Author Topic: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?  (Read 189662 times)

Offline Ben

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #75 on: April 3, 2004, 11:33 PM »
Currently digging on Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll 1947-1977.

I started it one night, fell asleep, dropped the book, and lost my place. Now I'm going back at it.

After this, I'm reading The Picture of Dorian Gray.
don't you know there ain't no devil, there's just God when he's drunk

Offline Jediknight760071

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #76 on: April 4, 2004, 04:01 AM »
I am reading Romeo And Juliet (Yuck), House on Mango Street (so so), and X-Wing: Isard's Revenge(Awesome).

I;m glad I';m reading though...a year ao I wouldn't be caught dead with a book. :)

Offline Deanpaul

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The Sibling Society
« Reply #77 on: April 5, 2004, 10:49 PM »
I'm reading The Sibling Society by Robert Bly. Some of the stuff he writes about our society and the effect of social movements like feminism really resonate with me. Especially the bits from Iron John about the 50's male archetype, a mummified non-feeling do-no-wrong father-knows-best ideal and how the world and our children suffer because of it.

I especially like the way he includes old stories and mythology as support for his thesis. He uses a really old version of Jack and the Beanstalk in The Sibling Society. It's fascinating, and I'd never given the story much deep thought.

Anyone know who is missing in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk?
« Last Edit: April 5, 2004, 10:50 PM by Deanpaul »
"Regime change, like charity, begins at home." - Ira Glass, This American Life

Offline Scott

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #78 on: May 20, 2004, 02:36 PM »
Just about finished with Catch-22, its a great book, really is a classic and I recommend people read it.  I looked to see if there was a movie of said book and there was a Star-Studded one filmed in the Early 70's.  I might have to check that out too.

Of particular interest to me is that my Grandfather fought in Italy in WWII (the time and setting of the book) so the scenes that are described make me even more interested in what good ole Gramps saw and did when he was over there.

I do like Catch better than Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, both are similar in the time period and biting war commentary.  I like both just fine I just prefer the realism of Catch to the Fantasy of Five.  

I'm thinking I'll try Dune next

Offline Angry Ewok

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #79 on: May 20, 2004, 02:40 PM »
Books I'm reading right now ->

The Bible
The Iliad

Two books that will take me about half of my life to finish, and unfortunately, it'll take the other half for me to understand it all.

Offline Jeff

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #80 on: May 20, 2004, 03:03 PM »
I started reading "Angels and Demons" by that "DaVinci Code" guy, so I'll probably read that one after "A&D".

My wife read both and finally talked me into taking a break from the NJO and old books I read (Camus, Vonnegut, Steinbeck, etc), so I decided to read them.

We'll see how it goes...

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Offline Ben

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #81 on: May 20, 2004, 06:51 PM »
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.

It really makes me question this obsessive collecting thing, plus the cost society pays for civilization. Is it worth it?

You want Quinn to tell you how to save the world.
don't you know there ain't no devil, there's just God when he's drunk

Offline Deanpaul

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Re: The Sibling Society
« Reply #82 on: May 20, 2004, 07:00 PM »
I'm reading The Sibling Society by Robert Bly. Some of the stuff he writes about our society and the effect of social movements like feminism really resonate with me. Especially the bits from Iron John about the 50's male archetype, a mummified non-feeling do-no-wrong father-knows-best ideal and how the world and our children suffer because of it.

I especially like the way he includes old stories and mythology as support for his thesis. He uses a really old version of Jack and the Beanstalk in The Sibling Society. It's fascinating, and I'd never given the story much deep thought.

Anyone know who is missing in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk?

I dunno Deanpaul, Jack's father?
"Regime change, like charity, begins at home." - Ira Glass, This American Life

Offline jokabofe

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #83 on: May 22, 2004, 10:50 AM »
i'm currently reading  ring by koji suzuki - and i only have like 40 pages to go, so i'll be starting the sequel spiral later today or tomorrow. and yes, ring is the book that the movie(s) are based on, but it is very different. and much better. like, did you know that in the book sadako is a hermaphrodite  :o

i also have battle royale waiting for me to read as well. another kick ass japanese film, but this book promises to be better as well... the books usually are.

Offline jokabofe

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #84 on: May 23, 2004, 10:16 PM »
wow, i can't remember the last time i was so engrossed in a book (or books as the case is here) that i just couldn't stop reading them. i read thru all 282 pages of ring and 281 pages of spiral in just over 2 days. i would definitely recommend them to anyone who enjoyed the movie. while the movie isn't taken from these books word for word (what movie is) the book really does flesh out the story, although it kind of contradicts the movie (but the book's explanation and theories about the whole thing are better) and the sequel was an equally good read. recommended  ;D

Offline Pistol Pete

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #85 on: May 24, 2004, 10:24 AM »
DiVinci Code  great book, lovin every minute of it so far
Bang Bang

Offline Scott

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #86 on: May 24, 2004, 11:07 AM »
Finished Catch-22 the other night and started in on Dune.  I've seen snippets of the movie over the years and finally decided I needed to read what many say LOTR is to Fantasy as Dune is to SciFi

Seems about as detailed as LOTR is so far which was the hardest thing about LOTR, might be one I need to reread in a few months

Offline Thomas Grey

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Re: The Sibling Society
« Reply #87 on: May 24, 2004, 02:06 PM »
I'm reading The Sibling Society by Robert Bly. Some of the stuff he writes about our society and the effect of social movements like feminism really resonate with me. Especially the bits from Iron John about the 50's male archetype, a mummified non-feeling do-no-wrong father-knows-best ideal and how the world and our children suffer because of it.

I especially like the way he includes old stories and mythology as support for his thesis. He uses a really old version of Jack and the Beanstalk in The Sibling Society. It's fascinating, and I'd never given the story much deep thought.

Anyone know who is missing in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk?

To which you answered, "I dunno DEANPAUL Jack's father?"

I appreciate your interest in archetypes and Robert Bly's methodical and anylitical (and sometimes to a fault) breakdown of specific tales as they apply to a specific genre/era. I too have read/digested 'Iron John' and thought it to be quite enlightening and interesting. I think when one reads books such as these, one brings their own experiences to the table. It is inevitable that one also relates these experiences to writings like this. As far as it's scholarly or educational value is concerned, 'Iron John' is apt to stir up some good debate and conversation. I related a lot of it to my life when I read it and it helped me see things differently. It was a very personal experience for me when I read it and it's cool to know there are other's that appreciate Bly's work.

Sorry I did not chime in on the Jack question. I missed it, but I knew it. I used to take a course in Fairy Tale analysis form a Jungian perspective and Jack and the Beanstalk was the first tale the group looked at. I was the only male voice and wwhenever I spoke of my insights or observations, the women in the group (all of which were mothers, and I was early 20's) were very attentive and probed me for answers to their own mother/son complexes.

I assume you also have read books by Joseph Campbell ("The Power of Myth"). His insights and knowledge on historical archetypes was scary. Very good stuff, but not quite as personal as Bly. Bly reads a little less like a textbook in some cases. The books where he is interviewed are more personal and amazing.

I also recommend 2 books I believe are called 'He' and 'She' (can't place the author right now). They are short and sweet, but very enlightening and informative about male/female roles as archetypes and how it applies to reality. C. S. Lewis wrote a book called 'Til We Have Faces' which is fiction, but traces the hero's journey in a text book manner. It is great.

I'm not sure why the 'father' complex and absence in Jack would be important for you. We all have our favorites and those that apply profoundly to our lives. My personal favorite is a Grimm's Fairy Tale called 'The Golden Bird' in it's original form. It just speaks to me in so many ways.

Finally, parents in Fairy Tales usually are missing, dead or overbearing to make up for the absence of another. But you can't have a hero with parents. Look at any classic hero and somebody that is a parent or parental figure usually dies or is already dead. Why do you think that is?
"There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny."

Offline Scott

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #88 on: June 4, 2004, 12:40 PM »
Man oh man, if you have never read Dune, you need to.  Been just itching to get back to the book every night its that good...one of the best books I've read in a long long time and its a shame I've neglected it for so long

I can definitely see parts of SW in this book...Lucas is a supposed sponge and the little things he picked up from what I have read so far is pretty obvious...Desert Planet, prophecies, miliatary, sand crawlers, Messiahs, Emperors, water farmers etc  I think he "borrowed" a lot more than people realize...


Offline Scott

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #89 on: June 4, 2004, 12:42 PM »
Do me a favor too...if you haven't read Dune yet and are a big fan of the EU schlock fests, check out Dune, I think you'll be more than happy you did...can't say it enough how great it is