OT: Fiction

[tzznandrew]

How to Read “Infinite Jest”

I think everyone should read his short stories. They're astounding.

Pale king and infinite jest are too much for your average reader.

Different book, same truths. I have read everything he's written. The guy had something figured out the rest of us didn't.

See my above post.

I do love DFW, though.

 

[tzznandrew]

Light in August by Faulkner.

This is the correct answer to "Best Faulkner Novel," and maybe also "Best American Novel of the First Half of the 20th Century."

There are other good ones--and other good Faulkner--but I do love this novel.

 

[tzznandrew]

Just started these on a whim. They are surprisingly good. Martin creates a world and stays true to it. The characters are compelling and Martin is willing to write off main characters, which I love. Just enough foreshadowing to make things interesting but not enough to make the books too predictable. Strongly recommend.

My favorite is the Master and Commander series by Patrick O'Brian. Excellent writing especially if you like historical fiction.

Michael Shaara's the Killer Angels would also be right up there.

Someone mentioned The Lord of the Rings which is a great series. I've always like The Hobbit more.

I'm not a huge fantasy reader, but was thinking of reading Martin in a Spanish or French translation to boost my reading fluency. Anyone think they would translate well?

 

[tzznandrew]

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerny is amazing for people interested in misspent youth and redemption in 1980's NYC. I reread it often, particularly when I'm feeling low.

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe is also 1980s NYC about human frailty and the crash that comes when people are blinded by hubris. Very funny and well-written.

The Cabinet of Curiosities by Preston and Child is a pulpy thriller with a few great twists. Perfect beach book.

Anything by George Saunders and Donald Ray Pollock.

George Saunders is such a great recommendation. Really enjoyed Tenth of December and CivilWarLand in Bad Decline.

 

[tzznandrew]

• Portnoy's Complaint was absurd, I didn't know it was possible to laugh so much while reading. I have all of Roth's books from the 90s on my to-read list.

A somewhat forgotten classic because you can't possibly teach it in high school, and it takes a lot to seek out Roth on one's own...but he's such a great writer. I love his American Pastoral as well.

 

[tzznandrew]

• John Updike is the one author who I can read no matter what. The man was obnoxiously talented. I'd say it's a testament to his abilities that he mostly wrote about the boring and mundane yet his books have yet bore me. I even bought some of his short story anthologies; never in my life did I think I'd read short stories. He was a creepy pervert but good grief could he write. For my money, he was the best writer of the latter half of the 20th century.

His poetry is surprisingly good, particularly the late stuff. His fiction almost comes too easy, but you really never regret reading his books.

 

[CL82]

I'm not a huge fantasy reader, but was thinking of reading Martin in a Spanish or French translation to boost my reading fluency. Anyone think they would translate well?

I think they would generally. It's not like the vocabulary is all that elevated. The things that would be problematic are the "Westron" (I think) words that are fairly close to their English equivalent (Ser versus Sir). The device is obvious in English but might come less naturally reading in a foreign language. Otherwise, sure.

 

[tzznandrew]

Refuse to Lose - John Calapari

This doesn't have enough likes for being in the fiction thread.

 

[tzznandrew]

• Most Charles Dickens....even if often unpleasant

Love Dickens. Great Expectations was my least favorite book when presented to me by Mrs. Martins at Crosby in 9th grade, but as an adult I came back to it (by force--I had to teach it) and I freaking love it. By turns tragic and laugh out loud funny. Bleak House, Little Dorrit, and David Copperfield all rank really highly in my book (though the two other common high school ones beside Great Expectations--A Tale of Two Cities and Hard Times--aren't books I rank very highly). I just started Our Mutual Friend and I'm already digging it.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is the correct answer to "Best Faulkner Novel," and maybe also "Best American Novel of the First Half of the 20th Century."

There are other good ones--and other good Faulkner--but I do love this novel.

Haven’t read Faulkner since I lived in a dorm in Storrs. Perhaps I’ll try this one. I need something to read.

I have fallen into a trap in recent years in mostly reading fun, exciting fiction, rather than anything with intellectual heft. Should probably adjust that at least in part.

As for your query about J R R Martin, I just don’t think he’s very good. Created a cool world, but his writing style doesn’t work for me. Rothfus is world’s better if you want to try fantasy in a foreign language.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

I'm determined to read every King book. I would say I'm 75% of the way there but the dude can write faster than I can read. Top King books for me: Dark Tower series, It, Stand, Pet Sematary.

Non King books I liked recently: Justin Cronin-The Passage (coming to Fox in January) and Paul Tremblay - A Head Full of Ghosts.

IT is my favorite King book. The way he creates the history and mystery of Derry is awesome.

 

[tzznandrew]

Haven’t read Faulkner since I lived in a dorm in Storrs. Perhaps I’ll try this one. I need something to read.

I have fallen into a trap in recent years in mostly reading fun, exciting fiction, rather than anything with intellectual heft. Should probably adjust that at least in part.

As for your query about J R R Martin, I just don’t think he’s very good. Created a cool world, but his writing style doesn’t work for me. Rothfus is world’s better if you want to try fantasy in a foreign language.

I like Faulkner's willingness to experiment, but Light in August isn't quite as crazy as Absalom, Absalom! or Sound and the Fury, and while both are very good books, there's something to the (relative to them) simplicity of Light in August.

It has been about 10 years since I've last read it, so I probably need to get back on that.

 

[tzznandrew]

As for your query about J R R Martin, I just don’t think he’s very good. Created a cool world, but his writing style doesn’t work for me. Rothfus is world’s better if you want to try fantasy in a foreign language.

I figured his actual writing sucked, so I wouldn't lose much in translation.

I don't know Rothfus. If he's both a good world-builder and a good prose stylist, it's probably better to read him in English.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I figured his actual writing sucked, so I wouldn't lose much in translation.

I don't know Rothfus. If he's both a good world-builder and a good prose stylist, it's probably better to read him in English.

He is. Really stood out to me, and I’ve read a lot in that genre.

 

[intlzncster]

Appreciate your enthusiasm tho

 

[intlzncster]

Think I read the first 4 Malazan books, then just fell out of it. i liked them, especially the epic multi-thread climaxes he built to in every book. But I think i tried to read the 5th one and it was just like "We're 5 books into the series and this book started not just with new characters, but new characters, new races, a new timeframe, and maybe even a different dimension ." I kept getting distracted, having to re-read the beginning, and just never kept going.

Maybe I'll try again in audiobook form on my commute once I finish broken earth.

Amusing part is that the 5th book was my absolute favorite. There's one character who is gut-splittingly funny. Def worth a read.

It does tie into the rest, just in an offhand fashion. And yes, I get how all these races and time frame and everything is a bit difficult, but the way it ties in at the end is pretty cool.

 

[WillB4]

I tend to read mystery/suspense. In that vein, Harlan Coben, David Baldacci, and Michael Connelly are at the top of my list. Some of the best novels I have read are from Pete Hamill. If you want a description of NYC he is the guy to pick up.

 

[intlzncster]

You can't explain any DFW novel, which is part of the reason people love him, and part of the reason why people hate people who like DFW.

I enjoyed Broom of the System and Infinite Jest. Haven't yet read more than the first pages of The Pale King. They did crack me up.

I enjoyed Infinite Jest. But I'm not gonna lie, I got over the concept of 'making reading hard'--what with the bajillion footnotes of varying lengths/complexities--very quickly. Some were funny, some were brilliant, but man....got tired of that.

 

[intlzncster]

Love Dickens. Great Expectations was my least favorite book when presented to me by Mrs. Martins at Crosby in 9th grade, but as an adult I came back to it (by force--I had to teach it) and I freaking love it. By turns tragic and laugh out loud funny. Bleak House, Little Dorrit, and David Copperfield all rank really highly in my book (though the two other common high school ones beside Great Expectations--A Tale of Two Cities and Hard Times--aren't books I rank very highly). I just started Our Mutual Friend and I'm already digging it.

When I saw it, I knew you gave him a like just for that specific mention.

 

[intlzncster]

Two unrelated books:

Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole. This was internet popular for a while, but it really is brilliant, laugh out loud satire. Would have loved to have seen what else this guy would have written if he hadn't offed himself--reportedly because of lackluster reaction to his novel.

Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Good story, with a not terribly surprising end, but just beautifully written in terms of painting a picture of post Spanish Civil War Barcelona--I've heard the original Spanish version is even better in that way. Was one of those best seller type novels, which I usually avoid, but it grabbed me.

 

[Drumguy]

The Eye of Minds (The Mortality Doctrine, Book One) Kindle Edition
by James Dashner
He did the Maze Runner series

 

[tzznandrew]

I enjoyed Infinite Jest. But I'm not gonna lie, I got over the concept of 'making reading hard'--what with the bajillion footnotes of varying lengths/complexities--very quickly. Some were funny, some were brilliant, but man....got tired of that.

It does push it to the limit--and certainly past that limit, sometimes.

 

[Rich]

‘Bombardiers’-Po Bronson
‘Cryptonomicon’-Neal Stephenson
‘American Psycho’-BEE
‘Germinal’-Emile Zola
‘A Fan’s Notes’-Frederick Exley
‘Infinite Jest’-David Foster Wallace

 

[Phorcys]

I'm not a huge fantasy reader, but was thinking of reading Martin in a Spanish or French translation to boost my reading fluency. Anyone think they would translate well?

This post suggests you read Spanish.

If so, and if you haven’t already read it in Spanish, my recommendation would be: Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude).

The work does not seem to translate especially well either into English or onto film. In the original, written Spanish, however, it is amazing literature.

I am also not a fan of fantasy fiction, and thus don’t love the “magic” in the “magical realism” of One Hundred Years. But it is so beautifully written…especially in Spanish.

 

[tzznandrew]

This post suggests you read Spanish.

If so, and if you haven’t already read it in Spanish, my recommendation would be: Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude).

The work does not seem to translate especially well either into English or onto film. In the original, written Spanish, however, it is amazing literature.

I am also not a fan of fantasy fiction, and thus don’t love the “magic” in the “magical realism” of One Hundred Years. But it is so beautifully written…especially in Spanish.

My Spanish reading ability is El Mundo. I have a wide vocabulary and can make it comfortably through most things, but literary Spanish is a bit slow for me still. I want to work up to the texts with some lighter fare first. That said, I read Love in the Time of Cholera and really wasn't impressed, so I might no otherwise have taken up Cien Años de Soledad when I worked myself up to more difficult reading, and now I'm inclined to, so thank you.