What are you reading now?

[Daragon]

This thread on bordersdown.

Also, Nikon D5100 for dummies. Rather ironically named as the book assumes you're not a total novice.

[Geoff D]

What I haven't yet found is a single positive to his punctuation crimes. What's the purpose?

Not an avid Oprah watcher then...? In this interview with the great woman herself, McCarthy talks about his use of punctuation - basically he modelled it on James Joyce's minimalist approach & went from there - in short, he thinks it makes it easier for the reader. There's a breakdown of the 'rules' he talks about here if you don't want to watch the vid.

I like his writing but it can be bloody hard work.

[wicky]

Currently reading morningstar by david gemmell, do any of you guys use goodreads?

[Robster]

I am reading this:-


This is a great book which topics range from Forbidden Archaeology, The untold history of art, AIDS: A Doctors note on the man made theory, The Coral Castle Code (check it out), Codex Alimentarius: Big Pharma vs Big Farmer,The Druids: Preisthood of the ancient world and one of my favs so far The King Arthur Conspiracy which tackles the question of the original Kings of Britain and the true resting place of King Arthur (Wales apparently).

Sounds very interesting - will check it out. I suspect we have similar taste - do you have any more similar recommendations..?.

[Dogg Thang]

Not an avid Oprah watcher then...? In this interview with the great woman herself, McCarthy talks about his use of punctuation - basically he modelled it on James Joyce's minimalist approach & went from there - in short, he thinks it makes it easier for the reader. There's a breakdown of the 'rules' he talks about here if you don't want to watch the vid.

I like his writing but it can be bloody hard work.

I hadn't seen that. I'm not sure I believe what he is doing is all that successful (punctuation-wise I mean, the man is clearly doing well). His lack of quotation marks often made it difficult to know in The Road is someone was speaking or not and long conversations got confusing. One particular passage was a mess where the main character, the 'man', met another guy, also a 'man', and it was next to impossible to figure out which man was which. His lack of apostrophes was just a little distracting as it was so inconsistent - right in the first page I think we had a cant, wont and a he'd - but didn't cause major problems. But his incomplete sentences often jarred.

So I think it all made it harder for me as a reader, with the lack of quotation marks being the biggest source of confusion. I haven't read Joyce though. Maybe you kind of have to know his reference to really get what he is doing...?

[QualityChimp]

Ha!

Have you ever read "Feersum Endjinn" by Ian M. Banks?

Wiki:
A quarter of the book is told by Bascule the Teller and is written phonetically in the first person. The phonetic transcription and shorthand corresponds to the modern use of text-messaging. No dialect words are used, but there are (inconsistent) hints of a Scottish and a Cockney accent. [1]

The fourth chapter of the book's Part One opens with:

Woak up. Got dresd. Had brekfast. Spoke wif Ergates thi ant who sed itz juss been wurk wurk wurk 4 u lately master Bascule, Y dont u ? a holiday? & I agreed & that woz how we decided we otter go 2 c Mr Zoliparia in thi I-ball ov thi gargoyle Rosbrith.

[Charlie]

I thought King Arthur is but a myth, a legend. No?

[Dogg Thang]

Haven't read that, QC. Sounds like it would drive me bananas.

[Robster]

Me too, it took me about 5 mins to understand that paragraph.

['Press Start']

I thought King Arthur is but a myth, a legend. No?

Some details of his existence are folklore, some metaphorical but he existed along with the Knights of the Round table.

@ Robster, I'll get back to you with a few recommendations. Do you have an interest in one area in particular or just things that challenge the Status Quo?

[ETC]

I gory crime fiction



5th book in a cracking series

[Fader209]

Woak up. Got dresd. Had brekfast. Spoke wif Ergates thi ant who sed itz juss been wurk wurk wurk 4 u lately master Bascule, Y dont u ? a holiday? & I agreed & that woz how we decided we otter go 2 c Mr Zoliparia in thi I-ball ov thi gargoyle Rosbrith.

"Flowers For Algernon" is a bit like that, only nowhere near as bad. I'm sure most people have read it as it's a classic but for those that haven't imagine Lawnmower Man from the perspective of Jobe.

[Robster]

@ Robster, I'll get back to you with a few recommendations. Do you have an interest in one area in particular or just things that challenge the Status Quo?

Anything that suggests an alternate view so yup pretty much everything. Dont want to use the word conspiracy but I love stuff that makes you think and question things that you would have never thought would be interesting .

[QualityChimp]

I gory crime fiction



5th book in a cracking series

I had to check to see if this is the X-Files guy! (It's not)

Do you have to have read the previous books in the series?

[prinnysquad]

That book does sound good, mind, Press Start. Right up my street.