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Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:16 am
by Captain Kinopio
I'm struggling with Slaughterhouse 5
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:27 am
by Phatman
Herb wrote:I'm struggling with Slaughterhouse 5
Really?
One of my favourite novels. I couldn't put it down. I love Vonnegut generally though.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:35 am
by Extralife
Clarkman wrote:Jango wrote:As for me, I'm just about to start The Great Gatsby, as that's the sort of book I would like to do my coursework on next year, the American dream and all that. So if anyone could recommend any other authors or books which comment on the same time period, 1920's America preferably with different view points on the period I would be very appreciative.
You'll skip through Gatsby in 2 days, it's the perfect all American novel. Writers whom I love, close to the time you might like to look into include: James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Patrick Hamilton, Louis Ferdinand Celine, E. M. Forster (Especially 'Passage to India'), Vladamir Nabokov, Franz Kafka.
I'm also doing Gatsby for my coursework
I happened to pick ithis up a few days ago, along with some other stuff for going away for the week.
Herb wrote:I'm struggling with Slaughterhouse 5
That's odd, why? It's probably the best book I read last year.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 2:22 am
by Jax
Can anyone recommend the Bourne books by Robert Ludlum and the other guy?
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:34 am
by OnlyShallow
Phatman wrote:Herb wrote:I'm struggling with Slaughterhouse 5
Really?
One of my favourite novels. I couldn't put it down. I love Vonnegut generally though.
He is my favourite author, I was gutted when he died last year.
If you are having problems with Slaughterhouse 5 try Breakfast of Champions, then you can enjoy pictures of wide open beavers.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:35 am
by Drunken_Master
Bah, no ones mentioned Raymond Chandler.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:45 am
by Lionsheart
Can we add 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Hemmingway?
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:46 am
by IGM
Agent47 wrote:I heartily recommend The First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and The Last Argument of Kings.
If you like (very) dark humour, much violence and a genuinely intriguing story with some wildly different characters, check the out.
I've just read I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, which was a great read right up until the last couple of chapters where it went off a cliff and died.
One of the worst endings I've ever known.
Currently on Mass Effect: Ascension by Drew Karpyshyn, which has taken up until about the midway point to really kick into gear. Though when it did kick in, it bloody went for it!
Not sure how this will fit in to the next part of the trilogy of games though and it's definitely not been particularly epic so far, but I'm hoping the second half of the book is as exciting as the last few chapters I read have promised.
What? But... but... why?
I am almost finished the First Law Trilogy now ( I think I referred to it earlier as the book of law trilogy by accident) and I am enjoying it. I thought it was quite jarring to see them swearing in English, if you see what I mean.
And slaughterhouse 5 gets another "stick with it, it's great" from me. I find his style so easy to read in the sense that it flows like conversation, like he's just sitting there telling you stuff, and maybe he goes off on little tangents and tells little stories within the story, but it adds up to a great read.
Drunken_Master, I started a Raymond Chandler book and gave up, just didn't get on with it at all. May try again at some point, the book is my wife's and is sitting upstairs - she said she enjoyed it when she read it years ago.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 10:28 am
by Commander Jameson
Herr Dark Wolf wrote:Can we add 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Hemmingway?
I prefered A Farewell To Arms.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:12 am
by Captain Kinopio
Agent47 wrote:I've just read I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, which was a great read right up until the last couple of chapters where it went off a cliff and died. One of the worst endings I've ever known.
I read I Am Legend not so long ago, I really enjoyed it and blasted through in a couple of nights. Curiously I don't really remember the ending, what happens?
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:56 pm
by Clarkman
A Secret History of the World by Jonathan Black - What a load of old tosh. Playing on the Da Vinci Code mentality with a very twisted and poorly manipulated argument. I've read numerous better and shorter books on mythology, esoteric philosophy and symbology.
Try 'God is not Great' by Christopher Hitchens if you haven't already. I don't like the communist bent conclusion it comes to, but it's a damn fine polemic.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:02 pm
by Agent47
Herb wrote:Agent47 wrote:I've just read I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, which was a great read right up until the last couple of chapters where it went off a cliff and died. One of the worst endings I've ever known.
I read I Am Legend not so long ago, I really enjoyed it and blasted through in a couple of nights. Curiously I don't really remember the ending, what happens?
Ridiculous, considering the nature of the rest of the story.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:28 pm
by Fargo
Reading The life of Pi, by Yann Martel at the moment and its one of the best books I've read in a long time. Highly recommended
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:31 pm
by Captain Kinopio
Agent47 wrote:Herb wrote:Agent47 wrote:I've just read I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, which was a great read right up until the last couple of chapters where it went off a cliff and died. One of the worst endings I've ever known.
I read I Am Legend not so long ago, I really enjoyed it and blasted through in a couple of nights. Curiously I don't really remember the ending, what happens?
Ridiculous, considering the nature of the rest of the story.
Ah yes of course, that was a bit bizzare. If you fancy another apocalyptic tale try Day of the Triffids.
It's one of the very few books I've read twice and.
Fargo - Life of Pi is great, especially when you get into the meat of it. The ending is terrific as well, you're in for a treat.
Also I think I found out what the problem I'm having with Slaughterhouse 5 is, it's one of those books where I can read it for 5 minutes and then pause and think 'what the strawberry float just happened'. The same thing happened while I was reading The Master and Margarita, in fact I got about half way through that, realized I didn't have a clue what was going on so went back to the beginning (and thats not short tale). And that turned out to be one of my favorite books ever.
Does anyone else get this?
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:42 pm
by Pred
I managed to finish The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower Volume 2). It's definitely a lot better than The Gunslinger. I will get round to reading The Waste Lands soon, but at the moment I'm not in the mood to read a book for some reason.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:56 pm
by Captain Kinopio
Has anyone read Don Quiote?
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:58 pm
by Memento Mori
Currently reading the complete collection of Edgar Allan Poe.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:00 pm
by Cuttooth
After watching the brilliant City of God for the first time I was wondering if anyone had read the novel it was based on and what they thought of it?
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:02 pm
by Skarjo
Currently reading;
The Complete (which is, by the way, in no vague means complete) Works of HP Lovecraft.
Lulracism.
And Chuck Palahniuks 'Snuff'.
Re: The Literature Thread
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:02 pm
by Memento Mori
Skarjo wrote:Currently reading;
The Complete (which is, by the way, in no vague means complete) Works of HP Lovecraft.
Lulracism.
And Chuck Palahniuks 'Snuff'.
How is Snuff ? Private Eye slated it.