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Stag
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Woah, quit trolling.
Favorite books / What are you reading?
- Thread starter Snackpack
- Start date
Just started reading H.P. Lovecraft after hearing a lot about his work.
Reading "Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories"
First impression?
Childish ghoststories with last sentence punchlines.
Only read these so far:
1. Dagon
2. The Statement of Randolph Carter
3. Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His family
Hope and expect it to get better ...
Reading "Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories"
First impression?
Childish ghoststories with last sentence punchlines.
Only read these so far:
1. Dagon
2. The Statement of Randolph Carter
3. Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His family
Hope and expect it to get better ...
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
Yes, I haven't read it yet. Yes, it's about time. Yes, I'm lovin' it.
Yes, I haven't read it yet. Yes, it's about time. Yes, I'm lovin' it.
Multidirectional
Mildly Dipped
Just finished Samuel Shem's "Mount Misery" (a sequel to his "House Of God"). Good overall, but something was lost in the second half. Also too long, plenty of redundancy, I felt. First book was better. Although they both borrow their style heavily from Joseph Heller's awesome "Catch-22" which is far far superior and is one of my favorite books.
Now finally starting Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" for the first time.
Next stop - Cormac McCarthy's books. I want to read him ever since I saw adaptation of "No Country For Old Men" by my beloved Coen brothers. I was blown away by that movie.
Now finally starting Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" for the first time.
Next stop - Cormac McCarthy's books. I want to read him ever since I saw adaptation of "No Country For Old Men" by my beloved Coen brothers. I was blown away by that movie.
SimpleMinded
Vault Fossil
Buxbaum666 said:
What are everyone's opinions on the sequels? I couldn't get too far into them honestly as I felt like I was reading more of the same
The Vault Dweller
always looking for water.
Daimyo said:
I love sci-fi and I love H.P. Lovecraft. You have yet to read some of his better work.
Just wait 'til you get to Dreams in the Witch House (I think that's what it was called) or The Colour Out of Space.
Trust me...his best stories are unforgettable. Also many of his stories take place in two settings that are very unique and memorable. You'll notice them once you've read more.
Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
SimpleMinded said:
The Hitchhikers' sequels are notable, IMO, in that they go in descending order of quality. The first three were pretty enjoyable, but he just let his plotlines kind of languish instead of moving them too far in any given direction, and by So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, they had atrophied almost entirely. Mostly Harmless, if it had been written by anyone else, wouldn't have been worth reading.
They're all enjoyable reads- Adams' narrative style sees to that. But later in the series, there's no chocolate under the candy shell. Compared to what he did in the first book, it's a real shame.
I have an omnibus edition including the first four books. I didn't know there were five, otherwise I would've bought one that includes them all. Meh.
Soviet Travolta
First time out of the vault
The Vault Dweller said:
Definitely my favourite story in this Lovecraft book, i have always been amazed by how prophetic he has been on this subject.
Started reading 'No Country for Old Men' by Cormac McCarthy. Quite some time passed since i saw the Coen brothers' movie, however they made it so close to the book that it's hard not to see the movie all over again while reading.
I love how this man writes, those long sentences with no comas and lots of "and", sometimes it really looks like a movie script. 'The road' he wrote later was a true masterpiece to me.
Knödelkarpfen
First time out of the vault
I definately hope you give the later stories a try. I am no Lovecraft expert, but the stories you read aren't really his fully mature pieces. I really enjoy "The Case of Dexter Ward" and "At the Mountains of Madness", among others.Daimyo said:
Right now Reading "Point Counter Point" By Aldous Huxley. Had the novel mentioned in one of my everpresent music books. I'm about halfway through and am really starting to enjoy it. The characters are becoming very nicely fleshed out. It's a bit depressing for me how certain behaviors and thought patterns of a couple of the characters mirror my own.
UniversalWolf
eaten by a grue.
Lovecraft: as others have pointed out, his work varies greatly in quality. Most of his stories I read once and never again, others I read over and over. The writing is often childish, and he has an annoying habit of overusing certain ridiculous words. That said, Lovecraft's writing also has a unique vibrance and a compelling ability to create bizarre imagery. I get a craving for some Lovecraft about every three or four years, but it may be the kind of thing it's hard to develop a liking for if you try to get into it as an adult.
In short, you don't read Lovecraft for its greatness, you read it for its uniqueness.
In short, you don't read Lovecraft for its greatness, you read it for its uniqueness.
I assume that's directed at me. If you think Watchmen is great, you don't know what great is. I bought the book and I regret wasting the money. Endless dreary backstory, zero character development, and a goofy ending. I'd call it above average pulp, merely because it's well-crafted. That's it, though.SupermanOctopus said:
UniversalWolf
eaten by a grue.
This was a double-post. I deleted it.
Currently reading Medici Money: Banking, Aetaphysics and Art in Fifteenth Century Florence by Tim Parks.
It's interesting, but the writing style irritates me a fair bit. It's sort of written in a way that the author hopes a 15 year old will be interested in.
I spend around 300AUD on amazon books lately, so I've also got
The Fall of the Roman Empire - Peter Heather
The Battle for Spain - Antony Beevor
The Good War - Studs Terkel
Tobruk - W. Buckingham
The House of Medici: It's Rise and Fall - Christopher Hibbert
The Battle of Long tan - Bob Grandin
Should see me through a few weeks of the 2 hours travelling I need to get to uni.
It's interesting, but the writing style irritates me a fair bit. It's sort of written in a way that the author hopes a 15 year old will be interested in.
I spend around 300AUD on amazon books lately, so I've also got
The Fall of the Roman Empire - Peter Heather
The Battle for Spain - Antony Beevor
The Good War - Studs Terkel
Tobruk - W. Buckingham
The House of Medici: It's Rise and Fall - Christopher Hibbert
The Battle of Long tan - Bob Grandin
Should see me through a few weeks of the 2 hours travelling I need to get to uni.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah.
We live in a very screwed-up world.
We live in a very screwed-up world.
I read that a while ago. I read it again about six months ago and it really put things in perspective. Cruel world and whatnot.
Very enjoyable read.
I can't believe I posted outside of the Order.
Very enjoyable read.
I can't believe I posted outside of the Order.
Mutoes
Mildly Dipped
So, im reading Agatha Christies -Cards on the table.
Its usual Poirot stuff, nothing revolutianary but enjoyable short detective story. Its good for those long trips on train or bus.
Its usual Poirot stuff, nothing revolutianary but enjoyable short detective story. Its good for those long trips on train or bus.