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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

Very short recommendations thread

  
  

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All Acting Regiment
12:30 / 09.10.06
With Burgess, I'd say Earthly Powers. Tremendous book, in more than one way (weighs about a kilo, for example).

Defo. Language, ideas, funny, exciting, etc
 
 
Kiltartan Cross
18:22 / 09.10.06
Colonisation (etc.), Harry Turtledove.

I know they're trash, but are they readable trash?
 
 
Whisky Priestess
19:28 / 09.10.06
Mathlete:

Old School is great. I loved it.
 
 
astrojax69
08:14 / 10.10.06
seth's 'an equal music'?
 
 
Vincennes: Bringing Sassy Back
08:36 / 10.10.06
It's okay. The main character is wildly irritating, which put me off. I didn't regret reading it but I gave it away to charity immediately after doing so.
 
 
Sign of Qalyn
05:56 / 13.10.06
Harry Turtledove's trash is more boring than Harry Harrison's trash.
 
 
Kiltartan Cross
09:28 / 13.10.06
Roger dodge. If I ever see the phrase "making a desert out of Deseret" again I'll scream.
 
 
Blake Head
14:06 / 15.10.06
Dennis Wheatley: Occult master or bigoted disaster?
 
 
All Acting Regiment
13:10 / 16.10.06
Both, allegedly.
 
 
Persephone
13:25 / 16.10.06
Is the complete Lemony Snicket --box set of 13 books-- worth $85.00?
 
 
Elettaria
22:04 / 16.10.06
Yes. Especially if the box is pretty.
 
 
eirdandfracar
20:18 / 17.10.06
Gabriel Garcia-Marquez?
 
 
Tsuga
00:56 / 18.10.06
Probably overrated and certainly heavy-handed, but still a pretty damn good writer, and not unfun to read.
 
 
Whisky Priestess
15:10 / 24.10.06
Read Love in the Time of Cholera before One Hundred Years of Solitude.

MAKE SURE YOU FINISH 100YOS. The last page makes all the slog worthwhile.
 
 
eirdandfracar
16:58 / 24.10.06
Why Love In The Time Cholera First?
 
 
Whisky Priestess
17:26 / 24.10.06
Because it's an easier read (the genealogy of 100YOS alone is enough to drive you nuts) and a lovely sweet story.
 
 
andrewdrilon
05:40 / 25.10.06
Aimee Bender's short stories; they're like elegant little pieces of poetry. Wonderful works of realism/speculative fiction. Here site is HERE and my favorite short story of hers so far is online, check it out:

"The Rememberer"
 
 
eirdandfracar
00:41 / 01.11.06
Tender is the night?
 
 
West Baltimore Hausing Project
10:16 / 01.11.06
Very good.
 
 
Whisky Priestess
14:18 / 01.11.06
Liked it. Loooong though. And quite depressing. But in a lovely way.
 
 
Olulabelle
20:29 / 01.11.06
Back to House of Leaves; is it really worth persevering with?
 
 
The Jawsus of the Blue Lagoon
15:06 / 03.11.06
yes. always. even if its just to say you did.

TURN OF THE SCREW; yay or nay?
 
 
All Acting Regiment
17:14 / 03.11.06
Oh, yay, Henry James can always turn up a good 'un, especially that one.
 
 
Whisky Priestess
17:29 / 03.11.06
yay

also yay for The Aspern Papers!
 
 
Smith & Papers
(prev. MY CITY SCREAMS)
19:00 / 03.11.06
For the Marquez, I also recommend his short story collection Strange Pilgrims, which features "Light is like water." So fucking beautiful.
 
 
Dusto
21:32 / 03.11.06
Edward Whittemore.

His stuff looks good so far, but I'm just getting started.
 
 
petunia
01:41 / 08.11.06
Anaïs Nin?
Which book?
 
 
Smith & Papers
(prev. MY CITY SCREAMS)
03:35 / 08.11.06
Little Birds has some wickedly weird erotica. Otherwise, stay focused on her diaries. I particularly enjoyed the volume called "Fire."
 
 
ghadis
13:05 / 08.11.06
Golly, I'm a bit embarrassed to say that i've never read any Charles Dickens, but i have a strange urge to get tucked into one for some reason. The nights are drawing in and all that. Which one first?
 
 
Whisky Priestess
14:37 / 08.11.06
I really enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities

and David Copperfield is great too. Highly slashable relationship with Steerforth.

and Great Expectations is good and more creepy/Gothic than David Copperfield.

But why not read Thackeray's Vanity Fair, if you haven't already? It's better than all the above rolled into one ...
 
 
ghadis
15:28 / 08.11.06
I like creepy/gothic. Foggy London streets and all that. Just been to the Dickens thread and it seems that Bleak House gets an all round thumbs up.
 
 
Cat Chant
16:03 / 08.11.06
I can't get into Bleak House! There are lots of good bits in it, I can see that, but I think Loomis in the Dickens thread said it was repetitive, in that certain characters show up and do their same old schtick every few pages, and I think that might be one of the things that's preventing me getting through it. OTOH, someone told me to stick with it because it's like Lemony Snicket, it looks like same-old same-old but gradually starts to do something more interesting without you noticing...

Sorry if that was too long. Carry on.
 
 
Cat Chant
16:14 / 08.11.06
I really liked A Christmas Carol, and what could be more appropriate to this foggy, chilly time of year than a Christmas ghost story?
 
 
Whisky Priestess
17:46 / 09.11.06
Ooh yeah. How about The Best of M R James for dessert?

Also - Edward St Aubyn, especially Mother's Milk - love it or hate it? Does it live up to the hype?
 
 
The Jawsus of the Blue Lagoon
11:46 / 13.11.06
Just like to say a quick "thank you" to Whiskey Priestess - old school was beautiful. good call.
 
  

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