Also I know this really isn't the correct place but does anyone know of any good novels/stories etc that feature the Lovecraft Mythos? Aside from Lovecraft's stuff of course.
I don't care what it's about. It could be about a guy driving his car. If its engaging and awesome and hard to put down, I want to read it. Suggestions?
Zombiemambo on
0
Options
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
I don't care what it's about. It could be about a guy driving his car. If its engaging and awesome and hard to put down, I want to read it. Suggestions?
I don't care what it's about. It could be about a guy driving his car. If its engaging and awesome and hard to put down, I want to read it. Suggestions?
I don't care what it's about. It could be about a guy driving his car. If its engaging and awesome and hard to put down, I want to read it. Suggestions?
I don't care what it's about. It could be about a guy driving his car. If its engaging and awesome and hard to put down, I want to read it. Suggestions?
Screwtape Letters for something light. Heretics for something more substantial. Dune if you want science fantasy. Fahrenheit 451 for politics mixed with really cheesy sci-fi. A Clockwork Orange for REALLY CREEPY I FEEL DIRTY I THINK I NEED A SHOWER with a little social commentary. Dubliners for unique style and strong imagery. Frankenstein for an early, possibly the first, example of science fiction as a vehicle for social commentary.
it is wonderfully, amazingly awesome if you are a postmodernist
otherwise, yeah, it is pretty good
Randall_Flagg on
0
Options
ArtreusI'm a wizardAnd that looks fucked upRegistered Userregular
edited September 2008
So I am reading Ten Years in the Gulag: The Aquariums of Pyongyang right now. It is a pretty good book. Learning some stuff from it. I was unaware of what exactly North Korea is like nowadays. Apparently there are still somewhere around 200,000 North Koreans in the various gulags/concentration camps. to this day.
I finally finished Asimov's Foundation series. Don't ever fuck a girl from Alpha Centauri, she'll give you Aids.
Did you just read the books with foundation in the title, or did you go whole hog and read the prequels? If not, and for all who's interested, here's the list of books in the order that should be read, that he himself wrote:
The complete robot
the positronic man
Gold*
nemesis*
the end of eternity*
the caves of steel
the naked sun
robots of dawn
robots and empire
the stars, like dust
the currents of space
pebble in the sky
the early asimov
prelude to foundation
forward the foundation
foundation
foundation and empire
second foundation
foundation's edge
foundation and earth
*He technically didn't count these in the series, but it just makes sense.
for the love of god, do not pick up the third. even the second is weak, but passable. just pretend it stops at the second one and watch the showtime series.
Muse Among MenSuburban Bunny Princess?Its time for a new shtick Registered Userregular
edited September 2008
I'm quite pleased with myself. After years of literary dry spell I delved back into reading with a voracious appetite. I have started listing all that I have read as of last summer to the start of this summer (discounting anything read over the summer months to have a total for the year):
1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
2. All American Girl (I thought I had to . . . I will never forgive myself for this . . .)
3. The Oddysey
4. Siddhartha
5. War of the Worlds
6. The Time Machine
7. HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy
8. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
9. So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
10. Life, The Universe, and Everything
11. The Kite Runner
12. Slaughterhouse 5
13. Life of Pi
14. The Count of Monte Cristo
15. Lolita
16. 1984
17. Paradise Lost (more like a picture book honestly . . .)
18. The Great Gatsby
19. Cat’s Cradle
20. Breakfast of Champions
21. Memoirs of a Geisha
22. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
23. Animal Farm
24. Fahrenheight 451
25. The Bell Jar
26. Night
27. Flowers for Algernon
Discounting The Color of Water and A Thousand Splendid Suns, I didn't much over the summer. I know I can't be the only one to keep lists.
I wish I kept a list. It would be great to have to refer to when someone asks me for a recommendation, because I can never remember what I've read recently. Maybe I'll start doing that.
Reading Everything Is Illuminated, The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and The Great Gatsby right now, enjoying the shit out of all three.
Don't really understand all the hate Gatsby seems to get.
being forced to read something make you have a lot less patience for it and be a lot more willing to hate it, and gatsby is the classic "book everyone has to read in high school"
Reading Everything Is Illuminated, The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and The Great Gatsby right now, enjoying the shit out of all three.
Don't really understand all the hate Gatsby seems to get.
being forced to read something make you have a lot less patience for it and be a lot more willing to hate it, and gatsby is the classic "book everyone has to read in high school"
that's my theory, anyway
I cant stand forced reading. I absolutely hate it. Like, it could be the most awesome book ever, but being forced to read it fast so I can take a test on it makes me despise it. This happened with 1984, Dracula, Huckleberry Finn, and several others. All books I thought I would love, but being forced to read them caused them to be horrible exercises in torture.
Oh god I love this book so much. Ive read it like 4 times. So awesome.
It is incredibly sad, but yes, a very worthwhile read and I recommend it to people I know with little patience for large books.
And yes, being forced to analyze a book ruins it's value. Not to say you shouldn't really put an effort into appreciating the complexities of a book, but you analyze things naturally as you read along. The concepts and commentary you form isn't always particularly concrete or tangible, but they exist as some sort of mental ether in your mind. Rereading allows you to uncover more about the book and cement previous analysis and discussing it is even better and far more satisfying.
Thinking about it, I doubt I would have enjoyed Gatsby if it was part of the curriculum (especially since it is not an overly complex story). Thankfully it isn't for us. Some of the classes did Slaughterhouse 5, and that actually seemed like it would have still remained enjoyable. Sadly, it is no longer used for being too blue.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Vonnegut books Ive read so far, I really need to keep getting more but man, when you dont have a job its hard to muster up $15 for a book. Sadly the libraries here are terrible.
Posts
That is the single most awesome thing anyone has ever said on this thread.
Also I know this really isn't the correct place but does anyone know of any good novels/stories etc that feature the Lovecraft Mythos? Aside from Lovecraft's stuff of course.
A really good book.
A really good book.
I don't care what it's about. It could be about a guy driving his car. If its engaging and awesome and hard to put down, I want to read it. Suggestions?
Everybody Poops.
Confederacy of Dunces is pretty readalent.
how about jitterbug perfume
Sounds...interesting.
Heretics for something more substantial.
Dune if you want science fantasy.
Fahrenheit 451 for politics mixed with really cheesy sci-fi.
A Clockwork Orange for REALLY CREEPY I FEEL DIRTY I THINK I NEED A SHOWER with a little social commentary.
Dubliners for unique style and strong imagery.
Frankenstein for an early, possibly the first, example of science fiction as a vehicle for social commentary.
oh psh, you
Completely unlike anything I've ever read before.
If I hear so much as a bump or a dog bark while I read it, it makes me tense up.
it was pretty good
otherwise, yeah, it is pretty good
I haven't watched the anime yet. I've read all but two volumes of Monster and love it to death.
Soon I Will Be Invincible was good. It wasn't anything special though.
I love that book, but it'll fucking break you if you're weak of spirit.
Did you just read the books with foundation in the title, or did you go whole hog and read the prequels? If not, and for all who's interested, here's the list of books in the order that should be read, that he himself wrote:
the positronic man
Gold*
nemesis*
the end of eternity*
the caves of steel
the naked sun
robots of dawn
robots and empire
the stars, like dust
the currents of space
pebble in the sky
the early asimov
prelude to foundation
forward the foundation
foundation
foundation and empire
second foundation
foundation's edge
foundation and earth
going to pick up the next two
for the love of god, do not pick up the third. even the second is weak, but passable. just pretend it stops at the second one and watch the showtime series.
1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
2. All American Girl (I thought I had to . . . I will never forgive myself for this . . .)
3. The Oddysey
4. Siddhartha
5. War of the Worlds
6. The Time Machine
7. HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy
8. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
9. So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
10. Life, The Universe, and Everything
11. The Kite Runner
12. Slaughterhouse 5
13. Life of Pi
14. The Count of Monte Cristo
15. Lolita
16. 1984
17. Paradise Lost (more like a picture book honestly . . .)
18. The Great Gatsby
19. Cat’s Cradle
20. Breakfast of Champions
21. Memoirs of a Geisha
22. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
23. Animal Farm
24. Fahrenheight 451
25. The Bell Jar
26. Night
27. Flowers for Algernon
Discounting The Color of Water and A Thousand Splendid Suns, I didn't much over the summer. I know I can't be the only one to keep lists.
and slowly losing my mind
It's an entertaining and irreverent look at Roman history.
I don't put much faith in Amazon ratings.
These guys bought what is obviously meant as salacious pop-history, and expected high-quality academic research.
There's a German grammar I want to get that has similar reviews from someone expecting it to be an intro-level text book.
Most people don't know what they're buying.
Which isn't very representative
I think I'm gonna start The Joy Luck Club pretty soon
I read a a chapter and enjoyed it
Amazon Wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/BusterK/wishlist/3JPEKJGX9G54I/ref=cm_wl_search_bin_1
Don't really understand all the hate Gatsby seems to get.
being forced to read something make you have a lot less patience for it and be a lot more willing to hate it, and gatsby is the classic "book everyone has to read in high school"
that's my theory, anyway
Oh god I love this book so much. Ive read it like 4 times. So awesome.
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
I cant stand forced reading. I absolutely hate it. Like, it could be the most awesome book ever, but being forced to read it fast so I can take a test on it makes me despise it. This happened with 1984, Dracula, Huckleberry Finn, and several others. All books I thought I would love, but being forced to read them caused them to be horrible exercises in torture.
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
It is incredibly sad, but yes, a very worthwhile read and I recommend it to people I know with little patience for large books.
And yes, being forced to analyze a book ruins it's value. Not to say you shouldn't really put an effort into appreciating the complexities of a book, but you analyze things naturally as you read along. The concepts and commentary you form isn't always particularly concrete or tangible, but they exist as some sort of mental ether in your mind. Rereading allows you to uncover more about the book and cement previous analysis and discussing it is even better and far more satisfying.
Thinking about it, I doubt I would have enjoyed Gatsby if it was part of the curriculum (especially since it is not an overly complex story). Thankfully it isn't for us. Some of the classes did Slaughterhouse 5, and that actually seemed like it would have still remained enjoyable. Sadly, it is no longer used for being too blue.
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman