I have been reading some of his work after you posted previously...liking it so far, but there's something slightly odd that I can't decide how I feel about -- whether it's the translation, or just that I started out with a book that must have been written while he was away from Japan after the success of Norwegian Wood (Dance Dance Dance )...yeah. Anyway, that oddness is definitely not bad. I'll just have to read a bit more.
"dance dance dance" is the first one i read as well. All of his book are a little odd, as you say, but that one is actually the second of a series which made a few things he talks about very weird (weirder than normal anyway).
My first Murakami was Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, which i enjoyed thoroughly. Then to Dance, Dance, Dance, also totally delighted with. Both translated by Ralph Birnbaum (it seems to matter). I didn't enjoy Norwegian Wood half as much. I was disappointed by about half-way through, when what seemed like could be a dramatic "lose-lose" tension just kind of petered out, and he started resolving everything. I also couldn't get into his (semi-autobiographical) character. So young, so perfect, so not at all ordinary in spite of the protestations to the contrary. Wood had a different translator, and that might have made a difference.
I agree that Wood was moving in places, but i mostly enjoyed the tiny things ... "do ants think of sunshine"? (very loose quote).
oh.. reading? i'm plowing through the Locus Scifi Awards candidates atm.
and a History of Persia in 7 volumes by Nahil Erduni, lent by a neighbour after i swore in blood to be very careful)
As Fate Decrees by Denysé Bridger New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson The Moon Under Her Feet by Derwin Mak Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer Cry Wolf by Edo van Belkom
heh.. i've had to restrain myself (not entirely successfully) from .. wordy reviews; that's going to far, i guess.
but a couple of sentences.. genre.. basic plot... rating, and why... would be very nice.
today, i'm reading the latest in Charlie Stross' series "The Merchant Princes". a mix of fantasy (which i mostly loathe) and scifi, the premise iof the series is that there are many parallel time lines, and in one pre-industrial world, a family of itinerant tinkers and pedlars discover they have the ability to walk to other worlds. Miriam.. raised in what seems close to "our" worldline, finds out she's actually from another worldline, and there's smuggling, war, dirty politics, and strange systems of governing. not bad, all in all. the first in the series The Family Trade got me interested, and i've followed as he publishes more.
Been reading 'Choke' by Chuck Palahniuk for about the past year - the first few chapters of his stuff are always slow, so it takes some dedication to get through the setting up of the story (I love what he does with the second half, though). Finished 'Lullaby' before that, and then 'Survivor'. I enjoyed them both immensely - it's hard to put them down when the stories start moving!
I'd better finish 'Choke' soon, as the movie will be out sometime at the end of the summer or the beginning of fall. Bah.
At the moment, I'm knee-deep in 'Mac OS X 10.5 Support Essentials' - gotta get recertified for Leopard, and this will give my mind a good refresh for the Mac OS X Server stuff.
<sleevenotes>This is a classic contemporary philosophy and a key work in the oeuvre of Gilles Deleuze. It is a brilliant exposition of the critique of identity, and indentity that limits human activity and thought, and it develops two key concepts; pure difference and complex repitition.</sleevenotes>
urbansurgeon's short review for mick: [hide]Difference may be internal to an idea, or may be external to a conceptual mode of representation. Difference may be extrinsic or intrinsic, generic or specific, essential or accidental, actual or virtual. Difference has extensity and intensity. According to Deleuze, difference in itself is intensity. Difference as intensity is explicated by a mode of inquiry which explores its extensity. Intensity is explicated by means of extensities which are "differenciated." Just as repetition implies a relation between the repeater and the repeated, difference implies a relation between the "differenciator" and the "differenciated." Deleuze uses the term "differentiation" to refer to the determination of the virtual content of an Idea, while he uses the term "differenciation" to refer to the actualization of the content of an Idea as divergent elements and parts. To actualize something is to "differenciate" it. "Differenciation" is an integration or solution of a problem, which is then integrated into the solution of more complex problems, to form a more global and integrated solution. Deleuze describes Nietzsche’s philosophy as affirming the nature of pure difference. Nietzsche’s concept of the eternal recurrence of every event in the universe affirms that reality is in a continual state of becoming. Nietzsche’s philosophy affirms difference and repetition as expressing the nature of being. Deleuze compares Nietzsche’s concept of the Eternal Return to a circle in which difference is in the center and sameness is at the periphery. Difference is thus a divergence and decentering, and the Eternal Return leads to a plurality of centers which give depth to the world of difference. In contrast, representation is a form of mediation which has only a single center, and which lacks the depth of the world of difference. If sameness is placed at the center of a circle, then difference is on the periphery. Even if an infinite number of representations of an object are produced, they will all converge on the same point, which is the identity of the object at the center of the circle of representation. Deleuze emphasizes the importance of describing difference and repetition affirmatively. Difference as intensity is explicated by defining its extensity. Intensity is implicated in the actualization of extensity. Extensity cannot be separated from intensity. Thus, the philosophy of difference has a diversifying, as well as a unifying, influence on our understanding of reality.[/hide]
not only a bit of a review, but with spelling and grammar and everything! thank you, my friend.
Pants, i've that book on order from the library; i'd love to hear what you think. I'm not much of a Dick fan (though he had his moments), and I have enjoyed some of Zelazny's stuff (NOT the Amber series).
I'm just starting <em>Grendel, by John Gardner (Beowulf from Grendel's perspective) this morning. i'll come back later and tell you what i thought.
I mostly liked Barker's Weaveworld, but he does best with short stories, i think. That's admirable, in that a good tight short story is very much harder to write than a sloppy novel.
so ... Grendel by Jack Gardner.
when you think of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, philosophical ruminations and existential crises are not often the first things that come to mind. Gardner completely flipped the classic on its head. this small, intense novel tells the story of Beowulf from the point of view of Grendel ( the angry, confused monster that ruthlessly attacks the mead-hall of Hrothgar, king of the Danes).
this book's an analysis of Grendel’s heart, but it doesn't slop over to smarmy sentimentalism. yeah, Grendel’s yearning for meaning and beauty, but we also understand clearly that his instinctual nature is foul, hungry, nasty monster. some tricks with sentence structure and style tie in with the content to give you a good understanding of Grendel's point of view. those same tricks make you wonder about his reliability as a narrator, and emphasize his monstrous and scarily human nature. the writing's beautiful, but snarky enough to keep the characterization honest.
recommended. it's a short read, and you get to grin and nod.
there was a terrible summer where i was stuck in Eastern Nevada, on the Utah border, and the little lending library had everything from Clive Cussler to Ann Rice. i read every single one. even Michael Creighton.
borges and calvino are both hysterically droll. *nod* a fun read, the both of 'em.
no argument there, Biff. my point was that that is the bottom of the barrel, and i'll still read it if that's all there is available. that same library had a large collection of Danielle Steele (and clones) too (since i'm confessing). i read every one.
a while back, i spent some time trying to convince mondo to read Stephenson's Snow Crash. actually, i'd recommend any of his books, but Snow Crash is a good place to start.
so.. for mondo:
Snow Crash is a "cyberpunk" novel to its core, i think it's better, or at least up there with William Gibson's Neuromancer. don't let the label fool you. that just means that it's set in the near future, and Virtual Reality is part of people's computer life.
the book focuses mainly on Hiroaki "Hiro" Protagonist, a free-lance hacker and, until the start of the book, pizza delivery-man for the mafia.
you start with Hiro losing his job, and end with a mind blowing adventure involving ancient Sumerian linguistics and mythology, national super powers, pseudo-neurological techno-plots to take over the world, and skateboarding punks. on the way you also get a look at the future of the internet and virtual reality, the workings of a fully instantiated laissez-fair economy,
the inner dialog of a burb muscle-head and a massive dose of Stephenson's excellent dark humor. also starring are Y.T (standing for Yours Truly), a 'Kourier' who becomes Hiro's partner in the adventure, Juanita Marquez, a techno-mystic obsessed with the hijacking of Christianity, and Fido, a cyborg 'rat-thing' used as attack dogs by the franchise, 'Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong'.
if that all sounds intimidating, don't be scared. Stephenson's writing pulls you through both the book and the plot in a wild ride, not like a roller-coaster, but more of an escaped prototype rocket car. it also has the re-read value of the bible (i swear it does).
you don't read the book so much as have it appear in your head. if i have any complaint, it's that the book is almost too dense. it can take several reads to really get a handle on the message behind the whole thing.
all of Stephenson's novels are that way... dense. i disagree with those who say his books should be more heavily edited. each one is a cornucopia of impeccable research, a vast and wide-ranging imagination, and the ability to juggle several complex characters and plots all at once, and bring you along with him.
so
read: Snow Crash
then Cryptonomicon
then The Baroque Cycle (trilogy, each book about a 1000 pages).
(you can skip Zodiac, his first book... he hadn't quite hit his stride yet.)
Damn confusing, but I think I'm following it. Trust me to start reading probably the hardest thing I've read to date just when I start Uni and I'm trying to think about Mead, Goffman and countless other people, who I'm not really sure what they did, or thought or . . . . . .
:happy: I just found out they're making a movie to be released sometime in mid-late November? Should be interesting.
It's funny because it was one of those books that I couldn't put down, but didn't really think I liked it all that much until I kept thinking about it over the next week. I don't usually think much about books after reading them like I did with this one. I also really love how simple and concise his writing style is.
I haven't finished it yet, but the relationship between the man and the kid is very well done. I really can't wait to see where CM takes it. There were a couple times I was reading this when I couldn't sleep and it made me a little scared.. :awkward:
possible spoiler alert! [hide]The part with the locked door to the basement. eek![/hide]
possible spoiler alert! [hide]ughh i hated that part. i almost wish it wouldn't have even been in there. the rest of it was fine for me, but that was a bit much. i'll probably be looking away if they have that part in the movie :happy:[/hide]
iSync, you are reading, imho, one of the world's greatest books. don't let it get to you, just read it, then read it again and again… Bulgakovs masterpiece.
mick, re.trout fishing in america, just one word – mayonaise.
recently re-read Cather in the Rye. it was as good as they told me it was in eighth grade. wow, what a book!
now i've just picked up Thomas Pynchon; Mason and Dixon again, (the first time i gave up, but i'm back with renewed determination).
i just put mccarthy's "road" in the basket in my favourite online shop based on your opinions - if this one sucks, you're gonna feel the consequences :D
Comments
I agree that Wood was moving in places, but i mostly enjoyed the tiny things ... "do ants think of sunshine"? (very loose quote).
oh.. reading? i'm plowing through the Locus Scifi Awards candidates atm.
and a History of Persia in 7 volumes by Nahil Erduni, lent by a neighbour after i swore in blood to be very careful)
As Fate Decrees by Denysé Bridger
New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson
The Moon Under Her Feet by Derwin Mak
Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer Cry Wolf by Edo van Belkom
Great book. Truly a classic in my mind, if you can stand a little sordid language.
and:
This one was a fast read. Very interesting.
Now I'm reading:
I guess i should say now that I am living in Shanghai.
The Dancers At The End Of Time
heh.. i've had to restrain myself (not entirely successfully) from .. wordy reviews; that's going to far, i guess.
but a couple of sentences.. genre.. basic plot... rating, and why... would be very nice.
today, i'm reading the latest in Charlie Stross' series "The Merchant Princes". a mix of fantasy (which i mostly loathe) and scifi, the premise iof the series is that there are many parallel time lines, and in one pre-industrial world, a family of itinerant tinkers and pedlars discover they have the ability to walk to other worlds. Miriam.. raised in what seems close to "our" worldline, finds out she's actually from another worldline, and there's smuggling, war, dirty politics, and strange systems of governing. not bad, all in all. the first in the series The Family Trade got me interested, and i've followed as he publishes more.
x
I'd better finish 'Choke' soon, as the movie will be out sometime at the end of the summer or the beginning of fall. Bah.
At the moment, I'm knee-deep in 'Mac OS X 10.5 Support Essentials' - gotta get recertified for Leopard, and this will give my mind a good refresh for the Mac OS X Server stuff.
sister got me 'I am america(and so can you)' the colbert book, been reading
DIfference & repetition - Deleuze
<sleevenotes>This is a classic contemporary philosophy and a key work in the oeuvre of Gilles Deleuze. It is a brilliant exposition of the critique of identity, and indentity that limits human activity and thought, and it develops two key concepts; pure difference and complex repitition.</sleevenotes>
urbansurgeon's short review for mick: [hide]Difference may be internal to an idea, or may be external to a conceptual mode of representation. Difference may be extrinsic or intrinsic, generic or specific, essential or accidental, actual or virtual. Difference has extensity and intensity. According to Deleuze, difference in itself is intensity. Difference as intensity is explicated by a mode of inquiry which explores its extensity. Intensity is explicated by means of extensities which are "differenciated." Just as repetition implies a relation between the repeater and the repeated, difference implies a relation between the "differenciator" and the "differenciated." Deleuze uses the term "differentiation" to refer to the determination of the virtual content of an Idea, while he uses the term "differenciation" to refer to the actualization of the content of an Idea as divergent elements and parts. To actualize something is to "differenciate" it. "Differenciation" is an integration or solution of a problem, which is then integrated into the solution of more complex problems, to form a more global and integrated solution.
Deleuze describes Nietzsche’s philosophy as affirming the nature of pure difference. Nietzsche’s concept of the eternal recurrence of every event in the universe affirms that reality is in a continual state of becoming. Nietzsche’s philosophy affirms difference and repetition as expressing the nature of being. Deleuze compares Nietzsche’s concept of the Eternal Return to a circle in which difference is in the center and sameness is at the periphery. Difference is thus a divergence and decentering, and the Eternal Return leads to a plurality of centers which give depth to the world of difference.
In contrast, representation is a form of mediation which has only a single center, and which lacks the depth of the world of difference. If sameness is placed at the center of a circle, then difference is on the periphery. Even if an infinite number of representations of an object are produced, they will all converge on the same point, which is the identity of the object at the center of the circle of representation.
Deleuze emphasizes the importance of describing difference and repetition affirmatively. Difference as intensity is explicated by defining its extensity. Intensity is implicated in the actualization of extensity. Extensity cannot be separated from intensity. Thus, the philosophy of difference has a diversifying, as well as a unifying, influence on our understanding of reality.[/hide]
By Philip K. Dick and Roger Zelazny Seemed like an interesting match up.
not only a bit of a review, but with spelling and grammar and everything! thank you, my friend.
Pants, i've that book on order from the library; i'd love to hear what you think. I'm not much of a Dick fan (though he had his moments), and I have enjoyed some of Zelazny's stuff (NOT the Amber series).
I'm just starting <em>Grendel, by John Gardner (Beowulf from Grendel's perspective) this morning. i'll come back later and tell you what i thought.
and while I read it, I'm wondering if Clive will write something decent again someday.
so ... Grendel by Jack Gardner.
when you think of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, philosophical ruminations and existential crises are not often the first things that come to mind. Gardner completely flipped the classic on its head. this small, intense novel tells the story of Beowulf from the point of view of Grendel ( the angry, confused monster that ruthlessly attacks the mead-hall of Hrothgar, king of the Danes).
this book's an analysis of Grendel’s heart, but it doesn't slop over to smarmy sentimentalism. yeah, Grendel’s yearning for meaning and beauty, but we also understand clearly that his instinctual nature is foul, hungry, nasty monster. some tricks with sentence structure and style tie in with the content to give you a good understanding of Grendel's point of view. those same tricks make you wonder about his reliability as a narrator, and emphasize his monstrous and scarily human nature. the writing's beautiful, but snarky enough to keep the characterization honest.
recommended. it's a short read, and you get to grin and nod.
except maybe borges or calvino but even then its a scholarly appreciation
there was a terrible summer where i was stuck in Eastern Nevada, on the Utah border, and the little lending library had everything from Clive Cussler to Ann Rice. i read every single one. even Michael Creighton.
borges and calvino are both hysterically droll. *nod* a fun read, the both of 'em.
Cussler has the advantage of a much better database of armchair warriors to embody.
base.. if you live your life as a lie, does it then become non-fiction, since you're actually doing it?
x
Just because something appeals to the masses, doesn't mean it's any good. That's why the majority of us use Macs, right?
*eyes Biff's heaving manly chest*
so.. for mondo:
Snow Crash is a "cyberpunk" novel to its core, i think it's better, or at least up there with William Gibson's Neuromancer. don't let the label fool you. that just means that it's set in the near future, and Virtual Reality is part of people's computer life.
the book focuses mainly on Hiroaki "Hiro" Protagonist, a free-lance hacker and, until the start of the book, pizza delivery-man for the mafia.
you start with Hiro losing his job, and end with a mind blowing adventure involving ancient Sumerian linguistics and mythology, national super powers, pseudo-neurological techno-plots to take over the world, and skateboarding punks. on the way you also get a look at the future of the internet and virtual reality, the workings of a fully instantiated laissez-fair economy,
the inner dialog of a burb muscle-head and a massive dose of Stephenson's excellent dark humor. also starring are Y.T (standing for Yours Truly), a 'Kourier' who becomes Hiro's partner in the adventure, Juanita Marquez, a techno-mystic obsessed with the hijacking of Christianity, and Fido, a cyborg 'rat-thing' used as attack dogs by the franchise, 'Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong'.
if that all sounds intimidating, don't be scared. Stephenson's writing pulls you through both the book and the plot in a wild ride, not like a roller-coaster, but more of an escaped prototype rocket car. it also has the re-read value of the bible (i swear it does).
you don't read the book so much as have it appear in your head. if i have any complaint, it's that the book is almost too dense. it can take several reads to really get a handle on the message behind the whole thing.
all of Stephenson's novels are that way... dense. i disagree with those who say his books should be more heavily edited. each one is a cornucopia of impeccable research, a vast and wide-ranging imagination, and the ability to juggle several complex characters and plots all at once, and bring you along with him.
so
read: Snow Crash
then Cryptonomicon
then The Baroque Cycle (trilogy, each book about a 1000 pages).
(you can skip Zodiac, his first book... he hadn't quite hit his stride yet.)
God's Fury, Englands Fire - A new history of the English Civil Wars
not so fond of it though, up to this point (maybe halfway through)
it's wild prosetry... wow is it ever.
Damn confusing, but I think I'm following it. Trust me to start reading probably the hardest thing I've read to date just when I start Uni and I'm trying to think about Mead, Goffman and countless other people, who I'm not really sure what they did, or thought or . . . . . .
finished it couple of days ago - amazing read and awesome extension of the mini-series
If you like I Am Legend, you'd probably enjoy this. I'd say it's probably one of the best books I've read in a long time.
At the moment, I'm reading a few.
I love covers of this Penguin series.
Almost done. There isn't much dialogue, but it keeps you on the edge and up late at night.
It's funny because it was one of those books that I couldn't put down, but didn't really think I liked it all that much until I kept thinking about it over the next week. I don't usually think much about books after reading them like I did with this one. I also really love how simple and concise his writing style is.
possible spoiler alert!
[hide]The part with the locked door to the basement. eek![/hide]
[hide]ughh i hated that part. i almost wish it wouldn't have even been in there. the rest of it was fine for me, but that was a bit much. i'll probably be looking away if they have that part in the movie :happy:[/hide]
mick, re.trout fishing in america, just one word – mayonaise.
recently re-read Cather in the Rye. it was as good as they told me it was in eighth grade. wow, what a book!
now i've just picked up Thomas Pynchon; Mason and Dixon again, (the first time i gave up, but i'm back with renewed determination).
anybody here read it???
Thanks for teh recommendation skyler, I'll go look for that in Borders this afternoon
:happy:
heh
:happy::happy: