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Post by ♥ Lulu on Nov 1, 2010 13:37:19 GMT -5
I have yet to see the movie! I pretty much lead my book club, and I want us all to watch it so we can compare the two, but we've not really had time for it quite yet, on top of starting our new book. I don't think it was the fact so much has been inspired because of it that caused me to find it not-groundbreaking. I think rather it is the subtlety, if I might use that word, of Dick's writing. It has such a quietness to it - in some ways, it is very elegant. In others, it is simplified and uninteresting. I think here it was just too subtle, particularly the last four or five chapters. Unremarkable is probably a better word for me to use rather than "groundbreaking". I want to try out some of Dick's other writing, too, I'm just not sure where to start, to see if it's just expectations that made me feel it was unsatisfactory. Also, I'm curious -- does this comic book have any words on writing for comics, or just for drawing? I hang around on a lot of comic-makers websites (such as Digital Webbing), but I've not heard of it. It might be good to start with a book of his short stories. You'd get a better idea of his range. Boy howdy, does he ever cover a lot of ground. I seem to remember "Paycheck and Other Classic Stories" having a lot of good ones. If you are looking for his least subtle stuff, you want to go to the end of his life and career. The themes of paranoia and schizophrenia (which he suffered from with increasing severity) appear full force in 'A Scanner Darkly', and are present throughout a lot of his work. VALIS is sort of an autobiography, though I can barely even begin to separate what really happened, what was a schizoid delusion, and what was intentionally made up. Understanding Comics is about the potential and use of comics as a medium, and is not really a straight how-to guide to anything. Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative has a lot about story construction that would be good for both a writer and an artist. It even has a helpful section on writing comic scripts when you're not the artist drawing them. I've heard that two great books if you are interested in just the writing side of comics are Screenplay by Syd Field and Alan Moore's Writing for Comics, but I haven't made it up to the library to find out. Mmmhm, I might have a taste of those. Added to my Amazon wishlist, although A Scanner Darkly was there already. I don't mind the subtlety, but I just don't think it worked as well as it could in Do Androids. I'll see what Paycheck and Others does for me. And while I've never heard of VALIS, you have made it sound very intriguing. I'll probably not get to any more of his on top of all my other to-reads this year, but I will definitely try next year. While I might have been left unsatisfied, I still enjoyed Do Androids so I definitely want to try more of Dick's writing. Actually, Understanding Comics sounds like something I'm after. I will probably give it a try (again, next year, but added to my ever growing list). I've never quite got around to Alan Moore's Writing for Comics, but I have been recommended it many a time, and do need to read it. I'm surprised with a title like Screenplay that it's for comics? Or is it just general scripting? But thank you for your recommendations, I'm definitely going to look into it. (Especially considered I checked out your list, and we've read some of the same stuff, and seem to have a similar taste, so!)
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Post by M is for Morphine on Nov 2, 2010 6:28:48 GMT -5
Actually, Understanding Comics sounds like something I'm after. I will probably give it a try (again, next year, but added to my ever growing list). I've never quite got around to Alan Moore's Writing for Comics, but I have been recommended it many a time, and do need to read it. I'm surprised with a title like Screenplay that it's for comics? Or is it just general scripting? But thank you for your recommendations, I'm definitely going to look into it. (Especially considered I checked out your list, and we've read some of the same stuff, and seem to have a similar taste, so!) You're right, Screenplay is just general scripting. BUT! I've seen it recommended several times, and one of the people who said to read it was Warren Ellis. He wrote some of my favorite comics (Transmetropolitan, Planetary, Global Frequency), so I'm very keen on taking his advice! A lot of the stuff on your list is either stuff I like, or things I meant to get around to. XD I love Ito Junji.
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Post by Chao on Nov 7, 2010 7:38:08 GMT -5
Finished the Narnia series. And while all books have their charm, I can now say that my favourites are the first one with the wardrobe-adventure and the fourth one with the silver chair. ^^
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Post by M is for Morphine on Nov 10, 2010 16:46:21 GMT -5
Just finished Machine of Death, which is a compilation of stories by various authors. It's available to read for free right now. You should do it. The premise is wonderfully simple: What if there was a machine that could tell you how you would die? Some of the stories are sad. Some are funny. A few are bizarrely cheerful and lovely, like 'Torn Apart and Devoured by Lions'. Each story is named after a cause of death, so sometimes even just reading the title causes your breath to catch in your throat (like 'While Trying to Save Another'). Like all anthologies, there were some weak entries. Surprisingly few, though (I wasn't thrilled by 'Improperly Prepared Blowfish'). There is far more treasure than trash here. Highly recommended.
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Post by ♥ Lulu on Dec 10, 2010 17:47:18 GMT -5
Teow (presuming you still go by that pseudonym?) - Thanks for the link to Machine of Death! I'm at CANCER now, and I'm really enjoying it!
So we near the deadline, and I actually have some amount of chance of doing it this year, which is a shock to me XD But only if I buckle down now!
I'm reading a total of...six books currently, four of which are for my exam in January, so I should probably finish, especially since another two are required reading during December so...yeah. XD Firstly, quick update to the books I have read since I last posted;
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice Uh, obviously only recommended to people who have read the Vampire Chronicles. My dislike of Lestat is ever-growing, as is my adoration of poor Louis. I do think a lot more about the clumsiness of human bodies nowadays. Going to take a break from Rice now; I'm leaving Memnoch the Devil until next year, and that'll probably be the last in the Chronicles I'll read, depending on it.
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel I've owned this for years but kept putting it off. Now I've read it, I have to ask; what the heck was the hype about? It was enjoyable, yes, but didn't really resonate in me as being anything special. It was average, although I loved the bit about the Frenchman. It was...yeah...nothing to write home about.
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis This has been compared to Catcher in the Rye. I'm British, ergo I like to moan, so I thought I'd read this to see if it'd incite as much rage in me. Oh my. It was really, really good. It took me by surprise, but it was marvelous. Very plain language, yet somehow lyrical, and just...mmmhm. Yes. Good. I could say a lot more, but I'd be rambling. Even more. Highly, highly recommended, but I warn you that it has strong adult themes.
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb I've not read fantasy, particularly high fantasy, in for-freaking-ever. I really enjoyed this; I liked Fitz, but my true loves were the Fool and, predictably, Burrich. And Verity, of course. It was not a fast-pace romp through the world of intrigue and betrayal. It was a slow, thoughtful book that I enjoyed because while it didn't make me "wow", it really satisfied my "hunger", as it were, for a good book. Highly enjoyable. I might wait a bit before I read the next one 'cause I have so much to read, but I certainly will read that soon!
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Post by Jayeee on Dec 10, 2010 19:21:13 GMT -5
I think there is no way i'm gonna finish this, but man i'm going to give it my all! =D I kept forgetting to post here upon finishing books, so i'll need to backtrack a little:
Heart of Darkness; By Joseph Conrad: Wow, this was painful! I don't think anybody else in my class enjoyed this either. It was really difficult to read, and not in a good way, in my opinion. The writing style was one that explained things, but you didn't get an idea of what as actually going on until the end of the paragraph. XD Didn't enjoy it at all.
Kafka on the Shore; By Haruki Murakami: Probably the most wonderfully confusing story i've ever read. But I loved every minute of it! It was so interesting and filled with riddles. I love his way of writing, and definitely plan on reading more of his books in the future!
Utopia; By Thomas More: I really enjoyed this book, even though most of my friends didn't. I thought it was very well written and was very interesting too!
Doctor Faustus; By Christopher Marlowe: I hated it at first, but it's actually quite good. The character of Mephistopheles is really pretty awesome in my opinion. It invoked a lot of thought for me, so that was good.
The Winter's Tale; By William Shakespeare: I really enjoyed this; so much so that it has become one of, if not my very favourite Shakespeare play! I thought it was really quite humorous and I liked the themes it included.
Currently reading Cat's Cradle; By Kurt Vonnegut, which i'm really enjoying. I'm quite surprised, as I thought i'd hate it at first.
EDIT: Finished Cat's Cradle. I really liked it. It's very bleak and postmodernist, which I surprisingly enjoyed. Not a favourite, but a book I didn't mind picking up and reading nonetheless.
Next up for me is The Tempest; By William Shakespeare. I haven't heard good things about this particular play, but we'll see how it goes.
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Post by M is for Morphine on Dec 13, 2010 14:30:18 GMT -5
At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien I really enjoyed the other book I read by this author, The Third Policeman. This one wasn't quite as good, thought it has it's moments. It was a really rockin' premise, too; an author writes about an author who's characters want revenge on him and a life of their own. The momentum took forever to build, and stopped so abruptly that you could here one of those comedic record scratches they use in bad comedy trailers.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad I really enjoyed this one. It was very atmospheric and tense, and for the time period had a surprisingly progressive view on the terror of Leopold's Congo. Very evocative language, like describing Brussels as 'the whited sepulcher' of the bible.
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I was sort of intimidated by this book after reading 'Notes from Underground', since that was a little hard to get through and this is about five times as long. I shouldn't have worried, it was a very enjoyable book. You really become concerned for the people who are tangled up in a horrible situation, and it's a series of really great character studies.
Edit:
The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs If you've read any other book by Burroughs, you already sort of know what to expect. Disjointed ramblings that barely string into a narrative, obscenity, and some absolutely awesome ideas waiting to be realized. This book is a lot more scifi than Naked Lunch or Junky, and there are some really striking concepts. It's very easy to see why he appealed so much to David Cronenburg; body horror abounds and the line between man, machine, and insect is constantly blurred. I really enjoyed it, but he is an acquired taste.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon I heard so much great stuff about this book, but I was rather underwhelmed.
I Pass Like Night by Jonathan Ames A little bit J. D. Salinger, a little bit Charles Bukowski. There's no real plot, just the life of a guy living in New York with his lusts and his job and his insecurities. Ames continuously surprised me with moments of great poignancy and beauty.
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Post by Kathleen on Dec 14, 2010 19:51:27 GMT -5
Forgot about this for a little bit. I've now read somewhere around forty books. Probably more I've forgotten of. =D I've been meaning to read Heart of Darkness, though I'll have to for school next year anyway, so. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon I heard so much great stuff about this book, but I was rather underwhelmed. You know, I was a bit underwhelmed the first time I read it, too. But then I reread it, and saw all the little things, and the second time just... made it click, I guess. xD
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2010 2:18:09 GMT -5
You can imagine my surprise when I saw myself on the list. XD It took me a second to figure out. Lulu was impersonating me when she signed up. I can only apologise for that XD I'm just too darned convincing, I guess :3 It's fixed now. ^_^ You should have seen me when I thought there was a new member here named Niobium...only to realise it was really Zylaa...only to realise that Zylaa was really...LULU?! I feel much better now that it all makes sense again. lol. I've now read somewhere around forty books. Probably more I've forgotten of. =D I feel a fool for asking... but who are you so I can mark you as a winner? Gosh, people do change their names around here frequently... Leave for a few months and EVERYBODY ends up being someone else.... *shakes head* AND NOW...I'm up to... EIGHTEEN books. >.> University Physics and Schaum's Physics for Engineering and Science - For my physics class. I read about a fourth of each, which together makes half a book, and the first was called volume one and volume two (in one edition), so since I'm going to lose anyways, I might as well count them both as one book. So there. I liked UP better, since it explained the concepts more thoroughly, but Schaum's was much more easy to read and keep up with. I did get an A in this class, however, so I managed to do something right. Prelude to Programming by Steward Venit and Elizabeth Drake - Aside from yoga, this was my easiest class this semester, and certainly one of my easiest textbooks to read. It got really repetitive at times once we got into learning about loops, but I suppose that that's to be expected with repetition structures, you know? The Writer's Handbook 2005 - This was a gift from my sister YEARS ago, and although most of it is publisher listings, it has a bunch of essays and articles on writing at the front of the book. I've FINALLY read through all the relevant ones, so I'm counting this book, too. how's your romance? by Ethan Mordden - I'll be blunt: it was p.r.n.g.r.p.h.i.c (spelled funky to prevent it from catching filters). I mean, it seemed like a well enough to do gay novel...but in the end, it was everything I'd hoped it wouldn't be. The characters were all flat and rather predictable and stereotypical, and sure, it was the last book in a series and the first one I read, but I still should've been able to enjoy it more, you know? Some parts were fantastic, I'll give you that, but as a whole... *sigh* I understand now why it was on the clearance rack. The one they stick outside. So you actually have to make an effort to pay for the book. Oh well. -_- In any case, at least I got one more book on my list out of it!
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Post by Shadaras on Dec 15, 2010 2:22:07 GMT -5
I've now read somewhere around forty books. Probably more I've forgotten of. =D I feel a fool for asking... but who are you so I can mark you as a winner? Gosh, people do change their names around here frequently... Leave for a few months and EVERYBODY ends up being someone else.... *shakes head* xD That's Kathkitty. (Kathleen, as you have her marked down.) You just happened to return (which makes me happy) in the midst of Spirit Weeks, so a lot of people are (currently) elements (of the periodic table, plus random made-up elements). Makes it a bit harder to keep track of people, yeah.
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Post by Jayeee on Dec 15, 2010 20:29:04 GMT -5
The Tempest; By William Shakespeare: Definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm quite a Shakespeare fan, but i'd always thought of this one as one of his weakest. But I liked it. ^_^ It was a little hard to follow, what with 3 different, alternating sub-plots all going on at the same time on top of the main plot too, but all in all I was impressed, as I usually am with Shakespeare.
Next up, i'm reading Mrs Dalloway; By Virginia Woolf. I've read a chunk of it already, and so far I kind of hate it. The whole stream of consciousness thing is rather horrible to me. But we'll see. =D
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Post by Kathleen on Dec 15, 2010 21:07:54 GMT -5
I feel a fool for asking... but who are you so I can mark you as a winner? Gosh, people do change their names around here frequently... Leave for a few months and EVERYBODY ends up being someone else.... *shakes head* xD That's Kathkitty. (Kathleen, as you have her marked down.) You just happened to return (which makes me happy) in the midst of Spirit Weeks, so a lot of people are (currently) elements (of the periodic table, plus random made-up elements). Makes it a bit harder to keep track of people, yeah. As Shade said. xD Sorry about the confusion. ^-^
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Post by Jayeee on Dec 22, 2010 18:38:18 GMT -5
Mrs Dalloway; By Virginia Woolf: Not a fan of Virginia Woolf, that's for sure. That being said, once i'd finished this, I didn't hate it as much as when I started. XD It was definitely an interesting style, but not really to my tastes. Once I got used to it, it was bearable, but otherwise, not a great book for me.
Next up is Antony and Cleopatra; By William Shakespeare. I love his tragedies, so we'll see how this one goes. ^_^
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2010 18:18:15 GMT -5
xD That's Kathkitty. (Kathleen, as you have her marked down.) You just happened to return (which makes me happy) in the midst of Spirit Weeks, so a lot of people are (currently) elements (of the periodic table, plus random made-up elements). Makes it a bit harder to keep track of people, yeah. As Shade said. xD Sorry about the confusion. ^-^ No problem! Thanks for the help, though. ^_^ Congrats again! The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - I was recommended this book by many of my third-graders last year, and once a good friend *coughGOOSH!cough* recommended it also, I knew I had to read it. So I read it in a day! And trust, me it was awesome. I'm eagerly awaiting reading the rest in the series, since this was perhaps on par with Harry Potter, and all the mythology in it appeased me greatly. It's not much known now, but mythology is truly what I fed off when I first started to love reading, so this one brought back great memories to me. I highly recommend it. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker - I first read Clive Barker last year when I read a collection of his short stories, and I loved them immensely. So then I read this book--and I read it in a day as well! It was so engrossing, and it kept me up past three in the morning to finish it. If you liked Coraline by Neil Gaiman, or if you like chilling tales fit for all ages, you'll adore this one. It's got to be on my list of favorite stories, and I swear I'll one day read it to my children--it's just that good. Plus, it'll teach them a thing or two about following strangers....! So. Yes. Incredibly highly recommended. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I began reading this months and months ago during school, so I never got farther then the chapter ten. Over the past week, however, I've plowed my way through it. Perhaps the dullest book I have ever read--but not really, it's just incredibly heavy writing. I did enjoy it, though, even if I found it quite predictable in most regards. As the book goes on, it certainly does get better, and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, as well as Jane, are awesome characters. If not for them, the book would have been nothing. Plus, it's nice that I'm finally making a small, minuscule dent in reading the important books I'd love to have all read one day. [edit] OMG! I forgot one book! That never made it to my list! Now I only need EIGHT to win!!!!! Through the Looking Glass and Alice's Adventures There by Lewis Carroll. It's better than the first, and much more amusing. Read it. Take my word for it. And read it!
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Post by M is for Morphine on Dec 25, 2010 4:56:19 GMT -5
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker - I first read Clive Barker last year when I read a collection of his short stories, and I loved them immensely. So then I read this book--and I read it in a day as well! It was so engrossing, and it kept me up past three in the morning to finish it. If you liked Coraline by Neil Gaiman, or if you like chilling tales fit for all ages, you'll adore this one. It's got to be on my list of favorite stories, and I swear I'll one day read it to my children--it's just that good. Plus, it'll teach them a thing or two about following strangers....! So. Yes. Incredibly highly recommended. I have to second this. It's a completely awesome book. I read it as a kid, and it really struck a chord with me. Edit: to this day a year can't pass without myself or my sister quoting the book and calling February 'the great gray beast'.
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