EllGab - Spite Board
Rikki Gins Lounge => Random Topics => Topic started by: Aldous Burbank on July 05, 2018, 01:05:38 PM
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100 Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez
1967
It seems everyone with half a brain and functioning heart has read this. Since I'm usually running just under half a brain thinkfulness I was unaware of this work until an exceedingly brilliant and beautiful woman gifted it to me. Handing it to me, it was as if her eyes private messaged my soul, subject matter: Here ya go dipshit, something for you and your little fetish for magical realism...
I'm enjoying the artistry of words that reads like a melody with imagery as its rhythm. It has a flavor of needing to be read aloud by lovers. I'm only a third through it at a slow pace because I keep going back and savoring paragraphs. Of course I have little retention capacity for this level of wordcraft. The following video pretty much captures my pace and reading style with this book.
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100 Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez
1967
It seems everyone with half a brain and functioning heart has read this. Since I'm usually running just under half a brain thinkfulness I was unaware of this work until an exceedingly brilliant and beautiful woman gifted it to me. Handing it to me, it was as if her eyes private messaged my soul, subject matter: Here ya go dipshit, something for you and your little fetish for magical realism...
I'm enjoying the artistry of words that reads like a melody with imagery as its rhythm. It has a flavor of needing to be read aloud by lovers. I'm only a third through it at a slow pace because I keep going back and savoring paragraphs. Of course I have little retention capacity for this level of wordcraft. The following video pretty much captures my pace and reading style with this book.
I like Gabriel García Márquez. Memories of my Melancholy Whores was my introduction to him.
I recently finished Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut after a suggestion from Bellgab. Now I'm reading What If? by Randall Munroe. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21413662-what-if (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21413662-what-if)
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100 Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez
1967
It seems everyone with half a brain and functioning heart has read this. Since I'm usually running just under half a brain thinkfulness I was unaware of this work until an exceedingly brilliant and beautiful woman gifted it to me. Handing it to me, it was as if her eyes private messaged my soul, subject matter: Here ya go dipshit, something for you and your little fetish for magical realism...
I'm enjoying the artistry of words that reads like a melody with imagery as its rhythm. It has a flavor of needing to be read aloud by lovers. I'm only a third through it at a slow pace because I keep going back and savoring paragraphs. Of course I have little retention capacity for this level of wordcraft.
He's on the level of Borges: "How was this possible?"
And the discovery of Márquez' glittering sentences is riven by a horrifying afterthought: the beauty suffusing our brains, in English, is owed mostly the translator, Gregory Rabassa.
The same dread realization struck as I etched Le Corbusier's lapidary aphorisms into the lintels of my mind. Simulacra, approximations, renditions offered — with conviction! — by secondary interpreters. Still glowing, but through a hazy gauze of language.
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Finished The Cruise of the Snark, Jack London, 1911.
Luminous prose, duh, and an ending uncomfortably close to The Sea Wolf's: the betrayal of the mind by the body.
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I just started reading The Outsider by Stephen King. At over 500 pages, it's probably going to take me a while. I hope it's worth it.
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Save the sometimes too-explicit gore, King rarely lets me down.
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Save the sometimes too-explicit gore, King rarely lets me down.
I'm hoping this is a good one. The reviews I have seen have been good, but to be honest I only read a handful.
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it was pretty good. Reminded me of IT in some ways.
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it was pretty good. Reminded me of IT in some ways.
Thanks, Belles! :)
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Reading Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. About a coven of witches. Fascinating and funny.
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Reading Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. About a coven of witches. Fascinating and funny.
Terry Pratchett is one of my favorites. I love his personification of Death.
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Terry Pratchett is one of my favorites. I love his personification of Death.
How did you discover Pratchett?
Most of my early scifi/fantasy picks were governed by the shelf-stockers at Barnes & Noble. I always fell for the cover art, first. (And I always split toward scifi first). I couldn't get through this collection of short stories by David Brin ("Otherness"), but I still dream about the possibilities suggested by its cover, painted by Donato Giancola.
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Finished "The Last Good Kiss" by James Crumley. Interesting book. As Wiki says "a mix of Hammet and Hunter Thompson," sorta but in some ways better than both. Not a typical detective story with some interesting twists. Pretty gritty at times and not for kids but a good read. Not sure why he didn't more popularity in general because he writes well and the characters are excellent and interesting. Some plot twists also! I'm definitely going to pick up the next book in the series "The Mexican Tree Duck."
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/523795.The_Last_Good_Kiss
as an interesting note on the author's life, from wiki:
""He did cocaine six days a week. Ate five times a day. Drank a bottle of whiskey every day. He said, 'This is how I like to live. If I live 10 years less, so what?'"[12] He was survived by his fifth wife of 16 years, Martha Elizabeth, a poet and artist. He had five children (including three from his second marriage and two from his fourth), eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Crumley's death prompted an "outpouring of affection" from the citizens of Missoula. Crumley's favorite seat in his favorite bar was put aside to honor him"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Crumley
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Exquisite, albrecht.
Looking forward to another Ellroy.
"None of it made sense; all of it felt good." —The Black Dahlia
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How did you discover Pratchett?
Most of my early scifi/fantasy picks were governed by the shelf-stockers at Barnes & Noble. I always fell for the cover art, first. (And I always split toward scifi first). I couldn't get through this collection of short stories by David Brin ("Otherness"), but I still dream about the possibilities suggested by its cover, painted by Donato Giancola.
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My intro to Pratchett was a mix of working in a library and my mother-in-law being a fan and telling me to go for it. :)
I've also just finished The Picture of Dorian Gray, which somehow I've missed before. Absolutely loved it.
Next up is The Wild Trees by Richard Preston.
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"The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring is a non-fiction book by Richard Preston about California's coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) and the recreational climbers who climbed them. It is a narrative-style collection of stories from climbers who pioneered redwood climbing, including botanist Steve Sillett, lichenologist Marie Antoine, and Michael Taylor. They inadvertently discovered a thriving ecosystem hidden among the tree tops, 60–90 meters (200–300 ft) above, of redwood lattices, berry bushes, bonsai trees, epiphytes, lichens, voles, and salamanders. "
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Next up is The Wild Trees by Richard Preston.
Hard to believe, isn't it, that a career track called "lichenologist" exists. Bless you, California (and probably very specifically UC Berkeley).
The arachnid element of the "thriving ecosystem" will forever deny me the experience of that particular hobby! Utterly content leaving its joys to others.
Art used to laud Preston's The Hot Zone, which Ridley Scott nearly adapted in the 90's and is finally arriving (https://deadline.com/2018/04/nat-geo-ebola-drama-series-ridley-scott-development-projects-1202367422/) as a series.
This last is an almost total non-sequitur, I know.
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Hard to believe, isn't it, that a career track called "lichenologist" exists. Bless you, California (and probably very specifically UC Berkeley).
The arachnid element of the "thriving ecosystem" will forever deny me the experience of that particular hobby! Utterly content leaving its joys to others.
Art used to laud Preston's The Hot Zone, which Ridley Scott nearly adapted in the 90's and is finally arriving (http://ellgab.com/2018/04/nat-geo-ebola-drama-series-ridley-scott-development-projects-1202367422/) as a series.
This last is an almost total non-sequitur, I know.
I just can't help but see this kinda stuff as deep state political steering now. Sadly, even Art and Whit's book about the superstorm too. :(
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I just can't help but see this kinda stuff as deep state political steering now. Sadly, even Art and Whit's book about the superstorm too. :(
I wish I could see what you imagine deep state planning sessions look like. I'm picturing something very X-Files. Dark, smoke-filled. Ominous soundtrack.
Wouldn't worry yourself overmuch. Even best selling books (minimum bar = 10,000 copies in print minus copies purchased as gifts minus copies purchased and never read) aren't going to even minutely dent the micro-attention-span electronics-dependent zeitgeist.
We're still on target for an early oblivion.
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I wish I could see what you imagine deep state planning sessions look like. I'm picturing something very X-Files. Dark, smoke-filled. Ominous soundtrack.
Wouldn't worry yourself overmuch. Even best selling books (minimum bar = 10,000 copies in print minus copies purchased as gifts minus copies purchased and never read) aren't going to even minutely dent the micro-attention-span electronics-dependent zeitgeist.
We're still on target for an early oblivion.
It really sounds like a religion you're preaching, like you actually want that.
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It really sounds like a religion you're preaching, like you actually want that.
Nah, I'm what you call "resigned to the facts." It was in an interview with Art, actually, that George Carlin called us cynics "disappointed idealists."
No sense crying over the irrecoverable long-gone potential of our post-WWII glory days -- when cars had fins! I'm not afraid of loss. Happy to be surprised by gains.
2190 will effect me exactly as much as 1890 does -- that's all oblivion means.
You sense a design in it, an eminence grise or power behind the throne (your deep state), I sense only momentum.
If you do want a different outcome, what is it? I'm curious — and sincere!
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Nah, I'm what you call "resigned to the facts." It was in an interview with Art, actually, that George Carlin called us cynics "disappointed idealists."
No sense crying over the irrecoverable long-gone potential of our post-WWII glory days -- when cars had fins! I'm not afraid of loss. Happy to be surprised by gains.
2190 will effect me exactly as much as 1890 does -- that's all oblivion means.
You sense a design in it, an eminence grise or power behind the throne (your deep state), I sense only momentum.
If you do want a different outcome, what is it? I'm curious — and sincere!
Well, not an Elysium for the elite arrived at by sacrificing entire demographics of people. Of course, like any sane person, I want a clean, healthy environment too. However, some of the "facts" you've been resigned to have already been proven to have been fudged for political reasons...and there's your deep state influence. ;)
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Well, not an Elysium for the elite arrived at by sacrificing entire demographics of people. Of course, like any sane person, I want a clean, healthy environment too. However, some of the "facts" you've been resigned to have already been proven to have been fudged for political reasons...and there's your deep state influence. ;)
Sounds like we agree. I don't need environmental data to notice the death throes of the civilization I adore. It shouldn't be that economic outliers (in the 30-somethings generation) are the only ones able to afford a home — and then, barely. So it is. It shouldn't be that cultural memory —history— is being burned away at the altar of "political correctness." So it is. It shouldn't be that everywhere pedagogic you turn, including (especially) Wikipedia, the USA is de-emphasized as educational materials become "internationalized." So it is. It shouldn't be that the locus of these anti-American concepts are fiercest within America. So it is. It shouldn't be that our "pledge of allegiance" includes references to deities; a left-over reaction to "godless communism" instituted in 1954. So it is. It shouldn't be rare to find a depiction of the globe showing the Western hemisphere—especially in advertising material—proud and full. So it is. It shouldn't be that "flat earth" is a living, discussed concept. So it is. It shouldn't be that colleges create a mistrust of "capitalism." So it is. It shouldn't be that "image is everything," to the extent that priceless relics and threatened heritage sites are in danger of disappearing under hordes of selfie-takers. So it is. It shouldn't be that there are so many people on this planet. So it is. It shouldn't be that people refuse to accept the math of gun=fatality, no gun=bloody nose. So it is. It shouldn't be that the home of Zane Grey (on Catalina Island), the beloved Western and adventure novelist, was purchased by a buyer in China. So it is. It shouldn't be that I'm the only native Californian in my neighborhood. So it is. It shouldn't be that we're not already a space-faring species, vastly multiplying our survival potential and injecting new fun into the game. So it is. It shouldn't be that "participation awards" are a real thing, divorcing children from any sense of earning. So it is.
Etc.
The whole thing is a big dumb machine, a Model T kept in driving condition with endless patches, add-ons and half-fixes.
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Sounds like we agree. I don't need environmental data to notice the death throes of the civilization I adore. It shouldn't be that economic outliers (in the 30-somethings generation) are the only ones able to afford a home — and then, barely. So it is. It shouldn't be that cultural memory —history— is being burned away at the altar of "political correctness." So it is. It shouldn't be that everywhere pedagogic you turn, including (especially) Wikipedia, the USA is de-emphasized as educational materials become "internationalized." So it is. It shouldn't be that the locus of these anti-American concepts are fiercest within America. So it is. It shouldn't be that our "pledge of allegiance" includes references to deities; a left-over reaction to "godless communism" instituted in 1954. So it is. It shouldn't be rare to find a depiction of the globe showing the Western hemisphere—especially in advertising material—proud and full. So it is. It shouldn't be that "flat earth" is a living, discussed concept. So it is. It shouldn't be that colleges create a mistrust of "capitalism." So it is. It shouldn't be that "image is everything," to the extent that priceless relics and threatened heritage sites are in danger of disappearing under hordes of selfie-takers. So it is. It shouldn't be that there are so many people on this planet. So it is. It shouldn't be that people refuse to accept the math of gun=fatality, no gun=bloody nose. So it is. It shouldn't be that the home of Zane Grey (on Catalina Island), the beloved Western and adventure novelist, was purchased by a buyer in China. So it is. It shouldn't be that I'm the only native Californian in my neighborhood. So it is. It shouldn't be that we're not already a space-faring species, vastly multiplying our survival potential and injecting new fun into the game. So it is. It shouldn't be that "participation awards" are a real thing, divorcing children from any sense of earning. So it is.
Etc.
The whole thing is a big dumb machine, a Model T kept in driving condition with endless patches, add-ons and half-fixes.
That's not fair! Now you're hitting me right in my Vonnegut. ;)
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That's not fair! Now you're hitting me right in my Vonnegut. ;)
Billy "Goomba" Pilgrim, accept the things you cannot change . . .
8)
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"Song of the Vikings" by Nancy Marie Brown. Fascinating biography of Snorri and also how his, and others, Sagas are related to both his political and economic ambitions but also a critique of politics, religion, etc and using mythology (sometimes even creating or modifying it.) And how the skalds (poets) preserved history by their writings and his view on the between poetry, prose, and the Nordic style of "history" versus the Roman/Latin kind of "history." And then on to how he was assassinated but some of his works, luckily, survived.
Also how early English and Germanic scholars appreciated his work and then goes on to compare the far later Wagner and then Hitlerian "spin" on Norsk and Germanic myths. Fascinating read. Also about how the readers needed to appreciate prior knowledge of myths and pre-history to understand much of his writings on the politicians and kings and how he uses them to even poke fun or 'take sides' politically and to advance his, and his famiy's position. The description of the Law, politics, feuds, Kings and Chiefs, and battles are also interesting. Even the architecture and trade (which he was interested in since he was a businessman/lawyer.)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12729824-song-of-the-vikings?from_search=true
https://www.amazon.com/Song-Vikings-Snorri-Making-Norse/dp/1137278870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532383602&sr=8-1&keywords=song+of+the+vikings
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Vistas of Infinity by Jurgen Ziewe
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The Speed Bag Bible. Speedbagging is a real addiction, especially something called "Bible Bagging" I can't stop, and I'm awesome at it. Here is a sample (from of the guy who wrote the book) of what i'm talking about. Or, posting about. Check it out!
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Summertime so likely many have read a Tom Clancy novel at the beach or on an airplane, or have done so in the past. Interesting story about how he got the idea for his break-out novel. We ignore the conspiracy theory with regard to his death, for now. ;)
"In 1975, a Russian Navy Frigate Mutinied. And It Made Tom Clancy's Career'
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/1975-russian-navy-frigate-mutinied-and-it-made-tom-clancys-career-27472
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This was a really suspenseful, edge of your seat horror novel. Here's the synopsis:
Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.
Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?
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This was a really great dystopian mystery. Here's the synopsis:
Survival is the name of the game as the line blurs between reality TV and reality itself in Alexandra Oliva’s fast-paced novel of suspense.
She wanted an adventure. She never imagined it would go this far.
It begins with a reality TV show. Twelve contestants are sent into the woods to face challenges that will test the limits of their endurance. While they are out there, something terrible happens—but how widespread is the destruction, and has it occurred naturally or is it human-made? Cut off from society, the contestants know nothing of it. When one of them—a young woman the show’s producers call Zoo—stumbles across the devastation, she can imagine only that it is part of the game.
Alone and disoriented, Zoo is heavy with doubt regarding the life—and husband—she left behind, but she refuses to quit. Staggering countless miles across unfamiliar territory, Zoo must summon all her survival skills—and learn new ones as she goes.
But as her emotional and physical reserves dwindle, she grasps that the real world might have been altered in terrifying ways—and her ability to parse the charade will be either her triumph or her undoing.
Sophisticated and provocative, The Last One is a novel that forces us to confront the role that media plays in our perception of what is real: how readily we cast our judgments, how easily we are manipulated.
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Audible:
1.) All Quiet on the Western Front
2.) Who Goes There?
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I'm only around halfway through so please don't anyone give away the ending.
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I'm only around halfway through so please don't anyone give away the ending.
I won't spoil but the ending left me wanting more.
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I read all king and koontz up until a couple years ago.
King's 11-11-63 was a great audio listen,
and the tommy knockers I think was an incredible story, fantastic ending.
The tv version was a let down..terrible. It would make a great netflex imho
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I've only read one book from King "The Eyes of the Dragon", but I enjoy all the movies based on his books. Some are pretty corny and bad, but I still enjoy them.
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I'm listening to all these books at the moment but I'm not hearing anything.
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I've never read this before and I felt like I needed to.
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I've never read this before and I felt like I needed to.
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Be sure to do the whole set of 6 books in the series if you can. All just as hilarious and irreverent! 😬