Topic: Books! (Read 10216 times)

canoftuna · « **on:** March 20, 2008, 03:00:25 AM »

I didn't see any threads on this topic and even if there is one, I suspect it's a year or so old at this point. Being the big book worm that I am, I felt it appropriate to make this thread. I know there's already a "what are you reading?" thread, but I figured this one can go a little more in depth than what you're currently reading.

Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? What genres do you enjoy? What about those particular genres are so appealing to you? favourite books and authors? What, if not subject matter, makes a good book for you (depth of characters, description- too much? too little?, adventure, realism, and so forth)? Do you have any recommendations?

I understand this topic is a little broad, but it's meant to be. No need to answer those specific questions, just attempting to make this thread a little more than a "I'm reading this book today" thread. Reply as you wish, bring in other discussions, or spam the thread with incoherent nonsense about inanimate objects, I don't care.

I read more fiction than nonfiction to feed my insatiable imagination, but I read nonfiction to feed my perpetually curious mind. Nonfiction, I'll pick up most anything, although I tend to get obsessed with one particular subject and read everything I can find on it until I bore of it. Psychology, self-help, politics, religion, history, reference, theology, even Christian Living. I don't have to necessarily like or agree with the content- in fact, the more I don't agree or understand, the more interesting it is for me. Why read a book on psychology that states everything you already know on the subject? It's fun to hear opposing opinions, and even more fun when it changes your stance on things you were firmly decided on before. I'm always amazed when I think I know something and then get humbly knocked back down and realize how ignorant I was.

As for fiction, most of the time I only read fantasy. I can't quite put my finger on what's so captivating about the genre, but I guess I'm the sort that can appreciate a tale of good prevailing over evil (which is relative, but you get my point), no matter the odds, where the underdog always wins and gets the girl in the end. I probably sound childish admitting this, but some of the best people I've ever met and some of the best worlds I've seen, were from good books. While I can't do much to fix this embarrassment of a world we live in, I can at least escape it on a daily basis by reading.

I'm interested in other non-fantasy books, but I'm very specific in its content. I don't read fluff or romance. Ever. I like books that make me think and make me question things. I enjoy books that reflect the mistakes and faults of mankind, and show the consequences and how we deal with it. As such, I am definitely attracted to apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic books.. almost nearly more than I enjoy fantasy, really. But I like the books I read to have some sort of basis of fact, something realistic, something believable, something familiar I can grasp, or else it's too otherworldly for me and has less an effect on me. Which is why I'm also attracted to a good bit of science fiction as well.

What makes a story good for me? Content plays a huge role, of course, but to me it's character depth. I like being able to feel like I know the characters, not just people I'm watching through a window. I don't care what the character looks like, and when an author repetitively writes what the character looks like, I tend to get irritated. Yes, we know it's your fantasy you're writing, and you enjoy making the princess exceptionally beautiful, but really, I don't need you to write redundant paragraphs describing the color of her eyes, her soft curves, and seductive smile every chance you get. Detail is also an important factor for me. Too many authors give too many details of the most meaningless things (Tolkien, for example), and others don't give enough. And another pet peeve is when the action is not evenly spread out through the book/series. A lot of the times, I find a book/series starts out exciting and full of action, and either dies towards the middle or end. I hate being excited about a book and then getting disappointed before you finish it.

As for favourite books, nearly every book I have ever finished could be mentioned if I made a favourite books/series list, so I'll only list the ones that come to mind right now: the Sword of Truth series, the Wheel of Time series, a Song of Ice and Fire series, the Kushiel's Legacy series, the Aurian series, the Eye of Night, Elantris, Swan Song, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?... and so on.

And if any of you have any suggestions, by the way, I am more than open to them.

TL;DR:
zomg books r gud lolz

Wunderkind · « **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:48:58 AM »

I read mostly for entertainment and to escape from reality, so I have to say I'm a big fiction reader. I have trouble reading non-fiction (unless it's for resource purposes), I just can't get my interest intact for that long unless I have a goal in mind (example: I need to know what to do for "thrush", I buy 'Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook' and read it).

Currently I'm exploring J.R.R. Tolkien, but I'm finding I prefer T.H. White and C.S. Lewis. Not saying Tolkien isn't awe inspiring, there's just a whole lot of research involved. Often he'll lose you in the book and you'll have to stop, flip to the map, track the characters, then flip back to the storyline. The amount of detail in the books is award worthy, but unneccessary for someone with an expansive imagination, and for someone with tracking problems (skipping words, or losing your place easily) like me, it can make the read a little dense. T.H. White is similiar, but not quite as thick in detail. (I mean their habit for discription is similiar, not their actual writing style.)

In case you haven't clued in yet, I'm a fantasy genre reader. My favourite all time book is still "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell. It's a pretty short, easy read, but it has some beautiful imagery I still can't forget.

Unfortunately, I'm not really reading anything right now. I'm half-way through the third part of "Lord of the Rings", but just when I think I have the chance to pick it up again, something else happens. Such is life.

canoftuna · « **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2008, 06:30:39 AM »

Quote from: Wunderkind on March 20, 2008, 05:48:58 AM

I read mostly for entertainment and to escape from reality, so I have to say I'm a big fiction reader. I have trouble reading non-fiction (unless it's for resource purposes), I just can't get my interest intact for that long unless I have a goal in mind (example: I need to know what to do for "thrush", I buy 'Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook' and read it).

Currently I'm exploring J.R.R. Tolkien, but I'm finding I prefer T.H. White and C.S. Lewis. Not saying Tolkien isn't awe inspiring, there's just a whole lot of research involved. Often he'll lose you in the book and you'll have to stop, flip to the map, track the characters, then flip back to the storyline. The amount of detail in the books is award worthy, but unneccessary for someone with an expansive imagination, and for someone with tracking problems (skipping words, or losing your place easily) like me, it can make the read a little dense. T.H. White is similiar, but not quite as thick in detail. (I mean their habit for discription is similiar, not their actual writing style.)

In case you haven't clued in yet, I'm a fantasy genre reader. My favourite all time book is still "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell. It's a pretty short, easy read, but it has some beautiful imagery I still can't forget.

Unfortunately, I'm not really reading anything right now. I'm half-way through the third part of "Lord of the Rings", but just when I think I have the chance to pick it up again, something else happens. Such is life.

You've hit Tolkien right on the head, although I find the Lord of the Rings trilogy is considerably easier to get through than anything else he's written. I don't mind detail, but you're right, it's no fun reading fiction if you've got to do homework as you're reading.

So are you a fan of young adult/intermediate fantasy? I have a few favorites from my childhood I still read, but I otherwise can't get into the younger fantasy. It's usually too watered down for me and ends way too quickly.

Wunderkind · « **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2008, 07:22:54 AM »

Depends, define young-adult/intermediate fantasy. Some people consider "A Once and Future King" suitable for middle schoolers, but I think he uses way too much government theory for a younger person to really appreciate what they're reading until they get to the age where they can vote and are actually involved in their government. (Not to mention, T.H. White can be really, REALLY graphic.)

On the other hand, I was read "The Chronicles of Narnia" as a bedtime story growing up, and, while others will argue that, that is why I'm "so strange", I think C.S. Lewis was capable of turning out some amazing basics. However, he also wrote some really adult books. Try to reserve his more in-depth features like "The Screwtape Letters" until you're ready to start questioning your core beliefs.

On that note, maybe we should define it by book, and less by author. I tend to stick to the classics and if you're into epics, that's where I'd send you. I'm not too familiar with modern epic authors, but the ones I've touched on seem to lack the fluidity of the older authors, like say... hey Tolkien. Who, while bothersomely detailed, was very careful in the continuity of his stories.

If you're more into the future than the past (and you haven't already visited them), I'd send you to Jules Verne and Orson Wells. I'm afraid I'm no use to you when it comes to more modern writers. There are so many good old ones out there that I'm still stuck trying to wade my way through them all.

As for watered down... If I can finish the story line without reading all the way to the end of the book, just by reading the first chapter... I put the book back on the shelf and don't waste my time or my money.
(In other words, I don't pay attention to what section the book-store/library puts it in, if it interests me, I read it.)

pbsaurus · « **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2008, 02:49:13 PM »

I like reading fiction and nonfiction. Lately, food issues have been a biggy. The two that I liked most from this were Marion Nestle's Food Politics and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. As for fiction, historical fiction is probably the trend I'm riding right now. The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver are the ones that I've really liked recently.

ivan · « **Reply #5 on:** March 20, 2008, 03:10:03 PM »

pb, have you read Pollan's In Defense of Food? I'm looking for it on BOT at the library.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #6 on:** March 20, 2008, 04:58:10 PM »

Not yet, but it's in the queue.

ydnamtnediserp · « **Reply #7 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:47:30 PM »

i am a sucker for memoirs. i have yet to read anything by david sedaris i didn't love (if you don't know who he is and have never read any of his work, change that immediately. seriously.), and a heartbreaking work of staggering genius by dave eggers is very high on my list.

i also tend to gravitate towards useless trivia-type books. i've been reading the uncle john's bathroom reader books for as long as i can remember, and mental floss has come out with quite a few good reads, too.

and, finally, books by- and about- crazy and/or depressed writers draw me in: plath, assia wevill, sexton, poe, susanna kaysen, etc. etc.

i very, very, very rarely read fiction.

Tprime · « **Reply #8 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:51:16 PM »

THE LORD OF THE RINGS WAS -NOT- A TRILOGY!
It was one book, divided into three parts.
My personal fave was The Hobbit.

12AX7 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:58:13 PM »

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/TRILOGY

tril·o·gy /ˈtrɪlədʒi/ [tril-uh-jee]
–noun, plural -gies.
1.   a series or group of three plays, novels, operas, etc., that, although individually complete, are closely related in theme, sequence, or the like.
2.   (in ancient Greek drama) a series of three complete and usually related tragedies performed at the festival of Dionysus and forming a tetralogy with the satyr play.
3.   a group of three related things.

Tprime · « **Reply #10 on:** March 20, 2008, 06:05:34 PM »

Argh, it's not 3 separate related books. it's the same damn book, through and through, and are not individually complete.

canoftuna · « **Reply #11 on:** March 20, 2008, 06:07:33 PM »

Quote from: Tprime on March 20, 2008, 06:05:34 PM

Argh, it's not 3 separate related books. it's the same damn book, through and through, and are not individually complete.

Doesn't that define a series, though? Most series I've read cut off at one book, and continue on through the next.

Wunderkind · « **Reply #12 on:** March 20, 2008, 06:11:57 PM »

Most large novels are separated into several smaller parts and sold as individual books. But if it bothers you that much, most larger chain book stores are selling the whole book in one binding as just "The Lord of the Rings."

And if it makes you feel any better, "The Chronicles of Narnia" are technically all one book too, but you don't hear too many people bitching about how that one is sold as a series.

canoftuna · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2008, 06:15:01 PM »

Can you imagine the Wheel of Time series combined into one book? haha.

Tprime · « **Reply #14 on:** March 20, 2008, 09:36:25 PM »

Sorry, I'm just really anal about this stuff. I'm not opposed to it being sold seperately, together it's more than 1000 pages, I just don't like it being referred to as a trilogy. Mr. Tolkein'll back me up on this one.
I didn't know that the chronicles of Narnia were one book, I thought they were a septology, seperate books.

Wunderkind · « **Reply #15 on:** March 20, 2008, 10:45:03 PM »

Believe it or not most older serials were originally whole books, but publishers didn't think they could sell huge novels, so they cracked them down into smaller books. Tolkien is not unique this way. A lot of authors, especially fantasy writers whose target audience has always been younger readers, have had their book broken up into smaller parts.

If you're going to bitch about one author being broken down into parts you have to realize that, had it not been made into a triology, you wouldn't be able to read it, because publishers at the time would have never printed it.

And finally 12AX7 is right. "Lord of the Rings" techinically speaking IS a trilogy, whether you consider it one book with three parts or three separate books. It has three related things... in this case parts, that makes it a trilogy. Feel free to fuck with your friends. Find another book with three parts, and start calling it a trilogy too. Techinically, you'll be right.

(On a side note: Being an author and published poet myself, I'm not to sure Tolkien would back you Tprime. For authors the job is to write the book, we're not too concerned about actually selling the thing. But for a publisher the story is totally different. On one hand, I don't like it when I my writing gets butchered by my editor either, and yes, I like to keep it as close to the original draft as possible, but if you're going to work successfully with a publisher you have realize their goal is to get the work out to the public in a form they will be willing to pick up and read. A little compromise is necessary. He may not have LIKED the fact, but I'm pretty sure he would have admitted that, though the book was written as a single entity, it was published as a trilogy. Still an epic, still one story, but just three separate parts, and even if it is re-published as a single binding, it still has three parts now, still making it a trilogy.)

12AX7 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 20, 2008, 11:18:51 PM »

Like my Home Improvement Trilogy. There's a book on plumbing, a book on landscaping, and a book on light carpentry.
Then there's my other Home Improvement Trilogy which covers wiring a house, building a deck, and making small cosmetic repairs over the course of three separate books.

LuciferSam · « **Reply #17 on:** March 21, 2008, 09:57:50 AM »

Quote from: Tprime on March 20, 2008, 06:05:34 PM

Argh, it's not 3 separate related books. it's the same damn book, through and through, and are not individually complete.

Actually, it's six books published in three volumes. *shrugs*

Truth. And I could harangue it about it for hours, he was an associate of my overeducated boar of a father at Oxford back before you were born - I've heard more tripe about those raffle of words than I can reasonably say I could handle in one life time, and the man {Tolkien} visited occasionally, though only a few times after the old bastard {le père} moved us back to Dublin to take a new post at trinity. Often went to mass with him as well, though I was young and this was the late 40's to mid 50's - I hadn't much interest in any form of literature at the time, beyond The Adventures of Tin Tin. This may be a subconscious contributing factor in my never having fully enjoyed the work as many of my peers did, he and my father both being "annoying linguists" - but I did enjoy much of Lewis' work, as I always remember his sort of booming voice when I read it.

Anyway, all of that is irrelevant - it's six bloody books.

As for books, I mostly read good ones. I occasionally have come across a bad one, in which case I try to forget it. This is usually unsuccesful and I then move on to another good book.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #18 on:** March 21, 2008, 01:16:15 PM »

Luci's right. It's 6 books.

Wunderkind · « **Reply #19 on:** March 21, 2008, 01:54:55 PM »

Quote from: Demosthenes on March 21, 2008, 01:16:15 PM

Luci's right. It's 6 books.

Point taken.
Reserved for future reference.

ivan · « **Reply #20 on:** March 21, 2008, 01:58:53 PM »

I like to think of it as thousands of tiny one-word books.

Ok, I never have before, but now that I have I do.

ivan · « **Reply #21 on:** March 21, 2008, 01:59:32 PM »

Whoa.

I've read, like, MILLLIONS of books.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #22 on:** March 21, 2008, 02:43:46 PM »

Quote from: ivan on March 21, 2008, 01:59:32 PM

Whoa.

I've read, like, MILLLIONS of books.

I just read seven in THAT ONE POST of yours!

Wunderkind · « **Reply #23 on:** March 21, 2008, 02:49:22 PM »

On that train of thought, forget how many you've read.
Think of how many you've written.
And other people have read them, and you didn't even need a printing house!

ivan... you're famous!

ivan · « **Reply #24 on:** March 21, 2008, 02:50:51 PM »

Actually, all my posts are ghosted.

Also, I plagiarize. Every one of my books has been written before, verbatim.

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