Author Topic: What are you Reading?  (Read 25947 times)

Offline DMaximus

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What are you Reading?
« on: August 08, 2013, 11:12:42 pm »
I'm re-reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. It's a study of values and the differences between the classical, rational view and the romantic viewpoint. Illustrated early on mainly through the analogy of maintaining a motorcycle, the author blends travel novel, his erased past, and philosophy dissertation together to explain his philosophy of quality. Just previous to this I read Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, and it's very interesting to see the influence the Beat Generation had on Pirsig's writing. I highly recommend ZAMM, but I'm much more reserved on Naked Lunch. It's... interesting, but incredibly disjointed and makes little sense as a story. You need to just enjoy the prose, I guess.


My favorite quote so far is:
"Each machine has its own, unique personality which probably could be defined as the intuitive sum total of everything you know and feel about it." (Pirsig 44)

I'm not really much for vehicle maintenance, but as a Computer Engineer, I see this all the time with the hardware and computers I work with.

We have to have some other readers in the GoIO community. What are you currently reading?

Offline Shinkurex

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2013, 11:34:35 pm »
Just recently, I bought and read Swallow's book, Arteess: Conflict.... in a night.... I'm not real good at summarizing things, so I will just put the link here:

http://elsewhen.alnpetepress.co.uk/index.php/catalogue/title/arteess-conflict/

It's a great book, that sucks you in from the beginning :))

Offline Swizy

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2013, 03:43:43 am »
It's called "he's back" (german book). Bought it because I loved the book cover design. Surprisingly it's has a hilarious parody story in it.


Offline Piemanlives

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2013, 03:46:07 am »
I been reading a lot of John Ringo's work lately, I've also got some David Weber queued up as well along with some Brian Jacques (May he rest in peace.)

Offline Gryphos

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2013, 04:07:32 am »
I'm about half way through "The long dark tea-time of the soul" by Douglas Adams. like all Douglas Adams novels it's extremely witty and the story is like a Douglas Adams esque take on Sherlock Holmes, mixed in with Norse gods.


Offline Squash

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2013, 08:21:39 am »
this thread?

Offline DMaximus

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2013, 08:33:40 am »
I'm about half way through "The long dark tea-time of the soul" by Douglas Adams. like all Douglas Adams novels it's extremely witty and the story is like a Douglas Adams esque take on Sherlock Holmes, mixed in with Norse gods.


I have this sitting on my self right now. It's probably going to be my next read after I finish Zen. I loved Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (and of course, Hitch Hiker's Guide), so I'm looking forward to it.

Offline Keon

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2013, 10:11:00 am »
I fear I may need to by Swallow's book. Reading a Neal Stephenson right now.

Offline Zenark

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2013, 10:35:42 am »
O.o how bizarre. I saw that Zen book at the store a few weeks back and thought it was an interesting title. Out of ALL the books I could've looked at, I saw that one, and now you've mentioned it.... Freaky.

Offline Wazulu

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2013, 12:34:24 pm »
Now, I'm not reading it currently, but I highly suggest reading Ender's Game. It's an Orson Scott Card book, so get ready for underlying messages, but I'd say read it chiefly because they're making a movie of it. A movie which looks very very separate to the book, and for some reason tells you the ending in the trailer. In short, read for the bending of Ender's mind and the social commentary on the compliance of mankind when faced with annihilation.

I just finished a decent book, Child of Vengeance. It's a fictional account of the early life of Miyamoto Musashi/Miyamoto Bennosuke and as such it takes one of the many possible variations on his tale. Interestingly it goes for a far more outlandish take, causing Game of Thrones-esque political manipulation bound up in the honour code of samurai. In terms of time period, it's at 1600 AD, and the climax of the novel occurs at the Battle of Sekigahara. For those with an interest in Japanese culture this is a decent start, as most of the real accounts are muddled and conflicting. For the Dynasty Warriors fans out there, this is just after Nobunaga Oda kills himself, and the battle is his apprentice Tokugawa Ieyasu facing off against the Clan Ukita. The winner of said battle goes onto become Shogun, and yet another reunification of Japan.

Offline Mill Wilkinson

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2013, 05:45:43 pm »
Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibonè. A book my friend threw at me and told to read. Enjoyable night-time read thus far, nothing as deep or intellectual as previous ones.

But I do recommend reading Chris Evans' A Darkness Forged In Fire, a fantastic musket-punk with fantasy. ^^

Offline Pickle

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2013, 06:43:35 pm »
I fear I may need to by Swallow's book. Reading a Neal Stephenson right now.

I'm half-way through re-reading Skinner by Neal Asher.

Psyching myself up for another re-read of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson.  I've read it two or three times since it came out, it takes me three months to get through it all.

Offline Shukketsushi

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #12 on: August 11, 2013, 07:51:06 am »
Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of WWII by Keith Lowe. I'm not very far into it yet but I find it really fascinating.

Offline DMaximus

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #13 on: August 11, 2013, 09:23:22 pm »
I fear I may need to by Swallow's book. Reading a Neal Stephenson right now.

I'm half-way through re-reading Skinner by Neal Asher.

Psyching myself up for another re-read of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson.  I've read it two or three times since it came out, it takes me three months to get through it all.

Neal Stephenson is amazing, I have Cryptonomicon and Anathem sitting on my shelf now (the rest are at my parents house).  Zodiac is about Boston, so I have to love that one (even if it's about how polluted the area is). I pretty much love all of his writing.
If you liked his more sci fi stuff (like Diamond Age and Snow Crash) I highly recommend picking up some William Gibson. Neuromancer is a classic and a must read for any SF fan. His more recent books aren't hard SF (no more cyberpunk, sadly) but they're all quality. I'm struggling to describe them well, so I'll simply state that they are always enlightening each one makes you think about something you likely haven't considered before.

Offline Pickle

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Re: What are you Reading?
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2013, 04:55:25 am »
My copies of Count Zero and Mona Lisa Interrupt are probably older than many players of GOIO!

Neuromancer I had to replace more recently after losing it a while ago.  I have most of the novels of Neal Stephenson, William Gibson Iain M Banks and China Meiville sat on my shelf.  All the Laundry novels by Charles Stross (highly recommended if you like HP Lovecraft and have a sense of humour), several Paolo Bacigalupi (I've got to recommend The Windup Girl), there's some Ken MacLeod, Peter F. Hamilton (I can recommend Great North Road) .. .. and that's just some of the sci-fi..