what are you reading today?

[mrjuby]

started and finished "you don't love me yet" by jonathan lethem two days ago. pretty much in one sitting with some breaks in between.

i just bought "blood meridian" and "naked lunch" today. gonna read "catch 22" first.

[homi29]

speaking of gladwell , im reading blink right now

its pretty enjoyable and i do think his argument should be given some thought.

i do totally feel gladwell profits off other peoples hard prior research (but who doesnt)

[lucky_cloud]

Finally finished The Savage Detectives a few days ago. It was even better than I'd been led to believe.

Reading this now:

I bought it as an xmas present for my little neice, but started reading it on the trip home and had to get another copy so I could finish it. It's so charming!

[dra]

sorry, not going to be bothered reading through 38 pages to see if this has been mentioned but.

if you want to read one of the greatest living american authors, check out paul auster. id recommend the new york trilogy to start with. three short-ish stories that seem totally unconnected, yet most certainly are not.

also w.g. sebald's vertigo is nothing short of amazing.

[juliaN.]

did ftb just say vcd? where u live, asia 1991?

pineapple express > tropic thunder, try it.

nah, Hong Kong, 2008. VCD is still the preferred mode of entertainment container. asia 1991, i think you're thinking of laser disc

pineapple express looks like a movie i'd love but unfortunately i haven't seen it anywhere.

[gfunkdocta]

damn, i meant 2001 for vcd; 91 for laser disc

still, im surprised dvd aint the norm there

then again, the bootleg "dvds" we get here from asia/azns are vcd quality..

makes sense now.

[juliaN.]

bootleg dvds are the best in toronto, at that mall on highway 7 that has the cineplex odeon...something Markham Place? The one with that congee restaurant, the bootleg Din Tai Fung, you know that one. The pirated DVDs there were dvd screener quality

bootleg dvds here are unreliable. ive only purchased once in past year, from causeway bay. $100 for 3, i bought Oceans 13 (which ended being in German and was randomly spliced like some avant garde film student editing project), that Nic Tse/Shawn Yu/JC Chan action movie which was shot in a cinema with a handheld and wasn't even focused on the screen; worse it was shot in a mainland theater I presume as whole thing was in barely audible mandarin. dont even remember what the 3rd movie was but that was the last time i bought pirated or ever saw that vendor at that street corner ever again.

[feather]

Snow Crash is like cyberpunk on crack.

Great selection on both.

Finished Abercrombie's Before They Are Hanged, maybe Botton's Architecture of Happiness or some Borges next. But there are a couple of new scifi/fantasy I want to check out like Bank's Matter.

[gfunkdocta]

ftb, that'd be first markham place w/ the congee wong and theatres.

pmall is my go-to spot (pacific). i'd get hk street snacks, scoop up some movies, 4 for 10/8 for 20. then call some girls over that night for popcorn and impress em w/ my movie selection.

but, the cops have since busted the operations last month or so and it's like buying/sellin drugs now, so i just dl them now, or actually go see them in theatres!(crazy i know).

either way, the "dvd screeners" are still not dvd quality. they're the same as wut u can dl off torrents, 1.3 gig compressed avi files, burnt as vobs so ur dvd players can read em. i've seen 7 pounds, yes man and quantum of solace that way recently. it is still good and very watchable.

i can elaborate on the buying/selling drugs part, but babylon, u know.

ok no more polutting this highly educational thread.

[Tea]

Just finished:

Just started:

[Larry Bird]

hurry down sunshine by michael greenberg

[eirikt]

Phillip Roth - Portnoy´s Complaint. I also got this for christmas, looks pretty good. Can´t wait to get started on it.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Finally finished The Savage Detectives a few days ago. It was even better than I'd been led to believe.

i am dying to read bolano. impossible to get through the library system here----everything is out or on hold.

good call on Vurt sidneyro

i think that's the first book i've read as a result of this thrak's influence

plodding through cyclonopedia

i feel like i am getting manipulated

[ericdw]

Reading Bolano makes me want to read more fiction.

[CronutEh]

On page hundred something, I've been slacking. Pretty good so far, but I'm too much of a naive kid to understand it all.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

Double-post: stone-age internet speeds messed up the post, mods can delete this.

[CronutEh]

I see. I'll mos def check out Anthem. Is The Fountainhead any good?

[Baeyer-Drewson]

On page hundred something, I've been slacking. Pretty good so far, but I'm too much of a naive kid to understand it all.

There isn't that much to it. You should check out Anthem for a more concise and poetic overview of Rand's philosophy. Pretty overrated self-indulgent idea in my mind. I may have missed the intent but I didn't enjoy Ayn Rand nearly as much as I thought I would.

Currently what could be considered pop-philosophy with a kind of dark comedic writing style;

Pretty good so far. Interesting concept and the style of writing is hilarious. I can imagine it was considered pretty subversive at the time of initial publication.

[zerofuture]

I see. I'll mos def check out Anthem. Is The Fountainhead any good?

I'm currently about halfway through The Fountainhead and I'm really liking it. I've not read any Ayn Rand previously and am tackling it because it was recommended by a pretty girl who claimed it was one of her favorite books. I believe it's worth checking out.

[juliaN.]

Currently what could be considered pop-philosophy with a kind of dark comedic writing style;

never heard of this but the description sounds intriguing and right up my alley. Thanks for the heads up

[DJ_Flame]

I'm currently about halfway through The Fountainhead and I'm really liking it. I've not read any Ayn Rand previously and am tackling it because it was recommended by a pretty girl who claimed it was one of her favorite books. I believe it's worth checking out.

It is just me, but the fountainhead bored me. Basically a thriller masquerading as a meta-quasi political commentary.

[C0C0]

also, which amis novel after money is the the best? i liked money but it didnt shake me much.

and junot diaz is exceptional but you have to like character who speak from a marginalized voice. despite his praise, i dont think mainstream readers will get much out of him, since he relys heavily on racially esoteric presumptions. i dig it though.

i would have to say the opposite... this book was made to sell, as i read it i can see what devices diaz was using and the language seemed forced. and the characters although "original" were not really and stuck to their stereotypes

---

just ordered these:

currently reading:

[fallen angels]

[Tea]

George Orwell - Ninteen Eighty-Four

[automaton]

Just finished this. Despite having no idea what was really going on for the majority of the book, it was actually quite enjoyable.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

Just started Blood Meridian based on recommendations in this thread. Really enjoying it so far. Very intense book. Thanks guys!

[sunkenshoes]

Just finished 'Norwegian Wood'. First Murakami I ever read.

It was pretty amusing, but nothing extremely good or anything. It's really weird; not much happens, but still I kept on reading.

[sushijerk]

Picked up the latest issue of Lapham's. Highly recommended.

[jack napier]

whoooooo.

ps. ayn rand is a fucking hack.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

Just finished 'Norwegian Wood'. First Murakami I ever read.

It was pretty amusing, but nothing extremely good or anything. It's really weird; not much happens, but still I kept on reading.

So true... Murakami is the ultimate relaxation read for me. Almost nothing happens in his novels but they are still compelling somehow. Strangest thing...