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Books / Lit Books.
- Thread starter Bandicoot
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He is a "worldbuilder" first, author second. The landscape was initially supposed to be used for more stories, but he's gotta get over that hump if he wants to succeed at that inital thought.
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If I get some time I'll try to get a Google sheet or something going to compile all the books that have been recommended. I'm thinking of doing it in a way where we can track what we've read as well.
I'm thinking books are the rows and then we're columns where we can put marks down for what we've read and what we're interested in. Can obviously go all out and try to organize things in various ways.
Any thoughts? I'm thinking it can be like an asynchronous book club where we can find out who else read various things so we know who we can talk to about them.
I'm thinking books are the rows and then we're columns where we can put marks down for what we've read and what we're interested in. Can obviously go all out and try to organize things in various ways.
Any thoughts? I'm thinking it can be like an asynchronous book club where we can find out who else read various things so we know who we can talk to about them.
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Gawd I’m usually a reasonably stoic reader but the last two Hobb books each turned the taps on, for opposite reasons. I would love to see her return to this world.
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The last few hundred pages for me were very slow because I had to take breaks, the tears kept coming. They have come a lot over the whole series, but that last push was rough.Gawd I’m usually a reasonably stoic reader but the last two Hobb books each turned the taps on, for opposite reasons. I would love to see her return to this world.
I would too. I know she has some arthritis which has limited her writing. I'd love to see prequel following Chivalry
If you havent yet, The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince is an excellent novella in the world
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Buuuuuump.
Has anyone else read Brandon Sanderson's secret project 3? Yumi and the Nightmare Painter?
I just finished it and it might be his best stand alone book. The tone, the world building, the whole package was incredible and though I do not have many physical books anymore, I'm strongly considering the hard cover for this. The artwork through out is so beautiful.
Has anyone else read Brandon Sanderson's secret project 3? Yumi and the Nightmare Painter?
I just finished it and it might be his best stand alone book. The tone, the world building, the whole package was incredible and though I do not have many physical books anymore, I'm strongly considering the hard cover for this. The artwork through out is so beautiful.
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Lolita is the best book I've ever read, and that's a hill I'll die on. I know it's not the most socially acceptable thing to say, but the book is just so damn good. I bought it at a rinky-dink train station bookstore in Egypt while travelling because I had a long train and it was the only book title I recognized.
Nabokov is just such a genius bastard with language that I can't help but hate him a bit for being so damn good with English despite being Russian and growing up in the USSR. Humpbert Humpbert is equal parts a detestable character, lamentable character, and how Nabokov could imbue such an evil person with characteristics that, at times, make you forget he's such a monster and start to even pity him is the mark of an amazing writer.
The Things they Carried is the best collection of short stories I've ever read. I had to read the titular story as part of a course in Creative Writing, and the lessons within taught me a lot about th craft. Eventually I read the rest of the book, and... wow. Writing about war is more likely than most things to capture my fascination, but this book's approach -- blurring the lines between reality and fiction -- makes it such an engaging read. There's not a single dud among all of the stories.
Catcher in the Rye and 1984 were two of my favorites in high school. I used to read Catcher in the Rye yearly. Never cared much for 1984's oft-mentioned counterparts: Brave New World, the Chrysalids, or Fahrenheit 451.
My issue is that I'll often read 2 or 3 books in a row that I don't like and just lose the flavor for reading altogether for a while. Right now I'm reading Roots. It's pretty good, but not incredible. It's informative and interesting, from a historical perspective, but the writing is a bit shallow. It's alright. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it.
edit: forgot a phrase
Nabokov is just such a genius bastard with language that I can't help but hate him a bit for being so damn good with English despite being Russian and growing up in the USSR. Humpbert Humpbert is equal parts a detestable character, lamentable character, and how Nabokov could imbue such an evil person with characteristics that, at times, make you forget he's such a monster and start to even pity him is the mark of an amazing writer.
The Things they Carried is the best collection of short stories I've ever read. I had to read the titular story as part of a course in Creative Writing, and the lessons within taught me a lot about th craft. Eventually I read the rest of the book, and... wow. Writing about war is more likely than most things to capture my fascination, but this book's approach -- blurring the lines between reality and fiction -- makes it such an engaging read. There's not a single dud among all of the stories.
Catcher in the Rye and 1984 were two of my favorites in high school. I used to read Catcher in the Rye yearly. Never cared much for 1984's oft-mentioned counterparts: Brave New World, the Chrysalids, or Fahrenheit 451.
My issue is that I'll often read 2 or 3 books in a row that I don't like and just lose the flavor for reading altogether for a while. Right now I'm reading Roots. It's pretty good, but not incredible. It's informative and interesting, from a historical perspective, but the writing is a bit shallow. It's alright. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it.
edit: forgot a phrase
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Agreed, 1984 was a good, thought-provoking read, and Fahrenheit 451 was so dull.
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VashTheStampede
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I am so excited for you. Wish I could wipe my memory and start fresh.
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I'd heard it was a very difficult read but I'm not having a problem with it (yet!).
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I haven't. A friend has sent me the first two and I've read Tress of the Emerald Sea, which for all the obvious Wizard of Oz parallels I thought was right up there with the best that he's written from a prose perspective. It actually felt like I was reading something written by Neil Gaiman rather than Brandon Sanderson, which is absolutely a compliment.
I have read some classic sci fi recently. As part of that I read 1984 for the first time and really thought it was excellent. It's almost a shame that it's repeatedly referenced by the "1984 has basically come true" people online, because not only is that not really accurate, but the book deserves much more considered discussion than that.
In that same vein, I've also read I Am Legend, Childhood's End, and Flowers for Algernon, and all three of those are just superb books. All written decades ago but Childhood's End and Flowers For Algernon in particular still felt very original to me in terms of how they were written and their respective plots. Even I Am Legend feels original for the fact that it focuses so much on the main character for a zombie story. The one 'classic' that I didn't get on with was Starship Troopers. I simply don't understand those people who think it's good. For me it's military propaganda disguised in a paper thin sci fi plot. It's just not a good book. Still glad I read it though, and at least I still have the film, which is one of my favourites.
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Agreed! It's not just about surveillance, which is what most people seem to mean when they say that. I doubt most people who refer to it have even read it, though.
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