Tracy: Well-- That call -- That call means you just murdered me. Mal: No, son. You murdered yourself. I just carried the bullet a while.

'The Message'


We're Literary 2: To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good  

There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."


Nutty - Dec 12, 2005 11:58:10 am PST #9629 of 10002
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."

Augustus Gloop, but then, the whole point of him was overindulgence. If AUgustus Gloop had been skinny, he would have been a very strange object lesson.

I remember Fattypuffs and Thinifers, or, just enough to remember that the skinny people ate their meals standing up, and I thought that was stupid.


DavidS - Dec 12, 2005 1:38:11 pm PST #9630 of 10002
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

seem to be overweight by virtue of epitomizing the wealthy and overfed upper-classes, in contrast to poverty-stricken heroes.

This may be possible, but it's the particular way he writes about fatness that has a very judgemental tone.


Nutty - Dec 12, 2005 3:05:15 pm PST #9631 of 10002
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."

Whaddya talk? Everything Dahl wrote had a judgemental tone. Dude was Judge Dredd, William Rehnquist, and Satan all rolled into one slightly-rumpled body. I say that with love, but not a lot of illusions. Check out his feelings about mothers, and people who don't read, and anyone who would dare to harm a hair on wittle Matilda's head.

In other news, I am finishing up The Natural, and it is not all that and a bag of tricks. I guess I just don't get it, or I am not wowed by its post-war OMG Manliness! I hardly knew ye! stance. It's not bad, but -- it feels like a book whose time came and went.

Next up: either I Capture the Castle or an annotated edition of Ring Lardner Jr. stories. (Now there is a book whose time came and went!)


Am-Chau Yarkona - Dec 13, 2005 1:52:24 am PST #9632 of 10002
I bop to Wittgenstein. -- Nutty

Has anyone here read Stephen Unwin's The Probability of God? I've just finished it, and I've love to discuss it.


Hil R. - Dec 13, 2005 6:08:06 am PST #9633 of 10002
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l

I've read it, Am-Chou, but it was a while ago.


§ ita § - Dec 13, 2005 7:41:20 am PST #9634 of 10002
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

Has anyone here tried audible.com? I'm not listening to as much music, what with the headaches, so spoken word is becoming more appealing.

I have some stuff that I ripped off my own CDs, and some MP3 recordings of radio broadcasts, and an wondering about branching out.

I can get pretty cheap books on DVD from a used bookstore near me, but the selection is erratic, and I still have to, you know, do work.


beth b - Dec 13, 2005 8:08:42 am PST #9635 of 10002
oh joy! Oh Rapture ! I have a brain!

I haven't used it, but double check with the library. We have some libraries that let you download audio books - They stay 'good' for 7 to 14 days. you just need a library card.


§ ita § - Dec 13, 2005 8:13:43 am PST #9636 of 10002
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

We have some libraries that let you download audio books - They stay 'good' for 7 to 14 days. you just need a library card.

Oh, nice. lapl.org, here I come.

eta: whee! audiobooks.lapl.org, here I come!


§ ita § - Dec 13, 2005 8:18:20 am PST #9637 of 10002
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

Oh, ptooey. They support neither Macs nor iPods. Which would restrict me to listening to them off my main computer.

Less attractive.


DebetEsse - Dec 13, 2005 8:20:23 am PST #9638 of 10002
Woe to the fucking wicked.

I believe iTunes has some audiobooks.

I'm not sure that Audible supports Macs/iPods either. Truly it is damn annoying.