Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?

[Scepticalscribe]

J

Also, could anyone recommend a quality time travel book? King made me feel bad about wanting to time travel. I want to feel good about it.

Edit: I went with this.

I figure Back to the Future II was my favourite of that trilogy so I guess I prefer going forward than back.

Well, in the YA category, Mary Hoffman has written a charming series - the first three books are the best, but I enjoyed all six - the Stravaganza series.

 

[Limey77]

I'm going to be heading back to Tibet later in the year, so I'm reading both Seven Years in Tibet and Return to Tibet.

Both excellent books that genuinely bring me nearly to tears.

 

[Tech198]

Trying to see if I can get though Chapter 1 of "The Hobbit" again by J.R.R Tolken..

I always fall asleep because the party is too boring.. For some reason, the movie is always better.

 

[imhereareyou]

I am reading nonviolent communication Good read so far.
http://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Co...le-20&linkId=20b8a53bed022a909db6e2f18baccc3c

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Trying to see if I can get though Chapter 1 of "The Hobbit" again by J.R.R Tolken..

I always fall asleep because the party is too boring.. For some reason, the movie is always better.

I thought the party brilliant, and I always far preferred Bilbo - who had an entirely healthy love of good food, ale and wine, and was a pretty hospitable host - to Frodo.

In fact, when reading that chapter, I wanted to whisper in Bilbo's ear not to be persuaded by greedy dwarves to accompany them on an adventure, but to carry on drinking his ale and tucking into the contents of his well stocked pantry, instead.

 

[Limey77]

I thought the party brilliant, and I always far preferred Bilbo - who had an entirely healthy love of good food, ale and wine, and was a pretty hospitable host - to Frodo.

In fact, when reading that chapter, I wanted to whisper in Bilbo's ear not to be persuaded by greedy dwarves to accompany them on an adventure, but to carry drinking his ale and tucking into the contents of his well stocked pantry,

Very interesting point!! Would Bilbo have ultimately been happier if he never left the Shire???

What would have happened?

Personally I love both books, although I do prefer The Hobbit. But that could be because I read it first.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Very interesting point!! Would Bilbo have ultimately been happier if he never left the Shire???

What would have happened?

Personally I love both books, although I do prefer The Hobbit. But that could be because I read it first.

I prefer the Hobbit because I prefer Bilbo as a character.

Actually, I would have loved for him to have been the protagonist of TLOTR. Above all, I would have loved to have seen what the testing quest of TLOTR would have down to Bilbo - would his detached 'humanist' view of the world, his easy tolerance, and affable irony - including an ability to laugh at himself - have changed significantly?

Personally, I cannot stand Frodo, and I loathe his relationship with Samwise.

 

[Limey77]

I tend to agree with everything you say.

I don't hate Frodo or his relationship with Samwise, but I do see your point. I too prefer Bilbo.

It's a question that can't be answered. But I do feel it would have been a step too far for Bilbo. Especially so given his age at the time.

Perhaps that's when your own fortune lies?? Rewrite LOTR with Bilbo!

 

[machenryr]

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I tend to agree with everything you say.

I don't hate Frodo or his relationship with Samwise, but I do see your point. I too prefer Bilbo.

It's a question that can't be answered. But I do feel it would have been a step too far for Bilbo. Especially so given his age at the time.

Perhaps that's when your own fortune lies?? Rewrite LOTR with Bilbo!

Hobbits live a long time, so I'm not sure I take the age argument completely seriously.

Anyway, I would have liked to have seen the character of a fairly wise, humorous, humane and tolerant man (hobbit) tested in this way. Bilbo had already surrendered the ring, (granted, with difficulty), - so this was not something he couldn't have done again; besides, his quick wit (that guessing game riddle) and sanity, and essential decency in the Hobbit made him a very attractive character to me.

Re Samwise and Frodo, it is the servility of the relationship that I detest, and - even before his trials and tribulations - Frodo never struck me as possessing much by way of a sense of humour, or love of life. But I think what I most disliked as the 'crucified Christ' element to Frodo's character - almost making a fetish of suffering.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Henry Kissinger - "The White House Years" (Vol. I of series of III on subject).
Pages 1552. Currently at page 300.

 

[Don't panic]

Hobbits live a long time, so I'm not sure I take the age argument completely seriously.

not to mention that possession of the ring stopped or greatly reduced aging. it is a point specifically mentioned at the beginning of the fellowship of the ring.
On the other hand, Bilbo leaves on his 111th birthday, a ripe age even for hobbits, and he often refers to himself as 'old'

 

[Limey77]

Hobbits live a long time, so I'm not sure I take the age argument completely seriously.

Anyway, I would have liked to have seen the character of a fairly wise, humorous, humane and tolerant man (hobbit) tested in this way. Bilbo had already surrendered the ring, (granted, with difficulty), - so this was not something he couldn't have done again; besides, his quick wit (that guessing game riddle) and sanity, and essential decency in the Hobbit made him a very attractive character to me.

Re Samwise and Frodo, it is the servility of the relationship that I detest, and - even before his trials and tribulations - Frodo never struck me as possessing much by way of a sense of humour, or love of life. But I think what I most disliked as the 'crucified Christ' element to Frodo's character - almost making a fetish of suffering.

I don't want us to hijack this thread and turn it into a Tolkein thread. But I do tend to agree with you, I'm not a Frodo fan either, but it is what it is.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

not to mention that possession of the ring stopped or greatly reduced aging. it is a point specifically mentioned at the beginning of the fellowship of the ring.
On the other hand, Bilbo leaves on his 111th birthday, a ripe age even for hobbits, and he often refers to himself as 'old'

Well, @Don't panic, as we about about to share an ale elsewhere, I'll confine my remarks to suggesting that I would have far preferred to have shared a glass of wine or tankard of ale with Bilbo than with Frodo.

Re his age, I really think that this was JRR Tolkien's attempt to write a credible reason for excluding him.

I loved his insouciance, and I think his journey would have been an interesting one to read, - had Tolkien written it - even if it would have made him a sadder and wiser hobbit, but a hobbit who still retained his humour and humanity.

I don't want us to hijack this thread and turn it into a Tolkein thread. But I do tend to agree with you, I'm not a Frodo fan either, but it is what it is.

People discuss books in detail all of the time, so I doubt that this is an issue. And TLOTR is a classic, much read and much loved.

Personally, I see it as a superlative - and seminal - example of world building, epic in range and scope, an extraordinary and magisterial work, and with some stunning set pieces (Ents, Mines of Moria, Saruman, to name but three): However, it is not without its flaws, some of them serious, (complete inability to write credible female characters, Frodo, less of Sauron and what motivated him that I might have liked to have seen, Frodo & Samwise..)

 

[Limey77]

Again I agree.

The world and characters that Tolkein creates are awe-inspiringly amazing. The simple fact that he could imagine and write down this mystical world (despite the religious undertones) is incredible. He truly had the entire world and the people/creatures that inhabit it worked out.

There are few works that have such vision and scope.

 

[mobilehaathi]

I thought the party brilliant, and I always far preferred Bilbo - who had an entirely healthy love of good food, ale and wine, and was a pretty hospitable host - to Frodo.

In fact, when reading that chapter, I wanted to whisper in Bilbo's ear not to be persuaded by greedy dwarves to accompany them on an adventure, but to carry on drinking his ale and tucking into the contents of his well stocked pantry, instead.

Yes, I'd much rather chat and share a meal with Bilbo to be honest...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yes, I'd much rather chat and share a meal with Bilbo to be honest...

Oh, good grief, yes.

Can you imagine spending an afternoon - or evening - in a nice medieval pub with Frodo? No.

But with Bilbo, there would have been an understated discussion about - and much mutual appreciation of - stuff such as taste, terroir, texture….and perhaps matters such as production, and sourcing.

Knowing Bilbo, vulgar stuff such as costs might not have ben raised, but tankards, or cut crystal glasses most certainly would have been, as we drank to one another's health. And there would have been shared enjoyment of aged ale, fine wines, XO cognac, single malt whiskey…...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Today, I collected (in a bricks and mortar bookstore, a splendid second hand store) a copy of the wonderful book 'The Story of Wine' by the excellent Hugh Johnson which I had ordered last week in advance of my birthday.

Years ago, I had a copy of this book, but it was lost, or - more likely - borrowed.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Today, I collected (in a bricks and mortar bookstore, a splendid second hand store) a copy of the wonderful book 'The Story of Wine' by the excellent Hugh Johnson.

Years ago, I had a copy of this book, but it was lost, or - more likely - borrowed.

Enjoy your book this evening. No doubt acompnied by a nice glass of something.
Did you ever find a replacement wine glass?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoy your book this evening. No doubt acompnied by a nice glass of something.
Did you ever find a replacement wine glass?

Thank you for asking.

Ah, no, not quite a replacement for the beauty that managed to get smashed as I was taking it out of the cupboard.

However, I have been promised a Riedel (Montrachet) glass (as a gift) in a crate of beers that I paid for some time ago, but have yet to have delivered. The problem is that Riedel looks beautiful, but is so stupidly sensitive that if you so much as look at this exquisite piece of glassware, it decides to tap itself off the sink, or faucet, and splinter into smithereens; extremely sensitive, and very, very breakable.

Anyway, about two weeks ago, I also bought the remains of an Edwardian set of glassware (Edinburgh crystal); they - the antiques shop - had a set of four for sale, (obviously, once upon a distant time, the set had included at least six glasses, but the antiques shop had bought the set as a set of four).

However, one of the four remaining glasses had a microscopically chipped rim, as I discovered when I inspected them closely. (I have a history of not noticing this sort of thing until I cut myself drinking from them, thus, these days, I am quite carefully meticulous in my examination of such glassware). So, I offered to buy three of them, and negotiated a suitable price. An early birthday present for myself.

These are the kind of wine glasses that the cast of Downton Abbey might have sipped wine from. Lovely, elegant, heavy, and understated.

However, I am still on the look out for the larger style of old solidly made - preferably crystal - wine glass, the sort that is called a 'rummer'.

 

[0388631]

Ah yes. With children now, we've switched to stemless glassware. I like it more. Except for chilled whites.

Recently bought and began reading The Martian. About halfway in I said screw it and requested a refund via Amazon. What utter rubbish. This is 50 Shades of Gray for genre sci-fi readers. I'm not one to request refunds for Kindle purchases, by my lord this was awful. If it were a physical book, I'd have used as fireplace kindling.

Seems it was self published and went through minor editing by the purchasing house. Which explains everything. I'd love a supernatural force to throttle the author. How does something so wretched garner over 27K reviews?

 

[LadyX]

Finished reading The Forever War by Joe Haldeman yesterday. I did not enjoy it. I found the science fiction elements to be weak and there was just not enough backstory or details. And what's all that talk about sex and homosexuality? Did not like it at all.

Currently reading Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.

"Alas, Babylon." Those fateful words heralded the end. When a nuclear holocaust ravages the United States, a thousand years of civilization are stripped away overnight, and tens of millions of people are killed instantly. But for one small town in Florida, miraculously spared, the struggle is just beginning, as men and women of all backgrounds join together to confront the darkness.

 

[kazmac]

Rereading some European cult film critiques:

Maitland McDonagh's excellent Broken Mirrors, Broken Minds tome on Dario Argento (still the best Argento book to me and now I apparently have a 1st edition. The 3rd edition released in 2010 is decidely more negative (but I can't blame Maitland for that given Argento's awful output post Opera (1987.)

and

Kier-La Janisse's House of Psychotic Women (2012) in which she combines her very dysfunctional youth to horror and exploitation films featuring neurotic women. It's a tough read in spots, but it makes sense and was very brave. Even more brave for Kier-La to admit some of these events were probably exaggerated and not as horrible as they come across in the book. She's since resolved a lot of family issues which appear therein. I would have liked more film essays than the reviews though. I thought I would need this for the film studies classes I am taking but I don't now. So not sure what I'll do with this one as most of the films I was interested in, I've already seen and wished there was some new angle involved in the critique.

Also found a fantastic article by film professor Jean Ma about Asian revenge films and their comparison to *sigh* QT's Kill Bill movies. Still, the critique goes on lovingly about Vengeance! (1970) and opened my eyes to a few new things so... I wish she would write a full blown book on revenge in Asian films as I'd snap that right up.

 

[ucfgrad93]

My wife and I are currently listening to One Year After.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

With the post this morning came a hardback copy of a book (a biography, in fact) called 'Churchill' written by the erudite and accomplished Roy Jenkins.