When I see this thread I think about stacks of novels that people decorate their shelves with.
Honestly do you people just pick up a book and start reading? Aside from graphic novels I can’t invest myself with literature that doesn’t deal with a certain topic.
I usually hear about books from reading other books or listening/reading interviews with authors/critics/etc. If it’s something that sounds interesting, I’ll give it a shot. For the most part, it wins me over. There aren’t many books I’ve started reading and stopped just because it didn’t pull me in.
Read “The Road” a bit ago.
I never want to see the movie.
This is a book that’s better to visualize personally, rather than have some movie put images to words for you.
Amazing read, IMO.
The Road isn’t a book so much as it is a diary.
I’m reading up on Colin Powell’s books and this is quite annoying. I love the guy but his books are filled to the bring with military lingo.
Finished Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, started (and finished last night) Spook Country by William Gibson and listened to WWZ during/on the way home from vacation.
Douglas Adams is absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud at hhgttg on a regular basis. Marvin is one of my favorite characters in anything ever.:tup:
I was a bit disappointed in Spook Country. It kind of unfolded like a run of the mill mystery story, it had some likable characters and a pretty cool conclusion. There’s better stuff out there… Still excited for * Burning Chrome * which I’ve got on my tablet, but it is also second on my reading list behind * Cryptonomicon * which I’m gonna start today.
*WWZ *'s audiobook was good. I was exhausted on my drive ho e so I focused on driving over listening to the story. There were some bitchin chapters (Reddecker, Wainio, Eliopolis were my favorites) will listen to again, might get the book in the future, maybe.
I want a room in my house, after I graduate and stop moving around, that is just an office with shelves and shelves of books :tup:
Read Bertrand Russell’s The Scientific Outlook. It is non-fiction and is what Brave New World was inspired by (essentially ripped off from).
Whose retarded enough to decorate their houses with books they have no interest in whatsoever? Maybe in apartment model that makes sense. That’s kinda like saying you collect arcade sticks but you don’t playing fg.
On-topic, Finished ‘Mission to Mars’ and Obama’s biography. If there is ever an international space committee, Buzz Aldrin should head that organization. The man has so many awesome ideas. Obama’s bio was alright; best bio I’ve read to this day is still the one on Genghis Khan.
Currently reading Branden’s ‘Six Pillars of Self-Esteem’. Interesting stuff so far: self-esteem goes along away besides picking up chicks apparently.
Audacity of Hope sucks dick.
I’ve seen people use books as decorations for rooms/apartments. I say this only because if they actually read those books they wouldn’t be as stupid as they are.
I’m going through the Joe Ledger series right now by Jonathan Mayberry. It’s like that character was written with my immature ass in mind. Smart ass, makes Sci fi jokes, judges people based on their cookie preferences.
Thanks for reminding me that I need to go to the book store! Will post my purchases when I get back.
:tup:
doesn’t that describe everyone in Tech Talk?
I did mean books ive read, by the way. Not just a bunch of fluff to make it look like I read. Though I was planning on including a bunch of textbooks and technical stuff that ive accumulated…
Didn’t buy shit. I almost picked up a copy of collected James Joyce works because I want to read Ulysses and the collection was only $2 more than the single book, but I opened it up and took 1 look. Fuck that shit. I barely classify that as writing. 
One day, I’ll tackle it though. One day. :tup:
what is everyones bookstore situation? I know of like 1 still open within a 20 minute radius from my house. if you use e-readers fuck you :mad:
Very much so. 1. I LOVE re-reading literature. 2. I HATE backing up and re-installing/copying over shit to new devices. E-readers are a lose/lose for me. I need to own it. take complete control over it and be able to pick it up, read a reference and put it back down again, knowing that it will always remain just as accessible to me. Smelling/touching/feeling and/or having some sort of spiritual or physical connection to the paper media isn’t really important to me, but I can see how it can be for others.
At home I’ve got 2 that I know of off the top of my head at home. Both in malls, both pretty bad. At school, I’m not really sure… Its probably 1, at a mall, also shit. Reading isn’t a big priority in central Ohio :sad:. Always amazon/abe books/whatever other website.
Agreed about the E-books 100%. Parents got one for my little brother then saw me reading on the beach and my mom goes, “Why don’t you get a Kindle?” :bluu: I like the heaviness of the paper (though it is a super bitch when its windy out, hate that shit) and everything else that comes with a physical copy. I like having books, even/especially textbooks, stacked on my tables and dressers in my apartment. Plus being a computer/video game nerd I am constantly looking at screens all the fucking time so I need a little break from the back lights. Though looking at tiny font isn’t much rest I assume, but at least its a different sort of thing.
I got my mom an e-reader some time ago. When we moved to Quebec, our shit was stored in a container which caught water and we lost hundreds upon hundreds of books. This was the quickest way for her to get some of them back.
I’m actually more of an audiobook person sometimes. I alternate between books and audio. I bike a lot and I travel a lot so audiobooks are great when I go out biking for 7 hours (yes I know its dangerous).
Sigh.
The B&N in the downtown area where I work closed at the beginning of last year. They were doing great business, but their lessors wanted to jack up their rates and B&N said no.
We now have a downtown area in a college town that used to have a bi-level bookstore with a coffee shop in it. It’s absurd.
Back on topic:
I’m doing my annual re-read of The Sandman right now, and I’m interspersing it with the stories of Edgar Allen Poe. It’s working out pretty well. Poe’s stories are basically the perfect short-story length to throw a couple in while you’re between volumes of a larger work.
not feeling invisible man or catch 22 so i stopped after about 100 pgs. i’ll go back to it one day.
finished slaughterhouse five and it’s now one of my favorites. highly recommend it.
currently reading the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian. alexie is the man. finished lone ranger and tonto book a while back and bought a bunch of his books.
@pherai, aren’t you in LA? there’s still hella mom n pop bookstores.
ha ya I figured in LA proper there’s probably still a lot but I live about 20 minutes north of the LA county border so it’s a bit of a trip for me. I actually pick up more books from goodwill these days than anywhere else. got a cool copy of Sagan’s Contact there recently. I do need to make a trip to some of the mom n pops tho. any recommendations??
Exo’s reasoning is the same as mine against e-books. besides guitar, reading is my only hobby that doesn’t involve me sitting in front of a monitor of some sort.