No.1192037[View All]
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I've been feeling nostalgic, and I was hoping to dip in and chat for a day or two.
This is a typical icebreaker thread. I might not check in for a little while, because it's pretty late here, but I've got the day off tomorrow.
Post your top 5 books, and maybe a reason why they're in your top 5. And if you'd like, just stop in and say hi.
1. Okay wow this is actually a hard decision. I'm gonna put here: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. My all time favorite children's book. Dark, gritty, uplifting and intelligent. I cried, I yelled in disbelief, I felt sad when it was over. A group of newly sapient rats have to deal with the realities of a world in which they can suddenly plan ahead and foresse consequences. Where death used to mean very little, even losing a single member of the group becomes a cause for concern. Pratchett explores themes of anger, grief and the meaning of life from the beautiful lens of rat society. Which is very cute, but also so sad.
2. Happiness by Matthieu Ricard - A lovely look at what makes humans happy, with practical guides to try and increase happiness. No single book has contributed more to my wellbeing.
3. With each and Every Breath by Thanissaro Bhikkhu - A really interesting collection of buddhist meditation techniques and explanations for how they work. Both this book and Happiness are written from a relatively western perspective. I use these techniques all the time when stretching or meditating.
4. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. A fun and queer science fiction novel about an artificial ship intelligence that is transplanted against her will into a body and has to adjust to life on the surface of a planet, instead of life in a ship's computer. A heartrending tale that tackles themes of neurodivergence and queer love. I find it to be unbelievably poignant and accessible. It shocked me when what I thought was a frivolous and lighthearted book spoke to such a deep part of me.
5. I thought I had to include one book that wasn't frivolous, so I'm going to say The Sage Handbook of Counselling Psychology. Contributed to by my favorite professor at Uni, Mr. Colin Feltham. It's a handy guide that I use all the time. It's very well written, and gives a good overview of the various types of therapy that can be found in modern psychotherapy and pschology practices.
Bonus - what I'm reading right now.
Right now I'm reading Life and Death, the genderswapped version of the first twilight book by stephanie Meyers, and Unsouled, a progression fantasy book in the Cradle series (by Will Wight) (does anyone know what progression fantasy is? I just learned of this the other week).
Super curious how many people I know are still around, and would be up for a chat. Also to see what any of you have been reading, or what you like.
No.1194054
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>>1192037I'm going to assume series count as 'one'.
These'll be a more general 'top five' because I don't really want to rank them around much.
>Wings of FireI kind of fell in love accidentally with the series. I didn't expect it, but the world caught me by surprise. Tui is really, really good at writing side characters and background characters well, to the point that they feel 'real' for lack of a better word. Like what they're doing is sensible for them, individually, instead of just being a plot device character as so many end up. Those aren't terrible, but, it's what makes Wings of Fire feel so much more 'alive' as a setting.
>Mating FlightAnother surprise, and one I absolutely adore. Has probably my favorite depiction of dragons so far. Very strange, proper xenoficiton, following a young dragon on her titular mating flight. Despite the name, it's not really 'lewd' or anything. Or, well, okay, it
can be, but that's not the focus, and the main character can't feel anything anyways, so it's always treated with a level of detachment. Mostly it just follows a series of dragons on a sort of 'coming of age' event. And that's just a lot of fun.
>Vainqueur the DragonAh, one of my absolute all time favorites. Vainqueur is just the best. Man definitely encapsulates all that is dragonkind in one fell swoop. A true gigachad, who takes what he wills, yet treats his treasures right...
There's a shocking amount of growth throughout as well. Vainqueur already has a heart of gold, but as we go throughout, he goes beyond that. He learns what it is to value others. To treasure them as well as any gemstone. He honors his adversaries, and ends up a shockingly mature soul, for what we first meet. Albeit he still has his draconic wildness that gives him such charm. Great series.
>The HobbitGonna be real, this might be controversial, but the Hobbit is way, way better than Lord of the Rings.
Both due to Bilbo actually having a meaningful arc, and in respect to the entire setting and struggle actually feeling like it goes somewhere.
Lord of the Rings is probably more 'realistic', but realistic isn't inherently better. And I found the tale of the dwarves far more compelling than "evil rings" in the first place.
>Ender's GameNo dragons this time! Unless you count the dragon present in that one game that fucks with Ender's brain a bit. But that's some weird bullshit going on with the aliens trying to communicate with him, so, I wouldn't count it.
Good book. One that I kind of grew up with. Was a gift from my uncle, and one I read a few times. I always appreciate its angle on kids in general not being anywhere near as stupid as people act. I always hated that. Kids aren't dumb. Honestly, they think more than adults. I feel it's rare that media in general writes them well, as consequence of not understanding this.
No.1194072
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>>1194068>>1194071>The duality of manWinter did nothing wrong by the way.
No.1194122
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>>1194072They don't understand how I use my cloak of glimmer. Wizard heil Ishtar. They don't understand how I use my cloak of glimmer.
All my wizards clerics, wizard heil Ishtar
No.1194222
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Anyone here read the Chronicles of Prydain? I feel like getting those books.
No.1194268
>>1194222No, but I must admit to having been at least a little curious after last time I watched The Black Cauldron.
That movie is a bit of a mess, but learning that there's actualyl a whole book series it's based on, and the aprts of the fantasy world we see actually being fairly intriguing definitely catches my attention.
I might have to look them up on soem of my audio book apps. There's a lack of fantasy stories on there for me right now anyway.
No.1194281
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>>1194268The Black Cauldron movie was actually what got me into fantasy way back when in the 80s.
So yeah, I'm interested in getting into that series.
No.1194285
>>1194281>>1194281I don't think it's outright awful as some will claim, but it is certainly a bit tonally confused and jumbled. There's a lot to like about it.
I was actually just looking through my audio book app trying to think of fantasy novels I wanna listen to, but I tend to like my fantasy pretty big and colorful. "Medieval setting and then MAYBE some guy casts one spell or something vaguely dragon like shows up for a chapter" seems to Be what most people write, judging from the story breakdowns I've looked at today.
No.1194680
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>>1194285It's not an easy to find book here, but I'll keep my eyes open.
I'm half way through the Shining now. It's somewhat different, but not as much as I expeced really, just in details and scope.
No.1194916
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>>1194071To give LORE here, you're not entirely wrong, it's just that Winter's 100% in the right if he were to explode when they tell him what's really going down.
Trouble basically boils down to how they handled the BBEG. See, Winter just came from some real traumatic events around magic, where his brother has had some major identity crisis over it after spending years as another dragon thanks to a cursed amulet. Winter'd even put on that amulet himself, just to get a feel for what horror story his brother went through, so he has a first hand knowledge on just how bad that stuff is.
And yet, his friends, the 'found family' he traded his own for, the ones who he was going to return to from his old, abusive one, who literally tried to sacrifice him pitting him and his brother against one another, ended up being much the same. Saying when the BBEG put a spell on him that they PREFERRED him under that magic... Actually liked him better when he was enchanted.
Needless to say this put a pretty big spike on things. Especially when one of the friends was buddy-buddy with the BBEG, and the other was actively trying to hide information from that friend about how the BBEG was actively engaged in genocide the Icewings...
This all culminated with a later point when there's a big fight between the Icewings and the BBEG's army, and Winter goes off to help his family. Abusive though they might be, they were his family. Well, those 'friends' of his took this as some kind of shocking betrayal, for some unknown reason, and ultimately managed to trick the BBEG into enchanting himself using a scroll disguised as a strawberry.
Though that, too, has major problems, because they did this by turning him into a totally different dragonet, not even just deaging him but outright modifying his entire state of being, even going as far as to make him a hybrid Rainwing.
Needless to say, considering Winter has had personal experiences with that, he'd be unhappy.
And given his pretty strong moral codes, that even included saving Foeslayer, a legendary Nightwing villain by Icewing lore, because he found the punishment too far, it's very likely he'd have some strong words for the immorality of what they've done.
Ultimately he never returned to the school. He knows they're hiding stuff from him, and so, he chose to leave it behind, tragically blaming himself.
The rest of them don't do more than write. Kinkajou at least visited. But, frankly, I hope he moves on from them.
They're bad friends.
Kinkajou's the exception.
No.1195073
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>>1194713Making good progress. IMO the biggest difference between movie and book so far has been Wendy. She was so super annoying in the movie.
No.1195203
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I wrapped up "The Shining" tonight when I couldn't sleep.
All in all I like it a bit better than the movie and there are quite a few essential differences in the story.
I found it interesting that the ending of the book is pretty much the ending of the Doctor Sleep movie.
No.1195223
>>1195203I sometimes think back to a particular chapter where Jack Torrance looks at a yellow and black snowscooter or something of the like, and mentally compares it to an angry wasp buzzing around in his skull as a way of explaining the rages he gets when his alcoholism takes over.
One of my prime examples of books and movies being very, very different formats of storytelling, and why comparing the two directly is a little bit flawed in my mind.
No.1195232
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>>1195223I liked the explanation why the Overlook was after Danny; wanting to use his 'shining' like a power source so it could become stronger and more alive, compared to just being a simple spooky house where you sometimes hear a whisper or a creaking floor.
No.1195305
>>1195232>>1195232Can't say I remember that. But it's been a loooong time since I read the novel.
I mostly listen to audio books while drawing lately. Listening to some books I never read the entirety of when I was a kid that are very King-like.
No.1195309
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>>1195305Audiobooks are rather popular; honestly, I don't think I could focus on them - especially while doing something else.
I think I'll continue with some Jules Verne next.
No.1195409
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>>1195309If I could, I would love to make a radio-play audio-book of Dracula. I wonder why no one has thought of it so far.
And no, I don't mean the original radio-play of Dracula, I mean a faithful audio-book of Bram Stoker's Dracula, but a different voice for each journal entry or letter and ambiance sounds for what they're writing about.
No.1195411
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Can someone help me with a small debate with a friend of mine around riddles.
His riddle: How do you find a corner in a circle room?
My guesses:
1. If the room is cylinder or dome in shape, you lie down, then the horizontal edge between the floor and walls become vertical, thus a corner.
2. If you have pursuers who trap you in the room, thus you are cornered.
3. Infinite corners.
4 (my prefered answer) A room is a room if it has a door, thus the corner of the door.
His answer: "Just draw a square in the room."
I told him that isn't really a riddle given it didn't have the subtle clues to indicate the answer.
So as proof, I tried to make a riddle using his logic.
My riddle: "There is a box with something inside it, what is it?"
The answer: "It is a box, with something inside it."
He couldn't guess the answer, but now I'm wondering if my riddle is actually decent, or is more of an observation than a riddle.
No.1195412
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>>1195411You should both stop doing riddles!
Anyway, I think 2 is the nicest answer.
No.1195414
>>1195412Not a fan of riddles?
What runs around a farm, but never moves?
No.1195417
>>1195415Correct! See? Not that hard.
>>1195416An anti-joke? Didn't think there be such thing.
No.1195418
>>1195417Oh, anti-Jokes are Absolutely a thing. They usually run on either straight up just lying or foregoing the punchline for a more "realistic" (and thus often depressing) sentence.
Like "A man walks into a bar. His alcohol dependency is destroying his life."
No.1195854
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In the 19th century they really loved the diary-style narrative in their stories. No matter if Jules Verne or Bram Stoker.
No.1195995
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Is anyon else reading anything?
I consider reading another Jules Vener, 20,000 miles under the sea. Or I could continue with my endless chore in reading all of H.P. Lovecraft's stories.
No.1195996
>>1195995I mean, if audiobooks count
Like I may have mentioned, lately I listen to audiobooks while I draw. I am largely going through many of the books written by Dennis Jürgensen, a danish author who has done a lot of work in just about every genre, both for kids, YA and adults.
Lately, I am listening to what might be his biggest epic - a four-part novel called "Relief", which is essentialyl his take on Stephen King's "IT". At least, in the sense that it features people whose worst fears are made manifest.
The difference is they're all adults, and seemingly completely disconnected, and it's actually the awakening of something much more sinister that is sort of spreading a "fear-manifestation disease" that people who for one reason or another (implied to just be because they haves trong phobias) are particularly susceptible are experiencing.
It's quite exciting, actually. Has some really interesting ideas of how to interpret certain traumas and phobias
No.1196013
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>>1195996you're great ancestors didn't have thousands of years of oral story tradition for audio books not to count!
(i say this as somebody who also does audio books alot too)
oooh! this sounds fun! i'd be down for more IT-esque horror!
No.1196028
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In no particular order:
>Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
I'm a sucker for good worldbuilding, and Tolkien is the master at it.
>Neuromancer by William Gibson
The perfect cyberpunk novel
>Fear and Loathing in Last Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
I watched and really enjoyed the movie, and was inspired to read the book, which I enjoyed even more, and now Hunter S Thompson is one of my favorite authors. I was debating between this or Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72.
>Programming the 6502 by Rodnay Zaks
An invaluable book for learning the ins and outs of the 6502 instruction set, not just for developing stuff to be run on 6502-based platforms, but also for developing my 6502 emulator.
>This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible by Charles E. Cobb Jr.
A very enlightening look into the history of civil rights in the US, both through violent and nonviolent protests.
I'm currently reading House of Leaves, and I'm enjoying it so far.
No.1196212
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I read one of my old childrens books from when I was little.
Anyone else still got books from when they were young?
No.1196218
>>1196212>>1196212I have a decent chunk of em. Specifically some that my dad used to read to me, though some of the lean closer to early YA.
The main example would be the danish "Freddy and the Monsters" books. A series of books about a young horror fan names Freddy who discovers that the Universal Monster figures at the local wax museum are actually real and just pretend to be wax Figure by day, and goes on wacky adventures with them.
I've since met the writer twice as an adult and had him sign the first book for me. Same copy my dad read way back when.
No.1196241
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>>1196218That's pretty cool. You should read one of them again to see if they were as good as you remember.
No.1196303
>>1196241>>1196241I did. Or rather, I listened to t C he audio book.
They're basically like episodes of a Saturday morning cartoon. Very slapstick and very funny.
No.1196307
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>>1196303Speaking of audio books, I have some old records at home with fairy tales. They came with picture books so you could read along. I loved them as a child.
No.1196432
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>>1196315I guess most are, unless they are about really old stories. Like, I had audio "books" about Robin Hood or Moby Dick. Of course, they were very much compressed.
No.1197051
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I've decided to read "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Gotta finish that Jules Verne compilation book at some point.
No.1197067
>>1197064>>1197064Yeah, I suppose I oughta.
Ever since I got into actually listening to some audio books, I have been adding various Lovecraft stories myself. They are, after all, highly influential in a genre I adore, yet I only know the various adaptations.
No.1197103
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>>1197067I still have to finish my book with all the Lovecraft stories, too. There's so many!
No.1197104
>>1197103A long time ago I have read the HP Lovecraft collection.
Maybe some day I could reread it...
I did read a few Shadows over Innsmouth collection books not too long ago.
Sometimes the derivative works are more interesting even than the original.
No.1197109
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>>1197104I don't doubt that, there's a lot you can do with all the stories and ideas he came up with.
