Benny Bunter
Well-known member
sorry, i really really hate LOTR. Only fantasy stuff I've ever read was Terry Pratchett and David Gemmel when I was a teen. Often wondered about the Conan books though, anyone ever read them?
what are you reading now?
sorry, i really really hate LOTR. Only fantasy stuff I've ever read was Terry Pratchett and David Gemmel when I was a teen. Often wondered about the Conan books though, anyone ever read them?
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
My 14 year old self would like to:
I think this is the problem. 14 is too late to read TLotR for the first time; by that age, you're aware of girls as something other than a source of irritation, peer pressure is starting to become a major force in your social existence and everyone is striving to be 'cool'. I'd probably have had no time for Tolkien if I'd come across it at that age but I read TLotR when I was 10/11, which is probably the ideal age; old enough to appreciate the beauty of the language and have the attention span required to read a book that long, but not yet old enough to find it twee, sexless and desperately 'uncool'. Or you can take droid's approach and (re-)read it as an adult, when you're mature enough to consciously put your cynicism aside and just enjoy it for what it is (by 'you' I mean 'one', not you personally).
I still love Tolkien but I can see why a lot of people find it risible. I like 'proper' books too...
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slowtrain
Well-known member
Well to be fair (or unfair?) I did make an abortive attempt to read the hobbit at around 11/12. Maybe I was just... I dunno. Spoiled by easy books or something?
I did know a guy once who reckoned that by your fourth time through The Silmarillion you will think it is one of the greatest books ever written. (He was in Argentina and only had that one English book.)
Actually, I probably was much younger than 14 when I tried to read LotR. If the second film came out in 2002, then I must have been around... Shit, 11? I dunno, I remember being beyond confused and never finishing it.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Ha, The Silmarillion is undoubtedly one of the greatest books ever written. I've probably read it at least four times, too.
I don't think either The Hobbit or TLotR is a hard read, exactly - unless you have trouble with all the made-up names. In fact most of the names in The Hobbit aren't made up, they're pinched from Old Norse sources. But it's just an adventure book for young kids, I mean we're not talking Philip Pullman here.
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slowtrain
Well-known member
Thanks for reminding me actually, I want to pick up a good book of Icelandic 'sagas'(?)
Anyone got any recommendations?
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Not read them myself, but there are two main collections of Icelandic poems, or 'eddas': the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, a.k.a. Snorri's Edda. I expect these would be easy enough to find by themselves but if you're interested in that sort of thing you might be able to find a good compendium of Germanic mythology that would have the eddas plus the Volsungasaga, the Niebelungenlied, Beowulf etc.
baboon2004
Darned cockwombles.
went here earlier this year: http://www.snaefellsnes.is/ensk_main.html -
Land of the Sagas (and also the setting for Journey to the Centre of the Earth). Was reading about them at the time -they sound admirably fucked up,may have to invest in a copy of the main stuff myself.
Land of the Sagas (and also the setting for Journey to the Centre of the Earth). Was reading about them at the time -they sound admirably fucked up,may have to invest in a copy of the main stuff myself.
Slothrop
Tight but Polite
Not even remotely Icelandic, but The Mabionigion, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf are all good reads. I read the Mabinogion and Beowulf in translation (Heaney for the latter) and Gawain in the original - which is worth it because the sound of the language is fantastic. The Mabinogion is admirably mental.
slowtrain
Well-known member
Yep, I love my Heaney translation of Beowulf ("It was his last swim.") and totally agree on the Arthur romances.
Fuck yeah, I really want to get into those old Celtic/Norse/English stories.
Pity my Uni isn't offering the Old English paper next year. I will try find out where to get some good anthologies, and will let everyone know if I find anything great.
EDIT: Should've thought about a bit more - of course they're all Penguin Classics.
Fuck yeah, I really want to get into those old Celtic/Norse/English stories.
Pity my Uni isn't offering the Old English paper next year. I will try find out where to get some good anthologies, and will let everyone know if I find anything great.
EDIT: Should've thought about a bit more - of course they're all Penguin Classics.
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smokeyrobinson
Active member
A Farewell To Arms by Hemmingway. I like it.
Next up is As I Lay Dying by Faulkner.
Next up is As I Lay Dying by Faulkner.
Benny Bunter
Well-known member
life's far too short to be reading lord of the ringpieces, i realised that when I was about 13 i think. I think i'll try conan at some point though, I liked the films alot.
Luka, out of interest, did you ever get round to checking out John Fante btw? Don't wanna be one of those people who tries to push books on people all the time, but I think you'd really like him. I am a bit of an evangelist when it comes to Fante and I remember you saying you would check for him. He's maybe the the least boring writer I know of, every page is gold.
slim jenkins
El Hombre Invisible
Playboy (as read by R.Buckminster Fuller...I know, 'cause there's a letter from him) - 1957 to 1971 (writing that, I feel I should be about to answer questions whilst sitting in the famous black chair).
Here are some scans from their 'Zap-In' party which, obviously, I would love to have attended.
http://includemeout2.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-1969-ok-zap-in-party-for-spaceniks.html
Here are some scans from their 'Zap-In' party which, obviously, I would love to have attended.
http://includemeout2.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-1969-ok-zap-in-party-for-spaceniks.html
IdleRich
IdleRich
Just reading a book of short stories by JG Ballard called War Fever. All the stories are about war. The first one is a brilliant idea but it reads as though it were written by a five year old, I don't know if it's some kind of fake style that he's assuming - it certainly doesn't seem to add anything to the story - but it's so clunky and clumsy it's weird. The idea is just about good enough to save it though so it's a cautious thumbs up so far, just see how it goes from here on in.
viktorvaughn
Well-known member
Reading Alan Clark diaries as non-fiction choice along with infinite Jest - very entertaining and great picture of inside the Tory party, plotting re Thatcher and various entrenched privilege. Bit racist/sexist obviously too.
IdleRich
IdleRich
Going back to Freedom, I think that Will Self articulates much better than me what I found slightly unsatisfying about the book (albeit at the end of a rather confused article).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/oct/05/notes-letters-music-modernism-self
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/oct/05/notes-letters-music-modernism-self
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Isn't it just? Dark as fuck but really keeps your interest. No-one does tangents-coming-off-tangents quite like Bolano.
viktorvaughn
Well-known member
I'm 800 pages deep into IJ, pretty amazing I agree. Some of the stuff on the political sepratism etc didn't grip me but the main story lines of Hal/Tennis and the Recovery house are both so good. The fight Gately has with the two Canadians is one of the best set pieces I've ever read.