Rawr

Thanks guys I love the one with the mountain in particular Echo, mountains make beautiful imagery i feel.

Thanks I just played about with it for a while until it brought out some of the features a little better.

Welcome

That's a cool pic xD Another random photo i took whilst trawling through the rainy meadows:

Welcome!

Welcome!

I finished IT earlier this morning and it reminded me quite powerfully of why it is my favourite novel. The story-telling and sense of passion within the written words is absolutely astounding. I'm going to start Salem's Lot again later today After some Lovecraft!

Welcome!

Is noise allowed? The TV or the children? I don't mind noise, if i'm travelling or in the forest, i can deal with noise, well you can't take it away can you? :b If i'm chilling in my room, i don't watch tv anyhow, so it's never a problem. If the story is good enough, i can usually immerse myself within that little world and be quite content! Indoors or out? Morning or Evening? Anytime really, whenever the fancy takes me. I find myself reading late into the night usually, my mind is active for imagining most then so i usually have the clearest reads and such if that makes any sense. Do you read on sofa or do you prefer to snuggle in bed with a good read? I rarely sit on the sofa for some reason, i like my own space like that mostly. So i'm usually sitting on my bed during reading time in the day, and lying in it at night. Is a cuppa close to hand? Do you feast while you read? I can't eat when reading, i don't like getting salt or sugar on my books and i can't concentrate on both I have tea or hot chocolate at night and anything in the day really. Does everything have to be just so? Nopes. So what's your reading habit? The only time i put a novel down (unless it's just plain trash) is when i finish a chapter or section, i can't stand finishing mid-sentence, it loses my flow in the tale. The only time i do this is when i'm falling asleep. I can use anything as a bookmark really, usually scraps of paper because i'm always like a bee, hovering between books and picking and choosing constantly haha, i'm very impatient and always want to try something new then go back to another one, i don't know how i keep track! It would be a disrespect to the authors if i forgot so it's kinda cool!

It is very slow-paced i noticed whenever i re-read it, but very charming. It's so much of a contrast compared to the latter half of the series.

I agree it shouldn't have been called that title and he could have taken influence's from King's novel, though i guess he didn't want to disrespect King by basically plagiarizing his ideas without consent i guess He just thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up i think and King righted Kubrick's 'wrongs' when he produced his own adaptation, so there's now two versions which all can enjoy.

I'm having chips and gravy as i'm not too hungry and am off to bed soon (:

Welcome to the forum!

I thought this book was quite charming and enjoyable, though i didn't enjoy it anywhere near how much i did with Stardust. He is certainly an original writer with a lot of good ideas, but i don't feel the novel had as much action as it could have done so found myself being a little bored as it plodded along in parts. It shouldn't put you off though as it is a good read. I need to start Neverwhere when i can make space in my reading schedule.

Read a chapter of 'At the Mountains of Madness' by HP Lovecraft

Haha i'm glad you all enjoyed reading it, i go off on a bit of a wander sometimes when i write about things i'm interested in. I'm not forcing my opinion on anyone, just expressing what i find positive about something, but, i do totally understand why people dislike the film - as sometimes if you like something, you don't want it changed, so i can see both sides

I'm looking forward to picking this up sometime

2001: A Space Odyssey - interesting, will have to watch a few more times to start to 'get' it i feel.

This is a ramble, but i thought i'd add something to the debate, and my friend Peacefield and i always clash over this By my avatar you might have guessed i find The Shining a fantastic piece of work (film and novel). Okay, i agree with how disappointing it can be, that it is not very true to the novel and the novel's genius like the adaptation of say, Misery, was. Though there is plenty of inspiration from the story within the film, enough for me personally to be satisfied. But, i disagree with a lot too. King commented that the film was 'cold' and that it was like a beautiful car, but without a reliable engine to make it purr along (or something along those lines). Which is true with respect that it was his own creation, but he should be flattered that someone as intelligent as Kubrick decided to create something so fantastic from his work and realise that it is a totally different interpretation. They are both brilliant. Kubrick was a very different director from the 'norm' and very clever with his work. I think he could have made a mere 'adaptation' in his sleep if he wanted to. He loved King's premise, so built on top of that foundation for his own purposes and means. The Shining (film) is full of hidden messages, social commentaries on America, the theme of communication and isolation, the digital media age versus the written media age, and the concepts of such things as labyrinths (hence the change from hedge animals to a hotel maze), duplicity, and the unconscious mind with references to Freudian theories. It's such an amazingly complex and clever film. It's like a whole metaphor of a maze in itself; there are so many levels to it. Once you start to realise things and see the meaning behind the film, it becomes a LOT more frightening than you consider at first glance - in fact, most people are annoyed at the lack of action - but this is the point. The story is not the focus of the film, it's the things which don't happen and what isn't shown or explained. It's a film which makes you really think, and just gets inside your mind and disturbs you the more you dwell on it. Like, you actually get lost yourself in that maze of the film. There are deliberate 'mistakes' embedded in it, to add to that disorientating feel. For example, Jack's typewriter actually changes colour in one scene and stays that way for the rest of the movie. Also, the chairs at the bar (where Jack is 'talking' to Lloyd) change position after Jack walks into the Gold Room, as if inviting him a way in). Of course, it could be fairly 'obvious' that these are actual continuity errors, but with someone as meticulous as Stanley Kubrick and with the content of the film he desired to create, it's unlikely. There are a lot more. With the Overlook, nothing is ever static or 'certain'. We barely ever get a clue as to what is causing this, is he actually going crazy? Why? Is he being possessed? What by? Does he actually see these ghostly inhabitants of the hotel? Or is Kubrick suggesting that Jack is insane from the very outset, by the way he includes mirrors in such scenes? The scariest part of this film, to me, is the moment where Jack is just staring out of the window, his demented face illuminated by the impending snowstorm, and his eyes roll up slightly and the hint of a smurk begins to etch across his face, you just wonder what the hell is he hearing or seeing in his mind. That is one of the most frightening parts of a movie i have ever seen.

Read the first chapter of HP Lovecraft's 'At the Mountains of Madness'

IT is amazing, there's no other words to describe it. I connect so well with a lot of themes prevalent in it. The Shining gets more frightening each time i read it and think more about it, very much so like Kubrick's adaptation (totally different take on the story though) And Misery is fantastic and i can't even imagine how he could write that and make it so interesting, it's very claustraphobic. The Shining and Misery certainly show that King is not merely a 'horror hack' as so many box him into, he's extremely clever and intelligent and knows what makes people think as opposed to excessive gore for special effects.