Nice. Is your plan to read them all? I've tried that a few times, but been undone by the comedies and the history plays each time. I'm glad I read Richard the Third though. Also glad to have read stuff like Titus Andronicus and Timon of Athens. Shakespeare was human and missed a fair bit as well. But these plays are glorious failures reaching at stuff he did far better on other plays. Yet even ones I overall find a drag usually have some brilliant lines nestled in them. Often I like some random poetic line that isn't even part of the plot more than anything else in the play.
Only four this month. A nice little sampling. That'll put me at having completed a quarter of his work. Good enough for me right now.
Started reading Salem's Lot by Stephen King. I remember reading Jerusalem's Lot in one of his short story collections and liking it a great deal. So far this one hasn't disappointed me, though to be completely honest, I fully expect King to fudge up the ending.
11 chapters in to Weak For Him By Lyra Parish, and doing a review of just how awful it is. Been slowly working on Face of the Enemy By Richard Fawkes, while interesting, it lacks the 'thrill of the kill' ongoing war that it claims to fame. More of a how to run your own solar system and strip mine it type, with lots of bureaucracy crap too. 127 pages, and way less killing than my Sci-Fi/War novel has by the same point.
Understandable, it's an older novel, not quite so easy to read, and it can feel a little racist; certainly the language used gives it that feel. Mind you there are a lot of novels I've read where I couldn't tell you a lot about the content, from a distance that is; it's only when I read them again that I remember. But certainly the HoD is not everyone's cup of tea. As an aside, has anyone read any of Leigh Bardugo's novels? I got a recommend from somewhere about one of her novels and was curious.
A week. One fucking week you bastard. Well, I finished this. Good book, should've ended sooner than it did, but I did say he would fudge up the ending. Gonna start The Shining later today. Gonna try and not eat through its pages like I did with the lot.
The shining is great through the middle, then dies off in writing and interest. I always feel like the actual "shining" is such an odd side plot to the whole thing, instead if the focus. Odd novel, with a fairly crap ending, as most King has. Thoroughly enjoy the middle though.
That sounds just about what I'd expect from King. He seems to suffer from ED before the climax of any story. His short works are enjoyable an I'd be lying if I said Salem's Lot wasn't a page turner, but the bloated writing combined with terrible finishes is the main reason I didn't pickup that thesaurus-looking book: The Stand. Is there a horror writer out there you can recommend? Always looking for new books to sink my teeth into.
Sorry, don't know many horror authors myself. The Stand isn't terrible, but I would only read the smaller, abridged version. The unabridged is a massive, unedited, rambling mess that the publisher thought would be a good idea for quick sales on a full manuscript. It was not.
Erectile dysfunction. Imagine: In the middle of a great mental strokathon an all of a sudden, your creative boner starts to deflate. Leaving you with a long attempt to get it up again, followed by an ending that doesn't feel right at all. That's what happens to King, I find. See, you just helped me out. I didn't know there was a smaller version of that behemoth of a book. Its size made me hesitant, but I'll look for the abridged version after I finish up The Shinning. Thanks EF! Throw a book recommendation at me. I'll give it a go.
My favourites were The Fog, The Dark, The Survivor and 48, although 48 steps away from being a horror.
Ahem, never heard it expressed in that way before. I suppose another way to put it would be a literary dysfunction. Personally I've never read King, not really my kind of writer as he tends towards horror and I'm not a fan of that genre at all.
I’ve finished reading Anatomy of A Scandal by Sarah Vaughan. The reviews advertised this book to be “full of twists and turns.” But there is only really one MAJOR twist. It’s about a politician who’s best friends with the (fictional) UK Prime Minister, is accused of rape and stands for trial and parts of the book is based in the courtroom. You get different POV’s including from his wife, the barrister who prosecutes the case (Kate) and the accused as well. The book is good because it makes you question the integrity of the legal system with a focus on miscarriages of justice. I recommend it to anyone interested in these sort of questions.
The Stand is decent The shining had some good stuff, but I couldn't finish it. Misery was enjoyable, if a bit silly. Salem's lot was fine, but too long Tommyknockers, total mess but kind of fun. He wrote this one on coke at the height of his drug problems. Carrie is probably his best, at least from what I've read. At least it holds together from start to finish
It was his first novel. So that might have been the peak of his non-contract comfort-ability, cause I have heard he is quite boring. Also I found what little I could read in one of his books, was quite boring and generic. Yet people love the guy, and IDK why.
Still the alchemist, but also nonfiction wise Framework about working out in a way that doesn`t strain YOU`R specif body type. Interesting useful stuff.
Dunno either. Personally don't think he's brilliant. No, for me the brilliant award would go to Joe Abercrombie, which is like, my opinion, man. Kings works are very...dry. Least to me. His writing sometimes reminds of a school lecture and should I not gloss over some of his lengthy sections of word vomit, I'd be strangled by sleep.
Haven't read Abercrombie but I do like Aaronovitch, very british but good sense of humour. Perhaps I should put Abercrombie on my to read list.
If you enjoy dark fantasy with wit, The First Law trilogy is what I'd recommend. I lament the fact that I finished it too soon.
Don't they always. I'll keep it in mind but my list is this constantly flowing river; and there is sometimes my whim, which is very unpredictable, and could result in my choosing something completely out of order. Just thought I'd give a quick look. you're talking about The Blade Itself, that the first book?
