How much do you read?

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  • Posts: 1,817
    Does someone else likes James Joyce?
  • I read a lot of James Bond novels. (Especially in high school) I would read a Bond novel in my spare time after I would do my homework. I also read Marvel/DC comics as well.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    edited December 2012 Posts: 28,694
    0013 wrote:
    Does someone else likes James Joyce?

    I have read The Dead for an honors class, but that's it. The writing didn't strike me that much from what I remember, but Joyce is an interesting man to study.
  • edited December 2012 Posts: 1,817
    0013 wrote:
    Does someone else likes James Joyce?

    I have read The Dead for an honors class, but that's it. The writing didn't strike me that much from what I remember, but Joyce is an interesting man to study.

    I read Dubliners and The Portrait but I think I didn't deeply enjoy it that much because I didn't understand them that well (my English was poor than it is now back then).
    I started Ulysses but I stoped when I realize that I wasn't making the most of it. I still want to read it sometimes when my skills allow me to fully appreciate it.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    0013 wrote:
    0013 wrote:
    Does someone else likes James Joyce?

    I have read The Dead for an honors class, but that's it. The writing didn't strike me that much from what I remember, but Joyce is an interesting man to study.

    I read Dubliner and The Portrait but I think I didn't deeply enjoy it that much because I didn't understand them that well (my English was poor than it is now back then).
    I started Ulysses but I stoped when I realize that I wasn't making the most of it. I still want to read it sometimes when my skills allow me to fully appreciate it.

    Even for me some of the writing is hard to get through, as it is for most classic work.

    Where are you native to?
  • edited December 2012 Posts: 803
    Right now I'm re-reading Pearson's James Bond: The Authorized Biography, The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer (great book!), and Viva La Madness, JJ Connolly's sequel to Layercake.
  • Posts: 1,817
    0013 wrote:
    0013 wrote:
    Does someone else likes James Joyce?

    I have read The Dead for an honors class, but that's it. The writing didn't strike me that much from what I remember, but Joyce is an interesting man to study.

    I read Dubliner and The Portrait but I think I didn't deeply enjoy it that much because I didn't understand them that well (my English was poor than it is now back then).
    I started Ulysses but I stoped when I realize that I wasn't making the most of it. I still want to read it sometimes when my skills allow me to fully appreciate it.

    Even for me some of the writing is hard to get through, as it is for most classic work.

    Where are you native to?

    Costa Rica.
  • Huge fan of reading. Hated it as a kid though. I turned 20 and all of a sudden five years later I'm reading like crazy.
  • Posts: 1,817
    DarthDimi wrote:
    @0013, I'm into Popper, indeed sir, I am. ;-)

    Popularising string theory and making it sound quite normal, is Michio Kaku's terrific book 'Hyperspace'.

    http://www.amazon.com/Hyperspace-Scientific-Odyssey-Parallel-Universes/dp/0385477058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353540176&sr=8-1&keywords=hyperspace

    I've read it twice now and if I keep in good health, I might consider reading it a third time at one point. ;-)

    I just finished Hyperspace and I'm very grateful for your recomendation, @DarthDimi. Truly it was an amazing book. I learn a lot of new things and also understand better some old ideas. Regretfully my Math skills are too basic to get Physics the way it should be (my solace is that string theory also requires Mathematics beyond the average Physicist, according to the book). So I'll continue to learn a little by this books oriented to the general public.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I can't wait to get into the Humphrey Bogart biography I got for Christmas when I get back to campus.
  • Posts: 1,817
    I can't wait to get into the Humphrey Bogart biography I got for Christmas when I get back to campus.

    That sounds interesting! Was he any similar to the characters he played, like Rick and Samuel Spade?
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    0013 wrote:
    I can't wait to get into the Humphrey Bogart biography I got for Christmas when I get back to campus.

    That sounds interesting! Was he any similar to the characters he played, like Rick and Samuel Spade?

    I will be finding out! I don't know if he had any cynical parts about him like most of his characters, but from all that I know of him already, Bogie was a classic gentleman. He was the original Rat Pack founder, and was friends with Frank Sinatra and the whole lot quite obviously. Frank talked about how much he respected Bogie because while he was promiscuous with all sorts of women in Hollywood, Humphrey never cheated and stayed loyal to Lauren Bacall. Frank saw him in all these films with the greatest leading women you could dream of, and was astounded that he wasn't sleeping with them. The simple fact that Bogie never crossed that line was why Frank respected and admired him so much. I think in some ways he wished he could resist his own temptations to cheat. Bogie seemed to be very much the elegant and upstanding man that never strayed from his marital vows, which is just one reason why I love him so. And who would cheat on Lauren, anyway? I'll tell you: A madman.

    600full-lauren-bacall.jpg
    Nicotinelauren12.jpg
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    0013 wrote:
    DarthDimi wrote:
    @0013, I'm into Popper, indeed sir, I am. ;-)

    Popularising string theory and making it sound quite normal, is Michio Kaku's terrific book 'Hyperspace'.

    http://www.amazon.com/Hyperspace-Scientific-Odyssey-Parallel-Universes/dp/0385477058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353540176&sr=8-1&keywords=hyperspace

    I've read it twice now and if I keep in good health, I might consider reading it a third time at one point. ;-)

    I just finished Hyperspace and I'm very grateful for your recomendation, @DarthDimi. Truly it was an amazing book. I learn a lot of new things and also understand better some old ideas. Regretfully my Math skills are too basic to get Physics the way it should be (my solace is that string theory also requires Mathematics beyond the average Physicist, according to the book). So I'll continue to learn a little by this books oriented to the general public.

    I'm glad you liked it, friend. :-) It certainly changed my life, giving me a specific direction in my career.
  • Posts: 1,817
    DarthDimi wrote:
    0013 wrote:
    DarthDimi wrote:
    @0013, I'm into Popper, indeed sir, I am. ;-)

    Popularising string theory and making it sound quite normal, is Michio Kaku's terrific book 'Hyperspace'.

    http://www.amazon.com/Hyperspace-Scientific-Odyssey-Parallel-Universes/dp/0385477058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353540176&sr=8-1&keywords=hyperspace

    I've read it twice now and if I keep in good health, I might consider reading it a third time at one point. ;-)

    I just finished Hyperspace and I'm very grateful for your recomendation, @DarthDimi. Truly it was an amazing book. I learn a lot of new things and also understand better some old ideas. Regretfully my Math skills are too basic to get Physics the way it should be (my solace is that string theory also requires Mathematics beyond the average Physicist, according to the book). So I'll continue to learn a little by this books oriented to the general public.

    I'm glad you liked it, friend. :-) It certainly changed my life, giving me a specific direction in my career.

    I know you teach, but what are you currently working on in research?
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    @0013, I'm not into research myself at the moment. Rather, I'm working on lab safety procedures and such. But, the material I teach and how I do it is directly influenced by the stuff I read. :-)
  • Posts: 1,817
    DarthDimi wrote:
    @0013, I'm not into research myself at the moment. Rather, I'm working on lab safety procedures and such. But, the material I teach and how I do it is directly influenced by the stuff I read. :-)

    So what you teach is updated? Because when I studied in high school (8 years ago) we never even heard of string theory, Kaluza-Klein theory nor hyperspace...
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited January 2013 Posts: 24,183
    0013 wrote:
    DarthDimi wrote:
    @0013, I'm not into research myself at the moment. Rather, I'm working on lab safety procedures and such. But, the material I teach and how I do it is directly influenced by the stuff I read. :-)

    So what you teach is updated? Because when I studied in high school (8 years ago) we never even heard of string theory, Kaluza-Klein theory nor hyperspace...

    Actually, apart from my 'ordinary' classes, I organize additional classes during 1 hour midday intervals, free afternoons and sometimes after school moments, aimed at those willing to voluntarily attend said classes, during which I try to present as clearly as possible some of the most intriguing concepts in quantum physics and beyond. Doing so I find myself highly inspired by the works of Brian Greene, Michio Kaku, James Kakalios and a few others. Much to my continuous surprise, these classes attract a rather substantial group of pupils. It helps that most of them have known me for at least two years when subscribing to these classes. Obviously I don't submit them to tests or finals for this course, but I do actively engage them in projects which are then displayed during special open days. This interaction with my pupils is extremely satisfying: they learn from me and, you better believe it, I learn a thing or two from them on the side. It's moments like those that remind me why I've chosen this particular profession and why the choice has been a good one.

  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    We need more teachers like you out there, @Dimi. If you weren't in another country I'd find a way to sit in on one of your lessons myself.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    We need more teachers like you out there, @Dimi. If you weren't in another country I'd find a way to sit in on one of your lessons myself.

    Thanks for the compliment, 0Brady. ;-)

    There's merely one problem though: the time I spend on this is a luxury I seem to be running out of. My girlfriend finds the lack of time I spend with her for the benefit of such extracurricular projects less than amusing and as we're seeing things grow more serious between us every day, I must realise that she has a point. I'm not giving in just yet though. ;-) It'll just be a matter of striking a balance between playing the good partner and the overzealous teacher. ;-)
  • I read a book a day back in high school now a days not so much. I am guessing I read about 5 to 10 novels a year and about 15 to 20 reference books on films of one sort or another. my favorite author right now is Micky Spillane followed by Donald Hamilton
  • Posts: 194
    I feel like all I do is read and write now am days, though I'm majoring in a writing degree. I'm always reading two novels at once, a physical one at home and one on my kindle for elsewhere. I'm a full time parent, student, and currently working on three personal writing projects, but I make sure to read at least for an hour a day, everyday, because I feel like it's that important. I'm hoping to hit 40 novels this year, but I'm not sure, it's a little ambitious given my schedule.
  • I read a book a day back in high school now a days not so much. I am guessing I read about 5 to 10 novels a year and about 15 to 20 reference books on films of one sort or another. my favorite author right now is Micky Spillane followed by Donald Hamilton
    I find your picks highly interesting, especially considering how far apart these two Writers and their respective Heroes are regarding their State of mind and the Way they see the World.
  • I like Spillane for his complete lack of political correctness and balls out violence. Matt Helm I like as my favorite spy novels I just re read all the books last year.
  • Since i don't know too many Helm Fans,i just have to ask you. Do you also feel,that the Matt Helm of the later Books (starting with The Revengers) is a quite different Charakter then the one of the earlier Novels (or is just me?)? In Case you agree with me,have you got any theories what happened (i sometimes happen to think, that maybe his son took over his fathers work, or at least large Parts of it).
  • I always thought Helm was a fairly consistent character but when the books started to double and triple in length there was a change yes. Also the book before the Revengers, The Terrorizers I think is the one of the ones they changed Matt Helm from a WW 2 Vet to I think a Vietnam Vet. From what I know the dad was always involved but I am not sure if some ghost writing may have been done. Some of the details in the last books do seem a bit of a stretch when they start throwing in characters from the first few books again.
  • I read quite a lot. All sorts of genres. Most of the books I own are PDF, so I'd love to get an ebook reader. It would simplify reading on the pc, which is extremely irritating at times.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    Sartori007 wrote:
    I read quite a lot. All sorts of genres. Most of the books I own are PDF, so I'd love to get an ebook reader. It would simplify reading on the pc, which is extremely irritating at times.

    I find digital books irritating - period. I've got a few that are out of print, so out of necessity, but I do print them out (usually scaled down to two book pages per printed page).

    I desire a real book. I want to touch the paper, smell the paper, feel the weight of the book on my arms or lap, seeing the already finished part increase in size and the left-to-read part shrink. I want to treat it with dignity and care and see it standing proudly in my book collection. Personally, I find a book to be a beautiful thing and it never ceases to amaze me how appealing in fact it can be.

    Of course for someone who's on the road a lot, unable to carry a lot of stuff with him, e-books are fine. Audio books can be nice as well. But even when I travel, I prefer to carry two or three pocket size books instead of one e-book reader. That's just me of course. ;-)
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    DarthDimi wrote:
    Sartori007 wrote:
    I read quite a lot. All sorts of genres. Most of the books I own are PDF, so I'd love to get an ebook reader. It would simplify reading on the pc, which is extremely irritating at times.

    I find digital books irritating - period. I've got a few that are out of print, so out of necessity, but I do print them out (usually scaled down to two book pages per printed page).

    I desire a real book. I want to touch the paper, smell the paper, feel the weight of the book on my arms or lap, seeing the already finished part increase in size and the left-to-read part shrink. I want to treat it with dignity and care and see it standing proudly in my book collection. Personally, I find a book to be a beautiful thing and it never ceases to amaze me how appealing in fact it can be.

    Of course for someone who's on the road a lot, unable to carry a lot of stuff with him, e-books are fine. Audio books can be nice as well. But even when I travel, I prefer to carry two or three pocket size books instead of one e-book reader. That's just me of course. ;-)

    Same here, @Dimi. On Kindles or any kind of digital reading format you can't smell those wonderful pages. You can't get a paper cut and you can't toss them across the room when you hate the ending or if a character you love is killed off. You outlined the magic that tangible books possess and the brilliant evocation they bring out in you when you get into them eloquently. :-B
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    The only book I've ever tossed across the room, EVER!, is an economics 1.0.1 manual I was given to study during engineering school. I hated it beyond rational thinking. I wanted it to suffer and through it, its author. It's now part of my book collection, gathering dust and showing the signs of my violent abuse. ;-) Yes, @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7, some books are to be treated like women in the Connery days of Bond. ;-) The cute ones you cherish, the disobedient ones you smack on the bottom and dismiss with a line as powerful as "Man talk". :P
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Not enough sadly due to work commitments, though I have a full stock of reading matter in books and magazines.
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