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Off Topic, General banter...

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    #62
    emeraldstar
    Registered Users Posts: 5,383 ✭✭✭emeraldstar


    I'm awake since around 6am (old or new, I really don't know) because my freaky housemate in the room next to me gets up at that time every single day (sometimes earlier) to go rowing on the river :mad::mad::mad:


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    #63
    cailinoBAC
    Registered Users Posts: 1,113 ✭✭✭cailinoBAC


    Just came back from one of my 'back in the English speaking world' shopping sprees and annoyed at two things. One - Hodges Figgis loyalty cards now need 10 stamps instead of 8. Also, why do newly published books have to be so big? I really wanted to buy the new Eugenides book but it was HUGE and I'm travelling hand luggage only, so decided to wait...


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    #64
    Toby Take a Bow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Toby Take a Bow


    cailinoBAC wrote: »
    Just came back from one of my 'back in the English speaking world' shopping sprees and annoyed at two things. One - Hodges Figgis loyalty cards now need 10 stamps instead of 8. Also, why do newly published books have to be so big? I really wanted to buy the new Eugenides book but it was HUGE and I'm travelling hand luggage only, so decided to wait...

    Can't say on the Hodges Figgis scheme, but I reckon they realise those books in such a large size because they can then charge double for them. The new Eugenides one I was initially a bit meh about (college life in days gone by) but I loved his other two so will pick it up.

    Really want to get the new Murakami one as well, but all three books together cost around 35 euro in bookshops. I'll probably wait until they come out in paperbacks.


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    #65
    Travel is good
    Registered Users Posts: 826 ✭✭✭Travel is good


    I agree about the price of the new copies of books. I paid about €18 for the Jeffrey Eugenides one in a book shop recently. I'm making a decision now to try my best to wait until these books come out in cheaper paperback editions.

    I'm not going into the whole buying online thing here, but I'm feeling slightly ripped off by the book shops at the moment.

    I was wondering about the Murakami book also, has anyone read it? I confess, I haven't read any of his books, though I have "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" on my book shelf, still to be read.


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    #66
    Paddy Samurai
    Registered Users Posts: 3,014 ✭✭✭Paddy Samurai


    Looks like rain..........:eek:


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    #67
    Grievous
    Registered Users Posts: 218 ✭✭Grievous


    I didn't really get the George RR Martin joke a few pages back. In a rare move, someone is writing popular books and they are really well written.
    He's no hack for sure, and this is coming from someone who is not his biggest fan or anything.

    He is not on Gore Vidal's level, but he's light years ahead of the Dan Browns and stephanie Meyers of this world.


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    #68
    Travel is good
    Registered Users Posts: 826 ✭✭✭Travel is good


    Paddy Samurai wrote: »
    Looks like rain..........:eek:
    The rain held off, thankfully!


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    #69
    emeraldstar
    Registered Users Posts: 5,383 ✭✭✭emeraldstar


    Grievous wrote: »
    I didn't really get the George RR Martin joke a few pages back. In rare move, someone is writing popular books and they are really well written.
    He's no hack for sure, and this is coming from someone who is not his biggest fan or anything.

    He's not on Gore Vidal's level, but he's light years ahead of the Dan Browns and stephanie Meyers of this world.
    I think it's really about time I got around to reading him. Getting curious.


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    #70
    Toby Take a Bow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Toby Take a Bow


    Travel is good wrote: »
    I was wondering about the Murakami book also, has anyone read it? I confess, I haven't read any of his books, though I have "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" on my book shelf, still to be read.

    I keep waiting for the Murakami book to be the one that makes me understand why people rave about him. Having said that, the one you have on your book shelf is supposed to be that book.


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    #71
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Toby Take a Bow wrote: »
    I keep waiting for the Murakami book to be the one that makes me understand why people rave about him. Having said that, the one you have on your book shelf is supposed to be that book.

    Kafka on the Shore is the book that i read first and it blew me away. Pick it up with an open mind and go with it and it's truly rewarding.

    Looking forward to picking up his new one.


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    #72
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 29,430 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    I wouldn't recommend anyone read 1Q84 before being relatively familiar with the rest of his work. It's sort of a commentary on his work to date, and personally am feeling a lot of the themes and ideas are resonating more as a fan.

    Newcomers I'd suggest A Wild Sheep Chase / Dance Dance Dance (in that order, because the latter is the sequel :P), followed by maybe Norwegian Wood and Kafka on the Shore. Although like LG starting with the latter is honestly the single most 'holy crap holy crap holy crap' literary experience I've had. So yeah, you could start with that either! Wind-Up Bird is pretty dense and more 'considered' in terms of pacing to a lot of his other stuff. It's great, yes, but maybe not the best to start with.


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    #73
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    There was a great interview with Jeffery Eugenides (Middlesex) on the kiosk (Phantom FM) on Saturday, should be able to listen back to it at some point this week on the site.

    Kudos to Nadine O'Regan for getting the interview.


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    #74
    Grievous
    Registered Users Posts: 218 ✭✭Grievous


    lordgoat wrote: »
    There was a great interview with Jeffery Eugenides (Middlesex) on the kiosk (Phantom FM) on Saturday, should be able to listen back to it at some point this week on the site.

    Kudos to Nadine O'Regan for getting the interview.

    I must read Middlesex next year. I love The Virgin Sucides. That was haunting.


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    #75
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Grievous wrote: »
    I must read Middlesex next year. I love The Virgin Sucides. That was haunting.

    You sir/madam are in for a treat!


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    #76
    Grievous
    Registered Users Posts: 218 ✭✭Grievous


    lordgoat wrote: »
    You sir/madam are in for a treat!

    I am a guy. But I get the joke as Middlesex is about a girl becoming a guy, or is it a guy becoming a girl?

    One was born twice..............:D


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    #77
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Grievous wrote: »
    I am a guy. But I get the joke as Middlesex is about a girl becoming a guy, or is it a guy becoming a girl?

    One was born twice..............:D

    Neither really but you're not a million miles away from the gag!


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    #78
    Toby Take a Bow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Toby Take a Bow


    lordgoat wrote: »
    Neither really but you're not a million miles away from the gag!

    Is it not kind of about both?


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    #79
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Toby Take a Bow wrote: »
    Is it not kind of about both?

    ha! i suppose is kind if is!

    Edit, also i love your username. I sing that song everytime i see a post of yours.


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    #80
    Grievous
    Registered Users Posts: 218 ✭✭Grievous


    lordgoat wrote: »
    ha! i suppose is kind if is!

    Edit, also i love your username. I sing that song everytime i see a post of yours.

    Do you not like my username!:D


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    #81
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Grievous wrote: »
    Do you not like my username!:D

    i <3 it


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    #82
    Toby Take a Bow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Toby Take a Bow


    lordgoat wrote: »
    Edit, also i love your username. I sing that song everytime i see a post of yours.

    Ha, thanks! It's one of my favourite songs of his. I do worry sometimes it's a bit of a giveaway as to who I am, as most of my friends only know about him through myself. But then I forget there are other fans, like yourself.


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    #83
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Toby Take a Bow wrote: »
    Ha, thanks! It's one of my favourite songs of his. I do worry sometimes it's a bit of a giveaway as to who I am, as most of my friends only know about him through myself. But then I forget there are other fans, like yourself.

    Ah there's a fair few fans of his knocking about. Did you see him in Dublin last year. Actually i think it was very close to this time of year.

    For anyone interested.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrfF8rRIGR0


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    #84
    Toby Take a Bow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Toby Take a Bow


    lordgoat wrote: »
    Ah there's a fair few fans of his knocking about. Did you see him in Dublin last year. Actually i think it was very close to this time of year.

    Yeah, saw him for the first time in Whelan's around the time Vs Children came out, and then the last gig there in the Workman's Club. I had a copy of Etiquette for maybe a year that a friend recorded for me before I actually listened to it. Kind of gutted about that, as I think I missed the gig previous because of it. Have you listened to any of his Advance Base stuff?

    (this is completely off-topic, of course, although he does have a great way with words ... I'm really reaching here).


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    #85
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Toby Take a Bow wrote: »
    Yeah, saw him for the first time in Whelan's around the time Vs Children came out, and then the last gig there in the Workman's Club. I had a copy of Etiquette for maybe a year that a friend recorded for me before I actually listened to it. Kind of gutted about that, as I think I missed the gig previous because of it. Have you listened to any of his Advance Base stuff?

    (this is completely off-topic, of course, although he does have a great way with words ... I'm really reaching here).

    It's off topic but it's the place for it!

    Heard none of his advance base stuff at all. Looking forward to it.


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    #86
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Hey folks, Anyone recommend a book club in South Dublin? With young (20's) members primarily :) Looking for some social outlets, and also looking to do more reading, so might as well kill 2 birds with one stone!

    Cheers


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    #87
    Travel is good
    Registered Users Posts: 826 ✭✭✭Travel is good


    Dave! wrote: »
    With young (20's) members primarily :)
    Cheers

    A bit ageist methinks?

    Many book clubs have members over the age of 25. Have a look on www.meetup.com.

    I know of loads of book clubs in Dublin, but unfortunately the members are older.


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    #88
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Just looking to meet more people my own age, that's ageist now? :confused: Let's not be silly

    Thanks, had a glance at meetup.com, will take another look


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    #89
    kerash
    Registered Users Posts: 6,688 ✭✭✭kerash


    Dave! wrote: »
    Hey folks, Anyone recommend a book club in South Dublin? With young (20's) members primarily :) Looking for some social outlets, and also looking to do more reading, so might as well kill 2 birds with one stone!

    Cheers

    I can't recommend a book club but I'd say check out your local Library most have a book club. You've probably thought of that already! but do let us know how the search goes.
    Just reading online that Ballyroan Book Club meet every last wednesday of the month linky


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    #90
    raah!
    Registered Users Posts: 2,629 ✭✭✭raah!


    I think I've just passed my record for most pages of a book read in a day. I read like 250 pages of Anna Karenina there. I don't think it would have been possible if I wasn't trying to hard to avoid learning to use that nasty Mathematica, and had banned myself from the internet :P. Of course the book played a big part too. Damn that Karenin!

    Anyone else have any similar binges recently? What brought them about?

    Also Dave! you could give up trying to meet anyone at all! And read Tolstoy :P. I think that a book club would be a pretty hard way to meet people your own age though tbh. There was one in the cork forum recently which was like late 20's people I think.


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    #91
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 29,430 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    Well my goal this year has been to read as many contemporary epics as I can. A longer than usual period of inactivity certainly helped poke me along. So far (although I can't forsee much else being finished by years end) 2011 has seen me through the lengthy likes of:

    Infinite Jest, footnotes and all. A masterpiece, most certainly, but boy its a draining read. That was January - March written off, too. Not a book you can binge on. Wallace actively punishes you for foolishly assuming you can.
    IQ84 - pushing 1,000 pages.
    Jacob De Zoet / Cloud Atlas / Number9Dream - in order of preference. And Mitchell isn't a man fond of brevity.
    Skippy Dies - easily the most accurate portrait of contemporary Ireland I've ever read / seen. The subplots weighted this upwards considerably.
    American Gods - a positively light read compared to some of the above.

    And a few others that I can't think of right now. For some reason, I just can't bring myself to start any book that is under 400 pages long or so :P And since I can rarely bring myself to read much more than 50-70 pages a day, I'm impressed with myself for that.

    Next years goal: Russian novelists!


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