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Seven of the top ten books of all time are by Ayn Rand or L. Ron Hubbard... who knew?

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Posts

  • QuothQuoth the Raven Miami, FL FOR REALRegistered User regular
    I read a Flannery O'Connor story recently and was struck by how long it felt. I mean, it was probably longish as short stories go, but it FELT really long. I kept waiting for it to get to the point. The point was basically a character study but for a person who is so into characters, that did not really suffice for me in the end. Basically it left me feeling like something was wrong with me for not liking it, and then I got all sad and went home and wrote some schlocky urban fantasy.
    “Hic non defectus est, sed cattus minxit desuper nocte quadam. Confundatur pessimus cattus qui minxit super librum istum in nocte Daventrie, et consimiliter omnes alii propter illum. Et cavendum valde ne permittantur libri aperti per noctem ubi cattie venire possunt.”
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  • KwoaruKwoaru Registered User regular
    JoeUser wrote: »
    Who would win in a fight: Goku or Gandalf?

    depends on whether not the eagles feel like actually being helpful today
  • Mortal SkyMortal Sky Tails, You're my realest friend.Registered User regular
    How 'bout Cormac McCarthy? Every time I read his books I need to keep a dictionary nearby because his vocabulary is soooo much bigger than mine.

    Cormac McCarthy is the only goddamn person who can get away with writing the way he does. Somehow the man can purple prose it up and make it all work.
  • DichotomyDichotomy Registered User regular
    JoeUser wrote: »
    Who would win in a fight: Goku or Gandalf?

    tulkas
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  • Theodore FlooseveltTheodore Floosevelt w o r s h i p c a t g o dRegistered User regular
    Mortal Sky wrote: »
    How 'bout Cormac McCarthy? Every time I read his books I need to keep a dictionary nearby because his vocabulary is soooo much bigger than mine.

    Cormac McCarthy is the only goddamn person who can get away with writing the way he does. Somehow the man can purple prose it up and make it all work.

    If you ever want to adopt some bad habits as a writer, read and really enjoy a Cormac McCarthy book
    02YsrWP.jpg
  • ButtlordButtlord Fornicus Lord of Bondage and PainRegistered User regular
    JoeUser wrote: »
    Who would win in a fight: Goku or Gandalf?

    wolverine
  • LanglyLangly Registered User regular
    Mortal Sky wrote: »
    Druhim wrote: »
    Mortal Sky wrote: »
    The nastiest book in terms of literary depth that I've ever actually enjoyed was probably In the Name of the Rose

    Or House of Leaves, depending on how you want to categorize depth

    House of Leaves is a pretty standard horror story with some pretty daring formatting

    Which ain't a knock against it at all, it's a really fun book

    But I'm not sure I'd be comfortable calling it particularly deep

    God, yes. Not knocking the book either, but it is not deep. It's gimmicky, and gimmicky is fine if you dig the gimmick. But it also means you have to willingly buy into the gimmick to dig the book at all. Doesn't make it a bad book, just not nearly as clever as it thinks it is.

    I wouldn't necessarily say the book is gimmicky. If the formatting were more conventional it'd still be well written. And there's not much of the book where the formatting is really that weird beyond the footnotes.

    there are full black pages, pages where the text spirals or is scattered across the page, stairsteps down the page, etc.

    it's pretty weird.
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  • MuzzmuzzMuzzmuzz Registered User regular
    Somehow, reading the Sillmirillion in addition makes me angry at the Tolkien world.

    You've got the first born children, who a beautiful, long-lived, great archers, fighters singers, craftselves, etc. Basically, anything you can do, they can do better. They hang out on continent with some demi-gods, and chill. Some of them act like complete assholes, but that's okay, they'll all be forgiven and be able to return to their mystical magic land. (With a few exceptions, Feanor for example).

    Then, you've the second born, who don't live as long, are pretty inferior to their elvish and dwarvish counterparts at nearly everything, and don't even get to interact with anyone higher than the demi-god's underlings. Their land (Middle-Earth) is left alone so all the cool dieties can hang out with the elves. Hell, they only time they show up again is to finally get rid of Morgoth. (Sauron's master) And that's only centuries later, and after some people sacrificed themselves to send a message to them.

    And to top it off, what is the one thing humans get that elves don't? The 'gift' of death. And the Demi-Gods act surprised that the humans don't seem to like it. (To be fair, they weren't responsible for the gift, and have no idea how it works) Humans specifically say, "Okay, we understand living for a loooooong time is weariful, but could you at least give us a hint at what comes after we die? We don't like the uncertainty"

    And when a civilization gets too cocky (under the corruption of Sauron), head honcho god says 'Screw this, we're heading to another plane of existence', and transports the entire 'cool' land into another dimension.


    At least that's what I got out of it. The demi-gods seem to be complete assholes, with the added fact that they don't seem to be aware that they are assholes. At least Morgoth is and asshole and proud of it.
  • PoorochondriacPoorochondriac Registered User regular
    Mortal Sky wrote: »
    How 'bout Cormac McCarthy? Every time I read his books I need to keep a dictionary nearby because his vocabulary is soooo much bigger than mine.

    Cormac McCarthy is the only goddamn person who can get away with writing the way he does. Somehow the man can purple prose it up and make it all work.

    If you ever want to adopt some bad habits as a writer, read and really enjoy a Cormac McCarthy book

    Too much DFW is what really gets me into trouble.

    Not necessarily aping his style, but just feeling like a piece doesn't have enough to it if I don't put it through a formalism wringer. A straightforward piece is no good - I gotta make sure I'm filtering it through an ironic post-millennial lens that's commenting on the nature of consumerism or some such meta wankery.

    Dangerous. Very dangerous.
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  • YaYaYaYa ... ...wanna fight?Registered User regular
    man, you fucking nerds spend 5 pages talking about fantasy plotholes and nobody brings up the fucking Goblet of Fire

    for shame, internet

    I thought I knew you
    I made a web series! watch it here: http://bloodsuckingbooks.com
  • DichotomyDichotomy Registered User regular
    well we're nerds but we're not baby nerds
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  • LTMLTM Registered User regular
    edited May 2013
    YaYa wrote: »
    hey girl, you spend 5 pages talking about fantasy plotholes and don't bring up the Goblet of Fire

    I thought I knew you

    LTM on
  • DimosarDimosar Registered User regular
    I've always assumed the reason Person didn't do Thing in Work of Fiction was because
    that isn't what fucking happened in the story
  • Big Red TieBig Red Tie gem flipping just to get by stack your billions till they get sky highRegistered User regular
    it's what happens in my fan fiction, though
  • JoeUserJoeUser Registered User regular
    Dimosar wrote: »
    I've always assumed the reason Person didn't do Thing in Work of Fiction was because
    that isn't what fucking happened in the story

    The problem is that if a character does something that doesn't mesh with the rest of the story, it takes the reader out.
    PSN: JoeUser80 Steam
  • jgeisjgeis Registered User regular
    You know what writer I was introduced to last semester that I've really grown to like? Proulx. "Everybody" is like "ZOMG GAY COWBOYS" but she writes about a lot more than that, and Brokeback Mountain is way more complex than just gay cowboys. She really has a way of capturing this dark mysticism of the American West, and I often feel terrible in the best way after reading her short stories.
    3DS Friend Code: 2320-6460-9072
  • ButtlordButtlord Fornicus Lord of Bondage and PainRegistered User regular
    more books should be about gay cowboys tbh
  • LTMLTM Registered User regular
    I read that as Zombie Gay Cowboys.

    I have no idea if that's a better or worse premise.

    Brokebrains Mountain.
  • DruhimDruhim Usagi's cuddlefish Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Mortal Sky wrote: »
    Druhim wrote: »
    Mortal Sky wrote: »
    The nastiest book in terms of literary depth that I've ever actually enjoyed was probably In the Name of the Rose

    Or House of Leaves, depending on how you want to categorize depth

    House of Leaves is a pretty standard horror story with some pretty daring formatting

    Which ain't a knock against it at all, it's a really fun book

    But I'm not sure I'd be comfortable calling it particularly deep

    God, yes. Not knocking the book either, but it is not deep. It's gimmicky, and gimmicky is fine if you dig the gimmick. But it also means you have to willingly buy into the gimmick to dig the book at all. Doesn't make it a bad book, just not nearly as clever as it thinks it is.

    I wouldn't necessarily say the book is gimmicky. If the formatting were more conventional it'd still be well written. And there's not much of the book where the formatting is really that weird beyond the footnotes.

    Again, not saying it's a bad book but it absolutely is gimmicky. You have to buy into the premise willingly or the whole thing quickly becomes stupid and boring. It's like people that willingly seek out "creepy" stories about slenderman or whatever and fundamentally you have to be willing to buy into the idea and go along with it to find it creepy at all. Which is why I'm not into that stuff, because I look at it and I can't help but just think, "that's dumb. why should I be creeped out by that?"
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  • Mr FuzzbuttMr Fuzzbutt Polar Warbear ˁ ͡° ᴥ ͡°ˀRegistered User regular
    you need to find it creepy if you're gonna find it creepy
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  • DubhDubh Hoodmistress Registered User regular
    I remember watching one of the Ring movies

    and that fucking girl scared the shit out of me

    until the main character kicks her in the face while in her well-world

    if you can kick a ghost in the face
    that ghost is no longer scary
  • Big Red TieBig Red Tie gem flipping just to get by stack your billions till they get sky highRegistered User regular
    no i get what dru's saying
  • DruhimDruhim Usagi's cuddlefish Registered User, ClubPA regular
    All I'm saying is that a book like House of Leaves requires you to not ask certain reasonable questions and make logical inferences to keep it spooky. Which many people are happy to do. But that's what I mean by buying into the premise. You have to willingly abandon thinking about the story critically and just go with it whole hog.
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  • rhylithrhylith Registered User regular
    Dubh wrote: »
    I remember watching one of the Ring movies

    and that fucking girl scared the shit out of me

    until the main character kicks her in the face while in her well-world

    if you can kick a ghost in the face
    that ghost is no longer scary

    The night I saw the ring I woke up in the middle of the night and my tv was turned on to some channel with static.

    I must've rolled over and turned it on by accident, but I didn't sleep well for a very long time after that.
    Rhylith - <Shambler Milk>, XBL/LoL/HoN- Amalockh, SC2- Rhylith.485
  • Big Red TieBig Red Tie gem flipping just to get by stack your billions till they get sky highRegistered User regular
    i haven't read it but i'm pretty sure i am the exact person who would be creeped out by it and not be able to sleep for days
  • DubhDubh Hoodmistress Registered User regular
    Druhim wrote: »
    All I'm saying is that a book like House of Leaves requires you to not ask certain reasonable questions and make logical inferences to keep it spooky. Which many people are happy to do. But that's what I mean by buying into the premise. You have to willingly abandon thinking about the story critically and just go with it whole hog.

    I haven't read the book

    but that's definitely a valid style of reading you described
    I'm more inclined to sort things out afterwards, and take the ride while I'm on it

    unless it just doesn't work for me
  • Virgil_Leads_YouVirgil_Leads_You Registered User regular
    jgeis wrote: »
    You know what writer I was introduced to last semester that I've really grown to like? Proulx. "Everybody" is like "ZOMG GAY COWBOYS" but she writes about a lot more than that, and Brokeback Mountain is way more complex than just gay cowboys. She really has a way of capturing this dark mysticism of the American West, and I often feel terrible in the best way after reading her short stories.

    Scrolling past, I read this post to be about Zombie Gay Cowboys.
    Someone needs to write the story of that dark mysticism.
  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Registered User regular
    Quoth wrote: »
    I read a Flannery O'Connor story recently and was struck by how long it felt. I mean, it was probably longish as short stories go, but it FELT really long. I kept waiting for it to get to the point. The point was basically a character study but for a person who is so into characters, that did not really suffice for me in the end. Basically it left me feeling like something was wrong with me for not liking it, and then I got all sad and went home and wrote some schlocky urban fantasy.

    this is probably a dumb question, but have you read A Good Man Is Hard to Find?

    it's probably her most well regarded short
    STEAM
    Skayel wrote:
    One time, I had a friend over to play a bit of Red Alert on my LAN. During the game he said he needed to go to the bathroom, so we paused it. After about 10 minutes of wondering where the hell he went, I get up and go to check on him.

    Turns out he was trying to screw my dog.
    Once I was taking a poop at a restaurant and a kid crept underneath the door into my stall. I let out a big fart and then he threw up all over the floor in front of me and I just stared at him.
  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Registered User regular
    Mortal Sky wrote: »
    How 'bout Cormac McCarthy? Every time I read his books I need to keep a dictionary nearby because his vocabulary is soooo much bigger than mine.

    Cormac McCarthy is the only goddamn person who can get away with writing the way he does. Somehow the man can purple prose it up and make it all work.

    uh faulkner
    STEAM
    Skayel wrote:
    One time, I had a friend over to play a bit of Red Alert on my LAN. During the game he said he needed to go to the bathroom, so we paused it. After about 10 minutes of wondering where the hell he went, I get up and go to check on him.

    Turns out he was trying to screw my dog.
    Once I was taking a poop at a restaurant and a kid crept underneath the door into my stall. I let out a big fart and then he threw up all over the floor in front of me and I just stared at him.
  • Mortal SkyMortal Sky Tails, You're my realest friend.Registered User regular
    PiptheFair wrote: »
    Mortal Sky wrote: »
    How 'bout Cormac McCarthy? Every time I read his books I need to keep a dictionary nearby because his vocabulary is soooo much bigger than mine.

    Cormac McCarthy is the only goddamn person who can get away with writing the way he does. Somehow the man can purple prose it up and make it all work.

    uh faulkner

    Haven't read Faulkner. Guess I should fix that.
  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Registered User regular
    PiptheFair wrote: »
    Quoth wrote: »
    I read a Flannery O'Connor story recently and was struck by how long it felt. I mean, it was probably longish as short stories go, but it FELT really long. I kept waiting for it to get to the point. The point was basically a character study but for a person who is so into characters, that did not really suffice for me in the end. Basically it left me feeling like something was wrong with me for not liking it, and then I got all sad and went home and wrote some schlocky urban fantasy.

    this is probably a dumb question, but have you read A Good Man Is Hard to Find?

    it's probably her most well regarded short

    Yup.

    I'm a fan of The Violent Bear It Away for novels, but I can understand it not being to everyone's taste. And man, she threw bleak.

    Read every short story she wrote, and there was maybe one with something that could be defined as a happy ending.
    2MyOx.png
  • Mr FuzzbuttMr Fuzzbutt Polar Warbear ˁ ͡° ᴥ ͡°ˀRegistered User regular
    chiasaur11 wrote: »
    PiptheFair wrote: »
    Quoth wrote: »
    I read a Flannery O'Connor story recently and was struck by how long it felt. I mean, it was probably longish as short stories go, but it FELT really long. I kept waiting for it to get to the point. The point was basically a character study but for a person who is so into characters, that did not really suffice for me in the end. Basically it left me feeling like something was wrong with me for not liking it, and then I got all sad and went home and wrote some schlocky urban fantasy.

    this is probably a dumb question, but have you read A Good Man Is Hard to Find?

    it's probably her most well regarded short

    Yup.

    I'm a fan of The Violent Bear It Away for novels, but I can understand it not being to everyone's taste. And man, she threw bleak.

    Read every short story she wrote, and there was maybe one with something that could be defined as a happy ending.

    It took me a while to parse that title properly.
    1AgQz.png
  • ToasticusToasticus yeah YEAHRegistered User regular
    yo dog, that violent bear

    it away
    XBL: Toasticus
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Fake Nerd I just want to be lovedRegistered User regular
    rhylith wrote: »
    Dubh wrote: »
    I remember watching one of the Ring movies

    and that fucking girl scared the shit out of me

    until the main character kicks her in the face while in her well-world

    if you can kick a ghost in the face
    that ghost is no longer scary

    The night I saw the ring I woke up in the middle of the night and my tv was turned on to some channel with static.

    I must've rolled over and turned it on by accident, but I didn't sleep well for a very long time after that.

    When The Ring came out on DVD, we bought it even though we had already seen it

    I waited until it got to the part where you watch the video with the main character

    Then I quickly called our home line from a cell phone

    Every person in the room besides me jumped to the damn moon and started freaking the hell out, everybody talking at once until they noticed me snickering to myself

    They didn't think it was very funny but I still do
    m0G7m.gifFo9bp.gif51ZJT.giflQAzd.gifeqWuu.gif
  • BucketmanBucketman Dyslexic Puppy Skraggle RockRegistered User regular
    YaYa wrote: »
    man, you fucking nerds spend 5 pages talking about fantasy plotholes and nobody brings up the fucking Goblet of Fire

    for shame, internet

    I thought I knew you

    What's the plot hole in goblet of fire?
    sayiamansig_zps3b961859.jpg
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Fake Nerd I just want to be lovedRegistered User regular
    Bucketman wrote: »
    YaYa wrote: »
    man, you fucking nerds spend 5 pages talking about fantasy plotholes and nobody brings up the fucking Goblet of Fire

    for shame, internet

    I thought I knew you

    What's the plot hole in goblet of fire?

    Shame on you for not reading mediocre children's/young adult literature

    (I don't know either)
    m0G7m.gifFo9bp.gif51ZJT.giflQAzd.gifeqWuu.gif
  • Big Red TieBig Red Tie gem flipping just to get by stack your billions till they get sky highRegistered User regular
    the plot hole is they didn't shoot voldemoet
  • BucketmanBucketman Dyslexic Puppy Skraggle RockRegistered User regular
    Bucketman wrote: »
    YaYa wrote: »
    man, you fucking nerds spend 5 pages talking about fantasy plotholes and nobody brings up the fucking Goblet of Fire

    for shame, internet

    I thought I knew you

    What's the plot hole in goblet of fire?

    Shame on you for not reading mediocre children's/young adult literature

    (I don't know either)

    Hey I read it, I just didn't notice a plothole
    sayiamansig_zps3b961859.jpg
  • SirEtchwartsSirEtchwarts Edward Kenway's yer man. Arg, Swashbuckle, Avast, etc.Registered User regular
    Also I'm not sure I'd call Harry Potter mediocre

    That's some good readin!
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  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Fake Nerd I just want to be lovedRegistered User regular
    Nobody rode an eagle to get to the Goblet of Fire
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