I just got Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. It is one of the most interestingly written books I've ever read.
I haven't read the book, but the movie was one of the greatest pieces of cinematography I've ever seen. Have you seen it? If so, how does it compare to the book?
I haven't read the book, but the movie was one of the greatest pieces of cinematography I've ever seen. Have you seen it? If so, how does it compare to the book?
The movie's great, but the book is much better. I saw the movie first, so, while reading the book, I was quite impressed by how well the director and writer managed to get all the whimsy of the novel onto the screen. Also, the book has this entire story about the history of Trochenbrod that is barely even mentioned in the film. It's really great, but I can see why they cut it out.
I'm reviving this thread because I've finished three awesome books in the last month, and I want to share them with people.
First up is Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk. A co-worker told me about it, and the world that is presented is amazing. Discussing the plot manages to spoil everything and nothing, so I'll just say that it's an awesome (and relatively fast) read and move on.
The next two are a series: Steeldriver and Timberjak by Don Debrandt. They're an odd mix of cyberpunk and tall tales, and if you like good jokes in your sci-fi, then these books are awesome good fun to read. They appear to be out of print (I got my copies at Half-Priced Books), but I found them on Amazon for very little money.
First up isRant, by Chuck Palahniuk. A co-worker told me about it, and the world that is presented is amazing. Discussing the plot manages to spoil everything and nothing, so I'll just say that it's an awesome (and relatively fast) read and move on.
Very yes. If this is your first Palahniuk novel, I suggest reading Lullaby and Fight Club as well.
I'm reading The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien now. De Selbey's ridiculous philosophy is incorporated with the narrative very well. I wouldn't be surprised if Mark Z. Danielewski was directly inspired by this novel to write House of Leaves. Aside from the obvious use of footnotes, both novels explore the idea of buildings that are perceived differently from outside than inside. A passage describing the police barracks:
"As I approached, the house seemed to change its appearance. At first, it did nothing to reconcile itself with the shape of an ordinary house but it became uncertain in outline like a thing glimpsed under ruffled water. Then it became clear again and I saw that it began to have some back to it, some small space for rooms behind the frontage. I gathered this from the fact that I seemed to see the front and the back of the ' building ' simultaneously from my position approaching what should have been a side. As there was no side that I could see I thought the house must be triangular with its apex pointing towards me but when I was only fifteen yards away I saw a small window apparently facing me and I new from that that there must be some side to it."
This is a paragraph that I had to reread almost as many times as House's Five and a Half Minute Hallway to get an acceptable mental image of what the character was experiencing, which I take to be a building with two sides forming an acute angle and from there extending infinitely.
This is a paragraph that I had to reread almost as many times as House's Five and a Half Minute Hallway to get an acceptable mental image of what the character was experiencing...
I have a rule of thumb when I'm reading. If I have to re-read something once or twice to understand what's happening, it's because I'm not reading carefully enough. If I have to re-read it more than that, it's because the author isn't writing clearly enough.
...which I take to be a building with two sides forming an acute angle and from there extending infinitely.
See? You just explained it in a way that makes perfect sense in one sentence.
This is not to say that a book with passages like that are always bad. Occasional moments of obtuseness in an overall good story are forgivable. I checked the listing for the book on Amazon, and it looks intriguing. I just hope that the narrative as a whole is easier to follow than that paragraph.
This is not to say that a book with passages like that are always bad. Occasional moments of obtuseness in an overall good story are forgivable. I checked the listing for the book on Amazon, and it looks intriguing. I just hope that the narrative as a whole is easier to follow than that paragraph.
The book is very well written. So much so that when a paragraph like the one I posted comes up, I generally assume the author intended it to peakpique the interest of the reader and really make them think. It's not that it isn't clear, it's that it's trying to apply real world explanation to something obvious absurd and supernatural. I reread it for the mental image. I could have just read it once and been fine.
This is not to say that a book with passages like that are always bad. Occasional moments of obtuseness in an overall good story are forgivable. I checked the listing for the book on Amazon, and it looks intriguing. I just hope that the narrative as a whole is easier to follow than that paragraph.
The book is very well written. So much so that when a paragraph like the one I posted comes up, I generally assume the author intended it to pique the interest of the reader and really make them think. It's not that it isn't clear, it's that it's trying to apply real world explanation to something obvious absurd and supernatural. I reread it for the mental image. I could have just read it once and been fine.
Ah. Okay then, fair enough. I read the preview excerpt on Amazon and found it to be a lot more straightforward. It really does seem like an interesting book. I didn't mean to sound like I was bagging on your choice of reading material.
I'm currently reading a book called The Jewish Confederates (guess what it's about) and I'm finding it a very interesting and easy read.
I'm going to read Lieutenant Gullivar Jones of Mars: His Vacation again when I'm done. I read it once in the fifth grade and best way I can describe it is if Star Wars were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I'm reviving this thread yet again, because I just finished reading another awesome book.
Okay, so I've actually finished a bunch of awesome books since this thread last died, but I wanted to talk about the one I just finished in particular. It's called City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare.
I was dubious at first, because I found it on a display that was being marketed toward fans of Twilight, which I am decidedly not a fan of. However, after I read the back, it looked like it had more going for it than the marketing would suggest, so I picked it up. Since I finally got started on it a couple days ago, I've had to force myself to stop reading in order to sleep and cook. Not only is it an awesome fantasy story, I love the way that the author doesn't feel the need to explain every little detail to the readers. She throws references in and you either get it or you don't. They aren't things that affect the main plot in any way, but they add some nice character development touches. People who live in/around New York City will probably get more out of the geographical references than I did, but it's still easy to follow what's happening. This is a YA novel, so there is some teenage emotional drama stuff thrown in, but it's handled decently enough, so if you can handle a high school anime, you'll probably avoid gagging. Also, there's a plot twist that you'll probably spot a few chapters early, but it also makes for an interesting development.
The sequel, called City of Ashes, is out in hardcover right now, and will be out in paperback on 3/24, along with the third book in the series, called City of Glass. I know I sound like a walking commercial by this point, but seriously, this book is worth checking out.
I've almost finished American Gods, which brings the number of totally awesome things Geeknights has brought to my attention to about 12. Come to think of it, that's probably more than anyone else in my life, so hats off to you guys.
American Gods was an awesome recommendation, though it still carried The Sandman-esque feel to it, especially with similar notions about Gods. I will be checking out some of the other works right after I finish the PoN series (currently half way through The Warrior Prophet). I appreciate Geeknights for reintroducing me back to literature. There is just so much more insight and marvel which visual media just isn't able to convey.
As much as I enjoyed American Gods (the first Gaiman book I ever read, a few years ago), I actually preferred Neverwhere. I really like the combination of folklore, pseudo-Victorian ideals, and Underground-Secret-Societies vibe that I got from that book. Again, Gaiman is awesome.
Right now I've been reading a lot of Murakami, specifically Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. It's interesting, reading most of an author's works in such a short span of time. All of them are interesting, and he really varies the stories enough that they don't become repetitive. I highly recommend him, and I think he might be one of my few favourite authors (a list including Gaiman and Vonnegut, among others).
Comments
First up is Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk. A co-worker told me about it, and the world that is presented is amazing. Discussing the plot manages to spoil everything and nothing, so I'll just say that it's an awesome (and relatively fast) read and move on.
The next two are a series: Steeldriver and Timberjak by Don Debrandt. They're an odd mix of cyberpunk and tall tales, and if you like good jokes in your sci-fi, then these books are awesome good fun to read. They appear to be out of print (I got my copies at Half-Priced Books), but I found them on Amazon for very little money.
I'm reading The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien now. De Selbey's ridiculous philosophy is incorporated with the narrative very well. I wouldn't be surprised if Mark Z. Danielewski was directly inspired by this novel to write House of Leaves. Aside from the obvious use of footnotes, both novels explore the idea of buildings that are perceived differently from outside than inside. A passage describing the police barracks:
"As I approached, the house seemed to change its appearance. At first, it did nothing to reconcile itself with the shape of an ordinary house but it became uncertain in outline like a thing glimpsed under ruffled water. Then it became clear again and I saw that it began to have some back to it, some small space for rooms behind the frontage. I gathered this from the fact that I seemed to see the front and the back of the ' building ' simultaneously from my position approaching what should have been a side. As there was no side that I could see I thought the house must be triangular with its apex pointing towards me but when I was only fifteen yards away I saw a small window apparently facing me and I new from that that there must be some side to it."
This is a paragraph that I had to reread almost as many times as House's Five and a Half Minute Hallway to get an acceptable mental image of what the character was experiencing, which I take to be a building with two sides forming an acute angle and from there extending infinitely.
This is not to say that a book with passages like that are always bad. Occasional moments of obtuseness in an overall good story are forgivable. I checked the listing for the book on Amazon, and it looks intriguing. I just hope that the narrative as a whole is easier to follow than that paragraph.
I'm going to read Lieutenant Gullivar Jones of Mars: His Vacation again when I'm done. I read it once in the fifth grade and best way I can describe it is if Star Wars were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Okay, so I've actually finished a bunch of awesome books since this thread last died, but I wanted to talk about the one I just finished in particular. It's called City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare.
I was dubious at first, because I found it on a display that was being marketed toward fans of Twilight, which I am decidedly not a fan of. However, after I read the back, it looked like it had more going for it than the marketing would suggest, so I picked it up. Since I finally got started on it a couple days ago, I've had to force myself to stop reading in order to sleep and cook. Not only is it an awesome fantasy story, I love the way that the author doesn't feel the need to explain every little detail to the readers. She throws references in and you either get it or you don't. They aren't things that affect the main plot in any way, but they add some nice character development touches. People who live in/around New York City will probably get more out of the geographical references than I did, but it's still easy to follow what's happening. This is a YA novel, so there is some teenage emotional drama stuff thrown in, but it's handled decently enough, so if you can handle a high school anime, you'll probably avoid gagging. Also, there's a plot twist that you'll probably spot a few chapters early, but it also makes for an interesting development.
The sequel, called City of Ashes, is out in hardcover right now, and will be out in paperback on 3/24, along with the third book in the series, called City of Glass. I know I sound like a walking commercial by this point, but seriously, this book is worth checking out.
I appreciate Geeknights for reintroducing me back to literature. There is just so much more insight and marvel which visual media just isn't able to convey.
Right now I've been reading a lot of Murakami, specifically Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. It's interesting, reading most of an author's works in such a short span of time. All of them are interesting, and he really varies the stories enough that they don't become repetitive. I highly recommend him, and I think he might be one of my few favourite authors (a list including Gaiman and Vonnegut, among others).