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What are you reading? — Page 20

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I read The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy sometime last year, and now I’ve finally gotten around to reading The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe. Only a couple pages in and it has already had me struggle to keep from laughing out loud (the first book did the same thing, it has just been a year since I read it, and I’m not used to such great humor) 😄. I definitely recommend this series to anyone who hasn’t read it yet.

Army of Darkness: The Medieval Deadit | The Terminator - Color Regrade | The Wrong Trousers - Audio Preservation
SONIC RACES THROUGH THE GREEN FIELDS.
THE SUN RACES THROUGH A BLUE SKY FILLED WITH WHITE CLOUDS.
THE WAYS OF HIS HEART ARE MUCH LIKE THE SUN. SONIC RUNS AND RESTS; THE SUN RISES AND SETS.
DON’T GIVE UP ON THE SUN. DON’T MAKE THE SUN LAUGH AT YOU.

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I got in trouble in silent reading for laughing out loud at Bozo the Know-Nothing, Non-Wonder Dog.

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Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card. Read it a few years back and loved it. However, nowadays I’m seeing a lot of people online saying it’s “sexist” or that “Ender is Hitler”. This isn’t a new thing, but it’s something I’ve only recently really noticed or paid attention to. Anyway, I’m going to read Speaker again to see for myself if any of these seemingly ludicrous claims actually hold any water.

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Today I finished The New and Improved Romie Futch by Julia Elliott, which was excellent. Sort of a Flannery O’Connor meets Philip K. Dick meets George Saunders experience. Glowing recommendation.

Just now I started Bend Sinister by Vladimir Nabokov.

suspiciouscoffee said:

Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card. Read it a few years back and loved it. However, nowadays I’m seeing a lot of people online saying it’s “sexist” or that “Ender is Hitler”. This isn’t a new thing, but it’s something I’ve only recently really noticed or paid attention to. Anyway, I’m going to read Speaker again to see for myself if any of these seemingly ludicrous claims actually hold any water.

I believe the backlash against Card has more to do with comments that he’s made in the media recently than with any particular work of his.

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I’ve recently finished Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. I had to read it for school, but I quite enjoyed it, which is rare for a book selected by an English teacher… It’s an interesting look into life in Russia in the mid-19th century, shortly before the general emancipation of Russian serfs.

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joefavs said:

I believe the backlash against Card has more to do with comments that he’s made in the media recently than with any particular work of his.

I assume you mean homophobic comments. Yeah, it sucks that he feels that way but I never saw reason to attack his old works over it. Percy Grainger (the composer) was quite bonkers, but he made some good music. I say this as a (closeted IRL) bisexual.

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Ted Nugent is also bonkers but I love his music. But no I never thought of Speaker for the Dead as sexist. One of the protagonists is a brilliant female scientists who makes many independent contributions without help from a man.

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I think the sexism complaint was “why is the AI a woman and why does she have to fall in love with Ender?” which didn’t make much sense.

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The AI was also extremely intelligent and I understood it as more of a deep friendship than romantic love.

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Possessed said:

Ted Nugent is also bonkers but I love his music. But no I never thought of Speaker for the Dead as sexist. One of the protagonists is a brilliant female scientists who makes many independent contributions without help from a man.

Ted Nugent is an awesome guitarist and rocker. Just because someone is nutty (or even downright despicable) does not mean their work should not be appreciated.

The Person in Question

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moviefreakedmind said:

Possessed said:

Ted Nugent is also bonkers but I love his music. But no I never thought of Speaker for the Dead as sexist. One of the protagonists is a brilliant female scientists who makes many independent contributions without help from a man.

Ted Nugent is an awesome guitarist and rocker. Just because someone is nutty (or even downright despicable) does not mean their work should not be appreciated.

Honestly, yeah.

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I’m assuming that’s one of Hitler’s paintings.

EDIT: Yep, I just noticed the name at the bottom.

The Person in Question

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Meh. His technique’s solid I guess (though those are some crooked-ass towers, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since I’m not familiar with the actual castle and it could be a Leaning Tower of Pisa situation), but the painting is boring as all hell. Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, etc. were all active around the same time. Hitler the artist was basically the early 20th century equivalent of Thomas Kinkade, minus the success.

This is getting pretty far off topic, of course, but if my art history degree doesn’t entitle me to take a few shots at Hitler’s painting when the subject arises, I fear it’s truly worthless (Lord knows it hasn’t been useful in finding a job).

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Meh, it’s easier to enjoy rock n roll knowing the guy that made it is a crazy backward conservative than it is to enjoy a painting made by a guy who attempted genocide.

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Possessed said:

Meh, it’s easier to enjoy rock n roll knowing the guy that made it is a crazy backward conservative than it is to enjoy a painting made by a guy who attempted genocide.

I think Nugent is more of an obsessive gun-nut type who’s perpetually paranoid that the government is coming to get him and steal his guns than he is a politically-minded individual. Either way though, you’re spot on about the comparison.

The Person in Question

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Read The Outsiders for the first time since the eighth grade.

For a novel with a pretty simple writing style, it’s got some pretty good introspection going for the main character. Had I more shelf space, I’d probably hang onto my copy. Unfortunately …

Read through this in two days.

It’s got a better story than the film adaptation. Not that’s its stellar writing or anything, but

POTENTIAL SPOILERS!!!

an unhinged Vietnam vet seeking revenge for the manslaughter of his little half-brother is better than a crazed fisherman slaughtering people with a hook just because Jennifer Love Hewitt bruised his ass.

Suffice it to say, its an okay time-killer of a book, but it’s nothing worth hanging onto or reading again.

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Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

I’m not that far into it yet but I’m already loving this book. Solid characters, an intriguing plot and some much welcome levity injected when appropriate. Really enjoying it so far.

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Tobar said:

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

I’m not that far into it yet but I’m already loving this book. Solid characters, an intriguing plot and some much welcome levity injected when appropriate. Really enjoying it so far.

WHEN I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL PC I DEVOURED MOST OF HEINLEINS NOVELS

FOR SOME REASON I DONT READ MUCH ANYMORE NOW THAT IM A MIDDLE AGED PC

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I hate to tell you this TVS FRINK, but computer technology ages faster than anything else on Earth. You are an ELDERLY PC.

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I HATE TO KEEP TELLING YOU THIS BUT DONT JUDGE ME BY MY CASE