Paul’s Comments (group member since Sep 23, 2008)

Paul’s comments from the Runs with scissors group.

Just got the notice that the book is in, I should be picking it up today! WHEE!

Well, I an number 13 in line at CPL to get this book. Hopefully it will cycle through fast!

I also enjoy books with a twist. Formulaic books are too boring. I love to try and figure out where the author is going, but I hate getting 60 or 70 pages into a book and figure out who did it and there are 300 more pages to go!

I love the idea of a grop read. However, at the moment, I can't think of a book to suggest (finals in two weeks and heath concerns with the other half). I am open to just about any book, so I will cast my vote (*so to speak) when we get the selections set.

Plays are created to be acted out by people, so EVERYTHING has to be done with physical and visual cues and setups in mind. In books, a LOT of the plot and character development is NOT able to be translated to the screen (he thought about what had happened, she wanted to kill him, they remembered the things that their mother did, etc etc etc). Books, if properly translated to film, would likely take several hours to convey. Gone With the Wind, for example, was pretty well done from what I remember having only seen it once, and was a VERY long movie. Modern movie goers will not sit through long films like that, so teh directors and producer have to get what they think are the most important elements into the plot.

I have (mercifully) blocked out the names of the books like that (there have only been a very few, two of which were for a Lit class a year or so ago). The only one I can name is because it was this week. It is called Me2, and has a WONDERFUL premise: What if there was a doppelganger of you that began insidiously taking over your life? Sounds great, but it was SOOOO bad I could not finish reading it. I donated it to the library or I would have ripped it up and thrown it out. It was SO disjointed, it was as if it was written by the victim of such an occurrence after having had a psychotic break. The concept was great, loved the idea of the victim writing the story, but BLEAH! the only really interesting thing was him getting a BJ in the dark at a party, FROM HIMSELF (the Doppelganger)!

Hollywood? Original ideas? ROFLMMFAO That is FUNNY! Seriously, though, I try not to read a book that is going to be a movie until after I see it, that way I am not disappointed. The lack of ability to translate verbatim is one of the reasons that Anne McCaffrey has not allowed my dream of a Drangonriders of Pern movie to be made. :(

So I go to reply to the last topic, and it is gone???? What's up with that? Anyway, I absolutely ABHOR authors that take that concept and run with it. I do not mind someone being secure in their faith/beliefs and sharing somewhat in their writings. But unless the book is SPECIFICALLY targeted to those in the same mindset, it ruins the book to be so heavy-handed. I have never included or excluded an author from my bookshelves, but I HAVE banned or included a particular genre. For example, I REFUSE to have Christian books in my house because of the propensity for heavy-handed, jam-it-down-your-throat, accept-or-perish formatting of the story lines. There are some exceptions, such as the Narnian chronicles, which while transparently Christian, are a damned good read and do not leave me feeling like I just metaphorically deepthroated a whale. Save the preaching for the pulpit, give me a good read, and feel free to share your beliefs NICELY, then it's all good!

Hmmm, this is also true. Sometines I guess you CAN tell fairly early on. Different authors sometimes write totally different depending on the series that they are working on, but by far more authors use the same style no matter WHAT they are writing.

I would not say that you "owe" anything, but I definately feel that making a judgement on an author based on not liking a series written by him or her is a tad off base. I LOVE the Dragonriders of Pern (WHERE ARE MY MOVIES DARNIT?!?!?!?!?!) but have not read the other series that Anne McCafferey wrote because for some reason the synopses that I have read really haven't caught my fancy. I have read a couple books in each series, but they just don't do it for me the way Pern does. My personal reccomendation is to try one or two books from multiple story lines to give the author a fair shot. However, do not try to read the entire line if you don't like the first book or two. Just my two cents' worth! :)

I must agree that it is insane for someone to feel that everyone HAS to like the same books that he or she likes. So what if I don't like what you like? So what if I think that the book someone absolutely worshios is mere drivel? I have the right to my opinion the same as everyone else does. I have not read the "Twilight" books and thus have no opinion on them yet. However, should I read the first and hate it, I will NOT keep my mouth shut so as not to upset the kiddies!

I am the same in liking many genres. However, for me nothing tops a great sci-fi/fantasy read or a terrific horror book. A good mystery is fun, too, particularly when I can find a good gay mystery. I love to read GOOD books where the main characters are gay. It gives me a sense of empowerment lol.

A classic can bring a thrill to your heart no matter how many times you have read it. I have gone through two sets of the Narnian Chronicles, and still enjoy reading them as much as when I first discovered them over 30 years ago. True classics are timeless, even if they have elements that date them chronologically.