Friday, August 19, 2005

Read, Read, Read

Despite being really busy, or perhaps because of it, I have been reading like a bandit lately. In the past four weeks I have read three books and am half way through my forth. These are all escape books. Harry Potter, Beggars In Spain, Snow Crash, and A New Spring. All are easy to read fantasy or sci-fi. I guess I am still a dork deep down. When I need an easy time-filling entertainment, I almost always go back to this type of book. I am a little ashamed of it. Why couldn't I be one of those people that reads and rereads the classics rather than this derivative crap? Also, I have so many books that I really want to read.

Beggars In Spain wasn't one of them. It just happened to be sitting in the hallway when my neighbors moved out. Still, like all decent to good sci-fi, it set off some interesting thought patterns. This one about genetic modification and sleeplessness and all the social and cultural implications this might have on us.

Snow Crash was better, although. It went on through the power of language and viruses (social and otherwise) and the knowledge of the ancient Sumerians. Like DaVinci Code, once you cut through the bad macho genre crap it serves as a good introduction to some really interesting theories on how our brains function and how certain historical figures have exploited it.

A New Spring is just another Robert Jordan stab at riches. It isn't as bad as some of the latest Wheel of Time books - it only wastes about a third of its pages (I often skim) rather than 80 to 90 percent. Supposedly, Knife of Dreams - coming out really soon, will be the second to last book. I guess I will have to read it at this point, but I won't like it. I won't pay for it, in any case. Why even read them if they are so bad? You ask. It's like watching reality TV for me - It is in my face and I have little self-control. Seriously, I don't plan on reading these collections of poop (once great - read the first four), but I am too well connected in the world of dorkdumb.

The next book I read will be something more classic and intellectual, like this.

6 Comments:

I've heard of Snow Crash and want to read it... I got ohh so close to finishing Neuromancer, but couldnt pull it off. I think I got confused with the jargon towards the end -- and then I had to move to Cali, so I needed to realign my focus. I think it would be a great movie and heard this guy  was in the running to direct but Will Gibson had a falling out with him. That made me sad & mad. Smad.

Have you read age of Spiritual Machines?  

Posted by cory!

8/20/2005 12:30:00 AM  

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Some people are really into Robert Jordan. I tried one of his books one time and thought the writing sounded cheesy and that he used cliche descriptions. That was a long time ago and I only read a few pages. I've been thinking of giving him another chance though. 

Posted by gnatish

8/20/2005 02:02:00 PM  

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I am on book eight of the wheel of time series. It is maddening but no more so than most of the fantasy series I've read. I've heard good things about snow crash but I have a hard time with science fiction. I'm mostly a fantasy type of person. That is, a girl type of person. I did get into some of orson scott card's science fiction fantasy crap but that is like a no brainer. My least favorite part of the robert jordan books is how long he takes describing the clothing the women wear and how low cut it is. I can just see him getting aroused whilst writing some of this pg 13 crap.  

Posted by mandy

8/22/2005 03:50:00 PM  

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I have friends out here who are soooo into Robert Jordan and it makes me sick. I ean I cant get through 1 chapter without thinking "would he have ever written anything if he didn't read J.R.R Tolkein first"?. 

Posted by Courtney

8/22/2005 04:43:00 PM  

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true - its so hard to be cool these days.
as far as sci fi goes, i really like hg lovecraft and phillip k dick. and they're so sci fi. also, that radio show by micho kaku on public radio - what's it called? science today or something. its great. he says that in 1000 years once our civilization reaches tier 4 that we will be using the gravitational fields of all the planets in the solar system for energy generation. shit yea.  

Posted by arron

8/23/2005 11:32:00 AM  

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Natalie, I would say that you shouldn't give Robert Jordan an extra try if you didn't like it allready. He really isn't that good.

Mandy, I didn't realize that battle dwarves and other such fantisy crap is girly and space is strickly for boys. I didn't mean to show off how in touch with my feminine side I was. I think Robert Jordan's wife is a frosty tightass, as is he.

Courtney, get over Tolkein. That's like saying I can't listen to any reggae music because it all sounds like Bob Marley. Tolkein/Marley are the figure heads that popularized the genre, maybe even created the genres. But, it is okay to use the structures that they HELPED create and build further. "I can't get through one minute of Kill Bill without thinking 'Would this even exist without Bruce Lee? or Kurosawa? Or Westerns? Or Breast Feeding?'"

 

Posted by Steve

8/24/2005 11:42:00 AM  

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