Whatcha reading?

Sweet action for kids 'n' cretins. Marjoram and capers.
Dr. Medulla
User avatar
Atheistic Epileptic
Posts: 115976
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
Location: Straight Banana, Idaho

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Silent Majority wrote:
27 Aug 2019, 11:45am
49) The Three Dimensions of Freedoms - Billy Bragg. Audiobook Read by the author. Mostly patriotic and pro-capitalist ("capitalism is like a fire. If you keep it under control, it can sustain you. If you let it burn unchecked, it can be a terrible thing") bilge, but he did just pronounce Rush Limbaugh's surname as Limbarrr, so you've got to take the crunchy with the smooth, I suppose. Billy's likable and good company and this is short as hell and utterly inessential.
So did you get the impression that he's genuinely pro-capitalism or resigned by a lack of persuasive socialist examples? I'm kind of thinking of Mark Fisher's capitalist realism idea, where late capitalism has extinguished our capability of imagining a world without capitalism, no matter how much we dislike the status quo.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Silent Majority »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
28 Aug 2019, 8:54pm
Silent Majority wrote:
27 Aug 2019, 11:45am
49) The Three Dimensions of Freedoms - Billy Bragg. Audiobook Read by the author. Mostly patriotic and pro-capitalist ("capitalism is like a fire. If you keep it under control, it can sustain you. If you let it burn unchecked, it can be a terrible thing") bilge, but he did just pronounce Rush Limbaugh's surname as Limbarrr, so you've got to take the crunchy with the smooth, I suppose. Billy's likable and good company and this is short as hell and utterly inessential.
So did you get the impression that he's genuinely pro-capitalism or resigned by a lack of persuasive socialist examples? I'm kind of thinking of Mark Fisher's capitalist realism idea, where late capitalism has extinguished our capability of imagining a world without capitalism, no matter how much we dislike the status quo.
He's resigned and unimaginative, as borne out by his music since 1989.


Edit: But, no, he's not some advocate in the libertarian or neoliberal New York Times way. He's apt to imagine a golden age in the post war consensus and romanticises the Labour Party, but he can see the problems despite his apologia.
Last edited by Silent Majority on 29 Aug 2019, 4:43am, edited 1 time in total.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Silent Majority »

50) War of the Worlds - HG Wells. Audiobook Read by Kelsey Grammer. Frasier! Sideshow Bob! Except the dude's actually a pretty sound actor and I couldn't force myself to imagine either of those characters narrating the heat death of the planet earth no matter how hard I tried. The novel's really well written and it's thrilling to see the special effects that continue to define time travel on screen to this day spring wholesale from one imagination. The morlocks coming for the time traveller in the dark are genuinely creepy and proto-Lovecraftian.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Silent Majority »

51) Marx: The Alternative to Capitalism - Kieran Allen. Paperback. Probably the best book I've yet read on Karlos. Well ordered, cogently argued, and didn't cop out where so many do when it came to a decent description of a post revolutionaries society. A lot of radical books basically shrug and say it'll be better but it's the job of the people who live in that world to arrange which is bollocks.

52) The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway. Audiobook, read by Donald Sutherland. The first Hemingway I've actually approved of. The language seeking to be fablelike is a bit corny, but I ended up absorbed in this guy's fight with the fish. Hemingway won me over through speaking expertly (or expert soundingly) about fishing and honestly about the guy's life and point of view.

53) Time and Again - Jack Finney. Kindle. I've wanted to read this I came across since Stephen King's recommendation when I was 14. I think Finney's an excellent writer, his most famous book is the one that Invasion of the Body Snatcher is based on. This one is like a brilliant extended episode of the Twilight Zone and one of the most enjoyable pieces of fiction I've consumed this year.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

tepista
User avatar
Foul-Mouthed Werewolf
Posts: 37871
Joined: 16 Jun 2008, 11:25am
Location: Livin on a fault line, Waiting on the big one

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by tepista »

OK, in my lame Dracula books, I'm on the novella that's between the 2nd and 3rd book, and I'll admit, this one is a bit lame, it has the corny old "the killer is someone in this room!" bullshit going on, but the reason I mention it is beacue the butler's name is "Matey"
We reach the parts other combos cannot reach
We beach the beachheads other armies cannot beach
We speak the tongues other mouths cannot speak

Dr. Medulla
User avatar
Atheistic Epileptic
Posts: 115976
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
Location: Straight Banana, Idaho

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Silent Majority wrote:
30 Aug 2019, 2:38am
51) Marx: The Alternative to Capitalism - Kieran Allen. Paperback. Probably the best book I've yet read on Karlos. Well ordered, cogently argued, and didn't cop out where so many do when it came to a decent description of a post revolutionaries society. A lot of radical books basically shrug and say it'll be better but it's the job of the people who live in that world to arrange which is bollocks.
Just located a pdf, so, assuming I remember it's next, it'll be up after David J's memoir.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

tepista
User avatar
Foul-Mouthed Werewolf
Posts: 37871
Joined: 16 Jun 2008, 11:25am
Location: Livin on a fault line, Waiting on the big one

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by tepista »

Silent Majority wrote:
29 Aug 2019, 3:57am
50) War of the Worlds - HG Wells. Audiobook Read by Kelsey Grammer. Frasier! Sideshow Bob! Except the dude's actually a pretty sound actor and I couldn't force myself to imagine either of those characters narrating the heat death of the planet earth no matter how hard I tried. The novel's really well written and it's thrilling to see the special effects that continue to define time travel on screen to this day spring wholesale from one imagination. The morlocks coming for the time traveller in the dark are genuinely creepy and proto-Lovecraftian.
There were Morlocks in WotW? I don't remember (from the movie, obv.) but I do from Time Machine, of course.
We reach the parts other combos cannot reach
We beach the beachheads other armies cannot beach
We speak the tongues other mouths cannot speak

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Silent Majority »

tepista wrote:
30 Aug 2019, 12:26pm
Silent Majority wrote:
29 Aug 2019, 3:57am
50) War of the Worlds - HG Wells. Audiobook Read by Kelsey Grammer. Frasier! Sideshow Bob! Except the dude's actually a pretty sound actor and I couldn't force myself to imagine either of those characters narrating the heat death of the planet earth no matter how hard I tried. The novel's really well written and it's thrilling to see the special effects that continue to define time travel on screen to this day spring wholesale from one imagination. The morlocks coming for the time traveller in the dark are genuinely creepy and proto-Lovecraftian.
There were Morlocks in WotW? I don't remember (from the movie, obv.) but I do from Time Machine, of course.
Boy, what a brain fart. The above is actually my notes for the Time Machine. I must have been thinking of Orson Welles.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Silent Majority »

54) Original Rude Boy: From Borstal to the Specials - Neville Staples. A fucking great music autobiography. I've seen it otherwise subtitled as a Life of Crime and Music and not many of these books start out with burglary and street fights and keep the main guy likable and down to earth. Well written by the ghost writer and properly exciting. There's a lot of 50 year old men in my life who'll be getting this for Christmas.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

tepista
User avatar
Foul-Mouthed Werewolf
Posts: 37871
Joined: 16 Jun 2008, 11:25am
Location: Livin on a fault line, Waiting on the big one

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by tepista »

Silent Majority wrote:
30 Aug 2019, 3:40pm
tepista wrote:
30 Aug 2019, 12:26pm
Silent Majority wrote:
29 Aug 2019, 3:57am
50) War of the Worlds - HG Wells. Audiobook Read by Kelsey Grammer. Frasier! Sideshow Bob! Except the dude's actually a pretty sound actor and I couldn't force myself to imagine either of those characters narrating the heat death of the planet earth no matter how hard I tried. The novel's really well written and it's thrilling to see the special effects that continue to define time travel on screen to this day spring wholesale from one imagination. The morlocks coming for the time traveller in the dark are genuinely creepy and proto-Lovecraftian.
There were Morlocks in WotW? I don't remember (from the movie, obv.) but I do from Time Machine, of course.
Boy, what a brain fart. The above is actually my notes for the Time Machine. I must have been thinking of Orson Welles.
War of the Time Machines!
We reach the parts other combos cannot reach
We beach the beachheads other armies cannot beach
We speak the tongues other mouths cannot speak

Dr. Medulla
User avatar
Atheistic Epileptic
Posts: 115976
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
Location: Straight Banana, Idaho

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Minor update about Tim Alberta's American Carnage. Still chugging away at this. Around 6 hours left, I think (it's close to the 2018 midterm elections in the narrative). The book is mostly trash in that its subtitle should be The Tragedy of Paul Ryan. Alberta bends over backwards to make Ryan out as some kind of moderate yet deeply principled and moral conservative who constantly seeks to make America a better place despite being besieged by morons and loons, be it the Tea Party / Freedom Caucus or Trump, eventually driving this good man out of politics for the good of his health. He's the prophet unappreciated in his own time, not, y'know, a cold and cruel Randian who is smart enough not to act like a boor in public.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Silent Majority »

55) Jimmy Carter - Julian E. Zelizer. Kindle. Part of the American President series, which I picked up after Stuart Eizenstat's ridiculously long and overly detailed audiobook on the Carter Presidency. The dude's arrogant and self righteous, with a pragmatism that always leads him to the Conservative side. After even the short time spent with this humourless chode, it's actually a bit of a relief when Reagan shows up and starts owning him. Obviously, Carter had better objectives than his successor, but he did a lot of work down the road that Ronnie would take. A decent post - Presidential career does little to alleviate the most consequential years of his life.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

Dr. Medulla
User avatar
Atheistic Epileptic
Posts: 115976
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
Location: Straight Banana, Idaho

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Silent Majority wrote:
01 Sep 2019, 2:41pm
55) Jimmy Carter - Julian E. Zelizer. Kindle. Part of the American President series, which I picked up after Stuart Eizenstat's ridiculously long and overly detailed audiobook on the Carter Presidency. The dude's arrogant and self righteous, with a pragmatism that always leads him to the Conservative side. After even the short time spent with this humourless chode, it's actually a bit of a relief when Reagan shows up and starts owning him. Obviously, Carter had better objectives than his successor, but he did a lot of work down the road that Ronnie would take. A decent post - Presidential career does little to alleviate the most consequential years of his life.
You can also see Carter as doing a lot of the work that Clinton would undertake, particularly in dismantling welfare protections and blaming the working poor for their own lack of success. Carter was like the prologue to Reagan, not the last gasp of FDR and LBJ.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by Silent Majority »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
01 Sep 2019, 3:18pm
Silent Majority wrote:
01 Sep 2019, 2:41pm
55) Jimmy Carter - Julian E. Zelizer. Kindle. Part of the American President series, which I picked up after Stuart Eizenstat's ridiculously long and overly detailed audiobook on the Carter Presidency. The dude's arrogant and self righteous, with a pragmatism that always leads him to the Conservative side. After even the short time spent with this humourless chode, it's actually a bit of a relief when Reagan shows up and starts owning him. Obviously, Carter had better objectives than his successor, but he did a lot of work down the road that Ronnie would take. A decent post - Presidential career does little to alleviate the most consequential years of his life.
You can also see Carter as doing a lot of the work that Clinton would undertake, particularly in dismantling welfare protections and blaming the working poor for their own lack of success. Carter was like the prologue to Reagan, not the last gasp of FDR and LBJ.
Absolutely.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

laxman
User avatar
Unknown Immortal
Posts: 3737
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 6:05pm

Re: Whatcha reading?

Post by laxman »

tepista wrote:
30 Aug 2019, 4:24pm
Silent Majority wrote:
30 Aug 2019, 3:40pm
tepista wrote:
30 Aug 2019, 12:26pm
Silent Majority wrote:
29 Aug 2019, 3:57am
50) War of the Worlds - HG Wells. Audiobook Read by Kelsey Grammer. Frasier! Sideshow Bob! Except the dude's actually a pretty sound actor and I couldn't force myself to imagine either of those characters narrating the heat death of the planet earth no matter how hard I tried. The novel's really well written and it's thrilling to see the special effects that continue to define time travel on screen to this day spring wholesale from one imagination. The morlocks coming for the time traveller in the dark are genuinely creepy and proto-Lovecraftian.
There were Morlocks in WotW? I don't remember (from the movie, obv.) but I do from Time Machine, of course.
Boy, what a brain fart. The above is actually my notes for the Time Machine. I must have been thinking of Orson Welles.
War of the Time Machines!
I read a sequel to the Time Machine that I thought was pretty good. The Time Ships, by Stephen Baxter. "The Authorized Sequel" According to the front cover.

Post Reply