Books: a literary discussion

[Alcoremortis]

Originally Posted by VeronicanPlay

Skulduggery Pleasant.

Ah, yes... One of the few books that I picked up simply because of its cover. I have low resistance to books with a skull or flames on the cover and this had both...

Pretty good book too

[Kroms]

I've mentioned it a couple of times before, but I will say it again: read the Hoke Moseley series. They are four crime novels by the unbelievably underrated Charles Willeford, and without a doubt up there with the best ever written. Should you ever trust an anonymous stranger off the internet, make it now. Read these books.

This is the cover of the first one, Miami Blues. Do yourself a favor and buy it. Thank me later.

[Alcoremortis]

Soooo.... Dracula?

[Little Writer]

I just finished "Strange Highways" by Dean Koontz. This was the first Koontz book I read in English, bought on the Dover ferry, and thus it will always have a special place in my heart.

Since it’s not one complete novel, but instead one novella followed by 12 short stories (this is the UK Headline edition, which doesn’t include the novella “Chase”) it’s not so easy to review. That’s why I’ll concentrate mostly on the titular story and only give a few words about each other tale.

“Strange Highways” is one of the more supernatural stories by Koontz. A man suddenly finds himself back again at the most important crossroads of his life, where he made one wrong decision which influenced the rest of his life – twenty years ago! It’s time to make things right and take full advantage of this second chance.

It’s a very religious story, full of divine intervention (a variety of which will also return in his later book “The Face”), and reminded me several times of “Hideaway”. The villain is somewhat similar, only a bit toned down, and he remains more in the shadows which makes him also similar to Judge in “Chase”.

The setting also speaks to the imagination: a semi-abandoned coal town slowly being devoured by a subterranean fire. It adds to the apocalyptic feel and almost makes you believe it’s an alien world. The town is almost a character on its own.

“The Black Pumpkin” is a straight up horror story about a pumpkin coming to life and eating a little boy’s family. This is the first story of several in which revenge against people who’ve wronged the main character is a huge theme.

“Miss Atilla the Hun” always reminds me of “Winter Moon” and is a cute little invasion story with a twist.

“Down in the Darkness” is another horror story basically about revenge.

“Ollie’s Hands” always succeeds in slipping from memory. It’s the story about a guy with several special powers, who finds a girl with the potential to change his life.

“Snatcher” is yet another scary horror story about someone getting what he deserves.

“Trapped” is a terror story in the vain of “Watchers” and “Darkness Comes”, which reminds me of that old animated movie “The Secret of N.I.M.H.”, but the ending is way too fast.

“Bruno” is a humorous detective story with similarities to “Men in Black”.

“We Three” is my first favorite, a very short story, mostly dialogue, about three kids with special powers.

“Hardshell” is a more action packed variety of the “Bruno” story with a good twist.

“Kittens” is a second favorite, combining a bit of religion with the revenge theme, and a shocking ending.

“The Night of the Storm” is a science fiction story that doesn’t really touch me. It’s kind of like a bigfoot story only with robots in the role of humans. But since the main characters are robots, for me it’s as good as impossible to sympathize with them, which lessens the impact.

“Twilight of the Dawn” is the last favorite. Heavy on religion, it’s like a battle between atheism and religious faith. Kind of like the story of Job but with a life-altering twist.

[corruptbiggins]

Good review. It is a good collection of stories, couldn't really pick a favourite right now as it's been a while since I've read it but I do remember liking "We Three" a lot.

[Little Writer]

Thanks.

I hope to read his latest "Breathless" soon. None of our stores are carrying it; I guess they're waiting for the UK paperback to come out, but that's only on July 8.

I could order it in a store, but then it's double the price. Tried ordering through Amazon but that's been giving me trouble as well with credit cards and such. I'm so living in the wrong country for this.

Just noticed our library has a copy, so I'll try to check it out this weekend.

[Avistew]

A friend recommended Robert Merle's books, has anyone read his stuff? It seems really interesting.

[MusicallyInspired]

I don't read...



...besides games and the internet, anyway. And copy protection manuals...

[Jenny]

I practically grew up on the old Bela Lugosi films from Universal, because my grandfather worked on them. But it is true that they are nothing like their book counterparts. I kind of think of them as spoofs.

Dracula is an incredible read. The way it is written makes you feel like every word is something that actually happened, and it can definitely get to you. I remember an old classmate of mine who is an atheist, telling me that she started carrying a cross around with her for months after she read it in high school. Shows how much you can get into a book when you read it, I guess.

The Picture of Dorian Grey is a favorite of mine, the 1945 film was very good as well. Although I like the book a little better, I read the book first. The film changed the mood of the end slightly and it wasn't as powerful for me as the book's ending.

Also, very obscure, but a great read. The Uninvited, by Dorothy Macardle. This was also made into a film in 1944 (I saw the film first in this case). Many refer to it as the stepping stone for all future hollywood ghost stories. The book is very difficult to find, but I managed to get my library to order it. They also have it on Amazon Used, but it's kind of pricey. The screen play for the film is also available, oddly enough, but I wouldn't recommend reading the script, read the novel instead, or watch the film. Dorothy Macardle has a very unique writing style. I don't think I've ever read anything that sounded quite like it. Possibly because it is written in the style of its time (1940's England) with all the cultural references to boot. But it is worth checking out, especially if you like ghost stories.

The last book I can think of (without repeating more of what others have recommended already) would be Ombria in Shadow, by Patricia McKillip. A lot of people criticize her because she leaves a lot unexplained at the end and her plots aren't always that easy to follow. But I don't really find that a problem, because any healthy imagination can fill in the gaps and it leaves you with a mysterious "I just woke up from a dream" type feeling. And the cover art is beautiful, not that that should matter, but it makes my bookshelf look pretty.

[allaboardfilms]

I read quite a bit, and often find myself reading books that many people don't understand or are simply not bothered enough about to try to understand.

For instance, my current favorite book is Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.

[Ignatius]

Originally Posted by allaboardfilms

For instance, my current favorite book is Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.

That and "Under the volcano" by Malcom Lowry were my two last adquisitions. But i will start with them as soon as i finish "In search of lost time" in a couple of months i presume.

[Secret Fawful]

If you guys aren't doing a group book read, I'm reading Dracula anyway. I'm tired of putting it off.

[Alcoremortis]

Originally Posted by Secret Fawful

If you guys aren't doing a group book read, I'm reading Dracula anyway. I'm tired of putting it off.

I'll read Dracula too! I had to put it off due to finals, but now... I'm free!

[taumel]

Every human beeing wih a heart beating in her/his chest should at least have read one book from Jack Vance.

I suggest getting Alastor for example. I can't remember how many people i bought this book already, i once got it as a present as well. Trust me, this is awesome and i rarely use this word!

[Little Writer]

Taking place over a single night, “Ticktock” by Dean Koontz is a story that puts your brain on standby and simply pulls you along for the ride.

Vietnamese-American Tommy Phan drives his mother crazy by forsaking the old Asian traditions. When he finds a peculiar doll at his doorstep, however, the tables are turned and the craziness he has to face never stops.

In his own afterword, Koontz calls “Ticktock” a screwball comedy and indeed, the tale is filled with humour, though sometimes a particular comedic line seems a little forced or overdone. Nevertheless, the book is a very good prelude to future stories like “Life Expectancy” and “Relentless”. While “Ticktock” might seem a very simple and somewhat silly story about which many people say it’s not really worthy of the Koontz byline, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Even though the main character has Vietnamese origins, Koontz never goes overboard with the Asian references as he does with the pastry analogies in “Life Expectancy”. Though constantly comparing the character’s life with his own fictional child, detective Chip Nguyen, does get old after a while. After all the military or law inforcement trained heroes, being a regular guy makes Tommy Phan a real breath of fresh air.

Straying even more from the formula, the heroine of the story this time is the one to call the shots. Deliverance Payne is to me personally one of the more memorable Koontz characters and I’ve always felt there’s so much more story to her than is told in these few pages.

The villain of the piece is a supernatural monster straight out of a horror movie, very similar to the golem in “Dragon Tears”. In this very lighthearted story, the creature at first comes over more as some kind of gremlin, but when our heroes witness the screams of a pair of innocent victims, the reader is hit with the seriousness of the situation and for me personally, that scene immediately puts the story in a completely different mood.

“Ticktock” is a rather quick read, with great dialogue and no real long paragraphs judging some aspect of society. It’ll resonate with some people, but not everyone will find it memorable.

[Kroms]

So I just wanted to recommend the book I'm reading right now, Haruki Murakami's South of the Border, West of the Sun. It taps into a feeling anyone who's been in love will be familiar with: a forbidden yearning for the past you can't grab onto, because you'll hurt and maybe harm someone else in the process. It captures the essence of a past life of mine, but it somehow feels global and not personal. It's really quite lovely.



Read it, everyone, especially if you've loved and lost.

[Will]

And if you like that one, you should give Sputnik Sweethearts and Norwegian Wood a read as well.

[Captain Mickey]

Oh wow, let's see... I have a whole range of books I read, and it didn't help that I was a complete and total bookworm for most of Middle School. Let's see what books I loved that I can remember at the moment

-"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (entire series) by Douglas Adams. Kudos to my Math Teacher in middle school who suggested that book to me, read that book 5 times in a row for two years.

-"Eat. Pray. Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Ok, so it's a girly book, sue me! That book put me in such a good mood throughout Senior Year. I should read it again.

-A lot of Tracy Chevalier's books like "Girl With A Pearl Earring", "Falling Angels". Basically, they were books taking place back in the early days. I don't remember much, but I remember loving the books. My English teacher tested me on her books while the rest of my class read books like "The Pearl" or "Of Mice and Men" (both books that I wasn't a fan of. Can't remember it for the life of me).

-"Catcher in the Rye" and "To Kill a Mocking Bird" were the only two books I actually took the time to sit down and read. I really enjoyed those books.

-I also loved Dan Brown's work (The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, The Lost Symbol, Deception Point etc.) I'm a sucker for mystery and suspense.

-I also like reading books from comedians and film directors, so I have Kevin Smith's "My Boring Ass Life" (great book to read when traveling) and I love George Carlin's work. I have all of his stand up routine books: "When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?" "Napalm and Silly Putty", "Brain Droppings" and I also have the newest (and unfortunately last) book "Last Words" which is more of his biography (or "sortabiography" as he called it) then a stand up routine.

-Currently, I'm reading a book called "The Bronze Horseman" which takes place in Soviet Russia during World War II. Finally found time to sit down and read it.

Now, there are plenty of other books I've read, but I just can't remember (and too damn lazy) to type the rest.

[Chyron8472]

Kindle firmware update, version 2.5.3 is finally out.

Amazon's site lists the following as what was changed:

Kindle Version 2.5 Overview

We're excited to announce that a new, free software update is now available for Kindle and will be automatically delivered to your device. The features included in this update are:

• Collections: Organize your books and documents into one or more collections.
• PDF Pan and Zoom: Zoom into PDFs and pan around to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics.
• Password Protection: Password protect your Kindle when you're not using it.
• More Font Sizes & Improved Clarity: Enjoy two new larger font sizes and sharper fonts for an even more comfortable reading experience.
• Facebook & Twitter Posts: Share meaningful book passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter directly from your Kindle.
• Popular Highlights: See what the Kindle community thinks are the most interesting passages in the books you're reading.

My wife and I aren't going to use the "popular highlights" or Twitter/Facebook update. However, I have already started creating collections, and they're quite useful.





Also, the update doesn't mention it, but I'm almost sure that the Kindle didn't used to have a way of displaying book titles that were too long to fit. But now they do display when highlighted (as shown below.) If a title is still too long when highlighted, the text will wrap to a smaller font just below the progress bar.




Also, I'm not going to use them, but now the Kindle has 2 more (huge) font sizes.




Nevermind the skin on the border of the device. It is my wife's after all.

[Chyron8472]

My wife and I like listening to music, but we find that often times we instead listen to audio books, most commonly the Stephen Fry (UK) version of the Harry Potter series. The whole series.

I didn't used to read very often, but since I got back into reading after I got introduced to Harry Potter (about the time book 4 came out,) I find that I read a lot now.



"Weasley can save anything,
He never leaves a single ring,
That's why Gryffindors all sing:
Weasley is our King."