Oh, I know who Garnett is! I actually posted a New Yorker article about English translations of Russian works last week somewhere in this topic.
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What are you reading? (June 2015)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Oh, I know who Garnett is! I actually posted a New Yorker article about English translations of Russian works last week somewhere in this topic.
Or pick up the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation for the odd price of 3.16:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008QLVMTI/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Maklershed
Member
Just a few minutes into ep 1 of the Wayward Pines show. For anyone that's read the books please tell me
the big reveal isn't gonna be that Ethan is dead cause that's just wayyyy too easy and at this point already seems obvious. The one thing that's giving me hope is that won't be the case is HOW obvious that seems to be the case.
I was attracted to this series too purely for the artwork. Ploughed through Annihilation in 2 days. I'm going much slower with Authority. I still like it, but there's something a bit missing in the change of setting. I think it's too safe. There isn't that sense of dread.
I'll give it a try tonight. As good as John Le Carre?
Not the case.
disappeared
Banned
finished Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard tonight. Enjoyed it. He had such an ear for dialogue and how people really communicate. Not sure I'll ever read all 40+ books he's written, but I do enjoy his work.
As I stated in the reread thread I am reading them for the first time, if you do make a seperate thread I will participate if you need.
I will also keep up with the thread you already made, no way I can keep the slow pace I'll probably be back to re-read by the time the thread gets to clash.
Dedication Through Light
Member
I didnt know we get two free audible books with prime, the final harry potter was the last audiobook I bought and listened too (also how I read most of the Artemis Fowl books)
You Know Nothing
Member
After this season (the final two episodes) they'll pretty much be out of any and all book material.
So book spoilers shouldn't really be a problem.
So book spoilers shouldn't really be a problem.
The show is almost a different beast at this point. You'll be fine with reading the books now.
People weren't kidding about the Brothers Karamazov taking about a month to read. I'm really enjoying myself but I'm going at a slug pace compared to how I sped through A Little Life (about the same length). I'm loving the similarities and differences between the three brothers. I'm also happy I got this translation since I would've quit the Victorian English one.
Syphon Filter
Member
Hey has anyone read Life as Carola: A Tale of the Renaissance?
whatevermort
Member
I've got a new book coming out this week.
It's called No Harm Can Come To A Good Man, and it's a slight-future SF political thriller about algorithms and data prediction and psychological torment. (Cheery!)
This is the American cover:
and this is the UK one:
It's going to be available everywhere (including, if you're flying in or from the US, in a 3 for 2 in Hudson airport bookshops).
Some people said this about it:
A writer of bold imagination and verve Lauren Beukes
Savage, intimate and inexorable Nick Harkaway
A writer with a preternaturally powerful and distinctive voice Guardian
Smythes storytelling is pacey and addictive; he has a fiendish talent for springing surprises The Times
'A truly thought-provoking thriller that remains a page turner right to the end' Booklist
'No Harm may be the best political thriller since The Manchurian Candidate' Pornokitsch
Fully formed, fundamentally affecting, forward-thinking fiction. The sort of story that reminds us why we read Tor.com
I hope it's okay to post this. It's obviously total self-promo, but dear god there are so few other ways to sell books these days.
This is the US Amazon page for the book, should you wish to kindle it and help me out something ridiculous. First week sales are everything.
/self promo ends
It's called No Harm Can Come To A Good Man, and it's a slight-future SF political thriller about algorithms and data prediction and psychological torment. (Cheery!)
This is the American cover:
and this is the UK one:
It's going to be available everywhere (including, if you're flying in or from the US, in a 3 for 2 in Hudson airport bookshops).
Some people said this about it:
A writer of bold imagination and verve Lauren Beukes
Savage, intimate and inexorable Nick Harkaway
A writer with a preternaturally powerful and distinctive voice Guardian
Smythes storytelling is pacey and addictive; he has a fiendish talent for springing surprises The Times
'A truly thought-provoking thriller that remains a page turner right to the end' Booklist
'No Harm may be the best political thriller since The Manchurian Candidate' Pornokitsch
Fully formed, fundamentally affecting, forward-thinking fiction. The sort of story that reminds us why we read Tor.com
I hope it's okay to post this. It's obviously total self-promo, but dear god there are so few other ways to sell books these days.
This is the US Amazon page for the book, should you wish to kindle it and help me out something ridiculous. First week sales are everything.
/self promo ends
whatevermort
Member
So, the US cover is the one that was created for the UK Hardback, but tweaked a bit. It was a commercial choice that I didn't really have much to do with - I don't love 'Man Running Away' as a trope, really. My original request was to have something John Stezaker esque:
but that wasn't commercial enough, so they did what they liked.
For the UK paperback, an in-house designer loved the book and wanted to do something he felt represented it. And I love this one. I love that it's an eye, a lens; that it's the calm of nature (there's a lot of stuff in there about nature vs city) fragmented through design. So I prefer that. (FWIW: the US cover has this beautiful film-lens grain to it that you can't really see here, and the composition is actually really interesting: the ground is something like a moonscape, for example. Anyway!)
Both covers are the book, really. But I think it's probably somewhere between the two, if you're judging content by the cover, if that makes sense?
Well, I see no Kindle option as of right now, but there is a free sample I availed myself of. Good luck, I'll check back next week to see what's up with the ebook edition.
YesNOnoNOYes
Member
Just finished rereading Catcher in the Rye. Now starting on Stephen King's The Stand.
Maklershed
Member
a) I can vouch for whatevermort - The Explorer was awesome. Definitely will buy 'No Harm ..' when its available. (or James, would you prefer we just preorder the hard copy?)
b) 600 Hours of Edward is available as a kindle deal for $1.99 today. I rather enjoyed it.
b) 600 Hours of Edward is available as a kindle deal for $1.99 today. I rather enjoyed it.
Good book.
whatevermort
Member
I honestly don't mind. If you like the sound of it, and fancy buying it, then however you choose will be amazing.
All I know is that I am super grateful you'll be buying it. And that you liked The Explorer! (Did you read the sequel? If you didn't yet, PM me your address.)
Maklershed
Member
Not yet but I bought it right after I read the first one. I'm really in the mood for some space sci-fi. I think it'll be next as soon as I finish Finders Keepers.
gotta know more about that anomaly!
whatevermort
Member
Awesome! I'm just about to finish the first draft of book 3 in the quartet, as well. Glad some people are into the (relative) mystery...
About to finish my Ebola science book, like any hour now (probably tonight), and thinking about diving back into some Foster Wallace and wrapping up the second half of The Pale King I never finished. But not sure. I might try out this crime novel The Dragon Man I've had sitting around for months. Never read a book set in Australia.
tauroxd
Member
Seeing that not too long ago people was talking about Ancilliary, the main character is a man, right?
And I wanted to thank Mumei for telling us to read A Little Life. I finished it about 2 weeks ago. I read it in a month because I had to take breaks from it. You can really feel it and it could be a really difficult book to read, but amazing all around. Thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks to these threads and discover many good books, but the best so far and the one I really fell in love with inmmediatly is Stoner. I want to know who was the one who first talked about it in these threads, you are an awesome person!
And I wanted to thank Mumei for telling us to read A Little Life. I finished it about 2 weeks ago. I read it in a month because I had to take breaks from it. You can really feel it and it could be a really difficult book to read, but amazing all around. Thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks to these threads and discover many good books, but the best so far and the one I really fell in love with inmmediatly is Stoner. I want to know who was the one who first talked about it in these threads, you are an awesome person!
i just finished the dark defiles by richard k morgan
it's a good finale for the series. i think the trilogy could have easily been compressed down to two books, the cold commands especially felt like there was a decent amount of filler.
i'm considering re-reading echopraxia by peter watts since i don't have anything new on my docket right now and i love watts so very very much
it's a good finale for the series. i think the trilogy could have easily been compressed down to two books, the cold commands especially felt like there was a decent amount of filler.
i'm considering re-reading echopraxia by peter watts since i don't have anything new on my docket right now and i love watts so very very much
The protagonist is as non-gendered sentient AI.
Nappuccino
Member
So, the US cover is the one that was created for the UK Hardback, but tweaked a bit. It was a commercial choice that I didn't really have much to do with - I don't love 'Man Running Away' as a trope, really. My original request was to have something John Stezaker esque:
but that wasn't commercial enough, so they did what they liked.
For the UK paperback, an in-house designer loved the book and wanted to do something he felt represented it. And I love this one. I love that it's an eye, a lens; that it's the calm of nature (there's a lot of stuff in there about nature vs city) fragmented through design. So I prefer that. (FWIW: the US cover has this beautiful film-lens grain to it that you can't really see here, and the composition is actually really interesting: the ground is something like a moonscape, for example. Anyway!)
Both covers are the book, really. But I think it's probably somewhere between the two, if you're judging content by the cover, if that makes sense?
Weirdly, if you're on the US amazon page, click hardcover and then click soft cover, it leads me to that awesome UK design.
I'm tempted to order it, but I have a feeling the US design would show up at my door anyway. Gonna have to think it over because I do love the UK design a lot.
whatevermort
Member
I think that will get you the import UK one. Also, check the ISBN numbers on the order page - the UK ends in 937, so that should definitely be it.
And, hell: if the US one arrives when you've ordered it, gift it to somebody and I'll personally send you a copy of the UK one.
Tore through Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. Shame I have to wait until next year for #3.
Started Ancillary Sword since I had loved Justice, but wasn't getting into it as quick/had forgotten some of the key characters, so I shifted to Nemesis Games for now and I'm already right back into it and comfortable. I love The Expanse so much. I'll finish AS after and then likely return to The Culture novels or Revelation Space.
Started Ancillary Sword since I had loved Justice, but wasn't getting into it as quick/had forgotten some of the key characters, so I shifted to Nemesis Games for now and I'm already right back into it and comfortable. I love The Expanse so much. I'll finish AS after and then likely return to The Culture novels or Revelation Space.
tauroxd
Member
Of course, but the body that she is in right now is male or female? I read the two books, but I never was sure it if was a male or female body.
I don't ever think it was clarified, but I always imagined her as a kind of androgynous looking woman. That's how I imagine everyone to look like in Ancillary, actually. Just a universe of Tilda Swintons doing Space Opera things.
tauroxd
Member
Hahaha that would be a very weird thing to actually see hahaha.
The Last Wizard
Member
Finished up Fahrenheit 451 was a good read overall. Towards the tail end it got boring though. Such a chilling thing to read.
Now on to brave new world.
Now on to brave new world.
If you haven't already, you should try 1984 and A Clockwork Orange. Not to everyone's taste, but it's almost required reading for people who like dystopian speculative fiction.
The Last Wizard
Member
I've tried to read 1984 a couple years back but couldn't finish it so just ended up reading the wiki and watching the adaptation that was most faithful. Clockwork I saw the movie and didn't really care, more than likely brave new world will be my last dystopian novel for awhile.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Finished End of Discussion: How the Left's Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun)
End of Discussion is an excellent chronicle of the Outrage Industry which has worked well to try to shut down anybody that disagrees with their viewpoints. Though they come from the Left and have often been ones to embrace people of diverse backgrounds who may not have had an opportunity to have their chance to have a voice heard, it seems the ones who are on the Left now, probably the far left, are using it as their excuse to why they are the only ones that deserve to be heard and not anyone else. Its kind of odd really since they are now doing the very thing that the other side did to them in the pre civil rights era. I found it most interesting when popular mascots for the Left were at times also targeted by the same Outrage Circus for saying something they didnt agree with. The chapter on checking their privilege was highly enlightening as it showed that something created by that side could also harm others there since no one has gone through every type of situation. I was also disturbed that that Outrage Circus carries so much weight they they are even trying to get Trigger Warnings placed in college syllabi, out college professors who they disgree with on social issues, and get rid of certain student groups on campus. One of the points briefly touched on was sometimes the people in these areas are not even ever finding the things offensive, or in one extreme example in which someone complained about the Cards Against Humanity game and they taking offense to one card, they found themselves baffled when they received comments from others asking why they werent offended by the other cards.
The book probably can be best be summed up by be not wise in thine own eyes. When people are like this, or rather, taking the position of the Absolute Moral Authority, they end up throwing all logic and reasoning out the door, end all forms of discussion and work hard to ignore anyone else. Some of the people even seemed to follow faulty logic and reasoning or worst saying statistics that were calculated incorrectly (for example the White House Male Female Wage ratio just grouping every full time wage person together and dividing instead of focusing on male females in the same position), and always saying that number when the one who calculated it said it was problematic and took too many assumptions). It was interesting in that scenario to at least hear from people that wage is not everything to a job or that not everyone aspires to be a CEO or work in an office. What was most important was that they did say people ought to negotiate to ensure they are earning a fair amount for the position they are in. Personally, knowing more of the truth helps people be open minded and see through things that some people are trying to force them to believe. If you are knowledgeable then one is able to establish a position and hopefully debate reasonably about it.
Many examples in the book are well known and probably sad to see that there are times when people with differing and respectful opinions are shut down and silenced even by the government. Though perhaps when there is a President that touts "The Time for Talk Is Over," we get numerous court orders saying that people are compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives, which is the cost of citizenship (Elane Photography taken to court for not agreeing to take photos of a gay wedding), and in the other situation of the Giffords not willing to let a Gay wedding take place on their own home ground, that is the court ruled that they deserved a warning to the intolerant fanatics who continue to labor under the ludicrous misconception that theyre free to live out their religious beliefs within the confines of their own personal homes. Surely they could have entertained some debate about this issue. Other examples were people on the Left interrupting numerous functions of elected officials and trying to impede or block voting, impede other functions by shouting to drown out the leader speaking, or even make exceptions to Left oriented movements and not for the Right ones, for example the Occupy movement in which they illegally stayed in places to try to get their point across (while the Tea Party ones had to painstakingly follow the laws for how to do a protest). Of course no one from the Occupy movement had to pay the same fees.
All in all really interesting read. The writers are great and personable, the footnotes were often hilarious and inquisitive, and often the points made were at times not just focused on perpetrators of the Left but also those on the right, so it was nice to see that they attempted to focus on both sides. A few points were weak such as the transexual chapter, though that seemed more on people just being confused ultimately on how to handle the situation with terminology and even transgenders in the spotlight shutting down any sort of discussion from people trying to understand what they go through when interviewed on TV (Katie Couric interview for example). Some chapters were also short but they did get the points across fast (people being misled by the loud noise over gun issues in America, but we have like over 200 pages of Federal laws on it and crimes involving guns have been their lowest since 1920s, people focusing on stricter gun control but not on mental health issues, followed by the voting issues chapter, and that voting fraud is real, when 13000 people who are deceased are still on rolls and some people are voting as them...something is still wrong, but Leftists framing it that the Right is using it as a device of racism)
End of Discussion is an excellent chronicle of the Outrage Industry which has worked well to try to shut down anybody that disagrees with their viewpoints. Though they come from the Left and have often been ones to embrace people of diverse backgrounds who may not have had an opportunity to have their chance to have a voice heard, it seems the ones who are on the Left now, probably the far left, are using it as their excuse to why they are the only ones that deserve to be heard and not anyone else. Its kind of odd really since they are now doing the very thing that the other side did to them in the pre civil rights era. I found it most interesting when popular mascots for the Left were at times also targeted by the same Outrage Circus for saying something they didnt agree with. The chapter on checking their privilege was highly enlightening as it showed that something created by that side could also harm others there since no one has gone through every type of situation. I was also disturbed that that Outrage Circus carries so much weight they they are even trying to get Trigger Warnings placed in college syllabi, out college professors who they disgree with on social issues, and get rid of certain student groups on campus. One of the points briefly touched on was sometimes the people in these areas are not even ever finding the things offensive, or in one extreme example in which someone complained about the Cards Against Humanity game and they taking offense to one card, they found themselves baffled when they received comments from others asking why they werent offended by the other cards.
The book probably can be best be summed up by be not wise in thine own eyes. When people are like this, or rather, taking the position of the Absolute Moral Authority, they end up throwing all logic and reasoning out the door, end all forms of discussion and work hard to ignore anyone else. Some of the people even seemed to follow faulty logic and reasoning or worst saying statistics that were calculated incorrectly (for example the White House Male Female Wage ratio just grouping every full time wage person together and dividing instead of focusing on male females in the same position), and always saying that number when the one who calculated it said it was problematic and took too many assumptions). It was interesting in that scenario to at least hear from people that wage is not everything to a job or that not everyone aspires to be a CEO or work in an office. What was most important was that they did say people ought to negotiate to ensure they are earning a fair amount for the position they are in. Personally, knowing more of the truth helps people be open minded and see through things that some people are trying to force them to believe. If you are knowledgeable then one is able to establish a position and hopefully debate reasonably about it.
Many examples in the book are well known and probably sad to see that there are times when people with differing and respectful opinions are shut down and silenced even by the government. Though perhaps when there is a President that touts "The Time for Talk Is Over," we get numerous court orders saying that people are compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives, which is the cost of citizenship (Elane Photography taken to court for not agreeing to take photos of a gay wedding), and in the other situation of the Giffords not willing to let a Gay wedding take place on their own home ground, that is the court ruled that they deserved a warning to the intolerant fanatics who continue to labor under the ludicrous misconception that theyre free to live out their religious beliefs within the confines of their own personal homes. Surely they could have entertained some debate about this issue. Other examples were people on the Left interrupting numerous functions of elected officials and trying to impede or block voting, impede other functions by shouting to drown out the leader speaking, or even make exceptions to Left oriented movements and not for the Right ones, for example the Occupy movement in which they illegally stayed in places to try to get their point across (while the Tea Party ones had to painstakingly follow the laws for how to do a protest). Of course no one from the Occupy movement had to pay the same fees.
All in all really interesting read. The writers are great and personable, the footnotes were often hilarious and inquisitive, and often the points made were at times not just focused on perpetrators of the Left but also those on the right, so it was nice to see that they attempted to focus on both sides. A few points were weak such as the transexual chapter, though that seemed more on people just being confused ultimately on how to handle the situation with terminology and even transgenders in the spotlight shutting down any sort of discussion from people trying to understand what they go through when interviewed on TV (Katie Couric interview for example). Some chapters were also short but they did get the points across fast (people being misled by the loud noise over gun issues in America, but we have like over 200 pages of Federal laws on it and crimes involving guns have been their lowest since 1920s, people focusing on stricter gun control but not on mental health issues, followed by the voting issues chapter, and that voting fraud is real, when 13000 people who are deceased are still on rolls and some people are voting as them...something is still wrong, but Leftists framing it that the Right is using it as a device of racism)
Manmademan
Member
Finished End of Discussion: How the Left's Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun)
I appreciate that it seems like you enjoyed this, and put a lot of effort into the writeup, but this is clearly poorly sourced claptrap designed to push conservative talking points and demonize "the left." I wasn't entirely sure until I hit this part:
a quick google search on this topic proves this is completely false. States have admitted under oath that they aren't aware of any ACTUAL fraud when defending voter fraud legislation in court. This thread isn't the place for that discussion though- it's probably better had in the politics thread.
Dedication Through Light
Member
? it says it right here http://www.wncn.com/story/25145787/report-points-to-possible-voter-fraud-in-nc
Manmademan
Member
do you understand the difference between an deceased individual being on the voter rolls, and actually voting? it's a very important distinction, but not one that's appropriate for the thread.
edit: though for your perusal:
http://www.southernstudies.org/2014/04/after-initial-hysteria-back-pedaling-over-nc-voter.html
anything further? take it to the politics thread.
TheKaeptain
Banned
Anyone here read The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson? I've seen some people on twitter talk about it.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Well its good to have updated information on the subject though at least they did reach the same conclusion as the writers that more into voting needs to be examined, which reminds me of some of the same things mentioned briefly in the book, Constitutional Calculus.
Intheflorsh
Banned
I've started reading Neuromancer-- I've spent far too much time looking for good cyberpunk stuff written in the last decade, it's time to go directly to the source.
I'm going to try something completely different next, maybe historical fiction.
I'm going to try something completely different next, maybe historical fiction.