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Author Topic: Books: What Are You Reading Now?  (Read 99329 times)

Sefiru

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #810 on: February 12, 2020, 06:12:35 pm »
"Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted."

Ha, I thought Assassin's Creed made that up  :P

I recently finished A History of Sex by Reahy Tannahill. It was published in 1980 and hoo boy, does it show. Not recommended.

Next up in non-fiction: Hat: Origins, Language, Style. This was an impulse buy to support the local independent bookshop, so we shall see.
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Sefiru

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #811 on: March 24, 2020, 07:27:11 pm »


Now reading Swiss Family Robinson. It seemed appropriate.

I read this a lot when I was young, and picking it up again I kept coming up short: 'I don't remember this huge sermon part. Wait, the dog's named Flora? That doesn't sound right ...' It turns out there are two main English translations, and the edition I have now is the other one. Fortunately the one I'm familiar with is old enough to be on Project Gutenberg.
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TheGreenWizard

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #812 on: June 24, 2020, 12:07:56 am »


Currently, I'm reading Persephone Unveiled: Seeing the Goddess and Freeing Your Soul by Charles Stein. Absolutely fascinating read - it's quite academic (which I love), but my abilities to focus and analyze the reading have really rusted unfortunately. Hopefully doing more reading/annotating in the margins will help me raise that skill back up.

I also recently ordered, and currently have a queue of  books that I'll read once I'm done with that one:
  • Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill
  • Ecstatic: For Dionysos by Jeremiah Lewis
  • Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life by Carl Kerényi (Author), Ralph Manheim (Translator)
  • Becoming Supernatural. How Common People Are Doing The Uncommon by Dr. Joe Dispenza (I still need to order this one)
And... after about 10 minutes exploring on Amazon, I found a few more titles that I may want to buy in the future, once I get through all of the above.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go

ehbowen

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #813 on: June 26, 2020, 05:34:11 am »


I just finally broke down and bought (although the first two books are apparently public domain now) the E. E. (Doc) Smith Skylark series for Kindle (and eReaders) from Amazon. It was very reasonably priced, no volume was more than $3.99. I've made it all of 57 years without reading more than a snippet or two of these stories; starting in on The Skylark of Space now.
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entwife

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #814 on: June 30, 2020, 09:42:49 am »
Because someone had to restart this thread after the move.  What are you reading, how is it, and would you recommend it?

Just finished Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia McKillip, lovely fantasy piece woven between past and present in alternating chapters. It centers around a land's lost bardic magic hidden within standing stones and ancient runes. Definitely would recommend. I am getting ready to start a collection of world folklore put together by Jane Yolen
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Aisling

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #815 on: July 02, 2020, 01:47:58 pm »
Just finished Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia McKillip, lovely fantasy piece woven between past and present in alternating chapters. It centers around a land's lost bardic magic hidden within standing stones and ancient runes. Definitely would recommend.

Will have to add this one to my to-read list.

I am currently trying to get through Mary Ann Winkowski's When Ghosts Speak:  Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits.   I'm not a fan of celebrity mediums and am only reading it because a friend's tween is also reading it and asking questions. 

Definitely not recommended.  The least of my criticisms is that, so far, it's more about the author than the ghosts. There's a precious story in there about how, at a time when she was ready to give up visiting people's homes to deal with their ghosts (and thus give up an income stream), she suddenly developed the ability to tell over the phone if there was a spirit in another person's house.  How very convenient for you, Mary Ann.  That we should all be so blessed.   ::)

"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." -
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The Hammer

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #816 on: January 02, 2021, 08:31:37 pm »
Because someone had to restart this thread after the move.  What are you reading, how is it, and would you recommend it?

I just finished reading a short book called "Western Animism: A Zen Approach to Positive Paganism" by Melusine Draco, and I found it well worth the read, and wish I had had access to it while I was living in Japan many years ago, as it would have been beneficial for understanding their seasonal cycles and celebrations.

Currently, I am reading a textbook called "Comparative Mythology" by Jaan Puhvel. This is a comparative breakdown of many European and Eastern Mythologies, to get at the Roots of Proto-Indo-European Mythos, and Themes. This book was selected as part of a Study program I am partaking in.
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Stranger Things

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #817 on: April 04, 2021, 06:45:24 pm »
Quote

Currently, I am reading a textbook called "Comparative Mythology" by Jaan Puhvel. This is a comparative breakdown of many European and Eastern Mythologies, to get at the Roots of Proto-Indo-European Mythos, and Themes. This book was selected as part of a Study program I am partaking in.

Sounds like something I'd like to read.

I'm reading Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas. It is about a teen who wakes up in the mental ward after having tried to kill himself. It's 1st person, and you don't know why he tried to do it. He is a wise ass and thinks he does not belong in the nut-house and annoys his therapist to get out soon.But he has to stay for 45 days. Each chapter is a day, I'm on chapter 18. I'm really curious by now what his problem really is.

Sefiru

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #818 on: May 20, 2021, 06:44:32 pm »


Just picked up Penric's Progress by LM Bujold, a compilation of three novellas in the same setting as her Chalion books. I'm really liking it so far, 1) because the material is lighter than the full-length novels, and 2) it's set in fantasy-Switzerland, so the locations are familiar to me. Apparently there are 9 Penric novellas, and the second compilation is out already too, so that will keep me busy for a bit.
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Aster Breo

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #819 on: May 21, 2021, 12:57:00 am »


Just picked up Penric's Progress by LM Bujold, a compilation of three novellas in the same setting as her Chalion books.

LOVE those books! I'm currently rereading Curse of Chalion.

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Stranger Things

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #820 on: May 26, 2021, 10:41:30 am »


Reading all the old Perry Mason books still, and while I love the cases as such I continue to be annoyed by all the everyday racism in there. The nicknames for non-whites, proverbs referring to the N-word...

The times were what they were but it still makes me cringe.

Sefiru

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #821 on: August 11, 2021, 05:56:23 pm »


Just finished "Sapiens: a brief history of humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari - not that great. For one thing there is some very loaded language (Agriculture is a "fraud" and a "trap", social constructs are a "prison" and "delusions", to name a few) and oversimplifications to the point of false equivalency (Humanism is "a religion that worships humanity"?).

I'm not sure how much of this is on the translator, and putting the whole history of Homo Sapiens into 400 pages is bound to result in some nuance being lost, but ...  :( And some of the book's assertions about modern culture are based on stereotypes that make me wonder if the author has been outside lately. (Apparently he thinks fandom is primarily about buying merch.) And do not get me started on his claims about religion.

In short, if nearly any passage of this book were posted on TC it would get ripped to shreds.
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Sefiru

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #822 on: October 28, 2022, 06:55:42 pm »


I finally got around to reading The Left Hand of Darkness. I don't know why it took me so long, but I can definitely see why this book is considered a scifi classic. Though I can also see some of the ways society (and language) has progressed since then -- I kind of want to see a fan-edit with parts of the book in modern gender-neutral language. It's also the kind of book where I want to read it again so I can catch the nuances at the beginning now that I know all the context.
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MadZealot

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #823 on: October 31, 2022, 11:19:39 pm »


In short, if nearly any passage of this book were posted on TC it would get ripped to shreds.

That'd be fun to watch.

Dude was just on Bill Maher the other night, hyping up his new book. I don't recall the title.
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MadZealot

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Re: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #824 on: October 31, 2022, 11:24:58 pm »
...


Currently reading The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, because I've never actually read all of it.

And reading Stephen King's "Jerusalem's Lot" again, because there's a scene I remember and I want that creepy feeling.

Also doing an off-and-on reread of Nor By Might by Some Asshole, because apparently there's a follow-up in the works.
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