The Literature Thread.

[sam b aka Antic]

Do people still read? I'm a big reader but always have trouble choosing new books. What recommendations do people have for books/authors to read?

 

I've been going through a lot of classics at the moment, just finished David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. It's a pretty weighty book in length and scope (737 pages). It's kind of like a fictionalised memoir of Dickens own life so it's pretty autobiographical which is really interesting. It took me a while to get into it but once I got used to the style I really enjoyed it. That dude has a very firm grip on the English language.

 

Here's a little section of it I thought was dope;

 

"I will only add to what I have already written of my perseverance at this time of my life, and of a patient and continuous energy which then began to be matured within me, and which I know to be the strong part of my character, if it have any strength at all, that there, on looking back, I find the source of my success. I have been very fortunate in worldly matters: many men have worked much harder, and not succeeded half so well; but I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time, no matter how quickly it's successor should come upon it's heels, which I then formed. Heaven knows I write this in no spirit of self-laudation. The man who reviews his own life, as I do mine, in going on here, from page to page, had need to have been a good man, indeed, if he would be spared the sharp conciousness of many talents neglected, many opportunities wasted, many erratic and perverted feelings constantly at war within his breast, and defeating him. I do not hold one natural gift, I dare say, that I have not abused. My meaning simply is that, whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest. I have never believed it possible that any natural or improved ability can claim immunity from the companionship of the steady, plain, hard-working qualities, and hope to gain it's end. There is no such thing as such fulfilment on this earth. Some happy talent, and some fortunate opportunity may form the two sides of the ladder on which some men mount, but the rounds of that ladder must be made of stuff to stand wear and tear; and there is no substitute for thorough-going, ardent, and sincere earnestness. Never to put one hand to anything on which I could throw my whole self; and never to affect depreciation of my work, whatever it was, I find, now, to have been my golden rules."

 

What a dude. I also read "For whom the bell tolls" by Hemingway before that which was pretty sweet too. The story follows a band of guerilla resistance fighters hiding out in the mountains during the Spanish civil war. The main character is a dynamiter charged with the task of blowing up a bridge held by the Facist forces. The whole book builds real slowly and steadily up to the operation of blowing the bridge and maintains a great sense of foreboding throughout. I found it to be a little more flowery and poetically descriptive than other Hemingway I have read. While it does share sections of the same sparse, highly detailed style as A Farewell to Arms or To Have and Have Not it also indulges in a more heightened dramatic style which I didn't encounter as much in some of his other books. Certainly still retains that inimitable ability to draw people as real beings, not characters, but human, flawed individuals. As always with Hemingway I was again impressed with his eye for detail and ability to translate minute observances of life and people onto the page in a meaningful but somehow restrained way. For Whom the Bell Tolls may not be the best one to start with if you haven't read much Hemingway before as the pace of it is slower than some of his other books, but it is a really interesting study of the Spanish civil war and a great piece of writing.

 

Any recommendations?

[perceptualChaos]

George Orwell - 1984

Aldous Huxley - Brave New World

Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451

William Gibson - Neuromancer

Neal Stephenson - The diamond age

 

Haven't had a chance to read much Chuck Palahniuk or Brett Easton Ellis but have only heard good things.

[Dr Awesome]

I haven't read The diamond age, but I have read every other book in your list PC.

Some important ones in there for sure.

 

I'd recommend Catch-22 to anyone who hasn't read it. Very important book.

 

Also I'm a general fan of J G Ballard, his novella tend to be rather fucked up - focusing on these almost normal people and their flaws/breaking them down.

[Nato]

+1 for Brett Easton Ellis. His books are great.

 

I'm currently reading Shantaram which is a great read so far. The story of an escaped Australian convict who has wound up living in Mumbai on a fake NZ passport. The sort of book which draws you in quickly and manages to hold you there the whole time. Well over 700 pages but so far I give it 2 thumbs up.

[C Steppa]

+1 for Brett Easton Ellis. His books are great.

 

I'm currently reading Shantaram which is a great read so far. The story of an escaped Australian convict who has wound up living in Mumbai on a fake NZ passport. The sort of book which draws you in quickly and manages to hold you there the whole time. Well over 700 pages but so far I give it 2 thumbs up.

 

Shantaram is awesome. Keen to read again.

 

I'm currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, the second book from Khaled Houssini (The Kite Runner). It's really good so far and I'm almost finished. Recommend.

 

P.S. Harry Potter ftw.

[sam b aka Antic]

George Orwell - 1984

Aldous Huxley - Brave New World

Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451

William Gibson - Neuromancer

Neal Stephenson - The diamond age

 

To all the above. I haven't read the last two, will def check em out though chur for the tip.

 

Palahnuik I have found a bit hit and miss to be honest. Fight club is good and the book is way different to the movie which is quite cool, it has a much more comedic twist in the novel. Choke I quite liked very wry skewed perception of the world and a satisfying anti establishment bent in a similar vein to Fight Club. However there have been a few of his I've read which felt like he was trying too hard to be clever and just regurgitating stuff that worked for him in previous books. In saying that though I've enjoyed more of his books than I haven't, Survivor is quite good.

 

Anyone read Ham On Rye by Charles Bukowski? That is an amazing, amazing book.

Edited November 8, 2010 by Guest

[thr339z]

Im all about Robert Louis Stevenson at the mo... just finished Dr jeckal and Mr Hyde,,, moving on to his book about Samoa as we speak,, He was a very cool charecter.. got really into him after chilling at his old house in Vailima,Apia,Samoa and rocking around his rediculously large property sitting in and swimming in his personal and private waterfall cheking his grave..... he was a twisted cat for sure ...

also Jack Keroac on the road...

any hunter S thompson book....on the campaign trail is a paticular fav

 

and aldous huxley The island..great companion to Brave New World

[perceptualChaos]

To all the above. I haven't read the last two, will def check em out though chur for the tip.

 

Just to clarify, I don't know if Neuromancer and Diamond Age are really 'literature'.... they are a lot different from the others on the list - more on the cyber-punk/sci-fi tip with a heavy focus on dystopian futures with crazy technology. I really like those books though, they have a real cool and edgy style to them which I really enjoy reading. Check out Neuromancer first imo, then if you enjoy it try The Diamond Age.

 

If you want to up the chin stroking a bit with more 'classic' literature, have you read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky? Definitely worth checking out if not.

[shucks]

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

 

Lost my shit when I read this.

[Subverse]

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

 

Lost my shit when I read this.

 

Hah thats weird. I'm in the midst of it now. Good stuff!

[C Steppa]

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

 

Lost my shit when I read this.

 

Hah thats weird. I'm in the midst of it now. Good stuff!

 

Awesome book. Watch the movie after. Think it came out in 1962 so it's black and white from memory.

[Subverse]

Also digging the noir detective fiction at the moment, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammet... such a distinctive way of writing dialogue, and conveying imagery and expressions far beyond what is said! classic books, highly reccomended for sure!\

Stuff like - The Little Sister, The Long Good-bye - by Chandler, and The Maltese Falcon.

[Dr Awesome]

it's black and white from memory.

 

[Taiko]

Also digging the noir detective fiction at the moment, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammet... such a distinctive way of writing dialogue, and conveying imagery and expressions far beyond what is said! classic books, highly reccomended for sure!\

Stuff like - The Little Sister, The Long Good-bye - by Chandler, and The Maltese Falcon.

Fan of their short stories. Going through a bunch of them at the moment.

[Taiko]

it's black and white from memory.

 

Before Vietnam, everything was b&w.

[Dr Awesome]

it's black and white from memory.

 

Before Vietnam, everything was b&w.

 

You should know.

[Taiko]

GOSH.

[sam b aka Antic]

To all the above. I haven't read the last two, will def check em out though chur for the tip.

 

Just to clarify, I don't know if Neuromancer and Diamond Age are really 'literature'.... they are a lot different from the others on the list - more on the cyber-punk/sci-fi tip with a heavy focus on dystopian futures with crazy technology. I really like those books though, they have a real cool and edgy style to them which I really enjoy reading. Check out Neuromancer first imo, then if you enjoy it try The Diamond Age.

 

If you want to up the chin stroking a bit with more 'classic' literature, have you read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky? Definitely worth checking out if not.

 

Yeah haven't read many of the Russians yet apart from Lolita by Nabokov which I enjoyed. Def keen to give Dostoevsky a go though, is that the one that starts with "they were the best of times, they were the worst of times" or that might be war and peace? Epic line anyway!

 

Love Raymond Chandler too. The Big Sleep I really enjoyed, so easy to read and got such a cool style to it. That whole Femme Fatale rugged and distant dectective thing it's got so much character. Will have to check out Dashiell Hammet too.

[Subverse]

yeah bro, The Big sleep is a classic! so good! On that same tip but on a more tragic note, check out The Postman Always rings Twice by James Cain. Amazingly well written eh, its got some classic lines in it.

[sam b aka Antic]

yeah bro, The Big sleep is a classic! so good! On that same tip but on a more tragic note, check out The Postman Always rings Twice by James Cain. Amazingly well written eh, its got some classic lines in it.

 

Sweet man cheers will check it for sure!

[thr339z]

but what about some hard core ACTUAL steez... Chek Baudrillard......thats the real shit . and as a head check ,against the Post Modern hyper real Habbermasian..contextual realism Flip that shit against Engels V Bakunin V Screen plays from Lynch and Kubrick.....Then actual test that shit....I absolutely think that Logocentric Hypehy BS Consumer.hyper materialist ideology wont be able to deconstruct these hedgomonic positions.......unless you can..........

 

 

 

 

 

 

And go on........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

do

 

 

 

 

 

it.............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

seriously..................... go on?

[Pakage]

i read a FHM magazine the other day, it was quite inspiring.

[Taiko]

Stephen King writes some cool horror stories.

[sam b aka Antic]

Yeah I remember reading this Stephen King short story years ago that had me really buzzed out. Can't remember the name of it but it was all about this really thick fog rolling in to the town where the main character lived. He saw it coming from ages away and thought it looked a bit weird but didn't think much more of it. When it hit he was in the supermarket and it was so thick you couldn't see more than a few feet out the window. And then when people left the shop they got mutilated and ripped apart by all these crazy monsters in the fog! They had to camp out in the supermarket and do all this buzzy shit to try survive. Wasn't exactly the greatest novel ever written but was a page turner for sure. I wonder how many books that dudes written? Over a hundred maybe?

[Dr Awesome]

Yeah I remember reading this Stephen King short story years ago that had me really buzzed out. Can't remember the name of it but it was all about this really thick fog rolling in to the town where the main character lived. He saw it coming from ages away and thought it looked a bit weird but didn't think much more of it. When it hit he was in the supermarket and it was so thick you couldn't see more than a few feet out the window. And then when people left the shop they got mutilated and ripped apart by all these crazy monsters in the fog! They had to camp out in the supermarket and do all this buzzy shit to try survive. Wasn't exactly the greatest novel ever written but was a page turner for sure. I wonder how many books that dudes written? Over a hundred maybe?

 

That was called "The Mist", and was made into an so-so film (directed by the same guy that turned a few other little known Stephen King books like the Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile into films). It was decent in that it created a nice sense of tension, but was pretty mindless in every other regard.