currently reading? v2.0 (3 Viewers)

[spiritualtramp]

J.G. Ballard

Empire Of The Sun is one of my favourite books. way better than the film.

I read a book of short stories by Ballard called The Terminal Beach - it was pretty good.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

Empire Of The Sun is one of my favourite books. way better than the film.

.

terrible movie; as are The Lost Emperor and Little Buddha

 

[Alan Remorse]

today i've been reading "how to get rich quick" by robin banks.

 

[Jimmy Magee]

Ignorance be Milan Kundera.

I'm beginning to agree with the mysogyny charges levied against him previously.

 

[sarah]

Ignorance be Milan Kundera.

I'm beginning to agree with the mysogyny charges levied against him previously.

That's it I'm going back and re-reading all these books, as
I must be incredibly tolerant or un-observant not to have noticed
this, probably the latter.

 

[karljacuncha]

That's it I'm going back and re-reading all these books, as
I must be incredibly tolerant or un-observant not to have noticed
this, probably the latter.

[first up, i'll point out that i do like his books (but mainly for the interesting ideas and the picture of life in communist czechoslovakia) - also, tis been a while since i read them, so inaccuarcies aside...]

what i was saying about the mysogyny is based on the fact that all his female characters are there primarily as someone's girlfriend - i mean, yeah they have some sort of personality added to this, but their primary function too often seems to be for one of the male characters to have sex (and/or a relationship crisis) with.
to add to this, (i think it was hag going on about this on another thread) the point in the unbearable lightness about how monogomy being an unnatural/social construction that doesn't suit everyone, is just his way of trying to justify his own womanising - it's easier to try and be all clever and blame vague notions of social constructs, than it would be to question your own perception of people (in this case women) and admit you might be wrong.
he doesn't seem to ever consider that if he saw 'women' as more than just 'people too sleep with' then his monogomy/mysogyny/relationship crisis issues may not be such a big deal.

just my two cents

anyways, on annother note:

j.g. ballard stuff - only read 'the crystal world' and 'the venus hunters' but both are highly recommended - both are also short-easy-to-read-in-one-sitting-type books too
(crystal world = probably a good place to start for whoever was asking about the scf-fi ish stuff)

my currently reading: 'europe: a history' - norman davies
tis a weighty tome (moreso than my previous 'ann and barry go too the zoo' anyway), but very very interesting - it sets out to be a linearly told complete (although not in complete detail) history of 'europe'.
it's also a good coffee table book, as you can flip it open anywhere and read one of the 'aside' sections (usually about a page on a subject that relates too the current point in the overall story, but is atomic and can be read independently) - recomended if you've got a year or so with nothing to do.

 

[ratmonkey]

I'm getting more dubious about 'American Psycho' - I flipped it open at random and really couldn't stomach what I was reading. The rest of it is going to have to be really awesome for me to get through that level of gore.

That must have been the Phil Collins chapter then.Disturbing indeed.

 

[Jimmy Magee]

I dunno, I just find his wimmin characters a bit dim or summat. I s'pose that 's just girls for you.

 

[Nehamkin]

I dunno, I just find his wimmin characters a bit dim or summat. I s'pose that 's just girls for you.

you dick!

 

[Jimmy Magee]

you dick!

Ah I was only messin

 

[Nehamkin]

'Introducing Genetics' - y'know those 'Introducing...' books that are all pictures and shit, it's basic stuff but good

Those 'Introducing...' books are excellant - I've read a few and have found them to be really helpful when wanting a quick 'basic' understanding of a subject in order to pursue a further study.

.................. .|..|

 

[Nehamkin]

Hey,

Do people remember this highly sexist book from primary school - Ann and Barry.

 

[One of us]

I'm reading "Life in the 21st century" (Vassiliev & Gouschev- 1959) a Khrushchev-era collection of interviews with Soviet scientists about the Moscow of the future. It's not quite as much fun as the title suggests- most of it seems to be about exciting innovations in coal mining techniques- but there's some great nuggets in there. ("All taxis in the 21st century will be airborn. They will start up with a slight whirr and change into a kind of shining umbrella") So far, my favourite chapter is "Man Will Kindle an Artifical Sun". I'm kinda glad he didn't, though.

 

[Juno]

I've just finished reading a book by Zelda Fitzgerald called 'Save Me the Waltz'. It's quite interesting as she wrote it in 6 weeks and it's basically a fictionalised version of her marriage with F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was definitely one of those "Is it that I don't understand it or is it just bad?" books. The second half was pretty good but the first half was almost incoherent (I thought). Anyone else read it?

 

[Jimmy Magee]

I've just finished reading a book by Zelda Fitzgerald called 'Save Me the Waltz'. It's quite interesting as she wrote it in 6 weeks and it's basically a fictionalised version of her marriage with F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was definitely one of those "Is it that I don't understand it or is it just bad?" books. The second half was pretty good but the first half was almost incoherent (I thought). Anyone else read it?

That was after the madness was it not?

 

[Juno]

That was after the madness was it not?

She was sick at the time but it was a few years before she was put in an asylum. It's interesting to see the changes in writing as she improves health-wise. However, I think it still could've done with a bit of editing.

 

[karljacuncha]

She was sick at the time but it was a few years before she was put in an asylum. It's interesting to see the changes in writing as she improves health-wise. However, I think it still could've done with a bit of editing.

on this subject, i highly recommend f scott's 'tender is the night' - goes into the mental illness thing, based on his experiences with herself - tis a good easy read and feels all fresh and er, modern - and it's better than gatsby imho

 

[Juno]

on this subject, i highly recommend f scott's 'tender is the night' - goes into the mental illness thing, based on his experiences with herself - tis a good easy read and feels all fresh and er, modern - and it's better than gatsby imho

I read that just before 'Save Me the Waltz'. I thought it was an excellent window into that sort of lifestyle at that time but I'd have to disagree on how modern it was. There was a slight taken-for-granted sexism throughout that was probably normal, if not even pretty liberal, then but wouldn't go down to well now. I mean, he messes around with other women, she gets really pissed off and emotional about it and she gets written off as hysterical while he gets to feel hard done by for having a crazy wife. Granted she's a bit unstable but what I got from it was that he was as bad for her as she was for him.

 

[Jimmy Magee]

Didn't think it was as good as Gatsby to be honest, the latter is like a perfectly formed moment of poetic poignancy or something, whereas Tender's a bit more untidy (and not in a way that enriches it either). As for Juno's point, I can't remember it in enough detail unfortunately to confirm or deny.

 

[Jimmy Magee]

I'm currently reading Straw Dogs by John Gray. Nothing to do with the flim (which is marvellous, be the way) - the gist of it is that humans vastly overestimate the significance of their existence, that life really has no meaning, that there is no abiding self, that belief in progress for mankind as a whole is a pipe dream yadda yadda yadda. These are all notions I heartily endorse and to which I give a jaunty thumbs up. There's nothing new about them, but it's good to have them shoved in one's face, to wake oneself up, if nothing else. Best of all, the Chinese had it all sussed about two thousand years ago in Taoism. Hurrah!