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 Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:22 am
I thought this qualified more as member-specific than writing-specific, so I stuck it in here.
We're overdue for one of these, so: who are some of your favorite writers? What are some of your favorite books? Why?
I don't think I have an all-time favorite I would destroy planets for a slice of their talent eek fiction writer, although I'm rather fond of Amy Tan. Her stories are formula (daughter takes mother for granted and mother reveals her Difficult and Secret Past in China, which brings them closer together), but her writing style really appeals to me -- it's to the point, it says a lot without actually saying a lot, it's clear, it's concise. It works well with the Chinese superstitions and lore usually brought into the stories, too; instead of explaining completely why it's this way, it just is and it makes sense. I freaking love it when I can read something and it just is and makes sense.
It's hard for me to pick absolute favorite books, although some constant favorites have been The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Thief Lord, and Doyle's Holmes stories. If I had to pick an all-time favorite, I'd probably say Jane Eyre. That book really brought me into reading and made me appreciate character development and interactions.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:06 pm
Isaac Asimov. Duh. I also love, as far as sci-fi, Robert Heinlein, Arthur Clarke, and Jules Verne.
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Vladimir Nabokov, they both have that delicious Russian style. Nabokov is amazinger though. Thomas Hardy and D H Lawrence also fall into this category, because they are obsessed with Death and Sex.
Richard Brautigan, of course. I love the way he writes. Wally Lamb. Lamb has great, twisty, complicated, stretched-out plots that involve psychological stuff and and and... the characters, they are Realistic.
And H L Mencken and Bill Bryson. Ooh, and Rudolph Flesch.
Favorite books, uh, lessee. The Idiot, Robot Visions (I love everything by Isaac Asimov, but that was the first thing I read, so), I Know This Much is True, Jane Eyre, Lolita, In Watermelon Sugar, Sombrero Fallout, Willard And His Bowling Trophies,(Possibly the most hilarious thing I've read from Brautigan), Next of Kin, A Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:46 pm
I forgot Dostoevsky! The Idiot is just a ball of brilliance and wonderful.
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:43 pm
Diana Wynne Jones and Sarah Monette! And yes, I would destroy planets for a slice of their talent. eek Which I know is completely silly, because the two aren't even two sides of the same coin. They're two sides of two totally different coins from countries all the way across the globe from each other, they're so very opposite. And yet I love them both.
Jones for (usually) the general innocence of the story in general, and the way she doesn't have to explain her magic systems, The Just Work, Dammit. And her apparent fixation with flamboyant men, since there's at least one in almost every one of her books. And she's British, and likes to subvert tropes.
Aaaand Monette because my God, that woman is smart. She manages first-person narrative really well, worldbuilds like a maniac even when she's just pulling random facts out of her a**, she actually does her research, believes that fantasy can be intellectually stimulating, and Doesn't Need a Map. And she subverts tropes, too.
I've always been a fan of C.S. Lewis, more for nostalgic reasons than anything else. I really need to read his other books aside from the Chronicles of Narnia.
And I love Doyle's Holmes stories, naturally (still working my way through that brick--I mean book--you gave me, Erika. ^_^).
And from there I'll probably have to descend into specific books:
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Secret Sacrament by Sherryl Jordan
Montmorency and Montmorency on the Rocks by Eleanor Updale
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
Sorcery and Cecilia by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede
And if there are any more, I'd have to run upstairs and grab my booklist to remember just how much I love them. sweatdrop
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Distinct Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 3:49 pm
Fantasy that doesn't suck? Writers who do their homework? You have definitely piqued my interest. Perhaps my loss of faith at the hands of deserts that stayed hot all night for no reason will be undone!
Anyways, at the moment, I simply adore Ghostwalk by Rebecca Scott, and Focault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco is a longtime favorite of mine.
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 6:15 am
Don't listen to her, Kita! Monette, I couldn't, it was, there flames, on the side of my face... !
I didn't hate it. It wasn't even strong enough for a fiery passionate hatred, that book. I just couldn't finish it. It was awful. I wouldn't assassinate it. I would murder it -- a tawdry little crime.
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:25 pm
Lies! Slanderous lies!
Okay, I'll admit that Monette's work isn't for everyone. Either you love it or you hate it. I love it, and I recommend that people try it, but I understand if you hate it. Hell, I hated it when I first tried it. Now I just hate how addicted I am to it.
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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 7:56 am
Call of the Wild, Jack London
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, Douglas Adams
Mort, The Fifth Elephant, Thud!, Carpe Jugulum, Night Watch, The Last Continent, Thief of Time, Pyramids and The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, Terry Pratchett
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson (thank you, Erika, for making me read it. =P *holds up her two copies*)
Do comics and/or short stories count? Because then:
Jonny The Homicidal Maniac, Jhonen Vasquez
"Cool Air", "The Hound" and "The Other", H.P. Lovecraft
Can't think of any others off the top of my head, unfortunately. I know there are more.
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:29 pm
If we're counting comics/graphic novels, then I should mention that I adore the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. I haven't read the Death series yet, but if my sister's family moves in with us I'll definitely have a chance to borrow them from my brother-in-law.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:37 pm
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It is amazing.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:49 pm
The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce, because I have always wanted to talk to animals and I adore Numair.
"The Boarded Window," a short story by Ambrose Bierce. Very creepy, and makes for a very good forensics piece.
Le Morte D'Arthur, especially the Book of Sir Tristram of Lyoness.
Timeline and Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE MOVIES!! I'm in love with Andre Marek and Ian Malcolm.
And... dare I say it? I'm one of those Tolkien people. I would destroy worlds for his mad worldbuilding skillz.
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 5:11 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 6:51 pm
TWILIGHT SERIES!!! LOL! EDWARD IS SO SMEXY!
*Cough* NO.
Anyways....I don't have very many favorite books. I guess. I don't know. Hard to pick. But here are a few that I have loved:
The Hitckhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Who doesn't love this book? I mean, seriously.)
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (The Mock Turtle is my favorite character. :3)
Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino (Childrens book. I've loved it since I was little.)
The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich (The only mystery series I've ever loved.)
Clay by David Almond (A great horror novel. I found it very interesting.)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (I loved the movie, but the book was just so much more interesting.)
A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, & Other Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack & Dinah Mack (This is helping my write a book. :3)
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:52 am
Speaking of fantasy that doesn't suck, I heartily reccomend the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. They are:
Dealing with Dragons
Searching for Dragons
Calling for Dragons
Talking to Dragons
You just have to love a fantasy series that starts out with the Princess purposely getting herself kidnapped by a dragon, and not because she's emo about being a metaphor for imprisoned beauty. Also, the evil wizards weakness is lemon dish soap.
For something a little darker, please see The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King or The Thief of Always by Clive Barker.
I also have nostalgia issues with Narnia. However, I have no desire to read anything else C.S. wrote. And while we're on nostalgia trips, the 14 book Wizard of Oz series kept me busy for a whole summer. (In case you can't tell, I read a LOT when I was young.) Also, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle is very good. The sequels, however, quickly dissolve into Plot-hammer heavy Christian allegory, and not the good kind.
More favorite stories might be posted in the future, that's enough for now.
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Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:15 pm
Yay, we've another HMC fan!
And with that...*descends back into a hardcore Monette-lovin' Doctrine of Labyrinths fangirl trip*
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