Hyzenthlay

I'm 23!

I've made some nice headway on Surface Detail and am now drawing closer to the end. I don't want it to end - as always, Iain M. Banks draws me into his intricate world with subtle and sophisticated ethical dilemmas coupled with awesome science fiction theories. I really recommend him to anyone who enjoys, or doesn't yet enjoy, the genre.

I voted that they're okay. I'm a huge fan of the vampire genre, and I can even put up with the silly stuff if the core of the story is decent. But I don't like Twilight... I just find her phrasing so horrible, and her characters so transparent. I don't wish to insult anyone. The heart wants what the heart wants, of course.

I sat down and made a lot of headway on Surface Detail today! Which I have to say is developing nicely, in that style of Banks's I've grown to love so much.

Meh, is how I feel. I'm happy she managed to crawl out of her depression, but I wasn't particularly interested reading about it. I think it's very average. The journey she went on was hard for me to relate to, especially the spiritual part. I believe in finding happiness where you are, so this went against some of my more fundamental beliefs. I'm positive that others will be able to connect better with the work, though.

I read this book when I was quite young, and I didn't pay attention to either the title or the author. The story is a bit fuzzy in my memory, but it contains this: There's a girl and her father, and they've recently relocated to a pretty house. The father is a writer and spends a lot of his days writing, I think. There is a magic music box, and the girl disappears into sort of a fantasy-land, where she faces a lot of challenges One thing I remember very clearly is that she enters a minotaur's maze and has to face the minotaur. I'm afraid that's all I have to go on >< I know it isnt much.

So, I'm a huge book lover. And like a lot of you (I assume), I tend to collect books. I buy them, read them, love them and hang on to them forever and ever. I've been doing this ever since I was a child. I love bringing a new book home to join the rest of the 'family'. Because I am a student, and I've moved around a fair bit, my books don't always get the special attention I feel like they deserve. I have a lot of my old books from childhood and high school stored in my parents' library. I have quite a few of them stored in my brother's library (he's a book thief, heh heh). In my apartment that I live in now, I have most of my books hidden away inside closets and under my bed in boxes. The reason? My roommate doesn't really want all my nerdy books out in common space, and to be honest if she let me I would put them up all over the place. She isn't the huge lover of sci-fi that I am (go figure). But I might be moving in with my boyfriend soon, and this would give me an excellent opportunity to make a change. I dream of one day having my own library. But for now, I would settle for a cool bookshelf or a smart space in which my books can be effectively restored and displayed. I would want them to be visible, available and inviting. And so I turn to you, dear BCF goers and experienced readers. I assume you all have some sort of setup for your books. Please share your book keeping solutions here, and at the same time give me ideas on how to sort out my own! I'm very, very interested. Hyze

It's from a book I love called Watership Down. Hyzenthlay is sort of the heroine. I want to be a heroine, too!

James Marsters...

Norway. I quite like it, too

Harry Potter. Like the poster above me said, the quality of it is superior in every way. Not that I mind Twilight, but I just think you should call it as you see it (which in my case would be a guilty pleasure).

It's been a while, but wasn't the whole point of Harry fearing a Dementor that he fears fear itself? Isn't that what Lupin told him? So he doesn't really fear the physical form of the Dementor, but rather he fears being paralyzed when faced with danger. Unable to protect himself and those he loves. Which fits rather nicely with his history of having people die around him! I never thought Harry feared Voldemort. He always went and got right up in his grill, didn't he?

Harry Potter! I can't think of anything that appeals more to my childlike daydreams. If not Harry Potter, then something extremely fantasy-like. Like the Raymond E. Feist universe.

The Chronicles of Narnia. Or, possibly, the Hobbit. I read these around the diffuse age of 7-9.

Thanks everyone! I'm from a fairly small town close to Oslo, which is south-eastern-ish And I love science fiction! (although I have to stress not exclusively) My favourite science fiction writer at the moment is Iain M. Banks, and I'm actually currently reading his Surface Detail. Where to begin.. Keep in mind, I was quite little so I didn't think there would be a problem with reading and walking in public. Now, of course, I realise how weird I must have seemed. I once tripped in public in front of my older sister and all her friends... One time I almost walked into a road (that would have been embarrassing AND tragic) and a random stranger had to stop me. But the worst, I think, was when I was reading Narnia on my way home from school. A few boys from class were walking behind me, and I was so engrossed that I forgot to stop at my house and only looked up, very confused, a couple hundred meters down the road. Oh, childhood memories.

I also thoroughly enjoyed this book. Interestingly enough I also have older siblings. I think McEwan's subtlety is fantastic, and I think the last chapter changed the entire reading experience. I disagree that the book is not about atonement.

Hey! I joined your forum 'cause I love books. All genres, really. Especially sci-fi. Least of all crime. I'm 23 years old, and Norwegian. I study medicine in Cracow, Poland. When I was young I used to read so much that I would read while I walked, often resulting in embarrassing accidents. I was the first in my class to get glasses, and wore them with pride. I have contacts now, but I like to think I wear those with pride, too. I don't read as much fiction as I'd like to anymore, which is why I'm here.. to look for recommendations and passion about literature. I would hate to become one of those people who only read scientific journals and the news. Not that there's anything wrong with scientific journals. Questions? I love questions.