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Post by notmike on Dec 15, 2009 16:55:37 GMT -5
Now, I am sure everyone is excited for the upcoming winter break, and with so much free time, perhaps there will be days when you want to curl up by the fire and read a good book. That is the purpose of this thread. Suggestions.
So go ahead, drop a line for your favorite authors, or poets. And most of all, tell why you like them. What makes them worthy of our time?
(Also, since break is upcoming, we would like to encourage people to not forget about us over break.)
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Post by enkindledpulsar on Dec 15, 2009 17:15:53 GMT -5
I like Francesca Lia Block. Her Dangerous Angels collection is what first captured me but I especially enjoy her books Ecstacia, Primavera, and Wasteland. She's kind of in a dream world, like most of my work. I would suggest checking her out if you're in the mood for otherwordly adventures.
Also, Pablo Neruda is THE MAN. Find his collection Ten Love Poems and a Song of Despair and you'll be sure to successfully woo any listener.
Champlain College's Willard and Maple literary magazine has plenty of cool things to read.
Also, definitely read The Little Prince. There is no excuse not to have read it.
Lastly, if you're looking for something highly philosophical, possibly very applicable to any Darwin studies one might be conducting, check out Ishmael. It's the story of a confused man learning about his perceptions of the world from a (possibly imaginary) gorilla.
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Post by notmike on Dec 15, 2009 17:52:02 GMT -5
I look forward to checking out some of these. Especially the one about Ishmael, that sounds absolutely amazing. But onto my suggestions.
My favorite authors of all times are J.R.R. Tolkien, and Edgar Allan Poe, but I am going to take it on faith that most people are familiar with both of these authors. (I pray I am not wrong). But if someone is looking to read a fantasy novel that creates a world in a way that rivals Tolkien's creation of Middle Earth I would highly recommend Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Unfortunately, Robert Jordan is dead, and his series was left to be finished to another writer (I believe his wife and son).
Also, if you are looking for comedic writing, check out Terry Pratchett. He is possibly one of the funniest writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
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Post by notdan on Dec 15, 2009 20:35:24 GMT -5
I love everything Bradbury touches, so anything that man has breathed on is probably worth reading--but I'm guessing you all know that. (And if you don't, it's true.)
Gaiman's short story collection Smoke and Mirrors is totally worth a read. I plug him enough as it is, though.
If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend The Road by Cormac McCarthy. There's a movie coming out for it soon and I'd love to have people to discuss the differences!
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Post by jillian0529 on Dec 17, 2009 0:38:36 GMT -5
Water For Elephants by Sarah Gruen is the best book I've read in a year.
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie is arguably the best book I've ever read--seriously.
I'm also a Gatsby girl...and the occasional Kate Chopin for feminist lit... yes, I like it.
Also, check out Wislawa Szymborska for some great Eastern European poetry. I would quite agree that Neruda is the MAN, and Szymborska is the WOMAN (well, her and Margret Atwood).
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Post by notdan on Dec 17, 2009 1:17:00 GMT -5
I think on the first day of Jim's class this year I think you mentioned Water For Elephants, which I also read, and I hold a slightly different opinion of it. I thought it was good, but not particularly outstanding. Worth a read, regardless.
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Post by enkindledpulsar on Dec 17, 2009 11:58:24 GMT -5
I liked Water for Elephants immensely. Probably because I simply adore elephants and have a super love-hate relationship with circuses.
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Post by notdan on Dec 20, 2009 6:46:10 GMT -5
In light of the Sherlock Holmes movie coming out I vote we all read some of that so we can sit around with corn-cob pipes and comment contemplatively about the state of things.
Also, detective hats.
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Post by notmike on Dec 20, 2009 14:56:53 GMT -5
This seems to be a really good plan, notDan, and I agree wholeheartedly.
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zmint
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by zmint on Jun 12, 2010 10:44:41 GMT -5
My favorite author: Khalil Gibran His pieces are somewhere in between prose and poetry. I like them because they are concise, but observational in a very stunning way. I love The Madman, but The Prophet has so many awesome pieces... I would check out Self-Knowledge from The Prophet. My favorite poet is tougher. It's a toss-up between Rainer Maria Rilke and Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath's life fascinates me, particularly her descent into depression and eventually suicide, and her poetry reflects a lot of the weather in her head. |
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Post by geisteskrank on Jul 11, 2010 22:36:21 GMT -5
I'm currently heavy into David Foster Wallace. The way he works the craft of telling stories into his own stories is enthralling, a bit of a self-determination. All of his stories are sharp, bitingly funny, and have some of the best dialogue this side of Y2K.
I worked through Oblivion, which were short stories, recently finished his first novel, The Broom of the System, and intend to begin Infinite Jest, his big breakout second novel.
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