llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Sat Nov 02, 2024 10:22 am Many times I was reminded of Cormac McCarthy’s first novel, which I have a sublime dislike for, even if he is one of my fav authors. Growth of the Soil kicks its ass walking.

I just finished Outer Dark, which is McCarthy's second novel, and it's about as bleak as you can get. Sort of a dry run for Blood Meridian. Absolutely solid work though, and a nice palate cleanser after whatever the fuck he was trying to do with Stella Maris. I love that this is Summer of Love era Cormac....a true miserabilist bastard.

Been burning through a bunch of stuff this last couple of months.

Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell
Joe by Larry Brown
Welcome Home by Lucia Berlin
The Death of Sweet Mister by Daniel Woodrell
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Light in August by William Faulkner
Smonk by Tom Franklin

Still waiting for the new James Wade jawn to show up on my library app. Might have to go buy it.

The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds and The Laws of Physics by Roger Penrose.

So far a lot of math that goes over my head but the theoretical and philosophical positions are really interesting. Basically he’s proposing that AI within certain frameworks is bullshit, it’s unlikely to be conscious in the way it’s being sold, i.e. “feeling” and aware in the way a human mind is.

If it was you just created a slave and there are are massive moral questions that will likely be so impossible to transcend without accepting slavery as a morally acceptable position that it will be immediately banned.

I’m not far in but it’s really opening up a lot of ideas I hadn’t really considered.

I just finished Rose Marshack's "Play Like a Man" and enjoyed it very much. It was also cool to see so many folks from here (and the PRF in general) mentioned so much.

Now onto the sequel to the last book, After 1177 B.C. by Eric H. Cline, as well as Cicero by Anthony Ever. The Cicero bio is really good so far. It is not the first I have read but it adds a lot of great context and dives deep into the period. We know a lot about him because so many of his works survive. It is always a fascinating character study of someone you can understand in a modern sense, yet be completely baffled by because he was a man of his times that were so long ago he might as well be from another planet. I love that about ancient and classical history in general. The human side that is so easily understood and the cultural side that can be completely alien.

Almost at the halfway mark re-reading Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I last read it years ago and wish I hadn't waited as long to re-read it.

some hilarious librarian shelved these right next to each other. i'm going to read them at the same time and try to decide who's right.

Marie Curie: A Life

I didn't realize how long the Poles had it so bad.

The Hamilton Scheme by William Hogeland. Best book on the Revolutionary War period I’ve ever read - frames 1776 and all that under a class warfare lens.

horse_laminator wrote: Thu Nov 14, 2024 11:42 pm Almost at the halfway mark re-reading Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I last read it years ago and wish I hadn't waited as long to re-read it.

Cheers – I'd somehow never heard of this and picked it up after seeing your post, sounds brilliant.