No.13405
I used to read a lot as a kid, mainly Sci-Fi and adventures but really all sorts of topic, however, as I grew up I basically dropped the habit.
Now in my early twenties I want to get back to it and more seriously this time around: any advice? Should I start with the classics or look for some more contemporary writers? Any books you might recommend? Thanks in advance!
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No.13409
>>13405
As you expand your horizon and become more knowledgeable, you will grow to enjoy more of the hard, sophisticated stuff, and less of the generic trash that's pandering to your lowest sentiments. Don't expect to read something very deep and heavy at the very beginning and enjoy it (although it can happen). Just experiment around, and aside from that, read what you like. Give the classics a chance every once in a while, but don't force yourself to like them if you just can't. Some won't appeal to you, and some are even objectively shit.
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No.13410
>>13405
Right, recommendations. Interested in non-fiction too? Any case, here's some sci-fi writers I liked: Jeremy Robinson, Iain Banks, Peter Watts, Robert Heinlein, Joe Haldeman, and John Scalzi.
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No.13411
>>13409
Understanding and appreciating the sophisticated stuff is what I strive for, but I'll take it easy and start with books that don't require a a lot of effort to comprehend. Thank you.
>>13410
Absolutely! Watts' work sound very interesting, I'll give him a shot first :)
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No.13414
Don't be ashamed of the literature you enjoy. We all have guilty pleasures; never force yourself not to like something just because it isn't popular or because you don't feel like it's deep enough. People are strange, and you might find something you love in a simple story you know isn't worthy to sit on your shelf. Don't deny yourself that–never deny yourself that–because your mind might do something with that simple love that will surprise you.
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No.13421
>>13414
That's good advice, thank you. I try to live by that rule in many things I do, and reading is no exception.
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No.13430
>>13405
I would give The Way of Kings a go. It's long, but the chapters are broken up in a way that it feels episodic and not like a thousand page slog. It's high fantasy and does some very fine world-building.
If you're wanting to dip your toes into the classics I would start with either the Odyssey or the Divine Comedy.
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No.13443
For Sci-Fi, I really enjoy Greg Egan. He rigorously explores weird concepts, and sometimes even involves non-trivial mathematics in a meaningful way.
It's not for everyone, but with the right kind of autism it's fantastic.
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No.13450
what an odd question? How can anyone make suggestions without knowing your objective in recommencing reading. If it's purely for entertainment maybe you should be doing other stuff anyway in your early twenties - like building your life and future.
The reason I continue to read is personal development through understanding cultures and the historical process. It's not for entertainment or to kill time, it's to learn and so my focus on what to read is inevitably directed towards the best, and they are that which endures.
Seek guidance on recommended reads as to which are the best to lead you towards whatever your goals may be in reading. Don't listen to morons on internet threads, find reputed and knowledgeable mentors who can advise you wisely.
There are an infinitude of published works out there and your lifetime is limited. Choose with care
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No.13451
>>13430
>>13443
Thank you for the recommendations! I'll give 'em a shot.
>>13450
Hmm… You've given me pause. I didn't decide to restart with a specific objective in mind. I still don't have one as a matter of fact. I need to think about this in more depth. Thank you.
>The reason I continue to read is personal development through understanding cultures and the historical process.
I'm curious: What do you read for that purpose?
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No.13454
It depends on what you're interested in.
Homer is always a good place to start if your looking to read classics.
I've been enjoying Tolstoy and Gabriel Garcia Marquez recently. Marquez would also be fine place to start but Tolstoy is usually pretty dense.
If your interested in non-fiction, I'd start with Bertrand Russel's History of Western Philosophy and a good history book (some other anon would probably be a able to recommend, I haven't gotten very into history yet).
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No.13459
>>13451
In general, I guess my reading falls primarily into either literature and history by genre. I also read scientific books on topics of personal interest. I believe to cultivate one's intellect reading books written well into the past and translations of the significant writers of other cultures.
It's probably the case I read more slowly than most as my goal is comprehension, and for this the literal meaning of words is very important.
The pic is my stack of finished and on their way back to the charity shop. It's just what happens to be there now and obviously doesn't include the major part of my reading which is eBooks and library books.
Some specific reading - see my posts
>>12592
>>12835
>>13237
>>13349
>>13085 and there's a couple too on the beat thread - you should be able to recognize my voice ...
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No.13460
Hey, who switched numbers?
In the post immediately above it's >>13230 and not 13237
and dunno what 13349 is doing there - I'm not even on that thread.
sheeeesh I'm a moron
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No.13463
>>13460
>Dude. Wat?
"One Alacrity server crashed and some threads are 404ing. Ask BOs and volunteers to fix them by posting through mod.php."
BO here. I can't post through the mod.php interface because it insists I post through the onion site address instead. Even while I'm logged on as the BO though mod.php.
The onion site does not allow mod.php access.
Do me a favor? Tell Codemonkey to go fix the site infrastructure instead. All of it, not just that creeping horror of a caching daemon.
>>>/sudo/
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No.13470
>>13463
Is this still happening to you? There have been changes to mod.php since you made that post, and I have no trouble posting through mod.php (this one was sent through mod.php too).
If it's still happening I'll forward it to him directly.
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No.13471
>>13470
BO here. Tried it again. Same result. I'm sure he'll get around to fixing it soon enough. I'm going to wait a day or so for things to settle down before I start bitching through official channels. Another lesson of board ownership, so I have learned.
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No.13472
>>13471
Odd. I've let him know.
Can you post through mod.php using the public account, with username "Anyone" and password "0"?
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No.13475
>>13472
Testing via "Anyone/0" mod interface: same result. To be clear it:
1. Requires a captcha be filled out. (May or may not be an issue. Seems a bit overzealous for a proper BO posting. Is does make sense for the anon mod.php access account which should always be treated as suspect.)
2. After successful captcha, it demands you post via the onion site address, which is impossible via mod.php.
Note behavior is the same for the BO account and the anon mod.php account.
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No.13476
>>13475
>1. Requires a captcha be filled out. (May or may not be an issue. Seems a bit overzealous for a proper BO posting. Is does make sense for the anon mod.php access account which should always be treated as suspect.)
The captcha guards against denial of service attacks, and it's easy to get BO accounts, so it's normal to get it once. I regularly get it if my first post after it expires is through mod.php.
Do you get it consistently, every time you try to post, though? It should be stored per IP address, so that it doesn't make a difference to the captcha whether you try to post through mod.php or not.
If it happens on either account it's not a problem with your particular account, in any case.
Can you post normally, without a mod account and without Tor?
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No.13477
>>13476
BO again. I put that in for completeness sake, to show the process. To be clear it's the normal dnsbls bypass captcha. To also be clear the captcha is functioning correctly, as intended. I am not getting stuck in captcha loop or having any other issues with it.
>Can you post normally, without a mod account and without Tor?
Yes to both.
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No.13486
>>13477
Did you make your posts in this thread through the hidden service?
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No.13488
>>13486
Both hidden service (or onion site as I say) or an open clearnet IP. It's only attempting to post while signed in to mod.php via Tor that is an issue because it insists on forwarding Tor to the onion site. And the onion site does not work with mod.php.
>>13405
Sorry for the thread hijack, OP. The slow nature of 8Chan /lit/ is such that board meta banter tends to wander in to unrelated threads from time to time. What is verboten elsewhere works for us.
Some Sci-fi suggestions:
1. The Wardove. A detective noir in space.
2. The Forge of the Elders. A zany admixture of Sci-fi tropes spiced with comedic satire.
Smith writes through a libertarian lens. Even so, I find his style a good example of how to write political slant (of any form, not just libertarian) in fiction. A novel is not an essay nor a tract, and reader who dismisses the slant with a Scottish verdict should still have plenty left over to thoroughly enjoy.
Iain M. Banks is another author you should probably become familiar with. His writing gives me the impression of a 1970s Sci-fi TV story writer cut free from the cold dead hand of Standards and Practice censorship, and left alone to pursue a healthy dose of adult themes. Opinions vary on what are his best works. Serving as an introduction my suggestions are plainly conventional:
1. Consider Phlebas.
2. Use of Weapons.
Outside of Sci-fi, I'm not sure what to recommend as your interests and leanings are unknown.
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No.13490
>>13488
>Iain M. Banks
I really enjoyed Feersum Endjinn even if I was only turned on to him because he was one of Nihei's inspiration for Blame! which is very apparent when you read his descriptions of Serehfa Fastness, the casstle the size of a country.
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No.13491
>>13454
I find Marquez really enjoyable too! Many of his novels are among my favorites. I appreciate the recommendations.
>>13459
That's very interesting. Thank you for sharing!
>>13488
>Sorry for the thread hijack
It's perfectly fine. Detective noir in space? I gotta get me some of that! Your recommendations sound pretty good, I'll have to check 'em out.
Beside Sci-Fi, I'm very much into mystery and crime novels, a little bit of fantasy as well. Pic related, Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind is very likely to be my favorite novel ever. I enjoyed Larsson's millenium trillogy too, just to mention something else.
>>13490
>he was one of Nihei's inspiration for Blame!
Shoot, that so? That just doubled my interest.
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No.13643
>>13491
La sombra del viento it's a piece of shit my man.
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