(March 2, 2016 at 9:34 am)bennyboy Wrote:

(February 29, 2016 at 11:26 pm)The Gentleman Bastard Wrote: Personally, I preferred the "Night Angel" series by Weeks. If you're really into magical fantasy you should really give "The Name of the Wind," the first book in the "Kingkiller Chronicles" by Patrick Rothfuss a go. If you like your fantasy dark, I'd recommend the "Low Town" series by Daniel Polansky and/or "The Gentleman Bastard" series by "Scott Lynch."

Thanks for the advice.  I will definitely look for all of those writers, though I'm not going to stop with the current series either.

I don't know what "dark" fantasy is, but I sure like the sound of it.

The last two I listed are part of a sub-genre called "grimdark." Grimdark is just that, grim and dark.

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Finished listening to "The Buried Giant" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Absolutely splendid fantasy tale that takes many familiar elements and blends them into one very good story. This one was so good, I'll probably read the ebook in a week or two so that I can pick up on the little details I miss listening to audio books.

Got caught up with the "Lorien Legacies" books in preparation for the seventh book coming this summer. What the FUCK Pittacus Lore?!? No spoilers, but the ending of book six is a serious mind fuck!

(March 3, 2016 at 8:11 am)Alex K Wrote: After having read the Pinker book I wrote about upthread, I now went to the source which provides a more in-depth (albeit arguably less funny) description with more emphasis on the philosophical background



So far it looks quite promising.

I have now finished it and can recommend it wholeheartedly, to aspiring science writers in particular, but really to all others as well. The authors present a rather clear analysis of different (mostly, but not necessarily non-fic) writing styles based on many examples, and how writing style is more than merely superficial choices of stylistic elements, but originates from certain decisions concerning fundamental questions about the attitude of the author towards the subject and the audience.

The "classic style" they themselves promote, assumes - for the sake of the text at hand - that the author knows a "truth" about a topic, which is knowable by the writer and reader, which can be adequately expressed by language and does not rely on personal revelation or secret knowledge of the author (this is in contrast to e.g. romantic writing styles which do not assume that the subject can even by adequately conveyed by language, nor is necessarily clearly knowable, or e.g. the writings of a religious figure describing personal divine revelations). This is the set of deep stylistic decisions they, a bit facetiously, call the "theology" behind the style. In their "classic style", this truth is presented to the reader as one would show a real object and point out its features, even if the text is about an abstract concept. It was pioneered by 18th century French writers such as Laplace, but is very much timely - it is diametrically opposed to obscurantist or pretentious writing.

Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)


An interesting deep dive into confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance, along with a handful of other biases. It won't be anything new for people already familiar with those concepts, but it takes a different look at them - it comes at them from the perspective of how we justify ourselves and our actions in the face of confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance. It gives a lot of interesting examples from a wide range of situations, from relationships, to law, to workplace mishaps, and more.

Very interesting read. I'd recommend it.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Awesome, awesome book.

LOL, more movie reviews from Roger Ebert, and all these movies SUCK!  Seems no one writes a better review of a bad movie than Roger Ebert and here are reviews of more than 200 stinkers.


Quote:

(Seven Days in Utopia)  "I would rather eat a golf ball than see this movie again"

@vorlon

I love Ebert Reviews and I might just have to buy this, even if it's a transparent money grab by the publisher

I finished A Storm of Swords.... a few weeks ago now

(April 22, 2016 at 10:28 am)Alex K Wrote: @vorlon

I love Ebert Reviews and I might just have to buy this, even if it's a transparent money grab by the publisher

There's more !!  And I think they've been out long enough a little looking and you won't be paying the full list price.

I keep them in the bathroom and read a review or two with every AM BM.