Search results

Great suggestions so far! And Then There Were None and The Black Dahlia were terrific reads. I've read Ellroy's novel twice now: once in Portuguese, and then in English. It's not only a great crime novel, it's a terrifying horror novel. I'm actually very fond of a little-known novel by the...

I believe Diamond meant to say that New Guineans have to store a lot of information on survival that civilized (not only Western) people don't possess anymore, like how to grow crops, or hunt, or distinguish poisonous berries from safe ones, or make a fire in the jungle. Civilized people pat...

Marvel and DC may not produce particularly good monthly comics today, but they have their importance in reprinting seminal classic comics. DC, for instance, has recently finished publishing the complete collection of Will Eisner's 1940's The Spirit, which is one of the landmarks in comics...

It seems just like the type of novel I'd love to read: a good combination of fantasy, realism and intellectual-philosophical ruminations. The only thing that keeps me postpoing it is already knowing the twist (too many hours on wikipedia ruins the fun from most books :o); I feel like I can read...

I think you're talking to deaf ears here :D From my knowledge of the American comics industry, very little of the Franco-Belgian comics ever get translated in English. I believe Corto Maltese had some US editions in the '80s, but he's been out of print ever since. It's another sad sign of the...

So he gets points for describing himself with precision?

Failed States: Noam Chomsky Deep Simplicity, John Gribbin Wiseguy, Nicholas Pillegi Leviathan, Paul Auster The Europeans, Henry James Doctor Faustus, Thomas Mann Demian, Hermann Hesse Richard III, William Shakespeare Safe Conduct, Boris Pasternak The Suicide Clube, Robert Louis...

I'm reading Noam Chomsky's Failed States: so far it's living up to Hegemoy or Survival; it's a good thing Chomsky has abandoned his impenetrable studies in linguistics (which more laymen-friendly guys like Steven Pinker can write about) to tackle politics with clarity and grace. This man's IQ...

A quick glance at my shelves reveals especially Philosophy, History, Linguistics, Science, Sociology/Anthopology, Politics and Literary Theory. Biographies don't particularly interest me, although the last non-fiction book I read was Wiseguy, about the life of small-time mafia guy Henry Hill...

With psych majors here we'll have to be careful :D Well, I just like to read. And I found The Undiscovered Self pretty impenetrable and boring for a layman. Man and his Symbols, on the other hand (clearly written for the layman) was a landmark book in my life. Recently I got a kick from...

Well, trust me - he's not the father of fantasy; and is, it is boring.

Yes, several books by Lars Christensen have become available in Portuguese recently. I've been thinking about giving him a try, but never actually do it. So you would recommend him? He uses a lot of commas; how so? Does he write long sentences?

I've checked Crimes Against Logic; from the reviews it seems interesting. You say you've read nearly all Dawkins' books. I've only read The Blind Watchmaker, and although highly informative I found it somewhat dull too. What would recommend by him for a second try?

I appreciate that recommendation. The Blank Slate is my favourite Pinker book, although it's less of a science book and more of a defense of a particular theory. It's especially valuable for the history of how the Blank Slate theory came to be, why it's so morally offensive to some and why...

Spider-Man 3 This was a complete disappointment! Being a Spider-Man fan for 12 years now and having fond memories of the thousand of comics I read (and sometimes still do), I found this a complete waste of great opportunities. They messed up Venom; they messed up Harry Osborne trying to live...

Has anyone here read Highsmith's Ripley series? Alas, I know it only from the wonderful movie adaptation starring Matt Damon and Jude Law. Is it good? Would you recommend it?

Funny you should mention Pinker: Paul Bloom quotes quite a lot from him. In fact many of his arguments are taken from How The Mind Works, which is better than Descarte's Baby in how it develops the theme of Man's brain limits.

Wuthering Heights, The Red and the Black, Crime and Punishment, Candide are some of the recent classic novels I've read and loved.

I'm sure there are thousands of them, but I'm specifically looking for one that deals with keeping the law and order in Germany during the allied occupation. Basically I want to know who did you turn to if you had to report a crime and similar problems during this chaotic period.

So does he explain religion?