Kenneth’s Comments (group member since Sep 04, 2014)

Kenneth’s comments from the Discourse in a Digital Age group.

I've come around to Bart, starting on page 157.

This book is quite dense, and I love digressions. I must confess I'm nearly - *nearly* - compelled to skip large swaths of the Bart chapters when he starts in on the philosophical discourse. I'm about 100 pages in, and the happenings are interesting enough. I could do with a few more answers right away to keep me going, though...

Anybody that hasn't, you need to start reading this right away. This may take you some time.

Lucy, I was waiting for you to be ready for End of the Tour. I didn't want you to miss it! I will send out an email asking for opinions on seeing the movie in the next week. It is at the Tivoli until 9/3.

I'm in! Before or after we discuss Children of God? :)

This is for the discussion of the amazingly well considered Studs Terkel-style Zombie War history. This is an excellent and in my opinion fairly accurate work of speculative fiction that I first read years ago. What do you think?

So, who's read this electrifying sequel to The Sparrow? I need to talk about it. We should meet.

Thanks for posting this, Anne! It's slow going for me. Even though I love the insights he makes and I agree with him on a lot of points, the very dense writing means I only make it through a page or two on my breaks. As a result, I really need to kick it up today and tomorrow.

His writing is very powerful, even if one doesn't always grasp all of his points. And you can't possibly follow everything he's thinking, because he's just all over the place. I've always loved footnotes, so I think that's part of his charm.

I missed the date inscription on "The View from Mrs. Thompson's", but I still caught on to the subject very quickly.

I really think D.F.W. and Lucy learned to write in the same way. Use of words, extensive abbreviations, and the like. Did anybody else get that feeling?

I should have guessed you were on the list before me. *Buys another copy for the library.*

Here's my take on the finale:

The book was deeply enthralling, and whenever I would put it down, I would think about it until I picked it up again. I loved the amazing foreshadowing going on the whole time, as well as the way Russell showed you information rather than telling you. A lot of the really clever world-building was concealed in the story rather than bragged about outright.

After such a long buildup, though, the climax of the story was over really quickly. How precisely the characters met their end was for you to imply, quite brilliantly, in my opinion, but it was all at once. Sandoz's catharsis and conclusion was well played, but I found myself needing more from it than I got.

Then she went and introduced the next mission on the final pages. I'll be reading that sequel.

Only halfway done, but here's how I've been describing it to people, since the book doesn't describe itself at all. It's the story of how a group of people travel to an alien world, told simultaneously with the story of the sole survivor 40 years later. However, it's not about that sci-fi storyline, but more a deep, deep character study of some fascinating individuals.

Sound accurate?

This book is seizing my interest. I'm only about 40 pages in, and we're already looking at a lot of perspectives and a lot of settings to keep straight. I need to find some time to dedicate to really delving into it - my normal reading schedule might not cut it.

What do you think?

The FroYo did help.

I have no opposition to "girly" books, and I would argue this wasn't even one. Just that it was so heartbreaking! I actually went and mostly finished it out in yesterday's sunlight with a cup of FroYo.

What do you think is responsible for the fact that this book elicits that effect, while our last couple books, on horrific (and ongoing) human rights violations didn't provoke any tears?

Or, lest I sound like Hazel and Augustus, is cancer an ongoing human rights violation?

This thread is for discussion of The Fault in Our Stars.

Oh dear what did I get us into.

Thanks for posting this, Anne!

The thread to post your thoughts and comments on our most recent read, a coming of age tale set against the backdrop of the Rwandan Genocide.

It seems to me the success of this book could be rooted in the fact that it's primarily a coming-of-age story. It's got the same basic plot as Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter or the like. Our hero discovers amazing potential inside himself and learns to harness his power and undertake an incredible journey. It appeals in the same way because we want to see him overcome his circumstances and succeed. Or am I way off base here?

What do you think of the omniscient narration that occasionally gives away what's going to happen? Does it heighten tension for you, or draw you into it more? You already know Paul will succeed because of how these stories work, so the story isn't really giving much away... right?

Frank Herbert is a Godfather of Science Fiction, and this book is why. Let me know what you think about it. Once you start ignoring the words they keep using without explaining them, I'm finding it very readable. (FYI, there is a glossary.) I wonder how much of that is because I have read it before, though. Sound off, and let me know how much I screwed up assigning an 850 page book!

What treats would you bring for this book? Can you think of anything thematic? Call Marie, Teresa, and Sylvester with your ideas. Message me for their information!

For discussion about November's book, a classic of science fiction. Were you surprised by the format? Any input on the Three Laws of Robotics, or any of the stories? Do you want to read more Asimov?