What are you reading, watching and listening to?

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Pole, the
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Pole, the »

^^

Also, now watching Christopher Nolan's The Prestige.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by ná'oolkiłí »

I'm about to finish Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex. I've found the second half to be much more enjoyable than the first. I've just started Haruki Murakami's 1Q84. It's really fun, but the more novels of his I read the more I realize he writes the same book over and over again.

Slowly trudging through the second season of Twin Peaks. It's such a shame that the first 10ish episodes are so good but then it just gets so uneven.

Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie is one of my new favorite pieces. It's so chaotic and violent and romantic all at the same time.

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Izambri »

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Izambri »

Reading After The Ice. A Global Human History. 20,000―5000 BC. A well written and ambitious work, with vivid scenes of prehistoric peoples. Very recommendable.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Viktor77 »

I'm reading a biography on President Warren Harding. What's shocking is it's actually a good read. After that I'll move on to Coolidge and Hoover. I'm trying to read up on those presidents I know less about.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Aurora Rossa »

Reading Collapse by Jared Diamond, after having read his Guns, Germs, and Steel.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Jerian »

Just finished reading 'The Wrecker' by Clive Cussler, and starting 'Stands a Shadow', forget the author.

As for music, gaining interest in the bands 'Visions of Atlantis' and 'Arven'. I like Dutch metal. I find it actually sounds nice, as opposed to American metal which is a little too rough.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Torco »

Orson Scott Card's Ender series... pretty damned good

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Viktor77 »

Les Miserables- Long but good. Critics complain about the singing but as someone unfamiliar with that kind of thing, it was enjoyable. The cinematography was gorgeous and the storyline was pieced together seamlessly. If French history or musicals are your thing, you'll enjoy this film. I should advise you, it's sometimes hard to hear or understand the lines.

Django: Unchained- I went into this not really knowing what to expect, and I was thoroughly entertained. This was another long movie and it teases you so much about when it's ever going to end. Tarantino does a good job illustrating the story and mixes very serious topics with comedy. There's a ton of blood splattering, as would be expected in a Western meets Southern film. The violence is sometimes gruesome and sometimes laughable. Overall, it's enjoyable. I think DiCaprio really outdid himself here with his character. Foxx was alright, but nothing to get too excited about.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Pthagnar »

Viktor77 wrote:There's a ton of blood splattering, as would be expected in a Western meets Southern film. The violence is sometimes gruesome and sometimes laughable.
let's talk. i am so disappointed that you think violence is something to find laughable, especially around the tender and problematic subject of race. you need to have a national conversation about the so-called 'comedic' use of mass-murder in the media imho.

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Viktor77 »

Pthagnar wrote:
Viktor77 wrote:There's a ton of blood splattering, as would be expected in a Western meets Southern film. The violence is sometimes gruesome and sometimes laughable.
let's talk. i am so disappointed that you think violence is something to find laughable, especially around the tender and problematic subject of race. you need to have a national conversation about the so-called 'comedic' use of mass-murder in the media imho.
Ok, here you go. Let me know how it goes.

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Torco »

Ursula LeGuin is pretty fucking great!

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Jerian »

Atm, listening to my 2-5 year old half siblings bickering over Thomas the Tank Engine, as well as my laptop fan imitating a Boeing 747 as I am downloading Portal 2 in the background.

I am watching Max and Ruby on TV in the background, and reading the ingredients list of Coca Cola (which is causing me to shudder).


... This should probably have gone in the venting thread.


edit: seriously though, I'm reading "Stands a Shadow" by Col Buchanan, which is a pretty decent fantasy novel, actually.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Shm Jay »

Double double : how Tim Horton’s becamse a Canadian way of life one cup at a time / Douglas Hunter.

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Drydic »

Torco wrote:Ursula LeGuin is pretty fucking great!
which of her stuffs?
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Torco »

I'm currently listening to wizard of earthsea. pretty good <and the narrator is hilarious in a good way>. I had attempted to read Lathe of Heaven and The Left Hand but they never caught my attention and I dropped them, but this is pretty great.

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Izambri »

Reading Sang a les Drassanes, by Francesc Madrid.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Aurora Rossa »

Reading Advanced Language Construction and listening to some socialist songs
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by patiku »

Skrewdriver isn't a socialist band, Eddy!

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Aurora Rossa »

patiku wrote:Skrewdriver isn't a socialist band, Eddy!
I was referring to stuff like the Internationale. I don't know what you had in mind.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Salmoneus »

Torque wrote:I'm currently listening to wizard of earthsea. pretty good <and the narrator is hilarious in a good way>. I had attempted to read Lathe of Heaven and The Left Hand but they never caught my attention and I dropped them, but this is pretty great.
Yeah, the Earthsea books are meant to be more accessible, sort of teenagery books. Her SF is more serious and literary.
[The only book of hers i've read so far was The Left Hand of Darkness, which is an absolute masterpiece]
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Salmoneus »

I've just listened to:
Angels, by Robie Williams
Another Day in Paradise, by Phil Collins
Another One Bites the Dust, by Queen
Any Man of Mine, by Shania Twain
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In, by The Fifth Dimension
Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart, by Vera Lynn.
Back for Good, by Take That
Back in Black, by AC/DC
Back in the Saddle Again, by Gene Autry
Bad, by Michael Jackson

None of these were particularly good, or at least I didn't particularly like any of them. On the positive side, 'Bad', 'Back in Black', and 'Another One Bites the Dust' were all vaguely enjoyable, as was, against my better judgement, 'Aquarius'. And Vera Lynn actually had quite a nice voice.

On the other hand, 'Any Man of Mine' and 'Back for Good' have instantly become two of my most hated pieces of music.
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Torco »

Salmoneus wrote:
Torque wrote:I'm currently listening to wizard of earthsea. pretty good <and the narrator is hilarious in a good way>. I had attempted to read Lathe of Heaven and The Left Hand but they never caught my attention and I dropped them, but this is pretty great.
Yeah, the Earthsea books are meant to be more accessible, sort of teenagery books. Her SF is more serious and literary.
[The only book of hers i've read so far was The Left Hand of Darkness, which is an absolute masterpiece]
Yup, its probably cause I listen to them really casually, like on the bike on my way to the office in the morning, so serious and literary stuff isn't really indicated. I'll see about getting the left hand on paper, though.

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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by TzirTzi »

Having just seen the film of 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time (found a little local independent cinema which shows classic films), I've been inspired to reread the book for the nth time. Though they were written at the same time and so there's no 'right' order, I feel like I should have watched the film first: the book gives a very clear interpretation of what's going on whereas the film is much more impressionistic, and it would have been interesting to see without having the story of the book already in my head.
Torque wrote:
Salmoneus wrote:
Torque wrote:I'm currently listening to wizard of earthsea. pretty good <and the narrator is hilarious in a good way>. I had attempted to read Lathe of Heaven and The Left Hand but they never caught my attention and I dropped them, but this is pretty great.
Yeah, the Earthsea books are meant to be more accessible, sort of teenagery books. Her SF is more serious and literary.
[The only book of hers i've read so far was The Left Hand of Darkness, which is an absolute masterpiece]
Yup, its probably cause I listen to them really casually, like on the bike on my way to the office in the morning, so serious and literary stuff isn't really indicated. I'll see about getting the left hand on paper, though.
The Lathe of Heaven is also a really moving, worthwhile book--I think that on paper you'd find it pretty easy going (and it's very short).
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Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Post by Salmoneus »

Torque wrote:
Salmoneus wrote:
Torque wrote:I'm currently listening to wizard of earthsea. pretty good <and the narrator is hilarious in a good way>. I had attempted to read Lathe of Heaven and The Left Hand but they never caught my attention and I dropped them, but this is pretty great.
Yeah, the Earthsea books are meant to be more accessible, sort of teenagery books. Her SF is more serious and literary.
[The only book of hers i've read so far was The Left Hand of Darkness, which is an absolute masterpiece]
Yup, its probably cause I listen to them really casually, like on the bike on my way to the office in the morning, so serious and literary stuff isn't really indicated. I'll see about getting the left hand on paper, though.
I think I'd describe TLHOD best as 'quiet'. It's not 'difficult' in the literary sense - it's actually written really clearly and approachably - but you have to listen carefully to it, you can't expect to have the message shouted at you.
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But the river tripped on her by and by, lapping
as though her heart was brook: Why, why, why! Weh, O weh
I'se so silly to be flowing but I no canna stay!

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