|
|
Post by HDSimplicityy on May 4, 2022 23:21:48 GMT -6
Title: Blood of the Falcon Author: Uh, well... Raveneye! Genre: Fantasy. Epic fantasy? Do I like it?So far I do. I like the writing style. its like my own for how I'm writing Just as Human. Its cinematic, visual, emotional, but much slower building than my standalone first book. I'm on Chapter 7. I struggle with focusing, so planning long reading sessions is hard and makes me take longer than I should to finish a novel. (Thank youuu undiagnosed ADD-something) There are spots where I would have shortened their page span. That said, it is a fantasy story; they normally develop slower than science fiction adventures. Do I recommend it?Yep, so far.  Panic! Oh, Lord. I'm panicking. Chewing my nails to nubs. Nah, what am I saying? I'd change so much in that first novel. Anyway, now I gotta drag out a copy and see what chapter 7 is about.   EDIT: Ooooh! So the attack has happened and Kieryn is burned. Got it. Poor kid. He has no idea the kind of life ahead of him. Doooomed! They're aaaaall doooomed!   Edit again: Holy crap, I published Blood a decade ago this year! Well, happy 10th anniversary, my darling twins. It better not be ALL doom and gloom. Haha. Nice! Has it been successful to you? |
|
|
|
Post by RAVENEYE on May 6, 2022 8:35:42 GMT -6
Panic! Oh, Lord. I'm panicking. Chewing my nails to nubs. Nah, what am I saying? I'd change so much in that first novel. Anyway, now I gotta drag out a copy and see what chapter 7 is about. EDIT: Ooooh! So the attack has happened and Kieryn is burned. Got it. Poor kid. He has no idea the kind of life ahead of him. Doooomed! They're aaaaall doooomed! Edit again: Holy crap, I published Blood a decade ago this year! Well, happy 10th anniversary, my darling twins. It better not be ALL doom and gloom. Haha. Nice! Has it been successful to you? Bahahaha! Okay, so they're not all doomed. But I'm not going to say which ones make it to the end. My husband disagrees. He says, "You're so mean. There's only like four characters in the end." To which I respond, "Nuh-uh, there's like five!" That's exaggeration of course. Sorta. Oh, it's so fun being mean. Successful? As in monetarily? At first, it was great. My twins bought me a much-needed new stove, a much-needed new writing desk, and provided for my gaming habit for several years, but they weren't able to pull off a European tour.  |
|
|
|
Post by HDSimplicityy on May 6, 2022 22:54:36 GMT -6
It better not be ALL doom and gloom. Haha. Nice! Has it been successful to you? Bahahaha! Okay, so they're not all doomed. But I'm not going to say which ones make it to the end. My husband disagrees. He says, "You're so mean. There's only like four characters in the end." To which I respond, "Nuh-uh, there's like five!" That's exaggeration of course. Sorta. Oh, it's so fun being mean. Successful? As in monetarily? At first, it was great. My twins bought me a much-needed new stove, a much-needed new writing desk, and provided for my gaming habit for several years, but they weren't able to pull off a European tour.  I think I see what one character is doing to another. Its too early to be 100% confident. I bet your husband wanted characters to live happy lives after whatever fighting happens. "You dont have to kill off all of your darlings." That is success. I mean, if you weren't aiming too high for a first or second book publishing. |
|
|
|
Post by zoefoster on May 11, 2022 1:57:08 GMT -6
I am reading a memoir Title: when the first lady crossed the bridge Author: Tony Cervantes Genre: memoir At times we wish death over living as the pain of losing loved ones is intolerable. this book is published by www.mermaidpublishers.com/services highly recommended |
|
|
|
Post by RAVENEYE on May 11, 2022 13:09:33 GMT -6
I am reading a memoir Title: when the first lady crossed the bridge Author: Tony Cervantes Genre: memoir At times we wish death over living as the pain of losing loved ones is intolerable. this book is published by www.mermaidpublishers.com/services highly recommended Hmm, second time now you've linked to this publisher, Zoe. Not sneaky enough. How much does Mermaid pay folks to spam their links on websites?  |
|
|
|
Post by havekrillwhaletravel on May 22, 2022 7:21:47 GMT -6
Title:Speedboat Author: Renata Adler Genre: Modernism This isn't really a story as much as a series of loosely connected vignettes. The author takes these anecdotes, daily observations and expands upon them to capture the general mood and atmosphere of modern living. It reminds me of a more recent book - Jenny Offill's Weather. This could've been very aimless and dull, but Adler is a spectacular writer. She's witty, often insightful, self-deprecating and her prose is gorgeous: Sample (I see myself in this passage and I don't like it  ): That 'writers write' is meant to be self-evident. People like to say it. I find it is hardly ever true. Writers drink. Writers rant. Writers phone. Writers sleep. I have met very few writers who write at all. It feels like a lunch conversation with your very smart, well-traveled friend whom you haven't seen in a while. Best of all ... the book is by Mermaid Publishers! (I'm joking it's not) I recommend this if you don't mind something plotless. Title: Madame Zero Author: Sarah Hall Genre: Short stories Hall is an amazing writer and she manages to craft a collection of dark, strange, sumptuous (I know it doesn't make much sense, but it's how I would describe her writing) stories. Like most short story collections, it's a bit uneven. There are some duds here, and the book never really manages to surpass its show-stopping opener - Mrs. Fox. Still, if you're in the mood for something sensual and eerie, give this a shot. Title:The Largesse of the Sea Maiden Author: Denis Johnson Genre: Short stories Another short story collection. These stories all deal with addicts, misfits and loners - one of the most memorable characters in this book is a poet obsessed with Elvis conspiracies. Johnson's prose is plain-spoken but beautiful. Sample: This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life - the distance I've traveled from my own youth, the persistence of the old regrets, the new regrets, the ability of failure to freshen itself in novel forms - that I almost crashed the car. Like Madame Zero, there are a couple of duds but the stories that are good are SO good. It's a poignant and sublime collection. Recommend.
|
|
|
|
Post by RAVENEYE on May 23, 2022 13:43:26 GMT -6
Title:Speedboat Author: Renata Adler Genre: Modernism This isn't really a story as much as a series of loosely connected vignettes. The author takes these anecdotes, daily observations and expands upon them to capture the general mood and atmosphere of modern living. It reminds me of a more recent book - Jenny Offill's Weather. This could've been very aimless and dull, but Adler is a spectacular writer. She's witty, often insightful, self-deprecating and her prose is gorgeous: Sample (I see myself in this passage and I don't like it  ): That 'writers write' is meant to be self-evident. People like to say it. I find it is hardly ever true. Writers drink. Writers rant. Writers phone. Writers sleep. I have met very few writers who write at all. It feels like a lunch conversation with your very smart, well-traveled friend whom you haven't seen in a while. Best of all ... the book is by Mermaid Publishers! (I'm joking it's not) I recommend this if you don't mind something plotless. Title: Madame Zero Author: Sarah Hall Genre: Short stories Hall is an amazing writer and she manages to craft a collection of dark, strange, sumptuous (I know it doesn't make much sense, but it's how I would describe her writing) stories. Like most short story collections, it's a bit uneven. There are some duds here, and the book never really manages to surpass its show-stopping opener - Mrs. Fox. Still, if you're in the mood for something sensual and eerie, give this a shot. Title:The Largesse of the Sea Maiden Author: Denis Johnson Genre: Short stories Another short story collection. These stories all deal with addicts, misfits and loners - one of the most memorable characters in this book is a poet obsessed with Elvis conspiracies. Johnson's prose is plain-spoken but beautiful. Sample: This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life - the distance I've traveled from my own youth, the persistence of the old regrets, the new regrets, the ability of failure to freshen itself in novel forms - that I almost crashed the car. Like Madame Zero, there are a couple of duds but the stories that are good are SO good. It's a poignant and sublime collection. Recommend. I see what you did there... Reading: Ariel, the Restored Edition Author: Sylvia Plath Genre: poetry Recommend it? Yup. Because it was recommended above (I think by you, havekrillwhaletravel ), I gave it a shot. And ... whoa. Plath thinks way deeper than I can/do. Or she was really good at throwing random shit together and making it sound mystical and deep. Can't decide which. Her poems are a word-feast to be savored. Content warning: she wrote these poems in the months leading up to her suicide, so they do give a glimpse of her mindset at the time. If you decide to read her poems, get this edition because it includes photocopies of the draft she sent to the publisher, so you can see the editorial markups. And there are a couple of poems, including the title poem, that are shown through their many handwritten drafts, so you can see Plath's creative process. Fascinating! |
|
|
|
Post by havekrillwhaletravel on May 25, 2022 8:13:45 GMT -6
I see what you did there... Reading: Ariel, the Restored Edition Author: Sylvia Plath Genre: poetry Recommend it? Yup. Because it was recommended above (I think by you, havekrillwhaletravel ), I gave it a shot. And ... whoa. Plath thinks way deeper than I can/do. Or she was really good at throwing random shit together and making it sound mystical and deep. Can't decide which. Her poems are a word-feast to be savored. Content warning: she wrote these poems in the months leading up to her suicide, so they do give a glimpse of her mindset at the time. If you decide to read her poems, get this edition because it includes photocopies of the draft she sent to the publisher, so you can see the editorial markups. And there are a couple of poems, including the title poem, that are shown through their many handwritten drafts, so you can see Plath's creative process. Fascinating! The Restored Edition is great! Like you say, the drafts add so much to the reading experience. This is definitely something authors and publishers should do more of.
The first time I read Ariel was actually the 1965 version, and it's both interesting (and grating!) to see how Ted Hughes changed the tone of the collection and really, Plath's legacy as a whole. The poems he chose to include are brilliant, but they tend to be bleaker (Sheep in Fog; The Hanging Man; Contusion). And we can now see his edited version omits a lot of the less-than-flattering poems directed at him (The Rabbit Catcher; The Jailor).
And as a Plath fan, I can relate to how you feel. Whenever I read her, I also get that feeling of oscillating between "She's a genius! I'm playing tick-tack-toe and she's playing 5D underwater sudoku" and "This woman's just throwing random crap at the wall and seeing what sticks, isn't she?"  |
|
|
|
Post by Caulder Melhaire on Jun 1, 2022 19:17:24 GMT -6
Reading: House of Leaves (The Remastered, Full-Color Edition)
Author: Mark Z. Danielewski
Genre: Horror/Romance/Mystery
Recommend it? Totally.
Okay so I'm actually re-reading this. 20+ hours on a train left me with nothing better to do than to finally tackle this giant book (about one and a half times), and hoo boy! What a ride it was. Is it a horror? Possibly. Is it a romance? Maybe, depending on how you view it. Is it a mystery? Certainly.
How can I do this without spoilers? My interpretation of the book: there is a massive meta element to this tale, not only in the nature of the story itself, but in the footnotes which litter it, the varying narrative perspectives which weave it, and the typography - yes, eventually even the typography will turn against you - which details it. I'll be honest, I struggled to read it at first, until I clocked what perspective you, as the reader, must take when you start flipping through it. The layout, the footnotes, the little mini-stories by the side character who supposedly experiences it along with us - makes it incredibly difficult to read until you realize that last fact. (I'll give a hint - the clue is in the title itself)
Does recognizing that make it easier to read, then? Absolutely not LOL! Especially for someone like me, who needs to take in every little detail along the way from A to B, it's a very stressful read. But once I figured out how I was supposed to view it, that anxiety slid away and I was able to bounce back and forth and reread as necessary to capture everything. There's also like 3 or 4 different stories being told at once here. Some shine brighter than others, and frankly I'm more partial to the main dialogue being told, textbook-y as it is at time. But each narrator adds a little spin to the tale that can make you wonder what's actually going on with the Navidsons and their probably bewitched house.
Also, fun fact: the album Haunted, by Poe, (Danielewski's sister) is a love letter to this very novel. It's a fantastic album in its own right, but reading it alongside the story makes for a fantastic soundtrack.
|
|
|
|
Post by RAVENEYE on Jun 2, 2022 8:04:44 GMT -6
Reading: House of Leaves (The Remastered, Full-Color Edition) Author: Mark Z. Danielewski Genre: Horror/Romance/Mystery Recommend it? Totally. Okay so I'm actually re-reading this. 20+ hours on a train left me with nothing better to do than to finally tackle this giant book (about one and a half times), and hoo boy! What a ride it was. Is it a horror? Possibly. Is it a romance? Maybe, depending on how you view it. Is it a mystery? Certainly. How can I do this without spoilers? My interpretation of the book: there is a massive meta element to this tale, not only in the nature of the story itself, but in the footnotes which litter it, the varying narrative perspectives which weave it, and the typography - yes, eventually even the typography will turn against you - which details it. I'll be honest, I struggled to read it at first, until I clocked what perspective you, as the reader, must take when you start flipping through it. The layout, the footnotes, the little mini-stories by the side character who supposedly experiences it along with us - makes it incredibly difficult to read until you realize that last fact. (I'll give a hint - the clue is in the title itself) Does recognizing that make it easier to read, then? Absolutely not LOL! Especially for someone like me, who needs to take in every little detail along the way from A to B, it's a very stressful read. But once I figured out how I was supposed to view it, that anxiety slid away and I was able to bounce back and forth and reread as necessary to capture everything. There's also like 3 or 4 different stories being told at once here. Some shine brighter than others, and frankly I'm more partial to the main dialogue being told, textbook-y as it is at time. But each narrator adds a little spin to the tale that can make you wonder what's actually going on with the Navidsons and their probably bewitched house. Also, fun fact: the album Haunted, by Poe, (Danielewski's sister) is a love letter to this very novel. It's a fantastic album in its own right, but reading it alongside the story makes for a fantastic soundtrack. Whoa. What is the deal with that?! Hadn't heard of this book before now, so I'm intrigued. Looked at a sample, and I was like "WTF?" Can't find a "full color" edition of it though. Where did you get it? |
|
|
|
Post by Caulder Melhaire on Jun 2, 2022 8:10:48 GMT -6
Reading: House of Leaves (The Remastered, Full-Color Edition) Author: Mark Z. Danielewski Genre: Horror/Romance/Mystery Recommend it? Totally. Okay so I'm actually re-reading this. 20+ hours on a train left me with nothing better to do than to finally tackle this giant book (about one and a half times), and hoo boy! What a ride it was. Is it a horror? Possibly. Is it a romance? Maybe, depending on how you view it. Is it a mystery? Certainly. How can I do this without spoilers? My interpretation of the book: there is a massive meta element to this tale, not only in the nature of the story itself, but in the footnotes which litter it, the varying narrative perspectives which weave it, and the typography - yes, eventually even the typography will turn against you - which details it. I'll be honest, I struggled to read it at first, until I clocked what perspective you, as the reader, must take when you start flipping through it. The layout, the footnotes, the little mini-stories by the side character who supposedly experiences it along with us - makes it incredibly difficult to read until you realize that last fact. (I'll give a hint - the clue is in the title itself) Does recognizing that make it easier to read, then? Absolutely not LOL! Especially for someone like me, who needs to take in every little detail along the way from A to B, it's a very stressful read. But once I figured out how I was supposed to view it, that anxiety slid away and I was able to bounce back and forth and reread as necessary to capture everything. There's also like 3 or 4 different stories being told at once here. Some shine brighter than others, and frankly I'm more partial to the main dialogue being told, textbook-y as it is at time. But each narrator adds a little spin to the tale that can make you wonder what's actually going on with the Navidsons and their probably bewitched house. Also, fun fact: the album Haunted, by Poe, (Danielewski's sister) is a love letter to this very novel. It's a fantastic album in its own right, but reading it alongside the story makes for a fantastic soundtrack. Whoa. What is the deal with that?! Hadn't heard of this book before now, so I'm intrigued. Looked at a sample, and I was like "WTF?" Can't find a "full color" edition of it though. Where did you get it? LOL I had to look that up too when I bought it - the full color thing, and all the various "editions" is apparently part of the story. All the editions should have the same content (I think even including the Whalestoe Letters?) It's just designed/marketed that way as an inside joke to the novel itself. |
|
|
|
Post by RAVENEYE on Jun 3, 2022 9:27:33 GMT -6
Whoa. What is the deal with that?! Hadn't heard of this book before now, so I'm intrigued. Looked at a sample, and I was like "WTF?" Can't find a "full color" edition of it though. Where did you get it? LOL I had to look that up too when I bought it - the full color thing, and all the various "editions" is apparently part of the story. All the editions should have the same content (I think even including the Whalestoe Letters?) It's just designed/marketed that way as an inside joke to the novel itself. What? Wow. Okay then...? LOL, what the heck. Now I'm doubly curious. |
|
|
|
Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Jun 5, 2022 18:37:47 GMT -6
Reading: House of Leaves (The Remastered, Full-Color Edition) Author: Mark Z. Danielewski Genre: Horror/Romance/Mystery Recommend it? Totally. Okay so I'm actually re-reading this. 20+ hours on a train left me with nothing better to do than to finally tackle this giant book (about one and a half times), and hoo boy! What a ride it was. Is it a horror? Possibly. Is it a romance? Maybe, depending on how you view it. Is it a mystery? Certainly. How can I do this without spoilers? My interpretation of the book: there is a massive meta element to this tale, not only in the nature of the story itself, but in the footnotes which litter it, the varying narrative perspectives which weave it, and the typography - yes, eventually even the typography will turn against you - which details it. I'll be honest, I struggled to read it at first, until I clocked what perspective you, as the reader, must take when you start flipping through it. The layout, the footnotes, the little mini-stories by the side character who supposedly experiences it along with us - makes it incredibly difficult to read until you realize that last fact. (I'll give a hint - the clue is in the title itself) Does recognizing that make it easier to read, then? Absolutely not LOL! Especially for someone like me, who needs to take in every little detail along the way from A to B, it's a very stressful read. But once I figured out how I was supposed to view it, that anxiety slid away and I was able to bounce back and forth and reread as necessary to capture everything. There's also like 3 or 4 different stories being told at once here. Some shine brighter than others, and frankly I'm more partial to the main dialogue being told, textbook-y as it is at time. But each narrator adds a little spin to the tale that can make you wonder what's actually going on with the Navidsons and their probably bewitched house. Also, fun fact: the album Haunted, by Poe, (Danielewski's sister) is a love letter to this very novel. It's a fantastic album in its own right, but reading it alongside the story makes for a fantastic soundtrack. Okay, this sounds like an absolute blast! Will have to track down a copy. |
|
Bird
Counselor 
Posts: 350
Custom Title: World Creator and Destroyer
Preferred Pronouns: they/them/their
HARD: 1700
MEDIUM: 400
EASY: 110
|
Post by Bird on Jun 20, 2022 23:09:46 GMT -6
Title: Dawn of Everything: A New History of Huamnity
Author: David Graeber and David Wengrow
Genre: Nonfiction
What do you think of it?
This book is fantastic. It critiques the 'evolution of history" theory - the idea that our progress to present day was inevitable, that things progress in order from agriculture revolution, formation of states, industrial revolution, etc. And it shows that this prevailing theory of history is wrong and fails to match the actual data.
Technology and how we created societies has no linear-time-progress (or society evolution) component at all. In fact, science shows there was a plurality of societies, creative innovation, and people choosing what they adopted and didn't adopt for tech and societal forms of government throughout all of history. Agriculture didn't always lead to aristocracy or monarchy-like societies - societies didn't always develop in any sort of "linear" fashion. In fact, there was no agriculture revolution as people would utilize agriculture, but sometimes would abandon it. Some societies would spend part of the year in a rigid hierarchical fashion, only to spend the rest of the year in a communal, flexible fashion.
The authors also show in detail how Indigenous societies in the Americas heavily critiqued European civilizations, and it was Indigenous views of equality, freedom, and liberty, which shaped Europeans and heavily influence us today. The authors examine the historical evidence of societies all over the world to show that nearly all of what we've been taught of history isn't rooted in the actual data. Brilliant book.
Recommend it? 1000 times yes. Definitely read it.
|
|
|
|
Post by ScintillaMyntan on Jun 21, 2022 8:14:51 GMT -6
Title: Dawn of Everything: A New History of Huamnity Author: David Graeber and David Wengrow Genre: Nonfiction What do you think of it?This book is fantastic. It critiques the 'evolution of history" theory - the idea that our progress to present day was inevitable, that things progress in order from agriculture revolution, formation of states, industrial revolution, etc. And it shows that this prevailing theory of history is wrong and fails to match the actual data. This sounds really interesting and in a way uplifting. Sounds postmodernist? I noticed I somehow like learning about historiography and the way we think about history a lot more than the bare "what happened" of historical events. I might want to read this one. |
|
Panic! Oh, Lord. I'm panicking. Chewing my nails to nubs. 
): 
): 
You add them to your profile as you do them around the forum.