Books that made you...

[Pixie]

 

 

6) One book that made you wish had never been written: The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon. IMO awful writing.

 

Have you read any others by Pynchon, Pontalba? I ask because I have Gravity's Rainbow and Against The Day in my TBR pile.

 

Interesting. I have noticed that The Count of Monte Cristo has come up more than once as one that people have been meaning to read. Hmmm, is it the length that makes us put it off?

[gax23]

Sorry to break the stream, but I've added a lot of these books to my TBR list on your recommendations

[pontalba]

Have you read any others by Pynchon, Pontalba? I ask because I have Gravity's Rainbow and Against The Day in my TBR pile.

 

Interesting. I have noticed that The Count of Monte Cristo has come up more than once as one that people have been meaning to read. Hmmm, is it the length that makes us put it off?

I've tried to start Gravity's Rainbow, mercifully from the library, and actually have Mason & Dixon on my shelf. I well know that some people absolutely love TP's books, but although I have some theories about that, I don't go into it, so as not to offend anyone's sensibilities or get into a brawl. I've seen it happen, so I steer clear.

I had to list that book in my earlier post though, as it really irritates the tar out of me.

 

Regarding The Count of Monte Cristo, no, it isn't the length that puts me off, just the fact of only 24/7.... I have it on the shelf, along with several hundred others TBR. I guess my attention wanders.

[Pixie]

I've tried to start Gravity's Rainbow, mercifully from the library, and actually have Mason & Dixon on my shelf. I well know that some people absolutely love TP's books, but although I have some theories about that, I don't go into it, so as not to offend anyone's sensibilities or get into a brawl. I've seen it happen, so I steer clear.

I had to list that book in my earlier post though, as it really irritates the tar out of me.

Hmmm, I would love to hear your theories, but not until I have attempted to read one of TP's books. The only two of his that caught my interest were Against The Day and Gravity's Rainbow, which is why I purchased them. I may read one or the other very soon, perhaps in the next couple of months.

[pontalba]

Hmmm, I would love to hear your theories, but not until I have attempted to read one of TP's books. The only two of his that caught my interest were Against The Day and Gravity's Rainbow, which is why I purchased them. I may read one or the other very soon, perhaps in the next couple of months.

I agree, some of the synopsis of his books do sound intriguing. I hope you'll post your reactions.

[Pixie]

I probably will, even if I don't finish the book.

[Raven]

Books that made you...

The Joy of Sex?

Ahem . . .

1) One Book that made you read it More Than Once:

Just the one? There are several I've read time and again, but the one I've read the most is probably The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham.

2) One book you would want on a desert island:

The collected works of Shakespeare. I may actually get around to reading it, but if not I'll have plenty of fire lighters.

3) One book that made you laugh:

500 Mile Walkies, by Mark Wallington.

4) One book that made you cry:

One Day, by David Nicholls.

5) One book that made you wish you had written:

The Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks.

6) One book that made you wish had never been written:

The Magicians' Guild, by Trudi Canavan

7) One book you are currently reading:

The Hobbit, by that Tolkien fellow.

8) One book you have been meaning to read:

Moby Dick, by Herman Melville.

9) One book that changed your life:

Can't think of one that has, I'll get back to you!

[BookJumper]

2) One book you would want on a desert island:

 

The collected works of Shakespeare. I may actually get around to reading it, but if not I'll have plenty of fire lighters.

... you... you heathen *bursts into inconsolable scholarly tears*!!!

[beautifuldisaster7]

Haven't been on in awhile, but had to do this thread =)

 

1) One Book that made you read it More Than Once: Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

 

 

2) One book you would want on a desert island: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 

 

3) One book that made you laugh: I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max

 

 

4) One book that made you cry: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

 

 

5) One book that made you wish you had written: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

 

 

6) One book that made you wish had never been written: The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

 

 

7) One book you are currently reading: The Collector by John Fowles

 

 

8) One book you have been meaning to read: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

 

 

9) One book that changed your life: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

[Pixie]

6) One book that made you wish had never been written: The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

Uh oh. This is in my TBR pile. What didn't you like about it? I loved Of Human Bondage by the same author.

[beautifuldisaster7]

Uh oh. This is in my TBR pile. What didn't you like about it? I loved Of Human Bondage by the same author.

 

 

 

I just found it boring...I tried and tried to get into it and it took a lot to get through...I dunno it just wasn't drawing me in which was unfortunate because it's supposed to be great. I say try it out but it was boring in my opinion lol

[nursenblack]

1) One Book that made you read it More Than Once:To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (read it for the first time when I was fourteen and still in love with it)

 

2) One book you would want on a desert island: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (timeless and long enough to keep me busy)

 

3) One book that made you laugh: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (a dark comedy, but it's what springs to mind)

 

4) One book that made you cry: Push by Sapphire (I thought this was so sad and even though it is fiction it's probably not far from a lot of people's reality)

 

5) One book that made you wish you had written: Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (beautiful novel and being made into a movie!)

 

 

6) One book that made you wish had never been written: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (honestly, I enjoyed them at the time, but I'm sick to death of hearing about them. Hope I'm not booed to hard.)

 

7) One book you are currently reading: The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh

 

8) One book you have been meaning to read: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (it is patiently waiting on my bookshelf)

 

9) One book that changed your life:Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (turned me into a total romantic as a teen and I've never been the same since)

[Toneeh]

1) One Book that made you read it More Than Once: Harry Potter and The Order Of The Pheonix

 

2) One book you would want on a desert island: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 

3) One book that made you laugh: Fade Out by Rachel Caine

 

4) One book that made you cry: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows By J.K Rowling

 

5) One book that made you wish you had written: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

 

6) One book that made you wish had never been written: Shiver By Some Random Author.

 

7) One book you are currently reading: The Laughing Corpse- Laurell K. Hamilton

 

8) One book you have been meaning to read: Waking The Witch By Kelley Armstrong

 

9) One book that changed your life: All Harry Potters By J.K Rowling.

[BigWords]

1) One book that made you read it more than once: It's probably cheating, but I would have to say that anything in this category would be non-fiction. If I had to pick a novel specifically for this category, then it would either be Flashman - which was my first real exposure to the alt-history scene - or one of the Wold Newton books, Tarzan Alive especially. If non-fiction was permitted, then the stock-reply would be one of the histories of early twentieth century literature concentrating on pulps, comic and radio authors. More than for the pop-cultural emphasis, as they truly managed - through early memetic mutation - to make a large change in the wider world. Without those works, we would not have many of our everyday phrases

 

2) One book you would want on a desert island: Remembrance Of Things Past by Marcel Proust... All seven volumes. By the time I finished reading it, the search party would undoubtedly have found me. I doubt there is any other way that I would be able to find the time to read it, so as a desert title it is practically an essential. Remind me to pack this should I ever go on a cruise..

 

3) One book that made you laugh: These questions really aren't fair - one book? Out of all the hilarious tomes ever written, I am expected to pick one book? Ugh. Okay, so either The Liar by Stephen Fry or anything by Douglas Adams. The way that the comedy in those books arises from the characters and situations rather than external sources makes them more hilarious than any book specifically designed as a joke-fest. I was tempted to add one of the Langdon books by Dan Brown here, though those are hilarious for entirely unintentional reasons, and are probably exempted from inclusion.

 

4) One book that made you cry: Watership Down seems to have the ability to lull me into a false sense of security every time I read it. Or any history of the concentration camps would be apt placed here. The mental imagery tends to stick around a lot longer than I would necessarily like it to, and there are some titles I'm never picking up again. Waaay too much information in some of those.

 

5) One book that made you wish you had written: Stephen King's The Stand, easily. I know I use this book as a perfect example of how to kick off a story more often than is perhaps healthy, but the first couple of chapters are pitch perfect, especially in the uncut version. The later chapters get derailed somewhat, but the start of the novel - as an exercise in tension and world-building are beyond reproach. It also makes (some) sense that I should mention film guides here. The ones which concentrate on listings are fine, but tend to skim over the lesser features in favor of populism and big names - proper historical analysis of events outside of the film industry don't seem to get taken into account when saying why certain releases worked. I've always wanted to rectify that.

 

6) One book that made you wish had never been written: Too easy: Twilight. Just Twilight. I know there are a lot of people who consider it to be the pinnacle of post-millennial literature, but I can't take a vampire story seriously when the main character is so klutzy, ineffective and dull, and her lover is a psychotic, stalking, sparkly moron. There are so many things wrong with the book that to this day I am amazed that it was picked up by a publisher...

 

7) One book you are currently reading: Several titles are sitting half-read, though the one giving me most enjoyment thus far is The Inmates Are Running The Asylum, which is picking apart the current technological problems of UI and consumer-confusion perfectly. The insights are fabulous, and the issues are clearly stated. My mood may change, but halfway through there is no sign that the book will derail.

 

8) One book you have been meaning to read: There are a lot of books I've always meant to read, but never quite managed to bring myself to devoting time for. Proust is but one of the authors I've shied away from, though there are some books I have started but not managed to finish. If there is one "important" title which I should read but as yet haven't, then it is probably Michael Strogoff: The Courier Of The Czar by Jules Verne. Despite having read the popular opinion of it, there is something about the book that seems to repel me at every attempt. It's probably a case of poor translation, or the awful cover art, but the moment I start reading (and I have barely made it in a few pages each time) I suddenly find the urge to do anything but read.

 

9) One book that changed your life: I thought the questions would get easier the more I answered, but no... Damn, this is hard. A history book? A novel of outstanding beauty? A title which compiles information? There are so many options here that any choice would be a random stab towards a concrete answer. If I was forced to pick one, and only one, book which affected me like no other, then it would have to be The Complete Directory to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Television Series: A Comprehensive Guide to the First 50 Years, 1946 to 1996, which may seem like an arbitrary choice, and one which hasn't had a great deal of exposure outside of my mercilessly pimping it at every opportunity, but it is a landmark title for me. It was the first time I read something which was aimed specifically at the generation of readers (and, by necessity, television viewers) which was raised with the writing of Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling and Roald Dahl as standard texts - it is a love letter to great writing, disguised as a pop-cultural artifact, and - importantly - is set in a format which encourages reader cooperation. It is also one of the primary motivating factors in my love of lists, which goes a long way to explaining some of the things I have read and written since then.