and Dmitry. What I didn't expect, and what I enjoyed the most, was the fictions-within-fictions element; such as the Grand Inquisitor poem told by Ivan (probably my favourite part, including his "meeting" with the Devil towards the end), or the account of Elder Zosima earlier in his life. I was pleasantly surprised by this almost postmodern presentation of substories and subjectivity. I even liked the deeper discussions and introspection into theology and free will, which is strange for someone who leans more agnostic.

SPOILER: Show
Another thing to point out is how the murder of Fyodor, Dmitry's implication and Smerdyakov's confession are still narratively volatile and ambiguous. For instance, I read Ivan's last meeting with Smerdyakov as potentially being completely imagined. This is the day his hallucinations were getting worse, and the subtle and awry elements of the meeting nod that something is amiss, e.g. that the table had been moved closer to the wall implies that it was moved in order for Smerdyakov to hang himself, or Smerdyakov's detached demeanour, et cetera.


I felt a wave of elation when reading the last few pages too, it really made me want to be more like Alyosha, which I guess is the intended effect of the book. I think it's also the fact that I can look forward to reading more Dostoevsky, or can revisit Karamazov again in the future.


Anyway, here's my shortlist of books I have up next which I'm excited for, seeing as though Karamazov took me a couple weeks to finish:

  • The Woman in the Dunes - Kōbō Abe
  • Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said - Philip K Dick
  • Quarry AKA The Broker - Max Allan Collins
  • Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
  • Notes from Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky
"Eva(Geeks) is a story that repeats."
Warren Peace, #643919

Guy Nacks
Evangelion
Evangelion
User avatar
Posts: 3032
Joined: Nov 28, 2012
Gender: Male

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Guy Nacks » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:30 pm

View Original PostBlue Monday wrote:Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said - Philip K Dick



No shit, I actually started reading this just last month, but I've all but dropped it about a third of the way in.
Among the people who use the Internet, many are obtuse. Because they are locked in their rooms, they hang on to that vision which is spreading across the world. But this does not go beyond mere ‘data’. Data without analysis [thinking], which makes you think that you know everything. This complacency is nothing but a trap. Moreover, the sense of values that counters this notion is paralyzed by it.

And so we arrive at demagogy. - Hideaki Anno, 1996

Blue Monday
Angel
Angel
User avatar
Age: 34
Posts: 3363
Joined: Jun 17, 2012
Location: Earth-33

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Blue Monday » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:37 pm

True? Didn't like it, or just got sidetracked? I read the synopsis and I thought it sounded like Perfect Blue with cyberpunk/sci-fi, which struck me as my kind of thing. Keen to hear your thoughts (minus spoilers, of course).
"Eva(Geeks) is a story that repeats."
Warren Peace, #643919

Guy Nacks
Evangelion
Evangelion
User avatar
Posts: 3032
Joined: Nov 28, 2012
Gender: Male

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Guy Nacks » Mon Jun 25, 2018 12:07 am

View Original PostBlue Monday wrote:True? Didn't like it, or just got sidetracked? I read the synopsis and I thought it sounded like Perfect Blue with cyberpunk/sci-fi, which struck me as my kind of thing. Keen to hear your thoughts (minus spoilers, of course).


The plot just wasn't going anywhere and unlike Perfect Blue, who had a protagonist I could sympathize with, the protagonist of Flow My Tears is a racist misogynist cocksplat, so I don't really care what happens to him. This isn't to say that villain or morally grey protagonists are automatically a no-go with me (I love A Clockwork Orange and American Psycho), but the protagonist of FMT is just...uninteresting and has no real charisma, as far as I can remember...I haven't looked at the book in about a month.
Among the people who use the Internet, many are obtuse. Because they are locked in their rooms, they hang on to that vision which is spreading across the world. But this does not go beyond mere ‘data’. Data without analysis [thinking], which makes you think that you know everything. This complacency is nothing but a trap. Moreover, the sense of values that counters this notion is paralyzed by it.

And so we arrive at demagogy. - Hideaki Anno, 1996

Gus Hanson
Authentic Wizard
Authentic Wizard
Posts: 1547
Joined: Oct 24, 2012
Gender: Male

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Gus Hanson » Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:25 pm

Took the early noon to read the final volume of Legend of Korra: Turf Wars. Highlight of the volume besides Zhu Li winning President over coward Raiko who showed his ruthlessness in terms of willing to let Asami and Keum die if it meant taking down the blimp with Tokuga containing poison gas is Mako getting over Korra and Asami dating and accepting them as a couple who happened to both date him at separate points of the tv show. That and the final moments of declaration of love between the happy item outside the victory speech of newly elected President Zhu Li Moon!
"Damn it! Who do I have to screw around here just to get a stupid story?!" - Gail Hailstorm, author of the book You're Dead, I'm Rich (Scary Movie)

silvermoonlight
Former Moderator
Former Moderator
User avatar
Posts: 2227
Joined: Jun 19, 2016
Location: UK
Gender: Female
Contact:

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby silvermoonlight » Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:52 pm

View Original PostGus Hanson wrote:Took the early noon to read the final volume of Legend of Korra: Turf Wars. Highlight of the volume besides Zhu Li winning President over coward Raiko who showed his ruthlessness in terms of willing to let Asami and Keum die if it meant taking down the blimp with Tokuga containing poison gas is Mako getting over Korra and Asami dating and accepting them as a couple who happened to both date him at separate points of the tv show. That and the final moments of declaration of love between the happy item outside the victory speech of newly elected President Zhu Li Moon!


I read that last month really enjoyed it ^_^

Current reading Daikaiju Yuki wow you know I expected this to be a cheesy Kaju take, but its not its really good and very LGBT positive which makes a real change since gay female heroes tend to get a lot of stick in some books. I also like this not a Godzilla copy and paste it has its own huge monsters but all feel like there more mythology based and its not your chosen one its we are gonna set you up to be someone who talks to a Kaju monster and is linked with it and you don't get a say ^_^
Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live. After all, you are alive, so you will always have the chance to be happy.

My Eva fanfiction ff.net Fading In To The Stolen Light For download version please go to AO3
Sequel As The Divine Light Breaks For download version please go to AO3

Kazuki_Fuse
Matarael
Matarael
User avatar
Age: 31
Posts: 582
Joined: Oct 02, 2013
Location: Outer Heaven
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Kazuki_Fuse » Thu Nov 22, 2018 7:07 pm

Read the novella You Were Never Really Here which managed to be even bleaker than the film based off it. Now I'm reading Zoe's Tale, the fourth book in the Old Man's War series, and loving every page of it. If Scalzi talks at all in real life the way he makes his characters, I'd love to have a beer with him and just banter for hours.
Avatar: "Here is a magical girl who would not take it anymore"
Hitler AND eating babies in a Shinji thread? Business as usual- TMBounty_Hunter
Sorry, my policy is not to take life advice from people with ego problems who also happen to post on anime forums- CJD
Does Love Live get a lot of shit or something?- caragnafog dog

shinryujimikihiko
Adam
User avatar
Posts: 57
Joined: Mar 01, 2019

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby shinryujimikihiko » Fri Mar 15, 2019 3:39 pm

At the risk of being obtuse, would it be out of line to post here reviews of a.) interesting nonfiction and b.) reviews of fiction in a more formal and somewhat lengthy format? Everything here seems somewhat casual and brief.

Mr. Tines
Administrator
Administrator
User avatar
Age: 66
Posts: 21373
Joined: Nov 23, 2004
Location: This sceptered isle.
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Mr. Tines » Fri Mar 15, 2019 6:17 pm

That would be fine -- go for it.
Reminder: Play nicely <<>> My vanity publishing:- NGE|blog|Photos|retro-blog|Fanfics &c.|MAL|𝕏|🐸|🦣
Avatar: art deco Asuka

Tankred
Anime Ja Nai
Anime Ja Nai
User avatar
Age: 29
Posts: 5118
Joined: Jan 09, 2011

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Tankred » Fri May 17, 2019 2:59 pm

A History of Christendom, vol. 3, by Warren H Carroll.

delacroix
Embryo
Posts: 1
Joined: Jun 18, 2019
Gender: Male

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby delacroix » Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:41 pm

matisse bio

metropolis
Embryo
Posts: 1
Joined: Jun 19, 2019

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby metropolis » Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:59 am

Keep Moving : And Other Tips and Truths About Aging By Dick Van Dyke. And it's very good! I decided to read this book after reading about Dick Van Dyke - https://news.amomama.com/177338-all-dick-van-dykes-first-marriage-margie.html. Great person!

movieartman
DNA Donor
DNA Donor
Age: 32
Posts: 2390
Joined: Feb 24, 2014
Gender: Male

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby movieartman » Tue Oct 06, 2020 4:33 am

Started these 3 last year, barely touched them this year despite the lock down :um:
Gotta get back at it. Not too much to say so far. All 3 are good.

ImageImageImage

Awakened caught my attention because I saw it compared to The Relic (1997) which is among my favorite monster movies.

Javi2541997
Adam
Age: 26
Posts: 67
Joined: Jan 17, 2021

Re: [Literature] Currently Reading (discussion)

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Javi2541997 » Mon Jan 25, 2021 2:21 pm

Reading:

Miau (in English is said as “meow”) It is a Spanish novel written in 1888. It is about a criticism in Spanish public administration. The protagonist is an income tax recorder. He feels himself bad because there is no justice at all despite he wants to be a good public worker it looks like all around him is so damn corrupted. Despotic and hypocrisy is key in this novel.

Also my favourite two books I have read the last year:

1Q84 from Murakami. There are three parts. It is so awesome and he plays so good the mysticism in world fulfilled by two moons in the night sky.

“El árbol de la ciencia”/the tree of science (Pío Baroja).Amazing novel written in 1898 where the protagonist is a doctor who feels the decency of Spain (my country) in the last years of XIX century. He tried his best to get better as possible but it looks like impossible in the context he lives. Drama and pessimism at it’s finest.
Shi ni Itaru Yamai, Soshite


Return to “Completely and Utterly Off-Topic”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests