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GWBBQ posted:Did Lovecraft incorporate any real history into his early works? In particular, The Tomb references the Hyde family. I'm interested in this because I'm descended from the actual Hyde family among the early New England settlers and wonder if he referenced real historical families in his writing. You want to read S. T. Joshi. His Penguin Classic editions of Lovecraft have a load of endnotes about that kind of stuff, but I'm not sure if he's written about that kind of thing at length.
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Apr 11, 2020 05:55
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I’m reading Lovecraft for the first time because I’m quarantined and my local bookshop is closed, and man it is the most racist stuff I have ever read. I went in prepared, but it’s so much more than I was expecting. “Racist” doesn’t even really describe it—it’s like an outgrowth of pervasive phobia about contamination. And yet, there’s this kind of endearing Henry Darger quality to the stories that makes me kind of like him? I don’t know—the protagonist of “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” is obviously an idealized version of Lovecraft, and even though he’s just pure fantasy wish-fulfillment, the character is still a pathetic introverted nerd weiner. It’s hard to hate the guy, as he’s just a dork who loves cats and fantasizes about being a competent diplomat and a polymath whose study of languages saves the day. It’s all so harmless that I just can’t hate the guy. I guess I just wanted to tell someone.
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Apr 13, 2020 00:46
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How even is the stuff Darger wrote? I heard it was super weird and huge, and that there's a reason his art impressed people but nobody knows the story. (the reason is the story is bad.)
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Apr 14, 2020 15:05
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I mean, if you are reading Darger for the sake of readability you are missing the point Its like criticizing the prose of Sonichu or The Elemental Masters Its the role the prose plays in the psyche of the outsider artist that makes it wortwhile
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Apr 14, 2020 17:16
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Mel Mudkiper posted:I mean, if you are reading Darger for the sake of readability you are missing the point This is what I was getting at about feeling sympathetic to Lovecraft as well. He just wants to be a kid again and go build big sand castles and make up epic stories while he plays with his dolls and hug his cats.
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Apr 14, 2020 17:23
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Yeah I mean is it worth thinking about looking at or no? I'm getting the sense it would be under Tails Gets Trolled which is pretty much the lower limit imo
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Apr 14, 2020 17:43
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I mean, a complete unabridged version has never been published afaik
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Apr 14, 2020 18:47
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SniperWoreConverse posted:How even is the stuff Darger wrote? I heard it was super weird and huge, and that there's a reason his art impressed people but nobody knows the story. (the reason is the story is bad.) you can find excerpts from his writing in some of the books about him and that one documentary, however i don't think anyone has actually read the whole thing, because the first novel alone is 15,000 pages long.
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Apr 14, 2020 23:43
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Eh his journals and then 30,000 pages total how hard could it be to get through? The last one is an autobiography, so "Spanning eight volumes, the book only spends 206 pages detailing Darger's early life before veering off into 4,672 pages of fiction about a huge twister called "Sweetie Pie"" Hmm. Did anyone even save all the books? It seems to me stuff like this is what would probably be better off digitized then on dead tree.
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Apr 15, 2020 00:38
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What are some recommended sites to buy books if I want to avoid Amazon?
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Apr 19, 2020 20:01
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Goodpancakes posted:What are some recommended sites to buy books if I want to avoid Amazon? https://www.bookdepository.com has a pretty good selection and fair prices. I use them regularly
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Apr 19, 2020 20:13
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Goodpancakes posted:What are some recommended sites to buy books if I want to avoid Amazon? Wordery if you're in Europe
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Apr 19, 2020 20:21
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Goodpancakes posted:What are some recommended sites to buy books if I want to avoid Amazon? betterworldbooks. there's also bookshop.org, which is new
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Apr 19, 2020 20:34
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Goodpancakes posted:What are some recommended sites to buy books if I want to avoid Amazon? AbeBooks
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Apr 19, 2020 20:38
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Franchescanado posted:AbeBooks owned by Amazon
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Apr 19, 2020 20:47
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Goodpancakes posted:What are some recommended sites to buy books if I want to avoid Amazon? indiebound ebay has a bunch of third person sellers and sometimes just plain ol' regular people
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Apr 19, 2020 20:53
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If you're in the UK, Hive often has better prices than Amazon and will pass on some of the money to your local indie bookstore.
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Apr 19, 2020 21:59
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Half Price Books lets you order online, and you can call your local store and have them ship to you too.
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Apr 19, 2020 22:10
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How often have you guys and gals gotten the opportunity to discuss a book midway through, after high school?
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Apr 20, 2020 00:26
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I ask because I'm in a very long term book club that meets twice a month w/ set chapters. I found out after I moved recently that that's not common, so most people never discuss plot or w/e outside of specific books
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Apr 20, 2020 00:29
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I discuss books as often as I want in their respective genre threads - sci-fi and/or urban fantasy - and then I'll discuss them with friends, and in a private book-focused discord. It's not like, heavy literary analysis but it's actual discussion and can get pretty involved if I'm reading something others have read. Meanwhile in my family, only my mom reads and she doesn't discuss her thrillers with anyone but me.
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Apr 20, 2020 00:33
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killer crane posted:owned by Amazon Huh. Well that sucks.
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Apr 20, 2020 00:35
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TheAardvark posted:How often have you guys and gals gotten the opportunity to discuss a book midway through, after high school? We didn't do it in high school or before high school. Or afterwards, so I guess: not often.
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Apr 20, 2020 00:39
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killer crane posted:owned by Amazon As is the Book Depository.
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Apr 20, 2020 01:44
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all hail Big Book
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Apr 20, 2020 02:28
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https://www.bn.com
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Apr 20, 2020 02:48
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I think it's time for me to think about getting a kindle, and I should have enough dosh in the fun budget to pick one up next month. Goons, help me pick the right one: - I need access to my google play thingie so I can read stuff I've already got on there - It needs to be good/comfortable/etc - I'm willing to buy a new one, doesn't have to be used. In fact I'd prefer new so I don't have to worry about getting a broken one. Do I just get a kindle paperwhite off of amazon, or should I look at other devices? I am new to this whole thing and I'm not finding any threads on kindle devices from a cursory search.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:01
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StrixNebulosa posted:I think it's time for me to think about getting a kindle, and I should have enough dosh in the fun budget to pick one up next month. Goons, help me pick the right one: Paperwhite is the best bang-for-your-buck, yeah. I don't think a model has improved upon it's simplicity. You can get your Google Play books on there, you'll just have to convert them to MOBI or AZW format first. Which seems like there are several easy ways of doing that. Get a case, as well. Saves your screen and battery life.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:14
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How important is it that you get an e-ink screen? I would suggest looking into an Android tablet that you could load up with the Kindle app and whatever other book apps you currently use.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:18
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StrixNebulosa posted:I think it's time for me to think about getting a kindle, and I should have enough dosh in the fun budget to pick one up next month. Goons, help me pick the right one: I recommend the oasis over the paperwhite for two reasons: 1) actual page.forward button not just touchscreen swipe, and 2) waterproof so you can read in the shower. Those may be just me. The oasis does have a weird rear end shape that makes it difficult to lie flat without a case. The cases are kind of a waste but the replacement warranty is not because Amazon warranty will cover replacement even if you actively break it yourself, which I have done several times (sitting on it in a pocket, etc) Kindles pay for themselves in savings on free out of copyright books. See past BotMs for good choices.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:20
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I kinda regret buying the Oasis when my last Voyage died. It's just less comfortable to my hand than the symmetrical design, plus if you switch hands a lot it's a more jarring experience mid-read. I do like having physical buttons again, though.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:23
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Franchescanado posted:Paperwhite is the best bang-for-your-buck, yeah. I don't think a model has improved upon it's simplicity. *making notes* Paperwhite, okay. I'll compare it with the oasis when I get closer to spending actual money. Good to know I can make my kindle work for me, even if I can't put google play directly on it. And I'll check out cases too! Hieronymous Alloy posted:I recommend the oasis over the paperwhite for two reasons: Amazon now has paperwhites that are waterproof, for the record. The button does sound pretty sweet. As for free out of copyright books, yeah - I can see myself going on a Wodehouse binge. wizzardstaff posted:How important is it that you get an e-ink screen? What is an e-ink screen?
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Apr 21, 2020 21:23
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StrixNebulosa posted:What is an e-ink screen? E Ink is a display technology that uses electronics to physically manipulate tiny little physical black dots, so that you're not looking at an electronic screen (back-lit) but a physical display that has to be lit from the front. Newer Kindles all have the lighting built in. I don't know about others, but I can not read on a tablet screen for long at all without my eyes hurting, but I can read a Kindle for 8 hours straight when the mood strikes. I could never replace mine with a non E-Ink screen.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:28
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if anything now is the time to not buy off amazon and support your local bookshop instead. don't mean for that to sound as dickish as it does but a lot of them are struggling atm, at least in my country, so I felt I should chime in
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Apr 21, 2020 21:31
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Lex Neville posted:if anything now is the time to not buy off amazon and support your local bookshop instead. don't mean for that to sound as dickish as it does but a lot of them are struggling atm, at least in my country, so I felt I should chime in For this, you can see if a local bookstore is involved with Bookshop.org InsideHook did an article about the service, which is how I heard about it. Sadly, the only shop (so far) that's using it nearest me is a city 2 hours away.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:35
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When I went from the kindle keyboard to the paperwhite I didn't miss the buttons, the touchscreen is fine. You can swipe to change the page, but you can also just tap: Also for ebooks, your local library system may be setup for lending ebooks, I found mine really easy to use. Also I keep a amazon wishlist with only ebooks on it and will check it by setting the filter for Price: Low to High in case any are on sale that I might pick up, but I usually check my library first to see if something is available there, ebook or physical.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:54
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Lex Neville posted:if anything now is the time to not buy off amazon and support your local bookshop instead. don't mean for that to sound as dickish as it does but a lot of them are struggling atm, at least in my country, so I felt I should chime in Not dickish at all, and a good point, but - where can I get a not-kindle with all the same features? That said, have no fear: I continue to buy books from sources that aren't amazon, and my hoard continues to grow.
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Apr 21, 2020 21:55
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PlushCow posted:When I went from the kindle keyboard to the paperwhite I didn't miss the buttons, the touchscreen is fine. You can swipe to change the page, but you can also just tap: All good points. I don't need the buttons, because my fingers are right there to tap the sides. You can tap the bottom of the screen to show/hide your reading speed or page or progress. Tap the top of the screen to change your backlight if it's too bright. Etc. The Price: Low To High feature on an ebooks wishlist is essential. I have a huge backlog--literature and some genre fiction--of great books I maybe paid $3 on.
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Apr 21, 2020 22:02
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StrixNebulosa posted:Not dickish at all, and a good point, but - where can I get a not-kindle with all the same features? Kobo? They're built on the same e-ink technology and have basically the same feature set, AFAICT. They support a different set of formats and DRM scheme that means they are a pain to use with Amazon but easier to use with basically everything else.
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Apr 22, 2020 03:40
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ToxicFrog posted:Kobo? They're built on the same e-ink technology and have basically the same feature set, AFAICT. They support a different set of formats and DRM scheme that means they are a pain to use with Amazon but easier to use with basically everything else. kobo used to be a generation or two behind Kindle, but we've reached the point where kindles have kind of stagnated as far as new tech in their new models. the newest ones highlight faster processors, and faster page turning, but who cares? until they introduce color kindles I'd honestly go with a kobo. that said, Amazon's user interface is fantastic, and my local library has more kindle titles in their digital site than not.
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Apr 22, 2020 04:17
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