Reading List Thread
- Thread starter hyena
- Start date
Villain
Doctor BenQuillity
Siren: Macbeth is great. The language should not be too hard for you, it's one of the few works by old William I managed to finish (I've started and stopped reading halfway through quite many of them). Then again, perhaps it was the gripping story and not the easier language that made me finish it, instead of, say, Antony and Cleopatra.
A good choice.
-Villain
@villain: i'm moving the discussion to the politics thread lest rahvin kills me.
A good choice.
-Villain
Kenneth R.
Cináed
Sargonnas
New Metal Member
- Aug 19, 2007
- 8
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For the fantasy readers!
A few people here have mentioned The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. Author/novel info: http://robinhobb.com/
I would like to add to this recommendation, the following two trilogies set in the same world. The second trilogy is called The Liveship Traders, and is focused on mostly different characters in a very different part of the same world. The third trilogy - The Tawny Man - refocuses the reader on Fitz, the protagonist from the first trilogy, and meshes the former two series in quite a unique way.
Hobb evokes very real emotion, creating true pathos through a slightly nihilistic feel and thorough deterministic approach. You'll laugh and cry when the characters do, feel what they feel, and sympathise. Brilliantly written, Hobb's style will leave you wanting more - I know I do! I can't wait to get back and re-read these trilogies, just as soon as I've gotten through my now quite formidable pile of novels.
For fans of fantasy, and those who appreciate can appreciate a highly skilled master of writing.
A few people here have mentioned The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. Author/novel info: http://robinhobb.com/
I would like to add to this recommendation, the following two trilogies set in the same world. The second trilogy is called The Liveship Traders, and is focused on mostly different characters in a very different part of the same world. The third trilogy - The Tawny Man - refocuses the reader on Fitz, the protagonist from the first trilogy, and meshes the former two series in quite a unique way.
Hobb evokes very real emotion, creating true pathos through a slightly nihilistic feel and thorough deterministic approach. You'll laugh and cry when the characters do, feel what they feel, and sympathise. Brilliantly written, Hobb's style will leave you wanting more - I know I do! I can't wait to get back and re-read these trilogies, just as soon as I've gotten through my now quite formidable pile of novels.
For fans of fantasy, and those who appreciate can appreciate a highly skilled master of writing.
would anyone care to enlighten me about a thing concerning hobb?
i'm at the moment about halfway through the second swedish farseer book, and the protagonist doesn't have a name - he is simply called "son of [insert father's name in english]" or, more commonly, "the son" (yes, definite form, and it sounds almost as stupid in swedish).
however, i thought that was how things were supposed to be until i some time ago found out about this whole fitz thing, and now i just don't get the point with it being entirely left out in the translation.
so;
at which point and how/from whom does he get the name fitz?
does the "son of..." or "son" thing occur a lot anyway, even with him having a "regular" name? his ancestry is really a major aspect here, and no one seems to want to miss a chance pointing it out...
and finally, does the name in itself bear any significance (i.e. in the vein of the farseer family names)?
please avoid spoilers and simply tell me i'll find out later if that's the case, but since the friend i borrowed the books from seemed as puzzled as i am i assume there won't be much change throughout the series...
i'm at the moment about halfway through the second swedish farseer book, and the protagonist doesn't have a name - he is simply called "son of [insert father's name in english]" or, more commonly, "the son" (yes, definite form, and it sounds almost as stupid in swedish).
however, i thought that was how things were supposed to be until i some time ago found out about this whole fitz thing, and now i just don't get the point with it being entirely left out in the translation.
so;
at which point and how/from whom does he get the name fitz?
does the "son of..." or "son" thing occur a lot anyway, even with him having a "regular" name? his ancestry is really a major aspect here, and no one seems to want to miss a chance pointing it out...
and finally, does the name in itself bear any significance (i.e. in the vein of the farseer family names)?
please avoid spoilers and simply tell me i'll find out later if that's the case, but since the friend i borrowed the books from seemed as puzzled as i am i assume there won't be much change throughout the series...
La Rocque
I am that I am
Watchmen' written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons
Watchmen is set in 1985, in an alternative history United States where costumed adventurers are real and the country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union (the Doomsday Clock is at five minutes to midnight). It tells the story of a group of past and present super heroes and the events surrounding the mysterious murder of one of their own. Watchmen depicts super heroes as real people who must confront ethical and personal issues, who struggle with neuroses and failings, and who - with one notable exception - lack anything recognizable as super powers. Watchmen's deconstruction of the conventional superhero archetype, combined with its innovative adaptation of cinematic techniques and heavy use of symbolism, multi-layered dialogue, and metafiction, has influenced both comics and film.
I highly recommend this graphic novel.
Its considered one of the *top 100 books of all time*
I've become a fan of Alan Moore after reading V for Vendetta,
I just ordered 5 more of his graphic novels.
Watchmen is set in 1985, in an alternative history United States where costumed adventurers are real and the country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union (the Doomsday Clock is at five minutes to midnight). It tells the story of a group of past and present super heroes and the events surrounding the mysterious murder of one of their own. Watchmen depicts super heroes as real people who must confront ethical and personal issues, who struggle with neuroses and failings, and who - with one notable exception - lack anything recognizable as super powers. Watchmen's deconstruction of the conventional superhero archetype, combined with its innovative adaptation of cinematic techniques and heavy use of symbolism, multi-layered dialogue, and metafiction, has influenced both comics and film.
I highly recommend this graphic novel.
Its considered one of the *top 100 books of all time*
I've become a fan of Alan Moore after reading V for Vendetta,
I just ordered 5 more of his graphic novels.
QRV
historyphobic
I always thought Watchmen was quite overhyped. It's kinda good at parts (mostly the formal aspect), but rather repetitive (really, does he need to stress out that every single superhero has a huge Oedipus complex?) and way too pompous. Moore is known to be a bit of a megalomaniac and he reflexes it without any subtetly in there. The whole comic looks like it's deep, but it's all about appearance. He tries to "shock" people with the ideology of The Comedian, but really, that's just adolescent bullshit. Poor fucker mocks psychoterapists, and I can see why: he is in an urgent need for one of them. And at times he looks like a 60s existencialist burgher. Really overrated crap.
Oh yeah, and the symbolism is used quite deliberatedly, thus stripping it of any power it may have had. utter crap.
La Rocque
I am that I am
^ TIME and other well respected literary magazines named 'Watchmen' one of the 100 best books of all time plus it will be a major motion picture next year.
btw QVC, this is the now reading thread, not rate what someone else is reading, I know you never had an original idea but stick to what you think you know, like another stupid game of yours or a thread about some asinine group or maybe revive your 'Do you like tits?' thread. I know you do not have any respect for anyone but there are women on this forum who do deserve the up most respect, Do you like tits, what an idiot
NR: 'Sacco and Vanzetti', The Men, the Murders and the Judgment of Mankind
by Bruce Watson
NP: Sex Pistols - anarchy in the usa
Just finished reading ... ' A Small Killing', another great graphic novel written by Alan Moore, artwork by Oscar Zarate
just ordered 5 more graphic novels written by Alan Moore, I getting a nice collection of Moore's novels, great stuff -
btw QVC, this is the now reading thread, not rate what someone else is reading, I know you never had an original idea but stick to what you think you know, like another stupid game of yours or a thread about some asinine group or maybe revive your 'Do you like tits?' thread. I know you do not have any respect for anyone but there are women on this forum who do deserve the up most respect, Do you like tits, what an idiot
NR: 'Sacco and Vanzetti', The Men, the Murders and the Judgment of Mankind
by Bruce Watson
NP: Sex Pistols - anarchy in the usa
Just finished reading ... ' A Small Killing', another great graphic novel written by Alan Moore, artwork by Oscar Zarate
just ordered 5 more graphic novels written by Alan Moore, I getting a nice collection of Moore's novels, great stuff -
marduk1507
Member
Ive finally put my hands on Acid House from Irvine Welsh. The Soft Touch was actually a bit better on the screen than in the book, but overall the stories are great so far.
Ordered Lullaby from Palahniuk. Autumns approaching it seems.
Ordered Lullaby from Palahniuk. Autumns approaching it seems.
@marduk: i was re-reading acid house these days too. it's a nice book, but the final story is too long.
rahvin
keeper of the flame
So, this is the thread where everyone posts opinion about books then leaves without reading other people's comments? What is this, a forum for autistic kids with asperger's?
It's implied that discussions are welcome.
QRV
historyphobic
So, you're telling me I've never had an original idea and yet it is you who takes whatever Time magazine said and the fact it'll be made into a film to argument that Watchmen is a good book? Come on man, at least make a small try to sound logical.
I wonder if any woman actually felt offended by the tits thread. Not that I care.
rahvin
keeper of the flame
@QRV: It falls on your shoulder to make a serious effort to stop this. I don't want to start deleting your (meaning LaRocque's and yours) posts whenever they happen to be closer than 400 messages apart, but it's grievous to see that whenever either posts things escalate unless the other is somehow on vacation or masturbating furiously to the latest photo shoot of Britney. Just... give it a month without fueling the fire and things will hopefully cool down. As you see I'm often "ruling" in your favor whenever I comment on these quizzical flames, so don't take it as an attempt to censor you.
QRV
historyphobic
i am about to finish nick hornby's slam.
SPOILER SPACE
it's an entertaining book. the critics said that it was not intellectual enough, too commercial etc, but i don't think this is the case. if i had to say why i'm not 100% enthusiastic about it, even if i'm a fan in general, that wouldn't be the reason. i think he deals with teenage pregnancy in a way that is both lighthearted and serious, which is certainly a plus: i certainly never read anything like it by any italian author, maybe because teenage pregnancy is more of a problem in the UK than it is here.
the problem is that the main character, sam, isn't really credible. he's a teenage skater, and his main reference is tony hawk. now, i've been a teenage skater for as many years as someone can be a teenage anything, and i know enough to say that tony hawk is the figurehead known to non-skaters. true, hornby also mentions a couple of people with more street cred, but come on: his skater worships hawk and hawk only, and he listens to green day. even 15 years ago (ouch, i'm horrendously old), skating was about a complex subculture where you had anarchism, graffiti art, punk rock, and life on the street as co-ordinates.
i don't know if today's skaters are as tame as the author depicts them, but i hardly believe it. at the time, we wore airwalk shirts, listened to pennywise and minor threat, everyone went to see shows in squats, and the stories always concerned so-and-so who'd run away from home, or been nicked for something, or entered the munster monster mastership and went on a road trip to germany with the equivalent of 20 euros.
what i'm trying to say is that skateboarding culture used to be all about the bones brigade, steve caballero and the black-and-white powell peralta posters, not cool stuff everyone knew about. while i know that this makes me come across all it's my job to keep punk rock elite, that's how it was, even in my small town, with the one guy who could draw sketching the deck designs on his notepad, my tom knox deck (i still have it!), and those incredible ads where you had the fat mexican cop and the pro whose name i cannot remember with captions "authority figure/authoritative skater". or, back in 1990, the pic snatched on the streets of prague of the skater with a sign with hammer and sickle crossed out, captioned "the repression is over, skate as much as you want".
hornby's sam doesn't have anything to do with all of this. if the author doesn't know anything about skate culture, he should just leave it alone. i cannot write worth shit, but honestly, i would have done a better job with it.
SPOILER SPACE
it's an entertaining book. the critics said that it was not intellectual enough, too commercial etc, but i don't think this is the case. if i had to say why i'm not 100% enthusiastic about it, even if i'm a fan in general, that wouldn't be the reason. i think he deals with teenage pregnancy in a way that is both lighthearted and serious, which is certainly a plus: i certainly never read anything like it by any italian author, maybe because teenage pregnancy is more of a problem in the UK than it is here.
the problem is that the main character, sam, isn't really credible. he's a teenage skater, and his main reference is tony hawk. now, i've been a teenage skater for as many years as someone can be a teenage anything, and i know enough to say that tony hawk is the figurehead known to non-skaters. true, hornby also mentions a couple of people with more street cred, but come on: his skater worships hawk and hawk only, and he listens to green day. even 15 years ago (ouch, i'm horrendously old), skating was about a complex subculture where you had anarchism, graffiti art, punk rock, and life on the street as co-ordinates.
i don't know if today's skaters are as tame as the author depicts them, but i hardly believe it. at the time, we wore airwalk shirts, listened to pennywise and minor threat, everyone went to see shows in squats, and the stories always concerned so-and-so who'd run away from home, or been nicked for something, or entered the munster monster mastership and went on a road trip to germany with the equivalent of 20 euros.
what i'm trying to say is that skateboarding culture used to be all about the bones brigade, steve caballero and the black-and-white powell peralta posters, not cool stuff everyone knew about. while i know that this makes me come across all it's my job to keep punk rock elite, that's how it was, even in my small town, with the one guy who could draw sketching the deck designs on his notepad, my tom knox deck (i still have it!), and those incredible ads where you had the fat mexican cop and the pro whose name i cannot remember with captions "authority figure/authoritative skater". or, back in 1990, the pic snatched on the streets of prague of the skater with a sign with hammer and sickle crossed out, captioned "the repression is over, skate as much as you want".
hornby's sam doesn't have anything to do with all of this. if the author doesn't know anything about skate culture, he should just leave it alone. i cannot write worth shit, but honestly, i would have done a better job with it.
marduk1507
Member
Finished Lullaby from Palahniuk and Kafka on the Shore from Murakami. Both very recommended! Lullaby is probably the best from C.P. Ive read. Murakami is an excellent story-teller. My wife and me, we have read the book at the same time, me the English and her the Czech translation. It was quite interesting!
Kovenant84
T-369 days
Not to spoil too much in my reply, but if American skate culture is anything to judge by, it's long since parted from punk rock. Nowadays most of the skaters I see are of the hipster/emo variety, and are pretty goddamn terrible at skating.
~kov.
~kov.
rahvin
keeper of the flame
Unless it's necessary you could remove the quoted text - besides the spoiler space line - so it's not repeated excessively for the eyes of the unwise.
However, the idea of spoilering the ending of a Nick Hornby book makes me giggle.
@rahv: well, i was spoilering the mood, not the ending. wouldn't dream of it, especially because when i wrote that i hadn't even reached it.
