What books are you currently reading?


Books

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Lord Snow wrote:
Simon Legrande wrote:
Lord Snow wrote:

Been a while since I had access to the internet, but I have not been idle. Finished rereading EYE OF THE WORLD (WHEEL OF TIME #1), read HOSTS (REPAIRMAN JACK #5) to rest myself a bit, and dove back into WoT with the second book, THE GREAT HUNT, which I am currently reading.

** spoiler omitted **...

I'll give you my response to your WoT thoughts. The women are still separate from the men because they want to be separate. They take "women's" jobs because they firmly believe that the men will royally foul things up and destroy things again. The women let the men believe they are in charge because it gives them (the women) that much more control. They work to not destroy the fragile male ego because they've seen what happens when they do. Far from being second class citizens, they are more like the Illuminati of the world, controlling everything from behind the scenes with a light touch.
Unlikely.

I think there's some truth in it, though I wouldn't go quite so far.

The Aes Sedai wield a good deal of power both beyond the scenes and blatantly. That much is clear.

Even within the rest of society or in the microscales of villages and households, I don't see women as secretly ruling behind the scenes or as repressed, or as equal. More that the sexes tend to have their own spheres and then influence the others through personal relationships. Some traditional societies had similar divisions.

Though I'm not fond of Jordan's portrayal of gender divisions in general, there were some interesting things. The parallel between the ways the main characters of each gender dismissed and condescended to each other and the way they, very slowly, came to actually respect each other.

The Exchange

Quote:
Though I'm not fond of Jordan's portrayal of gender divisions in general, there were some interesting things. The parallel between the ways the main characters of each gender dismissed and condescended to each other and the way they, very slowly, came to actually respect each other.

Agreed. Although I tend to side more with the women in this case - at least in the first book, those women are Egwene and Nynaeve - the village Wisdom and her apprentice. Unlike the three male country boys, the two girls actually trained themselves to think before the adventure started, and are not nearly as dense.


I just finished Heinlein's "The Green Hills of Earth." While there are a few scientific and cultural anachronisms, I was amazed at how many thing he got *right* about space travel in 1951. A nice collection of short tales and a very quick read.


Lord Snow wrote:
Quote:
Though I'm not fond of Jordan's portrayal of gender divisions in general, there were some interesting things. The parallel between the ways the main characters of each gender dismissed and condescended to each other and the way they, very slowly, came to actually respect each other.

Agreed. Although I tend to side more with the women in this case - at least in the first book, those women are Egwene and Nynaeve - the village Wisdom and her apprentice. Unlike the three male country boys, the two girls actually trained themselves to think before the adventure started, and are not nearly as dense.

Well I guess having read all of the books gives me a different view. It's interesting to watch the know-it-alls realize they don't and the know-nothings learn.


I wish I had known how hilarious AAiW was, I would have read it a long time ago. I'm gonna blame Disney for wrecking it.


Currently reading:

"Why Nations Fail" - Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson


Right now... Code of Federal Regulations Title 21. ^_^

For school: The Culture Clash on the Medieval Baltic Frontier. The Baltic War.

For funsies: Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg: Gail Carson. Monster Hunter Nemesis: Larry Correia. Spice and Wolf: Hasekura Isuna. For the Emperor: Sandy Mitchell.


Brust's new one. Vlad is always a treat.


Red Seas, Red Skies is my current break time reading. Haven't gotten far yet, but I am enjoying what I have read so far


MMCJawa wrote:
Red Seas, Red Skies is my current break time reading. Haven't gotten far yet, but I am enjoying what I have read so far

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, or another book with a similar title?

Assuming we're talking about the Gentlemen Bastards book, I enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora more than Red Seas Under Red Skies, but they were both still excellent.


all the pretty horses


'Lies of Locke Lamora' (finished last night) was absolutely first class, absorbing enough to make me unaware that my train had arrived in the station, stopped, then departed again in a completely different direction... I'm also reading My Secret Garden by Nancy Friday, which, according to the introduction, is like a livid jungle split by the screams of the Monkey King and a dark forest lit by burning tigers (so presumably what he's screaming is 'WHICH OF YOU BASTARDS SET LIGHT TO MY TIGERS?!').


Tinkergoth wrote:
MMCJawa wrote:
Red Seas, Red Skies is my current break time reading. Haven't gotten far yet, but I am enjoying what I have read so far

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, or another book with a similar title?

Assuming we're talking about the Gentlemen Bastards book, I enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora more than Red Seas Under Red Skies, but they were both still excellent.

What'd you think of Republic of Thieves?


Tinkergoth wrote:
MMCJawa wrote:
Red Seas, Red Skies is my current break time reading. Haven't gotten far yet, but I am enjoying what I have read so far

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, or another book with a similar title?

Assuming we're talking about the Gentlemen Bastards book, I enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora more than Red Seas Under Red Skies, but they were both still excellent.

Yep that is the one. For whatever reasons I always screw up the name(usually reversing the order so it's Red Skies over Red Seas).

I loved the Lies of Locke Lamora, but I can already see that this book is going to have a darker tone compared to the latter book, given the events in Lies.


I can't see Republic of Thieves without thinking "Republic of Tea".


Finished up Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, hilarious but too short. Moving on to Through the Looking Glass next which looks like it's a bit longer. After that I need to decide on either Meditations by Marcus Aurelius or Discourse on the Method by Descartes.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland wrote:

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don't much care where-" said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"-so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if only you walk long enough."


I usually hesitate to comment on books I didn't much care for, but seeing as how it was written by a long, long dead stooge of the plutocracy:

I was very disappointed when I read Meditations. Happily, my edition was printed in 1945 as part of something called "The Classics Club" and it came with two highly enjoyable dialogues by Lucian of Samasota (yes, I only wrote this post to further bond with Comrade Longears), as well as an excerpt from Pater's Marius the Epicurean and an Apology by some Christian martyr named Justin who may or may not, I wouldn't know, have been a big horseface.

In other ancient Stoic news, my Buddhist monk player stopped playing with us a while back after his daughter was born. Not only is he a Buddhist monk, but his wife is a new-age hippie and they named her Aurelia. [Says it aloud]

Poor thing. Puberty's gonna be hell.


Orthos wrote:
Tinkergoth wrote:
MMCJawa wrote:
Red Seas, Red Skies is my current break time reading. Haven't gotten far yet, but I am enjoying what I have read so far

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, or another book with a similar title?

Assuming we're talking about the Gentlemen Bastards book, I enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora more than Red Seas Under Red Skies, but they were both still excellent.

What'd you think of Republic of Thieves?

I enjoyed it, but felt it was the weakest of the series so far. Was pretty sure I'd talked about my thoughts on it here before, dug back through my posting history and found it.

Tinkergoth's thoughts on Republic of Thieves


Cool.

On the last book of the Odyssey One series, Out of the Black, now. Not sure what I'll move on to once it'd one.

Also started listening to 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas audiobook at work.


Makers of Rome by Plutarch. Gais Gracchus has just been killed and if you ask me I think its a turning point for the Republic...


Jean-Paul Sartre, Intrnet Troll wrote:

I usually hesitate to comment on books I didn't much care for, but seeing as how it was written by a long, long dead stooge of the plutocracy:

I was very disappointed when I read Meditations. Happily, my edition was printed in 1945 as part of something called "The Classics Club" and it came with two highly enjoyable dialogues by Lucian of Samasota (yes, I only wrote this post to further bond with Comrade Longears), as well as an excerpt from Pater's Marius the Epicurean and an Apology by some Christian martyr named Justin who may or may not, I wouldn't know, have been a big horseface.

Well, I'm more going for a sampling of everything. If I can force myself through Critique on Practical Reason (man is Kant a terrible writer) and Atlas Shrugged, I figure I can get through anything.

At some point I'm going to have to have a go at The Republic, I'm just trying to work through shorter works first. I gotta dig up something on epicureanism at some point too, so if you have any suggestions throw them out there.


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I don't mean to dissuade you. It wasn't terrible, it was just kind of blah. It was pretty much everything you've ever heard about it and not much more. Wordly attachments are bad. Do your duty. Be virtuous. Life is transient. Worldy attachments are bad. Now I'm going to go invade this country over here and take their people into slavery and concubinage. (It might not say that last part.)

Anyway, I mostly just posted to say "See Limey, me too!" and to tell the story about my Buddhist monk player's daughter. And to taunt the horseface.

Although, tomorrow morning, Kirth Gersen is going to hee hee! mightily when he sees us discussing The Republic.


Jean-Paul Sartre, Intrnet Troll wrote:

I don't mean to dissuade you. It wasn't terrible, it was just kind of blah. It was pretty much everything you've ever heard about it and not much more. Wordly attachments are bad. Do your duty. Be virtuous. Life is transient. Worldy attachments are bad. Now I'm going to go invade this country over here and take their people into slavery and concubinage. (It might not say that last part.)

Stocism always struck me as a philosophy of the extremely privileged and moderately self-aware. Contentedness comes easiest to those who have all the worldly comforts they could ever want.


Samnell wrote:
Jean-Paul Sartre, Intrnet Troll wrote:

I don't mean to dissuade you. It wasn't terrible, it was just kind of blah. It was pretty much everything you've ever heard about it and not much more. Wordly attachments are bad. Do your duty. Be virtuous. Life is transient. Worldy attachments are bad. Now I'm going to go invade this country over here and take their people into slavery and concubinage. (It might not say that last part.)

Stocism always struck me as a philosophy of the extremely privileged and moderately self-aware. Contentedness comes easiest to those who have all the worldly comforts they could ever want.

Well that's pretty much true of all philosophies. I'm having a hard time thinking of any classical philosopher that wasn't either well off or held some place of privilege. Not having to worry about how you're going to get through life is pretty much what enables you to think on more abstract things.

My goal is to sample some of everything. Nothing is perfect, but everything has some small nugget of truth buried in it somewhere.

The Exchange

Just finished the Magican's Trilogy. Quentin Coldwater was a great protagonist but it took me 2 1/3 books to warm up to him.

Would any of you recommened the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone?

Silver Crusade

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I am digging The Dark Defiles. I want more books like this.

What would the literati of Paizo recommend for someone who wants to read more high fantasy, but also spends a lot of time reading pretentious shiznit and therefore can't stomach flimsy prose?


I, alas, haven't been reading again, but I was tickled pink by "pretentious shiznit."


Celestial Healer wrote:

I am digging The Dark Defiles. I want more books like this.

What would the literati of Paizo recommend for someone who wants to read more high fantasy, but also spends a lot of time reading pretentious shiznit and therefore can't stomach flimsy prose?

The Worm Ourobouros, by E.R Eddison (he also wrote a trilogy, but I haven't read that), in the unlikely event that you've not already come across it. The prose isn't flimsy, being more in the Olde Ynglisshe Ho, Aroint Ye Varlet style, but if you don't mind that, go ahead. Orlando Furioso might do it for you too, again, if you've not etc ect.

Most recently, I've read Imaro II - the quest for Kush, by Charles Saunders, which was especially good, being set in what was a completely novel setting to me (African, rather than pseudo Middle Ages Europe/East Asia)


Celestial Healer wrote:

I am digging The Dark Defiles. I want more books like this.

What would the literati of Paizo recommend for someone who wants to read more high fantasy, but also spends a lot of time reading pretentious shiznit and therefore can't stomach flimsy prose?

I'm guessing you've read Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun already?

(A bit too Christian for my tastes, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with the prose.)

Or, to pick something only tangentially fantastic, Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess. Much, much better than A Clockwork Orange.

Silver Crusade

Doodlebug Anklebiter wrote:

I, alas, haven't been reading again, but I was tickled pink by "pretentious shiznit."

I think it's your phrase, from an exchange we had a year or so ago. :)

Thank you for the suggestions, all. I actually haven't read any of those.


I'm reading Farley and Kittredge's Advanced English Grammar. It might sound like an odd read, but it's a relief to read grammar rules and rationale instead of endless complaints about improper apostrophization and comma splices in modern life.

On another note, everyone ready for NaNoWriMo?


Samnell wrote:
Jean-Paul Sartre, Intrnet Troll wrote:

I don't mean to dissuade you. It wasn't terrible, it was just kind of blah. It was pretty much everything you've ever heard about it and not much more. Wordly attachments are bad. Do your duty. Be virtuous. Life is transient. Worldy attachments are bad. Now I'm going to go invade this country over here and take their people into slavery and concubinage. (It might not say that last part.)

Stocism always struck me as a philosophy of the extremely privileged and moderately self-aware. Contentedness comes easiest to those who have all the worldly comforts they could ever want.

Indeed. In more modern times, Marx lived off a stipend, which put him in exactly the same position.


Treppa wrote:
On another note, everyone ready for NaNoWriMo?

I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to participate this year. I didn't last year, or the year before that.


Sissyl wrote:
Samnell wrote:
Jean-Paul Sartre, Intrnet Troll wrote:

I don't mean to dissuade you. It wasn't terrible, it was just kind of blah. It was pretty much everything you've ever heard about it and not much more. Wordly attachments are bad. Do your duty. Be virtuous. Life is transient. Worldy attachments are bad. Now I'm going to go invade this country over here and take their people into slavery and concubinage. (It might not say that last part.)

Stocism always struck me as a philosophy of the extremely privileged and moderately self-aware. Contentedness comes easiest to those who have all the worldly comforts they could ever want.
Indeed. In more modern times, Marx lived off a stipend, which put him in exactly the same position.

Given all the "Marx lived in poverty and let all his kids die because he refused to work" arguments the right has propagated over the years, I find it hard to believe that he "ha[d] all the worldy comforts [he] could ever want," even with Freddie's generous help.


Finishing up The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson tonight, most likely.

Then moving on to the On Silver Wings series, again by Evan Currie.

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