*What book are you reading? (part 2)

[Jon-of-arc]

Eh up thicko

Read the facking thread. I'm already halfway through and loving it

"Read the facking thread"? Is that an order? I think you can kindly fuck off...

Glad your loving it, but do you not see how it could come accross to the rest of us? Am I thick for not loving it, or just for not having read every post on this thread? Either way, I don't think these are Mensa approved methods of intelligence testing....

 

[Jon-of-arc]

With all due respect, you're a fool.

Did you finish it, by any chance?

Yes, I finished it, and even got round to the transparently patronising "mistakes we knew we were making". Seriously, i have never been so bored in my life. One of those books that you make yourself read because loads of dullards have said it's great. But you didn't realise they were that thick until you had read the book and by then it was too late.

Again, why is someone who doesn't like Dave Eggers a fool? I'm not alone on this. We're not talking one of the literary greats here, but rather a self-important yet self-depricating San-Fransisco "hipster" who thinks that an audition for MTV's "the Real World" will make an amazing and ironic metaphor for... well, for what? He ends up saying little more in this book than "aren't I clever and wasn't my life hard?" Piss off, Dave. If I want a punchy misery memoir, I'll read A Million Little Pieces. If I want someone to intelectually masturbate in my face, I'll speak to El Jefe....

 

[sojourner]

"Read the facking thread"? Is that an order? I think you can kindly fuck off...

Glad your loving it, but do you not see how it could come accross to the rest of us? Am I thick for not loving it, or just for not having read every post on this thread? Either way, I don't think these are Mensa approved methods of intelligence testing....

No, you're thick for not having read the posts made ON THE SAME PAGE that you posted on and quoted from, by ME, about that very same book

Oh, and I never kindly fuck off. It's always with a certain amount of shouting, swearing, and perhaps a kicked cat/dog or two

You didn't like it, that doesn't make you thick. You just didn't like it. It's written in a style that I really appreciate though, having covered fuckloads of this sort of stuff on my degree, and it's really satisfying for me to read

 

[El Jefe]

Yes, I finished it, and even got round to the transparently patronising "mistakes we knew we were making". Seriously, i have never been so bored in my life. One of those books that you make yourself read because loads of dullards have said it's great. But you didn't realise they were that thick until you had read the book and by then it was too late.

Again, why is someone who doesn't like Dave Eggers a fool? I'm not alone on this. We're not talking one of the literary greats here, but rather a self-important yet self-depricating San-Fransisco "hipster" who thinks that an audition for MTV's "the Real World" will make an amazing and ironic metaphor for... well, for what? He ends up saying little more in this book than "aren't I clever and wasn't my life hard?" Piss off, Dave. If I want a punchy misery memoir, I'll read A Million Little Pieces. If I want someone to intelectually masturbate in my face, I'll speak to El Jefe....

Oh dear.

I'll think I'll leave you to your ranting

 

[Jon-of-arc]

No, you're thick for not having read the posts made ON THE SAME PAGE that you posted on and quoted from, by ME, about that very same book

Having just got into a 10 page debate with a load of people who didn't read things that I had said causing me to frequently repeat myself, I can state emphatically that I have no idea where you are coming from. Were they all thick? No, just responding immediately to whichever part of the post they had chanced upon.....

 

[Jon-of-arc]

Oh dear.

I'll think I'll leave you to your ranting

better to leave some opinions than transparently boring and uninsightful 1 line posts

poster 1 -I liked it

Poster 2 - So do I

Poster 3 - I don't

Poster 1 - Well, you're thick. I did an essay on post modernism, don't you know...

 

[El Jefe]

If you like.

 

[sojourner]

Having just got into a 10 page debate with a load of people who didn't read things that I had said causing me to frequently repeat myself, I can state emphatically that I have no idea where you are coming from. Were they all thick? No, just responding immediately to whichever part of the post they had chanced upon.....

Think you need to calm down dear, it's only a book

You only have to read on a couple of posts after the one you quoted me on, to find more of my posts saying how much I liked the book

Have a fucking minute eh?

 

[damnhippie]

/\/\/\ A Million Little Pieces is hardly a memoir

as you were. rucking, that is.

 

[marty21]

nicholas nickleby - charles dickens

 

[El Jefe]

Thoroughly enjoying The God Delusion and can't see why people gave Dawkins a hard time about it. Nothing in it seems unfair or illogical.

 

[Flashman]

Badger Kittens book, and Churchill's Bodyguard.

 

[ringo]

Just finished the new Irvine Welsh, Crime. Return to form for Welsh, after his previous two dissapointments. The last 20 pages or so drag out the "redemption" theme a little too far, but over all well worth a read.

About 50 pages in so far. It always takes me a while to get used to his style, especially after reading Booker Prize type novels, so it's only just starting to flow for me.

Glad to hear it's a return to form because so far not much has happened and there has been some really bad writing so far. There was a sentence I read last night I had to reread twice because it was so bad, just a clumsy jumble of mixed metaphors I'd expect from a school child. Still, with Welsh you know it'll soon become so grim you forget about such trivialities.

 

[bmd]

Depending on what mood I'm in -

The Elves of Cintra - Terry Brookes
Hard Work - Polly Toynbee
Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman
We Bought a Zoo - Benjamin Mee
The Dark Knight Returns - Frank Miller
The Watchmen - Alan Moore

I've also just bought The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist but can't be arsed with it atm. And Permanent Midnight (again) by Jerry Stahl.

 

[Jon-of-arc]

About 50 pages in so far. It always takes me a while to get used to his style, especially after reading Booker Prize type novels, so it's only just starting to flow for me.

Glad to hear it's a return to form because so far not much has happened and there has been some really bad writing so far. There was a sentence I read last night I had to reread twice because it was so bad, just a clumsy jumble of mixed metaphors I'd expect from a school child. Still, with Welsh you know it'll soon become so grim you forget about such trivialities.

Actually, considering the subject matter and the fact that it's a Welsh novel, it's surprisingly restrained. Still enough fucked up shit for any die-hard Irv fans out there, but just written in a much more sensitive manner. Marabou Stork Nightmares it aint....

There are too many metaphors and too many long drawn out descriptions of places that I've never heard of. But it will definately speed up as you get into it.....

 

[Jon-of-arc]

/\/\/\ A Million Little Pieces is hardly a memoir

as you were. rucking, that is.

eggers book is just as fictionalised (more so?), but still falls into that cat....

 

[Pieface]

I've also just bought The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist but can't be arsed with it atm.

I hated that book. Just repeats the same thing over and over for ages using annoying examples of put upon rustic types being oppressed by the upper classes while they drink beer and fight amongst themselves.

It was so fucking dull I stopped reading it. I suspect they rise up later on

 

[Jon-of-arc]

Thoroughly enjoying The God Delusion and can't see why people gave Dawkins a hard time about it. Nothing in it seems unfair or illogical.

The god delusion is a quality book (except for all the evolutionary biology bits, which spoil a good third of it - how come he's so boring when it comes to his specialist subject?) but you can hardly expect people who are fanatically religious not to get a bit upset. It's kind of what they do. Looking at it from Dawkins extreme logical pov, then that upset might seem unjustified, but what about religion is justified?

 

[El Jefe]

The god delusion is a quality book (except for all the evolutionary biology bits, which spoil a good third of it - how come he's so boring when it comes to his specialist subject?) but you can hardly expect people who are fanatically religious not to get a bit upset. It's kind of what they do. Looking at it from Dawkins extreme logical pov, then that upset might seem unjustified, but what about religion is justified?

I was actually referring to a good number of people who are atheist / agnostic but thought Dawkins was heavy-handed or bullying with his arguments ("Darwin's rottweiler" etc). I just don't see it.

 

[El Jefe]

eggers book is just as fictionalised (more so?), but still falls into that cat....

The difference being Eggers never pretended it was a straight up account, so there was no deceit. A fairly crucial difference, no?

 

[mrkikiet]

wheen - how mumbo-jumbo conquered the world

 

[poului]

Thoroughly enjoying The God Delusion and can't see why people gave Dawkins a hard time about it. Nothing in it seems unfair or illogical.

Because those said detractors are unfair and illogical?

 

[El Jefe]

Because those said detractors are unfair and illogical?

But the thing is, people I know completely in agreement with Dawkins felt he was heavy-handed or overly blunt about it. They're the people I don't get..

 

[poului]

But the thing is, people I know completely in agreement with Dawkins felt he was heavy-handed or overly blunt about it. They're the people I don't get..

Surely it's that they feel guilty for holding such a low opinion of their fellow citizens' beliefs, even when they ought not to?

 

[El Jefe]

Perhaps. Lily-livered twats

 

[poului]

Perhaps. Lily-livered twats

In fairness, it's not very British to be entirely upfront about what you think of stupid opinions.

 

[Pie 1]

Just finished Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. Absolutely loved it - every page of it. Cracking stuff.

And also Le Carre's The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Pretty near perfect spy story tbh.

William Boyd's Any Human Heart is next...

 

[El Jefe]

In fairness, it's not very British to be entirely upfront about what you think of stupid opinions.

I'd like to think that, in my own small way, I challenge that daily

 

[El Jefe]

Just finished Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. Absolutely loved it - every page of it. Cracking stuff.

Amazing, isn't it? Heartbreaking in places too. He writes so well about old age, which you don't tend to come across much

 

[poului]

rtfjtyo8y

Anyway, 'Cooking with Fermat Branca' for me.

It's definitely a grower.