tdaonp

I know myself as a 'safe' reader. I buy books by authors I either know or that come recommended to me by people who's preference I trust. I feel this makes my progression in the world of books a slow one. Even though I own a lot of books, the amount of different authors is relatively low. Are you braver than me and do you pick up books by unknown authors? And what decides you to buy it?

I read all of them. Remembered some of them and my favorite I think is the Tempest. Or Hamlet (so obvious I know). Or King Lear... or... or... Oh I give up. All the ones I remember are in some way a favorite.

I've re-read The Lord Of The Rings about four times I think. War and Peace I read twice (so re-read once). But there is so much good stuff to read out there that I can't find the time to re-read books. Although I do think that re-reading does help you get a deeper understanding of the book and thus enjoy it even more.

Strictly speaking The Silmarillion was published by Christopher Tolkien after his father's death but as most of the writing was done by JRR it should be credited to him I guess. Anyway, LOTR is my favorite. Read it about five times and feel I will read it again. It's a long slog every time (like War and Peace) but well worth it. Question (and I am curious how it will affect me): do you think the Peter Jackson film influences your enjoyment of the book? I haven't read the book since the film came out and am curious how it will pan out. Henk (tdaonp)

Because tastes differ? Views differ? Experiences differ? How much story is found in a book is often a function of the amount of hooks it has to sling into you and how the language grabs you. Maybe this book just didn't grab you because one of the elements of the function didn't exist for you. Or something like that. Henk (tdaonp)

Sadly boring: Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. One SF book I discovered later in life and would like to recommend: "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Huxley and Orwell should be read after this book... The similarities are striking to say the least.

Maybe it was a way of promoting her other books? The advertisement was left in for authenticity's sake? Henk (tdaonp)

I read translations when I have to. I am bi-lingual (Dutch and English) but read almost exclusively in English because that language is so much richer and less harsh than Dutch. So when I read a translation of a book, say War and Peace, I read it in English, not Dutch (my mother tongue). It does make a great difference, especially with complex novels, who translated the book. I read War and Peace for the first time in a Wordsworth Classics edition. Translator unknown to me now (I gave that version away). It was a great book but nothing prepared me for the full on force of the book when I re-read it in the translation done by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Suddenly the book sprung to life and it was an even more forceful experience. So, sadly, I have to read translations (or spend the rest of my life learning Russian, French, German, Japanese and Chinese) but if I read translations I read the English language ones and try to find the best there is. Henk (tdaonp)

Reading classics does not only require an appreciation of writing skill. It also requires one to transport oneself to an earlier time. A time before TV and DVD's. A time when reading for hours on end was all there was to do for a well brought up young person, especially ladies, who had little else to do. If you watch a soap, what happens most of the time? Nothing too unpredictable and it doesn't matter which soap series you watch, in construct they are all the same. What will be said in future about soaps (when other forms of entertainment have developed)? So, books were a way of entertaining people and to make sure your books sold you never strayed too far from the well established paths. And don't forget that we only read a couple of writers now from a time when there were many more. As you will find out from many authors mentioned in books by Austen, Elliot, Dickens etc. They just stood out because they wrote well (style), they understood marketing (although it wasn't called that I'm sure) and they sometimes, but not with every book, wrote something that stood the test of time. Either by their strength of observation or by their ability to tell a compelling story. That not every book stands the test of time is only to be expected. Don't judge a book by its cover and don't judge an author by just one book. Henk (tdaonp)

I think it is one of the great books. The fact that Anna is such a difficult to place character makes her all the more real. She represents what humans are like. At first she seems in full control of a situation that soon takes her over and then she is swept away by events beyond her control. Isn't this how much of our lives run their course? We often think we control our fates and then fate bites us in the hind quarters. This is one of those books that shows a human struggle with so much force of recognition that it will stay with you for a long time. One of the best books I ever read! Henk (tdaonp).