Has anyone read China Miéville's Kraken? It sounds AWESOME.
Riley: Oh, yeah. Sorry 'bout last time. Heard I missed out on some fun. Xander: Oh yeah, fun was had. Also frolic, merriment and near-death hijinks.
'Never Leave Me'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Steph L. - Aug 15, 2010 3:27:01 pm PDT #11894 of 28343
this mess was yours / now your mess is mine
sj - Aug 15, 2010 4:37:14 pm PDT #11895 of 28343
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
Has anyone read China Miéville's Kraken? It sounds AWESOME.
It's in my to read pile, but I haven't gotten to it yet.
Calli - Aug 15, 2010 4:42:42 pm PDT #11896 of 28343
I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul—Calvin and Hobbs
So, I'm about 40 pages into An American Childhood, by Annie Dillard. Does a plot show up at any point, or is the whole thing just word pictures from the point of view of a kid in the 1950s ? 'Cause I'm still waiting for something to happen. Or even something to suggest something will happen between now and page 255.
Typo Boy - Aug 15, 2010 7:17:45 pm PDT #11897 of 28343
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Hmm: Literary Buffistas, do you think the following a fair take on Defoe's views on faith vs works? (based upon Robinson Crusoe, Journal of the Plague Years and Moll Flanders.) :
===================
Defoe saw evil and improper acts as distractions that made it impossible to pay attention to God. Evil was always foolish in that it made you blind to God. Virtue included pragmatic self-interest so long as only proper action was taken in pursuit of that self-interest, and so long as self-interest was not all there was to you. Virtue did not ensure salvation, but salvation was unlikely, perhaps impossible without it. The virtuous had the choice of paying attention to God, in way the wicked did not, almost did not.
Defoe did not think you attained salvation by wrestling with the devil and winning. To Defoe, you obtained salvation by wrestling with God and losing.
Typo Boy - Aug 15, 2010 7:17:46 pm PDT #11898 of 28343
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Volans - Aug 16, 2010 2:48:05 am PDT #11899 of 28343
move out and draw fire
Has anyone read China Miéville's Kraken? It sounds AWESOME.
I love the way he's described the magic system in it, but I'm not large with the Miéville love. I'll probably give this one a try tho.
I didn't find The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo all that slow, but I did skim the libel/corporate stuff. Or, I guess, the whole thing seemed slow, but that felt right for the story and the environment. When I finished I was like "that was good..." but it's been two years since I read it and I haven't felt any real desire to pick up the other two or see the movie.
Apparently I am totally disconnected from the zeitgeist.
Gris - Aug 16, 2010 6:06:19 am PDT #11900 of 28343
Hey. New board.
I liked the libel stuff. I'm not sure why. But I definitely liked the first book more than the second (haven't gotten to hornet yet) so I seem to differ from most.
megan walker - Aug 16, 2010 6:14:31 am PDT #11901 of 28343
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
I have a theory that you like the books according to what genre you prefer: mystery (1), thriller (2), legal thriller (w/ a hint of caper) (3). It's just a theory. I like all three, and didn't find the libel stuff slow, but I think they are very different books.
Amy - Aug 16, 2010 6:16:40 am PDT #11902 of 28343
Because books.
Gris, I usually only see you here or in Movies, so happy wedding! And honeymooning! And marriage!
megan walker - Aug 16, 2010 6:17:28 am PDT #11903 of 28343
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
Gris, I usually only see you here or in Movies, so happy wedding! And honeymooning! And marriage!
Yes. This.