Books, books, books.

[WarpPhoenix]

I thought id start this thread because of my recent venture in the world of Oscar Wilde, specifically the Picture of Dorian Gray. Reading the first couple of pages was enligtening.

Reading the different personalities that come from the characters shows me the flaws in them, the pure unfiltered desires of a different culture altogether really, coupled with the beginning prelog that came with the book written by Wilde that shows his vision on art the whole piece falls into place. Showing me that Art is not in fact a mirror of the artist and a is really a mirror of the viewer, I'm sure this has been figured out or told to some of you but to see such a blinding example was a very eye opening experiance.

The book starts off not involving the picture at all but to frame the whole book into perspective, descriptinos of places and people were very uncommon but were done with such subtle hints that you arnt able to tell that you are being told what to picture in your mind, which you are, but you believe (if you read a touch too fast) that you are imagining the scene all on your own, which makes his mirroring statement even more true of his own work, he is a gentle writer, but also very crisp on what is happening. Getting to the point of the scene while not forcing issues upon the reader, keeping them in touch with the characters.

At the moment I am only halfway through the book (or so) and so am yet to know the ending, I suspect what the ending is what with my viewing of The League of Extrodinary Gentlemen but I dare not ruin the ending for myself.

A thread dedicated to the wonder of the written word, a spectrum from the what are we listening to.

Discuss any book you want! Old or new, historical or sci-fi and tell us how, if at all, it has changed your outlook or how much you just enjoyed it, without learning anything!

[Paraicj]

Oscar Wilde is a personal favourite, and I wouldn't hold The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to much account.

The Importance of Being Earnest is an excellent read too, as is Lady Windermere's Fan. I love the purple prose and extravagant wit. I'm not sure about Wilde being a gentle writer, subtle might be a better word, his actual prose is quite brash. The biggest complaint I would have is that all his works are too damn short!

[Aryel]

Right now I'm reading Capitán Alatriste, from the spanish writer Arturo Perez Reverte. I thought it was a good time to read something easy and enjoyable like a cape and sword novel. ^^

After that, I may read Ender's Game, since I received lots of recommendations to read that book.

No more Dostoievski for me... at least for a while

[Allerion]

currently reading a book about Lee and Grant. its not bad. want to get a book about agincourt at barnes and nobles, seems like a good book.

favorite series is The Chronicles of Amber. at least the first half. since the second half is about the first halfs main characters kid... kinda weird, but it kinda ties together.

[WarpPhoenix]

Oscar Wilde is a personal favourite, and I wouldn't hold The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to much account.

The Importance of Being Earnest is an excellent read too, as is Lady Windermere's Fan. I love the purple prose and extravagant wit. I'm not sure about Wilde being a gentle writer, subtle might be a better word, his actual prose is quite brash. The biggest complaint I would have is that all his works are too damn short!

Yeah the League is just a funny spin that amused me, even more so when reading 20,000 leagues under the sea.

I do agree with your complain though, reading through it i was already dissapointed at how far I had gotten and just how much was left. He reminds me in both looks and outlook on life of Steven Fry, probably because he is also a fan of Wilde.

[Loflar]

Right now I'm reading Capitán Alatriste, from the spanish writer Arturo Perez Reverte.

Is it good? I have seen the movie, but it seems to leave a lot unexplained.

[Galengalad]

Interesting that this month I've read several Reverte books about Alatriste and re-read "9 princes of Amber"

Loflar, they've tried to put 6 books into one film, so the task was somewhat difficult, even that the books are short Books explain a lot of things that are galloping in the film.

I've read Picture of Dorian Gray many years ago and remember myself enchanted by the book and hating Dorian. I've experienced smth. similar when reading Perfumer, however the hatred here was much stronger

[EricJ]

I don't read a lot of fiction these days. Currently I'm plowing through a book on natural language processing. (Chomsky hierarchy etc)

...Which reminds me of this one:

[Aryel]

Right now I'm reading Capitán Alatriste, from the spanish writer Arturo Perez Reverte.

Is it good? I have seen the movie, but it seems to leave a lot unexplained.

That's because they took several books of the series and tried to make a 2hs movies with them, and failed miserably. The books are 10 times better.

[Loflar]

That's because they took several books of the series and tried to make a 2hs movies with them, and failed miserably. The books are 10 times better.

OK, thanks. I will look for the books. I watched the movie mainly because it was available on cheap DVD and because I was told that the combat scenes are very good. Which they were.

[Paraicj]

WarpPhoenix, Steven Fry is actually a pretty accomplished author in his own right, and his books are well worth the read too. I have Moab is my Washpot, his autobiography, and The Hippopotamous, a fiction. Both good and very funny. Will get some of his other stuff soon.

In terms of wit, I think Douglas Adams, Joseph Heller and Terry Pratchett are all excellent too.

[WarpPhoenix]

Thanks for the recommendation, I thoughroughly enjoy his comedy. Do the authers you mentioned have all the same type of style and wit? or is there a nice constrast in their works?

[cidracin]

I'd recomend the Dresden Files novels by Jim Butcher. The first few are mediocre but establish the fondations of the sequels. The seies is up to book 11 and they only keep getting better as the series progresses. If you saw the TV show I hope that it doesn't turn you off the books because the TV show is quite awful compared to the greatness of the books. If you like detective novels/wizards then yo should definately check these books out.

[Tahl]

I love the butcher series also but feel that the last few books were a bit of a let down.

[Paraicj]

WarpPhoenix, Douglas Adams (HitchHiker's guide to the Galaxy) and Pratchett (The Discworld series) have a similar love of messing with language, making seemingly obvious puns and making the ridiculous seem common-place. Heller (Catch-22) is more ascerbic, harsh, anti-war humour. All great reads, wouldn't leave any of them out, althouh Pratchett has written 30 or more books at this stage. Reading can be as expensive a habit as Warhammer.

[Tahl]

every charity shop is littered with pratchet books you can get cheap. Incidentally I've bumped into him a few times up here

[Ramesesis]

I plow little fiction nowadays. Have not read much for a long time.

I am recently plowing through lots litterature about the Hittite Empire and the Myceaneans.

I can heartily recommend The hittite kingdoms by Trevor Bryce.
Trevor Bryce is not only one of the foremost hittite scholars, he is also an exellent writer when it comes to write popular science.
Another good read from his is Troja and its neighbours detailing the factual background of the so-called Trojan war and about how the legend of Troy evolved and expanded over the centuries and millenias. Good read.

Now, the only fiction I really want to get my teeths into right now is to read the Illiad again. It was what, 15 years or more since I read it, so it´s about time to read anew one of the greatest masterpieces of world litterature.

Real men reads Hexameter!

[NoOoDLe]

I can recommend H.P.Lovecraft most of all. Very entertaining yet complex reading, if you're a foreigner like myself at least for the latter.

Enjoyed The Outsider and the Cthulhu Mythos the most of all.

[Grimmjow Akutabi]

Best book for me has to be The Catcher in the Rye.

Everyone should go and read that. Now.

[Elias Kalderon]

At the moment I'm reading a very well written book about life and culture in the 14th and 15th century in Western Europe, especially the areas that belonged to Burgundy (a part of France, Belgium and the better half of the Netherlands). Hersttij der Middeleeuwen, in Dutch. The original English translation is called The Waning of the Middle Ages, the new English translation is called the Autumn of the Middle Ages. It's written in 1919 in a neo-romantic way and it depicts how the events of the 14th and 15th centuries (like the 100 year war, urbanisation, clinging to knightly ideas in a changing world) affected the common people. It shows the extremes of that late-medieval culture that's going over the top.

I get the idea GW read it as well when they developed Empire.

[Ramesesis]

Could be true, Elias.

I personally, have lost interest in that period of the medieval age, since it is what many sees as the dark ages. Well, technology went forward but all we see as the grim dark about the medieval age comes from the endless wars (100 years war) the Black death, the new grim religiousity with flaggelants and tormented christs hanging limp on the cruxifices.

I have become more interested in the late high medieval period. 1250-1330 sort of...
Partially since I am a bit feed up with all the books about the crusades and the 12th century, but also because the 13th and early 14th century was very important for the history of Scandinavia and Sweden in particular, yet it is a very forgotten period.

There are not that many books dealing with this period in particular, so I guess I will have to write one myself, someday.

[Elias Kalderon]

the grim dark about the medieval age comes from the endless wars (100 years war) the Black death, the new grim religiousity with flaggelants and tormented christs hanging limp on the cruxifices.

Which is what I was looking for However, the book I'm talking about describes many social and cultural aspects of that period, not just the grim dark. And actual events are only the background for the many anecdotes.

There are not that many books dealing with this period in particular, so I guess I will have to write one myself, someday.

Good idea. Go for it

Really, such a book would be useful to me. I'm writing stories set in the 13th century. Although it has a horror/fantasy aspect, I try to make things somewhat accurate.

[Eldacar]

Really, such a book would be useful to me. I'm writing stories set in the 13th century. Although it has a horror/fantasy aspect, I try to make things somewhat accurate.

There's a book called "Through Fire and Flames" (by William Manchester). While it isn't exactly a dry university textbook, it provides a very interesting picture of the times, generally in a quite readable format (i.e. written for people who don't know much about the period, but still containing a lot of tidbits and so on).

[GobbladasSquig]

I just finished reading the Dune chronicles by Frank Herbert. After five books and some two thousand pages of very intense SciFi, I feel slightly dizzy. Although the series did somewhat devolve into repeating itself along the way, the world Herbert created is in its immensity and finesse of detail easily comparable to Middle-Earth and everything Tolkien wrote. I strongly recommend the books for everyone to read, at least get yourself acquainted with the first (Dune), which is a pearl.

[Andruillius]

Best book for me has to be The Catcher in the Rye.

Everyone should go and read that. Now.

Funnily, I've met that guy. At least he was pretty damn similar.

[Paraicj]

JD Salinger or Holden Caulfield?

[Andruillius]

Second obviously.

[Facade19]

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.
Really interesting twist on the what if. Captures you in and draws your world view upside down real quickly.
Next up, Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.

[Meif]

Try anything by Jack Vance.

[Meif]

[threadomantic incantations]

I was wondering if Moby Dick was worth reading. Is it anything like Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea? Comments?