LOTC Book Club [Positivity Thread]

[nyxiiy 28]

4 hours ago, Spindle said:

We have similar taste!

 

Personally I wouldn't.

Ah I see, oh and also if we have similar taste I'd recommend reading The Honjin Murders if you haven't already! It's a pretty underrated book imo

[garentoft 8353]

I do not know how I'm just discovering this thread, tagging @Linde seems up his alley as well. Have been trying to read a good bunch when I'm not busy with my uni stuff, so here goes from the best of my otherwise senile memory.

 

Favourite book or author?

I'd have to say the entire The Accursed Kings series by Maurice Druon would likely take the spot as my favourite series. Otherwise honourable mentions to Albert Camus and Harumi Murakami. In terms of literature in my native language, it would be Pelle the Conqueror by Martin Andersen Nexø.

 

The first book you read, or the first book you remember reading?

The first book I really remember properly reading was the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, but I had a very long period where I didn't read at all. I think the most notable ones in kickstarting me into reading again were The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and The Stranger by Albert Camus.

 

Books you want to read but haven't got around to?

I've got a few here on my shelf with me at my parents house, Little Women, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, and The Sorrows of Young Werther, plus a bunch at home. I'm trying to read the entirety of Albert Camus' works, I own them all just haven't found the time to read them properly.

 

I will not be listing others I am FAR too tired, but if you ever wanted to talk books with me just send a discord message. :)

[Linde 118]

Wonderful that @gusanoarentonio tagged me in this post ; ). We do alittle reading together, albeit I see his motivation drops in correlation with the burden of University. Feel free to send a message if you want to join our semi-active bookclub. 

 

Favorite book or author? 

Very difficult to give an absolute but I like Ken Follett's historical fiction; the Century trilogy and the Kingsbridge books. 

The favorite author must be one of the great Swedish ones; our own provincial writer Selma Lagerlöf, noble laureate in literature, overall badass women and the writing is second to none... you anglo-saxons could not imagine and understand.

 

The first book you read , or the first book you remember reading?

Can't remember anything, when you have read tons of books it becomes translucent and mixed. 

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a classic if you look for great dystopia. 

The Path by Michael Puett is a good introduction to the eastern school of thought. 

 

Books you want to read but haven't got around to? 

I want to torture myself and bite into Tolkien's The Complete history of Middle Earth. 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Linde

[Spindle 651]

Omg, only just saw these.

 

 

[Sorcerio 4595]

Favourite book or author?

I literally can't pick just one, and there are many authors who I absolutely adore. 

When I was younger I loved Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (and still do), though I've also grown a love for Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe in more recent years.

The first book you read, or the first one you remember reading?

My parents read me a ton of simple bedtime stories when I was little, but the first real book I can remember reading myself was the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. By far one of my most favorite and memorable childhood series. I also vividly remember reading Andrew Lang's Blue Book of Fairy Tales.

 

Books you want to read but haven’t got around to?
Literally anything by H.P. Lovecraft; I've been told my creative writing sounds a lot like his style, though I have never once sat down and actually read his work. 

List some others you have read and talk about them:

Maybe I'm a bit overboard, but I love books, so I will do my best give a little blurb of info on them without trying to spoil anything. ((Also these aren't in order of favorite to least, this is just the order in which they came to mind)): 

 

• Inferno (Dante's Divine Comedy) - You mentioned the divine comedy. I've read Purgatorio and Paradiso as well, however I think Inferno is by far the most interesting, despite being a place of alien depravity. Might just be because I'm edgy, but there is some good wisdom and prose there as well. Also farting trumpet demons. 
• Silmarillion (J.R.R. Tolkien) - Yes, I am your stereotypical fantasy e-boy who adores Tolkien's works. However, I love the Silmarillion in particular for the stories and legends it holds, and the events which take place over the course of Arda's history, and the history of her peoples. Also, its quite hard to read, but I listened to it on audiobook recently and that helped me dramatically. 
• Paradise Lost (John Milton) - Great anti-hero portrayal, if you can get past the flowery language and prose. Lucifer's romanticization as a character with relatable human emotions leaves sympathetic to the fallen angel, and leads on to view his casting out from heaven as an injustice on the part of a spiteful God. 
• The Betrothed (Alessandro Manzoni) - I read this this previous year of High School. I've never really been one much for romantic tales, and as many novels it started off very slow. The ending  also felt a bit lackluster, though the wisdom captured in the dialogue and prose of the novel is too profound to go unmentioned. 
• Redwall (Brian Jacques) - I read this a long, long time ago when I was in grade school; I can only remember it being one of my more close-held novels when I was younger, but I fail to recall a lot of the details of the tale. An abby filled with mice is just fun TBH. 
• Passing Through Darkness (Malcom McKenzie) - Another good fantasy-esque series: the story set in a post-apocalyptic world where demons and sorcerers have begun to return from "Hell", and religious fervor among the remnant people is renewed. Very grim, but filled with symbolism and meaning. I won't spoil the way the series ends, but it does leave one with many deep questions to reflect on. 
• The Road (Cormac McCarthy) - Not particularly outstanding, though the sacrifices made by the characters is definitely something that leaves one touched, but sad. I definitely enjoy the descriptive language of McCarthy, which paints an adequate and detailed picture while remaining succinct.
• The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis) - Of all the books from the Chronicles of Narnia the Last Battle is by far my favorite. For a children's book, it contains some pretty dark themes, including demonic worship and the end of the world. However, it ends with all the characters and friends we've met throughout the series coming together and getting their 'happy-ever-after' with Aslan. 

 

[The King Of The Moon 5121]

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury 

[Spindle 651]

On 7/30/2022 at 12:48 AM, Sorcerio said:

Favourite book or author?

I literally can't pick just one, and there are many authors who I absolutely adore. 

When I was younger I loved Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (and still do), though I've also grown a love for Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe in more recent years.

The first book you read, or the first one you remember reading?

My parents read me a ton of simple bedtime stories when I was little, but the first real book I can remember reading myself was the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. By far one of my most favorite and memorable childhood series. I also vividly remember reading Andrew Lang's Blue Book of Fairy Tales.

 

Books you want to read but haven’t got around to?
Literally anything by H.P. Lovecraft; I've been told my creative writing sounds a lot like his style, though I have never once sat down and actually read his work. 

List some others you have read and talk about them:

Maybe I'm a bit overboard, but I love books, so I will do my best give a little blurb of info on them without trying to spoil anything. ((Also these aren't in order of favorite to least, this is just the order in which they came to mind)): 

 

• Inferno (Dante's Divine Comedy) - You mentioned the divine comedy. I've read Purgatorio and Paradiso as well, however I think Inferno is by far the most interesting, despite being a place of alien depravity. Might just be because I'm edgy, but there is some good wisdom and prose there as well. Also farting trumpet demons. 
• Silmarillion (J.R.R. Tolkien) - Yes, I am your stereotypical fantasy e-boy who adores Tolkien's works. However, I love the Silmarillion in particular for the stories and legends it holds, and the events which take place over the course of Arda's history, and the history of her peoples. Also, its quite hard to read, but I listened to it on audiobook recently and that helped me dramatically. 
• Paradise Lost (John Milton) - Great anti-hero portrayal, if you can get past the flowery language and prose. Lucifer's romanticization as a character with relatable human emotions leaves sympathetic to the fallen angel, and leads on to view his casting out from heaven as an injustice on the part of a spiteful God. 
• The Betrothed (Alessandro Manzoni) - I read this this previous year of High School. I've never really been one much for romantic tales, and as many novels it started off very slow. The ending  also felt a bit lackluster, though the wisdom captured in the dialogue and prose of the novel is too profound to go unmentioned. 
• Redwall (Brian Jacques) - I read this a long, long time ago when I was in grade school; I can only remember it being one of my more close-held novels when I was younger, but I fail to recall a lot of the details of the tale. An abby filled with mice is just fun TBH. 
• Passing Through Darkness (Malcom McKenzie) - Another good fantasy-esque series: the story set in a post-apocalyptic world where demons and sorcerers have begun to return from "Hell", and religious fervor among the remnant people is renewed. Very grim, but filled with symbolism and meaning. I won't spoil the way the series ends, but it does leave one with many deep questions to reflect on. 
• The Road (Cormac McCarthy) - Not particularly outstanding, though the sacrifices made by the characters is definitely something that leaves one touched, but sad. I definitely enjoy the descriptive language of McCarthy, which paints an adequate and detailed picture while remaining succinct.
• The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis) - Of all the books from the Chronicles of Narnia the Last Battle is by far my favorite. For a children's book, it contains some pretty dark themes, including demonic worship and the end of the world. However, it ends with all the characters and friends we've met throughout the series coming together and getting their 'happy-ever-after' with Aslan. 

 

 

Any other poetry you've enjoyed?

[Sorcerio 4595]

11 hours ago, Spindle said:

Any other poetry you've enjoyed?

 

Poems are a bit harder since I don't read those as often, though you could argue that The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost are lengthier "poems". I enjoy Shakespeare's use of poetry when denoting the words of supernatural speakers in his plays, such as the Weird Sisters in Macbeth. "Lenore" and "The Valley of Unrest" by Edgar Allen Poe are also good ones.