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« Reply #325 on: April 23, 2016, 03:56:09 AM »

Had plans to revisit Neil Gaiman's "Coraline". I like it as I do animated film, tho at 1st I was slightly disappointed that the characters didn't look as I imagined them. Then again, the visuals are bound to be diff. People read the same book and picture the events, people in thousand ways. One of those could align with the screen adaptation. Mine usually don't.
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« Reply #326 on: May 11, 2016, 07:52:57 AM »

I'm starting Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy. They are both giant books so we'll see how that goes.

I'm also doing research for an article on top of it.
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« Reply #327 on: May 11, 2016, 08:06:24 AM »

Had plans to revisit Neil Gaiman's "Coraline". I like it as I do animated film, tho at 1st I was slightly disappointed that the characters didn't look as I imagined them. Then again, the visuals are bound to be diff. People read the same book and picture the events, people in thousand ways. One of those could align with the screen adaptation. Mine usually don't.
I really liked The Sandman series. Not really a graphic novel reader, but it fell into my hands.
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« Reply #328 on: May 11, 2016, 08:08:28 AM »

I'm starting Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy. They are both giant books so we'll see how that goes.

I'm also doing research for an article on top of it.
I really like a lot of French lit. but not so much Victor Hugo. What's your specialty, literature-wise?
I read all of however-many-thousand-or-so pages of Clarissa and much of it went by surprisingly quickly. Very soapy. But some parts dragged.
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« Reply #329 on: May 11, 2016, 08:30:16 AM »

My specialty is Canadian literature - but in my personal reading time I tend to be much broader in scope. Thanks for asking!

I have just started LM but I do enjoy it so far. I can see its influence on Tolstoy. I do like a lot of French lit too but I can see how Hugo doesn't quite fit comfortably with a lot of the great examples of French literature.
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« Reply #330 on: May 11, 2016, 08:31:33 AM »

Hi all,

Today I am reading Sweet Harmony by Luanne McClane.  It is a very good romance book.  A nice and short read is all I have time for today.  I would suggest this book for those who like country music.  
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« Reply #331 on: May 11, 2016, 08:40:08 AM »

My specialty is Canadian literature - but in my personal reading time I tend to be much broader in scope. Thanks for asking!

I have just started LM but I do enjoy it so far. I can see its influence on Tolstoy. I do like a lot of French lit too but I can see how Hugo doesn't quite fit comfortably with a lot of the great examples of French literature.
Ooh. I'm embarrassingly ignorant. Other than Atwood and Munro, what would you recommend as THE Canadian fiction?

I confess to only having read The Hunchback...
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« Reply #332 on: May 11, 2016, 08:54:15 AM »

I, Claudius

by Robert Graves
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« Reply #333 on: May 11, 2016, 08:58:26 AM »

Here's a book I'm looking forward to, coming out in English soon already out in English(!): http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/18/solution-everything-working-less-work-pressure

Drives me nuts that we work so many hours when productivity is so much higher. Shouldn't we be buying time for ourselves with all that income, rather than a third house for the CEO?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/free-money-might-be-the-best-way-to-end-poverty/2013/12/29/679c8344-5ec8-11e3-95c2-13623eb2b0e1_story.html
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« Reply #334 on: May 11, 2016, 09:14:33 AM »

I'm starting Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy. They are both giant books so we'll see how that goes.

I'm also doing research for an article on top of it.

One of the last books I read before taking quite a long reading sabbatical was Les Miserable.  While I loved the book and am glad I read the unabridged version, there were certainly portions that seemed to drag on.  It was rewarding to get through it.

Regarding Russell's History of Western Philosophy, I'm not a fan of Russell (nor Wittgenstein, Whitehead, etc), as I believe they did more harm than good to philosophy.  With that said, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts when you complete the book.  I am wondering whether he tackles the actual history (so and so thought thus and such) or is it more of an "argument" against what has gone before (so and so thought thus and such which was proven wrong by his successor).  Let me know your thoughts when you are done, or even as you go.

Edit: I read a few reviews of Russell's book, including by people who gave it five stars, and it appears the latter is the case.  One of the common complaints about the book is that Russell exhibits intolerance for views at odds with his own (I know he has a very particular view of logic and metaphysics, so I can imagine who he berates and from what angle).  I would still like to hear your thoughts, in particular on what he says about Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume and Kant.

EoL
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« Reply #335 on: May 11, 2016, 09:36:49 AM »

Am reading the new Paul McCartney bio. Interesting so far.
Wanted some light reading so have started The Inimitable Mr. Jeeves by Wodehouse.

At times when really stressed out, have been reading the Illustrated Beatrix Potter. Next story - "The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle".  Grin
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« Reply #336 on: May 11, 2016, 09:54:53 AM »

Hi all,

I read the book about Paul McCartney recently.  It is excellent!!!  A must read for fans of his and anyone who likes The Beatles. 
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« Reply #337 on: May 11, 2016, 10:04:36 AM »

My specialty is Canadian literature - but in my personal reading time I tend to be much broader in scope. Thanks for asking!

I have just started LM but I do enjoy it so far. I can see its influence on Tolstoy. I do like a lot of French lit too but I can see how Hugo doesn't quite fit comfortably with a lot of the great examples of French literature.
Ooh. I'm embarrassingly ignorant. Other than Atwood and Munro, what would you recommend as THE Canadian fiction?

Not embarrassing! There are many national literatures that I wish I had more time to know more about but unfortunately time is limited for all of us.

It is difficult to pick one text. Atwood and Munro's reputations are, in my view, justified, especially the latter. I do love Timothy Findley's Not Wanted On The Voyage and, when push comes to shove, would probably name it as my favourite book written by a Canadian author. The content, though, has very little to do with Canada unless I am missing some sort of symbolic point. Ranking close to Findley's novel would be Sheila Watson's The Double Hook, Morley Callaghan's Such Is My Beloved, and Thomas King's Green Grass Running Water. I would be proud to put those on any course syllabus. The Double Hook, especially, works as a fantastic mythopoetic construction of place in the same vein as Faulkner's construction of the American south.
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« Reply #338 on: May 11, 2016, 10:12:45 AM »

I'm starting Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy. They are both giant books so we'll see how that goes.

I'm also doing research for an article on top of it.

One of the last books I read before taking quite a long reading sabbatical was Les Miserable.  While I loved the book and am glad I read the unabridged version, there were certainly portions that seemed to drag on.  It was rewarding to get through it.

Regarding Russell's History of Western Philosophy, I'm not a fan of Russell (nor Wittgenstein, Whitehead, etc), as I believe they did more harm than good to philosophy.  With that said, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts when you complete the book.  I am wondering whether he tackles the actual history (so and so thought thus and such) or is it more of an "argument" against what has gone before (so and so thought thus and such which was proven wrong by his successor).  Let me know your thoughts when you are done, or even as you go.

Edit: I read a few reviews of Russell's book, including by people who gave it five stars, and it appears the latter is the case.  One of the common complaints about the book is that Russell exhibits intolerance for views at odds with his own (I know he has a very particular view of logic and metaphysics, so I can imagine who he berates and from what angle).  I would still like to hear your thoughts, in particular on what he says about Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume and Kant.

EoL

Haha - well, in the introduction, he has already labelled the ideas of Descartes and Kant as "insanity" (don't have the book in front of me so I can't say with certainly if he says exactly that about Kant but he definitely uses that word to describe Descartes' philosophy). I'm not particularly bothered by this kind of intolerance - not because I agree with it, but because I am reading the book from a distance, not necessarily looking to take on Russell's particular views but to, instead, gain some insight from his sweeping historical analysis. I also like writers who are opinionated even if I don't share the opinions. I can see the worry though that some might have about readers taking on these views. I will let you know my thoughts on the text as I read more of it.
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« Reply #339 on: May 13, 2016, 10:05:50 AM »

Had plans to revisit Neil Gaiman's "Coraline". I like it as I do animated film, tho at 1st I was slightly disappointed that the characters didn't look as I imagined them. Then again, the visuals are bound to be diff. People read the same book and picture the events, people in thousand ways. One of those could align with the screen adaptation. Mine usually don't.
I really liked The Sandman series. Not really a graphic novel reader, but it fell into my hands.
What is "graphic novel"? If the series are in horror/surreal genre, I'm interested.
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« Reply #340 on: May 13, 2016, 10:42:14 AM »

Had plans to revisit Neil Gaiman's "Coraline". I like it as I do animated film, tho at 1st I was slightly disappointed that the characters didn't look as I imagined them. Then again, the visuals are bound to be diff. People read the same book and picture the events, people in thousand ways. One of those could align with the screen adaptation. Mine usually don't.
I really liked The Sandman series. Not really a graphic novel reader, but it fell into my hands.
What is "graphic novel"? If the series are in horror/surreal genre, I'm interested.
A graphic novel is basically a long-form comic. A complete full story done with drawings.
The Sandman series was an earlier Gaiman series that's dark, mildly philosophical, mildly funny. I found it really interesting and entertaining.
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« Reply #341 on: May 13, 2016, 10:50:11 AM »

Hey, I like comics. That Gaiman seems diverse. My favorite comics used to be Calvin & Hobbes, Duck Tales (imo much interesting than cartoon) and Garfield. Are you an avid comic fan, what's your favorites besides the Sandman?
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« Reply #342 on: May 13, 2016, 11:02:12 AM »

Hey, I like comics. That Gaiman seems diverse. My favorite comics used to be Calvin & Hobbes, Duck Tales (imo much interesting than cartoon) and Garfield. Are you an avid comic fan, what's your favorites besides the Sandman?
I won't say I'm an avid comic fan because I haven't sought them out. But a number of good comics have come my way. My brother is an avid comic fan. He collects comics, knows trivia, etc. A bit like an Andrew Doe of comics.
In terms of comic strip-type comics, I've really enjoyed Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County, Doonesbury and Peanuts.
Kids' graphic novels that I've enjoyed are Asterix, Tin Tin and Zita the Space Girl.
The adult ones that I've read are just two series that my brother particularly recommended to me: Sandman and Bone by Jeff Smith. There's a character called Emily the Strange that, back in the '90s my brother used to give me joke gifts of - cards and mugs and things - because the name and (he thought) the strangeness matched me. And the cats. I think that some Emily the Strange books were written later - she was originally just a logo that kind of caught on - but I never read them.
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« Reply #343 on: May 13, 2016, 11:18:31 AM »

I'm going to add my favorite - I forgot her because I put her in a different place in my brain because I love it so much; and you might enjoy it too, it's really dark and probably disturbing to a lot of people:
Cruddy by Lynda Barry. My god it's good. One of my favorite books.
She also did an earlier one, The Good Times are Killing Me, which was good, but a bit more serial comic strip like and less novelistic and less deeply involving.
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« Reply #344 on: May 13, 2016, 11:21:00 AM »

Cool! I'd like to have comics with my name. Your brother has good hobby - much better than collecting knives and bubble gum stickers.
Of the mentioned, I heard of Asterix - saw the french films - and Tin Tin. Used to watch that cartoon show, alternating with Heathcliff (about cat) and Rocky & Bullwinkle.
I like cats and would like smb. out there to create a really good friendly comics. NOT antropomorphic, just with human speech ability. I'm fed up with shows showing animals dressed like people, some even go further - animal head complete with human bod.
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« Reply #345 on: May 13, 2016, 11:23:30 AM »

I know of a Japanese comic/manga series called Uzumaki which I quite like. It's horror, so it could be what you're looking for, RR.
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« Reply #346 on: May 13, 2016, 11:25:23 AM »

I'm going to add my favorite - I forgot her because I put her in a different place in my brain because I love it so much; and you might enjoy it too, it's really dark and probably disturbing to a lot of people:
Cruddy by Lynda Barry. My god it's good. One of my favorite books.
She also did an earlier one, The Good Times are Killing Me, which was good, but a bit more serial comic strip like and less novelistic and less deeply involving.
Disturbing as in "gore"? As a horror fan, I'm OK with it.
Either way, thanks for suggestion, I'll check it out out of curiousity.
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« Reply #347 on: May 13, 2016, 11:29:46 AM »

I know of a Japanese comic/manga series called Uzumaki which I quite like. It's horror, so it could be what you're looking for, RR.
Well, you see, I'm not fan of J culture/anything (um, broadly speaking, anything Asian) but I will try to fight off my shallow views/prejudice and see if it's good.
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« Reply #348 on: May 13, 2016, 11:35:28 AM »

I'm going to add my favorite - I forgot her because I put her in a different place in my brain because I love it so much; and you might enjoy it too, it's really dark and probably disturbing to a lot of people:
Cruddy by Lynda Barry. My god it's good. One of my favorite books.
She also did an earlier one, The Good Times are Killing Me, which was good, but a bit more serial comic strip like and less novelistic and less deeply involving.
Disturbing as in "gore"? As a horror fan, I'm OK with it.
Either way, thanks for suggestion, I'll check it out out of curiousity.
Hmm. I guess being a horror fan might be for several different reasons. It's not gory, per se, but there's some grim knife action. It's more emotionally disturbing. Very blunt and raw.
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« Reply #349 on: May 13, 2016, 11:58:56 AM »

No, I like different kinds of horror, I just associate "disturbing" with "gore". I said "as a horror fan" because people I asked why they don't watch horrors, they'd usually say they're scared of slasher scenes, with cutting head, half the body, taking out eyeballs, car smashing passer-by etc. Hence my post.
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Zany zealous Zeddie eats broccoli at brunch break but doesn't do's & don't's due to duties.
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