All Quiet on the Western Front
Very good.

If we're counting comic books, I've been catching up on Deadpool.

If not, I just reread the Hobbit. Been one of my favorites since I first read it when I was ten. I still remember the tunes I gave all the songs. As a side note, does anyone else try and put music to songs and poems they encounter in books, esp fantasy?

Just finished The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Probably my favorite from his work.

Written by Sophist on 10.08.2013 at 15:02

Just finished The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Probably my favorite from his work.

Franz Kafka is one of my favorite writers and The Metamorphosis is indeed a masterpiece. I think my favorite piece of his may be The Hunger Artist.

Written by [user id=143623] on 10.08.2013 at 18:55

Written by Sophist on 10.08.2013 at 15:02

Just finished The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Probably my favorite from his work.

Franz Kafka is one of my favorite writers and The Metamorphosis is indeed a masterpiece. I think my favorite piece of his may be The Hunger Artist.

I almost lost hope of finding more of his works, because any recently printed book of him is either The Trial or The Castle, then I visited a friend and he just pulled out a collection of Kafka's stories printed in the 60's, I hope I'll find that story in there as well.

Written by Sophist on 10.08.2013 at 23:13

Written by [user id=143623] on 10.08.2013 at 18:55

Written by Sophist on 10.08.2013 at 15:02

Just finished The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Probably my favorite from his work.

Franz Kafka is one of my favorite writers and The Metamorphosis is indeed a masterpiece. I think my favorite piece of his may be The Hunger Artist.

I almost lost hope of finding more of his works, because any recently printed book of him is either The Trial or The Castle, then I visited a friend and he just pulled out a collection of Kafka's stories printed in the 60's, I hope I'll find that story in there as well.

Very nice! There is a nice and complete collection of his short stories in print here in the US but I imagine they can be difficult to locate elsewhere. Have you read any Albert Camus? You may enjoy his work if you enjoy Kafka.

Read the Stranger and Myth of Sisyphus, enjoyed both greatly.

Written by Aseliot on 15.05.2013 at 23:24

I am reading The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Currently at book 12, the end is in sight lol.

i am impressed. i've never been able to get past book 8 or so. i started around six, and would reread the first half dozen in the gap between each new book coming out in hard back and paperback.

hell, i haven't even past book 8 or so on fucking Audible.

Written by Sophist on 10.08.2013 at 15:02
Just finished The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Probably my favorite from his work.

The only one I've read it's The Trial. It was for a literature presentation and I choosed it because I was interested in his style. I loved it. I have The Metamorphosis somewhere in my room. Got it quite cheap... Still haven't read it though! I should probably get to it soon considering how short it is and I'm pretty sure I'll like it.

Written by BitterCOld on 14.08.2013 at 02:04

Written by Aseliot on 15.05.2013 at 23:24

I am reading The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Currently at book 12, the end is in sight lol.

i am impressed. i've never been able to get past book 8 or so. i started around six, and would reread the first half dozen in the gap between each new book coming out in hard back and paperback.

hell, i haven't even past book 8 or so on fucking Audible.

Mh, so you are implying that the books are bad or that is just aint really you kind of genre. I agree that its very very long and that there are parts you could just not read and skip towards more important parts without reading too much of the story. An if you've gotten past 8 then well... I don't think there is a lot of hope of you as a friend of mine is now at part 10 which i believe is widely regarded as the most boring book of the whole series. I have recently finished 13, and i've also read another first book of a series called mistborn after finishing twelve and part 2 right after that, i'm now at the last mistborn book with something like 40 pages to go.

A collection of short stories by Guy De Maupassant, had some very good ones.

Reading Bernard Cornwell's "Stonehenge" at the moment. Pretty good so far considering how boring the title sounded

Stephen Colbert's book. I was finished it in 2 days which means it was really good (not long or dense by any means but it usually takes me much longer). I would recommend it to anyone who likes his show.

Listening to an audiobook of The Hound of the Baskervilles at the moment. On bus trips (can't read on those bumpy roads), when I'm cleaning or cooking, etc. It's a good reading by Derek Jacobi.

Just read a Finnish translation of Aelred of Rievaulx's De Spirituali Amicitia, a treatise and commentary on Cicero's De Amicitia from a medieval Christian perspective. Now I'm reading Marion Glasscoe's English Medieval Mystics - Games of Faith, as background research for my master's thesis (on Richard Rolle). Also in the middle of Beda's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum and a Finnish children's book, Onnelin ja Annelin talo.

Written by IronAngel on 02.09.2013 at 12:54

Listening to an audiobook of The Hound of the Baskervilles at the moment. On bus trips (can't read on those bumpy roads), when I'm cleaning or cooking, etc. It's a good reading by Derek Jacobi.

Is that book about the hound appearing in one of case in Sherlock Homes ? The name Baskervillers I remember has in the Conan work, can be similar rememention in interwriting stuff.

Written by FOOCK Nam on 02.09.2013 at 13:09

Is that book about the hound appearing in one of case in Sherlock Homes ? The name Baskervillers I remember has in the Conan work, can be similar rememention in interwriting stuff.

Yeah, it's the Holmes novella where Watson goes to Dartmoor (where my girlfriend is right now on a conference/library research trip, eep!).

Written by IronAngel on 02.09.2013 at 13:42

Written by FOOCK Nam on 02.09.2013 at 13:09

Is that book about the hound appearing in one of case in Sherlock Homes ? The name Baskervillers I remember has in the Conan work, can be similar rememention in interwriting stuff.

Yeah, it's the Holmes novella where Watson goes to Dartmoor (where my girlfriend is right now on a conference/library research trip, eep!).

Ehh , you read the hound book where is dartmoor where your gf is, coincidence or intentional...? off topic but yeah haha sometimes i want to penetrate mind and analyze, found the opportunity when been around Metalstorm for hours days. On topic, i would find the hound novel to read, have found the first ever dog/animal spirit in written stuff and movie... I watched an series of episodes movie about Sherlock Holmes years ago, had being scared a lot when dark scenes of any case playing... at that time i was little 12 haha...hope chinese and vietnamese read the book and see the film cuz they eat bunch of dogs : /

Written by FOOCK Nam on 02.09.2013 at 18:59

Ehh , you read the hound book where is dartmoor where your gf is, coincidence or intentional...?

Entirely coincidental. I didn't know where it was until after she told me. The conference and libraries obviously aren't literally on the moor, but in Devon anyhow.

Aaanyway, it's the first audiobook I've listened to all the way through, and I quite like the concept. The day is full of wasted time when you can't really sit down and read, and when I do read it's usually to do with my studies. This is a great way enjoy lighter fiction that doesn't have a high priority on my reading list. It's a shame a lot of (especially older) audiobooks are abridged versions, and the local library doesn't stock a very good selection anyway. Need to order stuff from the other city libraries, I guess.

Written by IronAngel on 02.09.2013 at 19:37

Entirely coincidental. I didn't know where it was until after she told me. The conference and libraries obviously aren't literally on the moor, but in Devon anyhow.

Aaanyway, it's the first audiobook I've listened to all the way through, and I quite like the concept. The day is full of wasted time when you can't really sit down and read, and when I do read it's usually to do with my studies. This is a great way enjoy lighter fiction that doesn't have a high priority on my reading list. It's a shame a lot of (especially older) audiobooks are abridged versions, and the local library doesn't stock a very good selection anyway. Need to order stuff from the other city libraries, I guess.

Did you listen to that audiobook im english or finnish ? Once i listen to one audiobook first ever, it was in my mothertongue, it was so horrible due to the tone speaker and accents, was very horrible. Next i would try again with english voice. I dont know but i guess there is professional job industry for audioing book code from writing to speak, narrative, etc... It would be awesome if there have voice for audiobook like discovery channel narrative.

How long usually do you read a book 500 to 1500 pages in ? Im quite lazy, my highest record was 180 pages small handbook...i even hadnt ever finished any of my study book in school. Funnily i read and comprehend better in english than my mothertongue. But book like Harry Potter big size and superthick, how long can you finish it in ?

would find the hound book for reading, all stuff about dog is good and innocent (yeah, like i posted in creepy stuff thread haha), but im not sure if there is dog spirit in the book like the version in Holmes that scared me.

Written by FOOCK Nam on 02.09.2013 at 21:12

---

I am listening to it in English. Read by the actor Derek Jacobi. I try to read (and now that I discovered audiobooks, listen to) books in English if that's the original language of writing. When it's translated from a language I can't read easily/at all, I don't care whether it's in Finnish or English. They're almost equally quick for me to read. But as a rule, I want to read in the original language if I can.

Yes, I can imagine a bad reader would ruin the experience. I listened to some of the first poems of Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, and it was fine, so it's not necessarily a matter of language.

How long it takes to read a book depends a lot on the genre, on my mood and motivation, and obviously also the typesetting - some books cram a shitload of stuff onto one page, whereas others are much sparser.

But I would say that it takes me about two weeks to read a non-fiction book of 500 pages for my studies, of I live normally and do other stuff on my free time. A few hours of reading every day. I am a slow but close reader, which means I don't have to read anything twice to remember it. Fiction is quicker to read, of course. For an academic text-book, in English, a decent and reasonable rate for me is 50 pages a day. That's maybe 3 hours if you minus all the breaks and other stuff I do inbetween. If I'm in a hurry and have good motivation, 100 pages in a day is quite manageable. But I'm not the kind of person who can read for 12 hours in a row and finish a book in a day. The reading just gets slower when you get bored.

@IronAngel: ohhhh you can read 50 to 100 pages a day...woow quite a very huge volume.. I cant even read well more than 10 pages a day. imo i think ppl who able to read lots, and read well and like reading are ones has a strong brain active mind. I had a Dutch roomate during an usa internship. He read all times, i observe his mind run very fast and easily feel bored. So all time he read for kill time and fight boredomness. He read alot, and finish quite new stuff one to one fast. He got 2 degree of bachelor, B+ gpa for Computer science and A+ gpa for Marketing. He say Marketing is easier for him cuz it is all learning by heart and read and absorb the teaching book, so all he can and like to do is advanteagously read and read... Computer science needs more computation which hes not best so his grade is just B+. I observe is seeing his very active mind easily feel bored. I recommend him study some major just need read a lot like history, philosophy or literature for his strong brain. I study Business Administration, and you know, i have very weak at reading academicand study related stuff, i cant even finish 10 pages daily. So i used the trick that just learn by heart the glossary definition for study terms and i just tried to read very shortly definition of important words terms main idea of the course subject. So i pass the college study but dont gain much knowledge from it haha. So that I do believe ppl who read well and have readliking strong brain can be very advanteagous or success on academic and school stuy blah well what a better for readlikinger who can asborb bunch of books among writing stuff forrest library..

I am currently reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens which has to be one of the most popular written pieces of our (or any) time. I have never read it before though I figured it'd be appropriate for the winter gloom we're currently amidst in an odd, abstract way. It's an interesting read for me because I am not a Christian and cannot relate to Christmas other than the fact that celebrating it was something I was raised with (as most North American kids can attest to) but the book seems to have very little to do with Christmas other than the fact that it's set upon such a date. Thusfar I have gotten a lot of commentary about capitalism and human nature (or a human's choice of his or her nature) out of it but nothing religious or "spiritual".

Gene Wolfe - Shadow and claw

Not bad, but so far i'm finding it very over rated

The Antidepressant Solution: A Step-by-Step Guide to Safely Overcoming Antidepressant Withdrawal, Dependence, and "Addiction"

A little bit of help with myself coming off this drug without the horrible withdrawals, but more fueling my hate for greedy pharmaceutical companys

Written by [user id=136611] on 16.01.2014 at 07:30
The Antidepressant Solution: A Step-by-Step Guide to Safely Overcoming Antidepressant Withdrawal, Dependence, and "Addiction"

A little bit of help with myself coming off this drug without the horrible withdrawals, but more fueling my hate for greedy pharmaceutical companys

I have had issues with major anxiety and minor depression throughout most of my life although I admit I've never taken any medication for said conditions due to the fact that they are so addictive and physically change your body chemistry. I've always been weary of that sort of thing so it seems like you're doing the right thing by getting off of them in a healthy, non-withdrawal manner because, yeah, if you were just to stop taking them one day completely there'd be absolute hell to pay. Greedy pharmaceutical companies are an even more complicated issue but, in a nutshell, they are there and they've got much more power than they should.

Written by [user id=146168] on 16.01.2014 at 14:59
I have had issues with major anxiety and minor depression throughout most of my life although I admit I've never taken any medication for said conditions due to the fact that they are so addictive and physically change your body chemistry.

I appreciate those who need and benefit from the use of prescription medication, but I'm also in the same boat as you. I was initially put on a variety of different medications before deciding to quit them all after dealing with a slew of negative side-effects that in my mind either simply weren't worth the nuisance or because some of them made my depressive symptoms even worse.

Written by [user id=146168] on 16.01.2014 at 14:59

Greedy pharmaceutical companies are an even more complicated issue but, in a nutshell, they are there and they've got much more power than they should.

I have always read about and heard how the way pharmaceutical company's make shit loads by paying off psychiatrist and doctor's to sign there approval of there drugs to get them sold, and then just bringing a new version they say is safer every 10-20 years, after they finally get feed back from suffering patient's and unexplained side effects. But i guess for me this is a first hand account as i have been suffering for about three months now. I have had to come off the worst of drugs and the withdrawals have never been long lasting and server as these motherfuckers, and not one doctor out of about 7 ever warned me, they always encouraged me to take them. I have been on them about 10 years

It's nice to read of your success stories Troy Killjoy and No One. It is always a good feeling to realize that the empowerment is coming from within instead of from an artificial substance being introduced and integrated into your system.

Written by [user id=146168] on 17.01.2014 at 00:13

It's nice to read of your success stories Troy Killjoy and No One.

not a total success story yet, i have weened down to a very low dose but am still suffering some bad withdrawals

Dune by Frank Herbert, a classic of sci-fi literature. It depicts an epic struggle between political and religious factions as well as survival in harsh conditions of the planet Dune. It's one of those books where you read last hundred of pages in one day, as secret schemes unfolds.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo, tells the story about an influential italian famiglia living in New York along with others. Quite a cruel mafian underworld but with certain rules and morales.

Despite the vast differences these books have one thing in common - intelligent characters with very refined methods
Also movie adaptation of The Godfather is really faithful and well done.

Recently finished Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (in translation), the Lais of Marie de France (in English prose translation; it's originally in Anglo-Norman octosyllabic verse so a lot of the effect is sadly lost), and a collection of Lovecraft's short stories (the longest piece being At the Mountains of Madness).

I must say I enjoyed Lovecraft at his best, but he's also very formulaic and repetitive. Every story has a similar, intelligent and often darkly curious academic protagonist. They all use the same format of storytelling, being some kind of indirect recordings after the fact (typically letters, newspaper articles, memoirs). The reader usually guesses what's coming long before the shocking revelation, softening its impact (see: Whisperer in Darkness). And I'm supposed to believe him when he just lists a bunch of adjectives to describe the protagonist's inexplicable fear, and go along with the horror. Doesn't work for me; not a scary writer at all, though a very intriguing one. Don't take this to imply I thought he was bad. Not at all; I quite liked the sci-fi and fantasy mystery. I just expected something scarier and of more literary prowess, given his immense reputation.

Now reading aloud Dumas' The Red Sphinx, which seems promising but has an annoying tendency to go on an unnecessary tangent about the historical reality behind the characters and events (much moreso than The Three Musketeers). By myself, I am reading a Finnish translation, slightly abridged like the English one, of Le Roy Laudrie's classic microhistorical/annnalist study Montaillou. It presents a lot of interesting details of everyday peasant/shepherd life from Inquisition records, but I think it's a little incoherent and probably owes most of its reputation to being among the first of its kind.