mega thread What book are you reading?

[Finding_Marty 720]

13 minutes ago, Crypty Scribbles said:

Like Conan the Barbarian? That's awesome hah!

No, I never liked his image and I have never seen any serie nor read any comic book concerning him... Feels like I am coming from the Stone Age 

[Tao 7,506]

Elf Quest Vol 1 which is a VERY think book 

[Usual Crypty 4,719]

1 hour ago, Finding_Marty said:

No, I never liked his image and I have never seen any serie nor read any comic book concerning him... Feels like I am coming from the Stone Age 

Actually Conan has multiple images. It differs from natural leader with sharp mind and speaking many languages to uneducated almost nude man who can not read. Many writers wrote books about him, plus inconsistent movies, cartoons and comic books.

If we are talking about books, original stories by Robert Howard is important part of literature history as origin of heroic fantasy prose as a genre and I appreciate it a lot. ^•^ Even if they seem naive nowadays.

Edited July 15 by Crypty Scribbles

[Fluttershutter 2,398]

3 hours ago, Finding_Marty said:

I sometimes feel like a barbarian because I have never read Dante's Divine Comedy and I can imagine it's not easy. My guess is you need to be focused and have some knowledge about the medieval world to enjoy it...

It's not that hard, really. You've probably seen things based on it already where somebody travels through different levels of heaven and hell.

48 minutes ago, Crypty Scribbles said:

Actually Conan has multiple images. It differs from natural leader with sharp mind and speaking many languages to uneducated almost nude man who can not read. Many writers wrote books about him, plus inconsistent movies, cartoons and comic books.

If we are talking about books, original stories by Robert Howard is important part of literature history as origin of heroic fantasy prose as a genre and I appreciate it a lot. ^•^ Even if they seem naive nowadays.

Yep, that was fantasy even before LOTR and the beginnings of Sword and Sorcery. Have you ever read the Kull stories? I think I like them more than Conan.

[Otaku-sempai 425]

1 hour ago, Tao said:

Elf Quest Vol 1 which is a VERY think book 

Nice! I discovered ElfQuest back in the early days of the comic, also around the time I found Cerebus the Aardvark. 

   

Edited July 15 by Otaku-sempai

[Usual Crypty 4,719]

23 minutes ago, Fluttershutter said:

Have you ever read the Kull stories?

Only "By this Axe I Rule". Didn't know that there's many of them. I'll check it, thank you ^•^

[Finding_Marty 720]

27 minutes ago, Fluttershutter said:

It's not that hard, really. You've probably seen things based on it already where somebody travels through different levels of heaven and hell.

Yep, that was fantasy even before LOTR and the beginnings of Sword and Sorcery. Have you ever read the Kull stories? I think I like them more than Conan.

It's not that I have never heard about it. References to the book can be found in many places, even games. I just always wanted to read it

1 hour ago, Crypty Scribbles said:

Actually Conan has multiple images. It differs from natural leader with sharp mind and speaking many languages to uneducated almost nude man who can not read. Many writers wrote books about him, plus inconsistent movies, cartoons and comic books.

If we are talking about books, original stories by Robert Howard is important part of literature history as origin of heroic fantasy prose as a genre and I appreciate it a lot. ^•^ Even if they seem naive nowadays.

The only Conan image I know is a half-naked barbarian fighting with a sword which doesn't mean this is the only image. And the Howard's stories have had a huge impact on the literature. Together with The Chronicles of Narnia they led to a creation of the fantasy genre (or at least this is what I onced learnt :D).

[Otaku-sempai 425]

7 hours ago, Finding_Marty said:

It's not that I have never heard about it. References to the book can be found in many places, even games. I just always wanted to read it

The only Conan image I know is a half-naked barbarian fighting with a sword which doesn't mean this is the only image. And the Howard's stories have had a huge impact on the literature. Together with The Chronicles of Narnia they led to a creation of the fantasy genre (or at least this is what I onced learnt :D).

Robert E. Howard should probably be regarded as the father of modern Swords & Sorcery fantasy. C.S. Lewis' Narnia was a very different kind of fantasy, a precursor (along with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and others) to the Isekai genre infused with a heavy dose of allegory. And J.R.R. Tolkien basically invented modern high fantasy. 

[Fluttershutter 2,398]

8 hours ago, Crypty Scribbles said:

Only "By this Axe I Rule". Didn't know that there's many of them. I'll check it, thank you ^•^

There aren't as many stories as Conan, you can get them all in one book. Or they're also public domain.

[Finding_Marty 720]

9 hours ago, Otaku-sempai said:

Robert E. Howard should probably be regarded as the father of modern Swords & Sorcery fantasy. C.S. Lewis' Narnia was a very different kind of fantasy, a precursor (along with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and others) to the Isekai genre infused with a heavy dose of allegory. And J.R.R. Tolkien basically invented modern high fantasy. 

This is just something I learnt when I was preparing for my final oral exam from the literature. I guess that subdivision of the fantasy genre is much more complex than what I know  

[slavagotchiz 17]

Since my last response, I've been reading The Wasp Factory. I'm really enjoying it, it's very cruel but very good.

[Gun Metal Zebra 2,217]

I am currently reading Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman, Volume 2 (I finished the first volume recently).

[Arrlong28 726]

Vom Krieg (Of the War) by Carl Von Clausewitz, a General-philosopher from Prussia. Sun tzu and his Art of the war is nothing compared to this book.

[Crash_xox 259]

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes :3

[returned_dragon 135]

Started reading Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin again last night. Didn't make it very far due to fatigue and general laziness, but it's an interesting book all the same. 

Martin was a controversial figure in his own lifetime to put things mildly. If you are a fan of Coast to Coast AM or books dealing with the paranormal/supernatural it's a possibility that you are already familiar with him. As you might expect from the title, it deals with a number of supposedly real incidents involving demonic possessions that chiefly took place in the United States. Martin was himself once a Roman Catholic priest and Jesuit who worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls and even claimed to have been present at a real exorcism that took place in Egypt. Did he tell the truth about everything? Well, at least some parts of the book (the dialogue and thoughts) had to have been invented by Martin himself. 

With that said, a good deal of what he has to say about the ground rules of the subject appears fairly sober and seems to jive with what little I know of the subject. Martin claimed to have known quite a few people in the global wings of the church including some of the higher-ups, and I don't doubt at all that he had sometimes heard and seen some unusual things: I'm actually inclined to accept the broad outline of his work as having at least some basis in reality. I've heard historical writers express the opinion that historical fiction can at times reach the heart of a period better than a standard history or biography, and perhaps that is the case here as well.

Said to be based on real incidents, it likely represents a collection of rumors tailor-made to cater to the reading audience of that time period. Real or exaggerated, the stories are generally well-presented and managed to hold my attention on the first read. Martin's style is easy to handle without needless complication or undue trivialization of the subject matter. Not bad. 

[Starlight Serenade 2,972]

I just read "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera, and it's a poignant, heart-wrenching story that beautifully captures the fleeting nature of life. The main characters, Mateo and Rufus are relatable, and their final day together is both heartbreaking and life-affirming. This novel was a memorable exploration of love, friendship, and the value of living each moment to its fullest.

[Fluttershutter 2,398]

I started Notre-Dane de Paris, better known as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. I want to start reading more classics.

[returned_dragon 135]

On 2024-07-16 at 9:11 PM, slavagotchiz said:

Since my last response, I've been reading The Wasp Factory. I'm really enjoying it, it's very cruel but very good.

A book close to my heart. The protagonist's way of life reminded me of many aspects of my own younger years except for the "Murdering three children" part and maybe one or two other little things. 

Edited August 19 by returned_dragon

[Dark Horse 12,960]

The Importance of Being Interested by Robert Ince.

I do enjoy books that can be humorous and yet still deliver something factually intriguing and perhaps make you wish to explore a particular subject further.

[Crash_xox 259]

I'm reading The Hobbit by j.r.r. tolkien now!

[DebonedAngel 181]

I just got done with If I Was Your Girl, by Meredith Russo, and I just picked up The Seep, by Chana Porter, I'm looking forward to it a lot, it sounds... weird

[Dreambiscuit 9,575]

I’m reading ‘My Sister, St. Therese’ written by Celine Martin (aka Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face). As with all books on St Therese it’s wonderful beyond words, and the fact that it’s a personal account from her own sister, it presents information no one else had the privilege of knowing, until now. It makes a perfect companion to St. Therese’s autobiography ‘The Story of a Soul’, written by the saint under obedience to her superiors, and has since become one of the most widely read religious books in the world.

[Lucky Star 216 141]

I've watched the anime through a few times but this is my first time reading through the light novels. I got all of them on my cell phone and I'm reading them with a free Epub reader app. I'm liking it okay so far, but I think I still like the anime a bit more. It polished the story more than I would have guessed 

Still though, I'm hoping there some story stuff I haven't seen before and I'm looking forward to getting ahead of the anime and see what we're in for in season three. 

Edited September 30 by Lucky Star 216

[Crash_xox 259]

I just started The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, its pretty cool!

[Arrlong28 726]

I finished The art of War by Sun-Tzu and the "Tao Te King" of Lao-Tzu". Two classics of Chinese phylosophy, short and full of wisdom.

Now I'm reading "The beginner Companion To XiangQi (Chinese Chess)"... Beginner yet 596 pages long... This game is complex as Western Chess. Or even more complex.