My Schedule...

[Xaz']

Hey everyone, just me!

I am letting you know that my posting is going to be down a lot for the next two weeks. School is eating me alive still, yet, and again.

I have three papers due next week Monday -- huge papers. Two more are going to be assigned then and will be due Friday because we begin Spring Break then. For the same class (Advanced Composition, this is) I have also been given the assignment to choose a book from The Cart (Dun dun dun! Evil book cart). Basically, we picked out a book to read in a week and a half and then we must write a paper on the key issue in the book. So -- I got the longest book in the class, though it was my choice. I'm not complaining, it's a great book (Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy). Anywho, so yeah -- I'll be pretty tied up for a while guys.

I'll get on here when I can and try to keep up, I promise -- but RL MUST come first when dealing with my grades -- uber important!

Take care all,

Xaz'
|I

[Cherice St_Hilare]

NO, RL MUST NEVER COME FIRST. HOW DARE YOU NEGLECT US LIKE THIS !!


=P Just playing. I'm sure you'll do good on your papers (you better, for leaving us ! ^^), and I know that grades are always important. x__x;; Ugh ... World History .. -- Twitch --

[imported_Terran Starek]

Hey Xaz! :)

If you need help on those papers, lemme know ;) (Poli Sci/English major)

:D

[Sanis Prent]

ooo Tolstoy. Dry as melba. Enjoy >D

[Dae Jinn]

Originally posted by Terran Starek
Hey Xaz! :)

If you need help on those papers, lemme know ;) (Poli Sci/English major)

:D

She wants to do WELL on her papers Terran ;) :lol j/k

Have fun, I think...o_O

[Zeke]

I've got a self-portrait to do some improvements on...technically I shouldn't be on either, judging from my teacher's critique of what I have so far, but guess where I am? HERE! RL first? Bah! Only at 1 AM Wednesday night. :D

[imported_Terran Starek]

Low blow from Dae! Ouch!!

:p

[Xazor Elessar]

Thanks for the offer Terran, I think I might take you up on that actually! :lol

Thanks Sanis -- yeah, guess I will have to deal with this book. :lol Tolstoy isn't that bad.....I guess....... *gulp* :uhoh

[Figrin D'an]

Good lord, Anna Karenina is longer than War and Peace... I made it though the later and never attempted the former. No motivation whatsoever...

I think I liked differential equations more than I liked having to read that book...

:p

[Xazor Elessar]

:x

Yeah, and I thought "Little Women" was bad! >_<

Man, I hope I get through it...... :(

[Sanis Prent]

Could be worse. Could be the first 50 pages out of The Scarlet Letter.

...or anything by Ayn Rand, rest her psychotic soul.

[Zeke]

I had an english teacher who had to make us read the Scarlet Letter. He held it up and showed it to the class and said "You guys see this book? This book is crap." And promptly threw it over his shoulder into the garbage.

[Sanis Prent]

Just about. Hawthorne is a torture to read.

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Sanis Prent
Just about. Hawthorne is a torture to read.

Melville is worse...

[Sanis Prent]

I like Melville, oddly enough.

[Sage Hazzard]

I um... read Animal Farm and stuff.... :lol

Yeah books are for nerds! Come back to us! :lol j/k

Have as much fun as you can muster. :)

[Figrin D'an]

Animal Farm rules... :)

"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

[imported_Terran Starek]

Anything I can do for ya Xaz, you just say the words. :D

Animal Farm does rock! Awesome, awesome satire. And the best part is:

It's short!!

You can tell I have been raised Generation Nintendo! :p

[Taylor Millard]

Steinbeck's 'The Pearl' was hard for me t'get through.

Oh...so hard...And it was SHORT!

[Sage Hazzard]

:lol Yeah, Animal Farm is terrific. I almost cried when the "glue truck" came, I think it was a glue truck. And you just knew that poor horses fate, yet none of the animals could read... I think that's what happened... :)

Oh and I think I read that in the 5th grade. Does that make me uber smart? :lol

[imported_Terran Starek]

No, it makes you an uber-lame 5th grader! I was still hanging out with Letherneck foiling Cobra Commander's plans!

Just kidding, Sage. :D

[Sanis Prent]

Steinbeck is probably my favorite author. He can convey so much in such simple, colloquial words.

[Dae Jinn]

Steinbeck was good, since we had to read him in HS. I think I had to read "The Pearl", but I skimmed through most of it. Not much of a fiction reader, although, I enjoy Irvine Welsh from time to time. Usually read non-fiction though.

[Xazor Elessar]

I have to read the Scarlet Letter next year for Fiction II. :\ It's gonna suck! :lol

I'm also taking Logic and Philosophy next year and I have to read "Sophie's World" by some guy who doesn't believe in punctuation! :lol

[Dae Jinn]

OMG! That's awesome....

I feel like such a geek. I loved typography in College and was in book-binding club -- that kind of thing is just, neato. A book without punctuation would be great for Christopher Walken to read :mischief

[Lann Kirauc]

Originally posted by Sanis Prent
Steinbeck is probably my favorite author. He can convey so much in such simple, colloquial words.

I would hail George R R Martin and Eiji Yoshikawa as my favs. The latter definitely had to have deeply inspired the late legendary japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Just read the author's historical fiction epic, Musashi.

I have too many authors to read as it were such as more Bernard Cornwell, Robert Graves, Sharon Kay Penman, Nigel Trant, Dorothy Dunnett, Mary Renault, Colleen McCullough (Rome series), Patrick O'Brian, Cormac McCarthy, Stephen King, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Shaara, Ambrose, and others.

[Xazor Elessar]

Stephen King = freaky but awesome!

I'd rather be reading something he wrote, but I didn't have a great selection. Originally I wanted to read 1984, but someone got to it before me. :\ Oh well, this is an alright book. :)

[Lann Kirauc]

The misfortunes of cast alotments, eh? Well I wish you luck and may the force be with you in all your studies. ;)

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

:lol worst book I've read was Old Man and the Sea...why do they make us read that in hs?

[Chaos Alexander]

I personaly liek R. A. Salatore and Brain Lumley. No one can do it like they can do it.

[Sanis Prent]

I liked the Old Man and the Sea. :\

[Dirjj Mordrai]

I agree Sorreessa! There is literature and then there's literature. I'll admit the classics are timeless but some of it is rather slow, beyond wordy (yawning dialogue), and conservative.

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

bored me to tears that book, not anything really going on for most of it, old man hangs out in boat, old man catches fish, fish is a bugger and too big, man holds line and drifts....

[Sanis Prent]

Yeah, but its such a great story of competition, perseverance, etc. How can you not like it?

[Dirjj Mordrai]

That is what is absent in much of today's literature is an underlying moral/message attached to them like the classics. But I think I prefer the modern a tad bit more. It's tough though. It's all about how you define the word classic in this instance interrelated with the diverse genres. Most of my favorite authors are post '50s publications (a la 1960s-present).

[Sanis Prent]

Grapes of Wrath is hands-down my favorite book, ever. After that, Band of Brothers, and after that, it gets mucky

[Lann Kirauc]

A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin (god of fantasy)
A Clash of Kings by GRRM
A Storm of Swords by GRRM
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
The Scar by China Mieville
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein (forget the movie, the novel blows my mind)
Do androids dream of electric sheep? by Philip K Dick (inspired Bladerunner)
The Warlord Chronicles trilogy by Bernard Cornwell
Shogun by James Clavell

These were the only ones I could think of the top of my head.

[Sanis Prent]

eek, a sci-fi/fantasy nut

[Lann Kirauc]

Have you read Starship Troopers (and discussed the moralities of war), or Hyperion (and met the Shrike), or visited Westeros in A Song of Ice and Fire.

[Sanis Prent]

Yes to the first, and no to the rest. SciFi/Fantasy in book form is generally not very enjoyable for me.

[Lann Kirauc]

Well, yeah scifi/fantasy is usually painfully cliche until you read something like Hyperion or Martin. 90% of the stuff out there is garbage (would use a more critical word there but won't). I would love to print up the prologue of A Game of Thrones but alas it is fairly long and reads much better in pulp form. Martin's keen eye for detail and brilliant characterization combined with a literate prose suck me in every time. One of the best writers I ever read if not the best.

Edit correction - Prologue not epilogue

[Sanis Prent]

The only stuff in the genre I keep coming back to are Pratchett novels.

[Lann Kirauc]

Yes, Pratchett is one of the beloved authors discussed on Martin's board. That board has a great forum for discussing literature called 'other authors'. But if you plan on reading the series do not enter the other forums or you will be majorly spoiled. Common cannon fodder is Terry Goodkind and Robert Jordan. Both their styles are very atypical whereas George R R Martin has a mixture of horror, political, and based upon a medievel europe vehicle. More so than most any fantasy. And magic is much more subdued but mystery runs rampant. It is truly epic in all sense of the word. Alot of knights and lords but sans any prissy romanticism. The books have an awesome glossary in the back listing the Houses and bannermen.


A Song of Ice and Fire
http://pub26.ezboard.com/basoiaf

[Sanis Prent]

(shrug) I'm just not into any serious stories as such. Maybe after a literary paradigm shift, but the only reason I read Pratchett is because its light-hearted, funny, and clever, with decent plots and characters to boot.

[Lann Kirauc]

I understand but next time your in the bookstore pick up A Game of Thrones and read the prologue. See how you like it.

[Sanis Prent]

maybe. I have so very little time to read as is, and my funds are even more pathetic

[Lann Kirauc]

Yeah I know what ya mean about extra pocket money running dry and all. there was the complete Inagaki samurai trilogy at a local moviestore on sale but cost a sixty dollars I couldn't afford. prioritize sux. :mad

[Marcus Telcontar]

George R R Martin is pwnd by the true Master of fantasy - Tolkien. Pretty much any Fantasy writings pale alongside his. I do like David Eddings and others along that line (The true inspiration for Marcus is Sparhawk, not Aragorn), but for sheer depth and value, Tolkien is it.

Practett can be a bit hit n miss - when he hits though, it's worth it. Soul Music or Moviing Pictures are total classics. Or Wyrd Sistsers... or Guards! Guards!

[Lann Kirauc]

Originally posted by Marcus Elessar
George R R Martin is pwnd by the true Master of fantasy - Tolkien. Pretty much any Fantasy writings pale alongside his. I do like David Eddings and others along that line (The true inspiration for Marcus is Sparhawk, not Aragorn), but for sheer depth and value, Tolkien is it.

Practett can be a bit hit n miss - when he hits though, it's worth it. Soul Music or Moviing Pictures are total classics. Or Wyrd Sistsers... or Guards! Guards!

Sorry, IMHO GRRM knocked Tolkien off his throne. No doubt. Have you read GRRM? :)

[Marcus Telcontar]

Yes. Tolkien stands alone :p

[Lann Kirauc]

Tolkien is way too dry and never truly composes his characters ala fleshes them out. GRRM is much too rich and is the single most inspiration of my fantasy oriented RPs.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Tolkien is way too dry and never truly composes his characters ala fleshes them out

Ya... wha? That's the LAST thing I would accuse Tolkien of. All those family trees and detailed histories, languages he invented, backstories, appendixes..... the Silmarillion, Unfinished tales, maps... it literally takes weeks to sort some of it out.

[Lann Kirauc]

Yeah, but he is not half the writer as GRRM. He did construct a great history of the Middle-earth and intricacies is one of the bedrock formulas to a great book. But the Silmarrilion was written by Tolkien but composed by Guy Gavriel Kay whom is a stylist. GRRM also has a great history and some of the best world-building I have read in a fantasy book. GRRM simply outwrites Tolkien. But I don't want to overblow him in anyone's minds but he is my fav.

[imported_Taja Loraan]

I... like Harry Potter?

[Lann Kirauc]

What I love about Martin and where he reigns is his brilliant characterizations, intricate plot, and world building.

And the chapters are represented by different POVs (character point of views). Each book contains several constant POVs and he shifts (or revolves) them to give a complete panoramic view of Westeros.

[Marcus Telcontar]

But the Silmarrilion was written by Tolkien but composed by Guy Gavriel Kay whom is a stylist

Christopher Tolkien was assisted by Kay to bring the book into publishable form. But the Silmarillion was concieved and written many, many years before and Tolkien actually wanted to have the Silmarillion published at the same time. It's form changed from the orignal 1920's Lost Tales to form backstory and notes esp through the 60's.

There are a few forms of writing when your creating a story and it depends what youwant to do. A Liguist like Tolkien, who, being the Oxford Don of Anglo-Saxon, had a command of the language far beyond almost all writers, isn't writing like a Stephen King. King is readable to most people very easily. To have this style does necessitate to now and again break the language rules. Tolkien, due to his experise in languages and liguistics, has LOTR much more structured and it is a more difficult book for a reader to access. The Silmarillion is damn near impossible for a causal reader to even attempt. To have the books accessible wasn't his point. His point was to create a mythology for England. I would suggest his style would have been different if he had to live off his work, which he did not. GRRM is easier to read for a casual reader, but he is not in the writing class a Tolkien is - not in purity of language, or in the construction of the story. Tolkien also was highly knowledgable in myths and legends, Beowulf was his big inspiration.

Tolkien also takes a few reads to really understand that at it's heart, it's a tragety. It's about loss and the price people pay for their actions. The Silmarillion is also one depressing book, because in part the heros die. There's no wimping out. A good example of what I mean, tho it is not in the Silmarillion, is Arwen. Okay, she gets to be Queen, but it's only when you understand the history of the elves and what exactly it means for the Perendil to give up their immortality, only then it is clear what Arwen is truly doing and why the parting of Elrond and Arwen, which is described brielfy as "Bitter", what it truly means. I could write reams on the Doom of Men, how they leave the Circle of Arda (which is what Arwen chose to do by dying) and the way the Elves are tied to Arda, even after death.

But in the end, that sheer depth and wonderous storytelling isnt really accessible unless you dig. LOTR is okay for a casual reader, but it's what under the suface, the real story is what sucks peopel like me in, to explore and to work out.

[Dae Jinn]

I'm still reading ROTK :grumble I hardly ever read.

Another author I like is Douglas Coupland...Dunno if anyone else has read anything by him, since it's not classic lit or sci-fi fantasy (of which LOTR is the only thing I have read, except for the Hobbit! :lol)

[Lann Kirauc]

The thing I don't dig about Tolkien in his series is the archtypes and everything is dressed nicely in black and white. Clearly defined. Yes, the ending of LoTR is very poignant. But it is still very much heroic fiction taking inspiration heavily from mythology and folklore. Tolkien is twice the builder as GRRM but is not half the writer. GRRM appeals to mature fantasy readers whom no longer seek predictable cliched fantasy and is a story that takes itself much more seriously. It packs a punch. I can't think of anyone that 'writes' like this save perhaps some of Umberto Eco's work mixed with some Shakespeare such as Hamlet yes that one is marginally close. Alot more greys. Hauntingly beautiful, but never depressing, always exciting.

There are no ill-conceivable goodies such as the Gandalfs, Drizzits, Rand al'Thors, Aragorns, Belegariads, or Frodos. This series says in your face 'get real'.

Instead you meet Ned Stark, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Jamie Lannister, Arya Stark, Robb Stark, Sandor Clegane, Robert Baratheon, Qhorin Halfhand, Oberyn Martell, Daenerys Targaryen, Stannis Baratheon, Davos Seaworth, Jeor Mormont, Maester Aemon, Gregor Clegane, and a whole host of others. Serious epic fantasy.

[Sanis Prent]

My only real gripe with LotR is that the first 50 pages of FotR read like the first 50 pages of the Scarlet Letter. Its extremely dry, and really a chore to get into. Once you get past "Middle Earth 101", its more or less smooth sailing.

[Lann Kirauc]

Originally posted by Sanis Prent
My only real gripe with LotR is that the first 50 pages of FotR read like the first 50 pages of the Scarlet Letter. Its extremely dry, and really a chore to get into. Once you get past "Middle Earth 101", its more or less smooth sailing.

Yeah, it is a chore at times and reads more like a middle-earth singalong travelogue than adventure. I mean the characterizations are rather dull and colorless. Especially when you read the latter part of TTT and ROTK where events happen in such a hurried manner it is rather disappointing. You have all this build-up and it comes crashing to an end on a single page. But on the plus side, I love Middle-earth as a world and think it's very charming and fascinating world. Not a bad place to visit for adventure and wonderment. And it's conceived history is staggering.

[Oriadin]

Anyone read the Jolly Postman? Thats my favorite! :)

I have to be honest and say I dont read books much. I simply cant be bothered and to be honest, I dont have the time. All my story reading is done on here! :lol

I think Im generally a slow reader so unless a book really grabs me within the first 30 or so pages, it doesnt get finished. I find that if I start to read a book, im asleep one and a half pages in.

Im just over 3/4 of the way through Fellowship of the ring, and I only read that every now and then. When I can be bothered. Its just so much easier to watch a film and get it over and done with in the space of a couple of hours.

[Sanis Prent]

Yeah, it has to be something that grabs my attention and gets me interested, fast.

That's how Band of Brothers was. I read that in 6 hours, and the thing's almost 300 pages long :). I was very hooked

[Lann Kirauc]

I am addicted to reading brilliantly conceived, well-drawn and involved stories with complex characters and intricately woven plots/subplots. Character introspection, etc. Couldn't conceive of never reading.

[imported_Taja Loraan]

band of brothers is available as books too?

[Sanis Prent]

Band of Brothers was written around 10 or so years ago by Stephen Ambrose, to chronicle the events around Easy Company, taken from historical archives, personal interviews, etc. The HBO miniseries was made 9 years later :)