YOU MUST TELL ME ... What else are you reading?

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Royce

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« Reply #60 on: August 19, 2013, 06:40:27 am »
I have just started on that one,sorry if semantic issues mislead you:) I have heard from others who have read it,and they say there are some things that are revealed about him that are quite shocking to his cult of "true believers". Maybe the most surprising one was that he stopped doing psychedelics in 1989,because of a severe "bad tripp" on mushrooms.So he had a lot of issues with promoting the "heroic dose" which he became famous for.I have listened to many of his lectures over the years and it always struck me that he had a unique way with language,like a great poet or bard.I read "food of the gods" many years ago,and found it interesting on many levels
I will come back to you with a verdict on the book when I finish it:) Might take awhile though,since I tend to read to many books at the same time

Madness

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« Reply #61 on: August 21, 2013, 04:42:05 pm »
Let me know, Royce. Probably try and find it on your recommendation - I also really like Food of the Gods as an academic attempt.

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Royce

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« Reply #62 on: August 28, 2013, 01:54:02 pm »
Just finished the first of three books in "the golden age" by John C Wright,and that was something special indeed.
Very heavy on the science stuff,took me almost a week to get through the first 60 pages,but after that it flows beautifully.
It has to be said that English is my second language,so most likely I struggle more than you guys will.
Strongly recommend this to sci-fi fans,or maybe sci-fi fanatics,because it is VERY sci-fi:)

Cüréthañ

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« Reply #63 on: September 01, 2013, 12:53:01 pm »
Recently read:
Gardens of the Sun by Paul McCauley which was some nice imaginative hard scifi,
Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence; grim fantasy ranging from ordinary to fantastic - great talent but somewhat uneven for my tastes.
Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks which was so much better than the first volume, I can't even...  Not necassarily classic but a very enjoyable read.
Retracing his bloody footprints, the Wizard limped on.

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« Reply #64 on: September 04, 2013, 12:58:45 pm »
A Skeptic's Guide to the Mind - Robert A. Burton

Also, for those interested: Brain Science and Books & Ideas Podcasts

In which, she reviews or interviews the M.D. above. But it's also fairly informative for a poppy interview podcast. Definitely, doesn't get into the hard science.
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Royce

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« Reply #65 on: September 08, 2013, 09:39:29 am »
Finished "the golden age" by John C Wright.Great trilogy.
Also finished "god is not great" by Christopher Hitchens,a full frontal attack on organized religion by a rather grumpy but great man :D

Kellais

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« Reply #66 on: September 08, 2013, 10:33:09 am »
Wow, you guys read a lot of intellectual stuff ... i feel intimidated  ;)

I can't read educational and/or scientific stuff in my free time, i have enough of those in my line of work (at least from the field of mathematics).

So for relaxation and fun, i only read fantasy. At the moment i am reading:

- Reread of The Judging Eye
- Mark T. Barnes' The Garden of Stones
- Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven
I'm trapped in Darkness
Still I reach out for the Stars

"GoT is TSA's less talented but far more successful step-brother" - Wilshire

Royce

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« Reply #67 on: September 09, 2013, 12:39:36 pm »
Quote
Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks which was so much better than the first volume, I can't even...  Not necassarily classic but a very enjoyable read.

I read "the night angel" series awhile ago and was not very impressed.Is this series worth picking up?

Quote
I can't read educational and/or scientific stuff in my free time, i have enough of those in my line of work (at least from the field of mathematics).

Not all of us have intellectually challenging careers yet,so you should be happy you don`t have to  :)

Cüréthañ

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« Reply #68 on: September 10, 2013, 01:19:13 pm »
Quote
Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks which was so much better than the first volume, I can't even...  Not necassarily classic but a very enjoyable read.

I read "the night angel" series awhile ago and was not very impressed.Is this series worth picking up?

Haven't read "night angel" - looked pretty lame from the blurb et al, so I can't compare sorry.
Wasn't impressed by the first one (The Black Prism), fairly cool magic system but the writing was so very, erm, 'contemporary' it kept jarring me out of the story.  Also the character were blase and the plot fairly straightforward. 

I only bought the second volume because I had some time to kill at lunch on my work placement and had already invested the effort in the first one.  Characterisation, plotting and writing all much improved, with some boring characters sidelined or developing more interestingly, a couple of surprising twists and pseudo-science anachronisms kept to a minimum.  So book one scored about 5/10 and book two probably 7.5/10 by my subjective scale.
Retracing his bloody footprints, the Wizard limped on.

Kellais

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« Reply #69 on: September 10, 2013, 01:27:19 pm »

Quote
I can't read educational and/or scientific stuff in my free time, i have enough of those in my line of work (at least from the field of mathematics).

Not all of us have intellectually challenging careers yet,so you should be happy you don`t have to  :)

Never seen it that way...  ;D
But i still feel kind of lazy that i never "challenge" myself with something a bit more....real....in my freetime...as you guys seem to do on a regular basis.
I'm trapped in Darkness
Still I reach out for the Stars

"GoT is TSA's less talented but far more successful step-brother" - Wilshire

Royce

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« Reply #70 on: September 29, 2013, 05:05:56 pm »
The siren call of hungry ghosts by Joe Fisher.Anecdotal overdose from the paranormal world.
The lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.Kind of straightforward heist novel,with pretty interesting characters.

Wilshire

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« Reply #71 on: September 30, 2013, 01:43:26 pm »

Quote
I can't read educational and/or scientific stuff in my free time, i have enough of those in my line of work (at least from the field of mathematics).

Not all of us have intellectually challenging careers yet,so you should be happy you don`t have to  :)

Never seen it that way...  ;D
But i still feel kind of lazy that i never "challenge" myself with something a bit more....real....in my freetime...as you guys seem to do on a regular basis.

To each his own. I'm going to stick with SFF for my freetime reading. Let my brain rot.
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« Reply #72 on: September 30, 2013, 03:18:54 pm »
For my so-called 'intellectual' reading, I enjoy subject matter that allows my imagination to come along for the ride.  Michio Kaku's Parallel Worlds, Neal DeGrasse Tyson's Death by Black Hole, and Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time are among the most memorable.  I also enjoy going down the rabbit hole with speculative authors such as Graham Hancock and Zecharia Sitchin (while keeping my bucket of salt nearby for hearty pinches, or even scoops, as needed).
No whistling on the slog!

Wilshire

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« Reply #73 on: September 30, 2013, 04:28:11 pm »
I watch the science channel almost continuously when I'm at home. Or discovery, or national geographic, or history... you get the point. I know its not even close to intellectual reading, but I can't help but listen to the sultry base tones of Morgan Freeman's voice explaining to me the vast wonders of the universe (he hosts a show called Through the Wormhole). Thats enough "science" for me.
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Meyna

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« Reply #74 on: September 30, 2013, 07:59:58 pm »
I have finished Toll the Hounds and am now reading Dust of Dreams.
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