What are you reading?

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?



Moby Dick</p>

And it is absolutely fantastic.[:O]</p>

[:D]</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="laika"]

Moby Dick</p>

And it is absolutely fantastic.[:O]</p>

[:D]</p>

[/quote]</p>

I absolutely must read that.</p>

[Fuuma]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="laika"]


Moby Dick</P>


And it is absolutely fantastic.[:O]</P>


[:D]</P>


[/quote]</P>


I was given that book as a child and have tried two times to read it over the years but never managed to (an extremely rare occurence). It's the french translation though, which probably doesn't help....</P>

[een]

Re: What are you reading?

Kobo Abe The Box Man

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Fuuma"][quote user="laika"]


Moby Dick</p>


And it is absolutely fantastic.[:O]</p>


[:D]</p>


[/quote]</p>


I was given that book as a child and have tried two times to read it over the years but never managed to (an extremely rare occurence). It's the french translation though, which probably doesn't help....</p>

[/quote]</p>

It's not a children's book. This is a mistake too many intellectually-minded adults do, giving books that can't be handled at a certain age. It can actually turn someone off. I tried to read Master and Margarita when I was 13, haha. I did not pick it back up until I was 22, I think.</p>

[zamb]

Re: What are you reading?



I have this Book. *moby dick*.......... and i saw the movie
</p>

I started reading it about two years ago and stopped.</p>

I have a whole ton of classic books (the post had this special about two years ago where they had coupons each week you could use to redeem classic books for about $4.99 ).......... also my Grandmother gave me a huge amount about 4yrs ago
</p>

It ran for fifteen weeks...... I think i got about 11-12 of the books they offered.</p>

I will read more when i buy a house and can take my books out of storage boxes[:(]</p>

</p>

Right now i am reading "Discourse on Methods and Meditations" by Rene Descartes</p>

who along with Kant are my two non greek philosophers................</p>

[Seventh]

Re: What are you reading?



[quote user="een"]Kobo Abe The Box Man
[/quote]</p>

</p>

cool, that is a strange book. what do you think of it? I read it a long time ago loving some parts of it and frustrated by the nihilism in other parts.</p>

[Fuuma]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Faust"][quote user="Fuuma"][quote user="laika"]


Moby Dick</p>


And it is absolutely fantastic.[:O]</p>


[:D]</p>


[/quote]</p>


I was given that book as a child and have tried two times to read it over the years but never managed to (an extremely rare occurence). It's the french translation though, which probably doesn't help....</p>

[/quote]</p>

It's not a children's book. This is a mistake too many intellectually-minded adults do, giving books that can't be handled at a certain age. It can actually turn someone off. I tried to read Master and Margarita when I was 13, haha. I did not pick it back up until I was 22, I think.</p>

[/quote]</p>

Could be the case, although last time I tried I was about 25.....maybe I need to wait until I have a white chest hair, or chest hairs for that matter...</p>

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?



lol, Fuuma....I suspect it's a book that doesn't translate well, as much of the humor and charm is in the language of the whale men. I think it also helps if you have an interest in natural history (which I do) because a large portion of the book is taken up with this. </p>

Faust, you should absolutely read it....it's a great summer book, actually. Just make sure you get a sturdy copy--my paperback is already falling apart. </p>

The chapter on "The Whiteness of the Whale," among others, is just brilliant. </p>

[een]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Seventh"]

[quote user="een"]Kobo Abe The Box Man
[/quote]</p>

</p>

cool, that is a strange book. what do you think of it? I read it a long time ago loving some parts of it and frustrated by the nihilism in other parts.</p>

[/quote]</p>

i find the language very attractive, and the human-ness amidst the absurdity is pretty compelling... yeah, and frustrating too</p>

[skecr8r_l8r]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Fuuma"][quote user="Faust"][quote user="Fuuma"][quote user="laika"]


Moby Dick</p>


And it is absolutely fantastic.[:O]</p>


[:D]</p>


[/quote]</p>


I was given that book as a child and have tried two times to
read it over the years but never managed to (an extremely rare
occurence). It's the french translation though, which probably doesn't
help....</p>

[/quote]</p>

It's not a children's book. This is
a mistake too many intellectually-minded adults do, giving books that
can't be handled at a certain age. It can actually turn someone
off. I tried to read Master and Margarita when I was 13,
haha. I did not pick it back up until I was 22, I think.</p>

[/quote]</p>

Could
be the case, although last time I tried I was about 25.....maybe I need
to wait until I have a white chest hair, or chest hairs for that
matter...</p>

[/quote]</p>

I heard about '1984' when I
was in 6th grade, and decided to read it at that point, inspired by a
Donald Duck story. I was in for some trouble. Got through it, but
didn't understand one single thematic element or deeper idea, as far as
I remember at least. I later re-read it together with 'Animal Farm',
and I honestly still didn't grasp it completely. </p>

I am currently reading Baudelaire's 'Sparks' &amp; 'The Naked Heart', his fragmented diaries
inspired by a proposition Poe once put up. Lovely and charming
dandyism, I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys wonderful thoughts
and weird ideas.

</p>

[zamb]

Re: What are you reading?

an assortment of papers by the eveolutionary theorist Stephen Jay Gould....... "punctuated equilibrium", "Phylectic Gradualism" etc......... a bunch of crap that these scientist cannot seem to agree upon......... they more seem to want to up-end each other and be Scientific- Top-Dog than find out (or accept) the truth of the origins of life and the universe as a whole..........

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

I finally fulfilled my duty of picking up The Russian Debutante's Handbook. I'm 2/3rd's in, and it's absolutely hilarious. Shteyngert is a sharp writer.

</p>

Ok, I finished it. I liked it overall, but it looks like (judging by what droogist said about Absurdistan) Shteyngart has trouble finishing. The book should've been about 75 pages shorter. His witticisms get tiresome by the end (the curious lack of natural fibers in clothing, the one-sided view of the babushkas who don't fit into to the post-Communist world), the end itself (except the epilogue) is a victim to an overwhelming pressure to finish a book action-style (some other authors like Russel Banks are prone to this) - as if he is already thinking about selling movie-rights for the novel. Some characters, like Kostya and Andrea get lost (although he tries to remind us of Kostya throughout the novel, it's futile). Some Russian translations just don't work, although I completely understand his desire to relate his Russianness - I've tried and failed plenty of times.</p>

Still, for the most part his writing is very sharp, funny, and engaging. I still recommend it as a pretty good insight into experience of an intelligent, displaced Russian-Jewish immigrant, a person that can never quite reconcile how the enormous cultural heritage he received could coexist with such debilitating and dreadful daily life.
</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

Not sure what's next - I always feel a little giddy when I finish a book and have some time to think about what to read now. I'm thinking to reread Borges' short stories.

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?



Jorge Lois Borges - Labyrinths</p>

And, inspired by Laika, Moby Dick.
</p>