What are you reading now?

[Sisifo]

Dodgy.

What do you mean by "Dodgy"? I feel a big antipathy towards Sam Harris, so I haven't pushed myself to read his books, but if you recommend it, it is worth a downlo... errr a try.

[Animavore]

Dodgy.

What do you mean by "Dodgy"? I feel a big antipathy towards Sam Harris, so I haven't pushed myself to read his books, but if you recommend it, it is worth a downlo... errr a try.

Oh no. Don't download the audiobook read by the author himself. That wouldn't be right.



I mean his line of reasoning is a bit dodgy. It's assertion after assertion.

[Sisifo]

Dodgy.

What do you mean by "Dodgy"? I feel a big antipathy towards Sam Harris, so I haven't pushed myself to read his books, but if you recommend it, it is worth a downlo... errr a try.

Oh no. Don't download the audiobook read by the author himself. That wouldn't be right.



I mean his line of reasoning is a bit dodgy. It's assertion after assertion.

Your comment has not done anything to lessen my antipathy for him.

Too many good things written in the world to lose time in the literary mirror of a narcissist.

[Animavore]

Just read Mr Samsa's devastating ownage http://www.rationalskepticism.org/books ... ml#p694171

[Sisifo]

Just read Mr Samsa's devastating ownage http://www.rationalskepticism.org/books ... ml#p694171

Thanks. I wonder how could he be appointed as an intellectual leader of the "new atheism". It's not that I like any of the others, but Harris seems to me out of his league when put with Dennett, Dawkins or Hitchens. Maybe just an editorial coincidence.

[Sisifo]

I am just some pages into it, but I can tell it is going to be a good reading. Apart of the interesting topic, which seems very well documented, the style of the writing it's very agreeable.

Henrietta Lacks was a 1920s woman whose cells in the brain tumor that eventually killed her had the aptitude of being kept alive and reproducing indefinetly. Still today the HeLa cells are a basic pillar for science research. A good read both in style and subject.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

About 200 pages into The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Very unputdownable!

[Sisifo]

About 200 pages into The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Very unputdownable!

I liked the first one a lot. I was very disappointed by the sequel, but the third one was great!

[Ronja]

About 200 pages into The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Very unputdownable!

I liked the first one a lot. I was very disappointed by the sequel, but the third one was great!

M got all three for himself for Solstice in the original Swedish, and read them at top speed (he usually sees himself as a slow reader, but native language and a near-mesmerizing story makes a big difference). His complaint was that the second and third book were essentially just one story, and he does not like books split like that.

[Ronja]

Just read Mr Samsa's devastating ownage http://www.rationalskepticism.org/books ... ml#p694171

Thanks. I wonder how could he be appointed as an intellectual leader of the "new atheism". It's not that I like any of the others, but Harris seems to me out of his league when put with Dennett, Dawkins or Hitchens. Maybe just an editorial coincidence.

Thanks for these. M has been wondering if he would like Harris' newest for his birthday. I'll relay that link to him - he has until May (well, late April anyway) to make up his mind.

[RandomGuyOnCouch]

Is anyone else cautiously optimistic about George R. R. Martin's new book in the "Song of Fire and Ice" series that was supposed to come out years ago and is supposedly finally coming out this year? I've been rereading that series in anticipation.

[Sisifo]

Is anyone else cautiously optimistic about George R. R. Martin's new book in the "Song of Fire and Ice" series that was supposed to come out years ago and is supposedly finally coming out this year? I've been rereading that series in anticipation.

I have been intrigued about that series but didn't start it yet. What can you tell us about those books?

[RandomGuyOnCouch]

Is anyone else cautiously optimistic about George R. R. Martin's new book in the "Song of Fire and Ice" series that was supposed to come out years ago and is supposedly finally coming out this year? I've been rereading that series in anticipation.

I have been intrigued about that series but didn't start it yet. What can you tell us about those books?

It's a solid fantasy series. The plot, characters, and setting are all well above average. I am a big fan of the politics and the intrigue that he constructs. Definitely one of the better fantasy series I have read. Hard to say much without spoilers, so:

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

The world he constructs differs greatly from a stock fantasy world. There isn't any real magic or fantastic creatures (at least to start out). There is an ubiquitous sense of rising action throughout the novels (although they can, as all fantasy can, become slow at times when exposition is lumped into a chunk). He has a tendency to kill off characters in a way I've never seen in any other fantasy series (realistically). His treatment of "good" and "evil" (common themes in the genre) is very interesting and pretty unique; grey to say the least.

The chapters jump around to different characters' perspectives. Most of the important events with regards to the overarching plot tend to have at least one of the narrative characters present at them. There is a lot going on in these books (many different plots) ranging from conducting wars, to maneuvering for power, to building a kingdom from the ground up, to the return of supernatural elements ... you get the idea.

Even with the spoiler warning up, I don't want to say too much.

Needless to say, it gets my recommendation.

[Clinton Huxley]

Just started Michael Wood's "In Search of Shakespeare". Wood is an engaging historian with a gift for storytelling. You can't beat a bit of Wood.

[Pappa]

Blek le Rat: Getting through the walls


About the work and philosophy of French street artist Blek le Rat, of whom Banksy once said, “Every time I think I’ve painted something original, I find out that Blek le Rat has done it as well, only 20 years earlier.”

The illustrations are great, but the text is a little bit sychophantic. It's still pretty interesting to hear the philosophy behind his work and opinions on graffiti, other forms of street art and their use publicly and comercially too.