On the Reading of Books
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Lifecrafter
Member # 3310
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 03:20
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quote:Originally written by Destiny: ready to die young: *slaps herself on the forehead* Robert Jordan! That's the one I forgot. I hate the Wheel of Time. It sucks. Allow me to tell you why I think this. 1. It's too long. By the time next part comes out, I have forgotten everything that happened in the book before it. It's annoying to read when you have no idea what's happening. 2. The characters piss me off. Rand is a loser. All, and I mean ALL the women are manipulative meanies (or the b-word. You choose). The other guys are losers as well. They got no spirit. And why on earth is there no nice ladies in here? Does the writer have some sort of female problems in his life, or what? It's annoying. Also, this is just my opinion.No, it's not. I would like to share it with you. You are completely right. Rand does nothing but whines about how hard everything is all the time, and his two friends (Mat and..Perrin?) are no better. I mean OK, it probably is hard to fight the (AAGHH! what a cliché!) Dark Lord (or whatever his name is in English) but really, over-realistic whining is no good. Not a single character shows more than one side of his/her personality. You can't really sympathise with anyone. As you said, Jordan stretches the storyline into eternity. Nothing ever happens (well, except for the whining). And when something finally happens, you have forgot why it happened. Jordan also writes so wannabe-mysteriously that you don't understand why some things happen until two books later. And then you have forgotten the whole thing. Jordan isn't original, but rather a cliché-collector who steals ideas from other books. Why rewrite something that other people have done better? And it's just plain boring. The few good parts you may find aren't worth the reading of the books. [ Saturday, December 06, 2003 03:22: Message edited by: Ironweed ] Posts: 756 | Registered: Monday, August 4 2003 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 07:36
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If you like fantasy or science fiction and don't mind reading on the computer try this http://www.baen.com/library/ . It is free. I've read most of it. -------------------- The Universe Never Did Make Sense; I Suspect It Was Built On A Government Contract- Robert Heinlein Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 216
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 07:40
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quote:Originally written by Stughalf: Of those of you that read, what do you read? What genres or authors do you prefer, and why do you believe you prefer them? Feel free to delve as deeply as you wish into your psyches to answer this one. In another vein, what are your opinions on Classic novels? Are they deserving of their vaunted status, or do you find many of them to be overrated, outdated, or just plain lousy? I'll post my opinions at a later point; I'm far too tired at the moment .I haven't read in years. I think Classic literature as a similar style of diction, style of writing altogether within it, and perhaps some of the better writing of our times, considering that the feel I get from contemporary novels is that of a media-esque style. Full of action, fast transitions, sex, etc., much like what's on TV. I prefer fantasy novels, back when i did read, however. -------------------- Song of the Pack -- An Online Multiplayer Wolf RPG!~ Posts: 223 | Registered: Friday, October 26 2001 07:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 3608
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 08:23
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I like reading Donald Duck. -------------------- - The Great Mister Posts: 972 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 1104
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 08:38
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*Agrees with Ken Kaniff* Dr. Seus (sp?) is also a pretty good book to read. -------------------- 73|-| 1|\|\/1|\|<1|3|_3 |30063y|\/|4|\| AHEM: Chance Forums! -Reality Corp. Posts: 1307 | Registered: Tuesday, May 7 2002 07:00 |
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DELETED Member # 21
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 08:57
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I just discovered Neil Gaiman (a bit late, I know). *reads obsessively* -------------------- KazeArctica: Oh yes. KazeArctica: Oh YES Posts: 93 | Registered: Sunday, September 30 2001 22:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 10:06
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Maybe I'm just addicted to cliches, but I absolutely love both Tolkien and Eddings. David Eddings's plots are predictable maybe, but that means they are wonderfully relaxing to read. But I wouldn't ever want to RP with the guy; he tends toward god-characters. And I like all the Middle-Earth stuff (Hobbit, LotR, Silmarillion, Letters from Middle-Earth, etc.) exactly because they paint such a vivid picture of a fictional world. Compared to normal books, it feels like a picture you can step into to enter another world. Also, Ørangutan (sorry for bringing this up after 2 pages) I write Tengwar almost as fluently as our letters. Alternative alphabets are so much fun. Terry Brooks is good enough, I suppose, but he has the tendency to tragically kill of 3/4 of his characters. A few tragic deaths are in order, but when I read the Travels of the Jerle Shannara, I thought "Geez, which side is he on?" [ Saturday, December 06, 2003 10:09: Message edited by: Arancaytar ] -------------------- "And all should cry, Beware, Beware! His Flashing eyes, his Floating hair!" S. T. Coleridge --- "It is as if everyone had lost their sense Consigned themselves to downfall and decadence And a wisp it is they have chosen as their beacon." Reinhard Mey. --- Quote of the Week: "I have a high opinion of myself, which makes up for my total lack of intelligence." Anon. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Babelicious
Member # 3149
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 10:16
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quote:Originally written by Full Metal Jagot: Djur, do Joyce's books actually consist of anything other than the author talking to himself? I prefer books that try to say something in particular to me, the reader, even if it's something I can't agree with. At the very least, I'd like to read something which entertains me, which the passage you quoted doesn't. *shrug* De gustibus non disputandum est.Only Finnegans Wake is truly abstruse. Ulysses is considered by many to be the greatest novel ever written, and Dubliners & Portrait of the Artist were both extremely readable to me. I always laugh when I read Finnegans Wake. -------------------- You are my precious thing Thing of speed and beauty, You are my precious thing As long as you remain beneath me -- Big Black Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 3608
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 11:35
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Donald Duck is, to be honest, much funnier than Mickey Mouse. -------------------- - The Great Mister Posts: 972 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
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Cartographer
Member # 1851
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 13:05
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Agreed on reading Donald Duck, but Mickey Mouse is just a victim of .. um. I wonder what 'olosuhteiden uhri' whould be in english? Oh well. Comics are good4U. -------------------- Ah! My Homepage - In Finnish and English Geneforge - The Maps My Elfwood Gallery - Stories I've written in english The WALL - Forums in Finnish Waiting for medication. I could really use some. Posts: 1308 | Registered: Sunday, September 8 2002 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 1877
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 13:09
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Yup. I read Conan the Barbarian, really fun. Lots of slashing and cutting, and good stories. -------------------- MDNZZZ ZMMMBIS WBLOONZ 33111-CRUSADER-4849 Posts: 662 | Registered: Friday, September 13 2002 07:00 |
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 16:37
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So... we know what people read, pretty much, so now it's time to ask how much you read, and how you like to read. I know I read a lot, compared to most people I know, but it may not seem like much to the people here... I tend to curl up in a soft chair, no music, medium light, and preferably a few non-distracting background noises. I spend more time reading than pretty much anything else, other than sleeping, eating, and school. -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon TEH CONSPIRACY IZ ALL Les forum de la chance. In case of emergency, break glass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 1104
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 16:53
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I read books mostly when Im not reading the various posts on these boards. Which is to say, about 3-4hrs a day, give or take 2hrs. I usually read with either no backround noise or with my music, quietly going on my computer. I prefer reading short stories over novels, because many of them can be finished in, well, 2-3hrs. Novels like the bulky "Crime and Punishment" usually take a few days to finish. -------------------- 73|-| 1|\|\/1|\|<1|3|_3 |30063y|\/|4|\| AHEM: Chance Forums! -Reality Corp. Posts: 1307 | Registered: Tuesday, May 7 2002 07:00 |
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Cartographer
Member # 1851
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 17:36
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I read whenever I have enough books to focuse on. Usually this is after I've been to the library. That's not very often, unfortunately, but I usually bring as many books as possible. I have about a dozen over there at the moment. It's more than usually, but that's just because it's extremely difficult to find books I want to read, because I've already read pretty much all of them. And by all, I mean fantasy books. I do love to read.. All my friends say I'm a really fast reader. I think they are partly right. I read faster than average, but I'm not fast. Not really. Not enough. There isn't enough hours in the day to read as much as I want. For example, I finished the second Harry Potter book (it had about 100 pages left or so), read the third completely, and managed to get well started on the fourth, before I came too exhausted to keep on going. All in one day. Imagine that. It took me a whole day, when it should have by all means taken at least 4 hours less. And then my friends dare call me fast... -------------------- Ah! My Homepage - In Finnish and English Geneforge - The Maps My Elfwood Gallery - Stories I've written in english The WALL - Forums in Finnish Waiting for medication. I could really use some. Posts: 1308 | Registered: Sunday, September 8 2002 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 65
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 19:54
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You could say I read alot, some say too mush so. I can read literally anywhere, distractions don't really discract me. I'm pretty one-track-minded in that sense. People also consider me to be a fast reader, a downside of this is when I want to talk about a book, no-one else has finished the book. (eg harry potter 5-finished in a couple of days) Or they constantly ask what happens in a book we have to read for english, so they don't have to read it. -------------------- ...a sadist is only someone that is terribly nice to a masochist... Want to find out how nasty you really are? visit:www.thespark.com now! Also look at my site here This is also a good site Posts: 650 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 3320
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 21:03
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I read less than I should. I tend to read my Sherlock Holmes book maybe 3 or 4 times a week or whenever my spirit moves me. But other than that, I read plenty of erotic stories on the Internet. But I can type rather well in the Sherlock Holmes style, but no one will ever be as good as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Except maybe Steven King, who wrote a Sherlock Holmes story very well once. (Sherlock picks up mouse and looks at it with the magnifying glass. Having observed the holographic shiny sticker on the bottom and taking out the traction ball, he pokes around the inside wheels with a pair of tweezers, removing and paper and dirt adhering to them. Then he puts the traction ball back in. Then after setting it back down, rolls it around on the obviously well worn mouse pad, clicking wildly at various icons and links on the screen and chuckling to himself. Having just made it to another erotica site, Sherlock leans back in his computer chair, the metal springs, and gears groaning from lack of oil. A blast of dust erupts from the soothing fan behind him and it sends him into a coughing fit from his allergy to it. He pops a Honey Lemon Cough Drop in his mouth and reaches for his pack of cigarettes. Seeing that he is completely out, he sighs and puts on his deer stalk cap. He then turns on some relaxing music and settles in for a session of reading erotic stories and evaluating the authors on their creativity, believability, and content.) -------------------- Mrs. Peacock: "Everything all right?" Colonel Mustard: "Yep. Two Corpses. Everything's fine." "Keep your wits about you, the game is afoot!!" - Sherlock Holmes Posts: 935 | Registered: Friday, August 8 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, December 6 2003 22:39
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1. It's not the same when it's not from the perspective of Dr. Watson. 2. I happen to find the above post hilariously funny. If you have to ask why... don't. Just don't. —Alorael, who reads very fast and very often. He actually tries to read less now because it's too much of a pain to go to the library all the time. And there's something to be said for savoring the expectations for a book for longer than a few hours. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 3521
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written Sunday, December 7 2003 00:02
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I used to read more often, before I found something far more pleasurable to do with my hands than turning pages. And MSW, you have a fellow peruser of erotic stories right here. Although I could care less about believablity. And I keep to the heterosexual ones. Back when I was capable of concentration for more than two minutes, I used to read 400-page books in a single sitting, taking around 5-6 hours to do so. Nowadays, I prefer to read around 50-100 pages in a sitting, depending on how thrilling the material is. I prefer to read with plenty of light, sitting on a carpeted floor, with a satisfied but not overfull stomach. Ideal temperature 65-75 degrees Farenheit, average humidity. Background noise present but unobtrusive. -------------------- "Let a man find himself, in distinction from others, on top of two wheels with a chain- at least in a poor country like Russia- and his vanity begins to swell out like his tires. In America it takes an automobile to produce this effect."- Leon Trotsky Posts: 1798 | Registered: Sunday, October 5 2003 07:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 3608
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written Sunday, December 7 2003 01:47
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I read Donald Duck every Wednesday, as that's when the misters in the post office send it to me. -------------------- - The Great Mister Posts: 972 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Sunday, December 7 2003 01:55
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Bah, TGM, 'mister' is only used as a title (e.g. Mr. Wagot is going to pick up his moist, pungent package here) or, less commonly / more outdated, as an address (Hey, mister, you dropped this cardboard tube and these gerbils!). It is extremely seldom used as a noun, and when one wants to do so, one typically gets all snooty about it and uses the French word (Messieurs), where it's less awkward. Also, QLF is Donald Duck? EDIT: Interesting; the tongue emoticon can be used to measure edit age, as apparently there's a filter which replaces colon-dash-upperP with space-colon-lowerP; and colon-lowerP gets replaced with space-colon-lowerP, thus creating a poo loop which has no visible effect on your face but rubs all over mine. In-ter-es-ting. [ Sunday, December 07, 2003 02:00: Message edited by: USA-se Xenerali-boariku CUSITURA ] -------------------- In a word, gay. --Bob the Impaler Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 3310
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written Sunday, December 7 2003 07:13
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I read when I have got the time to do it. And if I've laid my hands on a really interesting book, I read when I haven't got the time to do it. It's basically that simple. Posts: 756 | Registered: Monday, August 4 2003 07:00 |
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Babelicious
Member # 3149
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written Sunday, December 7 2003 08:12
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Yes, the chair is creaking because it's not oiled. Uh-huh. -------------------- You are my precious thing Thing of speed and beauty, You are my precious thing As long as you remain beneath me -- Big Black Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Sunday, December 7 2003 09:30
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So you noticed the bug too, Alec... Concerning my reading speed: I finished the fifth Harry Potter in one single, very *long* evening. I think it must have been 6-7 hours or so. [ Sunday, December 07, 2003 14:58: Message edited by: Arancaytar ] -------------------- "And all should cry, Beware, Beware! His Flashing eyes, his Floating hair!" S. T. Coleridge --- "It is as if everyone had lost their sense Consigned themselves to downfall and decadence And a wisp it is they have chosen as their beacon." Reinhard Mey. --- Quote of the Week: "I have a high opinion of myself, which makes up for my total lack of intelligence." Anon. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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BANNED
Member # 4
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written Sunday, December 7 2003 10:01
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quote:Originally written by Feran: I haven't read in years. I think Classic literature as a similar style of diction, style of writing altogether within it, and perhaps some of the better writing of our times, considering that the feel I get from contemporary novels is that of a media-esque style. Full of action, fast transitions, sex, etc., much like what's on TV. I prefer fantasy novels, back when i did read, however.What trash have you been forcing yourself through, son? -------------------- We're all amazed but not amused By all the things that you said you'd do. You're much concerned but not involved by Decisions that are made by you But we are sick and tired of hearing your song, Telling us how you are going to change right from wrong, 'Cause if you really want to hear our views, You haven't done nothin'. Posts: 6936 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 1104
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written Sunday, December 7 2003 14:47
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Poor Feran, watching TV more than reading books... Well, its as the saying goes: quote: Give a man a book to read, and he shall read for a day, Give a man a TV, and he will never read again.EDIT: Spelening [ Sunday, December 07, 2003 14:48: Message edited by: Reality Corp. ] -------------------- 73|-| 1|\|\/1|\|<1|3|_3 |30063y|\/|4|\| AHEM: Chance Forums! -Reality Corp. Posts: 1307 | Registered: Tuesday, May 7 2002 07:00 |