Reader's Corner

He's lying. He can't read

nanox wrote: I have done this as well, even outside of class. The book I just finished on interpersonal neurobiology was from a textbook series. lol

Have you read any of Brian Greene's work? If not, you might enjoy him.

Honestly that sounds fascinating, but I know you're way outta my league! I have not read Brian Greene - yet - thank you for the recommendation.

nanox wrote: I love futuristic dystopian novels (e.g., Brave New World, 1984, etc.) for this exact same reason. I also enjoy reason some philosophy dressed up as fiction (i.e., The Stranger, Anthem) for this reason.

Agreed re. dystopian novels. That also puts me in mind of Lord of the Flies - not the same thing, but related, I think. I haven't read Anthem or The Stranger - also added to the list. ^_^

This also made me think of 'A Confederacy of Dunces', a favorite I forgot to mention, though that's of course also a different category of literature; probably because satirical depictions of society are part of dystopian thinking.

nanox wrote: When I first picked up this book I remembered thinking it was a lot slower than the other stuff I had read by him. I read both Stardust and Neverwhere in single sittings. It took more than one sitting to read the entire book, but it ended up being one of my very favorites. I also really like mythology, so this book had a lot of references that I enjoyed. But one of the reasons it took me so long to read was that I kept getting side tracked researching the mythology of the different Gods mentioned (even those in Shadow's dreams).

This is actually the first full-length novel of his I'm reading; I enjoy his short stories, and I *really* loved 'Coraline' and 'The Graveyard Book'; they might be written for kids, but they're extremely strong stories, as classic faerie tales often are also. And yes! I know what you mean about enjoying all the mythological references [though I haven't bothered to research even the ones I'm curious about yet, shame on me >.<] - I have Asatru friends, so I was a bit startled by the smarmy depiction of Odin, but I can appreciate it. I do like his depictions of the Egyptian gods, and I have a Kemetic Reconstructionist friend who also appreciates how he handled that.

nanox wrote: Impressive. Maybe someday I will be able to convince you to share the name so I can try to find a copy. Maybe you will also share some of your new work with us.

I also use to love to write stories and poetry when I was younger, but then a formal education in the sciences sort of beat creative writing out of me. I can write an awesome research paper though (not a good trade IMO).

1. WHAT SORT OF SCIENCES are you trained in?? That's awesome, whatever the answer. I don't have much formal science training, though I'm headed back to school for more this fall, hopefully. Also, I personally am far more impressed by people capable of well-written research papers, like yourself. (And no, Rex, I'm not flirting with her, I'm fangirling ) Research papers make me feel I've been condemned to the 5th Circle of Hell - as do many drivers on I-5, actually. [Dante's Inferno is not really a favorite - I spent too much time surrounded by christian fundamentalists to enjoy their mythology yet lol - but it does lend itself well to comedic references ]

2. Unlikely, lol.

3. Perhaps I'll start a creativity thread, and people can share their stuff if they are so inclined. Poetry and stories would be excellent contributions *AHEM*. That would be fun, I think.

I also neglected to mention that I really like some kinds of how-to books; mainly permaculture and natural building type stuff. Gaia's Garden is my favorite permaculture book, and The Hand-Sculpted House is my favorite in natural building. I read environmental books as well, such as Crow Planet, Earth, or one about honeybees whose title escapes me now

Thesaurusrex wrote: Ahhh. John Dies at the End? I watched the movie version of it, and the cracked writer's pretty awesome. I'm glad to see you recommend the book. Gonna read it this summer even if it kills me. Or John.

The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat sounds interesting, as much as I stay away from nonfiction...

Currently, I'm reading A Fool's Errand by Albion Tourgee (with a fancy little eyebrow over the last e). It's an assigned book, so that takes a little bit of the joy out of it. It's also nonfiction masquerading as fiction, but it characterizes the problems faced in the south after the Civil War really well. It's best enjoyed in spurts, or you get a little overwhelmed with antebellum debates and pig-headed southerners and understanding northerners.

As for favorites (which doubles as recommendations, because if I like them, of course they're amazing and everyone should like them)...
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: the movie disappointed
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: will have to rotate the book to read in some spots. Might sleep with the light on.
The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis: the kind of book that you put down and stare at the wall for a week
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami: wot? huh? dunno what's going on. still don't. it's over? what happened.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones: magical, satirical, beautiful
Remembering the Good Times by Richard Peck: the kind of book that you put down and curl into a fetal position and miss your childhood

A lot of these are nostalgic holdovers that I read when I was in middle school or 9th grade, but they're all very good.

Also, Thalia! You should share some of the stuff you're writing. Especially the myth retold; I love myths retold.

House of Leaves is definitely on my list, and I've meant to read something of Murakami's for a long time after multiple recommendations. Perhaps I will start with the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles!

Sharing might be done if people participate. I shall start a thread, I think. After I get some boring house stuff done.

Thesaurusrex wrote: He's lying. He can't read

my dog reads it to me

Thalia wrote: I was just thinking last night, 'Why is there no reading thread? There should be one.'

For the record, there is a "reading thread," made by yours truly(/forum/9-general-discussion/251532-what-are-you-reading-right-now?limitstart=0) But nanox's thread is bit different that stimulates discussion and conversations.

nanox wrote: I love to read and have spent the majority of my life with my nose in a book. I love everything about books, even down to the way they smell. So, feel free to answer any or all of the following questions, or come up with your own reading/book related topics…I don't care, let's just talk about reading.

What are you reading right now and what do you think about it?

What are your all time favorite books?

What books would you recommend for others to read (please answer this because I'm running out of good books to read lol)?

Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?

Do you read anything other than books, like journals, news, blogs, the backs of cereal boxes, whatever…?

I'm currently reading a book titled "중국혁명사," or "The History of Chinese Revolution" by Suh Jin-young. It's almost finished. But I can't really recommend this to most of members here because it's written in Korean. But for few Korean guys here, I will recommend it if you want to understand the modern history of China. This book deals with overall historical process of China from Opium War to Chinese Revolution in 1949. But there are actually parts in this historical process(namely failed revolution in 1920's) that needs to be dealt with in more detailed level in order to understand the transformation that the Chinese Communist Party was forced to take after 1920's. But I think this is good introductory work.

My all time favorite books? Jesus fucking Christ!(And no, that's not the name of a book)

While there are many, for now I will put the first book that put me into coma of enchantment. The title of the book is called "The Last Class" by French impressionist writer Alphonse Daudet.(I read this when I was a 5th grader in school) Another great one will be "Sidhartha" by Hermann Hesse. For non-fiction, I will pick "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander.(This was an eye-opening book about "war on drugs" and racial profiling against African American men in the U.S.) Another non-fiction will be "The Bolsheviks and the Chinese Revolution: 1919-1927" by Alexander Pantsov.(This is one of those book that make you feel like you are watching a film, which is basically about conflicts between then-leader Joseph Stalin and his "Left Opposition" led by Leon Trotsky in regarding who Soviet Union should support between Guomindang - whom Stalin favored - and the Chinese Communist Party - whom Trotsky favored - in China's potential revolution during 1920's) Another non-fiction that I liked is "Are Prisons Obsolete?" by Angela Y. Davis, which is about prison industrial complex.

For OP, I will recommend "Feminist Theory: The Intellectual Traditions of American Feminism" by Josephine Donovan( www.amazon.com/Femin...s/dp/0826412483 ). I have already recommended some books for both Thesaurusrex and Alessa-SH on their walls. But I will also recommend "Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape" by Jessica Valenti and Jaclyn Friedman( www.amazon.com/Yes-M...t/dp/1580052576 ) for nanox, Thesaurusrex, Thalia and OddWolfHaley.

I do read both fiction and non-fiction, but I've been reading way more non-fiction these days.

I read books, journals, newspaper and blogs, but I don't read back of cereal box.

Thalia wrote:
Agreed re. dystopian novels. That also puts me in mind of Lord of the Flies - not the same thing, but related, I think. I haven't read Anthem or The Stranger - also added to the list. ^_^

This also made me think of 'A Confederacy of Dunces', a favorite I forgot to mention, though that's of course also a different category of literature; probably because satirical depictions of society are part of dystopian thinking.

The Stranger is good and Anthem is good if you really hate communism. I'm not a huge fan of Ayn Rand, but that was one of her books I enjoyed.

I will have to add "A Confederacy of Dunces" because it sounds like something I would enjoy.

Thalia wrote: This is actually the first full-length novel of his I'm reading; I enjoy his short stories, and I *really* loved 'Coraline' and 'The Graveyard Book'; they might be written for kids, but they're extremely strong stories, as classic faerie tales often are also. And yes! I know what you mean about enjoying all the mythological references [though I haven't bothered to research even the ones I'm curious about yet, shame on me >.<] - I have Asatru friends, so I was a bit startled by the smarmy depiction of Odin, but I can appreciate it. I do like his depictions of the Egyptian gods, and I have a Kemetic Reconstructionist friend who also appreciates how he handled that.

Do you read comics at all? There is this great story that reminds me of Coraline called, The Thief of Always, by Clive Barker.

I'm not sure where you are in the book, but he meets a couple Native American gods later on and I had a really good time researching them. Whenever you finish the book it might be worth looking it up. I also really enjoyed the way he portrayed Odin, even if it wasn't what I expected. I never would have guessed that's who he was even though we were exposed to his character really early on in the story.

Thalia wrote: 1. WHAT SORT OF SCIENCES are you trained in?? That's awesome, whatever the answer. I don't have much formal science training, though I'm headed back to school for more this fall, hopefully. Also, I personally am far more impressed by people capable of well-written research papers, like yourself. (And no, Rex, I'm not flirting with her, I'm fangirling ) Research papers make me feel I've been condemned to the 5th Circle of Hell - as do many drivers on I-5, actually. [Dante's Inferno is not really a favorite - I spent too much time surrounded by christian fundamentalists to enjoy their mythology yet lol - but it does lend itself well to comedic references ]

2. Unlikely, lol.

3. Perhaps I'll start a creativity thread, and people can share their stuff if they are so inclined. Poetry and stories would be excellent contributions *AHEM*. That would be fun, I think.

I also neglected to mention that I really like some kinds of how-to books; mainly permaculture and natural building type stuff. Gaia's Garden is my favorite permaculture book, and The Hand-Sculpted House is my favorite in natural building. I read environmental books as well, such as Crow Planet, Earth, or one about honeybees whose title escapes me now

I studied Applied Psychology and Biology. In college I did research in forensic psychology for lie detection and eye witness identification. I also taught Biopsychology for 2 years for the professor I worked for as an RA. I am a backyard chemist, but I try not to say that too often for the fear of the NSA. Ok, it isn't that bad. My friend and I just like to conduct "experiments" that usually involve destroying things and his wife yelling at us. Also, I don't really enjoy writing research papers either, but it was something I was good at when I forced myself to. I think there is actually a special 10th circle in hell where the punishment is to write research papers and study technical writing. You probably have to stand in a really long line that doesn't move for several million millennia before you even get to the boring part. I've often maintained that good students aren't really that intelligent, they just tolerate tedium better than others.

A creativity thread would be awesome, but I bet there will be A LOT of bad poetry. We could have an ongoing creative story though… bet Rex would be a superstar in there.

I haven't read a lot of how-to books, but I like to read how-to stuff online and I love cookbooks.

Korean_Romeo wrote:
For OP, I will recommend "Feminist Theory: The Intellectual Traditions" by Josephine Donovan( www.amazon.com/Femin...s/dp/0826412483 ).

You aren't going to stop trying to turn me into a feminist, are you?

Maybe you should read some books about Humanism.

nanox wrote: You aren't going to stop trying to turn me into a feminist, are you?

I care about you a lot. And I just want to save your soul.

I just finished reading the book that I've mentioned previously. And I just started reading Henry A. Giroux's "Neoliberalism's War on Higher Education." ( www.amazon.com/Neoli...x/dp/1608463346 )