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      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeMar 25th 2011
    Yeah, I realised last week once again that my life is too short to read everything I want to read, to see all the movies I want to see, to draw and paint all the stuff I want to make, to just do all the things I like to do. Bleh. That's an awful thought. I can't do it all, I have to let go some of it, or even most of it.

    The good thing is that drawing and painting can go with listening to music.
    And reading can go with sitting outside in the sun or in the bus.
    But music and reading is impossible for me. And reading when the TV is on is impossible, sometimes it works, but most of the time it doesn't. So, days are too short and life is too short...

    I enjoy reading kids books again as well. Especially age 10-12.
    And I'm starting to get interested in poetry. But that's a disaster, to get more interests!! No time! No time for more interests!

    wink
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeMar 25th 2011
    I'm working on completing the six Charlie Chan novels from Bigger. I've read four and I'm 2/3 through another. They are really similar to the writing and plots of Agatha Christie although there is quite the racist overtones, or at least Earl was making the point as to how prejudice the world in general was toward the chinks as he called them, including Chan.
    Thomas
    listen to more classical music!
  1. "Common Sense, the Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine"
    About three times.


    "Man's Search For Meaning" (Viktor E. Frankl)
    Doctor, phycologist who, along with his wife, were captured, and sent to concentration camps, including a lot of time in the infamous Auschwitz. These are his words, not somebidy writing about him.
    Heart breaking, horribly sad, and a testiment to what our country and soldiers fought to avoid from happening over here.
    I could hear track two (CD1) from "In Search of Peace" (Lee Holdridge) while reading some of it.

    A day or two after reading it, I encountered a man who took up conversation with me, going to politics, since I was reading the Paine book. Declared himself an elitist, that there was nothing wrong with it, that inferior people are in the way and need to be removed from America, and that there is nothing wrong with Socialism. He also said he was a Freemanson -- private origanizations tend to fill themselves with like-minded individules, so I've learned something important about what the Freemasons stand for.
    He wants to get into politics to rule the country, not uphold it, pass a law that he thinks will make it a better place (not saying what), and possibly be a lawyer if that doesn't work out.
    He was also a Christian and had the cross around his neck. Disgusting.
    He's trying to get in charge one day...
    More compelling after reading those two books before meeting him.....
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2011
    justin boggan wrote
    Heart breaking, horribly sad, and a testiment to what our country and soldiers fought to avoid from happening over here.


    Not only your country, but all the allied forces.
    I am extremely serious.
  2. Indeed.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2011
    Martijn wrote
    My reading speed has trailed down to an absolute crawl.
    Did I easily average four books a week in my youth, now I can't manage one book in four weeks. sad

    Seems I even have to plan reading time now, and that's not something that is making me particuilarly happy.

    Wow, 4 books a week! That's 16 times more than I do. Fuck! shocked That's how you know so much about so many things! smile
    Kazoo
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMar 28th 2011
    I wish I could read faster.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeMar 29th 2011
    Timmer wrote
    I wish I could read faster.


    Me too
    listen to more classical music!
  3. sdtom wrote
    Timmer wrote
    I wish I could read faster.


    Me too


    Not a problem with short reads like that. wink
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
  4. "Abraham Lincoln: In His Own Words"


    Speeches and presidential speeches of the late president. I'm not sure what percentage of his total speeches this book encompasses, but it's about 500 pages (I'm nearing the end after a week).

    All from his own written speeches except one, which was transcribed by a man who attended it, since that speech -- at least at the time of the book's publishing a couple or so decades ago -- was lost to time.


    The man is very complex. He speaks complexly, formulate long, and involving thoughtss, gives example after widely varied examples, well spoken, intellgent, and knowledgable of history of his time and some before.

    It's taken reading nearly 90% of the books to get a grasp on him and what he sometimes means; he's so complex you practically have to be him to understand the deeper meanings often behind even average comments.

    Nearing the end of the book I still don't feel I got a grasp (that I would like) of the man. I can't, off the top of my head, think of anybody from the last 50 years that was praised for their intellect, that was of a mind of this man.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 3rd 2011
    justin boggan wrote
    sdtom wrote
    Timmer wrote
    I wish I could read faster.


    Me too


    Not a problem with short reads like that. wink


    less words please, that's five minutes out of my life on account of you.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  5. Yessir, ol' Timmer.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeApr 3rd 2011
    I'm nearly through with the Chan novels. I think I want to read Sherlock Holmes all over again.
    Thomas
    listen to more classical music!
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      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeApr 27th 2011 edited
    I'm reading a book that is partially music related, so I'm wondering who read it too.

    It's Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter... needless to say I don't get all the math stuff, especially when he's explaining in math notation, but I do get some of it when he explains the idea in words... It is possible for me to read this book because the rest is so worth reading, especially where he refers to music (Bach) and to art (Escher). Each chapter starts with a dialogue between Achilles and the Turtle and the ideas of the folllowing chapter are in the dialogue in such a very clever and entertainig way.

    I should be glad if I understand about 33% of the book, perhaps more likely just 10%!! But it doesn't stop me from reading at all. What I do is: I read until I can't follow because of mathematical notation and formulas. Then I skip the pages until I see there's mostly words again and I start reading again. Most of the time there's a conclusion in words so I can continue. I realize I probably miss an essential part of the book, but I get some of the math part and I do understand the parallels with music and visuals. Even if I get only a smart part, it's still entertaining because the book has so many levels.

    I was wondering who has read it too, because the parts on music are very very nice. There's a lot about fugues, canons, counterpoints etc. Selfreference is a circulating theme too, hence the parallel with music, maths, logic and work by Escher.

    I'm halfway through now and if I get lost in the second half, I can always just finish reading the dialogues. wink

    PS. And yes, I was reminded of Inception of course. smile
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeApr 27th 2011
    It's what bothered me as well.
    I however just put the book away as I was more annoyed than curious.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeApr 27th 2011
    Reading a book called Red on Red about a homicide cop in New York written from experience by a current member of the force. Pretty brutal as it deals with territorial turf in New York. The killings are daily.
    Tom
    listen to more classical music!
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      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2011
    Martijn wrote
    It's what bothered me as well.
    I however just put the book away as I was more annoyed than curious.

    You shouldn't!
    (Sorry, but I'm enjoying the book so much that I wish everyone would read it.)

    Reading a bit further now, I think in the end I will get most of it.
    For instance I enjoyed the chapter about intelligence and a.i. a lot and you don't need any of the maths. The dialogue about the ants is great and the musical references are really really funny.
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2011
    sdtom wrote
    Reading a book called Red on Red about a homicide cop in New York written from experience by a current member of the force. Pretty brutal as it deals with territorial turf in New York. The killings are daily.
    Tom


    In the home stretch on this one. Those gangs are really nasty.
    Tom
    listen to more classical music!
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2011
    Bregje wrote
    Martijn wrote
    It's what bothered me as well.
    I however just put the book away as I was more annoyed than curious.

    You shouldn't!
    (Sorry, but I'm enjoying the book so much that I wish everyone would read it.)


    Maths has always been my week point. To have the book start off with it really pushed all my wrong buttons.
    But in light of your enthusiasm I'll try again. smile
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2011
    Ah ha! So the son of Jor-El does have a weakness devil









    tis shame that I am too thick to exploit it cry
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 10th 2011
    I forgot to chime in re: the sci fi compendium book FAR HORIZONS that you also own, Tim.

    Well, sorry to say - it's crap!

    Well, not all of it. There are a couple of the short stories that are OK; moderately entertaining and wellwritten.

    But for the most part, it's crap. Either pseudo-technical mumbo-jumbo (it's sooooo clear these are written by scientists who have no CLUE about writing engrossing fiction!) or silly, unintelligible New Age-stuff with talking dolphins having TV dinners and whathaveyou.

    Seriously, I had to cut off one of them halfway because it was impossible to get through, the one by Greg Benford, I believe. He basically jacked off to his own language, which mostly consisted of archaic adjectives, verbs and substantives that no one has heard ever. I would give you some quotes, but I would get too upset typing them in.

    So.....just leave it on the shelf, Tim.

    I've now turned to another book that has stood on my shelf for more than a decade - John Grisham's THE RAINMAKER, which was a gift from my grandmother in the late 90's. Unfortunately, I saw the film first, and didn't feel the need to read it afterwards, but it's now been so long since I saw it that I've forgotten most of the plot. Hopefully, it isn't all boring court procedures and legal issues, at least not all the way through.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeMay 10th 2011
    Just finished Reich's Rules of Deception and am now going to tackle a couple of books on Russian composers as well as the history of Producers Releasing Corporation or kiddingly Poverty Row Company.
    Thomas
    listen to more classical music!
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMay 10th 2011 edited
    To Thor's post:-

    Eeeeuuughhwwww! Sounds horrible! slant

    At the moment I'm reading a series of novels set in a feudal 9th century England by Bernard Cornwell, tons of vikings ( our "hero", Uhtred, a Saxon, is brought up as a Viking after his parents are butchered by them ) in these novels, Thor, and Cornwell gets his facts and history straight if you feel you may be interested? I'm absolutely loving them.

    Sitting on my shelf since Christmas and my next read is HEART SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill, Joe's real name is Joseph Hillstrom King, the son of Stephen & Tabitha King. I've heard good stuff about it and am looking forward to returning to a time 1,100 years later wink
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 10th 2011
    Sounds interesting, Tim! I'm always in the mood for credible viking stuff.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMay 11th 2011
    I think they're well worth it Thor, Cornwell blends fact & fiction exceptionally well, he even details in a few pages seperate from the novel at the end of the books the where, how and why he's taken certain liberties with characters and history but to be honest he rarely veers from the path of factual.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeJun 11th 2011
    Finished THE RAINMAKER. It's a pretty good book. Grisham has a very lean and to-the-point language (as the lawyer that he is), but there's a lot of potency between the lines. I can see the film again now.

    I've gone on to another book on my shelf that has had a similar destiny, Carl Sagan's CONTACT. I saw the film several years ago, so I remember most of the basic plotlines, but enough time has passed to finally read the book.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeJun 11th 2011
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJun 11th 2011
    Southall wrote
    I like Grisham. So there.

    Anyway... Timmer... is this you?

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/cdp/member-r … centReview


    What a slag! Using MY name and coming from the same city. angry
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeJun 12th 2011
    My last two books have been Clive Cussler as well as the current one I'm reading.
    Thomas smile
    listen to more classical music!
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeJul 13th 2011
    Forgot to say that I finished Sagan's CONTACT a few weeks back.

    Well, I was quite disappointed.

    Like so much other sci fi, it falls back on LOOOOONG discussions of science, politics, religion, you name it and totally forgets about the story and HUMAN ELEMENT. I hate that. Then just publish non-fiction, goddamit!

    Although it picks up a little bit towards the end, is is one of the few times where the FILM is better than the book it is based on, IMO.

    Anyways, I've now started another epic book that my little brother gave me a couple of Christmasses ago...Conn Igulden's THE BONES OF THE HILL, based on the life of Ghengis Khan and his armies. It's a thick book, about 600 pages, and I'm only 70 in, but it seems OK. A little high and mighty, language-wise, and a little too many characters thrown at me at first, but hopefully I'll glide more elegantly into it eventually. Like GAME OF THRONES.
    I am extremely serious.