My name is...

Chiffed · Post by **Chiffed** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:59 pm

Thanks for the sci-fi suggestions! I'm a big fan of pulpier SF, and I usually have an old short-story anthology on the go. It's always nice to find a long-lost PK Dick story when you're least expecting it.

RonKiley · Post by **RonKiley** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:08 pm

My name is Ron. I have seen all the LOTR, all of the Star Wars and all of Harry Potter. Who is Woody Allen?

Ron

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:12 pm

Nice one, Ron.

I forgot to mention I have all the HP books and DVDs. I also like The Wind in the Willows and the Alice books by Carroll.

djm

missy · Post by **missy** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:23 pm

well - if we're gonna talk animals:

How about Watership Down and the Redwall series?

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:25 pm

djm wrote:I forgot to mention I have all the HP books and DVDs. I also like The Wind in the Willows and the Alice books by Carroll.

Ok, here's where I show my dorkiness. I'm an English major who is infatuated with children's literature. Lewis Carroll is my personal hero. The Neverending Story is my favorite book ever. I've probably read the Phantom Tollbooth twenty times. Also, Shel Silverstein is brilliant. The Harry Potter books were okay, but I don't connect with them like I do the others.

If you want some EXCELLENT reading, I suggest The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll. A far cry from today's children's literature, to be sure.

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:33 pm

Congrats, I cannot say I am a "total" children's books fan. I have read all of Carroll's works, and prefer just the two Alice books. I have never been able to get into the Narnia stories or Pooh books. Watership Down was an interesting concept, but most of his books are too dull for me. There's a reason why some books are hits and others by the same author are not.

The HP books are not without major flaws, to be sure. The review at the end of each book is tiresome, to say the least. But I enjoyed the concepts and the sense of humour throughout. I read the fourth one first, just to see what all the kerfuffle was about. I enjoyed that so much I ran out and got the rest. I am now one of those dopes waiting with baited breath for the last book (and my breath leaves much to be desired).

djm

RonKiley · Post by **RonKiley** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:24 pm

I am borrowing the latest book from my grand daughter this week. I will also be looking forward to the last book. I have made a resolution to read the Chronicles of Narnia but I haven't gotten to it yet. I loved the LoTRs but the Silmarillion is boring and disjointed but I have a first edition first printing.

Ron

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:45 pm

RonK wrote:the Silmarillion is boring and disjointed but I have a first edition first printing.

It doesn't get any better. Remember, it was patched together by his son, and was never really a complete book in itself. When you wade through all the other books his son has published, you can see what mountians of material had accumulated, with numerous retellings of each part. I think this stuff is okay as background material, but I don't find any entertainment value in it.

djm

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:29 pm

rebl_rn wrote:
Cynth wrote:My worst thing is that I am reading "The Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon for the second time in not too many years. It was located in the "Romance" section of the bookstore where I got it.
Hey, Cynth, I'm in the middle of re-reading "Outlander", too! After reading "A Breath of Snow and Ashes" I just had to go back and start from the beginning.

I didn't realize another one had come out! I thought it was still a long way off for some reason. It looks like it is still in hardback, so I guess I'll wait. I'm so glad you mentioned it though!!!

Maybe after the first of the year it will come out in paperback. Wheeee!

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:51 pm

Cynth wrote:Maybe after the first of the year it will come out in paperback. Wheeee!

Might try checking it out from a library.

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:30 pm

I really love Watership Down. I even had a huge French Lop I named "Silflay", but, I liked "The Plague Dogs" the best.

I will never forget reading "Alice" to my girls. Reading that as an adult is very intresting.

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 3:24 am

RonKiley wrote:Who is Woody Allen?

Wasn't he the cowboy in Toy Story?

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 5:44 am

missy wrote:well - if we're gonna talk animals:

How about Watership Down and the Redwall series?

Watership Down was is a mighty book, but I am not too certain I would read it to someone younger than, say, eight?

FIVER LIVES!!!

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:03 am

Wormdiet wrote:
jsluder wrote:
djm wrote:Have you noticed how old the recommended sci-fi/fantasy books on this thread are? Would anyone agree that the field has fallen into a sad rehash of earlier themes/ideas? How many take-offs of take-offs do we have to churn through before we get something new and worthwhile contemplating again?
Try George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels (not yet completed).

Then there's Robert Jordan, if a pointless, endless, incoherent, rambling slog of half-baked ideas and shallow stereotypes is apealing. . . .

Oh hell...I tried to read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (should have been Ray of Time; never comes full circle, never ends, never really resolves itself, goes on and on and on...I'm sure that if The Neverending Story wasn't taken, he'd have named it that!). Got through four books and said "fergetit!" It seemed like all Jordan's books are the same damn book over and over and over and over...I even picked up his most recent one (how many are there now in the WoT series, ten?) and read the plot summary: I could have sworn that I'd read it before...

Even if Jordan were ever to write anything else besides the WoT series, I doubt I'd ever bother reading it.

Flydood...yeah I wish Romero had been on board for Dawn of the Dead too...I sure like the sprinting Zombie idea though, makes them much more scary. I love the way they did the rooftop scene in the remake!

I really liked the zombies in 28 Days Later (yeah, I know, the writer and director say it's not a zombie film, but it fits the criteria in my book) and the whole idea behind an "infection" being spread, zombifying people.
Land of the Dead, what can I say, Romero gets better and better with every film! I hear tell that the same studio that did the remake of Dawn is going to do another remake of Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead to bring some continuity to the modern series of zombie films. i hope that Romero comes on board with them for those remakes.
Shaun of the Dead was a total scream (no pun intended). LMFAO! I loved all the subtle references to other zombie films!
If you like Romero's work, check out the music video that he directed for The Misfits...I think it's called Scream.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:58 am

Tyler,

I don't know if I'd want another remake of NOLD. I really liked the remake they already remade. Especially the Barbara character. She was the roxxors. Much better than the original Barbara. Oh, and Harry Cooper was a little more likeable even if he was dispicable. I still think the basement was a good place to hide.