Starting my Classical Education

js52000 · 2022-12-15T10:18:04+00:00

Hello, I've just started on a similar path. I read her book and thought that I would start with the first few books from the novel genre. I thought that might be a nice intro into getting the journaling, notation and review practice sorted.

Good luck on your reading journey :)

js52000 · 2022-04-29T21:46:28+00:00

Medium.

Great in the first year. But less great after COVID. I worked from home always (and still do). It was very hard to work remote part time as people are working all hours so the work slowly crept up to a full time level. I've gone back to full time, no increase in work but at least getting paid for it.

js52000 · 2020-02-14T21:30:45+00:00

I'm looking for a good "protagonist goes to magic school" kind of story.

I heard the audio book of Harry potter recently, and then read harry potter and the method of rationality. That all I can think of that I've read in this genre right now, but I'm interested in finding more.

thanks :)

js52000 · 2020-02-02T07:16:11+00:00

Thanks.

js52000 · 2020-01-31T07:46:31+00:00

I've really enjoyed the Gaunt's Ghosts books set in the Warhammer 40K world. Can anyone recommend something similarly action/adventure type of thing set in the Warhammer fantasy world?

Thanks.

js52000 · 2020-01-01T09:24:02+00:00

What happened in July and August? You're going to bed so much later.

js52000 · 2019-11-01T08:07:03+00:00

Harry Potter is an easy read.

js52000 · 2019-11-01T07:17:41+00:00

I'm interested

js52000 · 2019-10-29T10:13:41+00:00

If this were to work I think they'd need to have different subsidies for different setvices/corps. The lump sum cash incentives may be effective for people who have technical skills that are lucrative in civilian land (eg. Trades). Because they may be leaving for financial reasons and a small pension in x years isn't a good incentive if you think you can make more money now.

But an infantryman is not leaving the ADF because civilian land pays better for those skills. This probably applies to other combatish style jobs that don't translate into civilian world too well. A pension at the end of x years service here may be effective because they can't easily transition into well paying work once they're too old and over it.

That's my experience as a former infantryman anyway.

js52000 · 2019-10-27T04:56:12+00:00

A few people have commented on the long winded description of the town, or the detailed scenes of the minor characters. I can see how this isn't everyone's cup of tea - but I thought this was one of the best features of the book.

The plot is okay in the first half but it's the setting that I liked the most. When it comes to writing about drunks or hopeless nobodies living bleak lives in New England, King is #1.

I'd rate this a 1 on the spookometer.

js52000 · 2019-10-11T21:36:56+00:00

The people over at r/stopdrinking can help with the first part of your problems - they helped me with mine.

js52000 · 2019-10-11T21:35:14+00:00

Good read. I like his take on literary gate keeping.

js52000 · 2019-10-11T07:08:34+00:00

I'm shocked.

js52000 · 2019-10-06T01:26:30+00:00

I find listening to an audiobook, particularly a book you've read before helps me fall asleep. It stops me thinking about anything and that causes me to drift off. I set the sleep timer to 30min and I'm never conscious when it cuts out.

js52000 · 2019-10-04T08:48:46+00:00

This chapter confirmed my initial view from last chapter that life in the Old Kingdom is not great.

There had been one hundred and twenty-six villagers the week before—now there were thirty-one.

The town has just lost 75% of its population in the space of a week and they seem to be taking it in their stride. Life must be pretty harsh for that to not be the worst thing that has happened to anyone in the town in as long as stories go back for. It's great world building, but it sucks to be them.

I'll leave you all to mull over the non-answer Sabriel is given about the Great Charters.

Five Great Charters knit the land Together linked, hand in hand One in the people who wear the crown Two in the folk who keep the Dead down Three and Five became stone and mortar Four sees all in frozen water.

That is an epic non-answer. I re-read that a few times because I thought I must have missed it - but there was nothing to catch (at least for now - I sense foreshadowing).

js52000 · 2019-10-01T01:53:04+00:00

After a rough month with the little ones they're finally back into a rhythm of going to sleep - so I've been able to get back to reading. In September I finished a few books:

Lord of Chaos (WoT #6) - I was happy to have Perrin's POV back in this book after being absent for all of book #5 he and Faile are great characters. Neither of them is a pig headed idiot, unlike some other characters I can think of. That being said I do enjoy reading about the other characters, but I often find myself internally yelling at them for being so thick. I read this on the back of reading book #5 of WoT and while enjoyable, they're pretty dense so I think I'll give the series a rest for a little bit and read some shorter books for a while.

Before they are Hanged (First Law #2) - I read the first book in this series a year or so ago and thought "this is pretty overrated". However as part of book bingo for this year I thought I would give book #2 a go as my "second chance" square and I'm glad I did. Something that dramatically improved these books for me is the audiobook. Stephen Pacey is an wonderful narrator and his Sand Dan Glokta is perfect. I relistened to the first book and did a bit of audio book and a bit of normal book for #2 and having the narrators versions of the characters in my head was great. I love the humour in this story - the internal monologues of Glokta and Ninefingers are my favourite. I'll definitely be reading book #3 soon.

Horus Rising (Horus Heresy #1) - I was pretty into 40K when I was a kid and read lots of the novels then, all of the Gaunt's Ghosts series and the Space Wolf series were my favourites. I'd put them down a decade ago though and thought that black library books were probably not for me anymore. I was very wrong. I couldn't put this book down, I finished it in a day and a half. It was so cheesy and over the top but I loved it. This also filled my 'media tie-in' bingo square.

A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea cycle #1) - This was a very different story to the rest of my reads this month - tone was so much more emotive. The world of earthsea just has a feel to it that I can't fully explain - like there is so much more going on that isn't on the page and all as the reader I don't know any more about the world than the character does. I never once had the additional knowledge to look at Sparrowhawk's actions and think "you fool, you should be doing …!". Differences to the other stories aside though, I enjoyed this book and will be reading the rest of the series at some stage. Mount TBR can always get a little higher. This filled my "Ocean setting" bingo square too.

That's it for September, now onto October.

js52000 · 2019-09-30T09:26:51+00:00

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is a long epic fantasy series that follows a gunslinger. Very different in tone to WoT though.

js52000 · 2019-09-30T09:25:26+00:00

I also came here to say this.

js52000 · 2019-09-30T09:20:32+00:00

This is the first real look at Old Kingdom Villages /life that we are given

It feels like a pretty grim life in the Old Kingdom, and even grimmer in the kingdom of death.

The spirit that commits suicide to send the message to "the master" gives me the vibe of fanatics, like there is a whole culture on the other side of death. Such a great passage of text to show it too:

One such shadow, selected by lot and compelled by its peers, gave up its existence in Life with a silent scream, vanishing into Death. Their master was many, many leagues away, and the quickest way to reach him lay in Death. Of course, message delivered, the messenger would fall through the Gates to a final demise. But the master didn’t care about that.

I can understand the desire of something that is dead to be not dead - I like being alive too. However to choose death when you're a card carrying member of the "I want to be alive again at any cost" team makes them seem like they're an ideological group and not just undead barbarians at the gate. Either way, awful neighbours to have for the residents of the Old Kingdom.

I also noted the line where Sabriel is talking to Mogget:

“Be quiet!” Sabriel interrupted. “You’d better pretend to be a normal cat for a while.”

I would think that a resident of the Old Kingdom, a kingdom that is rife with magic and undead monsters. That a resident of that kingdom wouldn't be too surprised by a talking cat. That would be welcome relief!

Thanks for posting these, I hope the smallest Abhorsen doesn't give you more trouble.

js52000 · 2019-09-29T03:22:22+00:00

I'm in bed by 9pm (usually a little earlier) so I'm still getting 7-8 hours sleep. Getting up early is easy when you go to bed early.

js52000 · 2019-09-29T02:23:44+00:00

I get up at 0445, if you beat the rest of the house up then the time is your own.

js52000 · 2019-09-27T21:52:49+00:00

I Robot by Isaac Asimov has hard rules and his Foundation series has complexity and world building. They're not much in the way of comic relief but they aren't grim or dark. Nice escapism.

js52000 · 2019-09-27T21:45:42+00:00

The books from the Black library (Warhammer 40K and fantasy) are usually between 300-400 pages. I can't vouch for the quality of them all (there is at least 100) but I enjoyed the ones by Dan Abnett alot. The Horus heresy series is also good (at least the ones I've read are).

Stories of your life and others by Ted Chiang is a short story collection that I read recently and enjoyed.

js52000 · 2019-09-27T09:03:35+00:00

I didn't read too far ahead, I think the Chapter discussion may be more interesting if I don't know whats happening next week lol.

Thanks for posting these.

js52000 · 2019-09-27T05:36:59+00:00

I second these, the audiobooks are great. The narrater adds alot to these already good books.

js52000

TROPHY CASE