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What are you reading?

Kaplan

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Catching up on some stuff from earlier this year...

Algis Budrys: Rogue Moon, 1960.

Another classic from David Pringle's great Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels list. A satisfying read with a similar setup to the Strugatsky's Roadside Picnic, where something lethal and unexplained is discarded by visiting, uncaring aliens and left for humanity to figure out - this time on the moon (and predating that book by 12 years).
 

Kaplan

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Patricia Highsmith: The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1955.

This seemed like the thing to bring to a trip to the south of Italy earlier this summer. Having just watched the great Netflix Ripley series, re-watched Anthony Minghella's 1999 film, watched the book's first adaptation Plein Soleil with Alain Delon from 1960, and rewatched the Ripley series, this was an awesome read (and the tv series is the best and most faithful adaptation).

Allegedly the next 2 books of the series are even better, so I'll eventually get around to those, though they unfortunately won't be in as beautiful an edition as the hardcover version of Talented shown below, with its laminated boards and magnificent cover design (I plan to skip the last 2, rumored to be less than great).

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Kaplan

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Richard Stark: The Man with the Getaway Face, 1963.

Also from the trip above, the second of the Parker novels. A spectacular title and a decent enough beach read, but not as good as the first one. I have the 3rd as well waiting on the shelf and depending on how much I enjoy that, I might pick up a couple more - but just picking from what sounds best among the remaining 21 books in the series. From the very nice University of Chicago Press release.
 

Kaplan

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Star Science Fiction Stories, 1953.

A nice vintage find with an incredible line-up and some great short stories.

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Among them Isaac Asimov casually predict self driving cars, and not in the normal hand-wavy 'in the future, cars can drive by themselves', but in a short story about two contemporary scientists working on the miniaturization of the then room sized computers, and extrapolating a possible application. Cool stuff.

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Kaplan

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Roger Zelazny: Jack of Shadows, 1971.

"A soul wandered the night, cursing.
A fat dragon wheezed as he bore a sheep toward his distant den.
A beast in a twilit swamp dreamed of blood."

Zelazny is a joy to read. This, like his earlier and also great Lord of Light, is SF but reads like fantasy - at least initially while how the universe works is slowly revealed. This one is on the Appendix N list (IYKYK).
 
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edinatlanta

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20250104_173950.jpg


First edition my parents had. Started on Jan 1 and just finished.

Honestly when I watched the movie with my gf last year, I was less than impressed with it. Reading the book i realized thats because things just happen in the movie. The book weaves everything together far more elegantly. Cliche as hell but the book is so much better than the movie.
 

barutanseijin

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View attachment 2308299

First edition my parents had. Started on Jan 1 and just finished.

Honestly when I watched the movie with my gf last year, I was less than impressed with it. Reading the book i realized thats because things just happen in the movie. The book weaves everything together far more elegantly. Cliche as hell but the book is so much better than the movie.

The movie was a landmark in the development of a more visual cinematic style. The movie leaves many indelible images: the horse head in the bed, machine guns at the toll booth, the hit on Cap. McCluskey, the Godfather’s death in the tomato patch, the exploding bride, and so on. The book didn’t have the same impact for me. With some reservations — not a fan of some of the casting & direction of actors — i prefer the Coppola film to the book.
 

edinatlanta

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Finished this. I knew going in that I knew very little about how to pull off a symphonic season. Now I know how much I don't know. Really good stuff. Although, I am pretty sure that symphony members aren't making 350K anymore.
 

SixOhNine

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Well, San Antonio isn't Chicago, but 350k is definitely a tad higher than here
 

imatlas

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Well, San Antonio isn't Chicago, but 350k is definitely a tad higher than here
Nothing quite like depending on the largesse of a bunch of blue haired oil heiresses for your livelihood. I can just imagine what those negotiations were like...
 

edinatlanta

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Well, San Antonio isn't Chicago, but 350k is definitely a tad higher than here
Fun fact!
The employer’s offer would reduce the orchestra from 72 members earning approximately $35,000 seasonally to 42 full-time “core” positions earning $24,500 each season with 4 positions eliminated, and 26 ‘per-service” positions who would perform for $125 per service with a guarantee 90 services annually.
That was the salary for musicians. in 1973 dollars.
 

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