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Pablo

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Everything posted by Pablo

  1. "Tyler Durden (Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk). His utopian vision is crazy but has some valuable points in my opinion." There's a lot of Tyler Durden in me (for good or worse), and I'm not sure what it says about me, but I like his vision, and would swap this reality for his any day that ends in a Y, so yeah (nodding), good character. To be honest, Pi from Yann Martel's 'Life Of Pi' is the only character who really springs to mind for me.
  2. "... of course books make people. Everything you experience influences you one way or another, and if your experience of choice is that of books, then it must follow that who you are is influenced by what you've read." I agree, Bookjumper, but what I was talking about was the fact that you can't judge a person by a cover.
  3. "...I love seeing people reading...someone who really doesn't look the sort (unfair to judge I know but meh) whips out a book." Ditto. While I agree with what's been said, on the whole though, it's worth minding that books don't make people, people make books.
  4. It's about the only thing I switch the tv on for. Great characters, crazy capers and consistently entertaining.
  5. Just the first five that entered my head: The Jesus And Mary Chain Belle And Sebastien Dead Kennedys Nine Inch Nails The Smiths
  6. It's definately House Of Leaves. A word of warning though - it's not an easy book to read.
  7. Seeing someone reading The God Dillusion would impress me. There's a book that actually makes you think, and, dare I say it, question matters.
  8. "Not accusing or finger pointing, just saying: don't start on the Bible here, guys, or I'll end up splitting threads, moving posts, and kicking ass. There's a thread in mature discussion. Please and thank you kindly." Would you react the same way if I was to admit to you that (insert any of your favourite books here) made me cringe? If the answer is no, then you're getting a little excited there Nollaig, but it was kinda cute In this forum though, it's just a book. Like any other.
  9. "The bible" Sorry Anika, but no other book could prompt an instant cringe from me than that. Couldn't agree with you any more though, Univerze.
  10. Yep, I watched it the other night. Sorry to jump in, but the line near the end of the movie, for me is an all-time great movie quote: "They look like psycho's? They were vampires. Psycho's do not explode when sunlight hits them. I don't give a f*&k how crazy they are!"
  11. I downloaded Inglorius Basterds last week. I've got to say though, that it's good and bad in equal measure.
  12. I've only managed eight of them. The Great Gatsby was under duress (school) so I'm not sure if that counts. 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible - 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 8 1984 - George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D
  13. "...Pablo, I'd probably faint if I ever laid eyes upon your collection." Yes, you probably would BookJumper. It's safe to say that all my books look vintage!
  14. Couple of points: "Well the way I see it is such genres can do absolutely anything within the realm of the realistic - I don't feel limited in life, and if the day ever comes that I become so jaded as to not be stirred by the psychology, emotion and passion of mere humans then I'll wind up very sad indeed." Firstly, it's the psychology, emotion and passion of mere humans (authors) were talking about, so it's safe to say that we're all interested to some extent, aye? On the subject of humans though, I'm with Univerze. I look around me every day, imagining the forests that were there before we came along. Stop laughing! I'm not a tree-hugger. The trees hug me. You're right about those dreams though! Phew!
  15. Saw Avatar a couple of weeks ago, and it was exactly as I expected it to be. Paint-by-numbers, cliche-ridden predictability. Don't get me wrong, it was stirring in places, but overall it was very black and white (goodies and badies), with two-dimensional characters (tribal natives, a hero who switches sides when he realises the error of his ways, a military villain, immediate love interest), unimaginative creatures (horses with extra legs, dragons - how original, a beast fashioned from a rhino and a hammerhead shark, etc)and a message that simply replays the plight of the native American indians after the invasion of the Europeans. Also, isn't it a coincidence that these Navi evolved into humanoids? I hate being treated like a drooling child by movie directors/producers, but I especially dislike being sold the idea of such drivel being 'revolutionary.' In what way, exactly? We've already seen CGI and 3D, and although Avatar is the best in both categories, I'd take stop-motion with a plot over it any day that ends in a Y. If you like bright images and explosions go and see it.
  16. Normally I would agree with you one hundred percent BookJumper, but the simple fact is that I've never really understood the public's fascination with vampirism or hauntings. I also think the fact that I'm tired of hearing about twiglit has some bearing. Either way, I just don't feel that spooks or vamps have anything new to add to the genre, although I am open to any suggestions that may prove me wrong. I can already hear cries of Let The Right One In, but having seen the movie (and loved it) I have no intention of reading the book. As an additional point, you're not alone in enjoying being afraid, Scarlette. I'm like-minded, but as you may have discovered yourself, you become desensitised to fear like anything else, so after a while it becomes difficult to find the same thrill. With the exception of The Terror by Dan Simmons, I can't remember being truly scared whilst reading a book.
  17. I've been here for thirty five years now, and in that time I've had my share of life-fulfilling experiences, but the bottom line is that reality is very limited, hindered by gravity, the cycle of the ocean, the routine of work, the significance of dates, etc. The fantasy/sci-fi/horror cannon is not bound to these laws and rules and proceedures that we adhere to, and that's what so fascinating about the genre. Now, although I've read some autobiographies (Sir David Attenborough, John Peel) and almost all of Elmore Leonard's catalogue, I generally find books that lie outwith the F/SF/H genres to be trapped by logic and sensibility, which invariably make them predictable no matter how many twists and turns the plot throws up. Regardless of whether you know who the murderer is in a crime novel, it will be a human, and it will take place in familiar settings. These limitations make a story feel as though it is on rails, for me, and unable to throw up real surprises and shocking revelations because of it. It may be my own issue, but I simply cannot understand people who avoid the F/SF/H genres because they are 'unrealistic.' To me, that is showing a real fear of imagination, and an unwillingness to explore. I bet the subconscious terrifies these people! Anyway, that's my rant over. The bottom line for me is that escapism should be just that. I can't think of anything more dull than reading 'by the numbers' books.
  18. I've got to agree with you Univerze. There are so many 'by the numbers' horror books out there. Luckily I've managed to avoid them so far by simply putting back anything that says 'vampire' in the blurb or 'haunted'. That's not to say that I'm a fan of neither, but generally speaking they are targeted as cash-in genres for authors, and to my mind offer nothing new to the world of fantasy/sci-fi/horror.
  19. I've got to be honest here and admit that I love books that are battered and worn. They show they've been used and enjoyed by those who were too engrossed in reading them to worry about damage being done. The books that line my shelves are of that standard. I dog-ear any book I read, unless it has a thread attached. I'm also never afraid of stains, for they are marks of what the book has been through. To me, books that have been read should look like they have been read. I love musing on the circled words and stains of library books, wondering what was going through the persons mind as they read, or what they were doing to stain the book.
  20. As I said before - hats off to Sirinrob and Ethan for getting through the text jungle of Gravity's Rainbow. I probably will give it one more go, but only when I have plenty of time on my hands, Darren. From what I read (about fifty pages), I did like the style, and have tried to emulate it in my own writing, but I found that it wasn't a book to leave for any length of time. I also want to say that Nietzsche (had to google that for a spelling!) would really impress me too. I've only read snippets of his philosophies, but they've all been interesting.
  21. I can't argue with Fear And Loathing, but I'm a tad stumped with any other suggestions. The temptation is simply to list my favourite books, which isn't what you're looking for. If I'm going to be impressed with what someone's reading, it's usually on the grounds that it has a cool looking cover, or is brick-sized. I'm not really sure what makes a book cool, so to speak. I suppose anything in the 'cult' cannon would qualify. I'll go with 'Gravity's Rainbow' because I've tried to read it three times and given up. Also, anything by William Burroughs, or JG Ballard - I've had a crack at both and found them almost unreadable, so kudos to those who make it through them. Was that what you were looking for Darren?
  22. I've just read your birthday wish message madcow, and it put a smile on my face.

    Thank you.

  23. Loved the birthday wish Sedge.

    Sorry I'm so late in responding - I've not been around lately though.

    Thanks again.

  24. I did have a good one Charm, thanks.

    It's been a while since I've been on this forum, hence the late response.

    Thanks again though for the birthday wish.

  25. I know I'm late in responding, but the birthday wish was a nice thought.

    Thanks Stephanie.

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