Don't quite know why (because I usually don't really get into his prose) but lately i'm reading an awful lot of Lord Dunsany. Seems to fit my current mood.
Just started Dave Eggers, The Circle. Has a "Brave New World brought to you by Page and Zuckerberg" vibe to it. It's on my daughter's required reading list for university. Tech exposition bores her, not to tears but to loud, eloquent anger.
SECRETS ARE LIES
SHARING IS CARING
PRIVACY IS THEFT
SECRETS ARE LIES
SHARING IS CARING
PRIVACY IS THEFT
I don't know how many of you know this author but I feel I have to make a post about that...
Today italian culture has lost an important figure, Giorgio Faletti, a good person first and an artist then. Writer, actor, singer, lyricist, composer, painter and comedian.
Still, I can't believe it, totally unexpected.
Goodbye Giorgio.
Today italian culture has lost an important figure, Giorgio Faletti, a good person first and an artist then. Writer, actor, singer, lyricist, composer, painter and comedian.
Still, I can't believe it, totally unexpected.
Goodbye Giorgio.
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Finished The Given Day by Dennis Lehane, a solid read about 1918th's Boston.
I liked both protagonists quite a lot, Danny's struggle with family loyalties and being a good guy while everyone else in the corporate world just shits on him constantly and Luther's ability to always screw everything up no matter how hard he tries. Most of the side characters are also good in general, especially Eddie McKenna, a fat, Irish, borderline evil cop. It mostly focuses on three different subject matters from the time period, the Spanish influenza to start with, after that it goes into different political philosophies like Marxism, communism, anarchism and revolting groups trying to overthrow the ruling classes, and lastly, it goes into unionized labor and labor strikes, with some casual racism in between there. The transition between the themes are very smoothly done and you barely notice the shift. The environmental writing and dialogue is solid and usually has a good flow to it, there's a lot of emotional and 'FUCK YES!'-type scenes, and even though I'm pretty ignorant of the historical events, I feel he managed to paint a vivid and convincing image of the time period.
And now, to the bad.
Well, the pace doesn't really keep up toward the last 200 pages as Dennis starts to focus more on the minor characters on the corporate side of things, which makes sense since you can't have the protagonist see everything, but they weren't established well enough to be interesting, they felt more like cameras flying around so you could see all the corporate schemes, and I think the book is too long for it's own good. His style of writing simply does not fit with a 700 page brick, which is why it suffers from a few "dead spots" where very little happens. And Babe Ruth was the most boring character ever, no one cares about a dumb baseball player struggling to read his newspapers.
Ah well, all in all I thought it was a pretty good book, though I liked the sequel, Live By Night, better. (Which I read before the prequel, shame on me.)
Next on the list will probably be something from James Ellroy or to start the Wheel of Time series as my friend can't stop screaming about it, though I'm very reluctant to do it since I heard from a lot of people (plenty from here) that it just gets slower and more pointless in its progression.
I liked both protagonists quite a lot, Danny's struggle with family loyalties and being a good guy while everyone else in the corporate world just shits on him constantly and Luther's ability to always screw everything up no matter how hard he tries. Most of the side characters are also good in general, especially Eddie McKenna, a fat, Irish, borderline evil cop. It mostly focuses on three different subject matters from the time period, the Spanish influenza to start with, after that it goes into different political philosophies like Marxism, communism, anarchism and revolting groups trying to overthrow the ruling classes, and lastly, it goes into unionized labor and labor strikes, with some casual racism in between there. The transition between the themes are very smoothly done and you barely notice the shift. The environmental writing and dialogue is solid and usually has a good flow to it, there's a lot of emotional and 'FUCK YES!'-type scenes, and even though I'm pretty ignorant of the historical events, I feel he managed to paint a vivid and convincing image of the time period.
And now, to the bad.
Well, the pace doesn't really keep up toward the last 200 pages as Dennis starts to focus more on the minor characters on the corporate side of things, which makes sense since you can't have the protagonist see everything, but they weren't established well enough to be interesting, they felt more like cameras flying around so you could see all the corporate schemes, and I think the book is too long for it's own good. His style of writing simply does not fit with a 700 page brick, which is why it suffers from a few "dead spots" where very little happens. And Babe Ruth was the most boring character ever, no one cares about a dumb baseball player struggling to read his newspapers.
Ah well, all in all I thought it was a pretty good book, though I liked the sequel, Live By Night, better. (Which I read before the prequel, shame on me.)
Next on the list will probably be something from James Ellroy or to start the Wheel of Time series as my friend can't stop screaming about it, though I'm very reluctant to do it since I heard from a lot of people (plenty from here) that it just gets slower and more pointless in its progression.
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Fantasy, science fiction and other literature
For discussing various books and other related subjects.
For discussing various books and other related subjects.
To avoid off-topic in another thread, answering here.
Actually I was always quite interested in Tolkien's characters, even in secondary ones in the Lord of The Rings, especially if they were intentionally portrayed in mysterious manner. I don't think that such portrayal is intended to reduce reader's interest in the character, it's just the nature of the heroic style. On the contrary, such style actually stimulates looking deeper, beyond the superficial narrative level. That's normal for such type of literature.
Also, as @Kudos said, many characters in the Lord of The Rings are given minor roles because their background is well explained elsewhere, and they simply aren't given enough room in the book to trace character development and so on.
Actually I was always quite interested in Tolkien's characters, even in secondary ones in the Lord of The Rings, especially if they were intentionally portrayed in mysterious manner. I don't think that such portrayal is intended to reduce reader's interest in the character, it's just the nature of the heroic style. On the contrary, such style actually stimulates looking deeper, beyond the superficial narrative level. That's normal for such type of literature.
Also, as @Kudos said, many characters in the Lord of The Rings are given minor roles because their background is well explained elsewhere, and they simply aren't given enough room in the book to trace character development and so on.
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Maybe it's just me, but I'm used to a different priority in literature, even epic forms: where the story of persons carries the epic. The characters in Tolkien don't impress me as deep or mysterious at all. At best (Bilbo in The Hobbit, Sam Gamgee and Eowyn in LotR, nobody at all in The Silmarillion), they are straightforward persons (hobbits, elves, whatever) caught up in events they must rise to; this, not treatises on what some elves did long ago without any sense there were actual recognizable emotions expressed by any of the personalities involved, is true characterization.
To my thinking, epics fit for dramatization are exemplified by Gilgamesh, Homer (at least in part), War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and their kin. Peter Jackson's efforts at dramatizing The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are high, wide, and handsome, but they are hampered by their source material, which makes little effort to present characters anyone would give more than passing thought to, or learn from and emulate. Thus the need to expand on roles such as Sam Gamgee or Eowyn, or add characters foreign to the tale, like Tauriel.
In short, Tolkien had priorities other than deeply written characters, and while I respect his works for that, it means they take effort to translate into worthwhile drama, and that effort is sometimes criticized as detracting from the original when in fact it is the necessary way to make his work presentable as drama.
This is what I value in the Witcher books and games. They are not epics of warring kingdoms; they are the story of a man who, in passing through these wars, is in danger of losing his humanity.
To my thinking, epics fit for dramatization are exemplified by Gilgamesh, Homer (at least in part), War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and their kin. Peter Jackson's efforts at dramatizing The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are high, wide, and handsome, but they are hampered by their source material, which makes little effort to present characters anyone would give more than passing thought to, or learn from and emulate. Thus the need to expand on roles such as Sam Gamgee or Eowyn, or add characters foreign to the tale, like Tauriel.
In short, Tolkien had priorities other than deeply written characters, and while I respect his works for that, it means they take effort to translate into worthwhile drama, and that effort is sometimes criticized as detracting from the original when in fact it is the necessary way to make his work presentable as drama.
This is what I value in the Witcher books and games. They are not epics of warring kingdoms; they are the story of a man who, in passing through these wars, is in danger of losing his humanity.
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I (finally) finished "The Blade Itself" - Joe Abercrombie. I found it engrossing, i like that the story is told from several character's points of view, especially i appreciated Glokta! I can't wait to start "Before They are hanged" *.*
I also read "The ice princess" - Camilla Läckberg. The basic plot is interesting enough but every few pages the action stops while one or another of the characters examines his or her emotional state, and that after a while starts to get boring! But it was a very enjoyable read
I also read "The ice princess" - Camilla Läckberg. The basic plot is interesting enough but every few pages the action stops while one or another of the characters examines his or her emotional state, and that after a while starts to get boring! But it was a very enjoyable read
I knew you'd like Glokta, definitely my favourite one in the trilogy!
Yes, the book is more or less a prologue, setting up the story that will go on in a very interesting way, expecially from our friend the Inquisitor
This seems interesting!
It's a good read! As I said, there's this "problem": the protagonists investigate, discover something, think about their emotions and so on every few pages...at last this scheme become a bit boring! But the story is interesting so I recommend you to read it!
I've been reading a lot of Stephen King. Dead Zone, the Stand, Christine, Under the Dome... I'm currently reading Firestarter. I've got a few more of his to read once I'm finished with that. I'm almost done with the Time of Contempt. A measly chapter left... I have this tendency to drag out a book as long as I can if I don't have the next book I want to read yet. I don't like the feeling of abandonment! I should have Baptism of Fire any day now.
:look:
:look:
Very well, new book added to the "to read" neverending list
Necroing +5
How the heck did this end up 5 pages behind?? Not actually sure if this post belongs here or not, but books!!
I feel ya, man. Something about that book really evoked a sense of adventure in me when I read it. I'm not good at analyzing literature, I leave that to the real writers out there, but it evoked a feeling no other book has. Well, all good books register a certain way, and they're all different, but that one... I don't know. I'll never forget that book. Seeing the movies they made from it... No where near the same experience.
How the heck did this end up 5 pages behind?? Not actually sure if this post belongs here or not, but books!!
I feel ya, man. Something about that book really evoked a sense of adventure in me when I read it. I'm not good at analyzing literature, I leave that to the real writers out there, but it evoked a feeling no other book has. Well, all good books register a certain way, and they're all different, but that one... I don't know. I'll never forget that book. Seeing the movies they made from it... No where near the same experience.
Well it was 1977 when I read it, and there was really nothing else like it at the time. More people would've read Lewis' Narnia... which I instantly didn't like. My memory says Tolkien was largely frowned upon by society at large then, certainly all through my school years I could count the number of kids who knew who Gandalf was on my fingers. Later on D&D was the same, about ~12 was the maximum we ever got in the club, there were more in the Chess club, but even fewer in the computer club... oh how things have changed in so short a time
I've got my Hobbit here: 3rd edition, 9th impression 1974, hardback with the Profs own cover design, with the beautiful 2 colour maps front & back inside covers, and interspersed with 13 plates of Tolkiens own illustrations. A beautiful book entirely, everything a young person needs. I was already hooked on reading & fantasy through myths, but in all likelihood i'd be a completely different person if i'd never read that book early, and the worse for it too i'd wager.
When my bro got me FoTR for my 5th, I still distinctly recall the disappointment the moment I realised Bilbo wasn't going to be the hero !
btw: Necroing is indeed the proper way, I believe it's appreciated right across the board here.
I've got my Hobbit here: 3rd edition, 9th impression 1974, hardback with the Profs own cover design, with the beautiful 2 colour maps front & back inside covers, and interspersed with 13 plates of Tolkiens own illustrations. A beautiful book entirely, everything a young person needs. I was already hooked on reading & fantasy through myths, but in all likelihood i'd be a completely different person if i'd never read that book early, and the worse for it too i'd wager.
When my bro got me FoTR for my 5th, I still distinctly recall the disappointment the moment I realised Bilbo wasn't going to be the hero !
btw: Necroing is indeed the proper way, I believe it's appreciated right across the board here.
Aye as a kid the Hobbit is a wonderful tale of derring do and adventure, though i'd stick LeGuin's a Wizard of Earthsea in for a little un to add a bit of depth and some H. Rider Haggard to build dreams of foreign places and far off lands. Along with a good deal of non fiction.
Currently reading Sterling Hayden's biography, interesting bloke.
Currently reading Sterling Hayden's biography, interesting bloke.
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And this will be arrives soon, and I will be reading this too:
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I've waited so long ago, but I cannot order it in the local shop, so I ordered it from a webshop, I hope that they have in store.
And this will be arrives soon, and I will be reading this too:
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I've waited so long ago, but I cannot order it in the local shop, so I ordered it from a webshop, I hope that they have in store.
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Haven't read anything new in a while. I recently re-read the entire Black Company series....
...and now I've gone back to re-reading Strands of Starlight.
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...and now I've gone back to re-reading Strands of Starlight.
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