hunter7725
Neo Member
After reading Heart Shaped Box I picked up this one.
BorkBork said:Yeah Wizard > Farthest Shore > Atuan was my order when I finished it the first time, years ago. As I did subsequent rereads and really fell in love with the trilogy, I grew to appreciate how Le Guin subverted traditional fantasy expectations; really, who would expect Atuan and Shore to come after Wizard?But they're all beautifully written, and tell of Ged's journey through life, especially the parts when he needs a little help. The angle from which she writes the series is so different than conventional fantasy, and that's what makes it SO damn good. Tehanu subverts even more of the genre, pretty much turning it on its head. It's flawed, but well worth the read. You gotta be prepared for it though.Who would want to see the protagonist of the first to be dependent on a girl? Everyone wants Ged to kick some ass all the time!
Not many books stayed with me throughout the years, but these do. Wizard worked best for me when I loved adventure and traditional action fantasy. Atuan worked for me when I was struggling against dogma, and developing into a self-thinking individual. Shore worked best when I encountered the notion of growing old and facing death in my personal life. They're all marvelous; to me, they all resonate during different phases of growing up and growing old, because that's what they were written to do:
Dresden said:Read Borders of Infinity for the first time - it's the Vorkosigan novella about the Marilac rescue - and not much to say about it, really, other than that this is Bujold doin' her thing and it is awesome.
Yeah, they're great. Bujold is a wonderful writer.Mumei said:I was thinking about getting the first of the omnibus collections after hearing about that series in one of these topics.
I would just read the original trilogy, but be warned, I'm not a big Asimov fan.survivor said:A quick question concerning the next book series that I want to read. For the Foundation series is it preferable to read the original trilogy then work my way through the prequels and the sequels? Or should I read it chronologically starting with the prequels? I realized the original trilogy is collected in a single hardcover volume so I'm very interested in picking that up.
Dresden said:Yeah, they're great. Bujold is a wonderful writer.
goodread description said:This is a brilliant collection of essays on a show that has taken the art of television drama to new heights. "The Wire" is about survival, about the strategies adopted by those living and working in the inner cities of America. It presents a world where for many even hope isn't an option, where life operates as day-to-day existence without education, without job security and without social structures. Over its five season, sixty-episode run (2002-2008), "The Wire" presents several overlapping narrative threads, all set in the city of Baltimore. The series consistently deconstructs conventional narratives of law, order - and disorder - offering a view of America that has never before been admitted to the public discourse of the televisual. It is bleak and at times excruciating. By focusing on four main topics (Crime, Law Enforcement, America and Television), examines the series' place within popular culture and its representation of the realities of inner city life, social institutions and politics in contemporary American society.
BorkBork said:Thoughts on the Wire: Urban Decay and American Television:
The Wire: Urban Decay and American Television is an excellent companion for anyone who is interested in delving deeper into the myriad connections and themes of one of televisions most complicated shows. This collection of essays runs the full gamut of topics, from exploring the forces that shaped two of the main characters in Season Four in Ralph and Luara Bolf-Beliveaus excellent Posing Problems and Picking Fights: Critical Pedagogy and the Corner Boys to examining homophobic attitudes of HBO forum posters towards the Wires arguably most popular character in Kathleen LeBescos Gots to Get Got: Social Justice and Audience Response to Omar Little.
Historical explorations of Baltimore, character studies, television narrative complexity - theres a LOT of meat here. But then again, the show is so rich that I feel that there is absolutely no shortage of material and perspectives for another collection.
Because the collection covers such a broad spectrum of topics, its appeal does fluctuate from essay to essay. I would find myself immersed in one section (Jason Reads Stringer Bells Lament: Violence and Legitimacy in Contemporary Capitalism), only to be completely disengaged and outright confused in another (Kevin McNeillys Dislocating America: Agnieszka Holland Directs Moral Midgetry did nothing for me because Im unfamiliar with the process of directing). I expect this to be the case for most readers; thus its tough to throw out a solid recommendation for every Wire fan out there.
Still, I suspect that if you enjoyed the series enough to seek out additional analysis, theres definitely something in here for you. Personally, this book has earned a place on my bookshelf, as the Wire has cemented its spot in my DVD collection as televisions most engaging and demanding show.
Oh and only read this after you have finished the series. Spoilers everywhere.
Mumei said:I finished A Personal Matter today. I really liked the novel, though it was rather difficult to read. Not in terms of difficulty; it was just that Bird was an intensely difficult character to sympathize with given his reaction to the birth of his brain-damaged child and he said, thought, and did some things that were difficult. I'm looking forward to reading more of the books the author wrote dealing with the birth and raising of his son. I own Rouse Up O Young Men of the New Age!, so I suppose that'll be the next one I read.
INTERVIEWER
How did your family respond when you won the Nobel Prize?
OE
My familys assessment of me didnt change. I was sitting here reading. Hikari was listening to music over there. My son, who was a biochemistry student at the University of Tokyo, and my daughter, who was a student at Sophia University, were in the dining area. They didnt expect me to win. There was a phone call at around nine P.M. Hikari answered itthats one of his hobbies, answering the phone. He can say, Hello, how are you? perfectly in French, German, Russian, Chinese, and Korean. So he answered the phone and said in English, No, and then again, No. Then Hikari handed me the phone. It was a member of the Nobel committee of the Swedish Academy. He asked me, Are you Kenzaburo? I asked him if Hikari had refused the Nobel Prize on my behalf and then I said, Im sorryI accept. I put the phone down, came back to this chair, sat down, and announced to my family, Ive won it. My wife said, Is that right?
INTERVIEWER
Thats all she said?
OE
Yes, and my two children said nothing. They just went to their rooms quietly. Hikari continued to listen to music. Ive never talked to him about the Nobel Prize.
survivor said:A quick question concerning the next book series that I want to read. For the Foundation series is it preferable to read the original trilogy then work my way through the prequels and the sequels? Or should I read it chronologically starting with the prequels?
Salazar said:I adore Rouse Up. Eeyore/Hikari is tremendously endearing - in, naturally, a difficult and emotionally trying way. A Quiet Life is probably my favourite after it. I thought Somersault was rather terrible, but I do mean to reread it and give it a bit more of a chance to work on me.
Oe's Paris Review interview is quite lovely.
http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/5816/the-art-of-fiction-no-195-kenzaburo-oe
survivor said:A quick question concerning the next book series that I want to read. For the Foundation series is it preferable to read the original trilogy then work my way through the prequels and the sequels? Or should I read it chronologically starting with the prequels? I realized the original trilogy is collected in a single hardcover volume so I'm very interested in picking that up.
Cyan said:Yeah, I generally agree.
Just not for the Vorkosigan series!
aidan said:I want to start reading the Vorkosigan books. What order do you suggest?
survivor said:A quick question concerning the next book series that I want to read. For the Foundation series is it preferable to read the original trilogy then work my way through the prequels and the sequels? Or should I read it chronologically starting with the prequels? I realized the original trilogy is collected in a single hardcover volume so I'm very interested in picking that up.
FnordChan said:Here's a post where I suggest a chronological reading order; the short version is to read the omnibus editions in the following order:
1) Cordelia's Honor
2) Young Miles
3) Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem
4) Miles Errant
5) Memory (Not an omnibus volume but it should absolutely be read following Miles Errant)
6) Miles in Love
FnordChan
You should go see it performed if you ever get the chance. Or any of G&S's stuff, really.Mumei said:There's no pleasing you!
Holy shite. Thanks for that. Been thinking about getting into this series.aidan said:Awesome. Thanks!
Also, for those that don't know. eBooks of all the Vorkosigan novels (those listed above) are availing for free (legal) download from the publisher.
Cyan said:Haha, history repeats. I was about to post a follow-on to this post, then I saw that I had done exactly the same thing in the thread you linked.
Just to recap: Shards and Warrior's Apprentice were the first books Bujold ever wrote (along with the eminently skippable Ethan of Athos), and it kinda shows. Each is followed up with a Hugo-winning sequel. In short, don't be put off if the first one you read doesn't seem to quite live up to the hype.
Karakand said:You should go see it performed if you ever get the chance. Or any of G&S's stuff, really.
FnordChan said:Here's a post where I suggest a chronological reading order; the short version is to read the omnibus editions in the following order:
1) Cordelia's Honor
2) Young Miles
3) Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem
4) Miles Errant
5) Memory (Not an omnibus volume but it should absolutely be read following Miles Errant)
6) Miles in Love
FnordChan
wrowa said:Btw does anyone know whether the American edition of Murakami's 1Q84 will include only books 1&2 or also book 3?
Mumei said:It includes all three parts.
Yeah I'm kinda worried about having 2 translators working on the same book. I do have faith that they are taking extreme care to make both translations flow together, but who knows what can happen. Then again I might just be overreacting.LocoMrPollock said:Yeah, the first 2 volumes are being translated by Jay Rubin, and Philip Gabriel is handling the 3rd, so I hope they are at least communicating so that it's all cohesive.
wertzone said:Okay, it was clear a few weeks ago that The Republic of Thieves was not going to be a 2011 release, but Gollancz have confirmed it by giving the book a new date of March 2012 in their online catalogue.
That's great news.LocoMrPollock said:Yeah, the first 2 volumes are being translated by Jay Rubin, and Philip Gabriel is handling the 3rd, so I hope they are at least communicating so that it's all cohesive.
Emerson said:Now moving back to some hardcore shit:
I've heard nothing but rave reviews about this. I'm only 10% in, but I gotta say it hasn't hooked me yet. It's getting better, but the prologue was painful to get through. Hopefully I'm not alone in this and it gets as good as advertised.
Get An Inconvenient Truth for your science fiction section.Deified Data said:GAF, I work in a public library and have recently been put in charge of ordering and weeding Sci-Fi/Fantasy for our collection. The two genres share the same shelf, and space is an issue. I want to get rid of the old and replace it with something decent, and new. I'm the first SF/Fantasy enthusiast to ever be responsible for ordering these materials, so I'd like to craft our collection to match current readers' sensibilities. Imagine for a moment a collection comprised 75% of old Star Wars/Trek paperbacks, movie novelizations, and R.A. Salvatore.
Does anyone want to give me suggestions as to what I should order? Any particularly hated books that I should weed, if I have them? Just picking your brains.
Deified Data said:GAF, I work in a public library and have recently been put in charge of ordering and weeding Sci-Fi/Fantasy for our collection. The two genres share the same shelf, and space is an issue. I want to get rid of the old and replace it with something decent, and new. I'm the first SF/Fantasy enthusiast to ever be responsible for ordering these materials, so I'd like to craft our collection to match current readers' sensibilities. Imagine for a moment a collection comprised 75% of old Star Wars/Trek paperbacks, movie novelizations, and R.A. Salvatore.
Does anyone want to give me suggestions as to what I should order? Any particularly hated books that I should weed, if I have them? Just picking your brains.
Diseased Yak said:After seeing it talked about all over, I started reading The Hunger Games today in between projects at work, and now all of a sudden I can't wait to get home to keep reading...