Taijitu
Forum Meta => Archive => Arts and Entertainment Archive => Topic started by: Allama on August 28, 2007, 05:27:50 PM
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The title says it all.
Of all the authors who's books I've read in my life thus far, I've gotten to have a few favorites: Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters trilogy, has captured my heart, as has Terry Brooks (a guilty pleasure, to be sure). Fyodor Dostoyevsky is another clear favorite, though only when one can find a decent translation.
I must confess Orson Scott Card to have created the worlds and characters I have come to love and empathize with most of all. His writing combines intellectual musings with sincere emotional depth and a true understanding of the nature (and potential) of humankind.
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It would be too easy to say "All the good ones" wouldn't it?
Despite the fact that everyone seems to be embarrassed about reading main stream novels, I feel a certain attraction to the whole J.K. Rowling/J.R.R.Tolkien/Philip Pullman type of authors (although the 4th and 5th Harry Potters aren't very good).
Aside from that, I can easily loose myself in one of Frank Herbert or Isac Asimov's classics with a side helping of down to earth Jane Austen or Robert Louis Stevenson.
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Hmm, well, apart from all the obvious ones (Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Tolkien, Asimov, etc.) it's hard to think of any particular favourite authors. Tom Holt is pretty good most of the time, and I have a soft spot for Anthony Horowitz. Oh, and Iain Banks, although I'm not a fan of his science-fiction books. I can't think of any more right now, but they'll come to me.
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Moses?
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Kurt Vonnegut.
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Big seconds on Dostoevsky and Vonnegut. Melville is also one of my favorites. The detail in his writing really draws me in, although it seems to repel as many people as it attracts.
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There are alot of great authors. It's hard to pick favorites, but Vonnegut is definitely high on the list. Very near the top of my list is Mark Twain and John Steinbeck.
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\o/
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Asimov is one of my favorites, as well! Nightfall (the novel expanding on the also-excellent short story) was wonderful, as was the original Foundation trilogy. Vonnegut is an obvious winner, too.
Has anyone else read anything by Alexander Solzhenitsyn? He's wonderful, really. I admit to a soft spot for George Orwell, cliche as that is.
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Asimov is one of my favorites, as well! Nightfall (the novel expanding on the also-excellent short story) was wonderful, as was the original Foundation trilogy. Vonnegut is an obvious winner, too.
Has anyone else read anything by Alexander Solzhenitsyn? He's wonderful, really. I admit to a soft spot for George Orwell, cliche as that is.
I'm reading The Gulag Archipelago right now, in fact. I also read Ivan Denisovich back in high school. A lot of respect goes to someone who pursues the truth like that, especially when it's difficult to do.
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Hermann Melville,Joseph Conrad,William Shakespeare,Dante,oh what a shame I almost forgot Mark Twain....The short story Tennessee journalism is one of my favorites of all time
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Ambrose Bierce. although i can third on the Vonnegut.
"In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, intelligence is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of office."
-Ambrose Bierce
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Let's see... There's obviously Tolkien, but I think Homer, Virgil, Harry Mulisch, Umberto Eco, Jerzy Kosinsky, Orson Welles and Tolstoy deserve to be mentioned as well.
Mind you, the books by them that I've read aren't necessarily my favorites... Their style of writing isn't always to my taste, but that doesn't mean that they're not great authors.
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Frank Herbert.
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/me Soly with a frying pan.
Reading Herbert feels like that ^ did. It's as though his main point in writing is "I'M SMARTER THAN YOU, NYAH NYAH!" I can (and often do) heartily enjoy books that have a lot of in-depth scientific explanations or philosophy or a highly advanced vocabulary; typical "intelligent author" reads. I cannot, however, stomach Herbert's seemingly-insufferable attitude of superiority. It sweats out of every page like a rancid sort of arrogant stench.
[/rant]
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well you have Nietzsche for that
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The title says it all.
I must confess Orson Scott Card to have created the worlds and characters I have come to love and empathize with most of all. His writing combines intellectual musings with sincere emotional depth and a true understanding of the nature (and potential) of humankind.
How am I supposed to follow up a description of Card's works after that?
Douglas Adams and Phillip Pullman seconded. James Gleick (Faster) is another amazing writer.
I don't know what you're talking about, Akka-Wakka...Harry Potter 4 is the third-best in the series (behind 7 and 6, in that order), and 5 is a solid 4th.
I suppose writers/authors of music don't count?
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huh the 1st was the greatest, i think i only read until the 4th book
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I suppose writers/authors of music don't count?
We could always make a separate music board.
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huh the 1st was the greatest, i think i only read until the 4th book
I just re-read the series...J.K. Rowling's writing has greatly improved since the 1st book. And you need to read the last three.
A board for best lyrics? We have that already. But for the best writers of music...hmm...
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Terry Pratchett.
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Ian McEwan, Philip Dick and Danny Wallace (ooooh, might as well throw Dave Gorman in for kicks.)
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well...Jack Kerouac with On The Road....Ken Kesey of course... George Orwell...Ernest Hemingway, E.A.Poe, Gogol, Nietzsche....and some Romanina writers which i think it would be unnecessary to post...
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does Nietzsche sound convincing to you?
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I would have to say that Ian Fleming is by far my favourite author. His authoritative and journalistic style of writing is very refreshing to read. Obviously his most famous works are the James Bond series of books.
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I would have to say that Ian Fleming is by far my favourite author. His authoritative and journalistic style of writing is very refreshing to read. Obviously his most famous works are the James Bond series of books.
Ian Fleming, huh...good choice!
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Harper Lee, Michael Crighton, Ian McEwan, Douglas Adams, Monica Ali.
I do read and enjoy the Harry Potter books to an extent. But I find it quite boring and tedious at times, the writing can be over-descriptive and take a long time for anything to actually happen.
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But I find it quite boring and tedious at times, the writing can be over-descriptive and take a long time for anything to actually happen.
Speaking of that, I should mention Robert Jordan (whose books I do enjoy, despite their slowness)
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Isaac Asimov, Ursula le Guin, Charles Stross and Andreas Eschbach are my favorite authors... Nietsche is not bad, but hard to read.
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Hard to read the repetitive whining? lol sure is, but you can skip the parts he repeats. Even more interesting is trying to understand what he says, or what the nazi wanted him to say. Do not have compassion, do not be merciful, that's for the weak...yeah?
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The books I like, can't say much for the authors (good writers and good people are two different things and I don't know the authors well enough to say if I love THEM) but I did enjoy the books...
Steven Brust - the Jhereg series (wise cracking-paranoid-assassin-shaman-wizard, how can you go wrong?)
Douglas Copeland - jPod, Microserfs, Generation X
Hunter S Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Machiavelli -The Prince
Ayn Rand - Fountainhead
Margaret Atwood - Oryx and Crake
LE Modesitt Jr - The Recluse Saga
Orwell - Animal Farm, 1984
I've also been recently reading some Emerson essays and have been enjoying those. Any one who wants to read them can check here (http://www.rwe.org) where all his writings are available for free.
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Impressive list Taco ... George Orwell is simply a genius, as for the book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" ...maan....
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Jerry Seinfeld - Seinlanguage
George Orwell - 1984
Aldous Huxley - Brave New World
Harper Lee - To Kill A Mockingbird
Arthur C. Clarke - 2001, 2010 (After that the rest of the series ust got absurd)
Max Barry - Jennifer Government, Company
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But I find it quite boring and tedious at times, the writing can be over-descriptive and take a long time for anything to actually happen.
Speaking of that, I should mention Robert Jordan (whose books I do enjoy, despite their slowness)
I tried reading one of those, but I couldn't get past the slowness, it just wouldn't move on.
R.A. Salvatore. Very good.
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I enjoyed Salvatore's Homeland trilogy, but when I tried to read the Icewind Dale books that he wrote first I wanted to bash my head repeatedly against some very hard and unforgiving surface. Which of his novels have you read?
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Bradbury and Vonnegut are pretty high up on my list. For fun reading, my favorites are Traviss, Adams, Lackey, Doyle & MacDonald, Brust and Rowling. The stereotypical classics are top on my list as well, like Dante and Rabelais and Homer and Plato and blah blah blah. I was an English major so I basically went "squeeeeeeeee" and had a girl crush on every author I came across except for Hemingway and Updike.
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Twain!!!!!
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lol yes, Twain too but I don't have nearly the swooning crush on him like you do :) I get all dopey with glee over another author though :D
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It's not a crush...... :P
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Man-love then, my apologies ):
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:-\
It's not man-love either.
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Secretive dead-of-night keep-it-on-the-down-low sexy love?
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Ewwww, no. He just has alot of insight about life that I agree with.
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OMG SO YOU AGREE WITH HIM IN THE OPEN?
there are children present you sick pervert! :o
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LOL! Shush you. :-P
:wb:
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It's okay. Your deviant love of Twain is safe with me.
I'll only tell THE WORLD. :wb:
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I like Zalazney(sp)? Salvatore, Weiss
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It's okay. Your deviant love of Twain is safe with me.
I'll only tell THE WORLD. :wb:
:-P
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It's okay. Your deviant love of Twain is safe with me.
I'll only tell THE WORLD. :wb:
:-P
is that a threat or a promise you deviant! :o
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LOL! Definitely a promise. :o
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:clap:
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O:-)
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:fight:
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;D
:fight:
:wb:
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hehe they look so happy
O:-) :-P
:wb:
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That's because the pillows are filled with rocks and they've beaten themselves stupid. :-P
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Masochists then. Or just hillbilly emoticons, too stupid to know it's safer to use soap in a sock. :shrug:
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A little of both methinks.