Give a hoot, read a book

Dache · Post by **Dache** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:05 pm

Asimov suggests that all robots will glow red and go on a kill-crazy rampage around the world, and that Will Smith riding a motorbike, shooting two guns bigger than himself whilst screaming at the top of his lungs is going to save the day?

Post by **Segaholic2** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:23 pm

Yeah, pretty much.

Post by **Pepperidge** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:34 pm

So Dache, I'm assuming that it's a total coincidence that you decided to start reading that book now?

Dache · Post by **Dache** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 3:18 pm

The film's not out here yet. I started reading it because my dad was clearing out shitloads of books, I noticed it in a pile after seeing the trailer for the film the day before, and thought it'd be a good idea. It's a 1975 edition.

plasticwingsband · Post by **plasticwingsband** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 3:29 pm

Popcorn wrote:
Self-inserted characters NEVER work out.
You should see Adaptation.

Yeah. Pretty much everyone should see Adaptation. Seeing as it's like the best movie ever. Or something similar.

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:44 pm

Is that the one with Nicholas Cage?

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:51 pm

Yep.

Anyways, in regard to the original topic, I'm reading Bill Clinton's autobiography, My Life right now. It's not bad; pretty interesting.

Post by Bo » Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:26 am

I interlibrary-loaned Happiness TM today. It had better be good, Pep.

j-man · Post by **j-man** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 6:26 am

I'm reading a bunch of Discworld stuff I got for my birthday. Just a short slog through The Light Fantastic and I've conquered the series. Bo.

Aside from that, I'm leafing through The Essential Groucho (a collection of scripts, articles and letters by the man himself) and The Chap Almanac, described on the cover as "An Esoterick Yearbook For The Decadent Gentleman". It's as good as it sounds.

I tried reading Lord Of The Rings. It was a mistake. It took like 500 fucking pages for Frodo to make up his Goddamned mind as to whether or not he was going to leave the Shire, and what colour pants he should wear. I wasn't captivated, I realised I was just reading it because I want to be able to say I've read it.

plasticwingsband · Post by **plasticwingsband** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 2:39 pm

j-man wrote:I'm reading a bunch of Discworld stuff I got for my birthday. Just a short slog through The Light Fantastic and I've conquered the series.

That's fucking awesome. I've only read like, 8 or so. Once I get some money I'm gonna drive over to Borders and pick up a bunch.

Have you read Good Omens yet?

Post by **Popcorn** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 2:57 pm

I spent the latter half of my (short) life reading Pratchett. On the bookcase to my left I have every book he's ever written. I used to think he was, like, God, but I've pretty much grown out of him these days. By sheer coincidence I've just finished re-reading Soul Music, and it wasn't as great as I remember it being-- but still a damned sight better than his recent works. I really think he's become overly reliant on a single formula, and too focused on the Discworld franchise (because that's what it is now: just a franchise). Thief of Time and Monstrous Regiment could have been set in any generic fantasy universe. Not that that would've stopped them from being as tedious as hell...

Pratchett's strength used to be finding quiet humour in human truths. Now he's not even funny-- not 'cause the jokes are bad, but because there aren't any. Good Omens is still his best work, and he didn't even write it all himself. When was the last non-DW thing he did, anyway?

plasticwingsband · Post by **plasticwingsband** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 4:06 pm

I started reading Good Omens but I didn't get very far, because at the time I was reading Neil Gaiman's Smoke & Mirrors short story collection. Which was quite good.

I need to pick up a copy of Good Omens. I really like both Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett so I don't know why I haven't already.

As for my favorite works by those authors... Small Gods is still my favorite Terry Pratchett book, and I think American Gods is Gaiman's best work.

aso · Post by **aso** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 8:31 pm

Not much, though I am reading through a small collection of German short stories, dating from early on. Kakfa is one of them, naturally...

j-man · Post by **j-man** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 8:12 am

Alas I haven't read Good Omens, and for the record Popcorn the last non-Discworld book he wrote was Johnny And The Bomb in 1996.

To date, I'd say one of, if not the best Discworld novels is Feet Of Clay. I also rather liked Night Watch and Thief Of Time, myself, although I agree that some of his later books haven't had the same oomph that the middle of the series had, although they are by no means bad books at all - Night Watch especially was top stuff.

Brazillian Cara · Post by **Brazillian Cara** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:11 pm

Does anyone here hates Michael Moore? I donÃ‚Â´t, IÃ‚Â´ve just started to read Dude, WhereÃ‚Â´s my Country? and itÃ‚Â´s great!

plasticwingsband · Post by **plasticwingsband** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:18 pm

I don't like Michael Moore. He's too much of an extremist for me.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:27 pm

Moore occasionally makes some good points, but it's usually overshadowed by his theatrics.

plasticwingsband · Post by **plasticwingsband** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:39 pm

Amazing Grant wrote:Moore occasionally makes some good points, but it's usually overshadowed by his theatrics.

Exactly how I feel.

Post by Bo » Sat Aug 07, 2004 10:31 pm

Moore is funny when making outlandish lies. Ann Coulter is scary when she does it. Both occasionally make good points. Rarely.

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 8:13 pm

I didn't mind Bowling for Columbine, but that is the only thing by Moore I've ever seen. He annoys me though. I finished Da Vinci Code and thought it was quite good at least for the puzzle factor, I wonder how much of the other shit is true. Now I'm reading Digital Fortress by the same author. I'm not very far in, but it sounds kind of cool. They got this big ass computer with 3 million processors working in parallel. Pretty cool, I want one.

Post by **Delphine** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 8:39 pm

Moore annoys me because he could do something worthwhile if he'd stop being an alarmist prat about it.

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 9:01 pm

He's fat.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 9:51 pm

Why do all directors look the same? Put Michael Moore, George Lucas, Kevin Smith, and Peter Jackson in a room and switch 'em around - and I wouldn't be able to tell one from another.

Post by Bo » Sun Aug 08, 2004 11:04 pm

I second Pep's recommendation for Happiness TM, for the record.

EspioKaos · Post by **EspioKaos** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 11:45 pm

I've put Dance Dance Dance on hold for a while so that I can read House of Leaves. I'm enjoying this book so much that I was actually contemplating callin' in to work tomorrow so that I could just stay home and read all day long. Somehow I managed to talk myself out of it, so I'll just pick back up once I get home in the evening.