What are you reading?
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Clement Rage
Pro Adventurer
The Good Women of China, by Xinran. One of those anthologies that gets you wondering how any woman does anything without having a nervous breakdown. All apparently true stories. Happiest story so far involves someone waiting for 45 years to be reunited with her true love and then finds out he's married. The rest are a lot more violent.
Ite
Save your valediction (she/her)
- AKA
- Ite
I’m about 60 pages into John Green’s new novel “Turtles All the Way Down.” My god, I swear every book he writes is better than the last.
Edit: I’m reading it at the bar of my local haunt, and the barkeep was like “Whatcha readin, [Mr. Ite]?”
Me: “The new John Green novel!”
Her: “I didn’t know you were a teenaged girl.”
rofl
Edit: I’m reading it at the bar of my local haunt, and the barkeep was like “Whatcha readin, [Mr. Ite]?”
Me: “The new John Green novel!”
Her: “I didn’t know you were a teenaged girl.”
rofl
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Clement Rage
Pro Adventurer
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy John le Carre has a great turn of phrase. And Jim Prideaux is amazing, he's so ridiculously skilled in s many subtle ways and so thoroughly screwed over.
Also, Sense and Sensibility Took me a while to get straight the difference between Mrs John Dashwood, Mrs Dashwood, and the three Miss Dashwoods, but it's a good story once you get into it. Interestingly,
Also, Sense and Sensibility Took me a while to get straight the difference between Mrs John Dashwood, Mrs Dashwood, and the three Miss Dashwoods, but it's a good story once you get into it. Interestingly,
Everyone gets a happy ending except poor Eliza 1 and Eliza 2
CrashOuch
she/her
- AKA
- Sara
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (the temperature at which book-paper catches fire and burns). It's about a future where TV rules and the government has ordered all books (and the people hiding them) be burnt so no one thinks for themselves, basically.
Considering it was first published in 1954, Bradbury got terrifyingly close to where we are now. They all have these giant TVs that replace all four walls in their parlours and you get sent a sort of script, right, so the actors on the screen turn to you, in your parlour, and say what do you think about that? And they even are able to replace whatever name they say with your name, and make the actor's lips move to say it right and everything, and then, because you have the script, you know what to say next. How crazy is that?
Considering it was first published in 1954, Bradbury got terrifyingly close to where we are now. They all have these giant TVs that replace all four walls in their parlours and you get sent a sort of script, right, so the actors on the screen turn to you, in your parlour, and say what do you think about that? And they even are able to replace whatever name they say with your name, and make the actor's lips move to say it right and everything, and then, because you have the script, you know what to say next. How crazy is that?
Goldmaster
Lv. 1 Adventurer
I’m just going away for the weekend with my relatives and I can’t imagine a better time for reading. I’ll happy to spend few hours on the road with my ebook. Some new best-sellers were already downloaded: Dark in Death by J.D.Robb, The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
Clement Rage
Pro Adventurer
Year of the Flood Margaret Atwood. It's...fine? Was kind of expecting more, she's talked about like the Queen of literature a lot of the time.
trash panda
---m(O.O)gle---
- AKA
- Howl
Just finished:
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
“In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.” (Amazon.com Description)
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
The moon is missing from the remote Village of Clear Sky, but only a young boy named Rendi seems to notice! Rendi has run away from home and is now working as a chore boy at the village inn. He can't help but notice the village's peculiar inhabitants and their problems. (Amazon.com Description)
These were cute, quick reads.
They're children’s books (the age range listed on amazon is 9-12 years) so, relatively basic writing style but the stories were enjoyable enough and they're easy to read out loud, which is what I used them for. The first one had a better story.
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The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
“For more than a century, The Wind in the Willows and its endearing protagonists--Mole, Mr. Toad, Badger, and Ratty--have enchanted children of all ages. Whether the four friends are setting forth on an exciting adventure, engaging in a comic caper, or simply relaxing by the River Thames, their stories are among the most charming in all English literature. This keepsake edition of Kenneth Grahame's beloved novel features gorgeous art throughout, making it a must-have for every child's library.” (Amazon.com Description)
The writing style is really enjoyable. Slow moving plot. I believe the underlying moral of the story is regarding friendship and I totally disagree with the main characters’ adamancy on remaining friends with each other, particularly Toad who is something of an ass. Regardless of the plot or the characters therein, the prose kept me reading.
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The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
“Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out. “ (Amazon.com Description)
Cute story, simple writing, quick and easy read.
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The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
“Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger—a real-life, very large tiger—pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things—like memories, and heartache, and tigers—can’t be locked up forever. Featuring a new cover illustration by Stephen Walton.” (Amazon.com Description)
Another quick and easy one. It could probably be read in an afternoon but I did my reading out loud and it lasted a few days. Simplistic, brief story about reality through the eyes of a child.
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Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
“When Ombria’s prince, Royce Greve, breathes his last—in palace rooms high above the city—he leaves his young son and mistress at the mercy of his ancient and powerful great-aunt, Domina Pearl. Meanwhile, in a dreamlike underworld peopled by Ombria’s ghosts, a sorceress weaves her spells and brews her potions, never revealing her real face—or true heart. And somewhere in between, the struggle to rule the whole of Ombria—both its light and shadows—will rest in the hands of those whose fractured lives align like the lost pieces of a magical puzzle….” (Amazon.com Description)
The writing style is gorgeous. I may be a bit behind in my reading skills because I tried reading this out loud to baby Howl and I was stumped numerous times; found myself repeatedly going back and re-reading passages to myself. It’s not a style that I’m familiar with but I definitely want more of this sort of prose. Every other sentence is filled with clever idioms and I found very little filler; she only says what needs to be said to paint a clear picture. I had to whip out a dictionary on a few occasions because she used a number of words that I flat-out wasn’t familiar with, embarrassingly.
My only nags are that the story was a bit, er…condensed, I think is the right word? Ombria is a world that could use a lot of fleshing out. And the villain is seriously two dimensional. I can’t appreciate a villain unless I’ve been inside their head and have trouble questioning their actual villainy.
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
“In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.” (Amazon.com Description)
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
The moon is missing from the remote Village of Clear Sky, but only a young boy named Rendi seems to notice! Rendi has run away from home and is now working as a chore boy at the village inn. He can't help but notice the village's peculiar inhabitants and their problems. (Amazon.com Description)
These were cute, quick reads.
They're children’s books (the age range listed on amazon is 9-12 years) so, relatively basic writing style but the stories were enjoyable enough and they're easy to read out loud, which is what I used them for. The first one had a better story.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
“For more than a century, The Wind in the Willows and its endearing protagonists--Mole, Mr. Toad, Badger, and Ratty--have enchanted children of all ages. Whether the four friends are setting forth on an exciting adventure, engaging in a comic caper, or simply relaxing by the River Thames, their stories are among the most charming in all English literature. This keepsake edition of Kenneth Grahame's beloved novel features gorgeous art throughout, making it a must-have for every child's library.” (Amazon.com Description)
The writing style is really enjoyable. Slow moving plot. I believe the underlying moral of the story is regarding friendship and I totally disagree with the main characters’ adamancy on remaining friends with each other, particularly Toad who is something of an ass. Regardless of the plot or the characters therein, the prose kept me reading.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
“Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out. “ (Amazon.com Description)
Cute story, simple writing, quick and easy read.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
“Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger—a real-life, very large tiger—pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things—like memories, and heartache, and tigers—can’t be locked up forever. Featuring a new cover illustration by Stephen Walton.” (Amazon.com Description)
Another quick and easy one. It could probably be read in an afternoon but I did my reading out loud and it lasted a few days. Simplistic, brief story about reality through the eyes of a child.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
“When Ombria’s prince, Royce Greve, breathes his last—in palace rooms high above the city—he leaves his young son and mistress at the mercy of his ancient and powerful great-aunt, Domina Pearl. Meanwhile, in a dreamlike underworld peopled by Ombria’s ghosts, a sorceress weaves her spells and brews her potions, never revealing her real face—or true heart. And somewhere in between, the struggle to rule the whole of Ombria—both its light and shadows—will rest in the hands of those whose fractured lives align like the lost pieces of a magical puzzle….” (Amazon.com Description)
The writing style is gorgeous. I may be a bit behind in my reading skills because I tried reading this out loud to baby Howl and I was stumped numerous times; found myself repeatedly going back and re-reading passages to myself. It’s not a style that I’m familiar with but I definitely want more of this sort of prose. Every other sentence is filled with clever idioms and I found very little filler; she only says what needs to be said to paint a clear picture. I had to whip out a dictionary on a few occasions because she used a number of words that I flat-out wasn’t familiar with, embarrassingly.
My only nags are that the story was a bit, er…condensed, I think is the right word? Ombria is a world that could use a lot of fleshing out. And the villain is seriously two dimensional. I can’t appreciate a villain unless I’ve been inside their head and have trouble questioning their actual villainy.
Roger
He/him
- AKA
- Minato
Just today I bought myself A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (GRRM) and Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology. Probably two-three days reading there.
Both damn good! Norse Mythlogy makes me wish Gaiman would do a run on Marvel's Thor.
Cookie Monster
NOM NOM NOM
House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski
Easily one of the strangest and most exciting books I've ever read.
Easily one of the strangest and most exciting books I've ever read.
Cthulhu
Administrator
- AKA
- Yop
all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy ąll̡ wor̨ķ ̷a͞n̨d͠ n͢o̴ pl͢a҉y m̀a̴kes ̴jack͏ a̧ ͏dưl̀l ̕b͘oy a̴l̵l̶ ̧wo͢rk an̴d ǹo p͜lay ͢m̷a̧k͘e҉ś ̀jac̛k͏ ͡a͝ du̷ll ͞bo͝y̴ ͝all w̛o̢r̡k͞ ͠an͜d̕ n̸o̴ pl͝áy ͟m͏a͠kes͠ ͡j̕a̕c͞k ̢a̛ dúll̷ b̢o̸y̷ a҉͝l̵͡l ͜w̨órk͟ ̧͡a̕nd́͢ n̛̕o̷͡͝ ̕͞p̸l̵̀á͘y̛͟͜ ͝m̷̕̕ąk̴e̕͢͟ś̴ j҉a̧c̢̛͝k̨̢͟ ̵̸á͠ ̶̕dul̶͝҉l̛̀ ̕͜b̨͟o̡ỳ͟ ̴͟aļ̸l ͜w̶͡o̶͞r͞k ͢a̴̢͞n͟d͏ ̸̨ņ͠ơ͜ ͞p҉l̢͠ay̴̶ ma̴͞ḱ͜eś̛ ͞͡j͢a͝c͘͡k̵ ̢̕ą ̕͡du͟͢ll͜ ̸͢b̨o̢͡y̷̛ aļ̸l ͜w̶͡o̶͞r͞k ͢a̴̢͞n͟d͏ ̸̨ņ͠ơ͜ ͞p҉l̢͠ay̴̶ ma̴͞ḱ͜eś̛ ͞͡j͢a͝c͘͡k̵ ̢̕ą ̕͡du͟͢ll͜ ̸͢b̨o̢͡y̷̛ A̵L҉L̢ ͢͢W҉Ò̷͡R̷̸K̡ ҉͡A͏͡N͜D̵́́ ́͞Ņ́O̶̵ ̢̕P̵̕L͞A҉Y̢͡͞ ̀͢M̶̧͘A̡͘K͏͢Ę̵͞S͞ ̨͡J͜͞A̛̕C͜͏͢K̸̛ ͡A̵͏ D̴̀U҉̸Ļ̵L̛ ͏B̢̡͝Ǫ͞͞Y͠҉A̴̵̢̕Ĺ̵̢́͟L͘͝͠ ̡̨̛͢W̨͝҉O̶͜R͏̶K҉̧͞ ̢̨̛͜Ą͟N̶̵͞D͏̀̕͜͜ ̵́̕͟N͢͏̧Ǫ̡̧͜͝ ̷̛̕P̴̨̧͟͠L͠͠͏͠Ą͡͏Y̛͢͜͞͞ ͞͏̢Ḿ̶̀͟A̡̛͟K̸҉̶̧̀E͡͞͝Ş̕͜͡҉ ̛͞J͟͠A̷͜͡͏͝C͟͜͠K̶̡͘ ͜͏̕͜A̧҉ ̨̧D̶̵͢͜U̷̢L̀͢͠Ļ͘͘ ̷̧͢B́̀͟Ò̧̨͢͝Y͟͞͞҉A̸̛̜͙͕̩̮͍̖̕͠L̀͞҉̴̢̬̞͓͓̠̟̲L̨̳̗̙͓̩̩͎͓̮̮͉̙̮̥̘̻̀̕͠͝ͅ ̶̷̲̣͈̮̠̝̭̟̣̭̲́͡͠W̡̡͓̫̤̪̮̖̘͎̪͖̩͟O̡͝͠҉͖̞̟̣̀R҉̴͓͓̙̮̺͎̭̪͇̺͉̦K̡̫̰͔͖̼͙͉͖̥̜͔̲̗͉͚̀͡͝ͅͅ ̶̴̲̦̘͈͖̘̞̟̫̮̖̭̗̜̗͠͞ͅA̼͔͇̩͖̬͍͟͢͞͝͝Ń҉̳̖̰̖́D͟͝͏̶̖͚͍͙̦̗̥̦̀ ̵̢̡͇͚̣͖̼̤͙̟̟̜͔͕͖̜̮N҉̴̸͈̻̳̹͓̬͇͚̖̯̱͕̳̗́͟O̶̵̪̦̠̲̳̼͖͚̗̥̼̮͓͇̙̣̪͉̼ ̸̶̧̪̗͈̩̯͙͈̱̯̹̺̀͡Ṕ̛̜̜̤̜̣̣̦̱͈̼̼͟Ļ̸͈̥̟̖̯̳͕͍̬A̷̷̷̡̤̬͕̼͇̘̠͍̪̠̪Y͜҉̗͔̻̣̲̳̳̺̲̺̘̘̥̺̠̞͔̖͢ ̡̞̤̪̖̠̝̤͙̩̪͓̱͎M҉̷̧̥̤͍̀͡A̴̧̪͖̜̮͖̰͡K͘͜͏̸̢̰̦̤̭E͏̡͚͇̤̠̙̙̝̣͚̜̱̣̙̫̠̜͘Ś̷̨͏̮͍̦ ̸̛͎͈̤̬͙̠̣̱̕͘͝J̩̼͙̜̫̦̞̭͔̭̦͟͞A̸̢̡͞҉̰̤͙̦̗̭̗C̛̤͍̭̪̦͉̮̝͎͓̘̬͘͡K̶̶̛̫̬̦͚ ́҉̵͉͖̼̭͖͎̟ͅA̺̻̬̰̜̗̰̗̺̖̙͇̠͠ ̗̗̩̙͍̙͠ͅD̷͓͈̘͇͕͍͙͓̭͍̻̜͚͙̭̥̬U҉̪̥̰͎͇͖̭̖͉̯͍̪͞ͅL̴̵̡̘̳͇͔̦̙͚̱͕L̷̵̢͙̹͉̥̣̲͍͇̟͓͕̺̘̬̟̬̠͇͞͡ ͢͠͏̸̹̱̟͔͕̱̞̤̹B҉̱̥̹̩̳͙͕̱͕͎O͏̶̨͕̭̣̖͘Y̡̨̧̞̝̪͓͈͞
Cthulhu
Administrator
- AKA
- Yop
I just started in on reading through H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon.
That better be a regular republishing of his stories and not some ghost writer trying to write a necromnomnicon because iirc Lovecraft never wrote one as such
Erm I mean uh Y̴̛'̴͘AÍ͠'̕͟N͞҉G͟'͟N̴̡̢GA͢͜͠H҉ ̧̀͘Y͡ÒG͏-̷̀͟S̕͜O͏TH̷̢O҉͞T̸́͠H H̴'̀͘EÉ-̴̵L̵̷'͞G̛̛EB̵̴̡ ͏͏F̴҉͡'̸̨̧A͞͝I̶ ҉̛T̕H̴̢R̷̴O̧̕DƠG Ų͘͞À̷͢A̷̢AH̢
Mage
She/They
- AKA
- Mage
Just today I bought myself A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (GRRM) and Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology. Probably two-three days reading there.
Both damn good! Norse Mythlogy makes me wish Gaiman would do a run on Marvel's Thor.
Finished both within three days, now Mama has them.
I watched Thor just after reading Gaiman's book and was like 'this isn't right at all!' Not currently reading anything but I'm eyeing up Acid Drops by Andy Roberts since I have a signed copy.
X-SOLDIER
Harbinger O Great Justice
- AKA
- X
That better be a regular republishing of his stories and not some ghost writer trying to write a necromnomnicon because iirc Lovecraft never wrote one as such
Erm I mean uh Y̴̛'̴͘AÍ͠'̕͟N͞҉G͟'͟N̴̡̢GA͢͜͠H҉ ̧̀͘Y͡ÒG͏-̷̀͟S̕͜O͏TH̷̢O҉͞T̸́͠H H̴'̀͘EÉ-̴̵L̵̷'͞G̛̛EB̵̴̡ ͏͏F̴҉͡'̸̨̧A͞͝I̶ ҉̛T̕H̴̢R̷̴O̧̕DƠG Ų͘͞À̷͢A̷̢AH̢
It most certainly is a collected republishing.
X
Mage
She/They
- AKA
- Mage
Doing some research on lesbian literature so I read The Color Purple yesterday and started Tipping the Velvet today. The Color Purple wasn't easy because of the writing style but I thoroughly enjoyed getting pummelled in the feels. Tipping the Velvet isn't instantly enjoyable. The protagonist is a bit self-centred and it bugs me, plus the era isn't the most interesting for my tastes. I also have Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe for afterwards.
If anyone's got any other recommendations I'd be willing to check them out. I've got to order some Virgina Woolf and Jeanette Winterton yet.
If anyone's got any other recommendations I'd be willing to check them out. I've got to order some Virgina Woolf and Jeanette Winterton yet.