What are you reading?

[coldbrightsunlight]

I'll pick it up soon, good review

[Dapper Bandit]

Will also hope to check that out in future, onto the want to read list it goes.

Just finished Mary and the Giant by Philip K. Dick, another one of his non-genre fiction works that has been published post-humously. It's a shame this stuff wasn't put out during his lifetime as it would have moved him towards being regarded as a great writer rather than just a great science fiction writer. While his main output borrowed the tropes and imagery of science fiction his writing was overwhelmingly concerned with the human condition but everyone got caught up on C-Beams glittering in the dark and they missed the tears in the rain.

[coldbrightsunlight]

I must say I've never read any of his non sf stuff yet. And I must fix that!

He's definitely one of the great SF authors who suffered from the bad rap SF gets. Just because there are spaceships doesn't mean there's no meaningful examination of the human condition.

[JereFuzz]

Wrapping up "Between Debt and the Devil" by Adair Turner. It was published in 2016 and is another "crash of 2008 and its consequences" book. Nevertheless, it's a good one and it argues that credit expansion was good when it was used for capital investments that had a rate of return greater than the cost of interest and added significant efficiencies to an economy. But the financial/credit system expanded rapidly and now credit is used primarily for non-productive consumer spending (housing/toys/etc.). After the 2008 collapse, the economy is now hung over with debt overhang. Lowering consumer spending to pay down debt leaves a "hole" in the economy. This is filled with government spending. Hence, private (mortgage) debt that sunk the economy in 2008 has been transferred to the public sector. What's not clear is what to do next. The debt/GDP ratio was 62% in 2007. Today it is 108%. Consumer debt/GDP fell in the years following the 2008 collapse but it is now going up again. Anyway, interesting stuff.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Some of it is bizarro, but most is just straight hardcore horror. hahaha. It's weird how they have genre classifications for this stuff now.




Recommendations....hmmmmm....

OK! For fucked up shit that may test your morality and gut I'd recommend

JF Gonzalez Survivor (seriously fucked up)
Edward Lee The BigHead, Creekers (I read this in one sitting hahaha), GAST, Header 1-3...oh so many Ed Lee titles.There's only a few that I'd call kind of stinkers.
Jack Ketchum Offspring
Bryan Smith Depraved
Poppy Z Brite (anything but that Courtney Love shit)
Charlee Jacob This Symbiotic Fascination


Man I've got so many more. I'm going to make an actual list.

So I finally read some of this stuff.

Edward Lee Creekers was... not my bag

NSFW: show

I really liked the concept revealed at the end actually, but I felt that while it was hinted at during the book it wasn't enough for it to really be horror for me? And I seriously disliked the prose.

Still reading The Beloved by JF Gonzalez (couldn't find the ebook for the specific one you recommended) and it's good! I like this one.

[JereFuzz]

I read Arab Travelers to the Far North by Ibn Fadlan. A collection of travelogues by mostly Arabs traveling through Eastern Europe and a bit further east. Fascinating because it covers the period between 920 and 1100s. Many Russians and Turks hadn’t even converted to Eastern Orthodox and Islam, respectively, yet. It gives a very interesting view of a very contentious part of the world. Covers religion, trade, war, law, culture, etc. It shows how quickly empires rise, grow, and fall.

[JereFuzz]

Works in Progress:

Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz
We by Zamyatin
The End of Science by John Horgan
Simulations by Jean Baudrillard

[TraceItalian]

I'm reading Lent by Jo Walton, which is based on real events and gets weird. It's great, and the dante in groundhog day review I read is accurate.

[odontophobia]

Ithink the thing I dislike about Steven King is he wallows in pubescent torment. And why is there always an awkward horny fat guy?

I'll never be able to unread that. I just disliked him for his good vs evil narrative and that his books are shit for rereading. But I still try to read each one

I just got done with Joe Abercombie's half a king trilogy. I liked em, but not as much as his more adult leaning books

Agreed on Shattered Sea Trilogy. Really liked Thorn and her relationship — enjoy the slightly lighter grimdark thanks to the YA nature. But yeah, they’ve got nothing on Ninefingers.

[$harkToootth]

I might have to get this for my dear friend, fellow ILFer, ibarakishi.
MAKING POOR MAN'S GUITARS: Cigar Box Guitars, the Frying Pan Banjo and Other DIY Instruments (Fox Chapel Publishing) Step-by-Step CBG Projects, Interviews, and Authentic Stories of American DIY Music by Shane Speal


Also, I FINALLY splurged and bought this...
THE PROPHET OF SILICON VALLEY: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS by David Abernethy. The only other synth book I have read is ANALOG DAYS by Trevor Pinch (about Moog), and It was FANTASTIC. If I'm not posting here for a minute, it's cause I'm reading.


Also, inspired by Retinal Orbita, at some point, going to give this one a go. A local library has it. Might have to re-read HELTER SKELTER again, first though.
CHAOS: CHARLES MANSON, THE CIA, AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE SIXTIES by Tom O'Neil.

[JereFuzz]

I might have to get this for my dear friend, fellow ILFer, ibarakishi.
MAKING POOR MAN'S GUITARS: Cigar Box Guitars, the Frying Pan Banjo and Other DIY Instruments (Fox Chapel Publishing) Step-by-Step CBG Projects, Interviews, and Authentic Stories of American DIY Music by Shane Speal


Also, I FINALLY splurged and bought this...
THE PROPHET OF SILICON VALLEY: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS by David Abernethy. The only other synth book I have read is ANALOG DAYS by Trevor Pinch (about Moog), and It was FANTASTIC. If I'm not posting here for a minute, it's cause I'm reading.


Also, inspired by Retinal Orbita, at some point, going to give this one a go. A local library has it. Might have to re-read HELTER SKELTER again, first though.
CHAOS: CHARLES MANSON, THE CIA, AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE SIXTIES by Tom O'Neil.

Interesting stuff. Manson’s connections pre Tate crime have always been interesting.

[TraceItalian]

Wrapping up "Between Debt and the Devil" by Adair Turner. It was published in 2016 and is another "crash of 2008 and its consequences" book. Nevertheless, it's a good one and it argues that credit expansion was good when it was used for capital investments that had a rate of return greater than the cost of interest and added significant efficiencies to an economy. But the financial/credit system expanded rapidly and now credit is used primarily for non-productive consumer spending (housing/toys/etc.). After the 2008 collapse, the economy is now hung over with debt overhang. Lowering consumer spending to pay down debt leaves a "hole" in the economy. This is filled with government spending. Hence, private (mortgage) debt that sunk the economy in 2008 has been transferred to the public sector. What's not clear is what to do next. The debt/GDP ratio was 62% in 2007. Today it is 108%. Consumer debt/GDP fell in the years following the 2008 collapse but it is now going up again. Anyway, interesting stuff.

I just got doene with it last night, but have you read Capitalist Realism? It kinda dovetails that. Plus, his mentor is batshit insane, so thats fun

[Paul_C]

Currently really enjoying Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts.

It's got an air of Vonnegut about it in that it's nominally sci-fi but it mostly isn't.

[JereFuzz]

Wrapping up "Between Debt and the Devil" by Adair Turner. It was published in 2016 and is another "crash of 2008 and its consequences" book. Nevertheless, it's a good one and it argues that credit expansion was good when it was used for capital investments that had a rate of return greater than the cost of interest and added significant efficiencies to an economy. But the financial/credit system expanded rapidly and now credit is used primarily for non-productive consumer spending (housing/toys/etc.). After the 2008 collapse, the economy is now hung over with debt overhang. Lowering consumer spending to pay down debt leaves a "hole" in the economy. This is filled with government spending. Hence, private (mortgage) debt that sunk the economy in 2008 has been transferred to the public sector. What's not clear is what to do next. The debt/GDP ratio was 62% in 2007. Today it is 108%. Consumer debt/GDP fell in the years following the 2008 collapse but it is now going up again. Anyway, interesting stuff.

I just got doene with it last night, but have you read Capitalist Realism? It kinda dovetails that. Plus, his mentor is batshit insane, so thats fun

You mean his mentor “Rosos”? His The Crash of 2008 was excellent. An easy read that lays out his reflexivity “theory”. I tried reading the Alchemy of Finance years ago but found it “what?” I realize now that he should have used the word “feedback loop” instead of reflexivity. But I don’t think that his AOF was edited, seriously. If I remember correctly his “essays” which were the basis for AOF used to faxed around during the 80s due to their insight. These were the basis for his book AOF. Don’t quote me. I’ll check out. Capitalist Realism? I’ll check it out. Oh, btw, I was referring to Turner’s “associate/mentor”

[JereFuzz]

Wrapping up "Between Debt and the Devil" by Adair Turner. It was published in 2016 and is another "crash of 2008 and its consequences" book. Nevertheless, it's a good one and it argues that credit expansion was good when it was used for capital investments that had a rate of return greater than the cost of interest and added significant efficiencies to an economy. But the financial/credit system expanded rapidly and now credit is used primarily for non-productive consumer spending (housing/toys/etc.). After the 2008 collapse, the economy is now hung over with debt overhang. Lowering consumer spending to pay down debt leaves a "hole" in the economy. This is filled with government spending. Hence, private (mortgage) debt that sunk the economy in 2008 has been transferred to the public sector. What's not clear is what to do next. The debt/GDP ratio was 62% in 2007. Today it is 108%. Consumer debt/GDP fell in the years following the 2008 collapse but it is now going up again. Anyway, interesting stuff.

I just got doene with it last night, but have you read Capitalist Realism? It kinda dovetails that. Plus, his mentor is batshit insane, so thats fun

Well, Capitalist Realism looks very interesting after reading about the author. I am familiar with zero books and have a bunch of them on my “to read” list. So I assume you are referring to Zizek as the mentor. He’s entertaining but I haven’t delved into his works. I see CR is at my local B&N ... i’ll pick it up.