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      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeNov 11th 2011
    Perhaps funny plays? I love the humor in dialogues...
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeNov 11th 2011
    Have you ever read Billy Liar?
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2011
    Urgh.

    Finally finished UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH GRAMMAR, PART 1. Took me more than a month, but there are so many terms, plus it's not exactly my favourite subject -- it's like the friggin' MATHS of language.

    I had intended to go directly to PART 2, but I think I'll leave that be for now.

    I'll rather move on to a brief and glossy history book called THE STORY OF ENGLAND by Christopher Hibbert. I read it last in 1997, and remember it containing very compact blocks of facts as well as an author unusually interested in architechture. I'll see how it holds up now.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2011
    Timmer wrote
    Have you ever read Billy Liar?

    Nope. I checked my library, they have it! So I can give it a try.
    But first I'll finish my Dawkins book. After I have finished my magazine...

    I get a magazine too each month which I like, but sometimes it takes a couple of weeks to finish that, so by the time I can start reading a book again, next month's magazine is in the mail again... Years ago I decided to quit magazines and only read books, but then, of course, they had a nice offer again, so I subscribed for another year.
    wink


    Thor wrote:
    Finally finished UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH GRAMMAR, PART 1. Took me more than a month, but there are so many terms, plus it's not exactly my favourite subject -- it's like the friggin' MATHS of language.

    I had intended to go directly to PART 2, but I think I'll leave that be for now.

    Perhaps it's a good idea to switch indeed. I prefer switching from heavy reading to light reading as well. So I go from difficult and slow reading, to finishing a couple of kids books in a row or something. That's very relaxing.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2011 edited
    Bregje wrote
    I had intended to go directly to PART 2, but I think I'll leave that be for now.
    Perhaps it's a good idea to switch indeed. I prefer switching from heavy reading to light reading as well. So I go from difficult and slow reading, to finishing a couple of kids books in a row or something. That's very relaxing.


    Not a bad idea, except that I've gone through most of the light reading already. Furthermore, I'm used to reading only heavy stuff because of all my years in the university, both as student and teacher, so my challenge is more to find INTERESTING subjects as a means to create diversity. Especially since I'm now free to read whatever I want whenever I want. smile
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2011
    Oh, I see. Well, there are many interesting subjects to choose from, when you're done with... grammar. wink

    There's a book on my wishlist (wanted to buy it but it was 39,-, I thought let's read it first from the library!) and it's called Myths of Our Time (or something like that) by Umberto Galimberti. I was surprised he has a wiki page only in Italian, so I was wondering if the book is translated in English as well? There is a Dutch translation, that's the one I would read then. My Italian is not that good.
    tongue

    It's about humanity in these times with technology and everything. Also some chapters about the myth of youth, about plastic surgery and all that. Really interesting.

    I mean, we have a TV show now on the commercial channel which probably looks like an informative program to many people but it is made by the medical institute Bergman Clinics, arrrrgh, drives me nuts this kind of stuff. You have too much hair, go to Bergman Clinics, you have no hair, go to Bergman Clinics, your toes too short, your lips too long (all of them!), legs not good, teeth not good, eyes not good, let's fix it! They make it look like there are real doctors talking. I believe they are real doctors though, but doctors who work for Bergman Clinics!!
    slant

    OK, some people really do have a medical problem. A medical problem. But most of it is easthetical crap.
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      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2011
    Oh, and their slogan is 'Bergman Clinics - makes people better' rolleyes

    You should know that in Dutch better means also cured, like when you're not ill anymore you are better too. (wait it's the same in English right?)

    Anyway, make people better, arrrggggghhh, horrible! Of course we are not good enough, we need Bergman to make us better people.
    angry
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeNov 28th 2011
    Finished STORY OF ENGLAND, and yes -- it was as bad as I remembered it.

    Not only the loooong tangents on architecture, but also the insane sentence structure. Each sentence is almost half a page long, with tons of inserted sentences with each having a new name, place etc. so that by the time you finish you had forgotten what it was about. Much like Mike Matessino's liner notes (Bernard Herrmann, who had previously collaborated with Orson Welles, now fresh out of RKO, the radio label that spawned a new era for the US media etc....).

    I'm not recommending it to anyone.

    Moving on to John Oakland's far more accesible BRITISH CIVILIZATION (my older edition just has a black cover), which is a more straightforward text book for students that cover the history as well as the social structures in more detail. And better organized, as far as I remember. It's been 14 years.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeJan 3rd 2012 edited
    Took me more than a month, but I finally finished the Oakland book. It was an extremely boring experience, not because of the subject matter (which is fascinating), but because of the very dry language and fact-oriented prose. Since the book is from 1995, it basically came off as reading 17-year-old, dated Wikipedia entries. The chapter on the media was particularly hilarious (no mention anywhere of the internet!).

    I had intially planned to go back to the Part 2 of the grammar book when I had finished this, but I need something a little more exciting now, so I moved on to a Norwegian book about political rhetorics and the speecher's credibility, Anders Johansens TALERENS TROVERDIGHET - TEKNISKE OG KULTURELLE BETINGELSER FOR POLITISK RETORIKK (THE SPEECHER'S CREDIBILITY - TECHNICAL AND CULTURAL CONDITIONS FOR POLITICAL RHETORICS). It's written in an 'essayistic' way, which makes for a more engrossing experience.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeJan 4th 2012
    I've been going through a Michael Connelly phase lately. He was the author of Lincoln Lawyer.
    Tom
    listen to more classical music!
  1. sdtom wrote
    I tried the Kindle and returned it. Too old fashion I guess as I prefer turning the pages

    Anne got a Kindle at the weekend (a birthday present for her birthday in March!)

    I love reading a proper book, the whole experience of the physical nature of the book, being able to rifle (or riffle?) through the pages, etc. But I have to admit that the Kindle does look quite pleasing to the eye in terms of reading experience.

    I suppose that with the Kindle - like buying music downloads - there's part of me that doesn't feel like I have bought anything: the physical book or CD does reinforce the purchase a lot more than the "Thank you for purchasing..." pop-up and the slight decrease in hard drive space a bought download gives.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeFeb 21st 2012
    My 'bookshelf walkthrough' has to take a break as I'm now back to studying again.

    Currently reading this article anthology book in my pedagogy studies (pedagogy?! I have absolutely no idea what this study is called in English):

    http://www.ord.no/coverImage?ISBN=97882 … size=large

    Difficult to translate the title, as I have no idea what these teacher titles are called in English either.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMar 7th 2012
    I also posted this in the JOHN BARRY thread, new book by Jon Burlingame...

    THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  2. The last few days I have been reading David J. Breeze's book THE ANTONINE WALL, a modest book detailing the Romans and the circumstances behind the building of a turf-barrier at the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire (AD 140-160). The Antonine Wall is not as famous as Hadrian's Wall but it passed through Falkirk and was a popular topic at high school (particularly as the wall (visible today mainly as a deep ditch running through the countryside) passed within yards of the school.

    I am finding it an interesting read and it is quite surprising in some of the details. It seems the wall was constructed more as a political show of force rather than as a sign of conquest, there's no real evidence that the inhabitants of Southern Scotland hindered the advancing Roman army in any way and, in fact, because the Romans respected the laws of property farmers who lost crops with the building of the wall may have been compensated for lost crops.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
  3. I was wondering if anybody might know...


    I got a book, left in my trunk that leaked water, and watered the whole book of course created mold.

    Inspired by the various time of reading about master tapes which were stuck together and thus were baked for a few hours at a low temperate to unstick the medium, I was wondering:


    Anybody tried baking a book? Set it at a low temperature, too low to catch fire or singe the pages. Maybe two hours. Would that work?
    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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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeMay 31st 2012
    Yes...but it'll make the pages incredibly brittle!
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMay 31st 2012
    I'm currently reading Justin Cronin's THE PASSAGE, enjoying it a lot, a nice take on "vampires", very much reminds me of Stephen King's The Stand. Anyone else read this?
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeOct 31st 2012
    I've just ordered THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND by Jon Burlingame from Amazon. Anyone bought or read this yet?
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  4. Timmer wrote
    I've just ordered THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND by Jon Burlingame from Amazon. Anyone bought or read this yet?

    No, but I am considering it.

    I'd be interested to hear your opinion on it when you have read it. I'd be mostly interested in early scores rather than the later ones (i.e., John Barry era) and I am not too bothered about the background to the songs and how they were recorded.

    So, it the early Bond/score composition content doesn't amount to a significant portion of the book then I would probably pass on this.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
  5. And looking at the table of contents, as is the nature of these things, it's out-of-date already!! wink

    I see that all the films are given their own chapter. I'm just using the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeOct 31st 2012
    Timmer wrote
    I've just ordered THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND by Jon Burlingame from Amazon. Anyone bought or read this yet?


    I understand it is quite good but there isn't enough interest for me to order it.
    Tom
    listen to more classical music!
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012 edited
    Just finished a very cool and interesting book: The Rational Optimist written by zoologist, evolutionary biologist, banker, ... whatnot Matt Ridley. Fascinating book!

    It's about the fact that the state of human kind has always been improved because of the free flow and collaboration of ideas and that specialization of these ideas create progress. It's a positive and fascinating view on our world and society. Governments, religion, greedy people, lobbyists, ... can all block this progress, but in the end, human ideas always win. The 21st century will definitely be better then the previous one. Pessimists,with all the doom scenarios they bring up every decade, were rarely right in the past, and will again, be wrong again.

    As a bit of a leftists, it was often quite a slap in the face (he doesn't spare the right either). dizzy It surely bring an other perspective to a lot of items in society today. Good to hear a different view, but I'm not sure I should go with it all. It was cool to read his paragraph about mobile phones in Africa, and how he thought will create uproar and mass protests in countries with dictators... smile

    here's a better description then mine:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ricardo-b … 72247.html

    Has anyone read it?
    Kazoo
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012
    Nope, but it sounds interesting. I think you'd enjoy Sense and Goodness by Richard Carrier. I haven't read it all yet, but I think you'd enjoy it considering your humanistic interests. (His other books are excellent, mostly focusing on Christianity.)
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012 edited
    Probably interesting, although it focuses on something completely else. I've read a few books (most of which you recommended!), so not sure if I should read more in this vein, but it's good to have. Next up is The Selfish Gene (after reading the fantastic The Greatest Spectacle in the World some time ago), but that looks like a difficult one. wink
    Kazoo
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012
    Do you mean The Greatest Show On Earth? If you want a challenging read, try anything by Roger Penrose! dizzy
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012
    Also, which books have you read, Bregt?
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012
    Yeah, I read the Dutch version, and what I wrote was the literal translation. Sorry.

    God Delusion, God is not Great, a Sam Harris book, and a few others I forgot. I must say I was not a fan of Sam Harris though. Quite difficult and a little flootsy when he entered spirituality. But The Greatest Show was awesome. I have never been taught such view on the world. Why is that? It's absolutely great! It certainly did change my view and idea on so many things. Fuck!
    Kazoo
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012
    Bregt wrote
    God Delusion, God is not Great, a Sam Harris book, and a few others I forgot. I must say I was not a fan of Sam Harris though. Quite difficult and a little flootsy when he entered spirituality.


    Really? shocked Which Sam Harris book was that? I rather like his non-supernatural approach to spiritualism (i.e. the correct approach). I think he just the takes time to discuss the importance of human transcending experiences without ascribing supernatural junk to them. He understands the importance of meditation and self-awareness, all the while grounded in purely scientific terms. What do you mean by 'flootsy'? O.o

    But The Greatest Show was awesome. I have never been taught such view on the world. Why is that? It's absolutely great! It certainly did change my view and idea on so many things. Fuck!


    Yet to read it, but I have the audiobook waiting to be heard. smile
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012 edited
    Oh, and Steven, another really cool book I read a while ago, was about the influence of religion in early science, how it helped to modernize and civilize a rather grim world. Especially Islam and their masters have influenced a lot of what happened later in the Corpernican Revolution

    House of Wisdom - Jonathan Lyons
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/fe … dom-review
    Kazoo
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2012
    Steven wrote
    Bregt wrote
    God Delusion, God is not Great, a Sam Harris book, and a few others I forgot. I must say I was not a fan of Sam Harris though. Quite difficult and a little flootsy when he entered spirituality.


    Really? shocked Which Sam Harris book was that? I rather like his non-supernatural approach to spiritualism (i.e. the correct approach). I think he just the takes time to discuss the importance of human transcending experiences without ascribing supernatural junk to them. He understands the importance of meditation and self-awareness, all the while grounded in purely scientific terms. What do you mean by 'flootsy'? O.o

    I don't know what flootsy means. It means that I mostly lost it there because it was getting quite difficult. Also because spirituality is something that has a bad co-notation and I seemed not to have let go of that, or gave it a good chance. But that doesn't mean I don't agree with his approach, certainly the right way instead of going the supernatural way.

    Not sure if this is clear enough, or rather flootsy to you as well. smile
    Kazoo