930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: Barcelona on October 10, 2005, 08:42:00 am
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Killing Pablo
Got sick reading it, that writer is a fascist.
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I know lots of people love it, but I hated Infinite Jest. Supposedly David Foster Wallace is a genius of contemporary American literature and the book is a masterpiece and finishing and enjoying it is a sign of the intellectual superiority of the reader. But getting through just the first 1/3 was the most painful experience of my life.
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The Red Tent.
I did a customer review of it for Amazon: "I can review this book in seven words: "Biblical women menstruating over hay together."
Blech, it was terribly written. The amazing part is a lot of the negative reviews are all about how it's not true to the Bible, blah blah. Oy, those folks are SO missing the point.
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Originally posted by Bags:
The Red Tent.
The movie version with Sean Connery was excellent, though.
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anna karinina
i really don't care about each blade of grass in czarist russia
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The Cat Who Could Walk Through Walls. As I was nearing the end of the book I kept wondering how can he tie this up in the 40 pages...30 pages...20 pages remaining? Ends very poorly and makes the rest just that much worse.
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Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
anna karinina
i really don't care about each blade of grass in czarist russia
If we're including books I never finished, this one would definitely be on my list.
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Books I didn't finish because they were hippie crap:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig
Blue Highways, by William Least Heat-Moon
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i had to read "the good earth" by pearl buck back in 7th grade. i remember it being pretty brutal. but i still aced the test.
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glamorama by bret e. ellis
what a waste by such a great
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
anna karinina
i really don't care about each blade of grass in czarist russia
If we're including books I never finished, this one would definitely be on my list. [/b]
I loved this book. In fact, Tolstoy is one of my favorite writers ever.
On the other hand, probably my least favorite is John Irving. God, I hate his works!
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Damascus Gate - hated it
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Ender's Game
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Getting Divorced in Maryland
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The worst book I read to completion:
Zen and the Art of Motorcylce Maintenance
Books that did not hold my interest so I did not complete:
Tropic of Cancer
Brave New World
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Brave New World: We had to read it in school. I rather liked this book.
To Kill A Mockingbird: We had to read it. I didn't fancy it, or finish it either. Plus they showed the film in class so everyone would pass the test regardless. It must be quite awful if they have to do that.
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I can think of some textbooks I had that were pretty bad, but if we limit it just to fiction, my worst required reading book was easily James Joyce's A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man. All I can say is, thank freakin' God for Cliffs Notes.
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Never finished it but "Atlas Shrugged" was torture.
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cold mountain, couldnt finish it, was a gift
could not be bothered to finish Infinite Jest or Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
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the invisible man- ralph ellison (but i loved native son by richard wright)
a widow for one year- john irving
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Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon
I didn't finish it. It just didn't "snap my elastic". What can I say? I must be an idiot.
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the one where the parents run a circus sideshow type of thing and they purposefully exposed their kids - while in the womb - to checmicals and radiation so they'd come out weird and sidewshow-y. Never got into it, just sort of made me completely sick.
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Originally posted by clouds R²:
Ender's Game
sorry to have to tell you, friend, but you're completely nuts.
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Originally posted by _Sexy Fitsum_:
sorry to have to tell you, friend, but you're completely nuts.
I know that I'm crazy. ENDERS GAME won all the major awards that year.
I just cannot see why. It was a fucking book for children ferchristsakes!
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Camus' The Stranger.
Dostoyevski's The Idiot is a close second.
I found Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance "ok," not nearly as bad as you all are making out.
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I found the Bible exceptionally hard to get through. And some of it is a bit hard to believe.
And never finished "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith. Got to the point where I didn't care about anyone in the book, or what was going on.
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Interesting; didnt know about the awards or that it was for kids. but the fact that the main characters were kids and how insanely resourceful they were for their age (Ender's siblings going on national political message boards and starting shit) was pretty good story-tellin. Check out author Orson Sccott Card's review of everything (http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2005-09-30-extra.shtml)
Originally posted by clouds R²:
Originally posted by _Sexy Fitsum_:
sorry to have to tell you, friend, but you're completely nuts.
I know that I'm crazy. ENDERS GAME won all the major awards that year.
I just cannot see why. It was a fucking book for children ferchristsakes! [/b]
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Zen and the Art of Motorcylce Maintenance
I'm surprised everyone seems to hate this one so much. I thought it was pretty good. Maybe a bit long, but good.
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Originally posted by _Sexy Fitsum_:
Interesting; didnt know about the awards or that it was for kids. but the fact that the main characters were kids and how insanely resourceful they were for their age (Ender's siblings going on national political message boards and starting shit) was pretty good story-tellin. Check out author Orson Sccott Card's review of everything (http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2005-09-30-extra.shtml)
If ENDERS was Orson's best, then I don't want to bother with the chaff.
Another book I hated was Discworld, by Terry Pratchett. I figure that If an author has a successful list of sequels to his/her original title, then the original must, at the very least, be readable. Neither Ender or Discworld was.
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same.
kinda inspirational, even.
almost.
Originally posted by Bombay Chutney:
Zen and the Art of Motorcylce Maintenance
I'm surprised everyone seems to hate this one so much. I thought it was pretty good. Maybe a bit long, but good. [/b]
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Originally posted by Bombay Chutney:
I'm surprised everyone seems to hate this one so much. I thought it was pretty good. Maybe a bit long, but good.
i only read it because one of my favorite books was compared to it (The River Why) and just didnt find it nearly as good
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I read is because a pseudo-hippie ex-girlfriend recommended it. I guess I'm not pseudo-hippie enough.
Originally posted by Bombay Chutney:
Zen and the Art of Motorcylce Maintenance
I'm surprised everyone seems to hate this one so much. I thought it was pretty good. Maybe a bit long, but good. [/b]
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thoughts on Lunar Park?
walkonby
Member # 4068 posted 10-10-2005 05:07 PM
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glamorama by bret e. ellis
what a waste by such a great
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Originally posted by _Sexy Fitsum_:
the one where the parents run a circus sideshow type of thing and they purposefully exposed their kids - while in the womb - to checmicals and radiation so they'd come out weird and sidewshow-y. Never got into it, just sort of made me completely sick.
Geek Love.
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invisible monsters by chuck palahniuk
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Originally posted by jdr:
invisible monsters by chuck palahniuk
Diary was poor also. I hope Haunted is better.
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Originally posted by jhw5g:
thoughts on Lunar Park?
walkonby
Member # 4068 posted 10-10-2005 05:07 PM
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glamorama by bret e. ellis
what a waste by such a great
i haven't given it a spin. your opinion? should i?
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Stay the flying F**K away..
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/015602943X.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" alt=" - " />
dogmatic boring diatribe
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0451191137.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" alt=" - " />
no talent hack, who has serious sexual issues
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0060987103.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" alt=" - " />
Waste of trees
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0679723161.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" alt=" - " />
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Originally posted by [username edited by p.c. moderator]:
Camus' The Stranger.
Dostoyevski's The Idiot is a close second.
Dostoyevski is awesome!! The Idiot is not his best though, and I liked The Stranger.
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Originally posted by smakawhat:
Dostoyevski is awesome!!
I agree, if we were talking Crime and Punishment or Brothers Karamazov. The Idiot, however, seems more like a character study in a less fleshed out version of one of his Brothers, however.
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Books I have yet to slog through (3+ tries):
Mason and Dixon - Pynchon -> The talking dog, that is where it ends. I have read most everything else he has done and loved it.
Lord of the Rings (first one) -> Gads page 100 and they haven't done anything. It starts slower than a Stanley Steamer.
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daughter of time bored the hell outta me!
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i agree in the sense that russian writers and russians seem to like to be miserable and write about miserable things [sort of like The Cure of their time]. reading the Brothers Karamozov in college for russian history class was not dissimilar to the brain-numbing effects of narcotic medication. in fact i suspect the trudging chore of reading the book helps or might intentionally make one experience the misery along with the characters. "they all die miserably and tormented. the end. have a nice sleep sweetie". hav the cyanide handy when reading any russian author. no wonder all the russians i met in va beach this summer seem like they are friggin robots or they had a lobotomy. man, i swear i wouldnt be able to get it up for a russian chick despite how good looking they can be. Da!
but it was well written i'd give it 7 miserable smiley faces :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
[russian funeral dirge music heard in background]
Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
anna karinina
i really don't care about each blade of grass in czarist russia
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Originally posted by [username edited by p.c. moderator]:
Originally posted by smakawhat:
Dostoyevski is awesome!!
I agree, if we were talking Crime and Punishment or Brothers Karamazov. The Idiot, however, seems more like a character study in a less fleshed out version of one of his Brothers, however. [/b]
The Idiot wasn't a bad atempt to show the i guess "denoument" of a Christ like figure, but there isn't too much of a story (the party scenes are fantastic, and it has also one of the best duel scenes I've read right up there with Lermontov and Chekhov).
Notes from Underground, Demons, even some of his short stories are really fantastic. Brothers K. is easily the best book I have ever read in my life.
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Originally posted by muschi:
i agree in the sense that russian writers and russians seem to like to be miserable and write about miserable things [sort of like The Cure of their time]. reading the Brothers Karamozov in college for russian history class was not dissimilar to the brain-numbing effects of narcotic medication. in fact i suspect the trudging chore of reading the book helps or might intentionally make one experience the misery along with the characters. "they all die miserably and tormented. the end. have a nice sleep sweetie". hav the cyanide handy when reading any russian author. no wonder all the russians i met in va beach this summer seem like they are friggin robots or they had a lobotomy. man, i swear i wouldnt be able to get it up for a russian chick despite how good looking they can be. Da!
but it was well written i'd give it 7 miserable smiley faces :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
[russian funeral dirge music heard in background]
Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
anna karinina
i really don't care about each blade of grass in czarist russia
[/b]
Ha ha. I always say you know you are reading a Russian novel when:
Some serf is getting beaten to death
Someone has consumption
Someone gets murdered
Someone gets killed in a duel
There's a good chance some antisemtic remarks will be made
There is plenty of Kvass, pepper vodka, and samovars to go around
Na zdorovje!!!
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Originally posted by smakawhat:
Brothers K. is easily the best book I have ever read in my life.
as for dostoyevsky, crime and punishment is my favorite. i probably should re-read demons, cause i got so lost.