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Post by nerdthenord on Aug 17, 2020 3:25:56 GMT
Howdy Folks! Just finished my 27th birthday and got enough books to last a little bit. Anyone else doing a lot of reading during these trying times?
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Post by legacyofthesword on Aug 17, 2020 6:24:49 GMT
Howdy Folks! Just finished my 27th birthday and got enough books to last a little bit. Anyone else doing a lot of reading during these trying times? Ooh, I wouldn't mind reading a little WH 40k.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Bavarianbarbarian - Semper Semprini
Posts: 9,759
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Aug 17, 2020 7:19:05 GMT
In another thread we suddenly had a short talk about E. E. Doc Smith's Lensmen series. I've read that books several times more than 40 years ago as a young teenager and was such a fan that I made my parents buy me a grey leather jacket. I tried to find those old paperback books in my library but it looks like I had thrown them away. Then I looked up Amazon and someone offered exact those old books and I ordered them. They are also over 40 years old, the paper already became yellow a bit. I'm just reading the second book First Lensmen and enjoy it. It's like a holiday back to my youth.
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Post by Cos on Aug 17, 2020 13:01:55 GMT
Nice haul! I'm a big fan of the Old World lore myself. I reread the Sharpe series, and am also chewing through Wheel of Time and Dune. The latter 2 are first time reads.
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Post by snowbite on Aug 17, 2020 13:53:14 GMT
I’m enjoying Eiji Yoshikawa’s “Musashi” and another read through Dafoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Aug 17, 2020 14:06:38 GMT
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Post by joe_meadmaker on Aug 17, 2020 16:14:58 GMT
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Post by MOK on Aug 17, 2020 16:45:24 GMT
I'm reading, let's see... uh... the memos and work diaries of Leonardo da Vinci, collated and translated to Finnish by Laura Lahdensuu (I would definitely recommend it, if you're interested and can read Finnish); Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures, the Del Rey anthology of just what it says on the tin from Robert E. Howard (it's something like my third complete re-read through this, and I still absolutely frigging love it, "The Road of Azrael" and "The Shadow of the Vulture" in particular); Blue Rose, the AGE Roleplaying Game of Romantic Fantasy (I was a kickstarter and have not a single shred of regret about splurging for the really luxurious hardcover book); and The Word for the World is Forest by Ursula K. le Guin (just started it, no real opinion yet but I like most of her other work a lot so good expectations). Plus a handful of other stuff I keep dipping into sporadically rather than actively sitting down and focusing on, mostly reference books and comics anthologies... Honestly, my bedroom is a mess of swords and books and I like it like that.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Aug 17, 2020 17:36:35 GMT
I haven't read much fantasy past the LOTR/GoT books, but have been reading "The Gulag Archipelago" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. I thought I would have already known a decent amount of what the book would be about (having already read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by the same author) but was surprised, and not pleasantly either by the horrors perpetrated by the Lenin/Stalin/post Stalin soviet regime. For example; ""Or else you are interrogating a "foreigner's girlfriend." So you curse her out... ...And all of the sudden you get an idea: maybe she learned something from those foreigners... ...She gives you the full details. If you want, she'll draw a picture for you. If you want, she'll demonstrate with her body. There's no way out. In your hands you hold the punishment cell and her prison term." This paragraph talking about NKVD officials using their position of power to rape female prisoners. I cut out a lot of detail for brevity. Slow read, because I have to stop so often and take a breather.
I have also been reading Dr. Jordan B. Peterson's book "12 rules for life". It's a good book and has made me think a decent amount about my life and the path which I want it to take. I was a little hesitant to get into his work since I had been told he was an "alt right cult leader" and "nazi sympathizer", but after deciding to do my own research, and hearing him personally condemn the Nazis, the Alt - Right, and listening to a lot of his lectures, I found him to be well spoken, and the accusations must have been leveled by someone who is purposefully dishonest or willfully ignorant. Hoping that doesn't get me in trouble for politics, but I think it's necessary when you quote someone who has been so ridiculously slandered so people don't get the wrong idea.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Aug 17, 2020 17:37:41 GMT
Also of note is McBane's auto - biography, which is a great look into historical combat through the eyes of an early martial artist.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2020 18:02:28 GMT
I haven't read much fantasy past the LOTR/GoT books, but have been reading "The Gulag Archipelago" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. I thought I would have already known a decent amount of what the book would be about (having already read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by the same author) but was surprised, and not pleasantly either by the horrors perpetrated by the Lenin/Stalin/post Stalin soviet regime. For example; ""Or else you are interrogating a "foreigner's girlfriend." So you curse her out... ...And all of the sudden you get an idea: maybe she learned something from those foreigners... ...She gives you the full details. If you want, she'll draw a picture for you. If you want, she'll demonstrate with her body. There's no way out. In your hands you hold the punishment cell and her prison term." This paragraph talking about NKVD officials using their position of power to rape female prisoners. I cut out a lot of detail for brevity. Slow read, because I have to stop so often and take a breather. I have also been reading Dr. Jordan B. Peterson's book "12 rules for life". It's a good book and has made me think a decent amount about my life and the path which I want it to take. I was a little hesitant to get into his work since I had been told he was an "alt right cult leader" and "nazi sympathizer", but after deciding to do my own research, and hearing him personally condemn the Nazis, the Alt - Right, and listening to a lot of his lectures, I found him to be well spoken, and the accusations must have been leveled by someone who is purposefully dishonest or willfully ignorant. Hoping that doesn't get me in trouble for politics, but I think it's necessary when you quote someone who has been so ridiculously slandered so people don't get the wrong idea. I jokingly refer to Peterson as Daddy Peterson, because he is an attractive older gentleman who has basically taken self-help stuff like being personally accountable and fashioned it into the sort of lecture a father-figure would give you. He deploys bible readings, psychology, Jungian psychology, and philosophy into his work, which is all fine and well. My problem with him is that a) I don't think he knows what the heck he is talking about regarding college academics being part of some post-modern neo-Marxist kabal to radicalize impressionable youths, and b) I'm not entirely sure what he really believes. He takes great care to avoid actually having to answer what his beliefs are, partly because he is a cunning debater who never lets you get a word in, and also because no one has risen to the challenge to properly debate him. When it comes to his gripe with "post-modern neo-Marxism," he includes Marxists, postmodernists, liberals (in the classic sense), academics, college administrators, feminists, social justice warriors, and corporate human resource managers as ALL being part of this rascally gang of politically correct radicals, hell bent on making your life a living hell with their PC nonsense. The trouble is, not all of these things are congruent with one another. Also, as a historian, I find the emphasis he places on "western values," a little troubling, as if postmodernism didn't originate as a philosophical belief in the west, because it did. Anyway, if all he accomplishes is to convince incels to get their crap together, then I'm fine with it. I also don't think he's a Nazi sympathizer or an alt-right leader, but the alt-right certainly does enjoy him. I won't go so far as to play the guilt by associate game, because we're all guilty if we play.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2020 18:12:54 GMT
Oh, I forgot to mention what I am reading. I'm actually reading erotic fiction. Men don't really read erotic fiction, I am told, which is rather amusing, because we certainly aren't immune to eroticism. The author I am reading is named Chuck Tingle, who describes his work as "tinglers." Tingle, himself, is a really strange dude. His identity is a secret. His work is really interesting because the erotic elements of the narrative is very well written stuff, better than most dime novels, but his work has satirical and fantastical elements. His characters are humanoids, usually dinosaur men, unicorn men, or occasionally, sentient objects. He has one erotic encounter with a sentient Tide pod. Seriously. It's hilariously funny stuff. He also has a podcast.
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Post by nerdthenord on Aug 17, 2020 18:59:56 GMT
I haven't read much fantasy past the LOTR/GoT books, but have been reading "The Gulag Archipelago" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. I thought I would have already known a decent amount of what the book would be about (having already read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by the same author) but was surprised, and not pleasantly either by the horrors perpetrated by the Lenin/Stalin/post Stalin soviet regime. For example; ""Or else you are interrogating a "foreigner's girlfriend." So you curse her out... ...And all of the sudden you get an idea: maybe she learned something from those foreigners... ...She gives you the full details. If you want, she'll draw a picture for you. If you want, she'll demonstrate with her body. There's no way out. In your hands you hold the punishment cell and her prison term." This paragraph talking about NKVD officials using their position of power to rape female prisoners. I cut out a lot of detail for brevity. Slow read, because I have to stop so often and take a breather. I have also been reading Dr. Jordan B. Peterson's book "12 rules for life". It's a good book and has made me think a decent amount about my life and the path which I want it to take. I was a little hesitant to get into his work since I had been told he was an "alt right cult leader" and "nazi sympathizer", but after deciding to do my own research, and hearing him personally condemn the Nazis, the Alt - Right, and listening to a lot of his lectures, I found him to be well spoken, and the accusations must have been leveled by someone who is purposefully dishonest or willfully ignorant. Hoping that doesn't get me in trouble for politics, but I think it's necessary when you quote someone who has been so ridiculously slandered so people don't get the wrong idea. Interesting read. I’m glad you are actually reading it yourself instead of listening to what others say about it. I haven’t read him and don’t have time to read philosophy now, but without getting into politics there are absolutely crazy Professors out there but they don’t seem to be organized. I haven't the slightest idea why many of them are hired in the first place but most I’ve encountered or heard of are usually disliked by all the serious staff and students, and they aren’t particularly influential in the administrations I’ve seen. One wasn’t actually permanently fired for getting into a rabid screaming match with a student who disproved her ramblings. Everyone in the Venture Brothers building (as we call the Science building at my college) has a strong rivalry with the English department for these reasons. Not really with the sociology department because they actually back up their arguments with facts, even if they are more working hypotheses than theories. Oh, and yeah. The NKVD were absolute monsters. It’s not hyperbole to suggest they were actually the biggest threat to the Soviet Union during WW2 with their completely counterproductive brutality and sadism. You’d probably like my twin brother. He’s a historian, specialty Latin American culture history(think history of folklore and where myth meets historical fact, and historical origins of folklore and myth). He actually wrote a paper that could have been published using statistics and records presenting a sound argument that the first democratic elections in some Central American nation after the peace deal between the various factions was in fact legitimate and that while there were efforts to influence the results by various illegal means they had a negligible effect on the outcome. I’m getting off topic but it’s always good to read things. You learn so much, and even reading “dangerous ideas” or things you disagree with can be a learning experience.
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Ouroboros
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Imperial, Mysterious In Amorous Array
Posts: 568
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Post by Ouroboros on Aug 17, 2020 19:16:24 GMT
Galactic Center series by Benford. Starts out with a slow-burn "In The Ocean of Night" then kicks up the ergs by the time you reach "Great Sky River" amd beyond.... Also recommended: anything by Stephen Baxter...Manifold Time, manifold space, manifold origin etc. His short stories are good too but id avoid the "young adult" stuff....not enough hard science to it. I keep a rotation of Benford and Baxter right now having finished Robinsons Mars series a little while ago and just wanting something...lighter....
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Post by RaylonTheDemented on Aug 17, 2020 20:56:13 GMT
Did a complete re-read of Glen Cook's Black Company after I got his last volume in the series, Port of Shadows, which takes place between book 1 and 2. Down to the last book now. After I'm done, getting on some series books that have piled up these last few months from authors Orson Scott Card, RA Salvatore, Jack Campbell and John Scalzi.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Aug 19, 2020 5:30:57 GMT
Currently reading through the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia by Sergei Vasiliev and Danzig Baldaev. Very intriguing, with some fascinating tattoo designs. Most tend to be quite obscene, many are explicitly pornographic, though there are a selection that are simply interesting art. I was also surprised at the prevalence of pro Nazi body art. A very interesting look into Russian prison and criminal culture.
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seth
Member
Just Peachy
Posts: 960
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Post by seth on Aug 19, 2020 19:50:52 GMT
Oh, I forgot to mention what I am reading. I'm actually reading erotic fiction. Men don't really read erotic fiction, I am told, which is rather amusing, because we certainly aren't immune to eroticism. The author I am reading is named Chuck Tingle, who describes his work as "tinglers." Tingle, himself, is a really strange dude. His identity is a secret. His work is really interesting because the erotic elements of the narrative is very well written stuff, better than most dime novels, but his work has satirical and fantastical elements. His characters are humanoids, usually dinosaur men, unicorn men, or occasionally, sentient objects. He has one erotic encounter with a sentient Tide pod. Seriously. It's hilariously funny stuff. He also has a podcast. Mr. Tingle claims to live in Billings, MT where I live. I haven't read any of his work, but I feel like the titles of his books give a pretty good overview. I sometimes wonder if the mild-mannered man browsing the local bookstore is in fact, Chuck Tingle.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2020 19:56:19 GMT
Oh, I forgot to mention what I am reading. I'm actually reading erotic fiction. Men don't really read erotic fiction, I am told, which is rather amusing, because we certainly aren't immune to eroticism. The author I am reading is named Chuck Tingle, who describes his work as "tinglers." Tingle, himself, is a really strange dude. His identity is a secret. His work is really interesting because the erotic elements of the narrative is very well written stuff, better than most dime novels, but his work has satirical and fantastical elements. His characters are humanoids, usually dinosaur men, unicorn men, or occasionally, sentient objects. He has one erotic encounter with a sentient Tide pod. Seriously. It's hilariously funny stuff. He also has a podcast. Mr. Tingle claims to live in Billings, MT where I live. I haven't read any of his work, but I feel like the titles of his books give a pretty good overview. I sometimes wonder if the mild-mannered man browsing the local bookstore is in fact, Chuck Tingle. Whoever he is, he's a funny guy. His work is really irreverent and just plain silly. I mean, he has one character who is a sentient banana, whose boyfriend died when he slipped on the banana's peel, which he was removing to undress. He slipped and fell into the ocean and drowned, and came back as a ghost whose unfinished business was to finish what they started that evening. That's just plain silly. I love it.
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seth
Member
Just Peachy
Posts: 960
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Post by seth on Aug 19, 2020 20:13:56 GMT
Mr. Tingle claims to live in Billings, MT where I live. I haven't read any of his work, but I feel like the titles of his books give a pretty good overview. I sometimes wonder if the mild-mannered man browsing the local bookstore is in fact, Chuck Tingle. Whoever he is, he's a funny guy. His work is really irreverent and just plain silly. I mean, he has one character who is a sentient banana, whose boyfriend died when he slipped on the banana's peel, which he was removing to undress. He slipped and fell into the ocean and drowned, and came back as a ghost whose unfinished business was to finish what they started that evening. That's just plain silly. I love it. He has a YouTube channel too.
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Post by MOK on Aug 21, 2020 23:40:43 GMT
Oh, I forgot to mention what I am reading. I'm actually reading erotic fiction. Men don't really read erotic fiction, I am told, which is rather amusing, because we certainly aren't immune to eroticism. The author I am reading is named Chuck Tingle, who describes his work as "tinglers." Tingle, himself, is a really strange dude. His identity is a secret. His work is really interesting because the erotic elements of the narrative is very well written stuff, better than most dime novels, but his work has satirical and fantastical elements. His characters are humanoids, usually dinosaur men, unicorn men, or occasionally, sentient objects. He has one erotic encounter with a sentient Tide pod. Seriously. It's hilariously funny stuff. He also has a podcast. The love is real! Dr. Chuck Tingle, two time Hugo nominee (there's a story there but it's very very political so let's not get into it), is seriously one of my personal heroes.
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