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What are you reading? (April 2010)

ItAintEasyBeinCheesy

it's 4th of July in my asshole
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Join www.goodreads.com and join the NeoGAF Group.

Anyways im reading this still
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Alucard

Banned
I've been lazy for almost two months now. Ugh. But I've decided to get back into the habit. Right now, I'm still on this little gem:

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A very decent piece of utopian fiction, that basically places middle and upper class white men in a place that is 3000 years in the future, and that is largely guided by socialist ideals. Thankfully, the book seems to look at both sides and does not just say "wow, look at these incredibly advanced people!"
 

Guevara

Member
Going to New Orleans (for the first time). Doing some homework for my trip:

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Just finished:

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Any recommendations?
 

chuckddd

Fear of a GAF Planet
Just finished

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Excellent book, but it's extremely long and takes a bit to get going. And by a bit, I mean 250 pages.

Just starting

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WedgeX

Banned
Got a bunch of Sociology books, and a GRE test booklet, from the librarian of my old high school. First up is Culture & Power: The Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu by David Swartz. Definitely written as a textbook which makes it a pain. But I'm gonna finish, dang it.

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And now I need some GAF advice. I cannot decide what book to head to next. Usually my book list is fixed in a fairly strict order...but now its chaos. Potential next reads are Pedagogy of the Opressed by Paulo Freire (a sociology book), Anna Karina by Tolstoy, Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver by Scott Stossel (about the founder of the Peace Corps and VISTA), Black Boy by Richard Wright or finishing up Ulysses by James Joyce.
 

Mifune

Mehmber
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The silliest of premises (guy buys a ghost on eBay) results in a VERY creepy novel. Only a third of the way through but so far I'm kind of floored.
 

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
About to finish The Long Emergency and will move right into...

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Dipper145

Member
Just finished
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Was a little dissapointed because I had also just read 1984 before it. I still enjoyed it though, even though I thought I had read it ended differently...

Currently working my way through
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I read Candide at night after I've read a couple stories from
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so that I have something comedic to remember rather than terrifying. Still get lots of nightmares though...

I highly recommend dover thrift edition books if you are looking to read older classic books. They are super cheap and I believe most of them, if not all, are unabridged.
 

thomaser

Member
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The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek.

Written ca. 1920. Very funny and sarcastic story about Svejk, a Czech everyman, who has to enter the Austro-Hungarian armed forces in the first world war. He's 100% honest, content and happy in every situation, and always tries to do what he thinks is the right thing. This causes all sorts of problems in the paranoid, rule-driven society he lives in, and even more trouble when he's in the army. A beautiful way of ridiculing the absurdities of war and bureaucracy. And religion. And people with power.

The author, Jaroslav Hasek, is incredibly interesting. Many of the hilarious events in the book are taken directly from his own life, like the time he became editor for a magazine about animals and got fired because most of the articles he wrote were of animals he'd invented himself. Or the time he acted insane and got locked up, just so that he could spend some time in an asylum to see what it was like.
 

Tucah

you speak so well
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I finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, loved it, so I immediately went out and bought this. Addicting stuff, can't put it down.
 
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Really digging the series. Thinking of picking up the Darksword trilogy after this; if I can find it. Anyone have any thoughts on it?
 

Karakand

Member
thomaser said:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ED0qZvCrL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek.

Written ca. 1920. Very funny and sarcastic story about Svejk, a Czech everyman, who has to enter the Austro-Hungarian armed forces in the first world war. He's 100% honest, content and happy in every situation, and always tries to do what he thinks is the right thing. This causes all sorts of problems in the paranoid, rule-driven society he lives in, and even more trouble when he's in the army. A beautiful way of ridiculing the absurdities of war and bureaucracy. And religion. And people with power.

The author, Jaroslav Hasek, is incredibly interesting. Many of the hilarious events in the book are taken directly from his own life, like the time he became editor for a magazine about animals and got fired because most of the articles he wrote were of animals he'd invented himself. Or the time he acted insane and got locked up, just so that he could spend some time in an asylum to see what it was like.
Worth reading (in parts) but it's absolutely shackled by Hasek's unprofessionalism.
 

way more

Member
Dipper145 said:
Currently working my way through
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I read Candide at night after I've read a couple stories from

A great book. A painless classic everyone should read given how short and funny it is.

I finished up a David Sedaris book.

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For some reason I had it in my head that this was an early work of his even though it's his latest. Therefore, when I wasn't enjoying it too much and found myself puzzled or even bored I chalked it up to his younger style. But that all changed about half way though when he starts talking about his partner Hugh.

There is not couple on Earth I am more invested in that David and Hugh. I love to hear about the fights and reconciliations of those two like no other couple in literature, fiction or not. Fuck Bradgelina, give me weekly updates on David and Hugh.

The first half is very weak on those two and the stories from his childhood don't feature much of Amy or his other brother Paul. I'm perhaps nearing the point where his style and voice are becoming too common for me. But the last third of the book remind me of what a joy he is to read. It's 40 pages of journey to Japan where he gives up cigarettes and attempts to learn the language. It's the most epic thing I've ever read.



I'm now rapidly making my way though Little Children.

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It's bizarre how similar it is to the movie. Certain scenes play out exactly as they did on film and it must've been for an easy adaption. Perrota writes with a very movie friendly tone which makes it easy to read and digest and allows you to focus instead on the internal torment of each character. It's kinda like a full length John Cheever novel.
 

Diebuster

Member
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First novel I've read outside of school in a long time. First Murakami novel too. Halfway through it so far and I'm really enjoying it. Will pick up The Wind-up Bird Chronicle next.
 

Salazar

Member
John Gross' 'The Rise and Fall of the Man of Letters'.
Bryan MacKillop's 'F.R. Leavis: A Life in Criticism'.

Yup. It's work time.
 

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
What's the best Murakami book to start with? I've been meaning to read one for a while.
 

hoqhuuep

Member
Diebuster said:
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First novel I've read outside of school in a long time. First Murakami novel too. Halfway through it so far and I'm really enjoying it. Will pick up The Wind-up Bird Chronicle next.

My favorite book. I've bought six copies over time because I keep giving it out to friends who need to read this book.
 
Finished:

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Overall it was good. Too much flashback and not enough present-day Iggy. Seems like a missed opportunity.

Just picked up these for April:

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Should probably have my gay card taken away for not having read this yet.
 

Jedeye Sniv

Banned
I'm still working through Haunted by Chuck Paluhniuk, but I'm not sure if I like it. The problem with a collection of short stories is that you always wonder if the next one will be any better than the last. So far though, apart from Guts they've all been boring, obvious ruminations on modern culture, the kind of think a 17 year-old thinks of and then tells you, going "Don't you see???" every 2 fucking minutes. Yes Chuck, I get it, now kindly move on...
 

KingGondo

Banned
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Liking it a lot so far. Used to be a huge SK reader, but haven't read anything by him in years. Great stuff, forgot how conversational and casual he is, and how he lets the horror slowly creep in.
 

falconzss

Member
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Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Only read the first quapter so far but it's pretty interesting and i am curious where this is going.
Still on my way to get through my classics.
 

7Th

Member
I decided to use these threads as some kind of way to force myself to complete my reading assignments on time, here is hoping it works.

I'm halfway done with Stendhal's The Red and the Black, which I'm supposed to be done with before Monday and I'm also enjoying a lot more than I expected. Still crawling my way through El Clarin's La Regenta, though; that book is certainly something else!
 
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