#943

Just finished - a fun, quick read. Didn’t realise it’d been turned into a film, so now have to watch that too!

#944

Ocean of Sound is one of the best books on music ever. He manages to bring an encyclopedic scope to something that in retrospect seems really obvious. The compilation CD is also amazing. Maybe the best mix tape of all time. Could be the Voyager record.

4 Likes
#946

Hi all, found some really great suggestions from lurking this thread so I thought I’d contribute…

This one was mentioned earlier but I thought it bears repeating… Really beautiful collection of essays on music, race, and loss among other topics…

Also, a great (albeit depressing) rant/analysis of the historical/social/political context that created the millennial generation. It’s written by a millennial and comes from a strong anti-capitalist perspective.

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#947

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atmospheric

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#948

I sped through A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns (all familiar since I’m nonbinary, though I have no particular pronoun preference).

Currently reading What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don’t. Good so far, and illuminating.

It feels a little weird to be starting this large pile of books on politics 5 days before the election, but this is the kind of informed I want to be and want fellow citizens to be, rather than constant running commentary on 45’s tweets or Survivor: White House.

2 Likes
#949

Reading this:

It is quite good but very England-centric. Thinking of writing a slimmer version with the Queen, with her doing the living stuff and me doing the rocks, and focussing on New York State - Ontario - Western Quebec biomes / geological history / settlement patterns.

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#950

Books Read in October

Books Read (Not a Graphic Novel)

Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire

The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby

Books Read (Graphic Novel)

The Silencer Vol. 1: Code of Honor by Dan Abnett (words); John Romita Jr. and Sandra Hope (pictures)

James Bond: Case Files (various)

James Bond: The Body (written by Ales Kot, with pictures by various people)

Analog: A Cyborg-Dystopian Noir Vol. 1: Death by Algorithm by by Gerry Duggan (words) and David O’Sullivan (pictures)

Wonder Woman: Earth One, Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison (writer) and Yanick Paquette (pictures)

The Squidder by Ben Templesmith (words and pictures)

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#951

Total escapism read from charles stross… the ninth book in the Laundry series ( yes guilty of reading them all😍)

Great combo of irrational government agencies and computer based supernatural invaders.
Very tongue in cheek.

2 Likes
#952

Just finished ‘American Story’ by Christopher Priest - it’s very entertaining, very much in the mood of all his other books.
The plot is about 9-11, particularly silly and distinctly conspiracy-friendly, so the Popular Mechanics report was a good chaser.

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#953

I knew it was on the horizon but wasn’t sure when it was coming out; I love Priest, but am really, really aware of his tropes at this point. I shall give it a crack.

1 Like
#954

I do like the way he tells stories, but he’s really been on a serious YouTube nutjob binge

#955

Karl Ove Knausgaard - My Struggle. Volume 6 came out in English in September. I’m not really loving the 500 page essay in the middle about poetry, Hilter and philosophy. But, previous five volumes I thought were very engaging and unique.

#956

I’m almost finished with Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier.

I woke up this past Monday feeling exhausted from constantly reading news about the upcoming election and seeing political posts on FB. I decided to take a break from both until Election Day. One somewhat unexpected observation is that I have been having extremely vivid dreams this week that I have been able to recall. These could be attributed to the new Michael Pollan book on psycidelics that I have been listening to on my commutes. Hmm.

5 Likes
#957

Very “not particularly cool or intellectual”, but I’ve been reading Harry Potter for the first time; and I just finished book 6 (Half-Blood Prince). :relaxed:

9 Likes
#958

This anecdote probably says a lot more about me than I’d like, but I remember idly trading hypotheses about who the Half Blood Prince would be before the book came out. And when it did, I devoured book 6—spent a whole day that summer reading it for the first time so I could say I’d finished it in less than 24 hours :sweat_smile:

Looking back, I think I’d say it’s my favorite book in the series—cheers!

4 Likes
#959

That’s interesting! I definitely “bet wrong”. It’s hard to know when Rowling is going to be clever or on the nose? :laughing: It’s actually the book that’s taken me the longest to finish! I’ve been reading it very casually for a long while when I’ve gone out to eat brunch. It’s been a good ritual.

It’s the one I’ve spent the most time with. As someone coming to the series unspoiled later than my all of my generational peers - I’m 35, it’s been interesting to “get to know the hype”. I’ve enjoyed them, and it’s nice to read something hopeful -if reductive- at a dark time.

My experience is comparatively briefer than those that read them growing up as they were released, but I’ll still be a little sad to finish the last book.

1 Like
#960

Thanks for recommending this - picked up a copy and am finding it interesting so far…

#961

I think this book is more like a crack it open anywhere for inspiration kind of book than a read it from start to finish thing. I really enjoyed it!

1 Like
#962

I just started reading the new edition of Ocean of Sound. Wonderful writing on so many topics of great interest to me.

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#963

It’s sooooo good! He’s onto something really deep.