Adventure stories are written by misanthropes. Misanthropes are more likely to be racists. If you pretty much like people, you can deal with a variety of people -- if you can barely stand anyone, there's a good chance that different races are going to be too much for you to handle before your brain fries.
Lovecraft was a hermit. So was Howard. I'd add Jack London as another early-20th-century racist writer; also a loner. It comes with the territory. So as much as those stories resonate for people like me who like the idea of striking out alone for the Yukon or Aquilonia or accidentally uncovering an Old One... they also come out of a personality type that has a dangerous side.
I don't know too much about Jack London-- which is to say anything-- but was he really that demonstrably of a racist?
there are short stories that pretty explicitly glorify Anglo-Saxons (maybe, iirc, he even says Aryans) compared to other folks. Check it out on Bibliomania.
Perfect timing - I need a new audiobook. Recommendations, GO!
Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk
Oral biographies lend themselves to the audiobook format so well, because each character gets his own voice and it really helps flesh out the world. I can't even imagine going back and just reading this.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (BBC Radio Play edition)
Basically they make a radio drama out of the book, and it is fantastic. Plus one of the hobbits from LOTR (Billy Boyd) has one of the main roles, it's really fun to listen to.
Literally anything by David Sedaris. It is all solid gold.
I want to pick up some of Sarah Vowell's audiobooks too, because she not only has a fantastic reading voice, she has a fantastic literary voice, and apparently cameos by famous funny people.
I've got a copy of Hyperion by Dan Simmons on the backburner because it was free from Audible for a promotion they were doing. Dunno how good it'll be, but it was free, so I already got my money's worth.
Hyperion is amazing
Like, there is no superlative that can properly describe how I feel about it.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
I'm liking it okay but I sorta hope more stuff happens in the next one
also fuck you Rankin
If you don't like the next books I will be so sad.
I'm reading the latest issue of Granta these days and am not reading any of the books I meant to finish so I could pick up Flashman. I am smelly and awful.
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"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
freakish lightbutterdick jonesand his heavenly asshole machineRegistered Userregular
edited July 2010
Oh, I should clarify. I'm really looking forward to listening to it, but I don't know how well it'll be read, or translate to an audio format when sometimes I have to reread sentences or process information in print books, especially Simmons.
Though audiobook standards are generally pretty high.
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AntimatterDevo Was RightGates of SteelRegistered Userregular
edited July 2010
every time I see Hyperion mentioned, I just think of the Squadron Supreme
So I can read the lord of the rings books in silmariilion - hobbit - LoTR order.
I have a book called "The Hobbit Companion" my grandma gave me years ago
It has the etymology and background for every word, character, and action in The Hobbit and it provides an incredible insight into the way tolkien wrote, forming ideas from words rather then using words to articulate ideas
So I can read the lord of the rings books in silmariilion - hobbit - LoTR order.
I have a book called "The Hobbit Companion" my grandma gave me years ago
It has the etymology and background for every word, character, and action in The Hobbit and it provides an incredible insight into the way tolkien wrote, forming ideas from words rather then using words to articulate ideas
Awesome.
I love reading the appendices to the lord of the rings.
He really fleshed out that world, I can't imagine the dedication that would take.
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FandyienBut Otto, what about us? Registered Userregular
edited July 2010
I've never actually read the Lord of The Rings
I enjoyed the Silmarillion a lot, and the hobbit is my favorite because it was the first 'real' book I read by myself when I was six
It takes about the length of fellowship to really get the proper feel going though.
I you liked the hobbit you should enjoy the beginning enough to get through to the better parts.
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FandyienBut Otto, what about us? Registered Userregular
edited July 2010
Oh, believe me, I have.
It's just that Tolkien is a terrible storyteller, and it is incredibly noticeable in LOTR
The Silmarillion, on the other hand, played to his strengths by being written in a meticulous, mythological way that the professional linguist in him excelled at
Also, fun fact: the whole thing started when tolkien was grading papers for his parents, and he took a sheet of scrap paper and wrote down the word "hobbit"
there is no way I could read the Lord of the Rings trilogy again
the only reason I read them the first time is because I felt like I was obligated to
Yeah, same here. I read them all, they were pretty OK, but man did they ever drag.
Also, someone on these here forums once recommended the Vampire Hunter D novels to me, so I bought one. I guess someone trolled me or something, because this shit is terrible.
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except it's pretty much the same thing for 800 chapters
i don't even care its a little kid solvin CRIMES
Adventure stories are written by misanthropes. Misanthropes are more likely to be racists. If you pretty much like people, you can deal with a variety of people -- if you can barely stand anyone, there's a good chance that different races are going to be too much for you to handle before your brain fries.
Lovecraft was a hermit. So was Howard. I'd add Jack London as another early-20th-century racist writer; also a loner. It comes with the territory. So as much as those stories resonate for people like me who like the idea of striking out alone for the Yukon or Aquilonia or accidentally uncovering an Old One... they also come out of a personality type that has a dangerous side.
http://numberblog.wordpress.com/
there are short stories that pretty explicitly glorify Anglo-Saxons (maybe, iirc, he even says Aryans) compared to other folks. Check it out on Bibliomania.
http://numberblog.wordpress.com/
I'm liking it okay but I sorta hope more stuff happens in the next one
also fuck you Rankin
Hyperion is amazing
Like, there is no superlative that can properly describe how I feel about it.
If you don't like the next books I will be so sad.
I'm reading the latest issue of Granta these days and am not reading any of the books I meant to finish so I could pick up Flashman. I am smelly and awful.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Though audiobook standards are generally pretty high.
is it the tits
Someone reccomend me some good sci-fi or fantasy or something that can put me back in a literary mood so I can continue my autodidactic endeavors
http://www.amazon.com/Stories-All-New-Tales-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0061230928
I find his work objectively interesting and good but personally don't derive a great deal of pleasure from it
he only has one story in it, he just helped edit the collection
In that case, I'll have to check it out
I also have a book of detective stories set in Richmond called Richmond Noir, and one of my former professors has a story published in it
Maybe I'll read that
Or try out Discworld
So I can read the lord of the rings books in silmariilion - hobbit - LoTR order.
I have a book called "The Hobbit Companion" my grandma gave me years ago
It has the etymology and background for every word, character, and action in The Hobbit and it provides an incredible insight into the way tolkien wrote, forming ideas from words rather then using words to articulate ideas
And I keep forgetting that I have it sitting here so I don't pick it up during my downtime during the day
It's not that I don't want to read it but it didn't hook me right away and I just keep forgetting about it
Cause once I got a couple hundred pages in I found I couldn't put it down.
The newspaper lady just talked to Barbie's old commanding officer on the phone, I think.
once you get further, you won't want to stop until the ending
I love reading the appendices to the lord of the rings.
He really fleshed out that world, I can't imagine the dedication that would take.
I enjoyed the Silmarillion a lot, and the hobbit is my favorite because it was the first 'real' book I read by myself when I was six
It takes about the length of fellowship to really get the proper feel going though.
I you liked the hobbit you should enjoy the beginning enough to get through to the better parts.
It's just that Tolkien is a terrible storyteller, and it is incredibly noticeable in LOTR
The Silmarillion, on the other hand, played to his strengths by being written in a meticulous, mythological way that the professional linguist in him excelled at
Also, fun fact: the whole thing started when tolkien was grading papers for his parents, and he took a sheet of scrap paper and wrote down the word "hobbit"
I mean, to me reading Rings is like looking at all the beautiful places he paints images of in your head.
the only reason I read them the first time is because I felt like I was obligated to
Yeah, same here. I read them all, they were pretty OK, but man did they ever drag.
Also, someone on these here forums once recommended the Vampire Hunter D novels to me, so I bought one. I guess someone trolled me or something, because this shit is terrible.
I'm tempted to go onto Gravity's Rainbow immediately after I finish V.
It's HARD
God, what a shitty book.
Me too! High five!