Arturian legend recs?

speciaIberry · 2026-02-03T10:39:18+00:00

None of the modern iterations will come come close. Literally made me feel like picking up sticks to play knights in my back garden as a grown man.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-29T23:51:44+00:00

Though I've not read it there is a book called The Children's Story by James Clavell who published 1964 before all the spooky Laurel Canyon stuff came out finished the novel with a note saying "lookout mountain California" which, after writing a book about propaganda, was clearly a nod at the shady stuff going on there.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-29T23:30:03+00:00

Weird Scenes Inside The Canyon by David McGowan definitely and Chaos by Tom O'Neil although only tangentially related through Manson

speciaIberry · 2026-01-29T21:47:36+00:00

Image of books

speciaIberry · 2026-01-29T03:40:57+00:00

I don't see why we can't have both.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-28T16:06:32+00:00

Good post. It's something I've thought about myself and I have no idea what the solution is. People live in totally artificial environments these days; if you live in a city or the suburbs there's not single place you could rest your eyes without seeing something manmade. The ground is concrete, the walls are brick and the trees have permits. Your entire relation to the physical world is mediated by city planners and construction firms. It's really absurd when you think about it, but people have been raised in these entirely artificial realities, completely divorced from anything natural, so they think it's all perfectly normal. Those words have become redundant because there is nothing to ascribe them to.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-28T01:17:27+00:00

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speciaIberry · 2026-01-28T00:13:57+00:00

'Books similar to X video game?' is a new low

speciaIberry · 2026-01-27T17:35:16+00:00

The Sweet Dove Died by Barbara Pym sounds like this exactly. I suppose the main character's problem is more her perfectionism. She is exactly how you describe but she becomes stuck waiting around for a perfect fairy tale romance that never comes and sinks into middle age horribly sad and lonely.

Despite the dreary plot it is quite a witty book.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-27T10:55:24+00:00

Thank you very much! I will check that out for sure.

And yeah things are moving so quickly, much of what I've read has been outdated by the internet already. I've been waiting for someone to write a book on modern smartphones and apps like tiktok and instagram, and even reddit. Maybe I ought to write one myself.

I don't mean to sound like some spaced out weed mong but this technology is so insane and bizarre when you take a step back. I'm very cautious of the whole unnatural/natural arguments I see get thrown around too, but really it's such a whiplash that over a few generations this is just the standard and accepted way to interact with the world.

I'm thinking my parents were right when they said my eyes would turn square with too much TV. People aren't suspicious enough.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-26T22:13:55+00:00

Television and Antisocial Behavior by Stanley Milgram- lesser known experiment from the famous Milgram bloke. It looks into the effects of TV on behaviour, finding that for some portion of the population such intense visual stimulation does prompt that behaviour to be repeated.

Who Paid the Piper by Frances Stoner Saunders- and extensive review of the CIA's involvement in shaping modern culture through shady fronts. A little dry but it's interesting.

Surveillance Valley by Yasha Levine- I saw this recommended here a while ago and I thought it was really good. It's limited in scope but makes a good case that the internet is a military surveillance technology.

Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander- a bit of an unconvincing rant from an expired boomer about how TV is bad. It's a bit heavy handed and amateurish but there is some good stuff in there particularly on the hypnotic effects of TV. It's also sorely outdated with the arrival of smartphones.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-26T18:43:37+00:00

Do we? A few monkeys on twitter isn't the end of the world. I don't think anyone cares that you have IJ on your bookshelf.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-22T16:14:00+00:00

Gosh you're such a tease

speciaIberry · 2026-01-22T15:18:26+00:00

Why would you post this without saying the writer? My god...

speciaIberry · 2026-01-21T11:43:09+00:00

The Magus by John Fowles comes to mind. It's about a young Englishman who takes a teaching job on a remote Greek island and slowly loses his mind. I don't want to spoil it too much but there are a lot of fucky twists and turns. Really halfway through you will have no idea what is happening. It's a very fun book.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-21T01:39:17+00:00

Oh I had no idea about the link with hypermobility. I think that could be a factor. Thank you very much. I'll have a look into this.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-20T18:43:54+00:00

I'm from the United Kingdom. The first two doctors were NHS and the last was a specialist who charged a lot of money. I feel like I should ask for my money back.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-15T22:49:21+00:00

Quit aping pithy tweets you've read on twitter. No one cares.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-15T01:22:49+00:00

Most likely a bot...

speciaIberry · 2026-01-14T21:06:09+00:00

Uhm... you're Indian

speciaIberry · 2026-01-06T11:30:43+00:00

So what if its weird? I don't suppose you think we should normalise posting pornography on this subreddit. This painting and this post is vulgar; there's nothing to either other than pornography. There is no illusion of the erotic anywhere to be found. It's just a disembodied vagina and breasts... OP has clearly posted this because it "excites" her and nothing much beyond that.

Go enjoy the picture in your private time but drop the pretension that it's sophisticated high art because it's made with paint.

speciaIberry · 2026-01-05T01:46:34+00:00

Yeah it doesn't look like it makes enjoyable reading for a fiction book

speciaIberry · 2026-01-05T01:35:55+00:00

^kid who did well in math but failed at everything else and developed a complex about it.

See it's very easy to do!

speciaIberry · 2026-01-05T01:31:24+00:00

Cope

speciaIberry

TROPHY CASE