|
Gaius Marius posted:
Oh I would usually agree 100% but I just got the Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson and I’m in love with the book, from the design to the binding to the font and of course the contents. It’s a triumph imo She’s apparently been working on the Iliad for years and is now close to release, and I’m unreasonably hyped to read a thousands-years-old book The odyssey audiobook on audible is really great too, read by Claire Danes and her voice is like a relaxing waterfall, great stuff
|
#
?
Sep 6, 2023 22:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 07:27 |
|
|
TBB annually updated list imo
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2023 01:54
|
|
|
Speaking of Water Margin, is there a popular good English translation I should be looking for? I've got lots of other crap to read before I get to it, but it has been on my list for a while.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2023 01:57
|
|
|
Turbinosamente posted:Speaking of Water Margin, is there a popular good English translation I should be looking for? I've got lots of other crap to read before I get to it, but it has been on my list for a while. I am by no means an expert, but I have Jackson and it’s very enjoyable. Everybody says avoid Pearl Buck like the plague.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2023 07:50
|
|
|
StrixNebulosa posted:https://thegreatestbooks.org/ That's Marquez's worst book by far. Actually I think it might be his only bad book, but it's also very very very bad.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2023 10:52
|
|
|
StrixNebulosa posted:https://thegreatestbooks.org/ rectify that by starting with Swann’s way immediately
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2023 10:56
|
|
|
it’s so good
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2023 10:57
|
|
|
Speaking of Proust, I recently came across the argument that Shelby Foote was America's greatest admirer of Proust, and that his Civil War trilogy made copious application of Proust's techniques onto the telling of history. That sure puts it in a curious light.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2023 08:17
|
|
|
Up to page 500 in Don Quixote when will it end. 
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2023 19:23
|
|
|
if it's not good as hell you've clearly been cursed with a crap translation of some kind
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2023 23:58
|
|
|
Lawman 0 posted:Up to page 500 in Don Quixote when will it end. its never gonna end *hannibal panza voice*
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2023 00:08
|
|
|
Gaius Marius posted:I can't imagine trying to use Goodreads to find a book to read, their recommendations are either horrible, pushing anything that has the same or similar title or author rather than any actual connection to anything, or other editions of works you've already read, I can assure you my first inclination on finishing The Red and The Black was not to read the same tale told again but translated differently. Given that book stores are horrible now, Goodreads may be the best place to find new books
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2023 02:24
|
|
|
SniperWoreConverse posted:if it's not good as hell you've clearly been cursed with a crap translation of some kind It's actually pretty good and I got some good laughs from it but it's just so incredibly long.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2023 04:09
|
|
|
Lawman 0 posted:It's actually pretty good and I got some good laughs from it but it's just so incredibly long. The Decameron waves hello In Search of Lost Time smirks
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2023 15:45
|
|
|
My struggle digs up the six-pack it lost at the side of the road
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2023 19:11
|
|
|
One of the many annoying things about the advent of streaming is that now it's totally normal for the audiobook of a novel of average length to take up half a gigabyte.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2023 20:28
|
|
|
Rand Brittain posted:One of the many annoying things about the advent of streaming is that now it's totally normal for the audiobook of a novel of average length to take up half a gigabyte. Seriouspost: how is that related to the advent of streaming 
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 09:03
|
|
|
3D Megadoodoo posted:Seriouspost: how is that related to the advent of streaming Streaming audio books online through an app or site rather than downloaded ones I presume?
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 10:18
|
|
|
fez_machine posted:Streaming audio books online through an app or site rather than downloaded ones I presume? I still don't get it.
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 10:28
|
|
|
audio books used to be on CDs or tape which use zero megabytes
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 12:08
|
|
|
Carthag Tuek posted:audio books used to be on CDs or tape which use zero megabytes Well that's true thank you.
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 12:10
|
|
|
Most people now listen to their audiobooks through an app rather than keeping a permanent collection, which lets the providers stop caring too much about how much space it takes up, was what I meant.
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 15:59
|
|
|
I mean the Audible app still downloads the files all locally, you can even prep a bunch while on wifi. They are about the same size as the old CD ones.
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 21:49
|
|
|
Bilirubin posted:The Decameron waves hello The decameron was jammed packed with interesting self-contained stories though! Lawman 0 fucked around with this message at 14:17 on Sep 12, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 12, 2023 02:04
|
|
|
Rand Brittain posted:Most people now listen to their audiobooks through an app rather than keeping a permanent collection, which lets the providers stop caring too much about how much space it takes up, was what I meant. Ooooh OK.
|
|
#
?
Sep 12, 2023 10:05
|
|
|
Lawman 0 posted:The decameron was jammed packed with interesting self-contained stories though! I'm thinking the Quixote does too but I've yet to start it myself. Perhaps after I'm finished with Communion, although Earthsea is just sitting there e. I was actually just chatting with a friend of mine who is rereading it currently with the view of it being about life in Spain as a crypto Jew or conversio. He points out, "the novel starts off by saying "here's a guy who's name is not important but it also has probably recently been changed, oh he doesn't eat pork, he has huevos hamidos on Saturdays, and he has a lot of books"" Certainly its a take Bilirubin fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Sep 12, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 12, 2023 15:15
|
|
|
Bilirubin posted:crypto Jew Since this is 2023 when I see anything with crypto in it I think of a certain thing, so "crypto Jew" parsed as something quite bigoted to me at first.
|
|
#
?
Sep 12, 2023 15:31
|
|
|
3D Megadoodoo posted:Since this is 2023 when I see anything with crypto in it I think of a certain thing, so "crypto Jew" parsed as something quite bigoted to me at first. The Zohar, in NFT form. (Sorry for making that sort of confusing statement.) My buddy has gone on at length about how Cervantes lived shortly after the Edict of Removal and had family (mothers side, god parents) who were likely conversos (and to whom some were related to said buddy) but still secretly practicing themselves, and that he made comments in his prologue about either being able to read or knowing Hebrew speakers. Anyway, apparently there is a scholarly literature on this topic so I will likely take my new curiosity in that direction.
|
|
#
?
Sep 12, 2023 20:26
|
|
|
I was under the impression that "crypto-Jew" was probably already a part of the anti-semitic lexicon.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2023 08:44
|
|
|
FPyat posted:I was under the impression that "crypto-Jew" was probably already a part of the anti-semitic lexicon. same. but now it's got layers
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2023 08:51
|
|
|
Bilirubin posted:The Zohar, in NFT form. (Sorry for making that sort of confusing statement.) That's actually quite interesting. Thanks for sharing Bill.
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2023 02:22
|
|
|
Did anyone read the whole Wheel of Time? 14 books?  Was it worth it? I stopped at book 5-6 or so, when they were new and coming out. It just became too boring. But I heard it gets good again later, with Sanderson. Maybe I'll finish the story now, 20 years later. Speaking of Sanderson, I finished Starsight, and what a letdown. I loved Skyward, one of my favorite books of that year, a great, fun adventure. Not perfect, but I thought it worked if you let some things slide. And I tried, but I just didn't believe the logistics of Starsight. So many nitpicks that took me out of the fantasy. It went from decent, fun, young adult sci-fi to... like... Netflix anime-level with logic meant to move the plot along. JUST GO ALONG WITH IT OK, IT DOESN'T NEED TO MAKE SENSE. I'll ignore a lot for a story, I'm not a smart "find the plot holes" reader, yet I kept finding myself thinking "Nobody would react like that. No organization would let that happen. Perfect portable hologram disguise tech that nobody else in the universe owns, that's convenient." He's not a bad writer, of course... I've only read those two books by Sanderson, so far seems like he's great at cliffhangers, ending chapters in a way that you want to read the next one RIGHT NOW, epic "I should've seen that coming, but it's awesome" moments, and action scenes in general. But the whole consistency of this universe just didn't convince me. I'd post more specific spoilers, but maybe it goes in the book review thread. Plus, I sort of enjoyed it anyway, some moments that I would've loved even more if they weren't surrounded by a bit of roll-eyes worldbuilding. I think it just needed a bit more polish, I don't expect like Iain Banks complexity here but just... a bit more realism in some parts.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2023 06:53
|
|
|
I reread WoT last year having dropped out after crossroads at twilight (book 10) way back when. If you didn't like it at book 5-6 I don't think you'll enjoy it more,y takeaway is they become more and more of the same, bogging down significantly in complicated story arcs and his weird barely disguised fetishes (hair pulling, girls bottoms being smacked, folding arms under breasts etc). The Sanderson ones have a lot more functional but they take three books to tie up around 10 books of unresolved plot. I'm not saying I'd recommend it but I deal feel some satisfaction in knocking off a series that I read as a teen
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2023 12:20
|
|
|
Comfy Fleece Sweater posted:Did anyone read the whole Wheel of Time? 14 books? ...yes? I've read and reread wot multiple times, lots of people have read the whole thing. Was it worth it, varies by person obviously. Maybe watch the TV show?
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2023 15:31
|
|
|
Well this is coincidental, my boyfriend just picked up the first 5 books of Wheel of Time cheap in a garage sale and I was thinking of taking a crack at them myself. Probably gonna hold off though as I am not huge into western fantasy books and still have to finish Journey to the West on top of sorting through my bookshelves. I'm down to coffee table books, reference books, and how to guides that are too boring to post about. Not only am I running out of books to declutter I am itching to read a modern novel since it's been so long.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2023 16:03
|
|
|
Turbinosamente posted:Well this is coincidental, my boyfriend just picked up the first 5 books of Wheel of Time cheap in a garage sale and I was thinking of taking a crack at them myself. Probably gonna hold off though as I am not huge into western fantasy books and still have to finish Journey to the West on top of sorting through my bookshelves. I'm down to coffee table books, reference books, and how to guides that are too boring to post about. Not only am I running out of books to declutter I am itching to read a modern novel since it's been so long. The first four books are very very strong imo. I’m going through 5 right now and it definitely drags in the first two thirds though it’s picked up a lot as we get to the climax. I seem to remember the dragging continuing for the couple more books I read 20 years ago but hoping that this time around I can finish it.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2023 16:36
|
|
|
I stumbled across a website that takes public domain ebooks from project Gutenberg and other places and gives them proper chapter markers and corrects any OCR problems and stuff like that. I also bought Dracula on kindle because it was a dollar. The kindle version loving sucks! No chapters, all sorts of formatting problems, big gaps and stuff. Just trash. So I thought I could just grab Dracula from that website but I can’t remember it now. Does anyone else know what I’m talking about?
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2023 00:19
|
|
|
tuyop posted:I stumbled across a website that takes public domain ebooks from project Gutenberg and other places and gives them proper chapter markers and corrects any OCR problems and stuff like that. Sounds like Standard Ebooks, and yeah they have Dracula. https://standardebooks.org/ebooks?query=Dracula&sort=newest&view=grid&per-page=12
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2023 00:29
|
|
|
Standard eBooks is probably what you're thinking of. Also never buy Public Domain poo poo from Amazon because anyone can throw up whatever and charge for it, at the very least look for the Amazon Classic version, although I think those are only free for Prime members now.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2023 00:30
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 07:27 |
|
|
Standard ebooks worked great! Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2023 01:16
|
|