ordered it today mate

might take some time until i get to it because i'm currently reading something else but i will eventually www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Trinken/smilie_trink_005.gif

Im very glad to hear you like it! It gets better as it goes on IMO.

Im trying to get into a faust audiobook, and I haven't been able to really enjoy it so far.

I got lazy R.I.P. uncle Teddy, still got like 100 pages to go

loved the first third and I think I love the last third. Somehow I just didn't enjoy the whole love story with Mildred. I think he should have named the book 'Diary of a Simp'

I read "tender is the night" by f scott fitzgerald recently. Very good, but mega depressing.

Also the bell jar. Beautifully written, also depressing.

Looking for a fun book like maybe thriller/adventure/spy/police. Any suggestions?

Length doesn't matter to me. Well, I just don't like short-stories much (except for Sherlock Holmes, which I love).

'The Institute' synopsis reminds me bit of 'Firestarter' with kids with supernatural abilities hidden in a facility. I will definitely read that next.

I like Stephen King, and the way he writes is spectacular. I have only read like 5-6 of his books - I need to read more of his work. I'm way behind but he has written like 100+ books lol

Wow, you guys must be huge Stephen King fans!

Stuff I read from him on my goodreads list:
Firestarter
Cell
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
The Stand
Hearts in Atlantis

I read couple other books from him, but I don't remember which ones. Nothing like you or your brother though.

More books-
Oryx and Crake-9/10-the scifi is not amazing, but the three main characters are deep and keep you thinking far after the book is finished.

I capture the castle-6-I really liked it, and its very well written but the ending is so abrupt that it was infuriating. It leaves you feeling empty.

The woman in the dunes-7-I really don't know what to think of this book. I think I need to reread it. I liked it, but I can'r decide what to make of it, if that makes sense. Its a good premise, sort of similar to that steven king book where the author is kidnapped. I'm not sure who, if anyone I am supposed to sympathize with.

Bakemonogatari-7.5-I like the anime a lot and was curious about the book. Theyre basically exactly the same. Very good, great character development.

The madness of crowds-4.5-good enough for me to finish, but barely. Its just a generic political diatribe.

Cat's cradle-7-I simultaneously like and loathe vonnegut. Hes more good than bad in this book. Its probably depressingly pertinent to the modern world in terms of apocalyptic fiction.

glad u enjoyed. it felt like a more serious version of some YA books i read in my adolescence that i was fond of. 

Mag's book review dump from the past few years-

Steinbeck, East of Eden-8.5/10-Probably the best "literary" book I've read in a while. It has some sort of moral quasi-mysticism in it that I'm not fond of, but its still an amazing book

Nabokov, Pale Fire-7/10-Hilarious, and I love the actual poem, but it doesn't exactly have a driving plot.

Nabokov, Ada or Ador-5/10- Overwritten, hard to read, pretty bleh. It's like all of Nabokov's worst qualities in one book, but its still Nabokov

Three body problem-8/10-Great hard(ish) scifi that has a historical line running through it

Dark forest and Death's End (sequels to the 3 body problem)-3/10-Blargh. I finished them because I liked the first so much. They're basically scifi scenarios with no characters or story. Very bad.

The Name of the Wind-6.5/10-Good, but parts of it drag on waaaaaay to long

The Wise man's fear-7.5/10-Much better overall, but both books are a bit too self inserty for my tastes

Hyperion-8/10-Giga chad Scifi book. Acts more like a prequel than a self sustained novel, but is no worse for it.

Hyperion Cantos-9/10-One of the best scifis I've ever read. I have certain images seared into my mind from this book.

Red Rising series-7/10, with books 1 and 5 being standouts. I'd say 5 is almost a 9/10. They're not very deep, although not too shallow either. Space opera shit with some real meat to it.

Jane Eyre-7.5/10-Yeah, its just kind of what you expect I guess.

Less than Zero-6.5-the first book of the guy who wrote American Psycho. It runs this weird line where it thinks its shining a light on the nihilistic depravity of the American Rich, but it ends up reflecting more on the nihilistic absurdity of the author. Its not bad, but its hard to take it serious.

The Blind Assassin-6/10-Margaret Attwood's villain is a paper thin rich guy??? Who would have thought!? She's almost the anti-Rand. Also, the plot really doesn't make much rational sense. Still vaguely enjoyable.

Paradise Lost-8/10-Not quite finished, but its beautiful.

Ringworld-5.5/10-Eh. Not bad, not good.

Ringworld 2 (I can't remember the actual name)-6/10-Eh. A little better

Flowers for Algernon-8/10-Maybe the most depressing book I've ever read. I actually couldn't finish the last little bit.

Old Man's war-5/10-Generic scifi.

To Say Nothing of the Dog-7.5/10-Very good upbeat romance/comedy/"scifi"

The Doomsday books-6.5/10-A lady goes back in time and watches everyone die from the plague.

Tropic of Cancer-7/10-Lolwhatisthis? Literally the most disgusting book I've ever read. But then, its randomly very good.

Frankestein-6/10-Frankenstein's actions make no sense.

The Stand-4.5/10-THAT ENDING WAS SO FUCKING STUPID. It was a good book before that point.

There are actually a ton of other books I read or started, but these are the ones I remember.










Don Rumata

Chinese history is fascinating, especially in a couple periods like from the Song to the mongols. Post Mongol China is a little depressing and boring though. They became such a stagnant society, whereas the Song probably had the most advanced technology on Earth outside of some of Europe's militaries. 

, it is a depressing but not boring imo
it's fascinating how the institutions, policies, traditions and so on evolve and help to understand the current status

i'm currently reading modern history, meaning from the end of Ming dynasty on

Don't know much about the previous dynasties. But isn't Tang dynasty considered to be China's prime?

I think "prime" is kind of up for interpretation as far as Chinese goes. For example, I know a lot of Chinese Maoists admire the psycho Qing emperor. The most prosperous era relative to its neighbors was the Song though. That's when all their important inventions like gun powder and movable type were made

Read several Stephen King novels this year:

-Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption 5/5
-The Gunslinger 3.5/5
-11/22/63 5/5

I didn't like Gunslinger very much for some reason. 11/22/63 was amazing - even better than the show. Although, I saw the show several years ago so probably forgot parts of it.