Fantasy Aficionados discussion
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Achive
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What Are You Currently Reading?
I know. I "struggle" with it every time I have to deal with people who think they know what's best for all of us. Like no large soft drinks, because they're bbbaaaddd for us. No red meat because it's bbbaaaddd for us AND the wwwhhhooollleee planet. Give up caffeine, sugar, cheese, read meat, free speech, guns, cars that hold more than 2 people and travel more than 30 mph, light bulbs that work...etc.
Oh!!!! and toilets that actually flush.
Kit★ wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "Schools?? Who needs money for schools when the kids can play soccer!/sarcasm"
I'm with ya. It's crazy! Our local schools want levies, but when they talk about their cuts, it's ..."
OMG. Our libraries are poor but our public parks are amazing. There are multiple ones that have soccer, football, field hockey. That's not including the entire gym for tennis and basketball!
They are still whining about wanting to raise our taxes... for what? More football??
In our county a kid doesn't have to be in school to be in sports. The sports are everywhere...and I'm not talking little league or pee wee or whatever they call it. It's hard core state sponsored organized sports. !!! But our libraries can't get a dime.
Fresh air is great and all...but someone PLEASE teach these kids how to read!
Personally I can think of a lot of state programs and county programs that could be cut that have nothing to do with the kids. How many office buildings named after politicians do we need? How many state or county offices really need to be redecorated...again? How many redundant state and county jobs could be done away with...bureaucrats hang on long after their jobs are no longer needed.
MrsJoseph wrote: "I **** myself every time I see what we pay for our local state/county taxes. And what do I get from it???!?!? CRAPPY schools, crappy libraries and great public parks. ???!?!?!? Something is wrong in the world when books and education take a back seat to organized sports. "I grumble a LOT about the schools vs. the organized sports thing, but have to say that everywhere I've lived for any length of time, even with relatively small towns, I've been fortunate with libraries. Fairly extensive colletions (even if a bit restricted in some areas), helpful librarians and here in KY ... with a fairly small but very new, up to date library ... a wonderful U.S.-wide Inter-library loan option. I've gotten out of print art books through their system that are several hundred dollars to buy now.
The librarian in charge of this is absolutely a wizard on the computer search function and has tracked down books for me in all sorts of places, university libraries and once even a museum library.
I'm still trying to get through A Storm of Swords. For some reason this one isn't hold my attention like the first 2 and so I read it off and on, but getting back into the story is hard because I forget whats happened. At this point, it just seems like a lot of whining and not much action.Now I'm trying to read it because I finished the physical book I was reading and I can access this one through the nook app I have on my phone...
That's the last if the series I read. When I laid it aside I was never in a hurry to get back to it. I had too many other things I'd rather read.
Sonja wrote: "I'm still trying to get through A Storm of Swords. For some reason this one isn't hold my attention like the first 2 and so I read it off and on, but getting back into the story is hard because I f..."Ooops! Sorry about the off-topic rant~
....just people in a room talking.
Finished Double Cross: The Explosive, Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America. If it was true, I now know who killed Kennedy.Now I'm reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "That's the last if the series I read. When I laid it aside I was never in a hurry to get back to it. I had too many other things I'd rather read."Even though I taught English for 25 years, I have to admit that I never liked Moby Dick or Return of the Native. I read enough of the books and about the books to teach them, but I tired easily of both of them.
I'm reading George Knightley, Esq. (Charity Envieth Not, Book 1).
Scott wrote: "Now I'm reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."While I'm not normally into "vampires" (or zombies for this reason, and that is why I never read the Pride and Prejudice zombie book) I've heard many good thing about Vampire Hunter and do have plans to check it out.
Michael wrote: "Scott wrote: "Now I'm reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."While I'm not normally into "vampires" (or zombies for this reason, and that is why I never read the Pride and Prejudice zombie book..."
The ax he uses in the movie really bothers me, lol.
I do plan to read WW:Z if I like the way the trailers look. (Before the movie)
I am so pleasantly surprised by this book. I did not think I would like it but I really do! Skinwalker
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? *shudder* I actually have it on Kindle, because it was on sale for .99, but I can't bring myself to read it. Now it's going to be made into a movie. Ugh!
MrsJoseph wrote: "Kit★ wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "Schools?? Who needs money for schools when the kids can play soccer!/sarcasm"
I'm with ya. It's crazy! Our local schools want levies, but when they talk about thei..."
Our parks don't get any money either, but thankfully there are lots of great volunteers who give their time building and maintaining hiking trails and picking up trash and all that good stuff. The community even came together with loads of donated time and materials and built a really sweet playground for the kids. Most of our parks are basic parks with trails and fields and woods, not so much sports fields, though there are a few, and they do get the most attention out of all the many parks we have around here. But don't go to those parks, I mostly stick with the non-sports oriented ones lol. I'm not a big sports fan of any kind lol. I think it's a total waste of time/money for it to be all handled by the schools or gov't. I'd support more of a European handling of it, where the kids go to school to go to school, and the schools have nothing to do with sports, only schooling, and if the kids want to play sports, they join a sports club in their own time not during school, and it's paid for by the participants, not the schools. At least that's how my old pen-pal in Germany back in school explained it to me :)
Ok, you may return to you regularly scheduled thread topic, I'll get off me soapbox lol.
Robin wrote: "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? *shudder* I actually have it on Kindle, because it was on sale for .99, but I can't bring myself to read it. Now it's going to be made into a movie. Ugh!"Awesome!
My only concern is that I'll never be able to look at the 'original' movies the same way again. I already half expect to see zombies coming over the hill when I watch it. :>
MrsJoseph wrote: "The ax he uses in the movie really bothers me, lol."The axe-gun? Come on - that's totally cool! :>
It reminds me of Hugh Laurie's axe-cane in the dream episode of House.
± Colleen (of the Crawling Chaos) ± wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "The ax he uses in the movie really bothers me, lol."The axe-gun? Come on - that's totally cool! :>
It reminds me of Hugh Laurie's axe-cane in the dream episode of House."
Not the gun part, the head of the ax. The way its shaped it would regularly get stuck in stuff...
"Stuff," she says. Good thing zombies are rotting, and vampires explode. ;D
I'm gonna say it loud and proud, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, was RAD. Yes, rad. I went there.
Carol wrote: ""Stuff," she says. Good thing zombies are rotting, and vampires explode. ;D"^ She has a point. :>
Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente. What an interesting read!
I liked 'Deathless'. Very dream-like quality to it. :>I'm reading, and almost finished, Vixen by Jillian Larkin. It's not fantasy or sci-fi - shocking, I know. I feel like I could almost like it, but it's a bit too much high school drama and cliche romance stuff for my tastes.
Also reading Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht as my workout read. Not very far in, but liking it so far.
Michael wrote: "Errr...mmm not that I want to derail the thread but I'm doing a re-read on Fahrenheit 451"Interesting thing happened to me regarding Fahrenheit 451. I had read the book in high school, and I still had my copy when I started teaching high school English. Before I assigned it to my students in the mid-1990's, I reread it. There was no bad language, so I assigned it and ordered it. A student brought it to me, showing me the language, and I was understandably surprised. I did a little research and found that the version I read in high school had been censored - all the bad language had been edited out. The very year I assigned it to my students, Bradbury had demanded that his book be restored to his original work. He had not known that it had been edited. Lucky me, huh? At any rate, I thought that it was ironic that a book about censorship had actually been censored itself.
There are many, many, MANY not only censored books but actually altered books out there and the only people who know it are those who've read the originals. A good example if you're a parent are the Mary Poppins books. They've been radically changed and the only way to know is to find an older print copy. I'm not sure how far back you need to go date wise.You see "we" need to be protected from "certain things".
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "There are many, many, MANY not only censored books but actually altered books out there and the only people who know it are those who've read the originals. A good example if you're a parent are th..."Yeah well... A Clockwork Orange was chopped off to suit "American" sensibilities of the 70's and now because the movie was based on the American version, 90% of the people will never know the real ending which completely changes the tone of the book.
I've been meaning to read A Clockwork Orange and I have it on my bookshelves. Now I have to double-check that it hasn't been altered or abridged...I hope not, but I have a feeling I own the 'American' version.Right now I'm reading The Darkest Road.
The movie, A Clockwork Orange, never made sense to me. Maybe that's why.
I love the movie Clockwork Orange! I love twisted question it poses of(view spoiler)Does the original story have the same feel as this? I read it. But I have a feeling it was the American one.I'm reading another violent book right now. See get to comment on both topics going on. :)
Prince of Thorns. I've heard bad things about it but I like so far.
@ Traci: Yes, the main point is the same, but (view spoiler). Why Americans wouldn't want to hear this in the depressing days of post-Nixon is beyond me, but that's what the publisher decided.
Reading Theft of Swords, which is actually two books together. Just started the second part. Nothing original, but very good. Kind of like comfort food for your brain.
I finished Heir of Novron, the conclusion The Riyria Revelations series. I can't express how much I enjoyed the series. It saddens me that the adventure is over. I had become so attached to the Characters. I also finished some books I received from Goodreads Giveaways:
Rise from Darkness, The first book in a new YA Paranormal series. It's a fun quick read that sets the stage for future installments. I can see this series becoming a favs in teenage circles.
Heart of Darkness and Chaos Burning, The first two books in a new series by Lauren Dane. Definitely adults only Paranormal Romance. Nicely done without getting overly raunchy.
Enchanting the Ladya Fairy tail like paranormal romance set in an alternate Victorian period England. For the nostalgic sentimental types who would like a bit more grown up sensual fairytail but with less explicit sex.
So, now I'm reading The Name of the Wind. I had heard such good things about this book and had it on my TBR list for a while. I'm on page 180 and although finding it to be well written, it seems a bit slow and the story itself a bit depressing. I'm going to keep going in hope that the author will not leave me wallowing in gloom much longer. Someone please tell me that the action will pick up and that there will be a gratifying point to all the doom and gloom.
I'm still reading the The Kalevala but I'm also finishing up Mark Kurlansky's The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation which is an interesting read, especially the most historical and cultural aspects of the book (I'm in the 1970s and 1980s segment so it's more political and contemporary). I'm also halfway through Catherynne Valente's Deathless which is a pretty unique take on the Russian folk tales.
Robin wrote: "Interesting thing happened to me regarding Fahrenheit 451. I had read the book in high school, and I still had my copy when I started teaching high school English. Before I assigned it to my students in the mid-1990's, I reread it. There was no bad language, so I assigned it and ordered it. A student brought it to me, showing me the language, and I was understandably surprised. I did a little research and found that the version I read in high school had been censored - all the bad language had been edited out. The very year I assigned it to my students, Bradbury had demanded that his book be restored to his original work. He had not known that it had been edited. Lucky me, huh? At any rate, I thought that it was ironic that a book about censorship had actually been censored itself. "I had no idea they had different versions floating around - that was very interesting.
Masha wrote: "Reading Theft of Swords, which is actually two books together. Just started the second part. Nothing original, but very good. Kind of like comfort food for your brain."Hey Masha...thanks for picking up Theft of Swords. The first book is very a very straight forward fun romp. It will get more complex as it goes along. I do hope you enjoy reading it. Writing Royce and Hadrian was a lot of fun and I think that shows in the writing.
Kamla wrote: "I finished Heir of Novron, the conclusion The Riyria Revelations series. I can't express how much I enjoyed the series. It saddens me that the adventure is over. I had become so attached to the Characters."Woohoo Kamla - that's music to my ears. The last books really are my favorites, and I'm always glad to see comments like yours -- thank you for that.
Other than The Summer Tree, I'm kind of picking at the first book in the Wardstone Chronicles (Revenge of the Witch/The Spook's Apprentice). His mentor's dismissal of women is really irritating me; I'm having difficulty wanting to pick it back up again.I'm sure it will come to a head somewhere in the story, since the main character himself does not espouse the same views. Maybe I'm too used to liking the mentor character trope that an unappealing one is particularly jarring.
I am taking a break from straight fantasy reading Monkey Beach: A Novel by Eden Robinson. This book might be considered magical realism. The setting is in the Pacific Northwest following the life of a young First Nations (Native American) girl growing up in a small community there. Many events might be considered fantastical in this novel but one growing up in that particular culture might perceive them as reality, for example the appearance of Sasquatches, nature spirits, ghosts as well as precognitive dreams. I absolutely love this book thus far.
I started feeling a little funky (reading funky) so I picked up another favorite: Belgarath the Sorcerer.
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "There are many, many, MANY not only censored books but actually altered books out there and the only people who know it are those who've read the originals. A good example if you're a parent are th..."What's an example of a change? I have an old copy of Mary Poppins, new copies of the subsequent ones. I'd like to see what's so awful that a masterpiece had to be messed with.
Mary Poppins was written during the British Colonial period. In the originals when Mary escorts the children around the world they meet "native peoples" and some of it isn't politically correct. there's a very strong pro British Empire feeling. In the newer editions the children meet talking animals of the lands they go to. Not from P.L. Travers who died in 1996. Only one that came to mind right away.
I know there is also a move to remove racially insensitive language from Mark Twain and so on. That would be a bit ironic as Twain was making fun of people who looked down on blacks...
A friend who taught high school honors English complained that the made-for-school editions absolutely butchered Angela's Ashes.
Yes, I suspected it was the compass chapter. Good God, people are such fools.It was done to the Dr. Doolittle books, too.
As for Twain, see
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacke...
and
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/boo...
According to this article, and a few other places, Travers, herself, revised the 'Bad Tuesday' chapter in 1981 in response to complaints about it.
So it does. Well, I'm glad I have the original--I like it. That chapter is, I think, the scariest of the whole book. (For a kid). I don't see how the animals could replicate the spookiness of it.
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/sarcasm"
I'm with ya. It's crazy! Our local schools want levies, but when they talk about their cuts, it's the library got cut, the music and art programs got cut, the language and literature clubs, but heaven forbid anybody cut anything from the Football and other sports programs. Gotta capitalize the f in football because it's like the only reason anybody goes to school, right?