02-07-2011, 03:44 PM | #8146 | ||
ZCD BombShel
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02-07-2011, 04:44 PM | #8147 | |
Maria Schneider
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I am probably not the right person to name names, but I'll start with Joshua Bell. That's just one example. I am pretty sure there are other, including in literature (although my idea of genius there, is BOUND to differ from anyone elses for the most part.) |
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02-07-2011, 07:25 PM | #8148 |
Wizzard
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Finished Ha'Penny and Half a Crown, which concludes Jo Walton's excellent alternate-universe post-WWII fascist Britain murder mystery/political thriller/upper-class twit-lit crossover trilogy.
2nd book of the lot was the best, although the 3rd did take things to an interesting conclusion, although I'm not so sure that Britain could Spoiler:
. But then, they've had 20 years to get sick of things and perhaps I underestimate my fellow Commonwealthers.
In any case, a chilling and perhaps spot-on set of tales with a certain applicability to the US situation in recent years (probably part of why it's written) and it turns out that Jo Walton, though Welsh, now lives in Canada, so that gives me additional incentive to highly recommend these books and will be purchasing Ha'Penny myself when Kobo comes up with a good coupon, though not Half a Crown since it's ridiculously priced at $16 for the e-book edition of a book that's been out in MMPB for years. Also finished Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's The Godmother's Apprentice, the not-so-good sequel to her very good urban fantasy The Godmother. While it was nice to see how the characters were getting on, this basically takes everything that was original and interestingly different about the first novel and makes it more generically fantasy cliché-ish and thus indistinguishable from the host of other ooh-ancient-Celtic-legends-are-coming-to-life-in-Ireland-and-you-a-modern-person-must-save-the-day books which already litter the field. I also docked it points for rendering practically all the dialogue spoken by Irish people in phonetic spelling. I don't really care if actual Irish people really do speak like they're auditioning to replace the Lucky Charms leprechaun's voiceover actor. Oi jus' don' wan' t'be readin' entoire paragraphs uff wha ye think 's how it soun's 'coz 'tis rilly rilly irritatin'. I was thinking of tackling the third Godmother book next, but now I think I'll go cleanse my palate with some more Sherlock Holmes mash-ups first. |
02-07-2011, 07:40 PM | #8149 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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It's actually a deal-breaker for me. I can't read that sort of thing for any length of time. |
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02-07-2011, 08:11 PM | #8150 |
Cockney Sci-Fi Geek!
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I found it can work, for example the Roddy Doyle books and Frank McCourt are good examples of this.
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02-07-2011, 08:17 PM | #8151 | |
Is that a sandwich?
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I'm always looking for "WOW" book. Thanks. |
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02-07-2011, 09:10 PM | #8152 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Cheers, Marc |
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02-07-2011, 09:21 PM | #8153 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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I am less enamoured of his Ilium/Olympos duology, though I'd have happily read an entire novel based around dialogue between the moravecs Mahnmut and Orphu. Cheers, Marc |
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02-07-2011, 09:25 PM | #8154 |
The Dank Side of the Moon
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That's when I read it as well Marc. And I'll never forgive Simmons for letting them publish it that way, particularly the marketing of it as a "novel" which it clearly was not.
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02-07-2011, 09:36 PM | #8155 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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So, as always, I acknowledge that my opinion on Hyperion as a self-contained novel may not be shared by the majority. Cheers, Marc |
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02-07-2011, 09:43 PM | #8156 |
Maria Schneider
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I finished Munce Milrose and the Den of Professional Help by Douglas Anthony Cooper. It had a very good plot/storyline, but egads, it went on and on in spots. It's YA, but has some rather pretentious characters, so I'm not sure if some of the word choices would just make a young adult rather bored. Overall, a very good story; I wish it could have been tighter. I know the purpose was to drop subtle humor, puns and whatnot , but I did have to skim parts. I haven't the patience for all the subtle jokes/sarcasm; thus some paragraphs (while I'm sure they were quite clever) got skipped.
This book was highly recommended on several Amazon forum threads. It's a decent read and cute, and I think those who enjoy layers of jokes, and sort of a dense poking at status quo or authority would get even more out of it than I did. |
02-07-2011, 09:44 PM | #8157 | |
The Dank Side of the Moon
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02-07-2011, 09:46 PM | #8158 | |
Indie Advocate
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Regards Caleb |
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02-07-2011, 09:57 PM | #8159 | |
Enthusiast
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Oh, I absolutely loved the ending to Hyperion. Even without a definite resolution, I think it feels very right, as if it was really meant to end that way. Did Simmons write a sequel out of reader/publisher pressure, or was it always part of the plan? I'd be curious to know. If there hadn't been a sequel, I would have been happy with just that one book. But yes, having one available made me want to keep reading. |
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02-07-2011, 10:02 PM | #8160 | ||
Grand Sorcerer
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I have the large tome that is Simmons' Carrion Comfort. I actually bought it before Hyperion, attracted by the title (a poem I like), but managed to put it aside. It's still there, waiting to be opened. I've no idea what general opinion is of it. Oh, and in a large swing back to direct topicality, I am currently reading A Room With A View, by E.M. Forster, and the current Book Club February selection. I'm really enjoying it, and somewhat obliged to read it seeing as I helped nominate it for voting (and then voted for it). Cheers, Marc |
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