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What are you reading at the moment?

Started by Gyzyn, August 19, 2014, 08:09:13 AM

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Gyzyn

Maybe I'm a bit naive asking this question, but since there are so many thinkers out here I'll ask it anyway.
What are you reading at the moment?

Currently I'm reading in English:
- "The Origin of Consciousness in the Break Down of the Bicameral Mind" written by Julian Jaynes
- "The Magicians" written by Lev Grossman

Right now I'm not reading anything written in my native language. I need to get my hands on two books, though. Keep in mind that the titles are translated by me:
- "What a Wonderful Suicide" written by Rafal A. Ziemkiewicz. It is a book on all the lies about history of my country that Polish people are fed on daily basis in some history books and school textbooks. It is a source that I find reliable.
- I have trouble translating the title of this book, it is just one word used as a noun that doesn't have its correspondent in English. It is a word used to describe the group of Polish people with all the stereotypical flaws of our nation. Its origins come from German, World War II times. During that point of time it was used by Germans as an insulting noun describing Polish people. The book also is written by Rafal A. Ziemkiewicz.


Bitterman

I used to read more books before, but my taste became kind of narrow, I mostly read escapist books. Occasionally I do go out of my taste and read more serious books, "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley I enjoyed, but "1984" by George Orwell left me feeling sick to my stomach for a day.

At the momment I'm mostly re-reading my favorites, like, I'm reading "A World Out of Time" by Larry Niven, and next up I'll pick up "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton.

Also, that Julian Jaynes book sounds interesting. How do you like it so far?

Gyzyn

#2
I was kind of pushed away by the lenghty intoduction. Also, I don't quite like how he is using big words for the sake of using them. You know there's nothing wrong with colorful, vivid vocabulary, but when somebody puts god knows how many big words right after another in a sentence that lacks any merit... it gets pretencious. I berely scratched the surface so far. Got over the introduction. How he wonders about what is consciousness, free will, and him reminiscing of his old mistakes. Things that he used to believe were true, but changed his mind.

Than I started to read The Magicians and it hooked me so hard that I haven't come back to anything else at the moment. It's about mental problems, delusions caused by abuse, and also it is in a way about escapism told via escapism... Ha ha! After all this is a thread about books you are reading at the moment, right?

I definitely need to pick up 1984 by George Orwell. Heard a lot of good things about it, and especially since it is so revelant to todays political situation. I will elaborate my thoughts on that Julian Jaynes book once I read most of it, if not the entire book. I'm pretty sure though that I will read The Magicians before I'll come back to it.

Rupurudu!


Gyzyn


Meguumin

I was reading Howl's Moving Castle with my babba. Need to get back to that story, so far it's a lot better than the film.

Voka~Daemyn

Last thing I read was something on Tibetan Buddhism  but it 's been a few months I can't remember the name now.
I don't read books often but sometimes I get interested in various philosophical things or pretty out there stuff. I have to be in a specific mood for that though.
Klonoa DtP Playthrough : http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzi0N7-iVFsUr0N84a42yBM92o5VV0P2w
http://bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/klonoa/relay-essay/essay-11.html

[img width=267 height=150]https://i.gyazo.com/f762966ecd6652e9cdbf348b1967e3c8.png[/img]
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AlphaRed9X

One book I found from the library was this one: Acorn, by Yoko Ono



It's a pretty weird book, in that it's not exactly a novel, but more of an art book with a message to go along with each drawing. The drawings are all in this pointillist/avant-garde style, and along with the messages, they're pretty strange and difficult to understand at times. But I guess those were intentional so that you can open up your mind and interpret what they mean to you.

One message that I really liked from this book was this one:
"Look at a star in the sky
not as something unreachable
but as a place you will visit one day."


Overall, it's a really pleasant book to read, and I wouldn't mind buying a copy of this book so I can keep it
It a me

Sable-Xeno

Your mind.

Well, I haven't been reading much all that recently...I did read the "Dream Weavers" RP on the forum. That counts, right?

Artwork drawn by Somnax (FA), 5th Gen Pokemon sprite bases made by Pokemon-Diamond (DA).

Gyzyn

#9
Okay, I think it's going to take a while before I go back to that Julian Jayness book. After I've read all The Magicians books, I need to absolutely get to the next sequel The Magician King. I am grossly hooked on Lev Grossman.