Taueret's comments (member since Jul 31, 2008)

Taueret's comments from the Books on the Nightstand group.

So I wonder if the prequel to the Tripod books is a prequel that you really need to read *last*- like the prequel to the Foundation (Azimov) series- which kind of ruins the next 10 books if you read it first?

Ann, you have to read World War Z. You know I hate everything, and I LOVED it.

hey I finally found the group. Were you guys hiding?

I am ineligible for prize thingies anyway, but I'll say that it's been fun to have this challenge to guide my reading/listening over the last month or so. I've read 'The Giver', 'Hunger Games' and 'Catching Fire', "Candor', and 'House of Stairs'.

Also I LOVED those Tripod books as a kid, I'm going to order them right now.

Yep, I have thought a lot about the Fire- it's a recurring trope for Mcarthy, as is the idea of fathers passing the light to sons (thinking of 'no country for old men' specifically but also think it's also found elsewhere?) You're right- it's what the Boy has- impractical compassion, beyond quid pro quo faux-altruism. That's probably as good a definition of love (philos) as any.

I am reading everyone's comments with great interest! Thanks for the discussion. I am also writing and deleting a lot of lengthy comments of my own. I think for now I'll say that I totally agree that _The Road_ is a book that could save the world- which I now think is different to merely preserving the human species.

Also, as a bit of a history geek, it the Road completely stripped any romance from my imaginings of what the dark ages in history must have been like.


->edited to sub "preserving" for "saving".

Ann and Erin, what a relief. I usually don't buy abridged audiobooks, don't know how that slipped by me. I couldn't reconcile what I'd heard with what others describe! I don't think I could "go there" again but maybe I'll try the sequel now.

I'm sorry, I have to say that POTE was one book that I HATED. (I heard it as an audio book read by Richard E grant- good reading although male narrators breathy female falsettos always creep me out!) If t had been recommended to me as crappy airport fiction it may have been ok but people said it was sooo well written and, well, it wasn't. I wish I could have the 8 hours or whatever that I spent listening to it back!

ETA: I hadn't read the whole thread when I posted that and I see that some posters loved this book- my opinion wasn't directed at you, but at a poster who hadn't read it yet, I hope I didn't sound (very) rude.

I also started 'the 19th wife yesterday and I am loving it so far. For me this is the first book I have read in a few months that I knew I was going to enjoy right from the first page.

my favourite YA books are 'His Dark Materials'. I love them so much that I have a daughter named Lyra :-). I enjoyed HP up to a point (I felt like #7 could have used a good hard edit and a different ending!). Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart books are also great, but I don't know anyone else who has read them. I recently accidentally ead one of Carl Hiaasen's YA titles (Flush?) and it was not half bad. Oh, and recently I read 'Little Brother' by Cory Doctorow, which I enjoyed WAY more than I expected to. Super, super geeky.

I am reading Oscar Wao now,as an e-book on my iphone, and I have wished the same thing- especially since there is no copy/paste on the stupid iphone and I always paste words into google, wikipedia, dictionary.com, urban dictionary as I read, normally- and there are heaps of unfamiliar terms and argot in Oscar Wao! Hyperlinks would be so awesome.

sure, what demographic info do you want with pic? do you want mug shot emailed to you or...? :-)

Thanks for the warning re Edgar Sawtelle. I think I need to 'butch up'! You may get a midnight tweet if it makes me cry too much tho :-P.

Michael, you won't be sorry- I'd even encourage you to let it jump the queue.

I'm reading the second Dexter book right now. It's ok, I find crime fiction comforting in its set forms. I'm listening to "The Canterbury Tales" on audiobook.

I purchased the audiobook of "Dies the Fire" based on the fervent recommendation of an acquaintance and couldn't stop rolling my eyes whilst listening to it- I don't think I'll persevere. Dreck.

Recommendations. Reviews included. I prefer recommendations from readers/reviewers with whom I have performed a "calibration" of sorts. Some people like what I like. Some like only a subset of what I like. Some like what I like, AND a lot of stuff I do not like. Etc, I'll spare you the powerpoint with the venn diagrams ;-).

Listening to Ann and Michael for 10 podcasts worth, I feel like your recommendations will probably be good for me, although I can already tell you are able to handle a lot more emotionally intense reading than I am, I'm going to have to watch that. ("I'm already sad" is my defence).

I just ordered 'The Gargoyle", "Edgar Sawtelle" and "the potato peel whatnot club" (err... you now the one I mean?), so I am looking forward to those arriving.

The librarian at work in charge of the 'leisure' collection asked me for a list of books she should buy the other day, so I am passing many of your recommendations on to her too.

I always recommend (and lend) "The Memory of running" by Ron McLarty as no one has heard of it and everyone who reads it loves it.