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Very short recommendations thread

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All Acting Regiment

09:30 / 09.10.06

With Burgess, I'd say Earthly Powers. Tremendous book, in more than one way (weighs about a kilo, for example).

Defo. Language, ideas, funny, exciting, etc

Kiltartan Cross

15:22 / 09.10.06

Colonisation (etc.), Harry Turtledove.

I know they're trash, but are they readable trash?

Whisky Priestess

16:28 / 09.10.06

Mathlete:

Old School is great. I loved it.

astrojax69

05:14 / 10.10.06

seth's 'an equal music'?

Jack Vincennes

05:36 / 10.10.06

It's okay. The main character is wildly irritating, which put me off. I didn't regret reading it but I gave it away to charity immediately after doing so.

8===>Q: alyn

02:56 / 13.10.06

Harry Turtledove's trash is more boring than Harry Harrison's trash.

Kiltartan Cross

06:28 / 13.10.06

Roger dodge. If I ever see the phrase "making a desert out of Deseret" again I'll scream.

Blake Head

11:06 / 15.10.06

Dennis Wheatley: Occult master or bigoted disaster?

Both, allegedly.

Is the complete Lemony Snicket --box set of 13 books-- worth $85.00?

Elettaria

19:04 / 16.10.06

Yes. Especially if the box is pretty.

StarWhisper

17:18 / 17.10.06

Gabriel Garcia-Marquez?

Tsuga

21:56 / 17.10.06

Probably overrated and certainly heavy-handed, but still a pretty damn good writer, and not unfun to read.

Whisky Priestess

12:10 / 24.10.06

Read Love in the Time of Cholera before One Hundred Years of Solitude.

MAKE SURE YOU FINISH 100YOS. The last page makes all the slog worthwhile.

StarWhisper

13:58 / 24.10.06

Why Love In The Time Cholera First?

Whisky Priestess

14:26 / 24.10.06

Because it's an easier read (the genealogy of 100YOS alone is enough to drive you nuts) and a lovely sweet story.

andrewdrilon

02:40 / 25.10.06

Aimee Bender's short stories; they're like elegant little pieces of poetry. Wonderful works of realism/speculative fiction. Here site is HERE and my favorite short story of hers so far is online, check it out:

"The Rememberer"

Tender is the night?

Very good.

Liked it. Loooong though. And quite depressing. But in a lovely way.

Olulabelle

17:29 / 01.11.06

Back to House of Leaves; is it really worth persevering with?

Jawsus-son Starship

12:06 / 03.11.06

yes. always. even if its just to say you did.

TURN OF THE SCREW; yay or nay?

All Acting Regiment

14:14 / 03.11.06

Oh, yay, Henry James can always turn up a good 'un, especially that one.

Whisky Priestess

14:29 / 03.11.06

yay

also yay for The Aspern Papers!

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

16:00 / 03.11.06

For the Marquez, I also recommend his short story collection Strange Pilgrims, which features "Light is like water." So fucking beautiful.

Dusto

18:32 / 03.11.06

Edward Whittemore.

His stuff looks good so far, but I'm just getting started.

petunia

22:41 / 07.11.06

Anaïs Nin?
Which book?

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

00:35 / 08.11.06

Little Birds has some wickedly weird erotica. Otherwise, stay focused on her diaries. I particularly enjoyed the volume called "Fire."

ghadis

10:05 / 08.11.06

Golly, I'm a bit embarrassed to say that i've never read any Charles Dickens, but i have a strange urge to get tucked into one for some reason. The nights are drawing in and all that. Which one first?

Whisky Priestess

11:37 / 08.11.06

I really enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities

and David Copperfield is great too. Highly slashable relationship with Steerforth.

and Great Expectations is good and more creepy/Gothic than David Copperfield.

But why not read Thackeray's Vanity Fair, if you haven't already? It's better than all the above rolled into one ...

ghadis

12:28 / 08.11.06

I like creepy/gothic. Foggy London streets and all that. Just been to the Dickens thread and it seems that Bleak House gets an all round thumbs up.

Cat Chant

13:03 / 08.11.06

I can't get into Bleak House! There are lots of good bits in it, I can see that, but I think Loomis in the Dickens thread said it was repetitive, in that certain characters show up and do their same old schtick every few pages, and I think that might be one of the things that's preventing me getting through it. OTOH, someone told me to stick with it because it's like Lemony Snicket, it looks like same-old same-old but gradually starts to do something more interesting without you noticing...

Sorry if that was too long. Carry on.

Cat Chant

13:14 / 08.11.06

I really liked A Christmas Carol, and what could be more appropriate to this foggy, chilly time of year than a Christmas ghost story?

Whisky Priestess

14:46 / 09.11.06

Ooh yeah. How about The Best of M R James for dessert?

Also - Edward St Aubyn, especially Mother's Milk - love it or hate it? Does it live up to the hype?

Jawsus-son Starship

08:46 / 13.11.06

Just like to say a quick "thank you" to Whiskey Priestess - old school was beautiful. good call.

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