Friday, 20 November 2009

Let's Play A Game

I have this sudden urge to reorganise my books, or maybe it's just an excuse to sit between piles of books. Whatever. I am doing it. The picture is taken just now, of books resting on my living room carpet. So then I thought of something we can share... Ok here is the deal ...assuming you are near your book shelves (if not, walk in the vicinity of it), close your eyes. Now, pick out five books at random and tell us in the comments sections what they are. If you have the time/inclination then tell us something about those books. How much or how little is entirely your choice, otherwise just leave their names and authors. Let's share a little of our literary tastes. I will start:
  1. Jo's Boys - Louisa May Alcott I love this book, though I do prefer Little Women and Little Men more. In terms of classics, I think Alcott is bit like Jane Austen in that their language and their stories are accessibly and applicable to us today as they were in her days. Besides, I simply love Jo March.
  2. Foundation - Isaac Asimov I enjoy reading this, though I wouldn't say I love them as a lot of people seem to. Foundation series is an interesting read, and something I wouldn't mind re-reading, but I am not a die hard fan.
  3. The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy This is literature at its best. Roy's poetic languages makes this one of my favourites in regards to the skill with words. The story is gripping too, but it is the language that captured me.
  4. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger I only read this book a short time ago, and totally love it. The concept of the story is great, and raised a lot of questions in my mind regards to the control Henry has over his life, due to his time travelling, though he doesn't really know it. The language is simple and easy to read.
  5. Ship of Destiny - Robin Hobb I haven't read this yet. This live-ship series is one of the over 100 books I have got waiting at home to be read. But I loved Hobb's Farseer Trilogy, so I have great hopes for this.
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7 comments:

  1. Adam20 November 2009 at 16:43

    My books are all over the room, so I had to randomly spin my chair and see what caught my eye. ;-)

    * The Dark Elf Trilogy - R.A. Salvatore
    Love it, love it, love it! The whole series (some 25 or so books) is excellent. Great characterisation, and brilliant fight scenes (something that's often underlooked)

    * Grimalkin's Tales - S. Whitelaw, J. Gardiner, M Ronson
    A collection of short stories about cats that I inherited from my grandfather. I don't think I've ever read it, but I love it for the memories of my grandad it stirs. ;-)

    * A Little Book Of Dumb Questions - M. Powell
    "What's the speed of dark?" That sums up the whole book.

    Demonology And Devil Lore: Volume 1 - Moncure Daniel Conway
    A remnant from my demon obsession. Bought it 5-6 years ago, and never got past the first 10 pages. It was written in the 1800s, and is a git to understand in places. :)

    * Voice Of The Gods - Trudi Canavan
    What a disappointment that series was... Ugh. Three LONG novels, that were basically one overly long tale. 1500 pages and only 500 of interest. A couple of the characters were fun, but UGH! (Her Dark Magician trilogy was great, though)

    That do ya? ;-)

    Adam

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  2. Dolly20 November 2009 at 16:46

    Adam,

    Thanks for posting :-) I will definitely look up Dark Elf Trilogy. Sounds cool.

    I loved the Dark Magician Trilogy, but when took a look at Voice of the Gods, just didn't appeal so I was holding off to see how I felt later. But thanks for the review. I will pass.

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  3. Adam20 November 2009 at 16:50

    You're welcome. :-)

    The whole Drizzt (the name of the MC) series is great. Love it to pieces. ;)

    Yeah, I really enjoyed the Dark Magician trilogy, but the "Age of the Five" trilogy is pretty crumby in comparison. A shame, really.

    Adam

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  4. C R Ward20 November 2009 at 20:09

    Sword & Sorceress
    A series of anthologies edited by the late Marion Zimmer Bradley. Excellent series! The stories did not have to be written by woman to be included, but they did have to have a woman as the main character.

    Night Tourist, by Katherine Marsh
    I picked it up because the blurb on the back made it sound a lot like Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was nothing like it, but still an excellent read.

    Memory & Dream, by Charles de Lint
    I actually have a whole shelf full of Charles de Lint books, he's a master of urban fantasy. This one is about a troubled woman who has the ability to create works of art with a soul.

    Family Tree, by Sheri S. Tepper
    She weaves two very different tales together so skillfully it's hard to separate the reality from the fantasy.

    The Cat Who Came In From The Cold, by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
    Although there are some who would say this is a children's book, there is a lot of wisdom to be gained by adults reading it.

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  5. Dolly20 November 2009 at 21:27

    C R,

    Thank you for excellent list. This little game is adding more books to my "to read" list.

    I am not a huge fan of short stories, but I will definitely look up Night Tourist and Memory&Dream.

    I think children's literature is definitely not to be ignored. Just because they were written for children, doesn't mean they don't require good imagination or skill as a writer.

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  6. Unknown21 November 2009 at 00:49

    "Justice" by Faye Kellerman
    *One of a long-running mystery series featuring Peter Decker, an LAPD homicidide detective and his wife, Rina Lazarus. Both are Orthodox Jews, so you get some very interesting cultural lessons as you read.

    "The Rainmaker" by John Grisham
    *This book really made me think about the overpopulated field of law. It was kind of cool to see the hoops a young law school graduate has to jump through, and it's especially interesting that, after trying (and winning) basically a single case, he finds the practice of law detestable.

    "Wolves of the Calla" by Stephen King
    *This is the fifth book in King's Dark Tower series. To me, the first three books serve as an introduction of sorts to Roland the gunslinger's quest, the fourth as a transition to the present day quest, and the fourth the first one where Roland and his new ka-tet (group working together for a common goal) actually fight together. Or at least that's how it seems to me : )

    "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi
    *I'm fascinated by the Manson murders. I think any sort of psychological control is very interesting, and Manson was a master (along with being a madman and a despicable human being). This book makes me think no matter how many times I read it.

    "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
    *I'm reading this to my five-year-old at the moment. I think it's just magical (no pun intended ;))

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  7. Tara McClendon21 November 2009 at 14:27

    Well the Twilight Saga takes up four and the Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare takes up another three. I'm a fan of all seven. :]

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