Books

[wolf_wizard]

I have read the Bartimaes trilogy, adn I really enjoyed it. I liked his wicked sense of humor.

Anyway, meteorite, in your sig, you know the quote from A Wizard of Earthsea- that reminded me to mention those books. I personally enjoyed them... anyway, sorry for such a shortpost, but I really gotta go now- dai all.

[Kathy Li]

Really liked Old Man's War and most go find the rest of Scalzi's books. Sigh. So many books. So little time.

I enjoy the Temeraire novels (especially the Patrick O'Brian bits), but when we hit China in the third one, I knew we were in trouble. Serious weirdnesses abound in it, and the more you know about China and Chinese culture/language, the worse off it gets. For most folks, there won't be any problem. But for me there was some weird cognitive dissonance going on. I got to complain about the worst one to Novik at Worldcon.

She airily told me that she "just took out the apostrophes" from the Wade-Giles (when she was using Wade-Giles and wasn't confusing it with Pin-Yin, which she does in Temeraire's Chinese name, which is, like, on every frickin' page). I just sort of gaped when she said that. Because in Wade-Giles, an apostrophe isn't for elision--it's to indicate a different sound--in essence, a different letter (which is why we like Pinyin better these days. Pinyin just uses different letters).

And that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about that.

My only other criticism of Novik's Temeraire novels (and it's a minor quibble) is that sometimes, particularly in the aerial combat sequences, the dragons feel more like aircraft than they do beings of sinew, blood, and bone.

[Mel]

For Christmas I just got Little Men (Louisa May Alcott), twilight series, this one little book called...eh, well, I can't remember (or find it) but it has something to do with dragons... it's actually sort of cute, and surprisingly funny, but it's merely brain-candy, you know?

Oh, and I got this poetry book by Air Mask. It's very good, actually. It's not very--different in terms of structure. It's not very good poetry, form wise. I guess, the reason I really like it...is 'cause it's so--blunt. It's really truthful. Truth just shines out of it, like you can see it. It's sort of strange, I've never seen that before, but...you can just see it, almost. It's very very cool. It's very powerful, too. Altogether I good book to get your hands on, if you can.

[meteorite]

OK, kli, you got some 'splainin to do...

Just got my secondhand copy of The Black Swan, and there is some serious swash about to be buckled! I'm miffed that it was out of print; this copy looks like it was laundered at least once, and I paid more for it than new.

I bow to your superior knowledge of Chinese re: usage in Temeraire; since I don't know Chinese at all, it bothered me very little as I was reading. I do, however, agree with your assessment of Novik's handling of dragons in combat. They seem more like giant dirigibles whose main purpose is to tote their crews, rather than intelligent beings who might have a reaction to being shot.

I am presently reading Laurie R. King's newest, Touchstone, and already want a sequel. I'm trying desperately to remember in what context I had seen Bennett Grey before...

[Kathy Li]

What, meteorite, did you need 'splaining of?

But, in case it was Temeraire's Chinese name, she spells it out as "Lung Tien Xiang," saying that Tien is for Celestials, and Lung is for dragon.

Lung is Wade-Giles for the character for dragon. Pinyin is Long and it's pronounced with an "oo"-like vowel sound.

Tien is also Wade-Gilesish, although it should properly be T'ien. And the Pinyin for this character is Tian.

Xiang (and it's anybody's guess which character this one is, as there are 25 possibilities) is Pinyin. In Wade-Giles it would be Hsiang.

So, it should be either Lung T'ien Hsiang or Long Tian Xiang, not the in-between weirdness she came up with.

Sorry to hear you had to go expensive with the Sabatini... but aren't you a librarian? Didn't it occur t you to borrow it from a library first? I suppose I should also have given a warning that Sabatini's heroines tend to be rather wimpish and fainting for modern tastes (better than Dumas heroines, though). That's why I also read Dorothy Dunnett.

[Clara]

Kli, may I ask what exacly you are talking about?? You lost me on all the chinese, and the reason you were explianing all of those names! (tell me if i am being rude) Anyways, Yah I read the Bartimuse Trilogy and it was great, I also recomend Pendragon!

[wolf_wizard]

Ummm, i think that she was explaining names and stuff from a book for meteorite. I really don't know about the book, so I didn't read that part, but I think that if you haven't read the book you won't understand.I didn't anyway. So, in the Bartimaes trilogy who was your favorite character? I don't know who mine is. Kitty- Bartimaes- Nathaniel- Kitty- Bartimaes- Nathaniel...

[Ash78]

Let's see...what am I reading now?...oh yeah! Currently I'm reading Septimus Heap (Magyk, Flyte, and Physik)by Angie Sage. Anyone ever read them? It's set in a fantasy world, with castles, wizards, witches, magical creatures, and darke magyk (as it's spelt). The books are pretty interesting, because you follow a couple of characters around through a few years of their life, and it's a book that your'e just like "ok, I know this has to happen." but then smething else comes along and your'e like "well, maybe that won't happen" and by then your'e hooked and you have to keep reading. I also got this really cool book about planets and stars, for Christmas. It talks about all the different kinds of stars, multiple galaxies, the planets (it still has Pluto! ),and of course, the unknown. I'm in the process of re-decorating my room (by redecorating I mean putting pictures on the walls) and I'm copying just about every page in the book to put on my wall/ceiling. What's even cooler is that alot of things that are mentioned in the YW series are in the books (the Magellanic Cloud, the Milky Way, all the planets, time warps...sorta...and white holes...rest in peace, the loveably clueless white hole, Fred )
Anyway, just had to get that out there. Oh yeah! Does anyone have suggestions that a twenty-year-old-hasn't-been-updated-since-the-1900's library would have. I've read through the wholu library (it's small, or so I think, unlike my sister, who thinks I nuts to like reading at all *gasp*, but my friends think that too, except for the one who does read)But, if anyone has any older-ish kinds of book recommendations, I'd be grateful (cause Ray is sick of using his card to get me books from the next town over; that's just because we each read 5-10 books a week, and we have semi-different tastes, so when he walks out with 10-20 books in his arms, he gets weird looks (which I think he would get anyway)and he told me to tell yo that, cause he's really sick of it)(and now he's yelling at me for telling you that he told me to tell you)
I gotta go...my day just got a little bit better

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

I'll bet your library would have some of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers. I started with The Nine Tailors, but my favorites were the Harriet Vane books: Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, Gaudy Night, and Busman's Honeymoon. Sayers develops the characters of her principals (and her walk-ons, for that matter) as much as she does the plot, so they're really fun to read. Strong Poison isn't as good as the later ones, IMHO, but you really need it to set them up. Gaudy Night is my favorite. It takes place at Oxford in the early 30s (I think), so it shows a very different picture of university life than I went through. The mystery is almost a minor part of the full story (which is why I couldn't stand the BBC adaptation, which pared all the other material away).

[wolf_wizard]

I've read the Septimus Heap books. I thought the second one was the worst (they are all good books though; don't get me wrong) I also got a really awesome book about outer space. and it_is_huge. umm, and Ray isn't the only one who gets odd looks by carrying out "to many" books. umm, I normally get at least 9 a week and people look at me oddly. It's sad not many people around you like to read. They don't know what they are missing out on. I would hate that. Sorry.

[Kathy Li]

Clara, wolf_wizard, I was indeed explaining about something in the Naomi Novik Temeraire books, specifically the third one, Throne of Jade.

Garrett--oh, now you've done it. You mentioned Wimsey! I'm with Garrett--absolutely love love love the Lord Peter Wimsey books, but would actually recommend that you read them in publication order, since they get better as they go. If you start with the Harriet Vanes, and then go back, you'll be disappointed. The first Wimsey novel is Whose Body?. And you have my permission to skip Five Red Herrings and The Documents in the Case.

I love Gaudy Night best, too, but I think it's closely followed by Busman's Honeymoon, The Nine Tailors, Murder Must Advertise, and Have His Carcase for me.

And even though it managed to throw some of the best bits out, and (yes) mangled Gaudy Night, I'd still recommend the 1980's BBC version with Edward Petherbridge as Peter Wimsey and Harriet Walter as Harriet Vane. If only because Petherbridge is perfect as Wimsey, and because Walter is perfect as Harriet. And Have His Carcase is a near-perfect adaptation by Rosemary Anne-Sisson.

I also really wish that someone had videotaped the Lyric Hammersmith production of Gaudy Night (they used the DLS & Muriel St. Clare Byrne play version) with Petherbridge and his real-life wife, Emily Richard.

If you already know and love Dorothy L. Sayers, I would then recommend Dorothy Dunnett to you. I tend to shorthand describe Dunnett as "Dorothy L. Sayers crossed with Rafael Sabatini."

[Emi]

Has anyone read The Catcher In the Rye By J D Salinger?? Some of you might, but I think that's probably one of the books I liked reading in school. Sure it's probably really repulsive from all the vulgar language, but I love all the morals the character has in the story... Also, I found it quite funny.

I don't know any really older books, I've only been reading YA. I like the A Great and Terrible Beauty Trilogy by Libba Bray. I find it fascinating because it's set in the end of the Victorian times to when the Women suffragists in America really start picking up. A great book about breaking out of the social norm and becoming who you really want to be. It won the Flume Award in my state. I don't know what that means but it's supposed to be good.

[Kathy Li]

I've read Catcher in the Rye. I liked it, too. I finally got around, a few years ago, to digging out the rest of Salinger's books and reading them. I think I enjoyed Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenter and Seymour: An Introduction more than Nine Stories or Franny And Zooey, but it's all good. And, of course, it does make you wonder why he stopped writing.

Not to mention, reading Salinger always makes reading W.P. Kinsella's Shoeless Joe (the book that Field of Dreams was based on) that much more fun, since in the novel, the famous recluse author who no longer writes is Salinger.

Ok, I finished Old Man's War and immediately tore through The Ghost Brigades. I'm thinking I like this Scalzi chap. Damn, now I have to wait for The Last Colony to come out in paperback in April...

Ash78--Some pre-1900 guys wrote pretty decent books. I'd recommend Wilkie Collins, if the 1900 mark rules out Dorothy Sayers. She loved Wilkie Collins. Armadale is a mystery novel full of twists and turns and more than one surprise. I love the fact that one of the characters is not using his real name, and chooses "Ozias Midwinter" as his alias, because, honestly, who would ever suspect a name that bizarre to be false? Great fun.

I'd also recommend Georgette Heyer, if you want something a little girlier. She's who you read when you've run out of Jane Austen. Her novels from the 1920s are more Sabatini/Dumas type historical adventure (The Masqueraders, The Talisman Ring) while her books from the '40s and '50s tend to be more Jane Austenish domestic comedy (The Grand Sophy, Sylvester or the Wicked Uncle, Civil Contract) with the occasional gothic suspense novel, but they're all a lot of fun.

If you like swashbucklers, then Rafael Sabatini is the go-to guy. Captain Blood, The Black Swan, Scaramouche, The Sea Hawk--they're all a blast. I recommend Scaramouche for starters. It's the book that made him famous.

And then there's Damon Runyon. Guys and Dolls is likely to be the title you'd recognize, but the stories are quite different from the musical (although the musical is based on them). They're very New York of the '20s and '30s. Full of gangsters and molls and sometimes violent, sometimes comedic and silly, and always worth reading. (Not to mention that Runyon is currently guest starring in The Big Meow).

Also, if you need a YA fantasy, go ahead and laugh, but I recommend Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Most people think they know it--without ever having read either version. They're pretty much basing things on the Disney flick or having seen a production of the play. But if you read the play, you'll find a great many things in the stage directions that you may not have known, and of course, those same things are also in the (later) novel.

Oh, and one more hoary old classic. Ellen Terry and Bernard Shaw: A Correspondence. Terrific stuff. Makes reading Captain Brassbound's Conversion much more interesting afterwards, since he wrote it for her. I loved reading all of Shaw's plays when I was in my teens.

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by kli6:
And even though it managed to throw some of the best bits out, and (yes) mangled Gaudy Night, I'd still recommend the 1980's BBC version with Edward Petherbridge as Peter Wimsey and Harriet Walter as Harriet Vane. If only because Petherbridge is perfect as Wimsey, and because Walter is perfect as Harriet.

Semi-random digression: the other day, we were watching the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol. As the credits rolled, I was watching them casually, when one of the names caught my attention. I rewound (yes, I do still own a few tapes) and yes: that was indeed Lord Peter Wimsey trying to collect money from Scrooge at the beginning. :-) I couldn't recognize him as Wimsey, though, because he was playing a completely different character. Patrick Stewart, otoh, has been playing sexybaldcaptain in everything I've seen him in, except for Conspiracy Theory -- that one was creepy.

[AlidaART]

Ah, kli, I've just discovered Heyer and I'm devouring her novels. I've read Cotillion (absolutely delightful), Cousin Kate (melodramatic, but fun), Black Sheep (I loved the main female character), Friday's Child (completely hilarious), and The Corinthian (more swashbuckling but so much fun). I'm just now starting Venetia, and there's two more shelves of Heyer novels sitting in my public library.

I'm also reading The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay for an English class on Pulitzer Prize winners. So far so good, but we'll see how I feel in a couple weeks.