So... whatcha reading?

youngishbear

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 12:57 pm

Ravenclaw wrote:

Did I get a hug because I am reading... gulp...YA? :0
Honestly it’s my favorite genre. Took me awhile to own it. Reasons are like it mostly I like the message brought across, that change is possible, the future is full of opportunity, people are inherently good, breakups aren’t inevitable...
You don’t find that in most adult fiction IME.

I like YA but it's not always easy to tease out what's worth reading. In any case, I can't read too many books in a row of any genre before I start feeling bored by the formula and tropes.

Scotty

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 1:22 pm

Quote:

For YA alternative history/fantasy, I highly, highly recommend The Queen's Thief series. The first book is not as strong as the rest of the series, but you really do have to read them in order. At least 2 books in the series have won major book awards, I think. The author, Megan Whalen Turner is very highly regarded in lit circles.

THIS THIS THIS

Beg, borrow, or steal this series
Read nothing else

JUST READ IT
IN ORDER. And don't skip ANY pages.

And schedule recovery times afterward
And rereading periods

OMG THIS SERIES

Also

Quote:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Possibly the most exquisite books written EVER. Also the sequel Bringing Up the Bodies. Still awaiting the third of the trilogy. Every single accolade falls short. Flawless perfection. Intense reading though, can't read more than a few pages at once.

Also -

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Single. Most. Perfect. Volume. EVER.
I keep on buying it then giving it away as a gift because it's so delicious
I should stock a box in my basement

(not reading these now but they are ever in my mind)

amother

Apricot

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 1:27 pm

And btw, the final book in The Queen's Thief series is being published next month...so far, only as a kindle book, which is annoying because I like a print copy of a book that I know I want to read slowly and savor:(

Scotty

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 1:58 pm

Quote:

No she just posted it will be another year and a half *sobs into pillow*

Meeep

Quote:

Scotty, did you read the entire Discworld series? Are they stand-alone novels, or do I need to read them in order?

Welcome to Discworld!!! No - part of Pratchett's genius is that they're mostly standalones that are all tightly part of the same universe - ie, you can read and understand (most) of them, but as you read more it gets exponentially more enjoyable because you understand more in-jokes and plot points. [Thus] the earlier ones are more stand-alone than the later ones.

Some are better than others - if you don't like one read another! It's like ice cream really - vanilla vs. chocolate really. I can't tell you if Going Postal is a perfect entry point because I had already read a couple of books previously - it's my favorite Discworld title though, and as far as I remember you could probably enjoy it without any previous exposure.

OMG you are in for SO MUCH FUN if you are a Pratchett newbie!

bluesclues

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 2:13 pm

amother wrote:

Is this series appropriate for my 12 year old?

Scotty

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 2:40 pm

Will a fake pantheon of gods bother you? They are used for literary effect but are venerated by the characters and manifest throughout the narrative in a meaningful way (as opposed to just worshipped in a vague fantasy-story manner).

You may either want to have a discussion about it before she reads it or wait a little bit if she still has an issue separating fantasy from real life.

(There aren't many ways to sin with avoda zara these days so why ask for it LOL)

FranticFrummie

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 8:02 pm

YA books that I really like are the Fable Haven series, and the Shadow Garden series.

Right now I'm re-reading the Sandman graphic novels my Neil Gaiman. I have 5 of the books, but I'm missing 3 of the series. (I guess you could stay that I'm a few books short of a boxed set! Silly

)

The wonderful thing about having long term memory loss, is that I can read a book or watch a movie, and it will be almost completely new to me.

I just finished watching Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the books would be a lot better, even though the show was a ton of fun on it's own. (Pretty clean, only a couple of swears, but a few violent scenes.) Highly recommended, it's made by the ~~strange mind~~ genius that brought us "Hitchhiker's Guide too the Galaxy."

youngishbear

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 8:10 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

I've only read the books, and boy were they hilarious. Which version did you watch?

I just finished listening to Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. The first few chapters are so dark, I was horrified that this was on a list of funny books. He has a strange mind, though not DA level genius, obviously. Although his Doctor Who episodes were strokes of genius.
Which of his books would you recommend? I don't enjoy graphic novels.

FranticFrummie

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 8:40 pm

youngishbear wrote:

Neverwhere is an amazing book, and the BBC series is true to the book, letter for letter. Definitely do both versions.

I do find Gaiman's graphic novels to be pretty dark, but I like that kind of stuff sometimes. I like vampire movies, too. (I was such a goth girl back in the early 90's!)

Blue jay

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 10:49 pm

Ravenclaw wrote:

Started reading The Hobbit to my daughter too Smile

After we finish the series we are going to watch “The lord of the rings” movie! the movies were wonderful.

My favorite character is Bilbo and my son adores Aragorn ! I enjoy having book chats with my son on the way to school. We both agree that the “ring” represents the yetzer Hara 😃

Ravenclaw

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 11:10 pm

QueenBee3 wrote:

I have a kind of horrified fascination with Gollum ...
What’s it got in it’s pocketssssss?
I miss marina’s Gandalf avatar

Laiya

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 11:13 pm

Ravenclaw wrote:

Started reading The Hobbit to my daughter too Smile

I tried that too, but they lost patience with the overly-long descriptions. Tips?

For nonfiction, I just started reading Identical Strangers about a pair of identical twins separated at birth and reunited as adults.

These were fascinating, informative and entertaining:

You don't look like anyone I know, by Heather Sellers, about living with facial blindness and having a mother with schizophrenia

Word by Word: The secret life of dictionaries, by lexicographer Kory Stamper (warning for some language) about the evolution of English

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl, about a NYT food critic

Ravenclaw

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 11:18 pm

Laiya wrote:

Ok so I should have explained. I skip a lot and also try lightening up the vocabulary here and there... I am chassidish so she’s still pretty new to English right now anyway so I can’t overdo it too much at this point, but am hoping to be able to get closer to actual text the more we progress.

Laiya

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 11:29 pm

Ravenclaw wrote:

Ah ok, that sounds very reasonable! I think my expectations were too high. I remembered loving the series, and I was afraid something would get lost if I didn't stay true to the text. But that clearly didn't work. Thanks for explaining.

youngishbear

Sun, Feb 24 2019, 11:50 pm

What did I miss about The Hobbit? I did not enjoy it much.

Is it supposed to be funny? Maybe I like my humor to hit me over the head like Mark Twain or PG Wodehouse, and Tolkien's wit is too subtle or sophisticated for me.

Or I read it before I really began to appreciate fantasy, and I need to give it another chance? I think I'll move on to the Lord of the Rings and see if I like it better.