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Post by MaxQuad on Mar 1, 2005 8:01:56 GMT -5
Don't do anything on my account. As you know, I'm very flaky I've read Left Hand of Darkness and it is an excellent book and I highly recommend it. And just so you know I don't JUST read science and sci fi. Here are a couple of more (non sci fi) suggestions: Galileo's Daughter tinyurl.com/3vsj2Fabric of the Cosmos tinyurl.com/Obsessive Genius tinyurl.com/4soxrOr none of the above. Any of the above are fine with me. Good suggestions. Fabric of the Cosmos sounds as if it could be very worthwhile. By the way, we are all flaky. It's a prerequisite for posting on Gravity Eyelids, isn't it? Flaky is endearing. I'm fine with flaky. Am I flaky? MQ
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Post by MaxQuad on Mar 1, 2005 8:34:48 GMT -5
Interesting suggestion Stu. Remind me, how many pages of Ahab's Wife did you read before you put it down? If we prorate it for this book, which is about one-fifth as long, I believe it may give me a paragraph or two to judge it, right? MQ[/quote Very funny "Max". You have to remember when I started it I was up at a ski cabin with a bunch of drunk guys. That's what they all say... MQ
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Post by RepairmanJack on Mar 1, 2005 10:47:39 GMT -5
I am still reading Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku so I would rather not do a science book for the next discussion. Scifi would be fine with me though. I was hoping to read Left Hand of Darkness since it has been on my list of things to read for years now...
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Post by stubedoo on Mar 1, 2005 12:01:21 GMT -5
I am still reading Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku so I would rather not do a science book for the next discussion. Scifi would be fine with me though. I was hoping to read Left Hand of Darkness since it has been on my list of things to read for years now... How is that book? I saw it for the first time recently at a book store and it looked interesting. Brian Greene has popularized cosmology and string theory so much that there has been a lot of other similar books out. S2
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Post by stubedoo on Mar 1, 2005 12:02:55 GMT -5
Oh, and go ahead and read Left Hand of Darkness. I have plenty of books on my plate. I'm currently reading the crack cocaine of sci fi series--David Weber's Honor Harrington books. I'll be stuck with those for a while.
Stu
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Post by MaxQuad on Mar 1, 2005 18:45:04 GMT -5
Oh, and go ahead and read Left Hand of Darkness. I have plenty of books on my plate. I'm currently reading the crack cocaine of sci fi series--David Weber's Honor Harrington books. I'll be stuck with those for a while. I'm fine with Left Hand of Darkness. Is that what we will go with? If so, I'll pick it up at the Barnes and Noble next door. MQ
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Post by Shutter Girl on Mar 1, 2005 19:33:57 GMT -5
Alrighty, Left Hand of Darkness it is! Stu, I know you read more than just science fiction, I just thought a sci fi book might strike your interest. I'm not big on reading about physics and math but if you guys want to do a book like that another time don't let me stop you! I don't have to read all of the books discussed, I won't be offended. I thought LHoD might be good because I've been hearing various things about it for years, it won both the Hugo and Nebula and there are a lot of discussable aspects to it. I hope you join in the discussion, Stu! Maybe we'll jog your memory a bit.
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Post by MaxQuad on Mar 1, 2005 23:16:50 GMT -5
Alrighty, Left Hand of Darkness it is! Barnes and Noble had a special tonight - and tonight only. Left Hand of Darkness plus Flatland for a special "Gravity Eyelids" price. Boy, was I lucky that I braved the rain to walk over there. MQ
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Post by RepairmanJack on Mar 2, 2005 0:52:27 GMT -5
How is that book? I saw it for the first time recently at a book store and it looked interesting. Brian Greene has popularized cosmology and string theory so much that there has been a lot of other similar books out. S2 It is very good so far
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Post by Shutter Girl on Mar 2, 2005 10:01:44 GMT -5
Barnes and Noble had a special tonight - and tonight only. Left Hand of Darkness plus Flatland for a special "Gravity Eyelids" price. Boy, was I lucky that I braved the rain to walk over there. MQ WOW talk about serendipity! Didn't I tell you that I cut a deal with B&N? I told them they should give us a discount because our numbers are so huge they might need us to stay afloat. Ok, in all fairness to Stu I will check out Flatland and take a look at it. Now I'm curious!
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Post by stubedoo on Mar 2, 2005 15:49:52 GMT -5
Ok, in all fairness to Stu I will check out Flatland and take a look at it. Now I'm curious! I'm telling you, it's absolutely brilliant, and you can read it in a couple of hours. You have to remember as you're reading it that it was written at the height of Victorian society where class was everything and women were second class citizens (but really ruled the roost at home). Stu
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Post by Shutter Girl on Mar 5, 2005 9:57:12 GMT -5
Still haven't received my copy yet, Stu. Looking forward to taking a look at it! I'm not one to read math or physics for pleasure so this should be interesting....
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Post by stubedoo on Mar 6, 2005 22:01:43 GMT -5
Still haven't received my copy yet, Stu. Looking forward to taking a look at it! I'm not one to read math or physics for pleasure so this should be interesting.... I just got mine and started rereading it. It SEEMS like a book on math, but it really isn't. Well, it is a book of some topographical concepts but it's all related to Victorian society. There's a class system, women are powerless but very dangerous so must be chaperoned at all times, etc.
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Post by MaxQuad on Mar 9, 2005 13:12:46 GMT -5
Alrighty, Left Hand of Darkness it is! Just to raise my hand (my right one) to say that I have finished The Left Hand of Darkness. I will be gathering my thoughts for discussion purposes. MQ (Think of this as the equivalent of my response to the second grade teacher saying to his/her/Gethenian class, "Please raise your eyes and look at me when you have finished reading.")
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Post by MaxQuad on Mar 11, 2005 20:16:55 GMT -5
Flatland is not one bit sci fi, actually. It was written in the late 18th century and is a Victorian satirical novel about social classes. Flatland. A nice read. Thanks for the suggestion, Stu. At one point early in the book, when the narrator describes the lot of women in Flatland (and the “obvious” reasons for that lot) I could not help but think back to my time in Qatar and the points of view historically, socially and religiously describing the view of women in Islamic and Arabic cultures. I thought the mathematic and geometric explanations were masterful. I was struck by the powerful description of the way in which the paradigm with which we view the world limits our ability to comprehend certain things, while for others with a different paradigm, it is a matter of course. The various passages related to this theme reminded me of two works which have affected me a great deal: George Engel’s description of the his biopsychosocial model for medicine in “Where You Think You Stand Determines What You Think You See” – and Thomas Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I smiled and laughed at one point during the description of Lineland, when it was pointed out “once a neighbor, always a neighbor.” I immediately thought Lineland would necessarily have to be rampant with incest and homosexuality (or both simultaneously) until the author (or Lineland Monarch) anticipated my thoughts and described the marriage and mating rituals and processes. I breathed a sigh of relief and read on. Stu, thanks again for a great book suggestion. Now on to another – T.C. Boyle’s Drop City. MQ
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