Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)

bettim84 said:
I used to love reading but then I went to law school 10 years ago. I now find it extremely hard to read for pleasure, and probably only average 1-2 books per year, max. I’ve been trying to get back into it through graphic novels but without much success so far.
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Joe Mac said:
Yeah I had something similar. Qualified 5 years ago and have really struggled to pick up a book since, probably read 1 or 2 a year, and I was on at least a book a week before that. Maybe I should have used lockdown more widely and attempted to get back into reading, I did love a good book...
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I think its uni's in general that pushes against reading for pleasure. During 6 years of uni (plus 2 working in industry and logging all my work) I just couldn't find the free time to read for pleasure, just too much going on and there was always a bit of work which would benefit from an extra hour here or there. Took me a while to get back into reading to be honest. I started reading on the way into work on the train, then it became the way in and out from work, the occasional lunch break, and now I read whenever I get a free chance as well.

A few years ago I started keeping a list in my phone of each book, film, tv show, and full discography of music that I have completed. Its a nice thing to look back on (I also keep a 'gig list') and I remember being really surprised at how many books I now get through, especially considering I had a 6/8 year hiatus from reading for fun.
 
Selaws said:
I think its uni's in general that pushes against reading for pleasure. During 6 years of uni (plus 2 working in industry and logging all my work) I just couldn't find the free time to read for pleasure, just too much going on and there was always a bit of work which would benefit from an extra hour here or there. Took me a while to get back into reading to be honest. I started reading on the way into work on the train, then it became the way in and out from work, the occasional lunch break, and now I read whenever I get a free chance as well.

A few years ago I started keeping a list in my phone of each book, film, tv show, and full discography of music that I have completed. Its a nice thing to look back on (I also keep a 'gig list') and I remember being really surprised at how many books I now get through, especially considering I had a 6/8 year hiatus from reading for fun.
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I also think its a good idea to read the books you really want to read and start at the page turning end of the scale.
Leave the Don de lilos - Moby Dicks etc when your up to full speed. And even then.....
We were discussing Murakami (briefly in the book thread IQ84 - Huge recommendation for a book that whilst large will grab the attention.
But hell there are a Billion books to read - We cant read em all.
 
Selaws said:
I think its uni's in general that pushes against reading for pleasure. During 6 years of uni (plus 2 working in industry and logging all my work) I just couldn't find the free time to read for pleasure, just too much going on and there was always a bit of work which would benefit from an extra hour here or there. Took me a while to get back into reading to be honest. I started reading on the way into work on the train, then it became the way in and out from work, the occasional lunch break, and now I read whenever I get a free chance as well.

A few years ago I started keeping a list in my phone of each book, film, tv show, and full discography of music that I have completed. Its a nice thing to look back on (I also keep a 'gig list') and I remember being really surprised at how many books I now get through, especially considering I had a 6/8 year hiatus from reading for fun.
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Funnily enough my undergrad didn’t do that to me at all. During it I was reading more for pleasure than probably at any other time in my life. Law school though? Completely different kettle of fish 😂
 
ByersVinyl said:
I also think its a good idea to read the books you really want to read and start at the page turning end of the scale.
Leave the Don de lilos - Moby Dicks etc when your up to full speed. And even then.....
We were discussing Murikami (breifly0 in the book thread IQ84 - Huge recommendation for a book that whilst large will grab the attention.
But hell there are a Billion books to read - We cant read em all.
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Such a good point. The majority of the books I read certainly would not be considered 'classics' but they cover topic's I enjoy so they are easy reads. Over the past few years, I have dipped into reading the occasional classic which I had never read before and that was enjoyable as well, but if I had read one after another I would have started finding it to be a task. I also now have a handful of books which I love so much that I read at least once a year, something I never would have done 10 years ago.
 
ByersVinyl said:
I also think its a good idea to read the books you really want to read and start at the page turning end of the scale.
Leave the Don de lilos - Moby Dicks etc when your up to full speed. And even then.....
We were discussing Murakami (briefly in the book thread IQ84 - Huge recommendation for a book that whilst large will grab the attention.
But hell there are a Billion books to read - We cant read em all.
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Americana is massively accessible... although that may just be in comparison to Underworld
 
I also think that age and level of impressionability has something to play in it too. In my teens I loved Kerouac. Just hoovered up everything he put out gleefully. A few year back I picked up The Dhama Bums and it just infuriated me. I just remember thinking 'what is this shit!'. Maybe the idea of reading mass sections of beat is something more suited to a younger mind. Plus the Characters. I remember thinking that Dean Moriarty was a legend when I was younger but as I've aged I've come to see him as less an anti-hero/ anti establishment figurehead and more as a feckless, irresponsible wanker. And I've read the Electric Cool Aid Acid Test and Neal Cassady comes across as a stand up guy... not the total prick that Kerouac portrays him as.

Same with Naked Lunch. I love Junkie but years after first reading... and loving it... I found Naked Lunch to be borderline unreadable garbage when I last picked it up. Honestly, had I not been so aware of the stigma attached to book burners I'd have set fire to the fucker. People say Ulysses is hard going. I'd rather read Joyce while he just makes up language as he goes along than read Naked Lunch again.... although it does feature the best name for a dildo that was later used as a band name ever so there's that I suppose
 
Rowan said:
I also think that age and level of impressionability has something to play in it too. In my teens I loved Kerouac. Just hoovered up everything he put out gleefully. A few year back I picked up The Dhama Bums and it just infuriated me. I just remember thinking 'what is this shit!'. Maybe the idea of reading mass sections of beat is something more suited to a younger mind. Plus the Characters. I remember thinking that Dean Moriarty was a legend when I was younger but as I've aged I've come to see him as less an anti-hero/ anti establishment figurehead and more as a feckless, irresponsible wanker. And I've read the Electric Cool Aid Acid Test and Neal Cassady comes across as a stand up guy... not the total prick that Kerouac portrays him as.

Same with Naked Lunch. I love Junkie but years after first reading... and loving it... I found Naked Lunch to be borderline unreadable garbage when I last picked it up. Honestly, had I not been so aware of the stigma attached to book burners I'd have set fire to the fucker. People say Ulysses is hard going. I'd rather read Joyce while he just makes up language as he goes along than read Naked Lunch again.... although it does feature the best name for a dildo that was later used as a band name ever so there's that I suppose
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The only Kerouac I have read is On The Road, which was enjoyable but not one I will read again for a while.

Funnily enough, I found the same when reading Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. I might be in the minority here but I vastly prefer The Rum Diary (it's one I read once a year). It was written during the infancy years of Hunter S. Thompson's career and his writing really developed on from it, but I find it to be an incredible read and one which has more interest that the later stuff.
 
Selaws said:
The only Kerouac I have read is On The Road, which was enjoyable but not one I will read again for a while.

Funnily enough, I found the same when reading Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. I might be in the minority here but I vastly prefer The Rum Diary (it's one I read once a year). It was written during the infancy years of Hunter S. Thompson's career and his writing really developed on from it, but I find it to be an incredible read and one which has more interest that the later stuff.
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No. I agree with you. Rum Diary is a far more enjoyable read. I think Fear and Loathing is one of those ones where it's reputation drives the response as opposed to the text itself. Has some memorable lines in there though.
 
VMP Rising St. Panther's 'These Days' is now Out Of Stock! I'm so happy for her and for VMP! These Days is definitely one of my favourite VMP Risings so far! St. Panther has so much effortless swag, and I love the nocturnal, soulful, kickback vibe of this EP! I'm also so happy the VMP pressing for this is 45RPM! 🙌💎

I knew this St. Panther's VMP Rising release would sell out pretty quickly! It's just such a great jazzy, neo-soul, modern, hip-hop infused EP! Can't wait to have this release in my hands! 😁
 
For anyone waiting on Hail Ceasar, it sounds really great.

Live look at me while spinning:

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Mather said:
I know I already went over this a couple of weeks ago but EVERYONE ON HERE IS A LAWYER.

Someone needs to do a study regarding the percentage of vinyl collectors that are lawyers. Because clearly it's high, very high.
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My wife is a Lawyer so that also counts as i now know the law (all of it)
At some point im getting ready to say - “yeah i know all the law now so i don’t need to hear about your day at work”. When does that time come ?(anyone anyone)
 
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Selaws said:
The only Kerouac I have read is On The Road, which was enjoyable but not one I will read again for a while.

Funnily enough, I found the same when reading Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. I might be in the minority here but I vastly prefer The Rum Diary (it's one I read once a year). It was written during the infancy years of Hunter S. Thompson's career and his writing really developed on from it, but I find it to be an incredible read and one which has more interest that the later stuff.
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I liked Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail (an overview of his involvement in the 72 presidential campaign) more than Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
 
Rowan said:
I also think that age and level of impressionability has something to play in it too. In my teens I loved Kerouac. Just hoovered up everything he put out gleefully. A few year back I picked up The Dhama Bums and it just infuriated me. I just remember thinking 'what is this shit!'. Maybe the idea of reading mass sections of beat is something more suited to a younger mind. Plus the Characters. I remember thinking that Dean Moriarty was a legend when I was younger but as I've aged I've come to see him as less an anti-hero/ anti establishment figurehead and more as a feckless, irresponsible wanker. And I've read the Electric Cool Aid Acid Test and Neal Cassady comes across as a stand up guy... not the total prick that Kerouac portrays him as.

Same with Naked Lunch. I love Junkie but years after first reading... and loving it... I found Naked Lunch to be borderline unreadable garbage when I last picked it up. Honestly, had I not been so aware of the stigma attached to book burners I'd have set fire to the fucker. People say Ulysses is hard going. I'd rather read Joyce while he just makes up language as he goes along than read Naked Lunch again.... although it does feature the best name for a dildo that was later used as a band name ever so there's that I suppose
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Same thoughts on Naked Lunch - one of the few books I didn't slog through because I wasn't enjoying it.

Gravity's Rainbow - yes, it's difficult. And I read it after The Crying of Lot 49, which was a very enjoyable read.

It also reminds me of Ulysses. Joyce's short stories are accessible and "easy" (I don't mean that as a pejorative, but relative). I was reading Ulysses while traveling abroad and I ran into a Dubliner (we weren't in Ireland). who asked me why I would read that book. It's been about 15 years since I read it and I can't recall much of the "plot". Yet, I can recall the major points of Hemingway, Tom Robbins, Vonnegut, etc. books that I read 20+ years ago in my teens - there's an economy to that writing.

Don't even get me started on David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest - intimidating and remarkable at the same time.

Murakami is interesting - I read Hard-Boiled Wonderland last year after not having read any Murakami in maybe 10 or so years. I actually picked up - and became familiar w/ him through - Kafka on the Shore because of a book review clipping my mother sent me. The review mentioned Prince and, of course, "Kafka" in the title hooked me. I've read that people have read that book dozens of times to unwrap everything. I like Murakami, but....ain't nobody got time for that.
 
wmeugene said:
It is true. Also, another realm full of lawyers is Deadheads, particularly online forums.
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My favorite law professor was the biggest Deadhead I know. He would frequently drop Dead lyrics into lectures, occasionally wear tie dye under his sport coats and even had a class where he played Cumberland Blues (he taught natural resources and mining law). Hands down one of coolest lawyers you’ll meet.
 
Lord Diaper Baby said:
Same thoughts on Naked Lunch - one of the few books I didn't slog through because I wasn't enjoying it.

Gravity's Rainbow - yes, it's difficult. And I read it after The Crying of Lot 49, which was a very enjoyable read.

It also reminds me of Ulysses. Joyce's short stories are accessible and "easy" (I don't mean that as a pejorative, but relative). I was reading Ulysses while traveling abroad and I ran into a Dubliner (we weren't in Ireland). who asked me why I would read that book. It's been about 15 years since I read it and I can't recall much of the "plot". Yet, I can recall the major points of Hemingway, Tom Robbins, Vonnegut, etc. books that I read 20+ years ago in my teens - there's an economy to that writing.

Don't even get me started on David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest - intimidating and remarkable at the same time.

Murakami is interesting - I read Hard-Boiled Wonderland last year after not having read any Murakami in maybe 10 or so years. I actually picked up - and became familiar w/ him through - Kafka on the Shore because of a book review clipping my mother sent me. The review mentioned Prince and, of course, "Kafka" in the title hooked me. I've read that people have read that book dozens of times to unwrap everything. I like Murakami, but....ain't nobody got time for that.
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I very much enjoyed reading that post /\

I ball out rate both Robbins and Vonnegut. I'd say Vonnegut is the ideal author for anyone who wants something short, easy to digest on face value but with loads of depth if you want to dig deeper. Not to mention fully out and about in the asylum. A friend gifted me Gitterbug Perfume a number of years ago now and I think it may still be the best book gift I've ever received.

I think Murakami has become more digestable as he's aged. He's still on top form but it seems a different sort of top form. A bit of a Murakami-lite or Murakami by numbers sort of affair almost. Killing Comendatore is a lovely book but its seems lazy by his standards. Like he knocked it out in the hour between washing the dishes at his Jazz Club and popping out for a run. Still evokes the same 'wish I was in Japan' desire everytime I read him though even at this point.
 
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