Thread for Literature Lovers

[Inderjit S]

This is the guild for all those people who love reading, whether it is fiction, philosophy, history or politics-post your thoughts and ideas here.

[Astaldo]

Well I'm on this

[greypilgrim]

I like to read. Mostly, I like books about war...WW2 espescially.

Other things I like read;

-Tolkien (duh)
-Stephen King (am reading "Desperation" right now)<--he's a god!
-Old stuff...like the Bros. Grimm and Shel Silverstien "where the sidewalk ends"
-Books like The Hab Thoery, and other strange books about the future of mankind.

[Beleg]

i readdd mnay thnigs not laset off which aer fatnasy boooks!

[Inderjit S]

I like reading most genres, though I do not like Sci-fi.

I love magic realism, I like Bulgkaov, Marquez, Calvino, Grass and Rushdie, I also like poetry and novels inspired by or from the romantic period, i.e Keats, Goethe, Pushkin, Byron, Shelley, Dumas, Poe, Whitman etc. as well as novels about the decline of families, such as Tolsoty's 'War and Peace' and Mann's 'Buddenbrooks'. I also like Russian and French lit-Zola, Tolstoy, Gogol, Goncharov, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Flaubert, Turgenev etc. and authors such as George Eliot.

[greypilgrim]

Whats your fav. Poe story? Many are good my fav. is The Pit and the Pendulum.

[Barliman Butterbur]

This is the guild for all those people who love reading, whether it is fiction, philosophy, history or politics-post your thoughts and ideas here.

Good idea, Inder! When I was a mad youth back in high school, I loved to read science fiction, particularly the works of Ray Bradbury, Theodore Sturgeon, H.G. Wells and H.P. Lovecraft. Comments, reactions, anyone?:)

Barley

[Astaldo]

H.P. Lovecraft is great. I also like Stephen King, and Clive Barker. They are great writers. And of course the father and son Herbert. Dune is fantastic. :)

[greypilgrim]

Ray Bradbury wrote books before you were in high school? Just ribbing you, Barley, just ribbing you. ;) :p

[Ol'gaffer]

I love to read, mainly fiction and classical literature.

Some favorite authors and the book which I like best of their works:

Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451 (Loved the book, read it countless of times.)

George Orwell - Animal Farm (Great, great satire.) & 1984 (Depressing, but alltogether a compelling look at a dystopian future.)

Robert A. Heinlen - Starship Troopers (though the movie was understanably different, I found the book to have the same vigor sense of intensity as the movie did, the book was ofcourse a lot clearer on its anti-war and anti-totalitarian message.)

J.K Rowling - Harry Potter series (imaginative, captivating and real page turners, she has made charecters so good, that you feel for them and cannot help but to find similarities with them.)

Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere, American Gods (Both books look at worlds beyond ours, yet co-existing at the same place and time. Dark, with some of the best black humour I've ever read, and some great writing, Gaiman is a name to look out for.)

Dann Brown - The DaVinci Code (amazing, I'm still reading it, but so far. It has been a compelling read, with references to secret societies, 18th century art, Leonardo DaVinci and numerous other philosophers, artist and leaders, the book is something to be experiensed, rather than just read.)

EDIT

Cannot forget Edgar Allan Poe and his wonderful poetry and short stories. The Raven being a particular favorite of mine.

Also, the wonderful H.P Lovecraft and his works on the Call of Chutulhu.

[Galadhwen]

I'll read most things- esp. fantasy. Have any of you read the Terry Goodkind Sword of Truth series? They are so gd, you really feel you know the characters.

[Beleg]

Nice choice of books there Barley and Gaffer. :) Wells, Lovecraft and Strutgeon are some of my favorite Speculative fiction authors. Specially Lovecraft is just amazing and Stranger In a Strange Land is perhaps my favorite Science-fiction book.

I read most genres including the so-termed speculative fiction.

Favorite authors are,


Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Connie Willis, Tolkien, Robert Anson Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Hunter S Thompson, George Orwell, Rowling, Zemyatin, Tad Williams, Gene Wolfe, Henry Fielding, Tim Powers, John Grisham, Jeffery Archer, Eadger Allan Poe, Robert Jordan, George R.R Martin among many many others..

Favorite Poe poem is Raven and favorite story is The Murders at Rue Morgue.

I will be starting 'American Gods' today and based on what I have allready read of Gaiman, 'Neverwhere', 'Stardust' and 'Coraline', It is gonna one hell of a ride. [And 'American Gods' won both the Nebula and Hugo which in itself is something extraordinary]

I usually don't dislike many serious authors, except for the Russian Classics, but Terry Goodkind has to be the absolute worst authors I have ever encounted. Cardboard characters, innane ramblings, stories choked filled with Ayn Rand propoganda and palgarism with the author being the aboslute rudest person I have had the displeasure to read.

My advice: avoid 'Sword of Truth' at any cost, or maybe not, if you have a serious rape, molestation and macho fetish and are fond of beyond-cheesy sick opera things with a hero that cleaves people like redish and a sadistic ***** of a heroine to boot.

But then again, this is MY opinion, though you'll find that many, if not most, agree with it and are even more voracious then me at expressing it.

That being said my favorite Fantasy book is 'Silmarillion', followed closely by 'Last Call' by Tim Powers, 'Watership Down' by Robert Adams, 'Kushiel's Choosen' by Jacqueline Karey and 'The Song of Fire and Ice Saga' by George R.R. Martin.

[Inderjit S]

'The Raven' is o-k, 'The Murder at Rue Morgue' is a great short story.

Anyone want to discuss magic realism? Or classic European lit?

[Astaldo]

'The Murder at Rue Morgue' is a great short story.
And a great song by Iron Maiden.


Anyone want to discuss magic realism? Or classic European lit?
Unfortunately the only othe magic realism I've read is the Forgotten Realms. If there will be a discussion however I would like to join.

[Beleg]

err, Forgotten Realms is magic realism?

I thought this was some good ol' stuff called Fantasy? :eek:

[laurelindorenan]

I love to read, and I will read mostly anything that crosses my path. I still have standards though. havent read any Poe though it seems interesting, must get on to that. I'm not really a sci-fi fan but fantasy is 'ihan passeli'. Sorry. All of the authors you have named that I have heard of are excellent. Perhaps some of the classic authors like Dickens, Bronte, Scott, Austen etc etc etc should be added though this kind of thing doesnt have the power to draw the reader as well as modern literature. Still good to read though. George Orwell '1984' is fantastic, I agree. The Northern Lights trilogy is also good reading even though it is supposedly childrens reading. And of course, everyone's favourite trilogy here, Lord Of The Rings! And most other Tolkien literature is great as well. Modern authors like Bill Bryson, Pullman, Pratchett etc are very good fantasy authors, and humour is always good to read. I bought the Da Vinci Code yesterday, so I haven't read it yet, but I will! Beleg, why dont you like Russian Classics? They are awesome works of literature, not only the fact that the authors actually wrote such tomes! Wonderful... Books are marvellous things, really.

[Astaldo]

Do you know who do we forgot? Jules Vern. This guy was a kind of prophet. Most of the thing he wrote and thought to be only fantasy in his time now it's real. He was a genius. :)

[greypilgrim]

Magic-realism, what is this?

What popular books did Jules Verne write?

[Astaldo]

Magic-realism, what is this?

What popular books did Jules Verne write?
Click here (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/authors/Jules_Verne.htm)for his bibliography. :)

His books were of general fantasy in his age. For example he predicted the spaceships, airplanes etc.

[Beleg]

Find the Russians extremely boring. I read for pleasure and even after numerous attempts I couldn't get past the fifth page of Crime and Punishment. Same goes for Leo Tolstoy.

Though, If you are looking for 'fat' books, try fantasy or text books.... :p ;)

[laurelindorenan]

Hehe, well Crime and Punishment was a little challenging but I got there in the end. Dostoevsky is a good author no doubt, and I wont even attempt to praise Tolstoy enough! War and Peace, it is just... you cant compare it to anything. Anyway, fantasy can be a little long as well, as they explain every little piece of history in the fantasy world, the sons of sons of sons, the locations etc. But it's all good! People need to read.

[Galadhwen]

The Katherine Kerr- Silver Dagger series have the most magic realism in that I have read so far

[joxy]

Where did this thread suddenly appear from?!
It's obviously a useful one when there are people who believe that Austen, Bronte, Dickens and Scott don't have power to draw readers, and others who don't know what Verne wrote.

[Galadhwen]

Was that to mine? If so sorry I was reading the first page and forgot to check if there was a 2nd!
P.S- not to keen on Austen but Dickens can definitley pull a reader and I like Verne! :D

[Inderjit S]

Beleg-perhaps if you tried reading past the first five pages then you would enjoy Russian lit. more? I wonder how much your opinions are based on your bias i.e that Russian book was boring so this Russian book will be boring too. And Russian lit. is not limited to just Tolstoy and Dostoevsky; Turgenev, Goncharov, Pushkin, Bulgakov, Pasternak, Lermontov, Chekov and others are great Russian authors. German lit. is great too-Goethe, Schiller, Gunter Grass, Thomas Mann, Kafka and French lit. is not too bad either-Flaubert trounces Austen.

[e.Blackstar]

Oh, me, I'm in!

[Beleg]

Beleg-perhaps if you tried reading past the first five pages then you would enjoy Russian lit. more?

perhaps.

I wonder how much your opinions are based on your bias i.e that Russian book was boring so this Russian book will be boring too.

Completely based on this bias.

Kafka is pretty nice and Anton Chekov wrote some nifty little peices.

is not too bad either-Flaubert trounces Austen

:eek: :eek:

Do you say this based on Madame Bovary?

Perhaps you should check out the Frenchman Marques De Sade. ;)

[Inderjit S]

Yes Kafka is great, nice to see you have read some Kafka.

Madame Bovary is a great novel, though A Sentimental Education is pure brilliance.

[joxy]

Was that to mine?
No, it was about the whole thread, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, thanks to Inder - of course- who else?! :D

[joxy]

And this one definitely deserves to go back to the top of the open list.

[Ciryaher]

Asimov is the best writer to come out of Russia, by far ;)

I'm presently studying Erwin Rommel...for my own pleasure. I recently finished Rommel by Desmond Young, and am now embarking on The Rommel Papers by Rommel himself. After that, it's Infanterie Gereift An (or "Infantry Attacks") also by Rommel.

Louis L'Amour is another very good author best known for his westerns. But I enjoy his pre-American historic fiction the most, especially The Walking Drum which is a great book that takes place during the height of the Islamic Empire, though the character is a Celt from Brittany. The Sackett series (I've read 10 of them or so) and the book Bendigo Shafter are also veddy good.

The Baghavad Gita, Upanishads, and Qu'ran are also very interesting to read.

[Beleg]

Anyone here intrested/well read in oriental literature?

[Akallabeth]

Anyone here intrested/well read in oriental literature?
No, :o ,
but I just read this amazing book for my high school book club.
Bel Canto.
Everyone in the world should read it. It is such a beautiful story.
Anne Patchett (the author) really makes you fall in love with the characters.

[Raithnait]

I just saw this! So happy! I love reading! Classics, Fantasy, Tolkien, etc. Among favorite authors are Tolkien, Patricia A. McKillip, Robin McKinley, Patricia C. Wrede, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Kafka, Louisa May Alcott, Peter Dickinson... too many others.

Within the last week and a half, I've read Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb, Little Women and Little Men by Lousia May Alcott, and am in the midst of Emma by Jane Austen, because I told Rhiannon I would... this being my third shot at Austen, and enjoying it only because Mr. Woodhouse is so amusing and Mr. Knightley is so great... and it seems to be improving as it progresses, or maybe that's just because there's less waiting to be read so I feel happier about tackling it, and I have Mansfield Park and Mad Ship and another Alcott on my list to be read as soon as Emma is over...

[Mike]

Asimov is the best writer to come out of Russia, by far

Asimov is pretty good. But for Russian literature I'd choose Boris Pasternak. Doctor Zhivago is my favourite Russian book by far.

I also read for pleasure, and still found War and Peace immensely enjoyable.