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Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Huntn
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film studies
Just skimmed the Argento Syndrome - a couple of interviews were quite choice.
And poured through On Set with John Carpenter: The Photography of Kim Gottlieb-Walker. Excellent book, naturally I could have done with another 60 pages of Escape From New York photos as I've never seen a lot of those. The squeal of joy when I saw the first three pictures of Kurt as Snake brought me right back to falling in love with that movie in my teens. I was surprised there were no shots of The Fog ghosts in make up though (esp. Rob Bottin's Captain Blake.
) Otherwise, a really terrific book and one I wish was twice the pages.
Just skimmed the Argento Syndrome - a couple of interviews were quite choice.
And poured through On Set with John Carpenter: The Photography of Kim Gottlieb-Walker. Excellent book, naturally I could have done with another 60 pages of Escape From New York photos as I've never seen a lot of those. The squeal of joy when I saw the first three pictures of Kurt as Snake brought me right back to falling in love with that movie in my teens. I was surprised there were no shots of The Fog ghosts in make up though (esp. Rob Bottin's Captain Blake.
) Otherwise, a really terrific book and one I wish was twice the pages.
I-am-shocked.
I read it back in 86 and having just came out of the USN, was chuckling about this talk of "Steal Fighters". I was like, "yeah, right". Turned out, the laugh was on me.
I'm a little embarrassed here to admit this, but I looked on my bookshelf yesterday and saw that I actually own the book! I had forgotten that I had it and haven't ever read it yet.
I'm a little embarrassed here to admit this, but I looked on my bookshelf yesterday and saw that I actually own the book! I had forgotten that I had it and haven't ever read it yet.
It's always a good time.
I've just started The Pearl that Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi.
I've recently finished The Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk. Really good books. And most recently I've finished All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which I probably would have enjoyed more if it wasn't my third book revolving around WWII in a row.
I've recently finished The Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk. Really good books. And most recently I've finished All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which I probably would have enjoyed more if it wasn't my third book revolving around WWII in a row.
Brilliant book, an absolute classic. However, for what it is worth, I'll add to that my personal opinion which is that 'Animal Farm' is an even better work.
As an example of an outstanding masterpiece of (pristine and flawless) English prose, a brilliant work of political philosophy, and a devastatingly insightful analysis of power, all deceptively disguised as a fable, this is a work of sheer, unadulterated, perfect genius. I cannot praise it highly enough.
Based on your recommendation here, I'll add it to my Audible.com wish list for my next audiobook.
Based on your recommendation here, I'll add it to my Audible.com wish list for my next audiobook.
'Animal Farm' is that unusual work - a masterpiece of superb English prose and a brilliant example of political analysis. There are many works which have been one or the other, but a very, very few which are both. This ranks as an outstanding work of literature and a devastating analysis of politics and power.
In fact, it is so good, that you think it is deceptively simple; this is because not a word is out of place, every single word is a precisely chiselled piece of prose perfection and philosophical, psychological and political insight. And it works, terrifying well, as a story.
This was a book I always recommended to my students.
It's been almost a month since I last posted here. I'm still reading Jane Eyre. I'm not even halfway through the book. I haven't been reading a lot the past two weeks. I'm very slowly making my way through the novel. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying it immensely. However, I have been technologically distracted unfortunately these past few weeks which is why I'm not reading as much as I used to. That said, I'm trying to set a time limit for using technology. Fortunately, it has proven effective; I have, as a result, read 100 pages. Hopefully I can keep this up!
i think it's especially striking since its wording is very often simple and yet precise and thus very close wording to the propaganda slogans of the reality.
it's meaning transcends into the translations as well.
for the german translation from the "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" rule has made it into cynical phrase in every day german "...manche sind gleicher als andere"
which makes it a stand out among many other english/US classics from earlier than 1950 for example.
A feature it ironically shares with Moby Dick.
Actually, the beauty of 'Animal Farm' is that the prose seems deceptively simple, but, it isn't simple at all. It is just meant to look like that. However, when you read it, you realise that every word is carefully crafted, perfectly placed and meticulously planned.
Not a word is wasted - each word is exactly where it is meant to be and says exactly what it is supposed to say - like the musical notes in a Mozart symphony. To be able to write a work of such devastating insight in a deceptively simple yet perfect prose with such utter clarity, precision and economy of language is the work of someone who is a complete master of both language and style.
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Animal Farm is one of those books that I have read and read and read over again through the years I probably haven't read it in about 10 years so I'm due!
Surprised my middle schooler hasn't read it yet!
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Surprised my middle schooler hasn't read it yet!
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Well, this is a book I recommend to friends, colleagues, (and students) again and again. Superb. Close to literary and political perfection.
Actually, it is so good that it is a book I would almost consider selling my soul to have been able to say that I had written such a flawless masterpiece.
Every Dead Thing by John Connolly. I think I'll follow the series if this book lives up to the hype, so far it has.
I just finished Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King and thought it was very weak. Somehow, Goodreads readers have voted it as one of the best crime books of 2014, ahead of Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly. Those polls never make any sense to me anyway. No-one will have read them all and so can't fairly vote based on quality of the book.
I just finished Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King and thought it was very weak. Somehow, Goodreads readers have voted it as one of the best crime books of 2014, ahead of Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly. Those polls never make any sense to me anyway. No-one will have read them all and so can't fairly vote based on quality of the book.
Sounds fascinating. Let me know what you think of it (and remind me, again, please, of just what those books you mentioned ages ago on introversion were called).
These are the ones I've read in the past.
I have long been a fan of the excellent Scott Lynch.
Anyway, over the week end I also picked up a book I had ordered quite a while ago, the third book in the excellent Scott Lynch's 'The Gentlemen Bastard' series. Called 'The Republic of Thieves' it is characteristically exceptionally well written, with a rollicking (if convoluted) plot, excellent characters, and a very elegant take on world building.
Strong female characters, witty dialogue, outrageous (but clever) politics and fight scenes, and some recipes which give rise to serious salivation, what is there not to like?
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Thank you very much; these look like books that I would be very much interested to sit down and slowly read.
Anyway, over the week end I also picked up a book I had ordered quite a while ago, the third book in the excellent Scott Lynch's 'The Gentlemen Bastard' series. Called 'The Republic of Thieves' it is characteristically exceptionally well written, with a rollicking (if convoluted) plot, excellent characters, and a very elegant take on world building.
Strong female characters, witty dialogue, outrageous (but clever) politics and fight scenes, and some recipes which give rise to serious salivation, what is there not to like?
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Thank you very much; these look like books that I would be very much interested to sit down and slowly read.
I found them to be quite fascinating, revealing and in tune with my own personality on many levels.
One the above books' authors, Sophia Dembling, has a blog page, called 'The Introverts Corner,' of short articles she writes on http://www.psychologytoday.com that I go to to read sometimes as well.
That means that Mr Google and Mr Amazon are probably due another visit in the near future....
Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to set these down for me.
Anytime, my friend.
In fact it has been a while since I visited her blog page and I just clicked a bunch of her articles into my Instapaper account to read on the iPad. I just finished this article that I really liked: What If Staying Single Weren't Stigmatized?
Thanks for getting me to re-read it again!
I panicked a bit when I could not find my hardcover edition issued to me in school in 1979, but found only my wife's paper bound copy from the late 80s. I finally found it with the lettering on the spine reduced to almost pure white from 35 years in the sun.
There's something about the familiar penciled notes, etc... That always bring me back to certain times through certain books.
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