Snowbeati need somethingto kick this thing's ass over the lineRegistered Userregular
so i've been reading shakespeare
Macbeth and Coriolanus are amazing in how relevant and timeless they feel
Hamlet is, as interesting and complex the plot is, much more of a slog. it might have something to do with the fact that pretty much every character has a thirty-line-plus speech
next up: Richard the Third, because Year of the King is such a fascinating read
I started re-reading the Malazan series. I remeber enough to see the early seeds of storyline and appreciate where it's going to go, but it's also been long enough that I'm still feeling the impact of some of the bigger moments. Chain of Dogs. Capustan. Coral. Still such insane setpieces.
And I'd forgotten how utterly unlikable the character in House of Chains was at the beginning.
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Snowbeati need somethingto kick this thing's ass over the lineRegistered Userregular
edited October 2013
actually, if anyone here is interested in theatrical direction, acting, staging, or just enjoys reading an account of a unique profession written simply and beautifully, read The Year of the King
Antony Sher is a fantastic writer and sketcher
it's a shame he played Richard before the practice of recording stage productions became common
I pretty much only read fantasy and sci-fi because I like wizards and spaceships and to be quite honest those genres are so broad they can push pretty much any button I feel like at the time
the day I read a modern day slice of life novel will be the day I run out of fantasy and sci-fi stuff to check out, given the size of the market this seems unlikely to be anytime soon
Well I only read a very select few fantasy titles.
I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!!!
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Snowbeati need somethingto kick this thing's ass over the lineRegistered Userregular
Sher's book is much more than just a slice-of-life piece of fluff
in fact, despite it being drawn mostly from his journals, he's cut out most of the stuff about his private doings
it's really about the stage and the months of preparation and research required to really, truly act
it also offers some insight on how Shakespearian players deconstruct the plays so that they can fit them to their personal visions (or, at least, how the Royal Shakespeare Company does it)
Sher's book is much more than just a slice-of-life piece of fluff
in fact, despite it being drawn mostly from his journals, he's cut out most of the stuff about his private doings
it's really about the stage and the months of preparation and research required to really, truly act
it also offers some insight on how Shakespearian players deconstruct the plays so that they can fit them to their personal visions (or, at least, how the Royal Shakespeare Company does it)
I wasn't making reference to that book
just modern day slice of life stuff
I have no opinion on that book you are talking about though I am sure it is very good
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Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
I like
Books
"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
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Snowbeati need somethingto kick this thing's ass over the lineRegistered Userregular
Sher's book is much more than just a slice-of-life piece of fluff
in fact, despite it being drawn mostly from his journals, he's cut out most of the stuff about his private doings
it's really about the stage and the months of preparation and research required to really, truly act
it also offers some insight on how Shakespearian players deconstruct the plays so that they can fit them to their personal visions (or, at least, how the Royal Shakespeare Company does it)
I wasn't making reference to that book
just modern day slice of life stuff
I have no opinion on that book you are talking about though I am sure it is very good
ah, okay. i wasn't mad at you, i just like talking up books i enjoyed
new stuff comes out all the time, and there is a rich history of existing stuff to look at
If I read a sci-fi or fantasy book every week, then I still don't really see things running out
especially as you can't know how good something is until you read it
I'm not interested, in a passing sense, in most other stuff and given that I am interested in the stuff I do read, I don't feel the desire to wander elsewere.
I'm one of those who reads fantasy as the majority of my fiction reading. Nothing at all wrong with it, there is plenty of mediocre to great stuff out there.
I admit I don't read much "realistic" fiction mainly because I can pull a good history book off the shelf, read about the Borgia family, and be fascinated.
I had a really interesting conversation with a guy in college about what kinds of books you can read and he honestly felt like science fiction and fantasy weren't good to read because it was escapism and there was too much going on in the world for escapism to be responsible. I was pretty blown away and a little bit sad for him, I mean my whole take is that I live most of my life in the real world, what the hell do I want it all up in my leisure time for?
new stuff comes out all the time, and there is a rich history of existing stuff to look at
If I read a sci-fi or fantasy book every week, then I still don't really see things running out
especially as you can't know how good something is until you read it
I'm not interested, in a passing sense, in most other stuff and given that I am interested in the stuff I do read, I don't feel the desire to wander elsewere.
Yes, all of this. When I read stuff that isn't sci-fi or fantasy and the like I tend to end up thinking "I could be reading something I actually enjoy like The Wheel of Time or The Lord of the Rings or something new that sounds interesting"
And yeah, a lot of the books I like are considered bad but I don't care as long as I enjoy them..
I had a really interesting conversation with a guy in college about what kinds of books you can read and he honestly felt like science fiction and fantasy weren't good to read because it was escapism and there was too much going on in the world for escapism to be responsible. I was pretty blown away and a little bit sad for him, I mean my whole take is that I live most of my life in the real world, what the hell do I want it all up in my leisure time for?
So let me guess, this guy had zero imagination besides being a terrible bore
So kindle matchbook just launched, basically gives you a chance to rebuy books on your kindle you've bought on amazon in physical format before at a discounted price. Kinda tempted to rebuy a lot of my faves, but the selection is still kinda barebones. Also god, i really wish I bought more books on amazon now instead of from borders
So kindle matchbook just launched, basically gives you a chance to rebuy books on your kindle you've bought on amazon in physical format before at a discounted price. Kinda tempted to rebuy a lot of my faves, but the selection is still kinda barebones. Also god, i really wish I bought more books on amazon now instead of from borders
So kindle matchbook just launched, basically gives you a chance to rebuy books on your kindle you've bought on amazon in physical format before at a discounted price. Kinda tempted to rebuy a lot of my faves, but the selection is still kinda barebones. Also god, i really wish I bought more books on amazon now instead of from borders
This service seems built for me
Nothing that I'd want to have on Kindle (yet) but this is exactly what I've been wanting since I got that damn thing
Especially since I'm about to go on a trip and was just thinking that I'd rather not deal with packing a shitload of books and wished I could get some books I already owned on Kindle at a discount
I had a really interesting conversation with a guy in college about what kinds of books you can read and he honestly felt like science fiction and fantasy weren't good to read because it was escapism and there was too much going on in the world for escapism to be responsible. I was pretty blown away and a little bit sad for him, I mean my whole take is that I live most of my life in the real world, what the hell do I want it all up in my leisure time for?
So let me guess, this guy had zero imagination besides being a terrible bore
Not the second one, he was an extremely nice and fun guy, but possibly the first one. He was a super sincere poli-sci major who was really into social justice issues and somehow felt that escaping from the world's problems reflected an unwillingness to engage with them? We didn't get anywhere in the course of talking about it but it was really interesting to talk to someone with such a radically difference viewpoint from my own.
I had a really interesting conversation with a guy in college about what kinds of books you can read and he honestly felt like science fiction and fantasy weren't good to read because it was escapism and there was too much going on in the world for escapism to be responsible. I was pretty blown away and a little bit sad for him, I mean my whole take is that I live most of my life in the real world, what the hell do I want it all up in my leisure time for?
“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
I had a really interesting conversation with a guy in college about what kinds of books you can read and he honestly felt like science fiction and fantasy weren't good to read because it was escapism and there was too much going on in the world for escapism to be responsible. I was pretty blown away and a little bit sad for him, I mean my whole take is that I live most of my life in the real world, what the hell do I want it all up in my leisure time for?
So let me guess, this guy had zero imagination besides being a terrible bore
Not the second one, he was an extremely nice and fun guy, but possibly the first one. He was a super sincere poli-sci major who was really into social justice issues and somehow felt that escaping from the world's problems reflected an unwillingness to engage with them? We didn't get anywhere in the course of talking about it but it was really interesting to talk to someone with such a radically difference viewpoint from my own.
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
On the flip side of the argument, of course, is the fact that science fiction at its best and most important is a medium for engaging in political commentary and exploring potential consequences or futures of present day socio-political issues.
So I guess I feel like that guy is just, how do you say, wrong.
"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
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
I read a lot of SF&F. Have been branching out a bit in recent years, read a bit of historical fiction and some straight drama.
But yeah, I'm kind of with Syphyre on this one. If I want to read realistic stories there's basically an infinite number of books about real events that are just as good as any novel would be, and I get to feel productive because I'm learning real things at the same time, so bonus!
I read fiction specifically to get away from Real Things.
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Theodore Flooseveltproud parent of eight beautiful girls and shalmelodorne (which is currently being ruled by a woman (awesome role model for my daughters)) #dornedadRegistered Userregular
I'm curious as to how y'all that are strictly sci-fi/fantasy folk would respond to modern fiction that heavily references such stuff
FOLLOW-UP: if you ever feel like finding out and telling me, you should read The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
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I don't remember all that much play dialog, but then I tend to skip it anyway
Macbeth and Coriolanus are amazing in how relevant and timeless they feel
Hamlet is, as interesting and complex the plot is, much more of a slog. it might have something to do with the fact that pretty much every character has a thirty-line-plus speech
next up: Richard the Third, because Year of the King is such a fascinating read
And I'd forgotten how utterly unlikable the character in House of Chains was at the beginning.
Antony Sher is a fantastic writer and sketcher
it's a shame he played Richard before the practice of recording stage productions became common
the day I read a modern day slice of life novel will be the day I run out of fantasy and sci-fi stuff to check out, given the size of the market this seems unlikely to be anytime soon
Well I only read a very select few fantasy titles.
in fact, despite it being drawn mostly from his journals, he's cut out most of the stuff about his private doings
it's really about the stage and the months of preparation and research required to really, truly act
it also offers some insight on how Shakespearian players deconstruct the plays so that they can fit them to their personal visions (or, at least, how the Royal Shakespeare Company does it)
so much of every market ever is awful
I wasn't making reference to that book
just modern day slice of life stuff
I have no opinion on that book you are talking about though I am sure it is very good
Books
"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
ah, okay. i wasn't mad at you, i just like talking up books i enjoyed
Just commenting that eventually you gotta run out of the stuff in a genre that's actually worth reading
as I said
sci-fi and fantasy are very broad
new stuff comes out all the time, and there is a rich history of existing stuff to look at
If I read a sci-fi or fantasy book every week, then I still don't really see things running out
especially as you can't know how good something is until you read it
I'm not interested, in a passing sense, in most other stuff and given that I am interested in the stuff I do read, I don't feel the desire to wander elsewere.
I admit I don't read much "realistic" fiction mainly because I can pull a good history book off the shelf, read about the Borgia family, and be fascinated.
Yes, all of this. When I read stuff that isn't sci-fi or fantasy and the like I tend to end up thinking "I could be reading something I actually enjoy like The Wheel of Time or The Lord of the Rings or something new that sounds interesting"
And yeah, a lot of the books I like are considered bad but I don't care as long as I enjoy them..
So let me guess, this guy had zero imagination besides being a terrible bore
And I got about... a quarter of the way through? And I could not understand why that series is so beloved
It was readable, I guess, but man it was trite as shit
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
This service seems built for me
Nothing that I'd want to have on Kindle (yet) but this is exactly what I've been wanting since I got that damn thing
Especially since I'm about to go on a trip and was just thinking that I'd rather not deal with packing a shitload of books and wished I could get some books I already owned on Kindle at a discount
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Not the second one, he was an extremely nice and fun guy, but possibly the first one. He was a super sincere poli-sci major who was really into social justice issues and somehow felt that escaping from the world's problems reflected an unwillingness to engage with them? We didn't get anywhere in the course of talking about it but it was really interesting to talk to someone with such a radically difference viewpoint from my own.
http://lexiconmegatherium.tumblr.com/
knew it
dubstep is amazing
be silent, heathen
So I guess I feel like that guy is just, how do you say, wrong.
"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
there are loads and loads of sci-fi novels about that kind of thing
fair enough, a lot of them are written by weird, military fetishists with a raging hard on for authoritarianism/libertarianism/etc
But some of it is legitimately thought-provoking and insightful!
I'm sure more will become available later, or maybe I just didn't buy a lot of physical books from Amazon? Eh, whatever, it's still a neat concept.
But yeah, I'm kind of with Syphyre on this one. If I want to read realistic stories there's basically an infinite number of books about real events that are just as good as any novel would be, and I get to feel productive because I'm learning real things at the same time, so bonus!
I read fiction specifically to get away from Real Things.
FOLLOW-UP: if you ever feel like finding out and telling me, you should read The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
it's a good 'un
this is indeed a really, really good book
after Republic of Thieves I think I will skim through Redshirts
and then
and then
Infinite Jest