No.1062
I've been reading Pascal's works, right now Lettres Provinciales and Pensées. I've also been tackling SICP but it's difficult not to have a hard time with it. I'm stuck on chapter 2.1.2 But it's a long time endeavor, I guess.
No.1063
>>880Honestly, speaking both languages (even though I'm a native Spanish speaker) I'd consider starting with Russian right away. If Spanish is tricky when it comes to verbs, wait until you hear about them in their actual version in Russian. If you can, start with it ASAP.
No.1064
>>1060I've read most of his shorter books that have been published in English. I've got the Sea of Fertility sitting on my shelf too; eventually I'll get around to it but it's a bit of an investment and I haven't been in a Mishima mood for a while.
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea is probably his most quintessential novel and embodies a kind of anti-subtlety that's common in Japanese literature and really damn delicious when done well. It's plainly allegorical and you basically know everything that's going to happen in the book as soon as you hear the premise, but the suspense of waiting for it to play out is so intense.
Confessions of a Mask is also essential Mishima, but I'd read one or two of his novels first. There are some extremely good musings and hot takes in there. I remember him reflecting on the concept of purity and beauty for a few paragraphs before concluding that purity is the most degenerate thing of all and dropping the topic alltogether.
Mishima's only sci-fi story, Beautiful Star, is also getting published in English in a few months time, I'm extremely excited. He was actually a big fan of the genre, surprisingly; Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke was one of his favourite novels.
No.1065
>>1064I visited the Yukio Mishima museum in Kawaguchiko. It all starts making a lot of sense after you learn about his relationship with his wife and children, it's truly amazing how he captured that longing for something else, something freer where he can express himself, despite his sexuality and all of that which it entails.
No.1088
>>1087>gets summoned into a fantasy universe and realizes that magic is a lot like programming.We finally found what all the damn isekai LN authors are ripping off! lol
No.1089
>>1088I think all isekai are actually ripping off A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain published in 1889.
No.1091
>>1089Exactly, I've been saying this for years. It even has a long title that explains the premise of the plot.
No.1092
boogiepop
No.1111
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Murakami Haruki novels seem always similar to other Murakami Haruki novels.
Why might that be, and why does no one level that accusation at Jane Austin.
No.1150
I'm currently reading the fifth installment of the Dune series - Heretics of Dune - albeit I'm not the biggest fan. I'm halfway through, and it feels like it won't get close to God Emperor of Dune.
I've also started with a translation of Ursula K. Le Guins "The Dispossessed" in my native tongue. I already have an English copy of it, but the form factor and small text makes it near impossible for me to read.
No.1151
>>1150I've always felt uneasy about reading translations if I know the original language. Feels wrong.
No.1152
>>1151I think it depends how well the translation is made and how much the story depends on its original language.
For myself, if I read older English books I often have to look up words which can become a fun killer, especially when I'm tired and reading after work
No.1163
>>804Invisible Cities.
You just finished.
I'm starting.
1 page in.
Loving it.
No.1168
Oh boy, the last three months I was subscribing to the audiobook service. Digested more books in this period, than throughout my university (which I will finish sooon). It helped with my eyes, too.
Murakami's Dance Dance Dance - definitely the most dreamy position I read from him. I can recall so many scenes from this book, yet can't really connect them in anything that would make sense. I am not really a gifted thinker - prefer style over substance, and Murakami's writing is just so good in this aspect.
I also decided to read "What I talk about when I talk about running", which I recommend. A lot of self-reflection from Murakami, and some advice for kids.
Kawakami's Heaven. This one hurted. I will just say it is about bullying, and it is quite graphic.
1984 - gived up on this lecture in highschool, it was too boring. The audiobook service had a radio drama version, which was fantastic.
Also finished Kafka's Metamorphosis, only because it is a classic. I found it tremendously boring, even in the audio form. Gregor Samsa is just like me, though.
Now I read Crime and Punishment for the third time. There is a fair bit of humour in this book juggled with a feeling of hopelessness. Sonya? She just like me, for real.
No.1176
>>984Why did Penguin put a picture on the cover which makes Enderby look jewish?
Nothing in the the text supports that.
No.1193
Quick reviews of some works I finished
>Brutes or Angels: Human Possibility in the Age of Biotechnology
Surprisingly tame compared to the title. Its just "bioethics 101" when it comes to human modification. It explains an issue, the benefits, and then ends with the cons of it. If you've read any book on transhumanism or bio ethics this book is to simple for you. The only interesting factor was the religious sections were it explain different religious views on bioethics. Again if you read a book on relegion and bioethics doesn't add much.
>Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses
A work about the authors relation to moss and her cultural identity. It manages to capture your attention when talking about some pretty dense moss facts. I say it's a nice intro to bryology.
No.1194
>>1193>A work about the authors relation to mossThat sounds fantastic and very cute
Moss facts appeal to me
No.1210
just bought some manga from amazon. im reading death note and fullmeteal alchemist
No.1211
>>1209"Cuckqueens aren't real, take your meds"
I cackled
No.1351
Recently re-read this. Almond tries to draw parallels between Sufism and 'post-modern' philosophy. The problem with books like this that have the opposite of their intended effect. If Zen Buddhism or Taoism are basically just like Deleuzian philosophy (or whatever's the fad), then people will just skip over Zhuangzhi or Kukai and read Deleuze. The pain for "Eastern philosophy" is that to be taken seriously we have to show how its simmilar to what people are currently thinking, but if we do that then philosophers just treat it as not worth reading because Derrida or Deleuze or whoever are saying the same thing anyway.
I also started Dream of a Red Bed Chamber because I need a break from mind numbing otaku trash.
>>1343I'm not a fan of the analytic approach to philosophy but I love the later Wittgenstein. I hope to read Ayer and Quine at somepoint and get familiar with formal logic. Philosophical Investigations is great.
No.1354
>>1343You should also read the work of Martin Löf
No.1364
>>1354Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into him after I'm one reading wittgenstein's works.
>>1343It is I who is now present to update my previously published book-reading status.
I'm doing a second read of wittgenstein because I feel like I didn't fully get it. The main idea (or atleast what I feel was like the main idea of the whole book) was that the words of a language only have meaning accurately, in its use as part of some "language-game" (or more accurately, that the meaning IS its use) and the several corollaries that follow from this idea, but I haven't absorbed all of the details.
As for the new book, it's just a more abstract and rigorous rundown of general relativity with more focus on differential geometry instead of only caring about tensor fields to describe space-time.
No.1416
Been reading 1984 recently, honestly it's alright nothing too great. I think it's just fine, really it doesn't do anything for me. I'm close to finishing it so I'll see if my opinion changes but most likely not
No.1417
>>1416I listened to an audiobook with actors speaking my native language and with sound effects, no music if I recall correctly. It was amazing, I was really impressed. Story was much more powerful this way.
No.1419
>>1417I usually don't listen to audiobooks often since they aren't really my thing but maybe I'll give it a shot, thx
Finished 1984 yesterday, I think I realized I liked the beginning and end quite well but not the middle so much, it's purely a me thing as I didn't care too much about the relationship between Winston and Julia but I get why it's there. Overall I liked its themes of anti-authoritarianism, mass-surveillance, & the eventual downfall of critical thinking ("doublethink", "newspeak", "thoughtcrime" etc…)
For the classic books I've read, I prefer Fahrenheit 451 over 1984, but 1984 is still worth reading imo.
No.1460
>>1453For those that just want a primer and exposure to the concept of hyperreality the short story that helped to inspire it might help, it's "On Exactitude in Science" by Borges. It basically takes the concept that "the map is not the territory" to its logical conclusion.
As for me, I have just started reading The Glass Bead Game. It is very interesting so far, but it might be that it just happens to be up my alley in several ways.
No.1465
>>1419The world in 1984 feels too hamfisted to me. Ingsoc’s totalitarian state seems cartoonish, like its 12 year old’s idea of what an authoritarian state would like. It’s hard to take seriously.
No.1467
>>1460Thanks. I'll check this out. There's also Philip K Dick's novel The Simulacra which was some inspiration for Baudrillard and Ecclesiastes too. Although the quote at the beginning is 'fake.' Its interesting that there are all these sneaky religious references in Baudrillard's writing. Its a tough read.
Today I went outside and sat in the park to enjoy the sunny weather and read bits of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics and al-Tusi's Nasirean Ethics. There are many things I like about the Aristotelian-Platonic tradition but a few things make me uncomfortable. The negative attitude to the body, overemphasis on reason and mental exercises. It also feels very rigid with a mapped out plan of all the virtues.
>>1464This is just depressing.
No.1476
>>1464wow it's me in 20 years
