ignatius Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 (edited) currently reading thomas ligotti's The Conspiracy against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror" and loving it. it's darkly funny at just the right times and i've lol'd while reading it but it's also super dark at times if i think too hard. https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-against-Human-Race-Contrivance/dp/0143133144/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6ZN5ZFY361177J38KN1P here's a snippet i posted to instagram. oh, a while back i read another Nikola Barker book.. "wide open" and liked it a lot. i just like her style a lot and so far just enjoy whatever story she's telling. i loved Darkmans.. should read that again when i can. Edited December 2, 2018 by ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Room to Dream This is enticing! I'm reading the fathermucking Bible because I never read the whole thing. I'm at Judges. Deuteronomy had an interesting bit with God talking through a donkey. A lot of brutal genocidal battles commanded by God himself. Also a lot of really boring bureaucratic distribution of spoils and territory to a bunch of two dimensional characters who you know absolutely nothing about. Joshua is pretty much the same as Deuteronomy except with Joshua as the conduit to God instead of Moses. There was a decent spy action sequence involving a prostitute and the city of Jericho though. Generally, Old Testament God is a MASSIVE asshole if you're not an Israelite. And he keeps reminding everyone about how he saved their asses in Egypt every third paragraph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorjamb Posted December 7, 2018 Share Posted December 7, 2018 I'm reading the fathermucking Bible because I never read the whole thing. I'm at Judges. Judges is my favorite; it's like Bible superheroes. Essentially: the Jews are being naughty, God has some guy do some magic to set them straight, they behave for a while, but later start acting up again, so God… tries the same trick a dozen more times? Yeah okay, that's cool, God. You do you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2018 Share Posted December 7, 2018 I'm reading the fathermucking Bible because I never read the whole thing. I'm at Judges. Judges is my favorite; it's like Bible superheroes. Essentially: the Jews are being naughty, God has some guy do some magic to set them straight, they behave for a while, but later start acting up again, so God… tries the same trick a dozen more times? Yeah okay, that's cool, God. You do you. Repetition is so common in these stories. It makes it a slog to read for the few interesting bits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwmbrancity Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 Grateful Dead Gear - Blair Jackson. you don't have to enjoy the band to get a kick out of the way the author profiles developments in equipment, electronics, recording & PA's that moved live performance sound work forward light years. Whole instruments get biographies, the maker/brand origins nerd spaz is worth the ride, recording evolutions, good section on MIDI & new software, the counter-cultural freak show is left well in the background. Mirror of the Marvelous - Pierre Mabille the surrealists on myth is lush brain jizz, beardy mumblings crew alert & excellent brexit-bs poultice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanticdude Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 i've a question for anyone into mark fisher's stuff: i want to read his Capitalist Realism book - is it collected in the 900-ish pages long "k-punk" volume? or is it a standalone book? No, it isn't included. k-punk is a collection of his blog posts and while some of them were later reworked into what became Capitalist Realism, the latter is a lot more refined. Go for that if you haven't read any of his work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnarlybog Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. For years his writing has seemed right up my alley, but I always got turned off by the endless barrage of details and names. While I still find the prose a bit of a clunky read, it could very well be a translation issue. Nevertheless, "The Library of Babel" is one of the greatest short stories and concepts I have ever read. Recommended for that one alone. Interviews with Francis Bacon. This had some really fascinating insights into the artist. There is a moment where he claims he wanted to paint a mouth full of teeth as beautifully as others can a sunset.Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov. While I don't 100% love any of his books, the perfectly crafted writing aways leaves me impressed. As far as autobiographies go, this one did something unique by recollecting seemingly unimportant impressions and moments from childhood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KovalainenFanBoy Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 (edited) Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. For years his writing has seemed right up my alley, but I always got turned off by the endless barrage of details and names. weird, Borges is one of the most straight to the point writers there are. Maybe it's just one particular story that sticks in your mind or something I'm reading 'Patria', the de facto book of the year here in spain, sold a gorillion copies. A story about two families and basque separatist terrorism. As expected, it's pretty shit Edited December 26, 2018 by span Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerwolf Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Was worn out after reading the fascinating and disturbing, but grinding of Helter Skelter (how many Christian names, surnames, various nicknames of people involved depending on who's being quoted or reported by whom wtf) Pulled myself out of limbo by reading Killing Floor by Lee Child, just enjoyed the book tbh, took me 4 days to finish. I've got access to borrow the whole collection so I'll think I'll read a few more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweepstakes Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 Mona Lisa Overdrive. Read the whole trilogy and really bored of it now. Only chapter I really enjoyed so far was the assassin talking to the laser-equipped ghost in the alley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3551ER Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 I'm not reading this (yet) but I will probably have to at some point. Always been intrigued by this guy's art, and it sounds like this book is, basically, something pulled out of my dreamworld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prdctvsm Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riders_in_the_Chariot /10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanticdude Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I'm not reading this (yet) but I will probably have to at some point. Always been intrigued by this guy's art, and it sounds like this book is, basically, something pulled out of my dreamworld. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sRKEgyZgW8 Damn. I should get this, always dug his work. You're right, it's something coming straight from what I imagined as a kid when reading synopses of sci fi films I wasn't allowed to watch in TV guides. I also saw that there's some video game to be released soon that basically steals his style. Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taupe Beats Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 The Gertrud character is an inspiration of mine. This book's take is quite different than mine on the decisions and fates of the character but I still like the book. It's an interesting background on Dreyer's meticulous research practices and his interest in trying to get past an author's own potential biases in an biographical take on a subject and trying to find more direct evidence of behavior from the subject themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misc Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Just finished this and absolutely loved it. Easily the most interesting take on first contact I've read, although completely depressing. Brilliantly illustrates how quickly things could go wrong when entering a completely alien situation with an anthropocentric mindset. Loads of interesting detours on AI, reanimation, the nature of scientific progress etc, as well. This is only the second Lem I've read after Solaris but I'm completely hooked on his work now. Anyone else read this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwmbrancity Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 no, but you've sold me on it with the concepts The Incal - re-reading/visually absorbing. Pure distilled joy. The Tain - crimbo present of a different translation to the version i had as a kid visiting family in Armagh. Anarchic, surreal, utterly baffling at times & echoes of human mannerisms that transcend the centuries. That the whole farce starts as a "pillow-talk" matrimonial row, the outlandish feats by "your man" Cu Chulainn, the mnemonic maps of the Irish landscape & location name biographies, underpinned by a succinct & thorough interpretative intro that i wish i'd accessed earlier in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3551ER Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I'm not reading this (yet) but I will probably have to at some point. Always been intrigued by this guy's art, and it sounds like this book is, basically, something pulled out of my dreamworld. Damn. I should get this, always dug his work. You're right, it's something coming straight from what I imagined as a kid when reading synopses of sci fi films I wasn't allowed to watch in TV guides. I also saw that there's some video game to be released soon that basically steals his style. Sad. Yeah, heard the same thing (about the video game). Which is shitty shit shit - dude's stuff is so very unique/particular. . . and incredibly well done. Already decided that I'm going to ask for this for my birthday, pretty stoked. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caze Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Just finished this and absolutely loved it. Easily the most interesting take on first contact I've read, although completely depressing. Brilliantly illustrates how quickly things could go wrong when entering a completely alien situation with an anthropocentric mindset. Loads of interesting detours on AI, reanimation, the nature of scientific progress etc, as well. This is only the second Lem I've read after Solaris but I'm completely hooked on his work now. Anyone else read this? Yes, it's great alright. You should read The Futurological Congress next, has a cool thing where governments bomb each other with hallucinogenic weapons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extralife Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 I'm not reading this (yet) but I will probably have to at some point. Always been intrigued by this guy's art, and it sounds like this book is, basically, something pulled out of my dreamworld. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sRKEgyZgW8 Damn. I should get this, always dug his work.You're right, it's something coming straight from what I imagined as a kid when reading synopses of sci fi films I wasn't allowed to watch in TV guides. I also saw that there's some video game to be released soon that basically steals his style. Sad. Yeah, heard the same thing (about the video game). Which is shitty shit shit - dude's stuff is so very unique/particular. . . and incredibly well done. Already decided that I'm going to ask for this for my birthday, pretty stoked. . . Thanks for this recommendation. This is phenomenal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3551ER Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 I'm not reading this (yet) but I will probably have to at some point. Always been intrigued by this guy's art, and it sounds like this book is, basically, something pulled out of my dreamworld. Damn. I should get this, always dug his work.You're right, it's something coming straight from what I imagined as a kid when reading synopses of sci fi films I wasn't allowed to watch in TV guides. I also saw that there's some video game to be released soon that basically steals his style. Sad. Yeah, heard the same thing (about the video game). Which is shitty shit shit - dude's stuff is so very unique/particular. . . and incredibly well done. Already decided that I'm going to ask for this for my birthday, pretty stoked. . . Thanks for this recommendation. This is phenomenal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvatorin Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 james bridle - new dark age it's an interesting collection of anecdotes that illustrate how unsubstantiated our conception of technology, the internet and our place in the world is. it's about how 'big data' isn't resulting in 'big understanding' and actually swamping us with more information than we can effectively use. the internet as an out of control hyperobject of our own creation extending its tendrils into every facet of our reality. good tonic against techno-utopian jagoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwmbrancity Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 ordered David Keenan's (of England's Hidden Reverse) "For the Good Times" after a few decent reviews this week Cyprus Avenue did a supreme job skewering the psychopathology of Orange loyalism & hoping this does a similar high quality take on my own tribe's Provo inclinations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eryngi Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 nearing the end of John Varley's Gaea trilogy.. scifi. these got pretty good as they went on! some unexpected directions.. lots of centaur sex.. quite reminding me of Terry Pratchett's stuff in some ways, though these are much less explicitly humourous.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usagi Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 rereading Lord of the Flies for the first time in 10+ years. I forgot how beautifully it's written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorjamb Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 The Tain The Tain! The Penguin edition is the only one I've read. What's the other you mention, & would you recommend it? I gave up on Book of the New Sun shortly into #3. Nothin doin. Read a bunch of Yeats prose after that. Tldr: ghosts & spirits are maybe real, but faeries are ABSOLUTELY among us, hide ya kids, hide ya wife. Thought I knew what was up next, but now I wanna hunt down the Lem with the hallucinogenic bombs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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