Soviet art is really interesting, from their propaganda posters(Everyone has probably seen the Yuri Gagarin iconic poster), to movies, works by photographers and of course music.
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Marguerite Dumas, De Minnaar (LâAmant).
I remember that book spooking me out about more deeply than any book ever since or before. No idea though how much of that was my circumstances at the time.
Anyway, enjoy the ride!
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I definitely will! So far so good, and a bit âlighterâ than Valis, but I reckon that will change as Iâm now getting into the supposed spooky part 
.
I still remember reading Ubik 2/3 of a lifetime ago. Brilliant! No other book has had such a memorable effect on me.
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interesting! I have it on my list too, together with a bunch of other sf that I discovered on the rather opinionated NYT column â search for Otherworldly by Amar El-Mohtar; this is for example her list of the best in 2021:
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Nice to be bonding over common interests.
I want to hear from people who are reading other genres.
The anthology with the most editions/versions/translations; e.g., there are even several illustrated (Japanese-inspired) Bible manga out there. @Soupy Which one(s) have you been reading?
Not really for me, but my high school age son is reading Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell), so Iâm rereading to discuss with him.
If you havenât read it, I would suggest it. A hint: once you âgetâ the concept, you can skip the 9000 examples he gives before moving onto the next topic. It was pretty groundbreaking stuff when he wrote it, and he wanted to give enough examples to battle the ânay-sayersâ.
Whether you agree with his premise or not, for us photographers, there is utility in assuming basic contextual symbolic threads in the fabric of humanity. We can either use those old stories or react to them.
Thanks for all of the replies on this thread. I use things like this for my âlong term reading listââ> some of my favorite books were discovered by me on forum threads like this one.
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Which version?
In Latin? Greek? Hebrew?
The King James, along with Churchill and Will Durant, makes for a wonderful education in how to read and write.
@Gotflute @afre
I am reading the Good News Bible just because it was the one lying around the house. It does have some simple illustrations throughout. When I want a more accurate idea of what the text says I refer to King James version online, which I do quite often. And when I want a more accurate idea still I will look at the Strongs definitions of particular words at the blue letter Bible website - Greek for the new testament and Hebrew for the old. That is quite revealing. I cant read those languages natively, but sure wish I could. Who knew there were different types of wrath? Or that sorcery = pharmakeia? The Greeks did!
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We could all use some âgood newsâ these days.
Thanks for sharing.
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I am reading 2 books simultaneously:
- On This Day in History, Sh!t Went Down, by James Fell â It has a short, and very funny, description of an event that occurred in history for each day of the year. I read the stories on the day of the year in which they occurred which is why I am reading 2 books simultaneously
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B Cialdini â The title of the book may use the more palatable word âPersuasionâ but inside it speaks of compliance, which is the more truthful word. A fascinating read on all the ways in which one can be manipulated
Your comment makes me want to read Derridaâs âPlatoâs Pharmacyâ.
Once upon a time it was compulsory reading:
Vance Packard: The Hidden Persuaders.
Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden
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What am I reading?
A lot. But book-wise, one of my most enjoyable moments was when I visited a small town, a bit off. They had one antiquarian bookseller, which had just received a large amount of books in a foreign language (i.e. English), written by a foreign author (i.e. P G Wodehouse); all for sale at a ridiculously low price.
I bought them all, phoned my wife to tell her that Iâd be a bit late for dinner, because I had to go to IKEA to buy a new bookshelf first.
Great fun. They still bring me great joyâŚ
Spiffy, eh?
Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden
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Iâve read that one, too. 
Mostly manga to keep my Japanese sharp over the summer while I prepare my study/presentation for this Fall. Itâs actually pretty cheap to import used Japanese language manga into the States. Looking to grab the Japanese versions of Spy x Family. Iâm a simple man and like pictures in my books.
Also making my way back through Mother American Night which is John Perry Barlowâs autobiography.
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This seems like a great read. I am not familiar with it but from a quick wikipedia read I got the general idea of what it is about, specially since I have read some books from people who inspired him.
Whether you agree with his premise or not, for us photographers, there is utility in assuming basic contextual symbolic threads in the fabric of humanity. We can either use those old stories or react to them.
As a modern society it feels like weâve become more disconnected with these archetypal ideas and stories, specially considering the disbandment of the large families, people talk less in groups where these stories used to flourish. We are constantly bombarded with them from popular media, but it seems that something is lost in translation, and to use your term, people react a lot more than they used them.
I have watched enough anime to get the gist of what they are saying without actually understanding the Japanese if that makes sense.
Yeah anime is aimed at the youth market mostly so itâs very slang laden. Lots of simple one liners. Itâs a good way to broaden a textbook based education in the language. A few Japanese newspapers publish a simplified version online for learners as well.
But overall day-to-day Japanese tends to use very simple phrases which seems fine on the surface but I find it makes translation extra challenging. Yokatta, sugoi, yaroo and dame for example can have different intents depending on the context and they are used a lot. Japanese also has fewer verbs than English so they make heavy use of onomatopoeia to indicate the difference between say a chuckling and laughter for example as both are referred to with the warau (to laugh) verb.