Hugh Mughnus Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Now reading: the now reading thread on watmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenGOD Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 been on my 'to read' list more or less since I was recommended it by my high school American history teacher. It's an insightful 'alternative' narrative of US history. Zinn is, I think, frequently correct in his assertions, but polemic gets the best of him at times. One has to wonder, for instance, whether Native American society was the egalitarian utopia he imagines it to have been prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Moreover, he doesn't really offer any evidence in support of this, which is frustrating from an historian's perspective. Zinn does admit at times when his downtrodden working class heroes were in the wrong, but so far (I'm about halfway in) I think this book is just a little too overly contentious to be a definitive narrative of US history. Not that it necessarily claims to be that; but a lot of its fans do. Very enjoyable and informative nevertheless. Good analysis of the book. Interesting, but flawed. Not to be taken a serious history, but revisionist historians play a vital role in challenging our assumptions about the past. I can't freaking finish books anymore. It's aggravating. The last time I read a significant portion of any book was Notes from Underground, and somehow I didn't even finish that. I was getting into The Trial for awhile, but it was on someone else's Kindle. Also finished most of Slaughterhouse Five. Well, I'll be joining the DFW club—after I wrap up Kafka on the Shore, The Infinite Jest is the next on my reading list I think. Tried reading Kafka on the Shore once and didn't get very far; I think I'll try again sometime. I can't finish anything these days. I've read quite a few of his short stories, though, and they're really good. How can you not finish Slaughterhouse Five? It's like 200 pages, of very easily digestible prose. Tried reading Kafka on the Shore once and didn't get very far; I think I'll try again sometime. I can't finish anything these days. I've read quite a few of his short stories, though, and they're really good. i do like murakami's short stories but never seem to get into his novels. started wind up bird chronicles and couldn't keep going. i've heard that his new novel 1Q84 is really good but reading that 900+ page behemoth is not an option at the moment. Try wild sheep chase and norwegian wood as great introductions to Murakami Haruki. Then for something completely different by a Japanese author give coin-locker babies by Murakami Ryu a spin :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmanyo Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 norwegian wood lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zkom Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zaphod Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Some interesting linguistic games going on here. His most overtly Ursula Le Guin influenced book. City and the City and The Scar are still my favorites though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmanyo Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I really wish I could read books still, but I'm too damn lazy. Any good books to suggest that are short but good? Like, novella length. Maybe I should try The Stranger again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KY Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I really wish I could read books still, but I'm too damn lazy. Any good books to suggest that are short but good? Like, novella length. Maybe I should try The Stranger again. if that's how you feel about reading, don't read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmanyo Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I really wish I could read books still, but I'm too damn lazy. Any good books to suggest that are short but good? Like, novella length. Maybe I should try The Stranger again. if that's how you feel about reading, don't read I feel that reading is great, but I'm not persistent with anything I do. I was doing a music video for Lloop at one point (fan one, not official, although I did get his approval) and it was going great but production has essentially stopped. I'd love to finish a book or two every now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Mughnus Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 le-sigh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dese manz hatin Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I read this for the third time. It is maybe just the greatest book that I know of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ron Manager Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Good analysis of the book. Interesting, but flawed. Not to be taken a serious history, but revisionist historians play a vital role in challenging our assumptions about the past. I think it is serious history, but like everything that's ever been written, it's a product of personal circumstance, it's subject to personal context. And when you're an actor in the events you write about (author was born to working class European immigrants and was WWII combatant), there's no way you can ever produce something impartial, detached or objective, doubly so when you're looking for 'grand narratives' such as the one contained herein. But that said, it's good history. It's an influential book and I think most people could do a lot worse than reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenGOD Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 norwegian wood lol What's wrong with norwegian wood? It's an awesome book. I really wish I could find the first two books of "the trilogy of the rat". le-sigh... If you don't like what you're studying, why are you studying it? That doesn't make sense. Good analysis of the book. Interesting, but flawed. Not to be taken a serious history, but revisionist historians play a vital role in challenging our assumptions about the past. I think it is serious history, but like everything that's ever been written, it's a product of personal circumstance, it's subject to personal context. And when you're an actor in the events you write about (author was born to working class European immigrants and was WWII combatant), there's no way you can ever produce something impartial, detached or objective, doubly so when you're looking for 'grand narratives' such as the one contained herein. But that said, it's good history. It's an influential book and I think most people could do a lot worse than reading it. I think there are too many mis-characterisations, and too much of his personal politics in it to be taken as a serious history. I do think people should read it, if only to make them think differently about narratives and hegemony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Mughnus Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 norwegian wood lol What's wrong with norwegian wood? It's an awesome book. I really wish I could find the first two books of "the trilogy of the rat". le-sigh... If you don't like what you're studying, why are you studying it? That doesn't make sense. Good analysis of the book. Interesting, but flawed. Not to be taken a serious history, but revisionist historians play a vital role in challenging our assumptions about the past. I think it is serious history, but like everything that's ever been written, it's a product of personal circumstance, it's subject to personal context. And when you're an actor in the events you write about (author was born to working class European immigrants and was WWII combatant), there's no way you can ever produce something impartial, detached or objective, doubly so when you're looking for 'grand narratives' such as the one contained herein. But that said, it's good history. It's an influential book and I think most people could do a lot worse than reading it. I think there are too many mis-characterisations, and too much of his personal politics in it to be taken as a serious history. I do think people should read it, if only to make them think differently about narratives and hegemony. Just because something is taxing/difficult/stressful doesn't mean I don't like it. Not to mention I like money. Even if I didn't like what I was studying at least the end result is money. People face tradeoffs, many trade-off enjoyment for financial success. That makes sense to me Mr Chengodboss =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmanyo Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 norwegian wood lol What's wrong with norwegian wood? It's an awesome book. I really wish I could find the first two books of "the trilogy of the rat". I was just making an immature sex joke. It actually sounds like a really good book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 If you don't like what you're studying, why are you studying it? That doesn't make sense. lol, ikr? you never take boring classes in college Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny O Flannagin Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Just got done reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It was good but it wasn't great. It's basically fallout 3 if you made it into a father/son drama. It's pleasantly screwed up and was even made into a movie with Viggo Mortensen. The movie's a great companion for the book as it stays very true to the story. The book itself is very minimalist and its reasonable for someone to say that nothing really happens. Although, running just under 300 pages I would recommend it because it is very atmospheric and surprisingly touching at times. If you've already scene the movie, there's not much more that is in the actual book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenGOD Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Just because something is taxing/difficult/stressful doesn't mean I don't like it. Not to mention I like money. Even if I didn't like what I was studying at least the end result is money. People face tradeoffs, many trade-off enjoyment for financial success. Totally not the impression i got from your post, but text is such a limited medium. If you don't like what you're studying, why are you studying it? That doesn't make sense. lol, ikr? you never take boring classes in college I guess I must be lucky - I have had the odd boring prof - but the subject matter in all of my classes has been very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenGOD Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Anyways as this is the now reading thread - beyond textbooks I've read or am currently reading: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plstik Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I read this for the third time. It is maybe just the greatest book that I know of. I want to read it now too just because of the cover. Sure looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GORDO Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I just didn't like most of them. Meta or not, I didn't care about the stories. A couple were awesome though... Hm, I suppose I can see what you mean. In the ones I've read so far, there aren't any really relatable or fleshed-out characters. A lot of them just seem like fictional firsthand accounts of unexplainable sort of pauses in (largely literary-based) logic, so there isn't a lot to get attached to in the first place. But to me, a lot of them almost read as enigmatic, self-contained parables, which I find pretty awesome. most of Borges is super boring and pretentious, you can tell he's just trying to show over and over again how much of an intellectual he is. He wasn't much of a writer anyway, more of a pure erudite. A few great short stories but that's it. Now, Cortazar on the other hand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KY Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I just didn't like most of them. Meta or not, I didn't care about the stories. A couple were awesome though... Hm, I suppose I can see what you mean. In the ones I've read so far, there aren't any really relatable or fleshed-out characters. A lot of them just seem like fictional firsthand accounts of unexplainable sort of pauses in (largely literary-based) logic, so there isn't a lot to get attached to in the first place. But to me, a lot of them almost read as enigmatic, self-contained parables, which I find pretty awesome. most of Borges is super boring and pretentious, you can tell he's just trying to show over and over again how much of an intellectual he is. He wasn't much of a writer anyway, more of a pure erudite. A few great short stories but that's it. Now, Cortazar on the other hand... I have to disagree with you, considering my post—which you replied to—was explaining how much I enjoy him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmanyo Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 So I read like, two pages of Gravity's Rainbow one time and it was an amazing two pages. How hard is it to get through that whole book? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beatfanatic Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 still working my way through George R R Martin's A Clash of Kings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Mughnus Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Finishing up "Freakonomics". Has anyone read the 2nd one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dese manz hatin Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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