I don't think that I posted that I finished Children of Time (Adrian Tchaikovsky) recently and it really was excellent. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype but it's one of the best non-Iain M Banks sci-fi books I've read in ages.
It's an intriguing prologue and then two really interesting parallel storylines that converge for one hell of a final section. I know there are two more in the series as well so hope they're even half as good.
@Thrillho I keep hearing great things about that one, so I wasn't all that surprised to find that it was already on my to-read list (along with the Culture series by Mr. Banks). I was just lamenting in another thread that I'm drowning in great games I need to play, the same is true for books that need to be read and movies/TV series that need to be watched, yet what am I doing with my time? Working and sleeping, interacting with humans and other meaningless time-stealing activities
@FuriousMachine I finished The Taming of the Samurai by Eiko Ikegami this morning. I found it a fascinating and thoroughly educational read. I really enjoyed reading about the inception, evolution, and subsequent "taming" of the samurai in Japanese culture, history and tradition. Thoroughly recommend it! As a side note, I found it interesting to discover that there was a period of Neo-Confucianism in Japan, I thought it was predominantly exclusive to China, prior to reading the book. Also, I have decided to get the William Scott Wilson Translation of Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai as he is apparently the leading, or among the leading translators of Japanese Literature in the field, and I had, I believe, a different translation before, and the book is extensively referenced in one of the chapters in "Taming" which prompted me to do further research on this period in Japan.
My next book should be another philosophical one, Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto by Bryan W. Van Norden.
Edit: The philosophy book wasn't what I was expecting at first glance. So I am moving onto Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time by Joseph Frank, the abridged, one volume-sized tome.
"Preoccupied with a single leaf, you won’t see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree, you’ll miss the entire forest. Don't be preoccupied with a single spot. See everything in its entirety...effortlessly. That is what it means...to truly "see." "
@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Nice, thanks for the update! I will definitely leave it on my to-read list, then. Added the Wilson version of Hagakure for good measure
@FuriousMachine I thought you would be the best person to tell this to, and I thought this would be the perfect place to tell it. I am considering writing a book of art criticism, after I finish what I am planning to make my final game (the game I am currently playing), concerning my favourite 'niche' ' artists, including a psychological exposition of the key aspects of their work, select pieces only. Obviously it is against the rules to promote it on here, so I won't provide any further details of where/how to order it once it's done, but I thought it would be nice to share that I have it in mind as a project to work on in the future, as part of the process of coming off gaming and replacing the dopamine hit that it gives you, I am hoping that that, in addition to playing wild free jazz guitar and reading/listening to music etc. ,will be an adequate alternative to the highs of gaming.
I just decided that I will have had enough of the medium for the time being, really, with regards to gaming, after beating this final game, if I can do it, or even if I give up on it before beating it I would still like to do something else next year, mainly because Miyazaki's FromSoftware Souls games are my favourite games and wanting to play them/falling in love with them was the main reason for my initial return to gaming, a number of years ago, so now it's come full circle with this last piece of content being the last available product by them that I am interested in playing, that I haven't completed yet, and also with online research that I've done pointing towards them moving away from creating this type of game again in the future, plus me feeling like I'll have played enough Souls/Soulslikes to feel satisfied with my time spent with the genre, so it seems like a good time to put all that in a box, tie a knot around it, and put it under the bed, as it were. I don't know if you have ever made similar considerations yourself, perhaps to move onto other hobbies and interests or spend more time on your other commitments/diversions outside of gaming? but that's just how it stands for me, at present.
"Preoccupied with a single leaf, you won’t see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree, you’ll miss the entire forest. Don't be preoccupied with a single spot. See everything in its entirety...effortlessly. That is what it means...to truly "see." "
@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN That's a really cool project and thanks for sharing that with me While promoting isn't allowed on here, I hope you'll consider hitting me up on Goodreads and tell me all about it once it's done - there is a private messaging feature that would allow you to share the details with me; I would be more than happy to support a friend by buying a copy
I've never looked at gaming as taking time away from other pursuits, so it's never been a consideration to "give it up", so to speak. As long as I find joy in gaming it will continue to be a part of my recreational activities, like watching movies and reading books and I don't really consider any of those things as being my "hobbies". That being said, I don't really have any activities that I would consider a hobby these days. Part of that is for practical reasons - I would like to get back into model building, for example, but with my current living arrangements I don't have the workspace available for that to be feasible, but also partly because hobbies that have interested me in the past - like photography - don't hold the same fascination for me anymore or I simply lack the drive to overcome the obstacles my current health issues present in pursuing activities that involves a certain amount of mobility.
I do expect a change in living arrangements next year, so hopefully I will have the luxury of having a workspace where I can take up an old hobby or two again (in addition to having proper shelf space for my vinyls and movies), but I don't expect it to massively impact my gaming habits
Either way, I would love to hear more about your project as it progresses. I'm pretty sure the mods here will allow project updates as long as you're not actively selling anything and you can, as mentioned, hit me up on Goodreads or add me as a friend on PSN so that you can let me know how and where I can get a copy
@Th3solution how goes your venture down the path of a Witcher? I kind of want a spoiler tagged summary of your opinions on some of it so far to see how you are finding it, what stands out to you and such (if that isn't too much to ask of you 😛) I know some moments stood out to me on my latest foray as I was reminded why the books charmed me initially. I'm already back into Sword of Destiny, myself, which contains another couple of my favourite short stories where it really starts to show off the kind of humour and character work that Sapkowski is known for. You really start to get an understanding how some of the main characters think more consistently, and how the world as a whole thinks and functions. He isn't one for necessarily describing locations and lore in great detail, but the way people think and act and interact with the world really paints that picture in a different way, I find.
Muahahaha, our evil plan is coming together nicely!
(This is part of our evil plan, isn't it? I keep forgetting the details, but whatever it is, it's definitely coming together nicely!)
@Ravix@FuriousMachine The evil plan is working indeed. My 99 cent investment into trying the Witcherverse came dangerously close to expanding by another $15 yesterday when I found myself at the Sci-Fi bookstore in front of the S’s and saw the full row of Sapkowski Witcher novels. I held Blood of Elves lovingly in my hand, flipping through the crisp pages, the aroma of new print wafting up with each turn. I decided not to buy, but if they would have had The Last Wish or Sword of Destiny in print then I might have walked out $30 lighter in my pocket. My one complaint so far with the audiobooks is still the names. I’m not sure which of these characters are going to be returning and which are important to remember. Having the books as a companion would help to remember names and some of Sapkowski’s unique terms.
As far as any detailed impressions, I might have to get back to you. I’m in Chapter 9, but I had some things going on and didn’t get to listen much this week. Santa’s bringing me some new headphones for Christmas though (a little elf told me) which will make for a better listening experience when walking and exercising. One general assessment I have though is that Geralt is a much more likable and relatable character than what my first impressions were of him when playing the game. I’ve oft said that he was one of my main detractors when trying to get into The Witcher 3, but he has a more appreciable humanity to him that I never got to see in the opening hours of the game. I assume I would have eventually got around to understanding him if I made it far enough, but in the book, his softer side and his morality, as well as his complexity and struggles, are all apparent fairly early.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution I vastly preferred the standalone stories over the overarching "Ciri" saga, mainly because of an overabundance of place names, factions and characters that I struggled to keep track of. I still managed to follow the story enough to enjoy it quite a bit, but the geopolitical machinations of persons unknown with weird names mostly went over my head.
The fact that they have weird names probably didn't help either (then again, I think I may have struggled just as much if they were all called "Bob", but for other reasons).
Another thing that helped quite a bit was having a map handy (I found one online that I referred to whenever a novel mentioned where they were, where they were heading, etc.). That also helped with remembering where the lines of the war were most of the time. I used this one but I think there are plenty of them out there to choose from
@Th3solution I wouldn't worry about who is returning and who to actively remember, but when you meet them again you will probably remember naturally. I wouldn't say there is a great deal of returning characters, as the short stories span quite a long time period, but there are certainly some. Core relationships are mostly what matters.
I do agree print does help though, for me the audiobooks came after i'd hoovered up the books anyway, as a way to revisit and be told the story instead.
As for the game, yeah, the more sode quests and contracts you take, the more you will see 'book geralt' with his bleeding heart, his morality and his dry humour. And now you are getting a feel for how the life of a Witcher works, you will start to be drawn towards that content if you play the game, rather than just looking for question marks, you go to places for a reason, you seek out the town, you hunt contracts to earn money to survive and you make moral decisions based on what you believe when engaging with the population that mostly see you as a tool.
@FuriousMachine ooh, I loved the political machinations. And Sapkowski basically sums up a certain modern day country in one chapter discussing financial warfare. I can never remember which book it is. But it is an incredibly detailed explanation of how one nation (i'll leave it out for spoilers sake) is flooding the open market with absolutely everything and thus siphoning off most of the continents money to fund their own expansion and development and wars. He does go into great, great detail when discussing the politics and the plots of groups in the world though, and a lot of it pulls from real world examples as political history is his main interest, but I kind of like that aspect in the novels as it is written smartly. But I know some people do pine for Geralt to return in those moments, too 😅
But then we get to the Hanza later, which as we know is the peak coming together of everything he writes so well.
When it seems you're out of luck.
There's just one man who gives a f*************ck
⚔️🛡🐎
@FuriousMachine I'm sorry to hear about your health/mobility issues, man, that's a real shame, but I hope things improve as time moves forwards. I think an opportunity to have a work/hobbyspace would be the ideal opportunity to flex your creative muscles, so hopefully that's something else to potentially look forward to.
I have recently discovered a small surfeit of games (the list is available to read on the PS4 Backloggery and Most Wanted Thread, last page.) to maintain my interest in the medium for the next year or so, and then after that hopefully more similar games will be released, so, who knows what could happen next, the art book is still on the cards for the time being, though! (albeit just as a possibility). 😉
But, yes, I thank you whole-heartedly for your offer of GoodReads friendship, and I'll be sure to add you on there, in the event of my book's publication.
"Preoccupied with a single leaf, you won’t see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree, you’ll miss the entire forest. Don't be preoccupied with a single spot. See everything in its entirety...effortlessly. That is what it means...to truly "see." "
@MightyDemon82 Glad you're enjoying "The Black House" 🙂 I really loved it and I felt it gives such a strong sense of place that one can almost feel the cold gusts of sea spray on occasion 😉 But boy does it paint a bleak picture of the Outer Hebrides that the real thing doesn't really match, at least not in my mind (granted, I was there for two sunny days in summer, I imagine it would have felt different growing up in an isolated croft or, indeed, a black house in the 70s in bleak midwinter)
I've been enjoying "Thursday Murder Club" so far as well. What you may call a "breezy" read 🙂
I see you have "Ghost of Yotei" on your list; I'm currently having a great time with that one and hopefully you will too, when you get to it.
Glad to hear that the art book project is still on the cards; like I said, I think it's a really cool project and I wish you all the best of luck with it. Looking forward to learning more about it if and when you have something you want to share 🙂
I finished Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time by Joseph Frank. And I found it to be a fascinating overview of his life, spirituality, philosophy etc. ,including an expert literary analysis of his entire artistic oeuvre .Very much to be recommended!
Now moving on to James Joyce ,which is said to be the gold standard for literary biographies, by Richard Ellmann. I've read some Joyce in my time, back when I was reading literature, so, hopefully, it should prove to be enlightening.
"Preoccupied with a single leaf, you won’t see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree, you’ll miss the entire forest. Don't be preoccupied with a single spot. See everything in its entirety...effortlessly. That is what it means...to truly "see." "
Forums
Topic: Books You're Currently Reading?
Posts 1,561 to 1,580 of 1,775
Please login or sign up to reply to this topic