The Book Discussion Thread

[megladon8]

Reading Dark Harvest now, due to meg's rave.

It seems like it should be a kid's book, but by all means it isn't. I'm digging it a lot right now. I bet I'll have it finished by the weekend.

Awesome!

If you enjoy it, though, D_Davis is the one to thank! He got me to read it - his review was even read and commented on by Norman Partridge.

It's a brilliant little horror story, and it's exactly the type of book that keeps my love for horror fiction burning bright.

[Spinal]

After nearly six months of bedtime reading, my son and I finally finished the His Dark Materials trilogy this evening. It gives me such joy to have been able to read him such a beautiful expression of the value of humanism. Many moments tugged at the heartstrings, but those final two chapters were very difficult to read with an unwavering voice. Masterful.

[Mara]

After nearly six months of bedtime reading, my son and I finally finished the His Dark Materials trilogy this evening. It gives me such joy to have been able to read him such a beautiful expression of the value of humanism. Many moments tugged at the heartstrings, but those final two chapters were very difficult to read with an unwavering voice. Masterful.

I like them quite well. Did you see the film adaptation? I was excited until the reviews came out, but then avoided it so it wouldn't sully the novels for me.

[Spinal]

I like them quite well. Did you see the film adaptation? I was excited until the reviews came out, but then avoided it so it wouldn't sully the novels for me.

I won't be as harsh on the film as others will be, but no, it is not a throughly satisfying experience for those who love the book. I do think that they get a lot things right, particularly in casting. The film looks great and the special effects Oscar was well deserved. But due to the constraints of the medium and having to be mainstream fare (apparently restricted to under two hours), the focus shifts more to the action-based stuff and not the rich philosophical base that makes the story so special. Also, they opt to end the story before getting to the devastating final event.

I will say this though. I probably wouldn't have been able to get my kid to sit through the books if he hadn't been exposed to some of the marketing images surrounding the movie. They gave him a base to start from, even though I decided not to have him watch the film at this point. I hope that they continue on with the series, even though the films will be imperfect. I suspect that something like a BBC miniseries might be the best way to get the story right, although you wouldn't have the effects budget to handle some of the more spectacular stuff.

[lovejuice]

my problem with the film is that, when you imagine the world where everyone has his or her own animal, it's sorta cool. but visually it's really messy. probably there is no way to go around that.

oh i don't like the books that much either. i really like the first one, but by the third, it kinda goes over its head.

[Spinal]

oh i don't like the books that much either. i really like the first one, but by the third, it kinda goes over its head.

How so? I thought it was masterfully plotted and thematically rich. It aims high, but it also succeeds.

[Ezee E]

I forgot to mention that I finished Dark Harvest, and while it seems like a more adult-oriented version of a Goosebumps book, it was highly enjoyable, with a great finish.

It would make a hell of a Masters of Horror movie if they figured out how to properly show the pumpkin head.

Now I'm reading Playing with the Enemy which is moving along quite nicely. It has more of a sports journalistic approach, and it's working just great.

[Qrazy]

How so? I thought it was masterfully plotted and thematically rich. It aims high, but it also succeeds.

Yeah, personally I never felt like the ideas failed but the plotting got somewhat more monotonous and there's a lot of dicking around and not doing much as the trilogy progresses. I quite liked the world building throughout and there are an equal number of scenes I really enjoy sprinkled throughout but pacing-wise things become a bit more lax I found.

[lovejuice]

How so? I thought it was masterfully plotted and thematically rich. It aims high, but it also succeeds.

it has been a while, but by the time [

Show Spoiler

the high angle has a mano-a-mano with the two head generals of the rebel army

] it gives me a weird feeling. what kind of battle/war is that? (umm....another voice inside my head whispher prince caspian, but that's entirely different.) also i feel like pullman doesn't do a good job tying the knots. too much left unexplained for my taste, and his multiverse seems too random in many ways.

[

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is daemon a real physical being? everything from the first book seems to suggest so. then how come after laura left hers at the river of death, it can appear at entirely different world? i also dislike that the world of death is another world. it doesn't make much sense to me in the logic of this multiverse. so our soul has an ability to transverse across the world without the use of the subtle knife?

]

[Qrazy]

it has been a while, but by the time [

Show Spoiler

the high angle has a mano-a-mano with the two head generals of the rebel army

] it gives me a weird feeling. what kind of battle/war is that? (umm....another voice inside my head whispher prince caspian, but that's entirely different.) also i feel like pullman doesn't do a good job tying the knots. too much left unexplained for my taste, and his multiverse seems too random in many ways.

[

Show Spoiler

is daemon a real physical being? everything from the first book seems to suggest so. then how come after laura left hers at the river of death, it can appear at entirely different world? i also dislike that the world of death is another world. it doesn't make much sense to me in the logic of this multiverse. so our soul has an ability to transverse across the world without the use of the subtle knife?

]

[

Show Spoiler

I found the world of death to be one of the most interesting elements of the series... and the idea of being unable to return back to the oneness.

]

[Kurosawa Fan]

Finished Cannery Row and pretty much loved it. It has one of the best final four chapters of any book I've read. Mack and Doc are wonderfully written, and Frankie is one of those memorable characters that stick with you, even though he's in the story for all of 8 or so pages. Steinbeck continues to wow me. The Washington Post is loony.

Started reading God Save the Fan this evening. A bit repetitive, but entertaining thus far.

[Benny Profane]

I've been on a tear lately. Going on vacation always helps my reading. Hell, it's one of the main reasons why I look forward to vacation.

Tortilla Flat -- Steinbeck
The Martian Chronicles -- Bradbury
Divisadero -- Michael Ondaatje

All finished recently, all of which I would recommend.

Now starting The Raw Shark Texts by Stephen Hall. VERY interesting so far.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I've been reading a lot of nonfiction for research, but, in the meantime, I finally tackled Brave New World. As far as its genre of future dystopias goes, it's pretty damn interesting. I can't say I loved it like I love Fahrenheit 451, but I understand the respect.

Next up is probably A Canticle for Liebowitz.

[lovejuice]

i'm at the beginning of the tenth man, and it's really wonderful.

[Kurosawa Fan]

i'm at the beginning of the tenth man, and it's really wonderful.

You rule.


I finished God Save the Fan, which was entertaining but repetitive, and am now reading Beloved, which is long overdue.

[Mara]

Just read the writing guide Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Surprisingly fun, personal, and honest look at writing. Felt more like a memoir or a confessional than a manual.

We disagree about plot, but other than that I found it pretty inspiring.

[monolith94]

What does she say about plot that you disagree with?

And K. Fan – I kinda hope that you don't like Beloved, just so that I won't be alone on disliking that book.

[megladon8]

KF, sorry it's taking so long for me to read "Hell". It's been so beautiful outside lately, I just haven't been reading much.

I'm planning to bring it on the bus tomorrow, though. I should be able to get throug hthe last 100 pages.

[Mara]

What does she say about plot that you disagree with?

I kvetched about it a little bit in the writer's thread. She is very insistent that:

A. Commercial fiction is plot-based, while Literary fiction is character based, therefore:

B. You should absolutely not ouline a plot for your novel but

C. Simply write good characters and go wherever they take you.

There was a strong implication that anyone who disagrees is a bit of a hack.

I don't doubt this approach works for some people, but with the book I'm writing, I really want the plot to go a certain way. (It's an adventure sort of novel.) I had a mild elitist crisis about it.

[ledfloyd]

Now starting The Raw Shark Texts by Stephen Hall. VERY interesting so far.

i heard good things about this. i read the first chapter online somewhere and it seemed alot like memento to me.

[Kurosawa Fan]

KF, sorry it's taking so long for me to read "Hell". It's been so beautiful outside lately, I just haven't been reading much.

I'm planning to bring it on the bus tomorrow, though. I should be able to get throug hthe last 100 pages.

Completely understandable. I'll keep an eye out for your post when you finish.

And mono, I'm halfway through Beloved, and I'm fairly certain you'll be alone in disliking it. I don't think it's the best book ever written (what list was that again?), but I do think it's quite good so far.

[ledfloyd]

i actually picked up the raw shark texts at barnes and noble today. they had the UK edition of the hardcover for $6. i also got michael chabon's maps and legends.

[Benny Profane]

i heard good things about this. i read the first chapter online somewhere and it seemed alot like memento to me.

Yes, Memento would be the most immediate comparison. But I'm only 60 pages in, so a lot could change.

[lovejuice]

You rule.

the tenth man is very good. it's not often that i complain of a novel being too short. greene can torture us a little bit longer about the outcome of the "love triangle'. still as it is, the novel is near perfect. somehow it feels dickensian to me even if i know almost next to nothing about dickens.

[

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i really like carosse the actor. especially at the end when his downfall is to believe in a romantic lie which always is his most efficient arsenal.

]

so what's next, kf?

[Kurosawa Fan]

Awesome. Really glad you liked it, and I'm in complete agreement that it's a tad too short. As for more Greene, I'm afraid I don't have any other recs for you. I've only read the five that I've mentioned (The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter, The Tenth Man, Brighton Rock, The Third Man), and I'm pretty sure you've read all of them. I own The Human Factor, The End of the Affair, A Burnt-Out Case, Our Man in Havana, and The Quiet American, but haven't gotten to them yet.