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Miyrru
Graphic Designer
Registration Date: 08.16.06
Location: Freezing cold Northern Ontario
Posts: 7178 |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mushka
How about some literary stuff? 
I really liked Catcher in the Rye. I had to read it for school, but if I'd known about it beforehand, I would have read it on my own anyway.
Another one that had its moments was Catch-22. You may or may not like it... but it's worth reading for the cultural references alone.
The Picture of Dorian Gray was a good read, although a little dark. Perhaps darker than Catch-22, even. And you have to ignore the four-page rant about jewels somewhere near the middle. But what makes the book worthwhile is Oscar Wilde's cynicism. You often can't go three pages without reading a line and thinking "he's completely wrong. But so clever. I'll have to remember that one for later."
A Tale of Two Cities I do not recommend at all, except for the last chapter, which is breathtaking. But you pretty much have to know what's going on already.
I have been meaning to read a few. I loved Great Gatsby and I bought two other Fitzgerald books. Can't seem to remember there names. I have read Heart of Darkness(worst read ever) and I have Moby Dick pending.
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 11.14.2007, 11:40 AM |
   
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arren18
Administrator
Registration Date: 08.15.06
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 10681 |
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Oh yes, Catcher in the Rye is good. I just wrote an essay on it the other day.
I'm a little sad that nobody seems to be all that enthusiastic about Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I think it's excellent, but then maybe that's just me...
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| 11.14.2007, 12:28 PM |
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Kazegami
Miyazaki's Best Friend
Registration Date: 08.19.07
Location: a world of pure imagination
Posts: 7025 |
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quote:
Originally posted by arren18
I'm a little sad that nobody seems to be all that enthusiastic about Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I think it's excellent, but then maybe that's just me...
I loved The Northern Lights, I just didn't understand the other two that's all. Although that was like three years ago. Maybe I should give them another shot.
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| 11.14.2007, 12:46 PM |
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Orphic Okapi
Baron
Registration Date: 04.08.07
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 1335 |
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The first book is fantastic, the second is fairly mediocre, and the last is barely readable. Which is a pity, too, because it all starts off so swimmingly.
As the series progresses, though, Pullman focuses less and less on things like intriguing plot and interesting characters (the very elements that made the first book so wonderful), instead preferring to focus on boring tirades against Christianity (which are all the more tiresome because, of course, every Christian in the books is a psychopath). After a while, it felt like I was reading Atlas Shrugged with some fantasy elements thrown in.
I have nothing wrong with social commentary. But setting up straw men to be knocked down is probably the least interesting and least intelligent way to go about it.
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| 11.14.2007, 06:02 PM |
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harmony-of-mar
Baron
Registration Date: 09.11.07
Location: In the black order cafeteria, eating with allen
Posts: 2635 |
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omg bloodruby star of doom,you chose candice for your avatar?
and liam of doom has phantom....you are so his fangirl....
has anyone read tales from earthsea by ursula le guin? 
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| 11.14.2007, 10:21 PM |
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tariss-of-mar
Ohmu
Registration Date: 09.11.07
Location: Bega, Australia
Posts: 304 |
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quote:
Originally posted by arren18
Oh yes, Catcher in the Rye is good. I just wrote an essay on it the other day.
I'm a little sad that nobody seems to be all that enthusiastic about Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I think it's excellent, but then maybe that's just me...
I loved the series...
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| 11.14.2007, 10:25 PM |
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Mush
Baron
Registration Date: 07.30.07
Location: South of Canada
Posts: 1810 |
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quote:
Originally posted by E_Hakki
but don't you think it was all worth it for that fantastic ending?
I think so. I cried when I read it, and again, when I re-read it. It's really that powerful. But not many people ever get there, because they give up partway through. It isn't really fair to the reader to hide an ending like that. 
Moral of the story: Never pay an author by-the-word.
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| 11.14.2007, 10:27 PM |
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tariss-of-mar
Ohmu
Registration Date: 09.11.07
Location: Bega, Australia
Posts: 304 |
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Anyone read 'Don't Tell Mummy." By some author I now cannot remember the name of... I cried when I read it...
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¨Sorry about the meal, how I made it uncool... Floorwise...¨ Neil, The Young Ones.
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| 11.14.2007, 10:28 PM |
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harmony-of-mar
Baron
Registration Date: 09.11.07
Location: In the black order cafeteria, eating with allen
Posts: 2635 |
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| 11.14.2007, 10:30 PM |
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tariss-of-mar
Ohmu
Registration Date: 09.11.07
Location: Bega, Australia
Posts: 304 |
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It's a true story about a woman and her really bad experiences throughout childhood with her aggressive father and her mother who always sides with her father. It's very moving.
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-Nanashi Fangirl-
¨Sorry about the meal, how I made it uncool... Floorwise...¨ Neil, The Young Ones.
I´m a supporter and user of Ubuntu (Linux)
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| 11.14.2007, 10:32 PM |
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harmony-of-mar
Baron
Registration Date: 09.11.07
Location: In the black order cafeteria, eating with allen
Posts: 2635 |
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i shall look for it.
a good book is magic city,by some guy.its about this student with ptsd from an accident,and his girlfriend dumps him,and hes super worried about everything,then his new friend helps him to have fun again and he slowly gets better,but then his friend does something....
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| 11.14.2007, 10:35 PM |
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tariss-of-mar
Ohmu
Registration Date: 09.11.07
Location: Bega, Australia
Posts: 304 |
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Note that 'Don't Tell Mummy' was a book I bought in Europe, I'm not that sure whether it's available here.
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-Nanashi Fangirl-
¨Sorry about the meal, how I made it uncool... Floorwise...¨ Neil, The Young Ones.
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| 11.14.2007, 10:37 PM |
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Orphic Okapi
Baron
Registration Date: 04.08.07
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 1335 |
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"Fifth Business" is still the greatest book ever written, in case anyone was wondering.
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| 11.14.2007, 11:05 PM |
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tariss-of-mar
Ohmu
Registration Date: 09.11.07
Location: Bega, Australia
Posts: 304 |
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Who´s it by?
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-Nanashi Fangirl-
¨Sorry about the meal, how I made it uncool... Floorwise...¨ Neil, The Young Ones.
I´m a supporter and user of Ubuntu (Linux)
Open source rules!
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| 11.15.2007, 06:27 AM |
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Orphic Okapi
Baron
Registration Date: 04.08.07
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 1335 |
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Robertson Davies.
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| 11.15.2007, 08:56 AM |
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arren18
Administrator
Registration Date: 08.15.06
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 10681 |
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quote:
Originally posted by Orphic Okapi
The first book is fantastic, the second is fairly mediocre, and the last is barely readable. Which is a pity, too, because it all starts off so swimmingly.
As the series progresses, though, Pullman focuses less and less on things like intriguing plot and interesting characters (the very elements that made the first book so wonderful), instead preferring to focus on boring tirades against Christianity (which are all the more tiresome because, of course, every Christian in the books is a psychopath). After a while, it felt like I was reading Atlas Shrugged with some fantasy elements thrown in.
I have nothing wrong with social commentary. But setting up straw men to be knocked down is probably the least interesting and least intelligent way to go about it.
I'm sorry you think that way. Personally, I found that all three books were excellent, the first and third in particular. And at no point did I think that characterisation and plot were being sacrificed for pointless additions. Of course, it is opinion which matters, and if you feel differently, that's fine.
On the other hand, I'm glad tariss could say something more positive about it. 
I'm very suprised only one person (unless I've missed any...) has mentioned Earthsea. I have read all the books in the series at least once, and I think they're very good. What I enjoyed about seeing Gedo Senki (which was based on the plot of the third book, The Farthest Shore) was spotting the elements taken from the other Earthsea books.
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| 11.15.2007, 12:07 PM |
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Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend
Registration Date: 09.28.06
Location: On your case
Posts: 10069 |
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I'm terrible with books. I read a lot during school but the only classics were the ones I had to read. I read a lot of H G Wells when I was a child and Jules Verne and these two authors styles (Wells especially) strongly influenced my own writing. As I got older I read most of Tolkein's works, a lot of sci-fi (short stories mostly) and tons of Stephen King.
But basically if I do read it's non-fiction - military and engineering history mostly, none of which is recommendable because its all technical stuff that would only appeal to a narrow demographic.
I know I should broaden my mind by reading more 'real' books but at my age there isn't enough time (and sadly in my case too much apathy).
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| 11.15.2007, 04:15 PM |
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T.C.
Totoro
Registration Date: 08.28.07
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 709 |
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quote:
Originally posted by Saddletank
a lot of sci-fi (short stories mostly)
Have you read any Philip K Dick? i liked his short stories and i dont ussually read sci-fi, then again his focus isnt so much on the sci-fi elements but still.. worth reading.
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| 11.15.2007, 06:38 PM |
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Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend
Registration Date: 09.28.06
Location: On your case
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Yep, and Asimov and Kurt Vonnegut, and A E Van Vogt, Aldiss, Heinlein and the rest. All the good sc-fi was written pre-1970s IMHO.
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| 11.15.2007, 07:33 PM |
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fenkashi
Dibs on Supreme Overlord
Registration Date: 08.12.07
Location: Canada
Posts: 5735 |
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Ooh books! I read way too much so I usually end up remembering books by the general storyline. But let's see...Tale of Two Cities, yes amazing ending. No questions there. Also love Kurt Vonnegut with all that slapstick humour. I liked Slaughterhouse-five better than Cat's Cradle. The Picture of Dorian Gray was great as well...hm, oh and Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.
Lately though, I've been reading a lot of world literature and I've found that I absolutely love Spanish literature. Gabriel Garcia Marquez has to be one of my favourite authors (Hundred Years of Solitude...love, love, love! and Tuesday Siesta, a short story but great nonetheless). Oh and recently I read something by an Australian playwrite (can't remember her name) but it's called A Shape of a Girl. Depressing but really well done. I want to look more at some Australian lit. and perhaps some African stuff too, which I've tried before but never really went that deep into it. It'd be nice if I could find some prouncable names 
Hm, what about the older, philosopher type writers? I've read some stuff that I liked by Plato and Aristotle but my favourite so far has to be Dante, especially his Inferno.
Right now I'm reading or trying to read Heart of Darkness by something Conrad, The Things They Carried by Tim O'brien (liking this one a lot) and Beowulf. *hangs head* I'll never finish...
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| 11.15.2007, 07:56 PM |
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