Book thread

[suburbanxcore]

@el twe, I downloaded those right around Thanksgiving but for some reason haven't brought myself to read em. Kinda feels weird. And I think I'd hate reading em on my computer screen.

And @irezumi, I think "For Esme" might be the perfect short story.

[irezumi]

@el twe, I downloaded those right around Thanksgiving but for some reason haven't brought myself to read em. Kinda feels weird. And I think I'd hate reading em on my computer screen.

AGREED!! I can't read books on a screen, it just doesn't work for me.

Does anyone remember this place called the library? It's this building that has lots of books and will even order books from other libraries for you. And the best part is that they let you borrow them for free!! Whoa.

I know that the post is about some 'unpublished stories only available online' but it applies to everyone that downloads books instead of holding a book in your hands. Nothing is like the smell of aged paper.

[Graeme]

AGREED!! I can't read books on a screen, it just doesn't work for me.

Does anyone remember this place called the library? It's this building that has lots of books and will even order books from other libraries for you. And the best part is that they let you borrow them for free!! Whoa.

My library even has that Ed Hardy dragon design book.

[el twe]

Oh, there's no way I'm going to read a book online. I downloaded the .pdf of Three Stories so I could print them out, still has nothing on a real book but it's better than my shitty laptop screen.

And I understand the reluctance to read something that Salinger didn't want published, but I love seeing some of the "behind the scenes" works of favorite artists, whether it be bootleg demos from musicians, sketches from fine artists, or these short stories. For those of you who don't wish to/can't read these stories, there's supposed to be a line-up of new material in the coming couple of years that Salinger and his estate wish to be published.

[polliwog]

Every job I've had has centered around printed books, which should explain how I feel.

I've tried reading on an ereader my bookstores sells - it's pretty much like a Kindle Paperwhite, from what I understand - and found it really distracting and strange. But I can see how they'd be good for traveling.

Anyway, I'm currently reading Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking. I don't usually go for food memoirs, but this one is good. Edward St Aubyn's been my favorite author this past year.

[HaydenRose]

I agree with everyone that printed books > e-books. However, in order to read stealthily at my desk job, I get e-books through amazon and read them on the cloud reader. I get to read for 4+ hours a day and my boss thinks I'm hard at work. Win-win situation. When I'm on vacation I always buy books in print, usually used copies through amazon for like a $1.

[suburbanxcore]

Man, I never thought of it like that. I'd say a solid 50% of my library comes from books I bought for less than $5 in college. Apparently my spare bedroom is a disease factory. Thanks @daveborjes. Hahaha.

I guess now that you mention it, I'm thinking of the flagged book at Brentanos in Seinfeld...

[RoryQ]

@daveborjes

Jesus, I'm looking forward to reading my used books now... Bloody hell!

One big advantage of a reader is you can hold it and "turn the page" with one hand. When I'm getting my front tattooed I can hold a kindle and read (try to read) without it being in the way.

[HaydenRose]

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You don't get skeeved out? Even if I went to the Strand, I couldn't bring myself buy something there and actually read it unless it was like a coffee table book or whatnot. A coffee table book, you know motherfuckers flip through it like once, but other books like paperbacks and the like, people bring to the toilet, pick their nose and not wash their hands, etc..

Couldnt do it.

Haha that's true I suppose. My logic is there's nothing like an old book that has passed through many hands, like it has a story all of its own, but then that could be true in a total gross and perverse way...

[Graeme]

I agree with everyone that printed books > e-books. However, in order to read stealthily at my desk job, I get e-books through amazon and read them on the cloud reader. I get to read for 4+ hours a day and my boss thinks I'm hard at work. Win-win situation. When I'm on vacation I always buy books in print, usually used copies through amazon for like a $1.

Haha, I had a job like that once. They monitored internet use so I couldn't dick around on the internet without getting in trouble for it, but I could download Word files of classic novels from Project Gutenberg and read those.

I have a Kindle that I got as a gift a couple of years ago and I liked reading on it, but I stopped using it once e-books started getting comparable to the price of buying paper copies of books. Basically I think that e-books are a noxious idea, and they are only worth it when they're significantly cheaper than buying hard copies. At least if I buy a paper book I actually own that book. I can sell it if I want to, the bookseller can't suddenly revoke the book for whatever reason, and I'm not forced to buy my books from a company that I think is shittier the more I learn about it. I actually found myself buying paper copies of some books I bought on my Kindle and that I really loved.

I am currently reading Excession by Iain M. Banks and it's really good fun.

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You don't get skeeved out? Even if I went to the Strand, I couldn't bring myself buy something there and actually read it unless it was like a coffee table book or whatnot. A coffee table book, you know motherfuckers flip through it like once, but other books like paperbacks and the like, people bring to the toilet, pick their nose and not wash their hands, etc..

Couldnt do it.

It strengthens the immune system.

[Delicious]

I have begun to buy e-books due to the cost factor, I don't want to drop alot of money on books like I have in the past. I am an avid book reader. I gave away close to 300 books when I moved, and I still have about 150. With no where to put them. So as much as I love the scent of the paper and the feel of a book in my hands, it is not practical for me to own alot of paper books when I have no where to put them.

[irezumi]

^ I will repeat, LIBRARY. It's free and you don't need to keep it like yet another rock in a box.

We need to become less absorbed by the digital age.

Next thing you know schools will be doing things like phasing out cursive handwriting in favor of texting.....

Had a good laugh at the nose picking book reader haha

[suburbanxcore]

Yeah, most of my students can't even read cursive.

[HaydenRose]

Yeah, most of my students can't even read cursive.

Most of my college peers couldn't read my handwriting a few years ago. Yeah.

I'm actually going back through the Spencerian Penmanship practice books and learning Copperplate. I'm so glad I grew up learning cursive when I did, it's saving me a lot of grief and frustration.

[Delicious]

I am one of the few people I know who writes consistently in cursive. However my handwriting was horrible up until my junior year of high school, then as I've been in college and I have to write constantly, my handwriting has greatly improved. Lol when I am trying to write fast though I use a mix of cursive and print.

It's kinda sad they're phasing out cursive, it really does allow you to speed write much better than printing.

[Fudo Myoo]

Just read 47 Ronin (based on movie) on the plane to get tattooed by Horitomo. I don't usually read books based on movies but picked it up at the airport bookstore because of the subject matter - characters in the book include samurai, tengu, fudo, kitsune, tennyo, and other yokai subject matter. It actually hyped me up to get my tattoo.

[irezumi]

Can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but they are already getting rid of cursive handwriting in schools.

Oh I'm aware of it. It's sad and not such an antiquated form of communication. At this rate 2 generations from now will barely be able to read a damn font if its not Helvetia or Times Roman. Pathetic.

I give value to the fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination that this provides way over texting and video games, besides all the other benefits like BEING ABLE TO READ.

[MissRaffix3]

Not at all an intellectual snob!! I wish more people would read, actually.

My all-time favorite book is "Looking For Alaska" by John Green. It's beautifully written and I can really relate to the character of Alaska in a way I've never been able to relate to a book character before. One of my tattoos is even a symbol from that book.

And I'm currently in the middle of reading two books. One is called "Geektastic" and it's a collection of short stories and comics. The other is Andy Warhol's "POPism." :D

[iowagirl]

Starting the Adept series by Piers Anthony again. Been quite a few years since I've read them.

[Gregor]

I read the Batman Vampire Trilogy , wow amazing artwork and great stories. I also read Flowers for Algernon , just to make me really sad , Anansi Boys (Neil Gaiman) to cheer me up again, and at the moment I am reading my way through Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series. Irish Noir at its finest . Not one for the Galway tourist office.

[RoryQ]

Anansi Boys is great fun.

[Mark Bee]

Anansi Boys is great fun.

That's my favourite Gaiman book. American Gods is good too.

[Gregor]

I liked American Gods , though , I thought it lost cohesiveness at times . Lots of great ideas jumbled about a bit. Anansi boys flows way better . I absolutely loved it. I have read loads of his comics (most recently Marvel 1602 -very clever). But those are the only 2 novels I have read. I really want to read The Ocean at the End of the Lane now

I find this very exciting too : Joseph Gordon-Levitt is working with Neil Gaiman on 'The Sandman' movie | The Verge

[MadeIndelible]

My lady gave me a book called Books vs. Cigarettes. Planning on starting it tonight. She worked at a library for a few years, and usually has good recommendations on books.

[exume]

Went to the local bookstore yesterday, grabbed Chris Moore's Fool, Palahniuk's Damned, and Wear Your Dreams. One step closer to filling out my Moore collection, haven't read any Chuck since Pygmy, thought I'd give him another try, and I was just stoked to see the Ed book in there.