plutonic's recent activity
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Comment on New books aren’t worth reading in ~books
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Comment on New books aren’t worth reading in ~books
plutonic Link ParentI am not familiar with all of the authors you listed and the last thing I ever want to get into is an argument on what is or is not literature or books worth reading, but I can say in my personal...I am not familiar with all of the authors you listed and the last thing I ever want to get into is an argument on what is or is not literature or books worth reading, but I can say in my personal opinion that Stephen King, Brandon Sanderson and George Martin are not authors I would ever consider reading and I think they will be completely forgotten 100 years from now.
Small selection of authors that I do think are worth reading that are more modern:
Cormac McCarthy (only Blood Meridian)
László Krasznahorkai (I'm not a fan of post-modern lit but definitely worth reading)
Haruki MurikamiWhat I was more trying to say in my original post, is do you think any of the authors you listed are more worth reading than say Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Faulkner, Melville, Mann, Joyce, Woolf, ect? I could go on and on, the list is really long. Those authors didn't just write one good book, their entire catalogs are masterworks and time is very limited. I read somewhere around 40 books/year, let's say I started when I was 25, my eyesight gives out when I'm 70, 45 years of reading. So about 1,800 books total over an entire lifetime. I already have more than 3000 books in my library. That's really grim and I hate thinking about it. I'm 44 now and my records say 622 finished.
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Comment on New books aren’t worth reading in ~books
plutonic Link ParentNice list! I also refuse to read DFW's 'Infinite Jest' and Joyce's 'Ulysses', even though you can find Ulysses at the top of most lists, I tried once realized I would get absolutely nothing out of...Nice list! I also refuse to read DFW's 'Infinite Jest' and Joyce's 'Ulysses', even though you can find Ulysses at the top of most lists, I tried once realized I would get absolutely nothing out of it for the immense amount of work required and put it back on the shelf.
The first books that I can remember when starting to read Literature was Orwell's 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying' and Steinbeck's 'The Winter of our Discontent'. I also started well into my 20's.
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Comment on New books aren’t worth reading in ~books
plutonic Link ParentI don't think I've ever seen a perfectly good definition of 'Serious Literature' since I think it's a fluid thing, but for me it's one of those 'I know it when I read it'.I don't think I've ever seen a perfectly good definition of 'Serious Literature' since I think it's a fluid thing, but for me it's one of those 'I know it when I read it'.
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Comment on New books aren’t worth reading in ~books
plutonic Link ParentI agree with you, it takes time to filter through the years to become part of The Canon, there seems to be a lot of works written in languages other than English that are awaiting translations...I agree with you, it takes time to filter through the years to become part of The Canon, there seems to be a lot of works written in languages other than English that are awaiting translations that are most likely extremely good.
Blood Meridian is a good example, but it is also now 40+ years old.
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Comment on New books aren’t worth reading in ~books
plutonic (edited )LinkIf the goal is to read serious literature I do actually believe there has been few books published in the last 50 years actually worth reading. There is a very big difference between reading...If the goal is to read serious literature I do actually believe there has been few books published in the last 50 years actually worth reading. There is a very big difference between reading serious literature and reading for entertainment. Just like there is a very big difference between watching Schindler's List and the latest super-hero movie.
You can read nothing but the absolute cream of the crop of serious literature written throughout history and you will run out of life before you get through just the 'best of the best'. So why read anything else? What possibly do they have to offer compared to the classical greats? Free time in this life is very limited and reading takes immense amounts of time, so if I decide to keep trying to read modern books that keep disappointing me I am then missing out on reading a great masterpiece from the past.
But that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with reading for entertainment value and I'm sure there are lots of modern books that qualify as great entertainment, but not everyone reads for entertainment purposes and that's OK too. To each their own.
Also, this Twitter post is terrible, what a loser.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic Link ParentI wrote a post about it here. But on top of that I think what really makes it #1 is the prose and use of language, there are so many great lines, so many great paragraphs where you just sit in awe...I wrote a post about it here.
But on top of that I think what really makes it #1 is the prose and use of language, there are so many great lines, so many great paragraphs where you just sit in awe of the way Melville uses the English language. I can't think of any other work that sounds like Moby Dick.
There's also much meaning and symbolism dripping throughout the entire book, there is so much depth. The character of Ahab is masterfully written, becoming more and more self aware while at the same time becoming more insane. I just love how he becomes obsessed with Pip after the drowning incident. I love when he fires his pipe into the ocean and it steams and sinks like the ship. The arm coming out of the water just as the ship goes under nailing Ahab's flag to the mast and the Sky Hawk being sucked down with the ship
"which, like Satan, would not sink to hell till she had dragged a living part of heaven along with her"It's just everything I love about reading. I did not feel this way the first time I read it, it took a second and now third time to really appreciate it. The lectures of Dreyfus really helped me understand the book on another level.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic LinkLet's see, finished Moby Dick finally, took me about 2 months to digest it properly. Best book ever written in the English language and I'll die on that hill. After that I've decided to read some...Let's see, finished Moby Dick finally, took me about 2 months to digest it properly. Best book ever written in the English language and I'll die on that hill.
After that I've decided to read some shorter works.
First up was Patrick Modiano's 'Young Once' published in 1981, I had never actually heard of this author before but bought 2 of his books because they were published by 'nyrb' I'll buy and read just about any book published by nyrb, I haven't found a bad one yet. Plus he won the Nobel Prize in 2014. The book was decent, nothing special really. A couple looking back on their youth and their coming together.
Next up was Bret Easton Ellis' 'Less Than Zero' published 1985. I've previously read 'American Psycho' and 'Glamorama'. American Psycho is decent, Glamorama was meh, Less Than Zero is awful. Not recommended at all. It starts OK, rich kids from California partying and doing drugs with no responsibility, that's all fine and good but by the end there is a 12 year old strapped to a bed being raped. Give me a break. No depth, nothing interesting, just a lame book that descends into 'shock value' territory.
I just started into Simone de Beauvoir's 'The Woman Destroyed' published 1967. I'm less than 100 pages in and WOW this is my kind of thing. So unbelievably sad and miserable so far, I love it. Written by a woman from a woman's perspective, which is not something you usually see when it comes to a totally miserable book. I don't want to say too much since I just started it, but I have very high hopes this is going to be a gooder.
In Audiobook land I've been listening to David Eggers' 'What is the What' published 2006 (holy smokes this is new!) A novelized biography of one of the 'Lost Boys' from the Second Sudanese Civil War. I know very little to nothing about this conflict so I chose it so I could learn about it. I'm about halfway through and it is pretty good so far, more humorous than I was expecting.
Before that I finished listening to the Audiobook for Alexander Dumas' 'The Black Tulip' published 1850. Dumas' books are just fun to read and or listen to. This is not deep literature despite its age. Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favourite stories of all time and a very fun reading experience, that book I absolutely recommend everyone read. Black Tulip was a little different from his other books, especially the Musketeer books. This is more character focused about the battle to grow the first Black Tulip.
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentOh, I'm am RCS user. I send pictures to people ect. I was just saying I'm not sure that not being in group chats is all that rare!Oh, I'm am RCS user. I send pictures to people ect. I was just saying I'm not sure that not being in group chats is all that rare!
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentI'm not the OP but personally I've never participated in a 'group chat' ever.I'm not the OP but personally I've never participated in a 'group chat' ever.
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Comment on Pasta al formaggio (mac & cheese): Italian chef Paolo Lopriore rewrites the American classic recipe in ~food
plutonic Link ParentRecipes in it are very hit and miss, but there are some really good ones. There is also an Indian spiced red pasta sauce that's pretty good. I'm making a Paneer Tikka Masala from it this week!Recipes in it are very hit and miss, but there are some really good ones. There is also an Indian spiced red pasta sauce that's pretty good. I'm making a Paneer Tikka Masala from it this week!
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Comment on A photo essay of 20+ tech museums across the world in ~tech
plutonic LinkGreat bunch of photos to flip through, thanks for posting this! Ones that caught my eye for who knows what reason: Seattle's Connections Museum and Bob Paquette’s Microphone Museum in MilwaukeeGreat bunch of photos to flip through, thanks for posting this!
Ones that caught my eye for who knows what reason:
Seattle's Connections Museum and Bob Paquette’s Microphone Museum in Milwaukee -
Comment on Pasta al formaggio (mac & cheese): Italian chef Paolo Lopriore rewrites the American classic recipe in ~food
plutonic LinkI've make a very odd Indian Mac & Cheese that uses crumbled Paneer as the cheese with spinach and Indian spices for flavour. Comes from the fusion section of the 660 Curries book.I've make a very odd Indian Mac & Cheese that uses crumbled Paneer as the cheese with spinach and Indian spices for flavour. Comes from the fusion section of the 660 Curries book.
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Comment on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shoots and kills a woman during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown in ~society
plutonic Link ParentSomehow JD Vance thinks this exonerates the officer? If anything this video is even worse, shows the officer was AT MOST 'bumped' by the vehicle at near zero speed and really did not face any...Somehow JD Vance thinks this exonerates the officer? If anything this video is even worse, shows the officer was AT MOST 'bumped' by the vehicle at near zero speed and really did not face any chance of being 'run over'.
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Comment on NASA’s science budget won’t be a train wreck after all in ~space
plutonic LinkThis is absolutely great news. This policy of gutting NASA and Science funding was going to be one of the most damaging aspects of Trump 2.0. Once those programs are ended and the jobs are lost...This is absolutely great news. This policy of gutting NASA and Science funding was going to be one of the most damaging aspects of Trump 2.0. Once those programs are ended and the jobs are lost they cannot just be turned back on quickly. A large portion of America's upcoming scientists and researchers were looking at a bleak future with their only prospects being to leave the country to find work in their field. Hopefully this continues to be the path forward with congress as we navigate these dark years.
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Comment on Grok AI generates images of ‘minors in minimal clothing’ in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentThe person requesting the 'faulty product' to make CSAM? These AI's just don't start producing images on their own, you have to describe it detail what you want the AI to produce.The person requesting the 'faulty product' to make CSAM? These AI's just don't start producing images on their own, you have to describe it detail what you want the AI to produce.
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Comment on Good News Everyone! in ~news
plutonic LinkThe Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is complete Expected launch June 2026 on a Falcon Heavy!The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is complete
Expected launch June 2026 on a Falcon Heavy!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic LinkI just finished listening to Daphne Du Maurier's 'My Cousin Rachel' (Published 1951). Good old Gothic Fiction! I was introduced to Du Maurier through her novel Rebecca which is a masterpiece of...I just finished listening to Daphne Du Maurier's 'My Cousin Rachel' (Published 1951). Good old Gothic Fiction! I was introduced to Du Maurier through her novel Rebecca which is a masterpiece of Gothic Fiction, a riveting page turner with an ending that can never be forgotten. Highly recommended reading for anyone, this is not stinky old literature.
My Cousin Rachel is definitely not the quality of Rebecca, but it is still a very good book. A young man (Philip Ashley) coming of age is living with his Cousin Ambrose Ashley, Ambrose goes off to Italy and ends up married to a mysterious woman named Rachel. Ambrose then dies of mysterious causes but is able to get a cryptic letter off to Philip with accusations of poisoning, but things are not clear. What is clear is that Ambrose left a new will giving everything that was going to be Philips to Rachel but never signs it, why? Rachel then comes to see Philip back home and stay with him, Philip is wary of her but she is very charming and wins him over, in fact he falls in love with her. Philip then decides to 'right' Ambroses 'wrong' by gifting her the entire estate upon his 25th birthday when he rightfully inherits the estate. After this Rachel starts acting more and more mysteriously, is she playing games with him or is he reading into her actions too much? Philip falls seriously ill and eventually also suspects he is being poisoned, clues are found but that is it. The book comes to a head when he is finally determined to find out the truth, an unfortunate accident occurs and Philip is left to find the truth himself. I won't ruin the end but it is great. A totally unexpected ending where no actual twist occurs, the whole thing comes down to the last couple paragraphs. Masterfully done.
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Comment on Candice Owens and the death of the decay of the American brain in ~society
plutonic Link ParentI'm in Canada. I've also discovered that following and paying attention to all of these idiots (especially Trump) was having a negative effect on my mental health, so now when I run into people...I'm in Canada.
I've also discovered that following and paying attention to all of these idiots (especially Trump) was having a negative effect on my mental health, so now when I run into people like this I just ignore them and move on with my life.
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Comment on How do you plan out your meals for the week/meal prep? in ~food
plutonic Link ParentI also used a meal prep service (Fresh Prep) to learn how to cook, it actually worked really well. I started with the meal kits, then kept the recipe cards and now just re-make the same recipes on...I also used a meal prep service (Fresh Prep) to learn how to cook, it actually worked really well. I started with the meal kits, then kept the recipe cards and now just re-make the same recipes on my own. Best part is the recipe cards call out the exact ingredients and amounts for any 'spice blends' that were provided.
Things I have really liked that I don't see come up as often:
Patrick White's 'Rider's in the Chariot'
Louis Guilloux's 'Blood Dark'
Nikos Kazantzakis' ' The Last Temptation of Christ'
Thomas Wolfe's 'Look Homeward Angel'
Leonid Andreyev's 'Seven Who Were Hanged'
Nick Cave's 'And The Ass Saw The Angel'
Andrei Bely's 'St. Petersburg'
Anatole France's 'The Gods Will Have Blood'