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inktvis posted:World Literature Forum is one of the best, especially for European lit. They can't hold a candle to the squalid human drama of your average Book Barn thread, but the breadth of coverage is great (even 4 pages of threads on translation alone). Thanks so much for this, I just spotted the Chinese Literature thread and got so excited I'm joining up right now.
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May 25, 2010 15:24
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Finally got caught up with this thread, was busy all week. If anyone has a problem with 2 GRRM threads, take it up with me and leave loosechanj out of it. The 2 GRRM threads is 100% my doing and if you have a problem with it, take it up with me. Catch me at viconia@somethingawful.com or PM! --- In other news, the book store down the road from me is closing, so I can't have a gander at lunch in there anymore. I'm really annoyed about that! Also, not sure about ye, but I've been to about 5 bookstores and none of them have the SA Book Club's Book of the month "Vacation". Anyone else found that problem? Like what the hell?
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May 28, 2010 16:51
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Viconia posted:
Choose a better book, buddy. Sheesh. (Book shops closing makes me sad).
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May 28, 2010 16:57
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therattle posted:Choose a better book, buddy. Sheesh. (Book shops closing makes me sad). Heard a lot about the book and it looks quite interesting. I guess the hype that people made about it has made me curious.
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May 28, 2010 17:15
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therattle posted:Choose a better book, buddy. Sheesh. (Book shops closing makes me sad). Vacation is one of the best books of the last decade.
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May 28, 2010 17:46
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Viconia posted:Finally got caught up with this thread, was busy all week. If anyone has a problem with 2 GRRM threads, take it up with me and leave loosechanj out of it. The 2 GRRM threads is 100% my doing and if you have a problem with it, take it up with me. I just got the kindle version. Get with the 21st century, jeez. edit: I guess bookstores closing is my fault. sorry
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May 28, 2010 19:06
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Nearing St. Louis, I stopped in Hannibal, Missouri, which avid readers will recognize as the hometown of Mark Twain himself. A goodly amount of business in Hannibal is Twain-related; the downtown area has several preserved and renovated buildings from his era, and Twain's mustached and white-suited image is everywhere. I lunched in a dinette, looked on by a poster on the wall where Twain sat, proper and cool; underneath him a quotation, attributed to him, admonished, The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them, and I thought to myself, Yes, Yes, This is true. Anyway, thank you for the recommendations, Book Barn denizens.
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May 28, 2010 23:24
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Rotten Punk posted:Here is a question I've been asking myself.. How can I read more? Back when I didn't have internet access, or cable TV, or video games I could get through huge books in no time flat. I understand your situation and I think that many people could relate to the feeling of disappointment that comes from once being a quick reader (in childhood, usually) and now being a relatively slow or unenthusiastic reader. But here is another question for you to ask yourself: what do you want to get out of reading? It seems that for fewer and fewer people today the answer is sheer entertainment. Stimulation of a certain kind can more easily come from the other media that you mention. Your post makes me think that you read as a kid for entertainment but you have now found better, surer ways to engage your imagination and distract yourself from life. I don't mean for that to sound too harsh because, after all, entertaining ourselves is not a crime; it is a luxury and a prerogative we have as human beings. On the other hand, you seem to have some indistinct feeling of guilt for not reading as much as you used to read. If your motivation for reading as a child was to both satisfy and deepen your curiosity about the world, it may be that you now read less because this sense of wonder has been deadened by an overexposure to information. With too much to think about, we tend not to think very deeply about any one thing. Novels require their readers to be disciplined and sometimes monomaniacal to get to "The End." Of course, even more intellectual rigor is needed to reflect on and understand a novel. I know that my own motivation to read comes partly from wanting to give myself the shivers from the experience of revelation and partly from wanting to relieve my anxiety that whatever imagination and intelligence I do have is stagnating with so many easier options available to me. Lastly, reading is a habit and like any habit it becomes 'second-nature' only with practice. Your reading pace, your ability to concentrate, and, most likely, your enjoyment of reading will increase as you read more often. The idea mentioned earlier of setting reading goals for yourself shouldn't be dismissed outright. You may find that your satisfaction of completing the goal for the day is gradually taken over by your satisfaction for reading itself. Also, if it helps, drive to a coffee shop or a library to read for a designated time every day. Only bring your book. You can be a better reader than you ever were if you want to be and if you work at it. Good luck. Free Gucci Mane posted:A fun little thing I like to do is to read while playing turn based rpg's. Setup your attacks, then read while the fight happens. I used to be able to get through 75-100 pages a day like that. Where did this clever response come from?
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May 29, 2010 00:34
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jmaze posted:I just got the kindle version. Get with the 21st century, jeez. I actually have that version for my sony e-reader but.. Meh. I'm really prefering paperback. Also,I bring so many gadgets with me around the place that it's refreshing to have a book with me. I suppose I might have to settle with that version 
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May 29, 2010 08:46
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What do you guys think of eBay as a medium for independant booksellers, or as a way to get second-hand books? I haven't seen it recommended much here but I've had a lot of success in getting harder to find novels from there. It seems like it could be a good way of generating income for struggling indies as it gives them a much wider reach for minimum expenditure.
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May 30, 2010 01:29
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Donkey Darko posted:What do you guys think of eBay as a medium for independant booksellers, or as a way to get second-hand books? I haven't seen it recommended much here but I've had a lot of success in getting harder to find novels from there. In the past I've found e bay to be a difficult place to buy rare or out of print books. Not because of the lack of books on offer, but because the sellers tend to over inflate the prices, often absurdly. Writing the words 'WOW, SUPER RARE' all over the item must add value I guess. My best and cheapest finds have been made when I scour those strange, pokey, second hand places that smell like Grandad's attic. After weeks of searching for 'The Egg and I' by Betty MacDonald a secondhand bookseller sold me that, and 'The Plague and I' (Penguin orange classics) at £2 for both. E Bay at the time was trying to push them for about £15 each.
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May 30, 2010 06:54
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I've only gotten really good deals on eBay when the books are listed in batches, I've sometimes found listings for 5-6 books that include the one I want for the same price or less than one copy is going for individually. In general, I tend to find better prices through Amazon Marketplace.
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May 30, 2010 07:11
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barkingclam posted:Has anybody here used The Book Depository before? They're a UK-based bookseller that promises free worldwide shipping. I just bought a couple books from them. It was pretty cheap, but I have no idea how long it'll take to get my books. Holy crap, I can get Library of America books for 20-25 bucks from them. Now I need a job so that I can afford them. I literally have a corner of my bookshelf reserved for them because I'm such a huge sperg over aesthetics and they just look so drat pretty together. I got the American Fantastic Tales boxset the other day, I'm looking to buy the crime set next, either the $135 collection from the LoA site or in pieces from Book Depository, once I figure out what's cheaper e: it's $165 for the set, whoops. And it comes out to being ten bucks difference. Ehhhhhh. Now I'm torn. For the record, this is the set I'm talking about. BENGHAZI 2 fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Jun 1, 2010 |
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Jun 1, 2010 14:27
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deety posted:I've only gotten really good deals on eBay when the books are listed in batches, I've sometimes found listings for 5-6 books that include the one I want for the same price or less than one copy is going for individually. I can do this because I can afford to, but I do now try to buy books new from independent booksellers. i) They need the business; ii) authors need the royalties. Does anyone feel, just a bit, that buying second-hand slightly screws authors (and publishers)?
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Jun 2, 2010 10:51
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therattle posted:I can do this because I can afford to, but I do now try to buy books new from independent booksellers. i) They need the business; ii) authors need the royalties. Does anyone feel, just a bit, that buying second-hand slightly screws authors (and publishers)? I would love to buy from indie book sellers, but the only one near me is a dodgy man who sells a lot of old festish porn, and I suspect most of his books are second-hand anyway. The multiple Waterstones/WH Smiths in the area have pushed all the interesting book-shops out. One was open for about three months before going again. Donkey Darko fucked around with this message at 12:26 on Jun 2, 2010 |
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Jun 2, 2010 11:51
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Usually when I've resorted to searching eBay, it's for books or specific editions that are out of print. But even when I end up in a used bookstore getting something that's still available in other ways, I can't say I feel too bad about it. For one thing, authors and publishers have gotten a hell of a lot of money from me over my lifetime. And, while it's not like I can't afford them new, bargains lead me to buy things I wouldn't typically get. So while the author doesn't benefit from that one purchase, if I enjoy the book then they have a new fan searching for their stuff and talking them up to friends. If I don't like it, then it's still not like they've lost anything because I wouldn't have tried them at full price in the first place. I'd love to shop at indie stores more often, because while I can usually beat them on price their selections tend to be worth the expense. But there are fewer independent shops around here than used bookstores, and they're more inconvenient to get to.
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Jun 2, 2010 17:12
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deety posted:Usually when I've resorted to searching eBay, it's for books or specific editions that are out of print. That is a good point, and in my mis-spent youth of loitering around the 2nd-hand bookshops of the Charing Cross Road I definitely bought things I would not have otherwise tried and was richer for it. If I am looking for something specific though (and not just browsing for things which catch my eye), like the new Tibor Fisher, then I like to pop into Foyles (and end up buying more than I intended to anyway). Alas, I read less now, so most of my reading is of books that are either recommended, lent to me, or bought because of reviews or I love the author.
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Jun 3, 2010 12:14
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I was going to create a seperate thread about this, but since I don't know if the mods will frown upon it, and it is just an idea, I figured I'd post it here instead. Right now, the nook comes with a 50$ gift card. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp?cds2Pid=30919 Interestingly enough, you can have as many nooks tied to one account as you want. Theoretically, if we all wanted to we could all sign up for a single account, use our gift cards in succession, and acquire the wealth of all the books spread between ourselves as some sort of advanced book club. Apparently this is legal, but it might be frowned upon. But I haven't found anything conflicting with the Nook TOS just yet. I just wanted to see if anyone would be interested in creating a super user to share all the wealth of our collective books. Philosopher King fucked around with this message at 07:14 on Jun 4, 2010 |
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Jun 4, 2010 06:05
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People need to read the books of the month and post in those threads. Just sayin'. 
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Jun 4, 2010 10:25
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LooseChanj posted:People need to read the books of the month and post in those threads. It's all the big summer of Proust and GRRRMMM reread threads' faults.
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Jun 4, 2010 10:40
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appropriatemetaphor posted:It's all the big summer of Proust and GRRRMMM reread threads' faults. hey hey hey Hey HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY!. now.
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Jun 4, 2010 11:33
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appropriatemetaphor posted:It's all the big summer of Proust and GRRRMMM reread threads' faults. One of the books (there's two this month!) is a really short but awesome read. I finished it in a day, and I read slow. Plus I hear it's online: http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/BlindOwl/blindowl.html
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Jun 4, 2010 15:09
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LooseChanj posted:People need to read the books of the month and post in those threads. Loosechanj, if this idea doesn't fly at all with you I don't wanna pursue it. Legal or otherwise.
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Jun 4, 2010 18:42
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So what's up with Hells Gate. This thick monstrosity of a book reads like a boring fanfic. I can't get more than a few pages in. I skipped a bit and read around and the whole book seems like the most boring drivel i've ever read. /rant. Anyone want to chat about this book?
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Jun 5, 2010 04:37
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I assume we all have goodreads accounts here, so maybe we should have a sharing thread so we can laugh at each others book choices. Wasn't sure if something like it had already been tried, or I'd have set it up myself. http://www.goodreads.com/donkeydarko Donkey Darko fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Jun 6, 2010 |
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Jun 5, 2010 23:55
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Might as well share mine here for now: http://www.goodreads.com/hedrigall NB: I'm using it as my "read in 2010" list, not my "every book I own or have ever read and ones I want to read" list. Hence only 35 books.
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Jun 6, 2010 01:19
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There's this group http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/28438.The_Book_Barn_2010_Roundup but it doesn't get much traffic. I'm using goodreads for the same purpose as Hedrigall. Not doing too well so far though.
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Jun 6, 2010 02:20
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There's also this one http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2686.Book_Barn_Goons that someone made, I think during a GR thread that we had a long time ago. Nobody really posts in it.
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Jun 6, 2010 02:31
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I just set up an account cause it'll encourage me to read more. http://www.goodreads.com/fivedigitdisco
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Jun 6, 2010 12:45
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Goodreads is nice, but it seems to work best for individuals. The communities are a little difficult to manage. Or maybe I'm just anti-social.
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Jun 6, 2010 12:57
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Here's mine. I've had an account for a while, but I haven't gotten the hang of the networking part yet. http://www.goodreads.com/thebarkclam
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Jun 6, 2010 14:58
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I'm a total GoodReads junkie, as it's one of the few interesting sites not blocked at work for me. http://goodreads.com/bohemienne
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Jun 6, 2010 17:30
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Here's my GR. I've been using it as a reading journal for the past few years. http://www.goodreads.com/deety I've adjusted my settings so I mostly only post to my feed when I add a currently-reading update or write a review, so if you friend me you won't get swamped with twenty "deety added this to their to-read shelf" messages a day. If you want to friend request please mention you're from SA - I put up a "why do you want to be my friend" question because I started getting a lot of requests from spammy authors and boring people.
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Jun 6, 2010 18:59
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So, I just created a goodreads account: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3834760 I assumed this would give me recommendations based upon the books I like, but I don't find that. Am I an idiot, or does it not do that? I'd be happy to accept anyone as a friend, I'm just not quite seeing the point of this if it doesn't offer recommendations. What do you guys use it for?
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Jun 6, 2010 23:42
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jmaze posted:What do you guys use it for? I'm basically using it as a reading journal, but it's fun to see and comment on what other people are reading too. http://www.goodreads.com/daveski
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Jun 7, 2010 01:54
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It doesn't do automatic recommendations, it's more about friending people with similar taste and getting ideas from the things that pop up on their feeds. I don't really mind that, because the websites that do give automatic recommendations usually either give obvious stuff (books by the same author as whatever you liked) or things that are pretty inaccurate for me. You can sometimes find recommendations similar to a specific book by checking out the lists and groups linked from that book's page. I started using the site as mostly a way to track my own reading and encourage myself to write reviews. The reviewing thing has been really helpful to me because it makes it a lot easier to jog my memory - especially when it comes to series novels. Stopping to reflect about what I like and don't like about nearly everything I'm reading has also improved my own writing attempts. Lately I've been using the social features a lot more, but that's made my to-read list unrealistic. I think it's changed my reading habits though, because I'm now picking books based more on recommendations and reviews than on an interesting sounding back cover blurb.
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Jun 7, 2010 01:55
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I just went through and requested a bunch of friends from everyone's links on this page. I'm registered there as Matt. http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3808705 Basically I want to go from reading almost nothing to reading a decent amount of sci-fi/fantasy/anything good recommended from the rest of you guys. It looks like I can use their swap feature to snag a few good books I've been looking into as well.
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Jun 7, 2010 03:46
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I am trying to write reviews as I go, to give me a bit of writing pratice in general. I've also found that I read a book when I know I will review it afterwards, I make note of important chapters and sections, and actually take more in. I've also found myself adding to my (totally unrealistic) to-read list based on my friends choices, but I figure it's better than staring, slack-jawed, at the general fiction section of my local Waterstones until something catches my fancy. lokk posted:Basically I want to go from reading almost nothing to reading a decent amount of sci-fi/fantasy/anything good recommended from the rest of you guys. It looks like I can use their swap feature to snag a few good books I've been looking into as well. I haven't used the swap feature yet, but if it's anything like "Read It, Swap It" then it's a pain in the arse to get any decent swaps unless you've got some reasonably interesting books of your own to swap. You're very unlikely to swap a lovely paperback with a James Joyce novel, for instance. Who knows though, you might get lucky! I swapped a Sword of Truth novel for Douglas Coupland's Life After God -- I feel I got the better end of the bargin there. Donkey Darko fucked around with this message at 11:09 on Jun 7, 2010 |
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Jun 7, 2010 11:06
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David Markson, postmodern master, dead at age 82 Completely unexpected. Even less so was finding out through the Yahoo entertainment ticker of all places. He did call his last book The Last Novel, so in retrospect there may have been signs. quote:Old. Tired. Sick. Alone. Broke. All of which obviously means that this is the last book Novelist is going to write. Quite clear signs, really.
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Jun 7, 2010 17:02
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Donkey Darko posted:I haven't used the swap feature yet, but if it's anything like "Read It, Swap It" then it's a pain in the arse to get any decent swaps unless you've got some reasonably interesting books of your own to swap. You're very unlikely to swap a lovely paperback with a James Joyce novel, for instance. Who knows though, you might get lucky! I swapped a Sword of Truth novel for Douglas Coupland's Life After God -- I feel I got the better end of the bargin there.
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Jun 7, 2010 17:54
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