GRcade

This is the highbrow thread. The other is lowbrow.

Both. But I prefer this one. A mod should make a choice and lock on of them.

Commander Jameson wrote:Both. But I prefer this one. A mod should make a choice and lock on of them.

If you have to lock one, lock mine.

Memento Mori wrote:

Commander Jameson wrote:Both. But I prefer this one. A mod should make a choice and lock on of them.

If you have to lock one, lock mine.

It wasn't a dig at your thread.

Anung Un Rama wrote:

John Galt wrote:I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand a few months back and whilst the story does go downhill after about page 700 (it's over 1000 pages - longer than War and Peace) it is by far the most thought provoking book I've ever read and I would recommend it to everyone. In fact it clearly highlights what is wrong with our current loser-free society and enabled me to put words to what I always felt. It also contains some of the most admirable characters I've ever had the pleasure to read about and traits of the villains are obvious in some real life public figures today.

Wasnt she that Right wing women? i cant really remember.

Yes, apparantly her utter hatred of socialism or indeed, any form of collectivism is evident in the book. Its my next read so I'll probably start it tonight, and the guy who reccomended it as a curiosity read described it as 'absolutely vile'. Not sure wether I'm 'looking forward to it' per se, but I'm definately interested. Its also mentioned numerous times in Mad Men (a USTV series) and appears to have paralells to that.

Jes-us, I'm a snivilling little know-it-all aren't I?

I have been intending to read Atlas Shrugged for a time now, mostly because I feel I should gain a greater understanding of social darwinists (i.e. know your enemy).

Drawlight wrote:

Anung Un Rama wrote:

John Galt wrote:I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand a few months back and whilst the story does go downhill after about page 700 (it's over 1000 pages - longer than War and Peace) it is by far the most thought provoking book I've ever read and I would recommend it to everyone. In fact it clearly highlights what is wrong with our current loser-free society and enabled me to put words to what I always felt. It also contains some of the most admirable characters I've ever had the pleasure to read about and traits of the villains are obvious in some real life public figures today.

Wasnt she that Right wing women? i cant really remember.

Yes, apparantly her utter hatred of socialism or indeed, any form of collectivism is evident in the book. Its my next read so I'll probably start it tonight, and the guy who reccomended it as a curiosity read described it as 'absolutely vile'. Not sure wether I'm 'looking forward to it' per se, but I'm definately interested. Its also mentioned numerous times in Mad Men (a USTV series) and appears to have paralells to that.

Jes-us, I'm a snivilling little know-it-all aren't I?

It's far from vile, unless of course you're one of the incompetent "looters" that the book is set against.

Currently reading 'The Big Nowhere' by James Ellroy. I'm a sucker for good crime fiction, especially crime fiction set around the Fifties. 'The Black Dahlia' was superb as well. I have plans to read 'LA Confidential' and 'White Jazz' to complete the quartet too.

Drawlight wrote:

Anung Un Rama wrote:

John Galt wrote:I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand a few months back and whilst the story does go downhill after about page 700 (it's over 1000 pages - longer than War and Peace) it is by far the most thought provoking book I've ever read and I would recommend it to everyone. In fact it clearly highlights what is wrong with our current loser-free society and enabled me to put words to what I always felt. It also contains some of the most admirable characters I've ever had the pleasure to read about and traits of the villains are obvious in some real life public figures today.

Wasnt she that Right wing women? i cant really remember.

Yes, apparantly her utter hatred of socialism or indeed, any form of collectivism is evident in the book. Its my next read so I'll probably start it tonight, and the guy who reccomended it as a curiosity read described it as 'absolutely vile'. Not sure wether I'm 'looking forward to it' per se, but I'm definately interested. Its also mentioned numerous times in Mad Men (a USTV series) and appears to have paralells to that.

Jes-us, I'm a snivilling little know-it-all aren't I?

Hahah, PC. I'm reading Rand's 'Virtue of Selfishness' at the moment. Her 'Objectivism' follows the principle of 'Every act is a selfish act', and that selfishness in and of itself is not a negative thing. To look out for one's own interests in Objectivism is a moral norm and and inevitable part of human nature. Personally I thoroughly disagree, as it has a degree of fatalism and takes away the Existential concept of freedom that I hold dear, it also negates the modern concepts of Altruism everyone loves.

Drawlight wrote:

Anung Un Rama wrote:

John Galt wrote:I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand a few months back and whilst the story does go downhill after about page 700 (it's over 1000 pages - longer than War and Peace) it is by far the most thought provoking book I've ever read and I would recommend it to everyone. In fact it clearly highlights what is wrong with our current loser-free society and enabled me to put words to what I always felt. It also contains some of the most admirable characters I've ever had the pleasure to read about and traits of the villains are obvious in some real life public figures today.

Wasnt she that Right wing women? i cant really remember.

Yes, apparently her utter hatred of socialism or indeed, any form of collectivism is evident in the book.

Yep, that's the book. It's a damn long read, so be ready to read on through some quite frankly boring stuff. Although Rand's views on collectivism and her championing of the advantages of 'selfish' acts make it a thought provoking book which place it in a similar category to marmite, you either agree completely with what she says and go about setting up your own company selling bottled water in the third world for £5 or disagree entirely and proceed to sell everything you own and distributing your profit with every one in the neighborhood. It's a damn divisive book but a decent one, the main speech towards the end of the book is quite good as well.

As for me, I'm just about to start The Great Gatsby, as that's the sort of book I would like to do my coursework on next year, the American dream and all that. So if anyone could recommend any other authors or books which comment on the same time period, 1920's America preferably with different view points on the period I would be very appreciative.

The Wrong Boy - Willy Russell.

Amazing.

Extralife wrote:I have been intending to read Atlas Shrugged for a time now, mostly because I feel I should gain a greater understanding of social darwinists (i.e. know your enemy).

Yeah, yeah, the phrase 'know thine enemy' was used in the 'recommendation' too.

Then again it was '50 SF/Fantasy Books socialists should read.

I've been trying to get into reading for some time now and have yet to read on from page 10 of Ulysses nor started anything else. I've never read a novel I've actually enjoyed reading with the exception of To Kill a Mockingbird.

I read Watchmen recently which was brilliant if slightly flawed in places.

Out of:
The collective works of Kurt Vonnegut
Of Mice and Men
The Great Gatsby
Catcher in the Rye
Nineteen Eighty-four
Neil Gaiman's books (including Sandman)

What else would people recommend? No Ayn Rand though please, couldn't stand what I read of Atlus Shrugged a couple of years ago.

Jango wrote:As for me, I'm just about to start The Great Gatsby, as that's the sort of book I would like to do my coursework on next year, the American dream and all that. So if anyone could recommend any other authors or books which comment on the same time period, 1920's America preferably with different view points on the period I would be very appreciative.

You'll skip through Gatsby in 2 days, it's the perfect all American novel. Writers whom I love, close to the time you might like to look into include: James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Patrick Hamilton, Louis Ferdinand Celine, E. M. Forster (Especially 'Passage to India'), Vladamir Nabokov, Franz Kafka.

I'm also doing Gatsby for my coursework

I heartily recommend The First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and The Last Argument of Kings.

If you like (very) dark humour, much violence and a genuinely intriguing story with some wildly different characters, check the out.

I've just read I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, which was a great read right up until the last couple of chapters where it went off a cliff and died. One of the worst endings I've ever known.

Currently on Mass Effect: Ascension by Drew Karpyshyn, which has taken up until about the midway point to really kick into gear. Though when it did kick in, it bloody went for it!
Not sure how this will fit in to the next part of the trilogy of games though and it's definitely not been particularly epic so far, but I'm hoping the second half of the book is as exciting as the last few chapters I read have promised.

Cuttooth wrote:The Great Gatsby

I had to read that for English at school (almost two years ago already!), but I didn't really like it that much. I'm probably one of the few though since it's normally praised.

Clarkman wrote:

Jango wrote:As for me, I'm just about to start The Great Gatsby, as that's the sort of book I would like to do my coursework on next year, the American dream and all that. So if anyone could recommend any other authors or books which comment on the same time period, 1920's America preferably with different view points on the period I would be very appreciative.

You'll skip through Gatsby in 2 days, it's the perfect all American novel. Writers whom I love, close to the time you might like to look into include: James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Patrick Hamilton, Louis Ferdinand Celine, E. M. Forster (Especially 'Passage to India'), Vladamir Nabokov, Franz Kafka.

I'm also doing Gatsby for my coursework

So we can help/copy each other, right?

Did Passage to India for Coursework, I thought it was good. Meaning to read some Woolf but I'm not reading Joyce, that guys just insane, we read a couple of extracts in class and his stuff, although highly original and being the most defining book and breaking down structure but strawberry float me, I don't think I could read it, unlike my English teacher, who read the thing twice!

Jane eyre is beautiful. A real pleasure to read. Emma and pride and prejudice you cant go wrong with either.
I 'd recommend a bit of Dumas too. The three musketeers is a immense book. Really loved that.