The Book Thread

My latest lot

Assuming the Weimar Republic died of boredom based on that, if you are a politico I recommend Steve Richards and the Power of Geography is really good.

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I’ve got an app named Hoopla through my local library that has a pretty good selection of audio books for free. That may something that is localized where I am, but I bet if you check your local library they will have something similar for free. It’s worth checking out. I yoyo back and forth between books and podcasts while I’m at work. When I’ve had enough of audio books I catch up on podcasts, and vice versa.

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If you are in the UK I always recommend taking a book or two our regularly even if you don’t read it. Keeps a vital source for the community open.

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Lothlorien is fucking boring though, and I say this as a lifelong fan of the books (almost literally, I first read them aged 9 and fair few rereads in the years since). The narrative just stops dead and there are pages upon pages of songs and poetry, which I unfailingly skip right past. It’s the same in the film too, upon rewatching, given its length, we tend to take a break about halfway, which happens to fall upon their arrival in Lothlorien. Sometimes months have elapsed between us finishing with Moria and having the will to continue through what follows :joy:

And while there are lulls in the books, in my memory there is nothing else that compares with the tedium of that section (even, god forbid, Tom fecking-Bombadil…)

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Increasingly as an adult, I’m hearing that skipping paragraphs, sections or even whole chapters is common practice. Most often from those that would be considered to read in high volume at high speed.

It’s such an alien concept to me. I can’t imagine reading a book where i’m not devouring every individual word. I often prefer to read just a chapter at a time too so I can fully digest each one.

I’ve even heard that some people don’t picture what they’re reading in their mind. I’m not even sure how it’s possible to do this, but apparently it’s a thing.

I always assumed growing up that everybody always read the same way maybe just a bit faster or slower.

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Good advice, especially in the current climate where many local libraries are often used as community heat banks, keeping them open and running is going to be even more important in the coming weeks and months

Reading technical and scientific documents is a specialized skill that has to be learned. It’s less about reading to understand, and more about learning to differentiate what is criticial and what isn’t. You simply cannot get through the volume of stuff there is to read if you read everything like you were taught to read books in school. After years of honing this skill it can make it difficult to switch back to reading regular books and reading them properly.

Yeah ok, they have a ring and they’re on a journey, what are they going to do with it skips the bit where they talk about a poem of some elf from 10,000 years ago

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I’ve ended up between the two having to work with regulations and laws for my job.

I don’t read a lot of fiction mind so that probably plays into it a bit.

@deneb @Mascot

His Dark Materials trilogy includes the following books:

Northern Lights
Subtle Knife
The Amber Spyglass

Only the first book (Northern Lights) has been made into the movie The Golden Compass.

There’s also a series, His Dark Materials, based on all three books.

Have I got it right?

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I have no idea about any of this, but gave it a like because it’s Ifti.

Me too :0)

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Alright I’m halfway through The Two Towers and I think I’m done. These books are shite, sorry.

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Thats just asking for trouble from some people
crowd riot GIF

others are okay with it

happy crowd GIF by South Park

Feels like Tolkein was so busy writing a world (which he does impressively) that he forgot to that he was supposed to be writing an interesting story.

I love the world he created - but for me he isn’t the best person to tell me about it… Peter Jackson is.

I think the Two Towers is a little slow but the trilogy picks up with Return of the King?

Treebeard has been talking for 45 minutes and I’m not even halfway through the chapter. I’m done :joy:

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Either of the above or Frankenstein, if you haven’t already.

Must reads imo.

I have a copy of Platform but never got round to reading it. I did read the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles about 20 odd years ago and enjoyed it. Haven’t read any other Murakami stuff yet though.