Matricians: What are you reading now?

[Lunchebox]

I could have sworn there was a book thread, but can't find it.

Right now I'm reading this book my date let me borrow, called "The Perks of Being a Wall Flower". It's pretty great so far, and it reminds me of Catcher in the Rye, which I am embarrassed saying is a book I love, and relate to. Mainly because you usually find serial killers reading it.

It's similar to Catcher in the Rye in the sense it's a first person narrative, and is mostly about life and what not, and it's just a rreally interesting and fun read.

[ASR]

Yeah, I definitely remember a book thread.

I remember looking for it when I made the House of Leaves thread but gave up and just created a thread for the book. Should have actually made a "What are you reading?" thread like this.

I'm currently going through another re-reading of Hitchhiker's Guide. I can't stay away!

it reminds me of Catcher in the Rye, which I am embarrassed saying is a book I love, and relate to. Mainly because you usually find serial killers reading it.

Also really annoying "outcast rebel" kids who think it's their bible.

[Johncarllos]

I love Catcher in the Rye....

[Fatso]

Most recent read: The Road, for English. It's bleak. Really bleak. If the biggest thing you're looking for in a book is a severe case of depression and a headache from the confusing syntax, read it. Otherwise, don't. It makes Lucifer's Hammer read like a Care Bears plot summary by comparison.

[Chron]

The last few books I've read were mostly Eddings and Pratchett.
I just finished up the Malloreon a few days ago. Great book. It's amazing how someone can write something that, while it is predictable to the point of predictability, still manages to capture one's attention through sheer good characterization and writing.

As for the Pratchett books, always good, and it's nice to return to Discworld every now and then (Night Watch, The Fifth Elephant). Vimes is a great guy.

I just now started reading something called Myth Hunters (Christopher Golden). Not sure how it's going to be, but it seems alright so far.

[Fatso]

The last few books I've read were mostly Eddings and Pratchett.
I just finished up the Malloreon a few days ago. Great book. It's amazing how someone can write something that, while it is predictable to the point of predictability, still manages to capture one's attention through sheer good characterization and writing.

Yes, the Belgariad and Malloreon are two of my favourite fantasy series because of this. They were basically written as an attempt to create the archetypal fantasy book, and the attempt succeeded brilliantly thanks to Eddings' talent.

[Lunchebox]

Okay wow, a bit farther into this book, and it's been a while since a book has really affected me like this.

[ChaosVortex]

I'm currently reading this topic/page (harharhar).

"Original content © 1999-2007, Abominator.
Trademarks are copyright their respective owners."

Done.

Good read.

[Lunchebox]

II finished the book earlier, it is probably my new favorite.

[Johncarllos]

Cool.

I went to B&N today and picked up the Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide.
Also, Slaughterhouse-Five.

Gonna have some good reading coming up.

[Lunchebox]

Books 4 and 5 in the Hitchhiker's series are not as good as 1-3.

Slaughter House Five is one of my favorite books of all time.

[Johncarllos]

I've always wanted to read it, as I LOVE Vonnegut novels.
Cat's Cradle is one of my favorites.

Busy Busy Busy as the Bokononists say.

[ASR]

If I had to rank the Hitchhiker's Guide books in order...

It might be: 3 > 1 > 2 > 5 > 4

But I like 5 a lot. And 4 grows on you over time, it's just very different than the rest. It's not like they take a real dive or anything, it's just a different mood. As a whole, it's impeccable.

That stupid sixth book is going to ruin everything.

And I'm still going to read it, I'm going to have to. October, I think is when it's coming out. Goddamn Eoin Colfer thinking it's a good idea to write a sixth Hitchhiker's book... grumble grumble...

[Lunchebox]

I agree with your order, except 4 should be before 5, because even though it broke my heart, it had the end of Marvin the Paranoid Android. Five pissed me off so much, and i don't know why, all I know is Adams was having a terrible year while writing it.

Who the hell is Eoin Colfer?

[Delta]

I'm reading this book my date let me borrow...

Haha!

Anyway, right now I'm reading the works of Plato (I'm serious, it's good stuff), and this book "The Forgotten Language" by Erich Fromm, which is about symbolic language and its usage in mythology and dream interpretation.  It's quite interesting, and fits in nicely with my current obsession with analysing my dreams.

[orclev]

I am currently reading Persuasion by Jane Austen; after I finish that, I will have read all of her novels!  <3  When I am finished with this, I will return to reading The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, since my boyfriend got it for me for Christmas...it's actually pretty good so far, but I can only read about politics for so long before I start looking for something else.

[ASR]

Who the hell is Eoin Colfer?

He wrote those Artemis Fowl books. I actually read a couple of them when I was younger, and loved them, but that doesn't change the fact that he shouldn't be writing a new Hitchhiker's book.

[Snare]

I've recently reread "A Confederacy of Dunces".

Too bad I rarely read.

[Mikero]

I'm not reading much other than comics at work because of school, but I do have a standard that I'm always reading;

"The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran.

[White Shadow]

60% through Atlas Shrugged. Can't go on 'cause my roomie took it with her on vacation.

I must be a bad person, because I'm enjoying the book.

[Lunchebox]

You're just an asshole. And that's only if you can really say you 100% agree with Rand's ideas/ideals.

I went and got a bunch of books from the Library.

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings ~Oscar Wilde
this Side of Paradise ~F.Scott Fitzgerald
Walden ~Henry David Thoreau
Frankenstein ~Mary Shelley
Four Great Tragedies: Hamlet-Othello-King Lear-Macbeth ~Shakespeare
The Stranger ~Albert Camus
Paradise Lost ~John Milton
Blake: Collected Poems ~William Blake, Edited by W.B. Yeats
Catch-22 ~Joseph Heller
I Am Legend ~Richard Matheson

Which should I read first?

[Mikero]

I just #####en' told you Othello and the Mac.

(That would be a hilarious crime fighting duo.)

[Lunchebox]

ONE IS A BLACK COP, JUST TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET, THE OTHER A SNARKY, SCOTTISH, DETECTIVE, WITH AN EDGE.

TOGETHER THEY ARE...

OTHELLO AN THE MAC.

[Mikero]

And then you get one of those circa 70's wah waah waaah weooow sounds in there.

[ChaosVortex]

Had to read Frankenstein in Senior English class in high school. It reeked, in my opinion.

Forced to read Othello in same class. My favorite tragedy so far, and I hate Shakespeare. Mostly because of the "Olde English", but Othello is a masterpiece.

[Johncarllos]

Read Catch 22.

Alternately, read Vonnegut.

[Vinchenz Rock]

I'm reading the Mother 3 Handbook now. So fun.

[Lunchebox]

Read Catch 22.

Alternately, read Vonnegut.

I know you ain't talking to ME about Vonnegut. One of my all time favorite goddamn authors.

[Johncarllos]

Same here.
I have to read more of his stuff though.
I like everything I've read, of course.

[Lunchebox]

I started reading the Stranger yesterday, it's pretty interesting.

[White Shadow]

You're just an asshole. And that's only if you can really say you 100% agree with Rand's ideas/ideals.

She makes some valid points, but there's a lot of author on board and fetish fuel in there too.

[Lunchebox]

I agree, there are a lot of a lot of great points about Rand's philosophy, but I disagree with quite a bit.

It's funny how close America was to being an Objectivist  country, and how she actually killed that movement.

[Yubi Shines]

Currently rereading Havemercy, which is pure self-indulgent reading: Metal dragons, epic gay magician romance, explosions, and sensitivity training. Aaah.

Read Alan Moore's run of Swamp Thing some weeks ago. It sort of hits me how much Sandman was obviously influenced by it, even beyond Preludes and Nocturnes.

Books I'm planning on getting:
Sir Apropos of Nothing
Bilgewater - An old favorite of mine, but my copy is falling to pieces. Sort of the antithesis to Rebecca.

Other stuff on the reading list:
Perdido Street Station - I started it last year, but drifted off after the first couple of pages. Going to give it another go since, by all accounts, it's worth it.
From Hell
Mister B Gone - Picked it up, read a dozen pages, put it down for reason of encroaching paranoid terror. Damn it, Clive Barker.

[ChaosVortex]

I'm reading this, and looking at Youtube videos about it.

[Chron]

... I'm having trouble feeling sorry for this guy.
When the police ask you to do something, you do it.

Now obviously these guys didn't just go overboard, they went way over the line, but I really wonder how much of that could have been avoided by simply following the instructions.

[ChaosVortex]

If you look into his videos about it, he says they even crushed his face into the glass with their boots, tied him up, and mocked him.

And yeah, they did say, "Had you cooperated, we would've let you go."

But still, they don't have the right to search his vehicle and that's just sick.

[Chron]

I think there's something you don't quite understand about the current political climate.

That, and sometimes it's just common sense to do what people with big sticks and tasers tell you to do.

[ChaosVortex]

As much as I don't usually like it when people test their rights like this, by his story, they didn't have proper cause to search his vehicle. I don't know what you're implying.

Unless you're saying that they don't care, police do it anyway all the time, then yeah.

[Chron]

I don't know where you've been.
Border security in that part of the country is extremely tight, and the police in charge of patrolling the border have a lot of leeway concerning vehicle searches.

He may have been far from the border, but he did pass by a checkpoint; considering how tight security is these days it's not unreasonable to expect your vehicle to e searched.

Police also sometimes look for trouble randomly just to say they've been working, or just to randomly make sure they aren't missing anything.

Typically, yes, a warrant is required, but thanks to a certain act that can be overlooked.

They don't need any more cause than "this vehicle is driving away from the border" to search it, in other words.

[ChaosVortex]

Makes sense, even though I personally don't like the sound of it. It feels like an issue about security and privacy.

I don't know exactly how cooperative he was. He insisted they should bring back the dog to see if it's probable cause (and they refused), so it made his story sound like he was trying to avoid trouble. Yet, at the same time, his story also implied he never rolled down his windows, which is typical respect for an officer of the law. He also argues that for someone who had been crossing the same checkpoint for years to be treated as such is unlawful.

[Chron]

We may never know the truth here.
... probably best not to dwell on it, I guess.

[ChaosVortex]

Truth may be revealed Friday, when he goes to court and pleads his case.

... But yeah.

[AlexThePenguin]

I'm rereading Call of Cthulhu, and starting on Dante's Inferno.

I eventually intend to read all the divine comedies, but this seems a good start.

Posted on: 21-04-2009, 20:17:38

I just read Chuck Palahniuk's story, "Guts."

I personally found it hilarious. It's not for the weak-stomached or those with an issue regarding experimental male masturbation.

It was fun to read whilst stomping on wet towels, certainly.

I haven't read much Palahniuk, but the short stories and excerpts that I read in Northwest Lit. have certainly made me wanting to read more.

Pahalniuk and Tom Robbins both.

[preventerWIND]

I'm reading this, and looking at Youtube videos about it.

That's.. really stupid. I'm with Chron on this, why couldn't he just answer the damn questions? He did get his face bitched up, but that's what's expected when you don't co-operate with the police.

[Majikn]

It's pretty crappy that people just learn to expect that from police.

It's an INCREDIBLY low blow to shove someone's face into broken glass, especially after you've already #####ed him up. I mean, duh, that ##### scars. I don't care if I get a few scars on my arms or my shoulder, but I'm plenty pissed off if someone scars my face just because he's having a bad day or something. Anyone who does that does not deserve to be on the force.

[Chron]

... are you seriously not getting this "cooperate and you'll be totally fine" thing?
Seriously?

[ChaosVortex]

With the release of this video, I agree with Chron a bit more because he just provokes the incident..

Never rolled down his windows or anything.

EDIT: Never presented his Driver's License? What an idiot.

[Majikn]

... are you seriously not getting this "cooperate and you'll be totally fine" thing?
Seriously?

Are you seriously not getting that it's not the point at all? I mean, it's not like I'M going to be a douche to an officer. But if I did, that's no excuse to beat me up and throw me around.

Jesus, you're so insistent that he shouldn't have acted like that in the first place that you ignore that it wasn't right to ##### him up.

If you have to remove him by force, DO THAT. And detain him. Hurting him any further beyond that just shows what an ass you can be and you deserve whatever ##### you get for it.

[Chron]

Yes, it's against constitutionally given rights. Yes, it's nice to see someone stand up for those rights. Yes, the officers should not have beat that guy.

But it's stupid to pick a fight you can't possibly win is what I'm saying.
He is acting suspiciously, but it is sort of a wicked little web of lies.

[ASR]

So, I heard about this show that's starting next fall on ABC called Flash Forward. The premise REALLY interested me: basically, after testing the Large Hadron Collider, everyone on earth passes out for 2 minutes, and has their consciousnesses catapulted about 21 years into the future, where they get a glimpse through their eyes Being John Malkovich-style. Then, everyone wakes up, but there's a crapload of destruction... like, everyone who was driving a car passed out and the cars kept going, all planes taking off and landing crashed, anyone on a ladder or anything fell off, that sort of thing.
Everyone has to deal with this catastrophe and the fact that they got to see what their lives would be like 21 years later.

So, basically, I found out it's based on a book called Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer, so I went out and bought it the other day. I'm about six chapters in and I really like it. There's a lot of great stuff, like some people DIDN'T see flashes and that basically means they die within the next 21 years. One guy who doesn't see a flash basically finds out (from other people who were reading newspapers when they flashed) that he was murdered, and he now wants to try to solve his own murder and prevent it from happening. There's a lot more cool things like that and a whole bunch of characters and, basically, it's a great read so far.

Definitely looking forward to the show.