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What are you reading Chapter 4
- Thread starter slobake
- Start date
A reread. I love Poul Anderson. This is classic sci fi without the cornball, despite the cover. Wish there was a sequel.
Any Poul Anderson recommendations? He pops up on various SF lists for me, but I've never read any of his stuff.
Obviously, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is next. I've read both several times beginning when I was a teen, but I always enjoy revisiting them. The set I have has the original woodcut illustrations, which is nice.
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Not only does he have a lot of good stories to tell, he tells them well, in a conversational style that's not overlong, and moves nicely. A very good read even non-Trek fans would enjoy.
Not only does he have a lot of good stories to tell, he tells them well, in a conversational style that's not overlong, and moves nicely. A very good read even non-Trek fans would enjoy.
I've hit the books pretty hard the last couple of days...
This one, I've had since it came out in 1989, but hadn't gotten around to reading. I decided it was high time to do so. Very interesting, but also a bit difficult to take in, particularly considering the course of Serling's life, from a combat paratrooper in WWII, through some career difficulties and stalls in TV, and ultimately, dying far too soon at the age of 50. Not exactly "uplifting," but certainly illuminating:
Following that (speaking of journeys into strange realms), I went through a few Japanese horror manga by Junji Ito...
A girl who drives people to such depths of insanity, they are compelled to murder her - but she just won't stay dead:
A town haunted by spiral forms, and a series of bizarre phenomena that literally and figuratively swirl around them:
A short series with a basis in popular Japanese urban legends, as encountered by the title character:
A "hellstar" rogue planet emerges into our universe, and starts devouring everything in its path. Caught in the frenzy of a panicked Earth, the daughter of the astronomer who discovered it, and named the planet after her:
A word about Junji Ito's work: Western readers looking for everything to be tied up in a neat, tidy ending, in which everything is explained and spelled out, may find themselves confused or frustrated. The detail and imagination of the artwork are the larger reward I find in reading these. Sometimes, a bit of bafflement is just part of the package. If you decide to give them a go, try not to worry about it, and just enjoy the ride.
Back in our world this evening, the memoir of American news woman Connie Chung. Compared to the Patrick Stewart memoir noted above, the contrast in styles is interesting; Stewart's love of prose, born of his time studying and performing Shakespeare (etc.) showed through his expressive writing. Connie Chung, as a reporter, brings plenty of information to the reader's attention, but with a directness and efficiency suited to her own professional background. An interesting and thought-provoking read, in any case, and well recommended:
And that's the Winslow book report for this evening.
This one, I've had since it came out in 1989, but hadn't gotten around to reading. I decided it was high time to do so. Very interesting, but also a bit difficult to take in, particularly considering the course of Serling's life, from a combat paratrooper in WWII, through some career difficulties and stalls in TV, and ultimately, dying far too soon at the age of 50. Not exactly "uplifting," but certainly illuminating:
Following that (speaking of journeys into strange realms), I went through a few Japanese horror manga by Junji Ito...
A girl who drives people to such depths of insanity, they are compelled to murder her - but she just won't stay dead:
A town haunted by spiral forms, and a series of bizarre phenomena that literally and figuratively swirl around them:
A short series with a basis in popular Japanese urban legends, as encountered by the title character:
A "hellstar" rogue planet emerges into our universe, and starts devouring everything in its path. Caught in the frenzy of a panicked Earth, the daughter of the astronomer who discovered it, and named the planet after her:
A word about Junji Ito's work: Western readers looking for everything to be tied up in a neat, tidy ending, in which everything is explained and spelled out, may find themselves confused or frustrated. The detail and imagination of the artwork are the larger reward I find in reading these. Sometimes, a bit of bafflement is just part of the package. If you decide to give them a go, try not to worry about it, and just enjoy the ride.
Back in our world this evening, the memoir of American news woman Connie Chung. Compared to the Patrick Stewart memoir noted above, the contrast in styles is interesting; Stewart's love of prose, born of his time studying and performing Shakespeare (etc.) showed through his expressive writing. Connie Chung, as a reporter, brings plenty of information to the reader's attention, but with a directness and efficiency suited to her own professional background. An interesting and thought-provoking read, in any case, and well recommended:
And that's the Winslow book report for this evening.
I read another translation of Gilgamesh, the Mason translation. While I enjoyed it, and it flowed well, I feel it missed much of the epic feel. No specific parts were missing, but much of the repetition of phrases for emphasis was absent, and it felt weak as a result. I could see this being an "introductory" version of the text, as it's all there, but seemingly hollow compared to some other translations I've read. I'm not sure how it is so well-regarded, but then again, I'm in the position of being an English major who reads Medieval literature for fun, so my take is probably far from the norm...
Besides that, I read The Adventures Of Huck Finn. I first read it in High School, and remember not being a big fan. With my son's recent interest in Mark Twain, and our bedtime reading of Tom Sawyer, I decided I needed to read some of Twain's other classics. Huck Finn still didn't do anything for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the message, I think there's a lot to unpack regarding race, social structure, etc., but I find the entire narrative device of floating down the river to be entirely too lazy. Every time there's a problem, they manage to find a way back to the raft and escape. And the end, that is apparently derided by many, is probably my favorite part for how I viewed its assessment on the social structure of the time. Anyway, I'm still not a big fan overall, but I can see the value.
I had similar thoughts about The Prince And The Pauper, but I found that a little better overall. It was a bit predictable at times, given its clearly moral message, and the obvious plot point that the two characters had to reunite with their individual families, but no less meaningful for it. The narrative made sense, and didn't seem like a bunch of disjointed episodes stitched together like Huck Finn did.
As I read more of Mark Twain, I'm coming to think I may enjoy his wit and various quotations more than his actual stories. We'll see - I have a few more of his works to read, and will certainly finish Tom Sawyer with my son.
I think next I'll read some Chinese mythology, as I need to brush up on that soon.
Besides that, I read The Adventures Of Huck Finn. I first read it in High School, and remember not being a big fan. With my son's recent interest in Mark Twain, and our bedtime reading of Tom Sawyer, I decided I needed to read some of Twain's other classics. Huck Finn still didn't do anything for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the message, I think there's a lot to unpack regarding race, social structure, etc., but I find the entire narrative device of floating down the river to be entirely too lazy. Every time there's a problem, they manage to find a way back to the raft and escape. And the end, that is apparently derided by many, is probably my favorite part for how I viewed its assessment on the social structure of the time. Anyway, I'm still not a big fan overall, but I can see the value.
I had similar thoughts about The Prince And The Pauper, but I found that a little better overall. It was a bit predictable at times, given its clearly moral message, and the obvious plot point that the two characters had to reunite with their individual families, but no less meaningful for it. The narrative made sense, and didn't seem like a bunch of disjointed episodes stitched together like Huck Finn did.
As I read more of Mark Twain, I'm coming to think I may enjoy his wit and various quotations more than his actual stories. We'll see - I have a few more of his works to read, and will certainly finish Tom Sawyer with my son.
I think next I'll read some Chinese mythology, as I need to brush up on that soon.
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
It's been on my shelf for over a decade. A local book club I want to check out has picked it for their next meeting which is as good an excuse as any to finally read it. My only other experience with Wilde is The Importance of Being Earnest, and my only other experience with Dorian Gray is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie
widely considered to be one of the worst movies ever made (that I still harbor some nostalgia for, but am terrified to revisit).
It's been on my shelf for over a decade. A local book club I want to check out has picked it for their next meeting which is as good an excuse as any to finally read it. My only other experience with Wilde is The Importance of Being Earnest, and my only other experience with Dorian Gray is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie
widely considered to be one of the worst movies ever made (that I still harbor some nostalgia for, but am terrified to revisit).
"The Economic Consequences of the Peace" by John Maynard Keynes.
Not my usual cup of tea, but this guy, a famous old economist, well his writing is more like that of a historian. Some of the details he covers about Europe 100 years ago is eye-widening stuff nobody teaches at school, and while the language is dated the topics are relevant today.
Btw only the 1st half or so is worth reading.
Not my usual cup of tea, but this guy, a famous old economist, well his writing is more like that of a historian. Some of the details he covers about Europe 100 years ago is eye-widening stuff nobody teaches at school, and while the language is dated the topics are relevant today.
Btw only the 1st half or so is worth reading.
A very good book, but my one problem was Wilde spending pages and pages describing Dorian's house. I slogged through it thinking the whole time, "Get on with the story!". I get that was the writing style at the time, but unnecessary to me.The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
It's been on my shelf for over a decade. A local book club I want to check out has picked it for their next meeting which is as good an excuse as any to finally read it. My only other experience with Wilde is The Importance of Being Earnest, and my only other experience with Dorian Gray is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie
I read that one some time last year, after a similar gap between purchase and reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it.The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
It's been on my shelf for over a decade. A local book club I want to check out has picked it for their next meeting which is as good an excuse as any to finally read it. My only other experience with Wilde is The Importance of Being Earnest, and my only other experience with Dorian Gray is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie
A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers
The library hold finally came in! My wife read this book a few years ago and highly recommended it. It has become the book all other "cozy" sci-fi and fantasy novels are judged against for her. Time to see if it lives up to the hype and if "cozy" is a subgenre for me. My wife wants to revisit this book sometime, so if I like it, it will likely be added to the queue of books we read together.
The library hold finally came in! My wife read this book a few years ago and highly recommended it. It has become the book all other "cozy" sci-fi and fantasy novels are judged against for her. Time to see if it lives up to the hype and if "cozy" is a subgenre for me. My wife wants to revisit this book sometime, so if I like it, it will likely be added to the queue of books we read together.
