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Offline Ghost Spaghetti

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #40 on: March 16, 2014, 04:54:36 PM »
Put down Gorbachev again and picked up The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson which I picked up at a charity shop yesterday.

I'm already more than half-way through it. BB is a fantastic writer and I can't believe that I've only just gotten around to reading anything by him.

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #41 on: March 29, 2014, 11:45:23 PM »
Since finishing For Whom the Bell Tolls I also read George Orwell's Coming Up for Air. I liked both reasonably well, but I can't be bothered to go into much detail.

Now reading: Thomas Pynchon - Gravity's Rainbow

At long last, more Pynchon!

Saddam Hussein

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #42 on: April 07, 2014, 06:03:48 PM »
On the notion of Finnegan's Wake:

13:48   Saddam   Crudblud: The Gracehoper was always jigging ajog, hoppy on akkant of his joyicity
13:49   Saddam   Just saying
13:49   Crudblud   Saddam: Haldrewake and iriticable, Thoutsnapped viscosely, telling Umbert to stick a baguette in his bumberthumps and rumps to his mumps.
13:50   Foxbox   Vaguette
13:50   Saddam   What secondtonone myther rector and maximost bridges- maker was the first to rise taller through his beanstale than the bluegum buaboababbaun or the giganteous Wellingtonia Sequoia
13:50   Saddam   I'm considering reading the whole thing
13:50   Barkno   yes
13:50   Saddam   I have no delusions of actually understanding it, but it seems hilarious
13:52   Saddam   The Amazon reviews are pretty funny too
13:53   Saddam   Into the gobbledeegook go slipper the whipper and the trimtrammaduhdeedo, believing the glubbledubble spewed forth by a madman. What do you think, am I a genius or what? Just send me twenty bucks and I'll send you the next 600 pages.
13:54   Crudblud   >no multilingual puns
13:54   Saddam   And to all those stuffy professors who like to belittle the layperson by pretending to understand this book, I offer this lucid reproval: ooglebagoogle you jimmenyjammeroos. Take that, Mr. Wisemen.
13:54   Crudblud   Worst parody ever
13:54   Saddam   I can't understand why this book wasn't rated the greatest novel of the 20th century! My God! I read this book every night before I go to bed. The words flow easily across the page, and the characters are incredibly rich in development!
13:55   Saddam   The story itself is so engaging that whenever I read it, my hands literally begin to tremble in anticipation of what is going to happen next! Here is an excerpt from the book and one of the more famous passages from this MASTERPIECE OF MODERN LITERATURE!
13:55   Saddam   Orkman ribpop easily cross arrows. Flaunting wissam on narrow shoulders opens me. opens me. Pilly saw Roman do the tiger on ruskpappy for Flynn. Squiggles on canvas slapped brightly on Easter fippoon aiktart. Common man sees field sorry fart on apple.
13:55   Barkno   Get these walls of text out of IRC
13:56   Saddam   Barkno: ooglebagoogle you jimmenyjammeroos
13:58   Saddam   bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk!
13:58   Barkno   >mfw
13:58   Saddam   People actually paid money to read a book full of words like that

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Offline Ghost Spaghetti

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #43 on: April 09, 2014, 12:08:29 PM »
I have finished The Lost Continent and now have a choice, which of the following do I take on holiday?
The Count of Monte Christo - Dumas
Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky
A short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson
Long Walk to freedom - Mandela

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #44 on: April 09, 2014, 08:32:26 PM »
I have finished The Lost Continent and now have a choice, which of the following do I take on holiday?
The Count of Monte Christo - Dumas
Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky
A short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson
Long Walk to freedom - Mandela
Depends how long the holiday is. If you're going to be sat around for a long time with nothing to do, Dostoevsky's probably your man.

Saddam Hussein

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #45 on: April 16, 2014, 02:13:15 PM »
I'm in the middle of reading Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's Illuminatus! trilogy.  I'm enjoying the content of the books; there are some funny jokes, some clever satire, and all the kooky conspiracy stuff is a lot of fun.  Alas, this is somewhat diluted by the ridiculous rambling format of the stories.  I know that the trilogy has a cult following, and I'm sure that its fans would reply to this by saying that it's deliberate, or that it's the whole point, but you know what, it's kind of like with The Rocky Horror Picture Show - being deliberately bad is still being bad.  I'm not sure how best to specifically describe my issues of how they're written, but you can read the books here, if anyone is so inclined:

http://www.rawilsonfans.com/downloads/Illuminatus.pdf

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #46 on: April 17, 2014, 12:25:12 PM »
I'm reading the Bible...again.

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #47 on: July 07, 2014, 11:58:35 AM »
Finished Gravity's Rainbow and Animal Farm this morning. Now rereading Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #48 on: July 07, 2014, 02:03:05 PM »
Does manga counts as "book"?
I would say that manga with many chapters can count as a book if you stick them all together.

If so, then I finished just yesterday reading...

Sun-Ken Rock

If you have the chance to read it, do it.


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Offline Crudblud

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #49 on: July 11, 2014, 02:45:30 PM »
Paul Auster - Moon Palace

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #50 on: July 11, 2014, 08:27:09 PM »
Current progress through my summer reading list.  Tolstoy's Kingdom of God has thus far been my favorite read.



Next up in the queue are:

I have visited from prestigious research institutions of the highest caliber, to which only our administrator holds with confidence.

Ghost of V

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #51 on: July 11, 2014, 08:28:32 PM »
Neuromancer is a great choice. One of my favorite books. Let me know your impressions when you're finished.

Ghost of V

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #52 on: July 18, 2014, 06:31:06 PM »
Just started reading this classic:


Saddam Hussein

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #53 on: July 18, 2014, 06:44:45 PM »
We didn't need to see that image.

Ghost of V

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #54 on: July 18, 2014, 06:47:02 PM »
We didn't need to see that image.

Are you suggesting that we ban some books on FES? You're a monster. That cover is artwork. Not to mention that it's a Canadian bestseller. It deserves your respect.
« Last Edit: July 18, 2014, 06:49:25 PM by Vauxhall »

Offline Shmeggley

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #55 on: July 18, 2014, 07:26:00 PM »
Just started reading this classic:

squick

Christ, I think I remember some kids in grade 6 telling me about this book. I never read it and I assumed they were just full of shit.

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #56 on: July 21, 2014, 11:46:27 PM »
Ian Rankin - Let it Bleed

Something that will hopefully be simple and entertaining while the weather is too hot and humid to read difficult stuff.

Edit: Feels like it was written to be adapted for TV, by which I mean it's a lot of snappy dialogue contextualised by insubstantial prose. I'm calling it a day and moving on.

Now reading Laurence Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2014, 10:49:08 AM by Crudblud »

Thork

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #57 on: July 22, 2014, 05:24:15 PM »
Ian Rankin - Let it Bleed
Sounds like good advice for dealing with women.

Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #58 on: July 22, 2014, 10:55:43 PM »
Currently reading "Sasha Grey-Grand Theft Anal 11" I know they made it into a film but I wanted to read the book first.

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Offline Roundy

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Re: FES Book Club
« Reply #59 on: July 23, 2014, 02:19:26 AM »
Currently reading "Sasha Grey-Grand Theft Anal 11" I know they made it into a film but I wanted to read the book first.

Meh, by 7 or 8 it was obvious they had run out of ideas.
Dr. Frank is a physicist. He says it's impossible. So it's impossible.
My friends, please remember Tom said this the next time you fall into the trap of engaging him, and thank you. :)