Reading / Literature Club

#41

I’ve been keeping an eye out for any of Alexanders work in the second-hand shops I haunt but no luck yet.

Currently reading a couple of chapters a night of Kenneth Frampton’s “Modern Architecture: A Critical History”. There’s some interesting stuff in it for sure, but as someone who’s never studied architecture it can feel like he’s just listing off names of people I should’ve heard of before, without going too deep into the actual buildings themselves, or the realities of their practice. I don’t think it’s intended as a lay persons introduction but just a little bit more hand holding would be nice.

#42

Steven Millhauser… not doubting his ability as a novelist, but he has a dubious history at best. Ever since that incident, I’ve been kinda conflicted about reading his work

#43

@jitter I am familiar with that feeling. I will look into Frampton’s work though. Definitely keep an eye out for “A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art”.

#44

After the the log-in sequence he comes in talking about the information economy made of “seemingly meaningless fragments; fragments that can be retrieved”. 1991!

#45

One of the major themes is living with eyes towards death. Something I always look for in my favorite philosophies. “Fruit tastes most delicious just when it’s season is ending.” Much more to it than only this however. I’ll likely read it many more times once I finish the first go.

#46

I have a book by Yukio Mishima that’s basically an extended commentary on Hagakure. Kind of Fascist but I’ll give anything by him a chance, the man had a way with words for sure.

#47

I’m about 300 pages in, started while i was in Berlin then fell off when I got back home to the states. Like all Pynchon I’ve read, I’m confused for the first 100 pages, hooked and enthralled for the next 100, then have to make a big push to get past 300 or so, and once I hit 500 I’m in. Loving it like all his stuff, read a review that stuck where they described this book as, among other things, Pynchon’s searching for the types of human consciousness we embed in our machines, ie our rockets, our cinema projectors, and our military bases. Bureaucracies can also be considered machines in this sense (aka The System) and Mr. P has some fun stuff to say that makes me think lots about tech the internet and phonez. Curious what u think so far?

#48

You should give this a go: https://blackesteverblack.bandcamp.com/album/now-im-just-a-number-soundtracks-1994-95

First BEB record I ever bought, cues commissioned for the Johnny Mnemonic movie and a Neuromancer audiobook that were eventually unused.

#49

man i do not remember that at all, shame on me - next you’ll be telling me Lolita is an uneasy piece of work!

#50

I’ve read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius a few years back and I loved it. I like reading philosophy every now and then, and I seem to be more comfortable and agreeing with Stoicism, so I might just give this one a go next.

#51

I’ve thought of giving Meditations a go as well. Putting it on my to-do list for summer break

#52

currently hacking away at nick harkaway’s new one Gnomon. i don’t have much to say about it yet except it’s keeping me interested with it’s premise, some really good shark bits and good world building.

#53

This sounds almost identical to Orwell’s 1984. What the difference?

#55

Can’t wait to read Gnomon. Harkaway is one of my favorite authors. He takes Sci-Fi in a realm with so much heart and wit. Did you guys know that is dad is John Le Carre?

But first I think I’m going to reread Gibson’s Blue Ant trilogy.

#56

The other book I’m about to finish is Annalee Newitz’s “Autonomous.” Really stellar for a first novel. Excellent world-building set in the 22nd century. AI, biohacking/augmentation, everything networked, designer 3d printed drugs, etc, etc…

https://www.amazon.com/Autonomous-Novel-Annalee-Newitz/dp/0765392070

#57

I did not know that, that’s cool, Autonomous is a good one, thouroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

#58

idk i haven’t read 1984, but i guess the difference is that this perfect system is an AI that manages something that looks like a direct democracy? surface level themes are obvious like our relationship with technology etc, but i feel like it’s going to dive deep on lots of stuff with these characters that start to populate the main character’s mind.

#59

Hmm, well it certainly sounds interesting. Might give it a go in the near future, thanks.

#60

Yeah, really not like 1984 at all. It’s not my favourite of Harkaway’s, and it is almost unreasonably long, but it’s a very satisfying read.

#61

currently reading snow country from Yasunari Kawabata, i’m halfway through and it’s such a joy to read; this is my first book from kawabata and I didn’t know what to expect; his style is extremely poetic like poems tied together and depicting a small village in the Japanese mountains

i like how everything is expressed sideways, between the lines, as the first image of the book suggests: the main character sees a woman in the reflection of a train’s window with both the landscape and the woman merging into one surreal image

his approach to depicting the snowy landscapes are also quite breathtaking with the amount of details and beautiful metaphors without ever sounding arrogant or too much; and the contrast with the love between the two characters that’s slowly reaching its peak is beautiful and echoing the calmness of the village where the action is set as well as the tension between cold and hot, which is very interesting (the cold gaining a positive and somehow natural/spiritual dimension while the warmth is needed in such a climate)

i really recommend it and skee mask’s new album is a perfect soundtrack for it