EB book thread

[Himu]

General Evil Bore book thread.

I've been interested in Chinese culture/mythology since I played Shenmue I/II this summer, but I haven't been able to find Journey to the West, Three Kingdom, All Men Are Brothers, or anything like that for any reasonable price, and my library didn't have any copies.

I finally found a copy of Monkey, the first English translation of Journey To The West, at Barnes and Noble for 13 dollars.

Thus far I am enjoying it immensely. I'm on Chapter X or so, and it's a really fun read. The dialouge is fun, straight to the point, and colorful. One good thing about this book is that instead of describing,"He did this, he did that.", the author gets right into the next important scene, this keeps you constantly immersed in the book.

One thing I'm curious about are the edits, or rather, lack of chapters in the last section of the book. Apparently the translator, Arthur Waley, had to leave out a few chapters because of the longevity of the original. I'm scared I'm going to be missing a few crucial and/or cool chapters. There is also a Journey to the West boxset, seperated in 3 parts, released under another translator. Can anyone compare the two versions, and give a good picture which is better?

Currently, I am on the chapter that forecloses the details of the pilgrim's parents. It's a beautiful tale.

I have a weak spot for mythology, and Monkey is a really enjoyable book so far. Check it out.

Hopefully after finishing this book I can get into other Chinese culture related things, because I'm absolutely fascinated by their culture. I need to read up on Tao and Buddhism as well.





Along with Monkey, I picked up the autobiography of Malcom X.

[The Fake Shemp]

I've been getting ready for the end times by brushing up on this critically acclaimed novel...



In all honesty, I haven't been reading anything other than The Sporting News, but if anyone has some good non fiction books based in history or viruses (I love Richard Preston), I'll take them into consideration.

[Himu]

I need to brush up on some bible verses myself.

[etiolate]

I started off the Summer by reading The Stranger which was sort of dissapointing.  I then read Drop City which I ended up enjoying in the end, though it had some slow parts.  I'm now reading Grendel which so far has been real good. I am also working on Heart of Darkness and reading random short stories.

[MrAngryFace]

from another forum I post in, lazy:

I am reading:

La Belle France by Alistair Horne
So far pretty good. Honestly though my interest in the French really begins with the revolution and ends with WWI. Most of the early French history is just depressing. Admittedly Paris survived a lot, including that scary religious war spurred on by Spain. The book is well written but for the amount of history crammed in it can sometimes read like a reference book.
 
La Grande Armee by Georges Blond
Napoleon was awesome. This book is also great. While it may take a few more liberties when compared to a book like La Belle France, it is far more interesting. Plus I eat up war books from this era like candy. Lots of personal stories are included which adds a much more human face to the force of nature that was Napoleon.

and I am READING THE PITCHURZ of Maps of the Napoleonic Wars by Simon Forty, Michael Swift. LOTS OF PITCHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. While the pictures are there, its honestly more of a companion to any books you read on these wars. Alone its more of a coffee table book.

Oh, and for recommendations:

The Battle is a great book on Waterloo. Written by Alessandro Barbero and translated by John Cullen. I think when it comes to books regarding Napoleon or his conquests, you find a horrible amount of bias even today. This is one of the few books that, I think, protrays Waterloo with an extremely even hand for both sides.

Also, if you like tactical crap this is the book, its analysis of the battle breaks it down to the reload time of various divisions.

I would, however, NOT recommend The Pirate Queen by Barbara Sjoholm. Some of the book is about the Pirate Queen O'Malley, the rest of it reads like a Lifetime movie about a woman exploring her 1/8th Irish heritage. To quote the very appropriate Amazon Review:

"Sjoholm talks more about herself than her supposed subjects."

[Mondain]

This book of course has nothing to do with homosexuality, as it was written in a time where "gay" meant strictly "merry". It instead is one of the most significant philosophical books ever. Nietzsche's prose is actually very sarcastic and down to earth, and although some of his theories are slightly out of date, he's got a lot of skills to express some very accurate psychological and societal commentary.

Very memorable book where everything is in the form of paragraph-long aphorisms. This is the first time where Nietzsche presents his famous "God is Dead" theory. His musings are easy to understand, relevant even today and will be memorable for you for a very long time.

[brawndolicious]

(Image removed from quote.)

This book of course has nothing to do with homosexuality, as it was written in a time where "gay" meant strictly "merry". It instead is one of the most significant philosophical books ever. Nietzsche's prose is actually very sarcastic and down to earth, and although some of his theories are slightly out of date, he's got a lot of skills to express some very accurate psychological and societal commentary.

Very memorable book where everything is in the form of paragraph-long aphorisms. This is the first time where Nietzsche presents his famous "God is Dead" theory. His musings are easy to understand, relevant even today and will be memorable for you for a very long time.

Does it say you have to believe his laws on existentionalism in order to see how wisdom pertains to saying the most innocuous fucking things or is it actually good?

[MrAngryFace]

I used to try and read philosophy books but there was never enough shooting.

[Phoenix Dark]

Looks like I'm the only one reading Harry Potter here...

Every summer I read the books again, and this time I started with Order of the Phoenix since the movie is on its way. Amazing book; I finished it last night. Now it's time to read Half Blood Prince again.

I'm thinking about buying a George RR Martin book soon. I heard he's a great fantast writer in the mold of Tolkien.

[MrAngryFace]

I never thought tolkien was that good a fantasy writer, I think he was just one of the first in the genre we know today. He could use proper english and had a strong mythos to fall back on. Unfortunately his joy of the english language often brought forth needless descriptions of furry hobbit feet and whatnot.

George RR Martin is nothing like Tolkien, aside from the fact they write/have written books for the same genre. I find George RR Martin's books to be very bittersweet affairs. Lots of cool characters given their own chapters, but on that same token, lots of lame characters I hate getting entire chapters. This is the reason Feast o Crows got so much hate. All the lame characters got their own book. However this suggests lots of awesome characters get the next book.

I honestly shouldnt have to suffer something unenjoyable so I can get to something I like. I honestly prefer the Steven Erikson Malazan series to Song of Ice and Fire, because while its plotting isn't quite as intricate, MOST of the series characters are awesome and what DOES happen has lasting and epic effects in the Malazan universe.

[TVC15]

I am not comfortable with the forum abbreviating to EB.

[MrAngryFace]

I was confused as to what this thread was about initially.

[Phoenix Dark]

I never thought tolkien was that good a fantasy writer, I think he was just one of the first in the genre we know today. He could use proper english and had a strong mythos to fall back on. Unfortunately his joy of the english language often brought forth needless descriptions of furry hobbit feet and whatnot.

George RR Martin is nothing like Tolkien, aside from the fact they write/have written books for the same genre. I find George RR Martin's books to be very bittersweet affairs. Lots of cool characters given their own chapters, but on that same token, lots of lame characters I hate getting entire chapters. This is the reason Feast o Crows got so much hate. All the lame characters got their own book. However this suggests lots of awesome characters get the next book.

I honestly shouldnt have to suffer something unenjoyable so I can get to something I like. I honestly prefer the Steven Erikson Malazan series to Song of Ice and Fire, because while its plotting isn't quite as intricate, MOST of the series characters are awesome and what DOES happen has lasting and epic effects in the Malazan universe.

Tolkien's understanding and love of language makes his work better in many ways. Of course, there are instances where he seems to be giving unwanted information - the songs being the most deliberate offense - but overall the books are classic. Some of the great works of fiction we have in the English language.

I'll definitely check out Song of Ice and Fire; that sounds kickass. I've heard good things about Martin too, but you bring up the main gripe everyone seems to have with his stuff. The prospect of being forced to read an entire chapter dedicated to a weaksause character isn't that great.

[MrAngryFace]

I dont enjoy tolkiens work, and I find that most people who do 'enjoy it'do so because it's a generally safe series of fantasy to like. Current Fantasy has evolved to a point well beyond tolkien in terms of craft.

I can recognize a model t was the first mass production car, but it doesnt mean its a joy to ride in comparison with car of todays standards. Honestly, once you read Erikson or Martin, LotR will read like the bible.

If you DO like Tolkien esque stuff, the most popular author close to his rigid early style is Raymond E Fiest. The Riftwar and SerpentWar sagas being the series of note.

[Phoenix Dark]

Good point. I couldn't really read a lot of LOTR during one sitting; I'd read a couple chapters and have to stop. I notice with Harry Potter I can read 3-4 chapters at a time, and even then I don't want to stop.

[MrAngryFace]

I notice with Harry Potter I can read 3-4 chapters at a time, and even then I don't want to stop.

You'll find the same situation with Erickson and Martin, that's sort of what I mean by evolution of the craft. I think you'd like Fiest tho, that was my first super favorite fantasty writer. I suggest you stick to the series I recommended tho, his crap has gone downhill lately.

[Phoenix Dark]

You'll find the same situation with Erickson and Martin, that's sort of what I mean by evolution of the craft. I think you'd like Fiest tho, that was my first super favorite fantasty writer. I suggest you stick to the series I recommended tho, his crap has gone downhill lately.

Will do. I'm going to Borders this week anyway, might as well pick it up.

[MrAngryFace]

Fiest books are also very affordable these days, been reprinted 80 times. Make sure you get the uncut book Magician. Sometimes its sold as 2 novels. I read it uncut the first time, prefer it that way. If you buy just the Magician book(s) (first part of riftwar saga) thats almost a stand alone book and you can get away with stopping there if you dont like it enough.

[brawndolicious]

I used to try and read philosophy books but there was never enough shooting.

True.

[Mondain]

I am not comfortable with the forum abbreviating to EB.

lol ditto

at first I thought it was a thread about EBgames