*What book are you reading ?
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ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
"Stefano Delle Chiaie: Portrait of a "Black" Terrorist" by Stuart Christie. An interesting chronology of neo-fascist terrorism in Southern Europe from the post-war period through to the 80s.
Just finished Coraline by Neil Gaiman, a kids book but very scary stuff. I'd recommend it to anyone. He has a wild imagination and it's written such that it moves at a very fast pace, kids and adults will love it I think.
Also reading:
The Talented Mr Ripley, also quite scary and more disturbing than the Jude Law film, though I liked that too.
The Invisibles, comic book thingy.
Jimmy Corrigan The Smartest Kid On Earth, as bizarre as ever. Not picked it up for a few weeks.
This is the first time I've read multiple books at once but I'm doing okay so far. I know where I'm up to with them all and they're quite different books so suit different times to read them.
Also reading:
The Talented Mr Ripley, also quite scary and more disturbing than the Jude Law film, though I liked that too.
The Invisibles, comic book thingy.
Jimmy Corrigan The Smartest Kid On Earth, as bizarre as ever. Not picked it up for a few weeks.
This is the first time I've read multiple books at once but I'm doing okay so far. I know where I'm up to with them all and they're quite different books so suit different times to read them.
Dirty Martini
gets what he cant want
I've just finished 'Yonder Stands Your Orphan' by Barry Hannah. Magnificent stuff - hilarious and moving, Mississippi setting addictive. A large cast of characters, all of them superbly drawn, even the minor ones. Every line brings you up short. George Saunders fans would love this imo.
This is his most recent novel. Has anyone come across his stuff before? It seems quite a lot of it is difficult to get hold of - I can't work out why.
This is his most recent novel. Has anyone come across his stuff before? It seems quite a lot of it is difficult to get hold of - I can't work out why.
Coetzee - Life and times of Michael K.
every book of his i read i wonder more and more why he was given the Booker for disgrace, which is far far far from his best work. the only reason i can think of is that the judges empathised with the principal character more in Disgrace than they could with those found in his other books.
every book of his i read i wonder more and more why he was given the Booker for disgrace, which is far far far from his best work. the only reason i can think of is that the judges empathised with the principal character more in Disgrace than they could with those found in his other books.
The Tin Princess by Philip Pullman, having devoured the rest of the series -- the Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North and the Tiger in the Well -- within a few days. See fenian's Philip Pullman thread.
onemonkey
winmonkey
february
here's what i read last month:
If nobody speaks of remarkable things - Jon Macgregor
A debut novel set in a suburban street in some northern town, revolving around the events of one sunday afternoon and the aftermath. the 'prose poem' moments most usually grate but otherwise it would be unkind to malign a highly commendable and modestly readable first novel.
The Mathematical Brain - Brian Butterworth
A psychologist surveys our mathematical abilities - well almost - we don't really know much about the whys and wherefores of maths skills so mainly he looks at our most basic arithemetic and some of the suprising things ever so rarely that can go wrong with it. It succeeds as an Oliver Sacks type book but fails to paint a bigger picture or explain what it describes.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience - Mark Johnson
A worthwhile intro to the topic that i mainly read to suck up to Prof Johnson and his cronies.. nonetheless, it is excellent on the research into development of Cognition, in particular in brings very up to date with the most plausible modern stance on what regrettably is called the 'nature-nuture' debate.. the neurophysiological chapters are excellent.
Introduction to Connectionist Modelling of Cognitive Processes - McLeod, Plunkett & Rolls
superb connectionist textbook - really gets to the heart of modelling and the motivations behind it.. excellent worked examples/exercises to run through using the provided software.. didn't really understand connectionism in any more than a theoretical way until i had read this hands-on primer.
Love among the chickens - P G Wodehouse
An early Wodehouse, written in 1906 when he was first finding his comic voice and inimitable style. All the usual elements are there - though the timing and execution of the jokes has yet to attain the stamp of genius.
I, Lucifer - Glen Duncan
Cunning, crackling and blackly comic. A highly ambitious 1st novel attempting to be a first person account by Lucifer himself. it carries off the wit, intelligence and erudition of the dark prince and even does well in capturing the malevolence and seduces you into feeling that maybe Satan is misunderstood.
Mother London - Michael Moorcock
Moorcock has an effortless fluency in his writing that brings alive the neglected corners of London. The story follows the meanderings of three 'lunatics' from the moment the bombs start falling in the Blitz upto the mid 80's of Thatch, the book too meanders not seeking to tell a tale but to weave together descriptions of Londoners-London and to paint portraits of the outsiders who are at home in such an diverse and unusual city. I wasn't here then but it really feels like he's talking about the same town i experience every day-- fantastic!
Three - Georges Perec
Three short tales by oddball french genius Perec including The Exeter Text which uses no vowels other than 'E' - using up all the ones he had left over after excluding them from his novel 'A Void', an eye-wetting read.. and the mind boggles at the job the translator achieved!
here's what i read last month:
If nobody speaks of remarkable things - Jon Macgregor
A debut novel set in a suburban street in some northern town, revolving around the events of one sunday afternoon and the aftermath. the 'prose poem' moments most usually grate but otherwise it would be unkind to malign a highly commendable and modestly readable first novel.
The Mathematical Brain - Brian Butterworth
A psychologist surveys our mathematical abilities - well almost - we don't really know much about the whys and wherefores of maths skills so mainly he looks at our most basic arithemetic and some of the suprising things ever so rarely that can go wrong with it. It succeeds as an Oliver Sacks type book but fails to paint a bigger picture or explain what it describes.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience - Mark Johnson
A worthwhile intro to the topic that i mainly read to suck up to Prof Johnson and his cronies.. nonetheless, it is excellent on the research into development of Cognition, in particular in brings very up to date with the most plausible modern stance on what regrettably is called the 'nature-nuture' debate.. the neurophysiological chapters are excellent.
Introduction to Connectionist Modelling of Cognitive Processes - McLeod, Plunkett & Rolls
superb connectionist textbook - really gets to the heart of modelling and the motivations behind it.. excellent worked examples/exercises to run through using the provided software.. didn't really understand connectionism in any more than a theoretical way until i had read this hands-on primer.
Love among the chickens - P G Wodehouse
An early Wodehouse, written in 1906 when he was first finding his comic voice and inimitable style. All the usual elements are there - though the timing and execution of the jokes has yet to attain the stamp of genius.
I, Lucifer - Glen Duncan
Cunning, crackling and blackly comic. A highly ambitious 1st novel attempting to be a first person account by Lucifer himself. it carries off the wit, intelligence and erudition of the dark prince and even does well in capturing the malevolence and seduces you into feeling that maybe Satan is misunderstood.
Mother London - Michael Moorcock
Moorcock has an effortless fluency in his writing that brings alive the neglected corners of London. The story follows the meanderings of three 'lunatics' from the moment the bombs start falling in the Blitz upto the mid 80's of Thatch, the book too meanders not seeking to tell a tale but to weave together descriptions of Londoners-London and to paint portraits of the outsiders who are at home in such an diverse and unusual city. I wasn't here then but it really feels like he's talking about the same town i experience every day-- fantastic!
Three - Georges Perec
Three short tales by oddball french genius Perec including The Exeter Text which uses no vowels other than 'E' - using up all the ones he had left over after excluding them from his novel 'A Void', an eye-wetting read.. and the mind boggles at the job the translator achieved!
Orang Utan
They cannot crucify you if your hand is in a fist
You're very brainy, Onemonkey 
"Modern Nature" - Derek Jarman.
post-diagnosis diaries.
too much fucking gardening.
post-diagnosis diaries.
too much fucking gardening.
onemonkey said:
Gave my mum Mother London - reckon she can handle it by now.
Have you read Douglas Hofstadter on translation - with reference to Perec - in Le Ton Beau de Marot?
I've just started Politics of Nature by Bruno Latour - out next month in translation. Provoking... "under the pretext of protecting nature, the ecology movements have retained the conception of nature that makes their political struggle hopeless. "Nature" is made... precisely to eviscerate politics"
Recently finished Graham Greene's "End of the Affair" - recommended by fellow poster - ta very much. Very moving and great in the headfuck department.
Been ploughing through Zizek's "Enjoy your Symptoms" - an exploration of Lacan through Hollywood and popular culture. Fucking great stuff. "Enjoy your symptoms" is now my phrase of the moment.
Been ploughing through Zizek's "Enjoy your Symptoms" - an exploration of Lacan through Hollywood and popular culture. Fucking great stuff. "Enjoy your symptoms" is now my phrase of the moment.
chegrimandi
associated with adultery
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Ive just finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, then read The Impressionist by Hari Kunzri, now reading some silly french book
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