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last book i!ve bought was the Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey. I would like to finish this reading, it sounds at least interesting. And before, i had an ocult book called Grimmoire Nexus, which was kinda like a Christianity-based occultism (mostly). 

 

I am not an occultist, nor a satanist, just that i like these themes, like the occult, ghosts and so on.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 4/23/2020 at 9:48 AM, FatherAlabaster said:

Revisiting some favorites in my downtime. Right now it's what I own of Neal Stephenson's books. I just finished the Baroque Cycle and now I'm on to Anathem, which has become one of my favorite science fiction novels (I've been diverting myself with science fiction since I was a kid so this is actually kind of a feat). I wish I could experience reading it again for the first time, without suffering the massive brain trauma that would probably accompany that loss of memory.

I have the Baroque Cycle (and Anathem) but have yet to read any of them. As I vaguely understand, the trilogy consists of different threads that are divided amongst the three books - is this accurate?

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I've submerged myself back into Middle-Earth and am nearly finished 'The Fellowship of the Ring'.

It's the first time I've read 'The Lord of the Rings' since my very early 20s, so it's been about 17 or 18 years, and unfortunately a lot of my understanding of the books are actually of the films.

While I obviously know the basic plot, the details of the novel had really escaped me, and I'm enjoying it more than ever. What an amazing, beautiful, work it is. Far, far better than the films. There is already a heap of material that I had completely forgotten about, and it's a little like reading the text for the first time. 

The other thing is, when I was 21 and I read it, I got it, I loved it and it's great. Now that I'm 40, it suddenly takes on a whole new essence, and little things that didn't seem important to me 20 years ago are now of profound significance. 

Not a very original post for a metal forum, but a true reflection on my current circumstances. A hot chocolate in bed with 'The Lord of the Rings' is pretty hard to beat in this crazy modern life of ours. 

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1 hour ago, Vampyrique said:

I have the Baroque Cycle (and Anathem) but have yet to read any of them. As I vaguely understand, the trilogy consists of different threads that are divided amongst the three books - is this accurate?

Yup, that's right. It follows three main characters who start off in very different places, converging and diverging over a few decades. Sometimes it's almost like reading separate books side by side, and they're actually split up that way internally (for instance The Confusion alternates in chunks between "Book 4: Bonanza" and "Book 5: The Juncto"), but it's really no different from any other book that switches viewpoints. Have you read Cryptonomicon?

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19 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Yup, that's right. It follows three main characters who start off in very different places, converging and diverging over a few decades. Sometimes it's almost like reading separate books side by side, and they're actually split up that way internally (for instance The Confusion alternates in chunks between "Book 4: Bonanza" and "Book 5: The Juncto"), but it's really no different from any other book that switches viewpoints. Have you read Cryptonomicon?

I've actually not read any of Neal's books. I picked up the trilogy at a used bookstore because of my interest in alchemy and philosophy, and because they were pretty cheap and in hardcover format. Later I found a couple of his other novels including Anathem, but not Cryptonomicon. I know it has a great reputation, what do you think of it?

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3 hours ago, Vampyrique said:

I've actually not read any of Neal's books. I picked up the trilogy at a used bookstore because of my interest in alchemy and philosophy, and because they were pretty cheap and in hardcover format. Later I found a couple of his other novels including Anathem, but not Cryptonomicon. I know it has a great reputation, what do you think of it?

Did your skills in alchemy help to turn these books into pure reading gold? 

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4 hours ago, Vampyrique said:

I've actually not read any of Neal's books. I picked up the trilogy at a used bookstore because of my interest in alchemy and philosophy, and because they were pretty cheap and in hardcover format. Later I found a couple of his other novels including Anathem, but not Cryptonomicon. I know it has a great reputation, what do you think of it?

It's great. It was the first novel I read by him and I love it. The Baroque Cycle is set in the same universe and it has a similar way of developing the plot through different narratives. The Baroque Cycle is where it's at if you're looking for philosophy and alchemy, though, there's a lot to chew on. Anathem is totally unrelated but also has a lot of musings on philosophy, and it's hilarious. Those five are my favorites of his. I also really enjoyed The Rise And Fall Of D.O.D.O. but it was a bit romantic and fluffy by comparison.

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Distant relatives seems the theme:

I just finished The Blood Countess by Andrei Codrescu, a distant relative to the Countess. I enjoyed this novel. Two narratives entwined, including a retelling of the Bathory affair.

Dracula the Un-dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. At times it was alright, at times it was dreadful. Hardly a worthy sequel to the original masterwork. Questionable character changes, cheap tie-ins and cliches, even a cringey Darth Vader moment.  

 

17 hours ago, Requiem said:

Did your skills in alchemy help to turn these books into pure reading gold? 

Not quite, I'm no John Dee. Quite the opposite. I tried turning some hefty tomes into audiobook form via Enochian magic, but I'm afraid nothing will be audible if my ears are cut off like Edward Kelley's.

 

15 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

It's great. It was the first novel I read by him and I love it. The Baroque Cycle is set in the same universe and it has a similar way of developing the plot through different narratives. The Baroque Cycle is where it's at if you're looking for philosophy and alchemy, though, there's a lot to chew on. Anathem is totally unrelated but also has a lot of musings on philosophy, and it's hilarious. Those five are my favorites of his. I also really enjoyed The Rise And Fall Of D.O.D.O. but it was a bit romantic and fluffy by comparison.

I'll be sure to pick up Cryptonomicon if I see it. He seems like an author that I would like. Alas, my to-read list is quite lengthy so I'm not sure when I'll even get around to The Baroque Cycle.

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  • 2 weeks later...
5 hours ago, noblastbeats said:

Having yet again given up on the Silmarillion, I'm reading Koko by Peter Straub.

If you feel like going back to it at some point, skip around and read some of the later stories in the book as stand-alone short stories. There's some really good stuff in there. It doesn't have to be read start to finish like a novel. The beginning is a chore to get through.

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On 5/24/2020 at 6:26 AM, Vampyrique said:

 

Dracula the Un-dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. At times it was alright, at times it was dreadful. Hardly a worthy sequel to the original masterwork. Questionable character changes, cheap tie-ins and cliches, even a cringey Darth Vader moment.  

I mean, it's just crazy. Why would anyone ever think that a relative of a genius could produce anything approaching the quality of the original family member? Just foolish of you Vampers....

Oh wait... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Ablett_Jr. 

Little personal joke there that probably only @RelentlessOblivion and @True Belief would truly appreciate. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/10/2020 at 4:43 AM, Requiem said:

I mean, it's just crazy. Why would anyone ever think that a relative of a genius could produce anything approaching the quality of the original family member? Just foolish of you Vampers....

Oh wait... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Ablett_Jr. 

Little personal joke there that probably only @RelentlessOblivion and @True Belief would truly appreciate. 

Speaking of foolish, I have Dacre's other book Dracul - a prequel exploiting the life of Bram Stoker - but, surprisingly, I've heard it is a lot better. Different co-writer. I'm not expecting much, not really at the top of my reading priority list. 

Aussie football? Is that rugby, American-style football or European-style football? I don't watch any of those. And I didn't get the joke, but I never trust anyone named Jr.

 

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10 hours ago, Vampyrique said:

Speaking of foolish, I have Dacre's other book Dracul - a prequel exploiting the life of Bram Stoker - but, surprisingly, I've heard it is a lot better. Different co-writer. I'm not expecting much, not really at the top of my reading priority list. 

Aussie football? Is that rugby, American-style football or European-style football? I don't watch any of those. And I didn't get the joke, but I never trust anyone named Jr.

 

Australian football is more like Gaelic football, except infinitely more interesting. That you remain ignorant of the great sport is concerning yet not unexpected. I suggest immediate research. 

Reading about Gary Ablett senior and junior is mandatory. Think of the greatest ice hockey player ever (Gary senior), then he has a son (Gary junior), and he plays for the same ice hockey team and is the best player in the whole league and wins the mvp and the competition trophy twice. 

I only insist on this knowledge because the world needs to know. 

Watch this immediately and exclusively: 

 

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30 minutes ago, Requiem said:

Australian football is more like Gaelic football, except infinitely more interesting. That you remain ignorant of the great sport is concerning yet not unexpected. I suggest immediate research. 

Reading about Gary Ablett senior and junior is mandatory. Think of the greatest ice hockey player ever (Gary senior), then he has a son (Gary junior), and he plays for the same ice hockey team and is the best player in the whole league and wins the mvp and the competition trophy twice. 

I only insist on this knowledge because the world needs to know. 

Watch this immediately and exclusively: 

 

There's a Gaelic football?

From that video it actually doesn't look too bad. A respectable sport.

 

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  • 3 months later...

Just finished the second volume of Kishidanchogoroshi by Murakami.
I feel this was probably one of his weaker works I've read so far. The second book also seems to struggle to keep up with the engagement I felt while going through the first. Still an enjoyable experience though.

Next up: City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg

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First of all, welcome back @Midi

I am still reading the "Russian Revolution: A Peoples Tragedy" by Orlando Figes but at the same time am reading "Human - Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare" by Mark Britnell after he spoke at my company conference last week and had some interesting ideas.

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