The Literature Thread

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sawyerpip
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by sawyerpip » Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:58 pm

Cuttooth wrote:Have just finished Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, which is just as haunting and unsettling as billed, with a childlike naivety and futility running throughout. Having also read and immensely enjoyed (the also very unsettling) A Pale View of Hills am I right in thinking the rest of Ishiguro's novels are generally not as well regarded?


I think The Remains of the Day is generally well regarded, I'm sure it won the Booker prize. I had to read it in school and although I wasn't initially interested in the premise at all I really enjoyed it.

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Memento Mori
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Memento Mori » Wed Sep 21, 2016 9:29 pm

Dark Tower TV news literature fans:

Memento Mori wrote:Idris Elba is doing the framing device for a Dark Tower mini-series. Based on Wizard and Glass.

MRC and Sony Pictures, which is releasing the film, have committed not just to financing a pilot but a full run of between 10 and 13 episodes, depending on how the scripts and story arcs develop. The Dark Tower show will begin shooting in 2017 with plans to premiere it in 2018, ideally around the time the film becomes available on cable or streaming services.

What the producers don’t yet have is a distributor. The darkness of the story rivals that of Game of Thrones, so they will require either a cable or streaming platform (MRC also makes House of Cards for Netflix, so they have a history already.) But MRC is not going to wait for a partner to come aboard before moving forward.

Elba has signed on to appear as older Roland alongside Tom Taylor, 15, who plays Jake Chambers in the film, a boy from present-day New York who harbors a secret, psychic power and is grappling with visions of the tower and the men (and other creatures) who are trying to reach it.

That duo will serve as the framing device for the show’s central story, which takes place many years before the events depicted in the film. Since the series will be Roland’s origin story, a younger actor will be cast to play the aspiring gunslinger as a teenager, back before the realm of Mid-World “moved on” into chaos and bloodshed.

...the bulk of the show will focus on the fourth book in the saga, Wizard and Glass, which told another tale of young Roland and his early tribulations.

Although written in the middle of the series, Wizard and Glass is primarily a prequel that features Roland and his ka-tet of fate-forged allies, including the boy Jake, listening to the story of the gunslinger’s past while preparing for the next leg of their journey.



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Squinty
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Squinty » Thu Sep 29, 2016 6:00 pm

Been reading The Blade Itself and it's great so far. Not far into it, but I'm loving Inquisitor Glokta. His chapters are a really wonderful insight into being a disabled person, in a world that is really not fitted for his existence.

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Ironhide
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Ironhide » Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:18 pm

I've just finished the most recent Expanse book, next one is out in december so I'm reading The Saga of Seven Suns series (Kevin J Anderson) again (would love a TV/Film adaptation of it) to fill the sci-fi space opera shaped void in the meantime.

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Squinty
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Squinty » Sat Nov 05, 2016 8:36 am

Finished The Blade Itself. That was a fantastic read. Need to track down a copy of the next one.

Started reading the second Foundation book. It's not bad.

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still
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by still » Sat Nov 05, 2016 8:42 am

Cuttooth wrote:Have just finished Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, which is just as haunting and unsettling as billed, with a childlike naivety and futility running throughout. Having also read and immensely enjoyed (the also very unsettling) A Pale View of Hills am I right in thinking the rest of Ishiguro's novels are generally not as well regarded?


I enjoyed his last book, The Buried Giant, very much but it wasn't that well received by some.

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Tomous
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Tomous » Sat Dec 03, 2016 1:43 pm

Any Stephen King recommendations?

I've just read Mr Mercedes and really enjoyed it. It I don't think a detective novel is exactly what King is known for.

Cheers

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Errkal
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Errkal » Sat Dec 03, 2016 1:56 pm

Fire starter
The Shining
Doctor Sleep
The tommyknockers
Revival
The stand
The running man
Needful things
The dark half
Joyland

I've been slowing working through all his books and it's awesome fun. There is so much variation and it's brilliant,

The dark tower series is epic too but is quite an investment in time as is looong.

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Tomous
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Tomous » Sat Dec 03, 2016 2:00 pm

Cheers Errkal I'll check those out and dive in with a random one

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Rex Kramer
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Rex Kramer » Sat Dec 03, 2016 2:03 pm

A quick edit of Errkal's list

It
It
It
It
It
Oh and It

And when you've read It then go for Salem's Lot.

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Errkal
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Errkal » Sat Dec 03, 2016 2:05 pm

Oh and the last stand

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Errkal
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Errkal » Sat Dec 03, 2016 2:05 pm

Tomous wrote:Cheers Errkal I'll check those out and dive in with a random one

If you go random make sure you do the shining before doctor sleep and doctor sleep is the sequel.

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Memento Mori
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Memento Mori » Sat Dec 03, 2016 2:59 pm

Tomous wrote:Any Stephen King recommendations?

I've just read Mr Mercedes and really enjoyed it. It I don't think a detective novel is exactly what King is known for.

Cheers

Joyland is also a detective novel if you want to read something similar. Finders Keepers and then End of Watch are sequels to Mr Mercedes if you want to continue with those characters but they're not as good as MM.

My top three King books are probably:

'Salem's Lot
11.22.63
IT

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Xeno
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Xeno » Sun Dec 11, 2016 6:08 pm

I have finally got round to the latest Expanse book Babylon's Ashes. I'm enjoying what I'm reading so far.

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Moggy
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Moggy » Sun Dec 11, 2016 6:22 pm

Xeno wrote:I have finally got round to the latest Expanse book Babylon's Ashes. I'm enjoying what I'm reading so far.


I just finished watching the first season of The Expanse on Netflix. Loved it, I assume the books are recommended?

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Xeno
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Xeno » Sun Dec 11, 2016 6:39 pm

In a word, Yes.

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Moggy
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Moggy » Sun Dec 11, 2016 6:55 pm

I shall check them out at some point then.

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Ironhide
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Ironhide » Sun Dec 11, 2016 7:35 pm

They're really good books Moggy.

I haven't read the latest one yet as I suspect I'll be getting it for chrimbo.

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Squinty
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Squinty » Sun Dec 11, 2016 7:39 pm

Been going through Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks again. I love this bloke's writing and ideas.

Before that, finished Foundation book 2 (by Isaac Asimov). Really surprised by it. The character writing was much better than the first book, and it was really nice to read a book where nothing is really resolved positively at the end.

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Moggy
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PostRe: The Literature Thread
by Moggy » Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:40 pm

Squinty wrote:Been going through Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks again. I love this bloke's writing and ideas.

Before that, finished Foundation book 2 (by Isaac Asimov). Really surprised by it. The character writing was much better than the first book, and it was really nice to read a book where nothing is really resolved positively at the end.


Loved both the Culture and the Foundation series. :wub:


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