Read, read, read!!!! education, imagination, humour

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Some of the nonsense contained herein may be very loosely related to The Sisters of Mercy, but I wouldn't bet your PayPal account on it. In keeping with the internet's general theme nothing written here should be taken as Gospel: over three quarters of it is utter gibberish, and most of the forum's denizens haven't spoken to another human being face-to-face for decades. Don't worry your pretty little heads about it. Above all else, remember this: You don't have to stay forever. I will understand.
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million voices
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BORN TO BE WILD

I have just finished "Steppenwolf" by Herman Hesse. I rather enjoyed it, but I am not sure I fully understood it. I got a bit mixed up with what was dream and what was reality.
If the message was "Life is A trree of possibilities" then Marc Bolan told me that some time ago with a lot less drama.
What I was impressed with, bearing in mind it was written in 1927, was the prediction of the rise of the Right and that there would be another World War.

I have now made a start on "Slash the Autobiography" - I am not a big fan of G n R but the book is quite entertaining.
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James Blast
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Nick Kent's Apathy for the Devil
"And when you start to think about death, you start to think about what's after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me, it's a frightening thought to go nowhere".
~ Peter Steele
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markfiend
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C/R The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins.

I do prefer his writing on evolutionary biology to his atheist polemic ;)
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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Debaser
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Just about to start this

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I have made my own discovery however, conspiracy theorists = cider drinkers and I am fed up of having the same old conversations - I need more back up hence the purchase :lol:
Five cups of coffee just to be myself...when I'd rather be somebody else
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Quiff Boy
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tbh i'm only reading the 3 culture short stories in it :lol:
What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison?
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markfiend
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Quiff Boy wrote:Image

tbh i'm only reading the 3 culture short stories in it :lol:
Read the others too. Definitely worth it.
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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Salome
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The illuminated version of Peter Pan!
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markfiend
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Just finished The City & The City by China Miéville. Awesome book. I only started it on Saturday, sometimes I wish I didn't read so damn quickly! :lol:
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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timsinister
The Oncoming Storm
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Not a bad read, and there's a few tongue-in-cheek references to other sci-fi landmarks (five rounds rapid!), but I much prefer Commissar Gaunt.

8)
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markfiend
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Lustrum by Robert Harris. The second part of his trilogy (Imperium was the first) about the life of Cicero.

(The conceit is that it's Tiro's lost biography of his master.)
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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sam1
Utterly Bastard Groovy Amphetamine Filth
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a bit boring to some folks I know,but this rocks my boat

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Salome
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Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world, by Haruki Murakami
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markfiend
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Use Of Weapons -- Iain M Banks
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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Quiff Boy
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markfiend wrote:Use Of Weapons -- Iain M Banks
starting the series again? :notworthy:

me:
Image

which is shaping up to be a bit like the culture vs 2001: a space odyssey :von: :notworthy:
What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison?
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markfiend
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Quiff Boy wrote:
markfiend wrote:Use Of Weapons -- Iain M Banks
starting the series again? :notworthy:
Not particularly, although I might change my mind :lol:

I've noticed something that telegraphs the "twist"...but I'm not going to mention it in case I post a spoiler by accident. :lol:
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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Quiff Boy
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markfiend wrote:
Quiff Boy wrote:
markfiend wrote:Use Of Weapons -- Iain M Banks
starting the series again? :notworthy:
Not particularly, although I might change my mind :lol:

I've noticed something that telegraphs the "twist"...but I'm not going to mention it in case I post a spoiler by accident. :lol:
the twist in use of weapons, excession, or in banks' stuff generally?
What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison?
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mh
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An old fave:

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If I told them once, I told them a hundred times to put 'Spinal Tap' first and 'Puppet Show' last.
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markfiend
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Quiff Boy wrote:the twist in use of weapons, excession, or in banks' stuff generally?
The twist in "Use of Weapons"... I'll say no more.
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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Quiff Boy
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markfiend wrote:
Quiff Boy wrote:the twist in use of weapons, excession, or in banks' stuff generally?
The twist in "Use of Weapons"... I'll say no more.
Ah yes :)
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million voices
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Jean Paul Satre - Nausea

(I don't go looking for this stuff they are just on the bookshelf - leftovers from the daugther's degree course)

Anyway, it could have been funnier, but at least I think I understood it.
Well you must know something
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Big Si
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Wyrd bið ful aræd...

mybelgiannemesis
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markfiend
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Lord Of The Rings. It's that time of year again.
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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Bartek
Underneath the Rock
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Robert D. Kaplan: Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus.
So far very good book. Great inside/outside point of view. I was about to buy "Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History" but when it's not avaliable this is kind repleace when it also,partly, aboutBalkan.
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Izzy HaveMercy
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;)

IZ.
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For Greater Good - Ambient Music for the Masses...
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elevation

Very nice for the Pratchett book.

I am currently reading Kate Mosse's Labyrinth - can't bring myself to finish it, though, cause it's my travel abroad reading and I haven't travelled for a while.
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