BOOKS

[riverbelow]

i was just wondering what books everyone liked to read. i just got fininshed with augusten burroughs-running with scissors, and i really liked it. it was kind of an omg too much info thing in some parts, but kind of astonishing in a way. but a great book its kind of mortifying and hilarious at the same time.

i just ordered prozac nation-elizabeth wurtzel. i thought the movie was great and heard that the book was even better. the movie scared me because it was so real, it hit close to home.

 

[jauggy]

I'm currently reading The Stand, by Stephen King. My favourite series is Harry Potter.

 

[whatawaster]

Yeah Augusten Burroughs is pretty funny (aren't they turning that into a movie?) I also enjoyed his other books -Magical Thinking, and Dry.

I've been reading some memoirs lately, i also like:

- Bleachy Haired honky bitch, by Hollis Gillespie
- Me Talk pretty One day, by David Sedaris

They're sort of similar in style to Augusten Burroughs.

And i love the Adrian Mole diaries. I also recommend A prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving (it's a bit slow at the start but it's worth it).

 

[riverbelow]

i havent heard about the movie. david sedaris is on my list of authors to read, thank you for the suggestions.

 

[Nice2MeetU]

I just finished reading Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy (Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass) and it was extremely well-written and interesting. The only thing that bothered me was the bittersweet ending

 

[boodizm]

Just finished Antony Beevor's Stalingrad, which was about the turning point in the German Army's advances in the east during WW2. It is a good representation of the kind of books i like to read, being history in general, but i'm reading alot of military history at the moment.
My next read that I just bought today is about the line of Tibet's 'Karmapas' or spiritual heads of the country, it also goes into Chinas occupation there, should be interesting.

Next time I'm snooping round the bookstore i will have a look for the author you mentioned, riverbelow.

 

[Horatio]

I think a have a similiar taste in books as boodizm, I too am a fan of historical non-fiction. Is Antony Beever the author who also wrote a best selling book on the battle for Berlin?

My usual preference is for historical fiction, especially books set in the 19th century

I also collect old books as I love the style of writing, the words they use, the old printing methods and the fact that you can open an old book and smell the 18th century bleeding from the paper!!!

 

[boodizm]

That's right Horatio, he wrote that book and I think another one about Paris post-occupation. In Stalingrad, Beevor mentions a Russian reporter by the name of Vassily Grossman who I have heard wrote some good books, have you by any chance read any of them?
I imagine you've read the odd Patrick O'Brian book too, how are these? I plan to read those series of books after the one about Tibet.

 

[cLavain]

Yeah, the Stalingrad book was pretty good. Hitler sure fumbled up the Russian campaign...

Btw, can you history buffs recommend any good books on the Roman Empire, preferably something that gives a good overview, especially of its origin?

 

[boodizm]

Hey clavain, you might want to look at one of Livy (Livius) many books, either The early history of Rome, The Rise of Rome or one of his other many books about Roman History in general. There may be others but he is the one i've read.
Btw clavain you might also like a novel by the name of Pompeii by Robert Harris. It's fiction but gives a great account of what day to day life must have been like in a Roman city with the power, politics and money. I finished it not long ago and I definitely recommend it.

 

[Horatio]

That's right Horatio, he wrote that book and I think another one about Paris post-occupation. In Stalingrad, Beevor mentions a Russian reporter by the name of Vassily Grossman who I have heard wrote some good books, have you by any chance read any of them?
I imagine you've read the odd Patrick O'Brian book too, how are these? I plan to read those series of books after the one about Tibet.

yeah Patrick O'Brian novels are pretty good, my father has a whole bookshelf of them back at home. he wrote the stories that "Master and Commander" were based on

I havent read any of Vassily Grossman's books but they do sound interesting

 

[riverbelow]

i looked it up and they have just completed the Running With Scissors movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439289/

Annette Bening .... Deirdre Burroughs
Gwyneth Paltrow .... Hope
Jill Clayburgh .... Agnes Finch
Brian Cox .... Dr. Finch
Joseph Fiennes .... Neil Bookman
Evan Rachel Wood .... Natalie
Alec Baldwin .... Norman Burroughs
Joseph Cross .... Augusten Burroughs
Kristin Chenoweth .... Fern
Heather Clark .... Michelle
Beth Grant .... Winnie
Colleen Camp .... Joan

all of the other cast is on the website.

 

[GIOLANDA]

Doesn't anybody like mystery books? I'm crazy about them. The Bible is first for me,but after that,I'm an Agatha Christie fan. I've read many of her books and my favourite is "Ten little indians". I also like Mary Higgings Clark very much,especially the "Loves music,loves to dance".

 

[kattness]

i think your really like prozac nation, i sure did.
i do read alot i gotta say -
at the moment im reading "self made man" by norah vincent. about a reporter who went undercover as a man for 18 months.

some of my favs overall include,

girl interrupted by susanna kaysen (the movie is also great)
the professor n the madman, the catcher in the rye, little girl lost by drew barrymore,the bell jar,the dice man, sybil,

im really into depressing/thinky books. though i also loved cofessions of an heiress by paris hilton....

 

[riverbelow]

oh yes i loved prozac nation, its really a great book. i saw the movie before i read the book, and had heard that she didn't like the way they did the movie. and after reading the book i can see why, they made her look really bad and it was really nothing like the book.

 

[cLavain]

Hey clavain, you might want to look at one of Livy (Livius) many books, either The early history of Rome, The Rise of Rome or one of his other many books about Roman History in general. There may be others but he is the one i've read.
Btw clavain you might also like a novel by the name of Pompeii by Robert Harris. It's fiction but gives a great account of what day to day life must have been like in a Roman city with the power, politics and money. I finished it not long ago and I definitely recommend it.

I had completely forgotten about this thread! Sorry, and thanks for the tip. I've looked at the books by Titus Livius, but I'm a bit concerned about the fact that he was Roman himself. Can he be trusted to portray events as a partial observer? The books might also be hard to read because of archaic language?
I've also been looking at The History of Rome by Michael Grant.

 

[Quixote]

I had completely forgotten about this thread! Sorry, and thanks for the tip. I've looked at the books by Titus Livius, but I'm a bit concerned about the fact that he was Roman himself. Can he be trusted to portray events as a partial observer? The books might also be hard to read because of archaic language?
I've also been looking at The History of Rome by Michael Grant.

Whether he can be trusted or not, he is one of the sources historians draw from, so what's the difference anyway! (joking) Tacitus is also an excellent read, very gloomy but good, he was a contemporary of Traiano, the emperor under whom the empire reached its maximum size, and began to decline. It's a more "modern" author than the other guy, more readable if you know what I mean, and able to convey a sense of pathos and tragic.
As for the archaic language, well you don't need to read it in latin do you? And if it is translated, then why should the language be archaic at all, it can be a recent translation, it shouldn't be a problem to find one in english (not sure for norwegian, though!)

But then, if you are up to just some general understanding of roman history, you are right it's best to just read some modern history book. Or alternatively just PM me 8)

 

[cLavain]

I had completely forgotten about this thread! Sorry, and thanks for the tip. I've looked at the books by Titus Livius, but I'm a bit concerned about the fact that he was Roman himself. Can he be trusted to portray events as a partial observer? The books might also be hard to read because of archaic language?
I've also been looking at The History of Rome by Michael Grant.

Whether he can be trusted or not, he is one of the sources historians draw from, so what's the difference anyway! (joking) Tacitus is also an excellent read, very gloomy but good, he was a contemporary of Traiano, the emperor under whom the empire reached its maximum size, and began to decline. It's a more "modern" author than the other guy, more readable if you know what I mean, and able to convey a sense of pathos and tragic.
As for the archaic language, well you don't need to read it in latin do you? And if it is translated, then why should the language be archaic at all, it can be a recent translation, it shouldn't be a problem to find one in english (not sure for norwegian, though!)

But then, if you are up to just some general understanding of roman history, you are right it's best to just read some modern history book. Or alternatively just PM me 8)

Yes, I know he's a source, but the way to reconstruct history is to draw info from all the sources you can find and try to understand what really happened. Hence, history is often revised as new info emerges.

As for language: Old texts are sometimes translated to something like modern language, but often the translator will attempt to keep some of "ye olde flavour" (even if old-fashioned English is not like Latin anyway!).

Good to know you're the Roman scholar on this forum!

 

[Quixote]

Yes, I know he's a source, but the way to reconstruct history is to draw info from all the sources you can find and try to understand what really happened. Hence, history is often revised as new info emerges.

This is a pedantic approach. Who cares what really happened anyway, what matters is that it makes a good reading

As for language: Old texts are sometimes translated to something like modern language, but often the translator will attempt to keep some of "ye olde flavour"

Haha this is true, for some reason I assumed they did it in my own language only. I also find it a bit annoying (I should say I used to, since I haven't read any ancient stuff in a long time) as there is no real necessity for it and it makes the texts clumsy and poorly written, which they are usually not. There should be fresher, modern language translations for the wider public, maybe also with lots of bad words added by the translator to reproduce the real feeling of action etc...

 

[cLavain]

Yes, I know he's a source, but the way to reconstruct history is to draw info from all the sources you can find and try to understand what really happened. Hence, history is often revised as new info emerges.

This is a pedantic approach. Who cares what really happened anyway, what matters is that it makes a good reading

You should work in Hollywood!
I don't like to mix fact and fiction, unless it's done in a novel, NOT a history book. Guess I am pedantic...

As for language: Old texts are sometimes translated to something like modern language, but often the translator will attempt to keep some of "ye olde flavour"

Haha this is true, for some reason I assumed they did it in my own language only. I also find it a bit annoying (I should say I used to, since I haven't read any ancient stuff in a long time) as there is no real necessity for it and it makes the texts clumsy and poorly written, which they are usually not. There should be fresher, modern language translations for the wider public, maybe also with lots of bad words added by the translator to reproduce the real feeling of action etc...

He he! "Like, to be, or not to be, that's the f**king question, dude!"