What are you reading, GBS?

The Something Awful Forums > Main > General Bullshit > What are you reading, GBS?

Jim Barris: Aug 13, 2009

I'm sure the fine people of this sub-forum are readers. While I'm sure much of what you degenerates read is crummy sci-fi you foraged out of the garbage none the less inquiring minds want to know, what are you currently reading? I personally am reading the copy of You Can't Win that finally arrived at my doorstep yesterday. It's got a great cover and there are extra writings of the author included in this printing that were previously unavailable. Here is a photo of said book, for your enjoyment.

So, GBS, share with me the books you are reading.

Jim Barris fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Jun 2, 2017

# ? Jun 2, 2017 21:31

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# ? May 17, 2024 00:32

Colonel Cancer: Sep 26, 2015; Tune into the fireplace channel, you absolute buffoon

War and Peace by Tolstoi but secretly hoping to reread Hitchhiker's Guide.

# ? Jun 2, 2017 21:32

Jim Barris: Aug 13, 2009

Colonel Cancer posted:

War and Peace by Tolstoi but secretly hoping to reread Hitchhiker's Guide.

There's nothing shameful about liking Douglas Adams.

# ? Jun 2, 2017 21:34

unpleasantly turgid: Jul 6, 2016; u lightweights couldn't even feed my shadow ;*

I'm reading what I'm writing

# ? Jun 2, 2017 21:37

mystery fluid: Feb 12, 2017; by Nyc_Tattoo

The subtle art of not giving a gently caress. It's not working. I have too many fucks to give

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:01

Jim Barris: Aug 13, 2009

unpleasantly turgid posted:

I'm reading what I'm writing

Well? What are you writing, then?

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:02

galumphing lummox: Aug 30, 2006

unpleasantly turgid posted:

I'm reading what I'm writing

lol are you one of those guys who brings a typewriter to the coffee shop too?

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:03

ClamdestineBoyster: Aug 15, 2015; Can't post for 10 years!

CAN U FEEL IT YEAH posted:

lol are you one of those guys who brings a typewriter to the coffee shop too?

It's steam powered, gotta jack in to the espresso machine. Jeez. :shrug:

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:07

galumphing lummox: Aug 30, 2006

ClamdestineBoyster posted:

It's steam powered, gotta jack in to the espresso machine. Jeez.

so i guess you gotta wear goggles too huh

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:09

a bone to pick: Sep 14, 2011; by FactsAreUseless

I just finished Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and I'm moving onto this book:

my mom, on the other hand, is crazy about books:

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:12

Jim Barris: Aug 13, 2009

a bone to pick posted:

I just finished Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and I'm moving onto this book:

That other guy said this book did not help him give less of a gently caress? How is your fucks situation after reading it?

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:13

a bone to pick: Sep 14, 2011; by FactsAreUseless

Jim Barris posted:

That other guy said this book did not help him give less of a gently caress? How is your fucks situation after reading it?

I haven't even started it yet, I have a few fucks so hopefully this book will help me not give them.

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:30

Bitter fly: Sep 25, 2015; by FactsAreUseless

http://imgur.com/a/xMuNc

The Story of Civilization by Will Durant. 12 volumes, picked it up for 200 bucks on Amazon :cool:

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:33

SLICK GOKU BABY: Jun 12, 2001; Hey Hey Let's Go! 喧嘩する
大切な物を protect my balls

I'm... I'm reading this thread.

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:35

Kuato: Feb 25, 2005; "I CAN'T BELIEVE I ATE THE WHOLE THING"; Buglord

SLICK GOKU BABY posted:

I'm... I'm reading this thread.

Hell, same

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:41

walgreenslatino: Jun 2, 2015; Lipstick Apathy

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:55

Jim Barris: Aug 13, 2009

walgreenslatino posted:

Ah, that's a good book. I read The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with The Sea a few months ago, it's probably my favorite of his. That's a really nice edition, too.

Jim Barris fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Jun 2, 2017

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:57

ClamdestineBoyster: Aug 15, 2015; Can't post for 10 years!

CAN U FEEL IT YEAH posted:

so i guess you gotta wear goggles too huh

Yeah I gotta wear cobalt lenses because my poo poo is so brilliant. :smuggo:

# ? Jun 2, 2017 22:59

The_end: May 17, 2014

Harry Potter and Dragon Ball Z fan fiction.

# ? Jun 2, 2017 23:06

N. Senada: May 17, 2011; My kidneys are busted

catching up on my favorite thread

this one.

# ? Jun 2, 2017 23:07

Serge Painsbourg: Jul 26, 2016

Down and Out in Paris and London by Orwell. It's a lot better than the other two by him everyone is forced to read.

# ? Jun 2, 2017 23:09

Fog Tripper: Mar 3, 2008; by Smythe

Book 7 or so of the Wool series. Thanks for asking, op.

# ? Jun 3, 2017 01:48

Rasta_Al: Jul 14, 2001; she had tiny Italian boobs.
Well that's my story.; Fun Shoe

The Invention of Nature. It's about Alexander von Humboldt. He was a pretty badass dude

# ? Jun 3, 2017 01:51

staplegun: Sep 21, 2003

I'm a couple chapters into Godel Escher Bach and it feels like I'm reading a textbook. I kind of appreciate the author writing in the twentith-year anniversary preface, "Hey, everyone that talks to me is getting the point of the book wrong. Let me explicitly tell you what is about" because I sure as hell wasn't going to get it.

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:06

ProSlayer: Aug 11, 2008; Hi friend

staplegun posted:

I'm a couple chapters into Godel Escher Bach and it feels like I'm reading a textbook. I kind of appreciate the author writing in the twentith-year anniversary preface, "Hey, everyone that talks to me is getting the point of the book wrong. Let me explicitly tell you what is about" because I sure as hell wasn't going to get it.

I'm reading this now and skipped the preface and introduction and started at Chapter 1. The math stuff is going over my head. Is it worth going back to read the preface?

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:12

Orkin Mang: Nov 1, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

my kampf

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:14

B. Birdsworth: Jul 31, 2014; There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

Orkin Mang posted:

my kampf

cool hah whats it about

B. Birdsworth fucked around with this message at 02:25 on Jun 3, 2017

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:21

Orkin Mang: Nov 1, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

B. Birdsworth posted:

Bourne by Jeff VanderMeer

cool hah what's it about

i think its like a portrait of the artist as a young man, by james joyce. i havent started reading it yet. flicking thru the pages it loks like theres a lot of jewish characters. i think it might be set in jerusalem. which sounds interesting.

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:26

pogi: Jun 11, 2014

Jim Barris posted:

Ah, that's a good book. I read The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with The Sea a few months ago, it's probably my favorite of his. That's a really nice edition, too.

both The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea and Kafka On The Shore feature brutal kitty muder. what do the Japanese have against kitties OP?

I'm halfway through Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I like it so far

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:28

Vakal: May 11, 2008

World War Z by Max Brooks.

The first half is pretty good, though I chalk that up more to being a fairly accurate breakdown of society more so than actual zombies.

Near the end though it starts to get kind of silly with stuff like a blind Japanese man ninja'ing his way through zombies.

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:37

turn off the TV: Aug 4, 2010; moderately annoying

I haven't read and finished a book in about 4 or 5 years OP reading is for squares

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:39

Les Os: Mar 29, 2010

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:42

Suspect A: Jan 1, 2015; Nap Ghost

Reading The Illuminatus!. I don't know what's happening.
:tinfoil:

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:43

staplegun: Sep 21, 2003

ProSlayer posted:

I'm reading this now and skipped the preface and introduction and started at Chapter 1. The math stuff is going over my head. Is it worth going back to read the preface?

The preface you can skip since a lot of it is just retrospective on the book or information of how it was written, but the introduction absolutely. It doesn't actually help or anything with the math introduced (and is probably worse since number theory is terrifying) but it introduces the title characters well enough. I could appreciate Bach's bit since I have some experience with music theory, but the specifics of Russel's Principia Mathematica/Godel's Incompleteness Theorm was pretty impenetrable for me. I'm not good at math stuff by any means, so I'm just picking up what I can as I go.

Incidentally, I didn't have a lot of problems getting through chapter 1 but that might just be because I have some programming knowledge and the problem posed is just about manipulating strings (with caveats).

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:56

Orkin Mang: Nov 1, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

staplegun posted:

I'm a couple chapters into Godel Escher Bach and it feels like I'm reading a textbook. I kind of appreciate the author writing in the twentith-year anniversary preface, "Hey, everyone that talks to me is getting the point of the book wrong. Let me explicitly tell you what is about" because I sure as hell wasn't going to get it.

you should read the freedom of the will by jr lucas

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:57

Dave_Indeed: Feb 22, 2004; by FactsAreUseless

I just finished The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.

# ? Jun 3, 2017 02:59

Volcott: Mar 30, 2010; People paying American dollars to let other people know they didn't agree with someone's position on something is the lifeblood of these forums.