Moved on from Hamlet now. Enjoyable for sure, with quite a few clever and classic lines. Now it's time for A Midsummer Night's Dream this week. Looking forward to this one for quite a while now.
The Gates by John Connolly for the niece. Whenever she stays over, I let her pick a book to read to her before bed. ....but this book doesn't seem suitable for a six year old....eh. Also, The Shining is taking sometime to pickup. Hopefully it gets better once they finally move into hotel hell.
It really sucks until they get the hotel. Then it's ramped up for a while until King's usual garbage ending.
Mental Masochism I'm kidding. For me it's about burning that backlog I've created before it becomes a beast none can slay. Kings books, mainly Salem's Lot and the mentioned are in that backlog. After this, no more King for me - sorry King fans, he's just not that great in my eyes.
It has some really fantastic scenes midway through, especially any of the ghost scenes. Other than that it's pretty skippable.
You guys make King to sound like a really good strong starter, with a ruined happy ending (in a sense). Suppose that comes from him possibly knowing how to make a good start/middle, but no real way to reach a climax worth having (if it even builds to a climax at all).
Reading Night Shift shows a bit. He's good at writing short works, sure, but his longer stories tend toward the trashy ending side of things. I've heard It is a prime example of this, but I couldn't finish that book due to sheer boredom.
I'm not sure I would bother reading a book that had a poor ending, mainly because the ending is the last thing you remember about a book and possibly the only thing you might remember about a book. A poor ending would ruin the whole experience for me and I would never pick up that book again, and very possibly the rest of that authors books to boot.
Vampires of the Slavs by Jan Perkowksy. I was actually looking for The Darkling: A Treatise in Slavic Vampirism. I don’t know how I get down these rabbit holes, but I always seem to tumble headfirst with great alacrity.
Big thanks to @Earp for reawakening my interest in this Scottish author, James Robertson. I'm partway through his 2016 book entitled To Be Continued. And it's fantastic. Some of his books are quite serious, but To Be Continued is lighthearted. I've met the author several times, and I think this book reflects his personality quite well, as well as many aspects of modern Scottish life. He's self-deprecatingly funny in person, and this book carries a similar tone. I suspect he had a great time writing it. I have no idea how 'things' are going to turn out in the novel, but I love it already. Just ordered two more copies for Christmas presents. Favourite quote thus far (regarding the narrator's ex-wife): "...her face has a particular way of showing disapproval which, while hard to describe, is impossible to mistake."
I've not read any of his short stories, but his novels are good. I'd say slightly uneven ...in that there are some I really like a lot, and others that I struggled with a bit. My problems with his writing are mostly regarding subject matter, though, not style. Some of his subject matter just doesn't interest me. (Testament of Gideon Mack, for example. Unless you're interested in the moral and philosophical dilemmas regarding Scottish Calvinistic Protestantism, it might not be your thing.) However, Joseph Knight is a real eye-opener as regards slavery in the New World colonial period. It's another favourite of mine. I have still to read The Professor of Truth (based on the Lockerbie bombing) and And the Land Lay Still. (My husband has read the latter of these, and was knocked-out by it.) I was at a book festival where Robertson read from both of these books, and I have bought them, but not read them. I guess I need to be in the mood. But I'll get there.
Right, I did have a look on Amazon and the Land Lay Still novel you talked about was short-listed for something so that usually indicates quality, although not always of course. I do like shorts so may try the that side and see if it jives, literally speaking.
By the Gods, The Shining is so boring. I'm going to drop it, sorry King, the movie was better. Going to read Joan Of Arc by Mark Twain. Been wanting to read up on her for awhile now and his book on her showed up in my backlog. Twain is a hell of a writer, so it should be entertaining.
I thought The Shining was one of King's best. Then again, I haven't read it in...idk, I read it when I was a teenager. I'm also not a massive King fan. Love his Short Stories, though. Most of them are brilliant. Was always struck by how he developed intimidating scenarios for his protagonists. Very envious. I just finished "The Whisperer in Darkness" by Lovecraft. Lovecraft is not what I would call a good writer. More of a good storyteller? Maybe? Damn run-on sentences and four foot words that most dictionaries have forgotten. Very awkward prose, but I always love it. Before that, I read Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation. The minimalism in that book is absolutely perfect. I think I like that writing style the most. It's so to the point and brief. It holds your attention, but doesn't really skip anything important. I really need to try that more. Also need to find the other two books in that series! -SIN
The Southern Reach trilogy? I also read the first book and found it to be really well written, very tense. Then I saw the film. I was really looking forward to that because it was Garland, who did Ex Machina, also because of the book. I found it disappointing as a film, it didn't seem to have found that tense minimalism, plus some of it was changed. Maybe I do need to go back and try to watch it all the way now that the book is somewhat forgotten.
I saw the film first. So I have a unique perspective in that I watched it, ignorant that it was based on anything but a script. I loved it. The soundtrack was massive and humbling. The visuals were bright and fascinating. The creatures were threatening and bizarre. The ending seemed to be rather vague and directionless at first. But after seeing the ending credits, I thought: I must read this book. I even have the edition with the cover art from the film printed in glossy-finish on the front of the book. Which is a laugh, I'd rather have the cool original cover. Never before has my opinion of a movie been so utterly destroyed by printed words. I've read scathing movie reviews and not had it affect my opinion like this. Why did they do this? I just don't know. If I was the author I would be furious. I would even still like this movie, but my brain can't separate it from its much better source material. -SIN
Just finished The Red Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk. Its my first time reading this author and I love what he did with that book and his writing style. Any Pamuk fans? recommendations on what to read next by him?
Oh, definitely not. I love almost all his work, just as it is. I'm more mad that he got away with crap that no one would today. Can't remember which story it was, but a single sentence covered one and a half pages on a paperback book. My teachers would have failed me on GP for a sentence a third that length. -SIN
Wasn't that the one with the guy who died from some unknown force of evil in the crypt? Extremely tense, only to end with never seeing what it was? Can't remember. I like The Stranger. Kind of a Frankenstein RIP-off, but still good. I just got the B&N leatherbound full collection of his. Beautiful book. Can't wait to find time to read it.
Yeah, Statement of Randolph Carter! And yeah, don't think he ever saw it, but he talked to it over the telephone wire they brought. Also, that is a gorgeous book! Feel like I might get myself that for Christmas. lol All my Lovecraft is spread over a bunch of paperback compilations. There's a lot of overlap with stories. Also, yeah! Think I remember The Stranger...they made a movie off that. Castle Freak? Something like that? Haven't seen it. Heard it was okay. -SIN
