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Ninetales July 31st, 2018 3:11 PM

Book Club
 


Book Club
https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/stack-of-books-in-home-interior-picture-id532852345?k=6&m=532852345&s=612x612&w=0&h=5folmZQzguOesYnvHTpPRWd4ixOlBoJrL7mONtqbbb0=


Welcome to the book club! This is the place where you can discuss your favourite books of any genre! You can share your thoughts and feelings about a recent read, recommend books to others, or discuss plot lines with like-minded people! If you love books and have a passion for reading, this is the place for you! We welcome all members with open arms!

https://i.giphy.com/media/toSMxU7Mguxnq/giphy.webp


Rules and Guidelines:

-All existing PokeCommunity rules apply

-Please be respectful to all members. It's completely normal to disagree or offer different views or opinions, however, please do so in a civil manner


-Be sure to specify the book(s) you are discussing to prevent any confusion


Sign-Up Sheet:

Name/Nickname:
Favourite Book:
Favourite Author:




Members:
Midnight Umbreon, Astinus, Cherrim, Lycanthropy, Bay, Charlie Brown, TheGhostHunter, Bobandbill, Baire, Desert Stream, Aslan, VisionOfMilotic, Benjamin






Midnight Umbreon July 31st, 2018 6:34 PM

Ooh a book club? heck yes!

Name/Nickname: Calzone407
Favourite Book: Rangers Apprentice
Favourite Author: Christopher Polini. Maybe? I've read a lot of books kind of hard to pick a favorite author

Ninetales August 1st, 2018 8:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calzone407 (Post 9908837)
Favourite Book: Rangers Apprentice

This brings me down memory lane! I read Rangers Apprentice back in 6th grade when I was part of an actual book club. I remember thoroughly enjoying it, so much so that I never actually returned the book to the school library (hehehe) and I still have it do this day. I haven't touched the novel in years, however, it was a superb read and it had quite the interesting plot. Perhaps I should read it again.

Midnight Umbreon August 1st, 2018 8:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9909122)
This brings me down memory lane! I read Rangers Apprentice back in 6th grade when I was part of an actual book club. I remember thoroughly enjoying it, so much so that I never actually returned the book to the school library (hehehe) and I still have it do this day. I haven't touched the novel in years, however, it was a superb read and it had quite the interesting plot. Perhaps I should read it again.

Great! it is nice to see someone on the internet who has also read them. Did you know that there is going to be another one? Book 13, and I heard some rumors about a movie. (Am praying that won't happen) Movies adapted from a book is always horrible

Ninetales August 1st, 2018 8:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calzone407 (Post 9909124)
Great! it is nice to see someone on the internet who has also read them. Did you know that there is going to be another one? Book 13, and I heard some rumors about a movie. (Am praying that won't happen) Movies adapted from a book is always horrible

In all honesty, I've only read Ruins of Gorlan. I unfortunately was never able to locate any of the other books in the series. Although, I did indeed hear rumors about the series being made into a movie. If that's true, even though action movies don't exactly appeal to me, I would absolutely love to see it.

Midnight Umbreon August 1st, 2018 8:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9909131)
In all honesty, I've only read Ruins of Gorlan. I unfortunately was never able to locate any of the other books in the series. Although, I did indeed hear rumors about the series being made into a movie. If that's true, even though action movies don't exactly appeal to me, I would absolutely love to see it.

Oh, well. The other books are just as good, and if you live near a library, or just have access to one, you should read the others, their all pretty good

Astinus August 1st, 2018 2:38 PM

I'll join! Always enjoy a good discussion about reading! And I'm always on the search for new books to read.

Name/Nickname: Astinus
Favourite Book: Ender's Game
Favourite Author: Orson Scott Card

I'm currently reading the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Anyone else read them?

I kind of miss the days when my favorite author was really obvious here.

Ninetales August 1st, 2018 5:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astinus (Post 9909270)
I'll join! Always enjoy a good discussion about reading! And I'm always on the search for new books to read.

Name/Nickname: Astinus
Favourite Book: Ender's Game
Favourite Author: Orson Scott Card

I'm currently reading the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Anyone else read them?

I kind of miss the days when my favorite author was really obvious here.

Welcome! You're definitely in the right place. Anyways, the Redwall series looks rather intriguing, how are you enjoying it thus far?

I'm currently reading a novel titled Traveling Light by Lynne Branard. The characters in it are certainly quirky, if not atypical, however, the story so far is really excellent. I'm only 63 pages in and I'm already fairly invested.

Midnight Umbreon August 1st, 2018 6:09 PM

So I know it's a bit early to start a conversation, but have either of you ever read a series of unfortunate events?

Cherrim August 1st, 2018 9:09 PM

Excite!!!! I love reading!!

Name/Nickname: Erica / Cherrim
Favourite Book: Sphere by Michael Crichton, but my fave book that I read recently was The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. :3
Favourite Author: Michael Crichton although I worry that if I went back to reread all my faves, I'd find them too misogynistic/right-wing :x

I'm currently reading The Art of Racing in the Rain by uhhhhh... Garth Stein. It's told from the POV of a dog and it's very weird right now, but hard to put down. It will be the 57th book I've read this year, because apparently I am crazy. ????

Ninetales August 1st, 2018 10:18 PM

I do apologize for not formally introducing myself when I initially created this club. Anyways, I thought I'd share a little bit about myself and my undying love of reading.

My real name is Adele (no, I can't sing before anyone asks.) Anyways, I've loved reading for the entirety of my seventeen years of living. Fun fact, in the second grade, I was already at a grade 6 reading level. English has always been my strongest subject and I'm currently in an Advanced Placement english program at my high school (or I will be when school officially begins in September.) My love of this subject, of course, is fueled by my passion for reading and writing.

I have a plethora of books that I'd consider my favourites, including but not limited to: Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick, Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick, the Wake series by Lisa McMann, and Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I generally prefer romance, drama, historical fiction, adventure, and mystery novels. My favourites often are ones that tend to be centralized around realistic, imperfect characters who learn to cope with and overcome their internal/external struggles. I find realism in characters to be incredibly refreshing, I love seeing the humanity in protagonists and antagonists alike and I enjoy three dimensional characters that have utterly complex personalities and continually evolve as a story unravels. Might I add, I often shy away from fantasy or sci-fi novels, however, there are a select few that I thoroughly enjoy in these two particular genres. (I.e Hunger Games, Divergent series, etc.) As of late, I've been reading a lot of poetry and quote books and I've fallen in love with them. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur is a superb one that I'd highly recommend.

My favourite authors include John Green (Cliche, I know. He's simply marvelous though) and Becca Fitzpatrick. (if you couldn't already tell.) Anyways, if there's anything you guys would like to know about me, please, feel free to ask. I'm an open book, truly. (Ahaha I'm hilarious.)

https://i.giphy.com/media/wiPVz0nY5sd8I/giphy.webp

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherrim (Post 9909365)
Excite!!!! I love reading!!

Name/Nickname: Erica / Cherrim
Favourite Book: Sphere by Michael Crichton, but my fave book that I read recently was The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. :3
Favourite Author: Michael Crichton although I worry that if I went back to reread all my faves, I'd find them too misogynistic/right-wing :x

I'm currently reading The Art of Racing in the Rain by uhhhhh... Garth Stein. It's told from the POV of a dog and it's very weird right now, but hard to put down. It will be the 57th book I've read this year, because apparently I am crazy. ??????

You're not crazy at all, hun. You're brilliant! 57 books? Now that's quite the accomplishment. I'm jealous, you inspire me to read more. I've read a solid 7 books this year, if that. As much as I adore reading, I am quite the scatterbrain at times and I often get distracted, never mind balancing school, work and a social life. I do need to take more time to just sit down, relax and dive into a good book.

Anyways, The Art of Racing in the Rain sounds rather peculiar, although, I have a tremendous love for dogs so I can already tell that I'd enjoy it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calzone407 (Post 9909335)
So I know it's a bit early to start a conversation, but have either of you ever read a series of unfortunate events?

No, I have not. Although, the name sounds oddly familiar.

Midnight Umbreon August 2nd, 2018 5:19 AM

https://media1.tenor.com/images/2ea3135361d8b404089087f1efc7d8bb/tenor.gif?itemid=8323658It is about three children who have an enormous fortune, but are very unfortunate, inn the first book their parents perish in a terrible fire, perish means - yeah, you probably know what perish means, anyway they are sent to live with an evil man named count Olaf, who does spoilery things to them. sounds bad but they are good books, and sometimes even funny

Lycanthropy August 2nd, 2018 9:51 AM

Heyy, I love reading! I'm afraid I don't have as much time to read anymore these days as I want to, but I've slowly started catching up on my huge backlog during my Summer break.

Name/Nickname: Lycan
Favourite Book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Favourite Authors: Douglas Adams, Terry Goodkind, Agatha Christie

Ninetales August 3rd, 2018 9:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calzone407 (Post 9909459)
https://media1.tenor.com/images/2ea3135361d8b404089087f1efc7d8bb/tenor.gif?itemid=8323658It is about three children who have an enormous fortune, but are very unfortunate, inn the first book their parents perish in a terrible fire, perish means - yeah, you probably know what perish means, anyway they are sent to live with an evil man named count Olaf, who does spoilery things to them. sounds bad but they are good books, and sometimes even funny

That does sound very peculiar. Perhaps I'll have to check it out. May I ask, what genre of books do you prefer?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lycanthropy (Post 9909554)
Heyy, I love reading! I'm afraid I don't have as much time to read anymore these days as I want to, but I've slowly started catching up on my huge backlog during my Summer break.

Name/Nickname: Lycan
Favourite Book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Favourite Authors: Douglas Adams, Terry Goodkind, Agatha Christie

Welcome! You have lovely taste. Agatha Christie is a favourite of mine, too. Even though many of her books were written decades ago her work is truly timeless and her writing style is so unique and enthralling. What's your favourite book of hers? I did enjoy And Then There Were None the most. It's such a thrilling novel that is full of countless twists and turns and you never can fully grasp what's about to happen. Her work tends to have so much mysteriosity to it and it never fails to excite me!

Midnight Umbreon August 3rd, 2018 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9909853)
That does sound very peculiar. Perhaps I'll have to check it out. May I ask, what genre of books do you prefer?



Welcome! You have lovely taste. Agatha Christie is a favourite of mine, too. Even though many of her books were written decades ago her work is truly timeless and her writing style is so unique and enthralling. What's your favourite book of hers? I did enjoy And Then There Were None the most. It's such a thrilling novel that is full of countless twists and turns and you never can fully grasp what's about to happen. Her work tends to have so much mysteriosity to it and it never fails to excite me!

Sci-fi fantasy mostly, but every now and then I like a good mystery book. And then that section of book were you wonder, what the heck section does this even belong in?

Astinus August 3rd, 2018 12:25 PM

Thanks for the welcome!

I can't pick a favorite genre of books. My favorite author is known for sci-fi, but I don't read a lot of sci-fi. I've read a lot of fantasy, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite. Really, I just read whatever strikes my fancy, no matter what genre it's in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9909327)
Welcome! You're definitely in the right place. Anyways, the Redwall series looks rather intriguing, how are you enjoying it thus far?

They're pretty decent books, especially in the beginning of the series. Towards the end of the series (and Jacques's life), the storylines begin to seem like the same thing in every book. I can say the same for the characterization, but Jacques writes that in a particular way because the books are meant for children.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calzone407 (Post 9909335)
So I know it's a bit early to start a conversation, but have either of you ever read a series of unfortunate events?

I'm in the middle of that series right now! Took a break so I could finish reading the Redwall books, but I plan on continuing ASoUE next. While they are dark, the way that Snicket writes can get hilarious. It's also bizarre just the situations that the children can get into with the characters that they meet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherrim (Post 9909365)
Favourite Author: Michael Crichton although I worry that if I went back to reread all my faves, I'd find them too misogynistic/right-wing :x

I can't remember if I read Sphere or not, but a few years back, I went on a Crichton binge. Timeline and Next were my favorites out of the ones that I read, but--like you--I wonder if I'll find the problems that you're worried about.

Ninetales August 3rd, 2018 9:48 PM

I just finished Traveling Light, the novel that I was reading. I managed to read 217 pages today and I didn't initially plan on reaching the ending of the book, however, I couldn't resist. I was unable to set the book down, my eyes were firmly glued to the parchment.

Every time I finish a book I feel a mix of contentment and sorrow, as well as a certain emptiness. It may sound weird, but, it's almost as if I'm internally mourning the conclusion of a book. I currently feel like I don't know what to do with myself after devoting so much time to reading. Does anyone else feel that way? Perhaps I'm alone in this and my apparent attachment to novels and to the written word is uncanny.

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469404411l/30011023.jpg

Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed Traveling Light. It was the type of story that's rather unpredictable. Even during the denouenment did I continually question and speculate about the events that were to occur. The novel was fascinationing and presented a deeper meaning about the utter importance of spontaneity and living life according to your own rules, and ultimately doing whatever makes you happy.

Lycanthropy August 4th, 2018 4:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9909853)
Welcome! You have lovely taste. Agatha Christie is a favourite of mine, too. Even though many of her books were written decades ago her work is truly timeless and her writing style is so unique and enthralling. What's your favourite book of hers? I did enjoy And Then There Were None the most. It's such a thrilling novel that is full of countless twists and turns and you never can fully grasp what's about to happen. Her work tends to have so much mysteriosity to it and it never fails to excite me!

Thanks for the warm welcome! I don't think I've read that one book yet. I'm not entirely sure though, since I (mostly) read the Dutch translations and I don't really want to look up the plot because spoilers.

Either way, she has written so many books that it's hard to pick just one favorite. I really enjoyed The A.B.C. Murders and Cards on the Table, both are quite unique in their own way with a couple of rather unexpected twists of their own. The biggest twist however is definitely that of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The book is so fantastically written as a whole, and my mind was blown entirely when it reached the conclusion. I wish I could tell you more about it, but huge spoiler alert.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9910084)
I just finished Traveling Light, the novel that I was reading. I managed to read 217 pages today and I didn't initially plan on reaching the ending of the book, however, I couldn't resist. I was unable to set the book down, my eyes were firmly glued to the parchment.

Every time I finish a book I feel a mix of contentment and sorrow, as well as a certain emptiness. It may sound weird, but, it's almost as if I'm internally mourning the conclusion of a book. I currently feel like I don't know what to do with myself after devoting so much time to reading. Does anyone else feel that way? Perhaps I'm alone in this and my apparent attachment to novels and to the written word is uncanny.

Same here! When I find a good book, I'm never able to stop reading. That's one of the reasons why I rarely read outside of my vacation: I'd end up neglecting homework and everything just to finish my book. More than often I notice I tell myself "just one more chapter and then I go to bed" several times on one night.

And wow, I totally recognize that as well. Reaching the ending is great on one hand, because you get the satisfying feeling of all the pieces falling together or the story reaching its conclusion. On the other hand, finishing a book also means you have to find something else to read and can no longer enjoy the characters unless you read the same story again. Of course, the feeling can easily be avoided by simply reading books that are part of a sereis, then you can freely move on to the next part. ;]

Ninetales August 4th, 2018 4:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lycanthropy (Post 9910167)
Thanks for the warm welcome! I don't think I've read that one book yet. I'm not entirely sure though, since I (mostly) read the Dutch translations and I don't really want to look up the plot because spoilers.

Either way, she has written so many books that it's hard to pick just one favorite. I really enjoyed The A.B.C. Murders and Cards on the Table, both are quite unique in their own way with a couple of rather unexpected twists of their own. The biggest twist however is definitely that of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The book is so fantastically written as a whole, and my mind was blown entirely when it reached the conclusion. I wish I could tell you more about it, but huge spoiler alert.

I started reading Cards on the Table, however, I was unable to finish it as it was an overdue library book. I think I only got 1/3 of the way in but it was an excellent novel from what I could tell. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was one that I have yet to read. I've always found that it's impossible to find Agatha Christie novels at book stores, despite her being so widely renowned. If I manage to locate it I'll certainly give it a read.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Lycanthropy (Post 9910167)
Same here! When I find a good book, I'm never able to stop reading. That's one of the reasons why I rarely read outside of my vacation: I'd end up neglecting homework and everything just to finish my book. More than often I notice I tell myself "just one more chapter and then I go to bed" several times on one night.

And wow, I totally recognize that as well. Reaching the ending is great on one hand, because you get the satisfying feeling of all the pieces falling together or the story reaching its conclusion. On the other hand, finishing a book also means you have to find something else to read and can no longer enjoy the characters unless you read the same story again. Of course, the feeling can easily be avoided by simply reading books that are part of a sereis, then you can freely move on to the next part. ;]

Yes! I'm glad I'm not the only one. There's been so many nights where I stay up incredibly late reading simply because I can't put a book down.

There's been instances in which I've reached the conclusion of a series and have proceeded to weep. Usually tears of joy in the case of a happy ending. As I previously stated, I do have a tendency to be rather sentimental and get attached to books.

Bay August 4th, 2018 8:23 PM

Hey, since I'm the fanfic mod here guess it's apparent that I'll join!

Name/Nickname: Bay
Favourite Book: The Things They Carried by Tim O' Brien
Favourite Author: Tim O' Brien, Dennis Lehane, Neil Gaiman

Currently I've been reading more fanfics than published novels, but I hope to set aside some reading time once real life and fandom projects gets less hectic.

On the topic of feeling sad when finished reading a book, I felt that way when I was done with my last published read, Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I was reading the book on and off for several weeks, and when I finally finished it I was like, "awww that's all?" haha.

Charlie Brown August 4th, 2018 11:58 PM

Hullo! Keen to join as well :)

Name/Nickname: Charlie Brown / Josh
Favourite Book: '1984' by George Orwell
Favourite Authors: Haruki Murakami, Rupi Kaur, James Dashner

Will respond to the conversation topics later

Ninetales August 5th, 2018 4:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bay (Post 9910451)
Hey, since I'm the fanfic mod here guess it's apparent that I'll join!

Name/Nickname: Bay
Favourite Book: The Things They Carried by Tim O' Brien
Favourite Author: Tim O' Brien, Dennis Lehane, Neil Gaiman

Currently I've been reading more fanfics than published novels, but I hope to set aside some reading time once real life and fandom projects gets less hectic.

On the topic of feeling sad when finished reading a book, I felt that way when I was done with my last published read, Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I was reading the book on and off for several weeks, and when I finally finished it I was like, "awww that's all?" haha.

Welcome! I must admit, I do enjoy fanfics myself. I went through a phase a few years ago where I exclusively read Attack On Titan fanfics on Wattpad. Now, I much prefer original stories and actual novels. What fanfics do you enjoy reading the most?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlie Brown (Post 9910490)
Hullo! Keen to join as well :)

Name/Nickname: Charlie Brown / Josh
Favourite Book: '1984' by George Orwell
Favourite Authors: Haruki Murakami, Rupi Kaur, James Dashner

Will respond to the conversation topics later

Welcome! Good to have you. You seem to have exquisite taste. Rupi Kaur is an excellent author, I've been dying to read The Sun and Her Flowers , especially considering how marvelous Milk and Honey was. James Dashner is also a grand author and I've read quite a few of his books including the renowned Maze Runner series. The books were splendid, although, I didn't care for the movies in the slightest. They just didn't feel organic to me.

Bay August 5th, 2018 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9910711)
Welcome! I must admit, I do enjoy fanfics myself. I went through a phase a few years ago where I exclusively read Attack On Titan fanfics on Wattpad. Now, I much prefer original stories and actual novels. What fanfics do you enjoy reading the most?

I mostly enjoy fics with either interesting takes on the worldbuilding not shown in the original canon and/or fics with great character studies. Sometimes I also in the mood for good ol domestic fluff on my favorite pairings heh.

Ninetales August 7th, 2018 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bay (Post 9910788)
I mostly enjoy fics with either interesting takes on the worldbuilding not shown in the original canon and/or fics with great character studies. Sometimes I also in the mood for good ol domestic fluff on my favorite pairings heh.

Yes, I love when authors approach the story differently and truly make it their own in regard to fanfictions. The creativity that comes from doing so is refreshing. Not only that but and it prevents stories from becoming overly monotonous and predictable.

Miss Wendighost August 8th, 2018 5:46 PM

Name: TheGhostHunter (Savanna)
Favorite Book: To Kill A Mockingbird-Harper Lee (Classic), Project 17-Laurie Faria Stolarz (Modern)
Favorite Author: Edgar Allen Poe (Classic), J.K. Rowling (Modern)
Currently Reading: On Ghosts: The Spirit World Throughout History-Ronald L. Murphy Jr.

Ninetales August 9th, 2018 8:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGhostHunter (Post 9911937)
Name: TheGhostHunter (Savanna)
Favorite Book: To Kill A Mockingbird-Harper Lee (Classic), Project 17-Laurie Faria Stolarz (Modern)
Favorite Author: Edgar Allen Poe (Classic), J.K. Rowling (Modern)

Welcome! Glad to have you. To Kill A Mockingbird is a superb novel. I read it in my AP English class last semester and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was inclined to purchase the sequel, Go Set A Watchman, although I've heard that a lot of the characters are portrayed in a more negative way, such as Scout's father and that the novel itself was overwhelming mediocre. I don't even think Harper Lee intended for it to ever be published, as it came out after her passing.

Miss Wendighost August 9th, 2018 8:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9912139)
Welcome! Glad to have you. To Kill A Mockingbird is a superb novel. I read it in my AP English class last semester and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was inclined to purchase the sequel, Go Set A Watchman, although I've heard that a lot of the characters are portrayed in a more negative way, such as Scout's father and that the novel itself was overwhelming mediocre. I don't even think Harper Lee intended for it to ever be published, as it came out after her passing.

I didn't read the sequel because I heard it wasn't as good as the original. Why I picked Project 17 as my Modern Favorite is because of the author's style of writing which is having different sections of the book be told from the perspective along with the interesting motivations that brought the characters together.

bobandbill August 9th, 2018 9:51 AM

Name/Nickname: bobandbill
Favourite Book: Buh, not sure tbh. The Merlin Conspiracy, Howl's Moving Castly, The Singing Tree spring to mind...
Favourite Author: Diana Wynne Jones, but also Terry Pratchett, Michael Crichton, Ursula Le Guin

Currently reading 'Threat Vector' by Tom Clancy. Standard action thriller thus far. Book was on the free-to-borrow bookshelf where I am currently staying, so I figured I'll give it a go. Got around to Mazerunner recently too.

I agree with the sentiment on To Kill A Mockingbird, btw.

Ninetales August 10th, 2018 8:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobandbill (Post 9912165)
Name/Nickname: bobandbill
Favourite Book: Buh, not sure tbh. The Merlin Conspiracy, Howl's Moving Castly, The Singing Tree spring to mind...
Favourite Author: Diana Wynne Jones, but also Terry Pratchett, Michael Crichton, Ursula Le Guin

Currently reading 'Threat Vector' by Tom Clancy. Standard action thriller thus far. Book was on the free-to-borrow bookshelf where I am currently staying, so I figured I'll give it a go. Got around to Mazerunner recently too.

I agree with the sentiment on To Kill A Mockingbird, btw.

Welcome! What is your opinion on the Maze Runner series thus far?

Also, I've recently purchased a plethora of novels and I can't quite decide on which one to read. They all differ immensely and I've gone back and forth trying to choose which one to conquer first. Does anyone have tips for choosing a novel? Thanks in advance.

bobandbill August 10th, 2018 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9912488)
Welcome! What is your opinion on the Maze Runner series thus far?

Overall I enjoyed the first book. A little slow to settle though for my liking; a bit hard to follow exactly what was going on given the large amount of mystery opted for at the start. Decent cliffhangers , and some dubious science things as well, haha.

Quote:

Also, I've recently purchased a plethora of novels and I can't quite decide on which one to read. They all differ immensely and I've gone back and forth trying to choose which one to conquer first. Does anyone have tips for choosing a novel? Thanks in advance.
If all else fails, judge by the cover? :V Or just do eeny-meenie-miny-moe on it; if you plan to read them all, you'll get the best one sooner or later.

Astinus August 11th, 2018 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9912488)
They all differ immensely and I've gone back and forth trying to choose which one to conquer first. Does anyone have tips for choosing a novel? Thanks in advance.

I read through the summaries and try to figure out which one sounds most interesting, or which one fits more of my mood going in to reading it.

My to-be-read pile is organized out for the next year (I hope). How I organized it was by grouping the books into general piles (series, stand-alones, genres), and then sorting everything out so I'm not stuck reading the same sort of thing for too long. Like after I finish the two series that I'm in the middle of, I'm switching over to shorter middle-school-aged stand-alone books. After those come the more stand-alone adult novels that are a variety of genres (you have your H.P. Lovecraft right next to your Nicholas Sparks!). The piles go on like that so I get a good variety.

Ninetales August 11th, 2018 5:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobandbill (Post 9912540)
Overall I enjoyed the first book. A little slow to settle though for my liking; a bit hard to follow exactly what was going on given the large amount of mystery opted for at the start. Decent cliffhangers , and some dubious science things as well, haha.

I actually preferred the second book to the first. Although, I read the series years ago and I'm not sure if I'd have the same opinion in the present.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobandbill (Post 9912540)
If all else fails, judge by the cover? :V Or just do eeny-meenie-miny-moe on it; if you plan to read them all, you'll get the best one sooner or later.

I often choose novels from my local book store based on the cover (while taking the genre and summary heavily into consideration as well). If a book has an aesthetically unappealing cover, my interest usually dwindles. I might just have to rely on the eenie-meenie method if all else fails.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astinus (Post 9913055)
I read through the summaries and try to figure out which one sounds most interesting, or which one fits more of my mood going in to reading it.

My to-be-read pile is organized out for the next year (I hope). How I organized it was by grouping the books into general piles (series, stand-alones, genres), and then sorting everything out so I'm not stuck reading the same sort of thing for too long. Like after I finish the two series that I'm in the middle of, I'm switching over to shorter middle-school-aged stand-alone books. After those come the more stand-alone adult novels that are a variety of genres (you have your H.P. Lovecraft right next to your Nicholas Sparks!). The piles go on like that so I get a good variety.

I admire your organization skills. Typically speaking, I am quite spontaneous when reading. I rely on what I feel like and if I develop a strong urge to read a novel, even if I'm in the middle of another one, I often will. However, these books are all quite dissimilar. One has been made into a film, (which I have yet to see), The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, another is on Netflix, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The other two are How to Love by Katie Contugno, and lastly, The Book of Lost & Found by Lucy Foley. All of these novels enthrall me in different ways which is why I'm so indecisive as to which one I want to read first. It's a rather daunting task when you adore books as much as I do. However, I'm leaning towards How to Love ever so slightly.

Also, Nicholas Sparks is a marvelous author. I don't think anyone would dare to disagree, given how many of his novels have been made into big-budget films.

Cherrim August 12th, 2018 7:54 PM

orz, sorry I disappeared for like a week LOL... I was busy with stuff, but not too busy to read, apparently, since I finished a few books in that time!

I finished that weird The Art of Racing in the Rain book. It was really, really good--the writing was absolutely beautiful. It was like poetry sometimes. However, the subject matter was pretty depressing and the ending very bittersweet. I think I'd still recommend it, though. ESPECIALLY if you own pets.

Aaand then I quickly read through The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins which is the graphic novelization of the first arc of the D&D podcast run by the McElroy brothers. I ADORED the podcast and preordered the book as soon as it was announced, although once it finally arrived it took me a couple weeks to finally sit down and read it because I just wasn't really in the mood for comics when it came. But it was really good and I highly recommend it. :D

Finally, I also read Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. I've been wanting to read it for over a year, but it's been on hold at my library for ever. (Well, it did come off hold sometime last year but it came off hold AT THE SAME TIME AS LIKE 6 OTHER BOOKS because somehow that ALWAYS HAPPENS TO ME and I just did not have time to get to it before I had to return it--since I couldn't renew with tons of OTHER people on the waiting list.) Uh, anyway to get back to the point, it's a book about dictionaries, written by a lexicographer (someone who writes definitions). It was absolutely FASCINATING and I urge anyone who enjoys the English language, language in general, or even just books in general to give it a read. The author is really funny while still being super informative and you learn all kinds of little tidbits about language and words. It was also the first time I had to look up a LOT of words without feeling really frustrating, like I do whenever I have to look up tons of words in academic writing. Like, the author used plenty of words I'd never heard of before, but not in the condescending way of academia, ahaha. It was a really great read!

I'm not sure what my next book is gonna be. I think a few things are due to come off hold in a week or two, so maybe I'll hold off on starting anything new until I have a deadline looming, ahaha.
Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9909374)
My favourite authors include John Green (Cliche, I know. He's simply marvelous though) and Becca Fitzpatrick. (if you couldn't already tell.) Anyways, if there's anything you guys would like to know about me, please, feel free to ask. I'm an open book, truly. (Ahaha I'm hilarious.)

Ooh, I'm also a big fan of John Green. :D I found the vlogbrothers on youtube about a decade ago and within a year had devoured all his books and have been a fan ever since. Although... I... still haven't finished Turtles yet, orz. I've been struggling to get into it, I think because I preordered a signed hardcopy and I struggle to read physical books now that I use eReaders so much... I should get a kindle copy, lol. What's your favourite book by him? :3 Although it's definitely not his best, I really like An Abundance of Katherines because I'm a math nerd at heart and loved all the equations and stuff in it, ahaha.
Quote:

You're not crazy at all, hun. You're brilliant! 57 books? Now that's quite the accomplishment. I'm jealous, you inspire me to read more. I've read a solid 7 books this year, if that. As much as I adore reading, I am quite the scatterbrain at times and I often get distracted, never mind balancing school, work and a social life. I do need to take more time to just sit down, relax and dive into a good book.

Anyways, The Art of Racing in the Rain sounds rather peculiar, although, I have a tremendous love for dogs so I can already tell that I'd enjoy it.
I've never read so much in my life, I'm not sure how I've managed so far! Last year I read 50, but a lot of that was because I got into the final year of my English degree which, as one might expect, had a LOT of reading attached to it. But most of it was academic, whereas this year I've really just gotten into reading stuff that I wanna read, rather than stuff assigned for class or as reference for essays. (And admittedly a fair few of them are manga/graphic novels, which are definitely not as intense as your typical novel or book, but... still!) I'm also very motivated by marking things as "done", so Goodreads goes a long way for me because the satisfaction of rating a book and adding it to my virtual shelf as completed is almost as satisfying as actually finishing the book. ^^;

Ohh, and from your description of the kinds of books you like, I think you'd DEFINITELY like Racing in the Rain. It's totally right up your alley, re: slowly getting to know characters and seeing personalities unravel and build up over time. It's also very realistic--well, aside from having a dog as the narrator, ahaha.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Astinus (Post 9909928)
I can't remember if I read Sphere or not, but a few years back, I went on a Crichton binge. Timeline and Next were my favorites out of the ones that I read, but--like you--I wonder if I'll find the problems that you're worried about.

Sphere is the one about the alien creature at the bottom of the ocean. :O

But yeah, Next in particular is one of the ones that makes me worry about going back and rereading. I really enjoyed it when I read it, but it put me DANGEROUSLY CLOSE to becoming a climate change denier when I was much younger and much more impressionable because that was Crichton's stance and it was abundantly clear in the novel that the "real science" intermingled with his classic pseudo-science was very, very conservative in nature and very, very skewed. @[email protected] And then when I read, uhh.. I think it might have been called Micro...? One of the novels that was published posthumously and finished by a ghostwriter. The female characters in it were very... bad. Like really bad. It makes me worry if maybe back then I just glossed over how bad his other female characters were because I liked his work so much.

Oh well. He'll forever be my guilty pleasure favourite, I think. I just really love how well he writes suspense and even if his formula is so obvious (he loooves his "countdown" chapter titles), it sucks me in every single time, lol. I'm just glad that now I'm old enough to be a more critical reader!
Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9912488)
Also, I've recently purchased a plethora of novels and I can't quite decide on which one to read. They all differ immensely and I've gone back and forth trying to choose which one to conquer first. Does anyone have tips for choosing a novel? Thanks in advance.

Ohhh, that's a hard one. *looks forlornly at all the unread books she's amassed..............*

I usually solve it by reading library books that I've borrowed on a whim instead because those at least have due dates and then my pile of owned books just gathers dust, so I suppose that's not much help. ????Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, perhaps?

Ninetales August 14th, 2018 2:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherrim (Post 9913509)
orz, sorry I disappeared for like a week LOL... I was busy with stuff, but not too busy to read, apparently, since I finished a few books in that time!

Welcome back!! :) You were certainly missed.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherrim (Post 9913509)
Ooh, I'm also a big fan of John Green. :D I found the vlogbrothers on youtube about a decade ago and within a year had devoured all his books and have been a fan ever since. Although... I... still haven't finished Turtles yet, orz. I've been struggling to get into it, I think because I preordered a signed hardcopy and I struggle to read physical books now that I use eReaders so much... I should get a kindle copy, lol. What's your favourite book by him? :3 Although it's definitely not his best, I really like An Abundance of Katherines because I'm a math nerd at heart and loved all the equations and stuff in it, ahaha.

I'd have to say that Turtles All The Way Down is my favourite with The Fault in Our Stars being a close second. Turtles All The Way Down was such an interesting, heartwarming read. Aza, first of all, is such a splendidly unique and complex character, I am absolutely enthralled and fascinated by her continuous thought spirals that seemingly dictate her life. Furthermore, witnessing her attempt to cope with her though spirals while in the midst of falling in love is incredibly perplexing. Never mind John Green's tremendous writing style that always draws readers in even when not much is occurring in terms of the plot. Sure, The Fault in our Stars is so wholesome and beautiful, but it lacks the uniqueness that Turtles All The Way Down truly possesses. I've never read An Abundance of Katherines, but I plan to do so in the near future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherrim (Post 9913509)
Ohh, and from your description of the kinds of books you like, I think you'd DEFINITELY like Racing in the Rain. It's totally right up your alley, re: slowly getting to know characters and seeing personalities unravel and build up over time. It's also very realistic--well, aside from having a dog as the narrator, ahaha.

Yes, yes, yes. I need that book in my life this instant.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherrim (Post 9913509)
Ohhh, that's a hard one. *looks forlornly at all the unread books she's amassed..............*

I usually solve it by reading library books that I've borrowed on a whim instead because those at least have due dates and then my pile of owned books just gathers dust, so I suppose that's not much help. ������Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, perhaps?

I've come to a conclusion (or so I think, who knows.) I've decided that I'd going to read How to Love first. I feel as the story with resonate with me the most as I love reading about romantic relationships and have been in some rather turbulent, complicated ones myself. After that, I suppose I'll have to randomly select a novel, as you suggested.

Ninetales August 26th, 2018 9:46 AM

Does anyone have books that they've been dying to read? New releases? Old classics? With autumn just around the corner, perhaps there's also a shift in book preferences.

Personally, I've been looking forward to reading To all the Boys I've Ever Loved Before by Jenny Han. Every teenage girl within a mile radius has seen the movie on Netflix. However, as someone who believes that books are superior to films, I've been holding out as I want to complete the novel first. I don't want the movie to influence my perception of the characters. Although, I've been told how spectacular the film is and I can only imagine how incredible the book must be. I bought it a few days ago but I haven't gotten the chance to peek at it yet (as I've been quite ill as of late). I do plan on beginning the book today as it's rainy and cold outside (perfect day to read, if you ask me.)

Astinus August 26th, 2018 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9917885)
Does anyone have books that they've been dying to read? New releases? Old classics? With autumn just around the corner, perhaps there's also a shift in book preferences.

After looking through my to-be-read piles, I'm most looking forward to starting the Hunger Games series. There's also a part of me that is ready to read some H.P. Lovecraft.

As for books that I haven't gotten yet, the Animorphes series is right at the top of my list. The themes and characterization that it has in it is what I'm really interested in. I've heard that they're really good, and stick with readers for a long time.

Had no idea To All the Boys I've Ever Loved Before was a book! Hopefully you feel better soon so you can read it!

(For me, the best weather for reading is when it's sunny and warm [not hot] out. Then I can sit outside and soak up some much needed vitamin D while also reading a good book.)

Ninetales August 31st, 2018 5:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astinus (Post 9917934)
After looking through my to-be-read piles, I'm most looking forward to starting the Hunger Games series. There's also a part of me that is ready to read some H.P. Lovecraft.

The Hunger Games series is phenomenal. I highly recommend! I haven't read it in years, however, I thoroughly enjoyed each book when I initially read the series. The movies are also fantastic and in my opinion they don't stray too far from the novels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astinus (Post 9917934)
no idea To All the Boys I've Ever Loved Before was a book! Hopefully you feel better soon so you can read it!

(For me, the best weather for reading is when it's sunny and warm [not hot] out. Then I can sit outside and soak up some much needed vitamin D while also reading a good book.)

Yes! I didn't realize there was a book series either until one of my best friends informed me. I have finally begun reading it, although, I've been so incredibly busy these last few days and haven't been able to get very far. (I believe I'm 22 pages into the book or something.) Not to mention that school begins this upcoming Tuesday. I'm going to be in my senior year of high school and I'm honestly not excited at all.

I will say I agree, reading a book with the sun on your skin is marvelous. I still believe that nothing beats reading while listening to the rain as you cuddle up under a blanket near a fireplace with a cup of tea!

bobandbill September 2nd, 2018 10:36 AM

Last weekend while I lacked internet, I found a bunch of book stalls had popped up for the weekend at the nearby shopping centre for charity. Was able to snag a few books for pretty cheap. :B Pratchett, Cohen and also Dickens as I never did read much of his stuff before.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Astinus (Post 9917934)
After looking through my to-be-read piles, I'm most looking forward to starting the Hunger Games series. There's also a part of me that is ready to read some H.P. Lovecraft.

As for books that I haven't gotten yet, the Animorphes series is right at the top of my list. The themes and characterization that it has in it is what I'm really interested in. I've heard that they're really good, and stick with readers for a long time.

I enjoyed the Hunger Games series. Not my most favourite but it was entertaining enough and had some good action and situations. Third book was the weakest for me, maybe a bit too much going on...?

Animorphs! Now that's a blast from the past, haha. I read a bunch of them back in primary school, out of order and not with all the books in the end. That was a cool series though. Never watched the show.

Ninetales September 24th, 2018 2:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobandbill (Post 9920704)
I enjoyed the Hunger Games series. Not my most favourite but it was entertaining enough and had some good action and situations. Third book was the weakest for me, maybe a bit too much going on...?

The third book was also my least favourite. I found that it was a little difficult to fully comprehend what was going on, as it seemed like a million things were happening at once. However, I think the two movies based on Mockingjay helped me make sense of everything.

Anyways, I STILL haven't read To All The Boys I've Ever Loved Before, even after all this time. Instead, I began How To Love, a novel that I've mentioned a plethora of times before. Honestly, I'm really loving it so far. It's quite a simple book that lacks any sort of monumental climax, yet the plot is incredibly compelling. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who adores real, raw romance. It isn't overly saccharine but it still conveys a message about true love and how it's not always easy. After this read, well, maybe then I'll read To All The Boys I've Ever Loved Before. Although, over the summer I had a habit of impulsively purchasing every eye-catching novel that I could locate and I now have quite a gargantuan pile of novels to get through. Most of them are romance or historical fiction (or both), but I did find a Mystery/Thriller novel that's been piquing my interest as of late. For the love of God, I can't think of the title, anyways, I'm thinking that it'll be my next read.

If anyone has found an enthralling read perfect for Autumn, do let me know, I'd be delighted to hear! Autumn is my absolute favourite season and in my opinion is one of the best seasons to read in. You can sit outside while it's still nice out with a book and just enjoy the fresh crisp air and the vibrant leaves scattered about and in late fall you can curl up under a quilt with a book and a cup of tea! :)

baire November 4th, 2018 11:12 PM

hello, v new to these forums but I hope I can still join! pretty neat how many other canadians there are here
Name/Nickname: baire
Favourite Book: The Big Sleep or The Long Goodbye (both by Chandler)
Favourite Author: Raymond Chandler, Douglas Adams, Ludwig Wittgenstein

Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels make up my favourite series and I'm not sure that any other has come close. I'll have a bit more time to read novels over the next week so I'm excited for that at least

Ninetales November 5th, 2018 6:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baire (Post 9944895)
hello, v new to these forums but I hope I can still join! pretty neat how many other canadians there are here
Name/Nickname: baire
Favourite Book: The Big Sleep or The Long Goodbye (both by Chandler)
Favourite Author: Raymond Chandler, Douglas Adams, Ludwig Wittgenstein

Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels make up my favourite series and I'm not sure that any other has come close. I'll have a bit more time to read novels over the next week so I'm excited for that at least

Welcome! So glad to have you! It's never too late to join. :)

Anyways, I've heard a lot of positive things about Raymond Chandler and his work. While I, myself have never read one of his novels, I've always yearned to. Perhaps I need to pay another visit to my local book store! Any recommendations?

baire November 5th, 2018 11:13 AM

Thanks for having me! I think The Big Sleep would be worth going through at some point, it's the first and most well known in the series and takes a really dark and complex direction. I've never gotten a chance to read Agatha Christie but I know she's written a lot of detective/mystery type of stuff, since you've mentioned that you really like her works I don't feel Chandler would too far off.

I myself still haven't decided what I want to be reading over the next week, I've been meaning to read the Foundation series by Asimov or maybe even Solaris by Lem for a while now so I might start on that sooner or later. I've also been meaning to read Gravity's Rainbow by Pynchon since one of my friends named it his favourite book, but it just looks so long and I don't know how I'd find the time to ever get around finishing it.

Desert Stream~ November 8th, 2018 11:04 PM

Name/Nickname: Catnip~ or Desert Stream~ is fine I guess
Favourite Book: Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
Favourite Author: whoever wrote that ^ (I'm bad with names, sorry :p)

Honestly I don't read a ton anymore, but I kinda want to get back into it, because when I like a book it's a really nice feeling lol. I've only really felt that way with a few books though.

I mostly like Sci-fi or Fantasy, and I especially like things that can make me laugh so if anyone has any suggestions you can post them and I'll try to read them I guess?

Aslan November 9th, 2018 5:46 AM

Sign me up, I love reading <3 Haven't had as much time due to school being really busy this year, but I hope to get through my to read list soon.

Name/Nickname: Aslan (feel free to call me Sophie though)
Favourite Book: Not sure about now but my childhood favourite was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!
Favourite Author: Haruki Murakami or Kazuo Ishiguro

Ninetales November 12th, 2018 9:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desert Stream~ (Post 9946533)
Name/Nickname: Catnip~ or Desert Stream~ is fine I guess
Favourite Book: Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
Favourite Author: whoever wrote that ^ (I'm bad with names, sorry :p)

Honestly I don't read a ton anymore, but I kinda want to get back into it, because when I like a book it's a really nice feeling lol. I've only really felt that way with a few books though.

I mostly like Sci-fi or Fantasy, and I especially like things that can make me laugh so if anyone has any suggestions you can post them and I'll try to read them I guess?


Welcome! It's lovely to have you. I'll admit that I'm not particularly interested in novels of the Sci-Fi or Fantasy genre. However, there still are a lot of superb novels out there that would indeed suit your taste.

The Heart of Dread series by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston are excellent novels if I do say so myself. The first book is my personal favourite as it's one of those books that I simply could not put down. The characters in the series are marvelous and diverse and the series is full of action, adventure, and even a touch of romance! I highly recommend this series and I think you'd really enjoy it.

Michael Vey is another series that I'd recommend. Admittedly, I've only read the first book. However, I have indeed heard marvelous things about the sequential novels. If you like Sci-Fi, the series is perfect for you! Again, you meet a plethora of contrasting characters that contribute to the story's upbeat nature. The first novel is full of suspense and action but it is quite the cliffhanger I must say.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Aslan (Post 9946621)
Sign me up, I love reading <3 Haven't had as much time due to school being really busy this year, but I hope to get through my to read list soon.

Name/Nickname: Aslan (feel free to call me Sophie though)
Favourite Book: Not sure about now but my childhood favourite was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!
Favourite Author: Haruki Murakami or Kazuo Ishiguro

Hi, Sophie! Welcome, it's wonderful to have you.

I have actually never laid my hands on a Harry Potter novel in my lifetime, the series has never captivated me if I'm honest. Am I missing out?

Also, I've never heard of those authors! What are some of their novels that you've enjoyed and that you'd recommend?

Desert Stream~ November 12th, 2018 9:55 PM

I guess I should also mention I'm way more inclined to read something if it's a series then I am if it's a singular book. I like things that will last me a long time :p

Ninetales November 19th, 2018 9:51 PM

Yes. I am the same way. Finishing a good book is truly bittersweet. You've reached the conclusion, yet you yearn for more. That's why series are the best because there's always a second, third, fourth book and so on.

baire November 20th, 2018 10:01 PM

congrats on getting the club featured! hooray for books

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aslan (Post 9946621)
Kazuo Ishiguro

oh hey the book club at my school is discussing "The Buried Giant" by him this month. I haven't gotten a chance to read it because schoolwork has been killing me and I have hardly any spare time but I've heard good things about it and it's on my (very long and clogged) to-read list. I'll be sure to get around to going through it... eventually...

Ninetales November 20th, 2018 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baire (Post 9951272)
congrats on getting the club featured! hooray for books

Thank you so much! Although I couldn't have done it alone. From the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has joined this club and has taken time out of their day to participate in discussion. I appreciate every contribution so much! I look forward to the future conversations and novel recommendations in this club. :)

VisionofMilotic November 21st, 2018 5:52 AM

I'd like to join this award-winning club. I'm currently reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman, as always Gaiman's lyrical prose are a delight.

Name/Nickname: Sam

Favourite Book: Game of Thrones (Asoiaf)

Favourite Author: Suza Scalora. She is a photographer first, but she uses magnificent illustrations to bring her children's books to life. I also love Jane Yolen's wonderful lore.

Ninetales November 22nd, 2018 2:27 PM

https://i.imgur.com/4K7dp52.png

Our Club was awarded this ribbon to signify our achievement as Club of the Month! Very lovely indeed.

http://www.pokemopolis.com/pics/eps/gbattles/gabites12.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by VisionofMilotic (Post 9951394)
I'd like to join this award-winning club. I'm currently reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman, as always Gaiman's lyrical prose are a delight.

Name/Nickname: Sam

Favourite Book: Game of Thrones (Asoiaf)

Favourite Author: Suza Scalora. She is a photographer first, but she uses magnificent illustrations to bring her children's books to life. I also love Jane Yolen's wonderful lore.

Welcome, Sam! So glad to have an individual as brilliant and creative as yourself join my club. It's an honour.

Game of Thrones is immensely popular and admittedly, I never realized that it is a book series as well as a television one. I've always been intrigued by the medieval feel of the show, despite the fact that I've never actually watched it. What in particular about the novels do you find the most compelling?

Also, Suza Scalora sounds like an oddly familiar name. I do think it's unique that she started off with a career in photography!

VisionofMilotic November 23rd, 2018 6:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9951888)

Welcome, Sam! So glad to have an individual as brilliant and creative as yourself join my club. It's an honour.

Game of Thrones is immensely popular and admittedly, I never realized that it is a book series as well as a television one. I've always been intrigued by the medieval feel of the show, despite the fact that I've never actually watched it. What in particular about the novels do you find the most compelling?

Also, Suza Scalora sounds like an oddly familiar name. I do think it's unique that she started off with a career in photography!

I'm happy to be here! Thank you for the warm greeting *hugs*

I am drawn to historical fantasy as a genre, particuarly the medieval era. The legend of King Arthur for instance is something I always love to see revisited, or the Lord of the Rings. The series A Song of Ice and Fire was always right up my alley, but like many people I was first introduced to the books by the television show.

I got addicted to the show for about 4 seasons. I haven't watched lately, finishing and rereading the books is what I am content with for the time being. I think the show had a good run for awhile though. It had a colorful cast of powerhouse actors and great chemistry between them. But even though I am a fan of the show, there's nothing quite like reading books.

Martin is quite the world-builder. He really takes his time with maps, and developing regions, social systems, and different cultures, noble houses, ancient history and its a really rich world, and the show I think does a good job of capturing that. Something else I admire about Martin is his prose however. Reading his books weaves a spell on me. His writing is very subtle. He writes very close third person povs, and really nails his characters. Every line of dialogue is so accurate. They are very consistent characters that develop interestingly.

Yet in spite of being very low key as an omniscient narrator, and filtering everything through the thoughts and feelings of the characters, there's something about reading him that's almost sensual. He really describes the world around him. While the tv series is known for capturing the grit, and that is indeed present in the novels, the more lyrical atmosphere from Martin's books I think is more elusive to capture. He can just indulge you for pages in descriptions of the banquet hall, and every strand of music comes to life, the smells of the herbs on the meat, the fabric of a woman's dress blowing in the breeze as she sits beside you at the mahogany table. Martin is straightforward and I think easy to follow, but its all so textured and rich. Its such a sensory experience. I think people foremost think of Martin's characters and plot twists, but in my opinion he's also got some beautiful writing.

Ninetales December 1st, 2018 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VisionofMilotic (Post 9952235)
I'm happy to be here! Thank you for the warm greeting *hugs*

I am drawn to historical fantasy as a genre, particuarly the medieval era. The legend of King Arthur for instance is something I always love to see revisited, or the Lord of the Rings. The series A Song of Ice and Fire was always right up my alley, but like many people I was first introduced to the books by the television show.

I got addicted to the show for about 4 seasons. I haven't watched lately, finishing and rereading the books is what I am content with for the time being. I think the show had a good run for awhile though. It had a colorful cast of powerhouse actors and great chemistry between them. But even though I am a fan of the show, there's nothing quite like reading books.

Martin is quite the world-builder. He really takes his time with maps, and developing regions, social systems, and different cultures, noble houses, ancient history and its a really rich world, and the show I think does a good job of capturing that. Something else I admire about Martin is his prose however. Reading his books weaves a spell on me. His writing is very subtle. He writes very close third person povs, and really nails his characters. Every line of dialogue is so accurate. They are very consistent characters that develop interestingly.

Yet in spite of being very low key as an omniscient narrator, and filtering everything through the thoughts and feelings of the characters, there's something about reading him that's almost sensual. He really describes the world around him. While the tv series is known for capturing the grit, and that is indeed present in the novels, the more lyrical atmosphere from Martin's books I think is more elusive to capture. He can just indulge you for pages in descriptions of the banquet hall, and every strand of music comes to life, the smells of the herbs on the meat, the fabric of a woman's dress blowing in the breeze as she sits beside you at the mahogany table. Martin is straightforward and I think easy to follow, but its all so textured and rich. Its such a sensory experience. I think people foremost think of Martin's characters and plot twists, but in my opinion he's also got some beautiful writing.

I am a lover of Historical Fiction and I agree with you, the medieval era is so immensely fascinating! My dad was obsessed with The Lord of the Rings growing up, although as a child the series frightened me. I tend to like reading books detailing fictional stories occurring in the medevial period, the Renaissance period, the Victorian era, the early-mid 20th century, etc. I suppose you could say that I'm a history lover.

Honestly, I need to pick up a novel of George Martin's! His writing style seems splendidly descriptive and detailed, which is one thing I love. As you've described his style, I have gotten goosebumps! That's the power of writing right there. Might I add that you are a fabulous writer yourself and you have such a way with words, I think you'd make a marvelous novelist.

Ninetales December 12th, 2018 8:36 PM

Such perfect timing for the forum to be back up!

For the last month or so, I've been slowly reading a wonderful novel called The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. To say that this novel is incredible is an understatement. This book is life-changing, heart wrenching, and so immensely powerful. I actually finished the novel an hour ago and burst into tears while reading the last two chapters. I honestly haven't felt such a strong connection to a novel in a very long time. After booking down the book, I continued to weep with feelings of joy and sadness.

https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1567-1/A6A/E21/B8/%7BA6AE21B8-4BD3-4EB6-A104-382D789B9457%7DImg400.jpg

The Nightingale highlights the struggles of women in France during the second world war. In this moving novel, Kristin Hannah tells us the story of two contrasting sisters, divided by years, circumstance, and ideals, with each encountering immense danger and struggle on the path towards survival, love, freedom, and hope. The Nightingale shares the untold, unrecognized stories of the women in war and showcases the everlasting resilience and bravery of these women.

One of the things that I appreciate about this novel is how real it is. The Nightingale is extremely educational and I learned some of the horrid acts that Jews and non-Jews alike encountered during the German occupation of France. We truly must never repeat history and let such a hate-driven tragedy such as the holocaust ever happen again. Furthermore, we must never forget those who died, those who lost, and those who fought hard to survive during this horrendous period of time.

I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, romance, and even thriller books. This is such an excellent read and I'd even dare to declare that it has become my new favourite novel of all-time!

Fairy December 13th, 2018 5:44 AM

Late due to PC's downtime but congrats on CoTM guys! <333

https://i.imgur.com/4K7dp52.png

baire December 13th, 2018 10:14 PM

RIP all the posts that have vanished into thin air (edit: they are back NICE). also this site came back up, like, an hour and a half after I finished writing my last exam so wow

historical fiction novels are something I haven't gotten a chance to read too much of so I can't add too much to that discussion :< my favourites from the genre are The Wars by Timothy Findley, and The Pianist by Szpilman (though The Pianist is a non-fiction memoir). Especially The Wars, it has left such a strong impression on me with how haunting, terrifying and dark it was. Along with the unusual, interesting shifts in second and third-person points of view it's probably one of my all time favourite books, definitely among the most emotionally impactful for me.

I'll have to read The Nightingale at some point! it sounds like an incredible experience I could get behind since I seem to like war novels. I think in general I'd like to read more novels, so many of the books I read are almost essay-like or just expository in nature; I'm about to start reading Complications: a surgeon's notes on an imperfect science by Gawande because it was recommended to me. I've read one of the chapters before and loved it, it feels like an insightful perspective on a field I don't know very much about.

Another book I've been really wanting to read recently is Justice as Fairness: A restatement by John Rawls. Rawls' thinking on political philosophy has captivated me since high school and I really want to explore more of what he has to say

Ninetales December 18th, 2018 6:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baire (Post 9956404)
RIP all the posts that have vanished into thin air (edit: they are back NICE). also this site came back up, like, an hour and a half after I finished writing my last exam so wow

Yes! I'm thankful that the posts are back. We can only thank the moderators and those who worked so hard on resolving this issue. I am grateful!

Quote:

Originally Posted by baire (Post 9956404)
historical fiction novels are something I haven't gotten a chance to read too much of so I can't add too much to that discussion :< my favourites from the genre are The Wars by Timothy Findley, and The Pianist by Szpilman (though The Pianist is a non-fiction memoir). Especially The Wars, it has left such a strong impression on me with how haunting, terrifying and dark it was. Along with the unusual, interesting shifts in second and third-person points of view it's probably one of my all time favourite books, definitely among the most emotionally impactful for me.

I've been exclusively reading historical fiction novels as of late. I'm just captivated and enthralled by the genre, perhaps that's due to my love of history itself. Anyways, I do believe that I've heard of The Pianist before. While I typically am not one to indulge in a non-fiction novel, I have heard tremendous things about it and perhaps I'll have to add it to my lengthy reading list!

Quote:

Originally Posted by baire (Post 9956404)
I'll have to read The Nightingale at some point! it sounds like an incredible experience I could get behind since I seem to like war novels. I think in general I'd like to read more novels, so many of the books I read are almost essay-like or just expository in nature; I'm about to start reading Complications: a surgeon's notes on an imperfect science by Gawande because it was recommended to me. I've read one of the chapters before and loved it, it feels like an insightful perspective on a field I don't know very much about.

I cannot reiterate how splendid The Nightingale is. I am currently reading The Paris Seamstress, a very similar tale involving a Parisian woman who flees France during the second world war and comes to America in an attempt to make it as a fashion designer. Incredible read so far!

Complications: a surgeon's notes on an imperfect science sounds interesting! Once you have finished it, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Ninetales January 9th, 2019 6:45 PM

I declare that 2019 shall be the year of reading!


Over Christmas break I finished a book, The Paris Seamstress, the tale of a young woman, Estella Bissette, who flees Paris as the Nazis enter into France, and heads to New York. While in the Big Apple, Estella follows her dream and attempts to establish herself as a fashion designer while she uncovers secrets about her past. In the present day, Estella's granddaughter, Fabienne, dives deep into her ill grandmother's past, while struggling with her own romantic life and suffering with immense feelings of anxiety at the mere thought at being the successor to her grandmother's fashion empire. This story is full of engrossing twists and turns, romance, loss, and struggle. It is a fantastic read for anyone who has an interest in the fashion industry or anyone who appreciates historical fiction! I cried at the ending, as I typically do. Fabulous story.


https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-h8IRza4L.jpg

Today, a mere few minutes ago, I finished yet ANOTHER world war 2 fictional novel, one that'd received as a Christmas present, The Lilac Girls . This novel is based on the true story of Caroline Ferriday, who advocated for 74 young Polish women known as the Rabbits or the Króliki in Polish. These 74 women were experimented on at Ravensbrück, a German concentration camp exclusively for women of all nationalities. These women had their limbs grotesquely disfigured, some infected with diseases that lasted well after their freedom. This story is written in the perspective of three contrasting women, Caroline, a New York socialite in her late thirties, Kasia, a Polish teenager, and Herta, a German physician. This book will move you in ways that I cannot describe. Such a beautiful novel!


https://images.penguinrandomhouse.com/cover/9781101883075


I hope 2019 has been wonderful for everyone! Feel free to post on what you have read, or what you're planning to read in the new year. New members are always welcome! :)

Ninetales December 10th, 2019 10:20 AM

After a year of slumber, it's time that this book club awakens from its rest and reaches its full potential!

Yes, that's right! I declare that this is time for our humble club's long-awaited revival!


https://78.media.tumblr.com/6d25293d02572e2ae597ffc434046711/tumblr_mu3brikSNq1s7u09qo1_400.gif

I welcome all readers, bookworms, literature-lovers, and novel-enthusiasts to this club!

To all former members, or newcomers, I present you with a question question:

What is your favourite genre of books and why?

Also, feel free to name and discuss your favourite novel of said genre!

Happy reading, everyone!

VisionofMilotic December 10th, 2019 12:18 PM

This one of my favorite clubs! Feels good to walk through the doors of the MysticalNinetales archives again.

I usually have to have a little of the fantasy genre in whatever I read. Right now I am reading the classic Sci-Fi novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" I am enjoying the world-building a lot.

moon December 11th, 2019 11:12 PM

heloo hello

I like reading scifi :) I don't do it enough, but am actually currently reading Sleeping Giants which is a sort of scifi in interview format. Pretty interesting writing!

Ninetales December 12th, 2019 8:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VisionofMilotic (Post 10099691)
This one of my favorite clubs! Feels good to walk through the doors of the MysticalNinetales archives again.

Aww, I'm delighted that you consider this one of your favourites! I gladly welcome you back, my dear! ^-^ Your lovely presence was missed dearly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VisionofMilotic (Post 10099691)
I usually have to have a little of the fantasy genre in whatever I read. Right now I am reading the classic Sci-Fi novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" I am enjoying the world-building a lot.

This book has quite an interesting title! I did a bit of research on it and it seems to be rather enthralling! I might just have to read it! How do you feel about the way in which androids are treated? I think there are a plethora of real-life parallels that relate to the androids, sadly.

Also, how are you enjoying the novel thus far? Do you like the writing style, the pacing? I'd love to hear your thoughts, my dear!


Quote:

Originally Posted by Astronaut (Post 10100336)
heloo hello

I like reading scifi :) I don't do it enough, but am actually currently reading Sleeping Giants which is a sort of scifi in interview format. Pretty interesting writing!

Welcome, hun! So glad you stumbled upon my modest club!

I did a bit of research on Sleeping Giants as well and I must say, it has a fantastic premise! I tend to stay away from sci-fi novels, but this one seems quite peculiar in the best way! Are you enjoying it thus far? Do you like the interview format?

moon December 13th, 2019 8:32 AM

I like it so far! The interview format... I thought I would be annoyed but it's written really well so I'm enjoying it a lot :)

Do you stay away for a particular reason, or just don't usually like them much?

Megan December 13th, 2019 10:39 PM

I'll join if I may.

Name/Nickname:
Seliph

Favourite Book:
I don't really have one. There are a lot of books I really liked, but none stick out to me as being the best I read.

Favourite Author:
There were instances where I read a lot of Stephen King and J.K. Rowling when I was younger. Currently I don't really have a favorite.

--

I've had a very long break from reading books and only read some philosophical/psychological books (so basically complicated stuff). Over the last couple months I started looking into mainly public domain literature. I actually managed to finish quite a few books including the original "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" novels and more specific stuff like the German "Nibelungenlied" (yk the story where Siegfried slayed a dragon and after his death a lot of other things happen that we never really get to see in any modern adaptations).

I think the best books I read (and finished) this year where "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and "Crime and Punishment". Though, I've picked up "Moby Dick" a couple days ago and it looks promising as well. Another book I'm currently reading (that I'd really like to drop but I'm already over two thirds in) is Dante's "Divine Comedy". Idk, I just find it boring and repetitive...

VisionofMilotic December 15th, 2019 6:03 AM

Oh MysticalNinetales!

I intend to answers questions about Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep soon, but there's something else that I wanted to ask you about if you don't mind :) This morning I saw the most delightful and informative video on YouTube about cooking in the Victorian era. There's a a twist here for the viewers though... an Oliver Twist. The dinner is served in the home of the greatest writers of all time Charles Dickens, who gave us a Christmas Carol, A Tale of Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, David Copperfield and more. We tour his house, hear stories about his life and meet one of hid surviving descendants Cedric Dickens. I thought this was fascinating, and would say it's not a one-dimensional viewing experience because it some literary and historical value in addition to being an exploration of the culinary world. I want to share this with others, but wasn't sure quitw where to post this. Obviously this is good for the Cooking Club, but I think it could also be relevant for the history club Whispers of the Past or your book club even since members would learn some things they probably didn't know about author Charles Dickens.

I wanted to ask if it would be okay with a video like that appearing in your club, do you think it fits at all within your topic?

Ninetales December 17th, 2019 11:21 PM

I must apologize for my delayed response! I've been preoccupied offline with finals and I've been working a ton as well. Please feel free to discuss whatever you wish! I promise I'll be more active in a few days!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astronaut (Post 10100927)
I like it so far! The interview format... I thought I would be annoyed but it's written really well so I'm enjoying it a lot :)

Do you stay away for a particular reason, or just don't usually like them much?

I generally prefer more realistic stories or ones that incorporate historical elements. I find that sci-fi and fantasy novels can be quite outlandish and I sometimes struggle to conceptualize them. I used to be fond of them when I was younger, but I think as I've matured I've begun to prefer books that I can connect to and relate with on a personal level. Of course, there are a plethora of sci-fi novels that I do enjoy such as The Hunger Games series, the Divergent series and the Heart of Dread series. Perhaps I will be interested with sci-fi novels again, we shall see!

If there are any sci-fi novels that you'd like to recommend, I'd love to hear!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10101281)
I'll join if I may.

Name/Nickname:
Seliph

Favourite Book:
I don't really have one. There are a lot of books I really liked, but none stick out to me as being the best I read.

Favourite Author:
There were instances where I read a lot of Stephen King and J.K. Rowling when I was younger. Currently I don't really have a favorite.

--

I've had a very long break from reading books and only read some philosophical/psychological books (so basically complicated stuff). Over the last couple months I started looking into mainly public domain literature. I actually managed to finish quite a few books including the original "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" novels and more specific stuff like the German "Nibelungenlied" (yk the story where Siegfried slayed a dragon and after his death a lot of other things happen that we never really get to see in any modern adaptations).

I think the best books I read (and finished) this year where "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and "Crime and Punishment". Though, I've picked up "Moby Dick" a couple days ago and it looks promising as well. Another book I'm currently reading (that I'd really like to drop but I'm already over two thirds in) is Dante's "Divine Comedy". Idk, I just find it boring and repetitive...

Welcome to the club, hun! So lovely to have you join us!

I must admit I'd never read a Stephen King novel in my life. I've always been too afraid to. I've also never read anything overly philosophical. What in particular draws you towards those types of books? I will admit that I do adore psychology and if you have any books that involve psychological concepts, please do share them with me! Psychology is something I'm studying in university, I find it absolutely enthralling!

Although, I have read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and it was quite a peculiar read. I must confess that it wasn't my favourite, I felt that the storyline was rather incomplete, but I did enjoy it nevertheless. Was that the same novel that you're referring to? If so, what was your opinion on it?

May I ask, what about Divine Comedy is boring? Usually you'd expect a book with "comedy" in the title to be engaging. What about it is lackluster? Is it the writing style, or perhaps a lack of context?


Quote:

Originally Posted by VisionofMilotic (Post 10101739)
Oh MysticalNinetales!

I intend to answers questions about Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep soon, but there's something else that I wanted to ask you about if you don't mind :) This morning I saw the most delightful and informative video on YouTube about cooking in the Victorian era. There's a a twist here for the viewers though... an Oliver Twist. The dinner is served in the home of the greatest writers of all time Charles Dickens, who gave us a Christmas Carol, A Tale of Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, David Copperfield and more. We tour his house, hear stories about his life and meet one of hid surviving descendants Cedric Dickens. I thought this was fascinating, and would say it's not a one-dimensional viewing experience because it some literary and historical value in addition to being an exploration of the culinary world. I want to share this with others, but wasn't sure quitw where to post this. Obviously this is good for the Cooking Club, but I think it could also be relevant for the history club Whispers of the Past or your book club even since members would learn some things they probably didn't know about author Charles Dickens.

I wanted to ask if it would be okay with a video like that appearing in your club, do you think it fits at all within your topic?

Oh yes! Please do post this! I'd love to see it my dear! You don't need permission, hun, post whatever you'd like. I don't mind if the conversation strays slightly at all. Charles Dickens is a story-telling legend, after all.

VisionofMilotic December 18th, 2019 10:18 AM

I'm super excited to be sharing this! Here is dining with the great Dickens!


baire December 19th, 2019 3:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 9966317)
I hope 2019 has been wonderful for everyone! Feel free to post on what you have read, or what you're planning to read in the new year. New members are always welcome! :)

I keep forgetting what I read over the year but luckily goodreads has me covered
https://i.imgur.com/1cYl7ao.png

currently reading Mason & Dixon by Pynchon as well as The Tempest by Shakespeare, both have that older style of English which has been really fun, even though Pynchon wrote Mason & Dixon in 1997. I always wonder how many of these words are actually pronounced the way I imagine it, I know that Shakespeare for example used words in his writings that were specific to his time period, so professors are always talking about how great the OED is for close readings etc. but not only that, often the words were pronounced differently in their time and you ended up with some funny puns that just don't carry over!

Megan December 20th, 2019 3:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 10102761)
I must admit I'd never read a Stephen King novel in my life. I've always been too afraid to. I've also never read anything overly philosophical. What in particular draws you towards those types of books? I will admit that I do adore psychology and if you have any books that involve psychological concepts, please do share them with me! Psychology is something I'm studying in university, I find it absolutely enthralling!

I mostly just got into Stephen King because my father used to read his books. I'm also most likely one of the few people who kinda liked how the Dark Tower saga ended.
Philosophy: I've always been a little too much into trying to grasp the big meanings of life. I've also never been the type to make friends, never had any feeling of belonging anywhere. During the lowest of my life, when others may look into religion or unhealthy groups, I picked up Nietzsche...and didn't understand anything at all. But it's something I find important, back then in hopes to figure out who I am and even now still as a means to find something to go towards to.
But needless to say: that stuff is difficult. I personally prefer ancient Greek/Roman philosophy over modern. They had something special, their own weird quirks, but still simple enough to understand. Modern philosophy I find mostly either lacking, superficial and on the other side of the spectrum of modern philosophy overly convoluted (read: academic).
Psychology: goes kinda along with my interest in philosophy. If you want something that's good to get into then read "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. It's very approachable, at least I found it so. Imo it gives good insights into why we act the way we act and why we make so many mistakes.
Quote:

Although, I have read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and it was quite a peculiar read. I must confess that it wasn't my favourite, I felt that the storyline was rather incomplete, but I did enjoy it nevertheless. Was that the same novel that you're referring to? If so, what was your opinion on it?
It's the one. To be honest I kinda went in blind and didn't really expect it to be a story about revenge. I do like myself a little revenge story, however. I suppose, I'm just not a good person xD
But yeah, it's not particularly...complete.
Quote:

May I ask, what about Divine Comedy is boring? Usually you'd expect a book with "comedy" in the title to be engaging. What about it is lackluster? Is it the writing style, or perhaps a lack of context?
Context, most likely. Afterall it's very much a story in the world of Christianity. Dante traveling through Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise, meeting people of name in all the circles (most of them Italian, because Dante was Italian) and listening to they stories and then moving on; supposedly what made it popular in the first place was how it changed the "genre". Up to then Italian literature of this kind was always written in Latin. Dante wrote his "Comedy" in Italian. There may also be that he finished his work only one year before he died (kinda reminds me of Goethe's Faust in that aspect). There may also be more that I'm missing.

In that sense, "boring" might not be the right word. It may well not be my type of literature, something I enjoy. But I read it anyway, because I'm that stubborn in terms of literature: finish what you start.

Even if it's Hegel. But more on that when I talk about what I've read this year and what I plan on doing in the next one.

Fairy December 20th, 2019 3:15 PM

D-did I never join this club??? Shame on me!

Name: Fairy
Favorite Book: This is a tough one. A Song of Ice and Fire, Slaughterhouse V, To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Traitor Baru Cormorant... but I’m also a big fan of amateur horror too.
Favorite Author: Octavia Butler, Kurt Vonnegut, and Orson Scott Card would be too if not for all the... bigotry. :/

colours December 21st, 2019 5:42 AM

this club is cute

i genuinely miss reading books like i used to when i was a kid

VisionofMilotic December 23rd, 2019 9:35 AM

I am very excited as moderator of this section to present MysticalNinetales with a Silver Sylveon award for excellence, and a commemorative plaque. One of my favorite hangouts The Book Club has been voted first runner up for Club of the Year! Congratulations my dear friend Lina. May the silver Sylveon be a light illuminating the pages of this wonderful library.

https://i.imgur.com/ibk3aeb.gif


https://i.imgur.com/5AVlDcD.png


Be sure to come claim your giftcard prize! Let us know when you're ready which store your gift card will be from.

Your awards were designed by none other than the legend Sylveon mod herself! I'll private message you the imugr link if you wish to display em in any particular way for your award-winning club.

/Hands you a bouquet of roses

Fairy December 24th, 2019 2:11 AM

Many congratulations to MysticNinetales for a well deserved, well beloved club here. We are so honored to host a place that encourages reading in its members. May your pages never be empty! ( ˘ ³˘)♡

Ninetales January 5th, 2020 2:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairy (Post 10105114)
Many congratulations to MysticNinetales for a well deserved, well beloved club here. We are so honored to host a place that encourages reading in its members. May your pages never be empty! ( ˘ ³˘)♡

Thank you so much, dear! It truly means a lot to receive this esteemed award! I hope that my humble club continues to flourish in 2020!

Quote:

Originally Posted by VisionofMilotic (Post 10104858)
I am very excited as moderator of this section to present MysticalNinetales with a Silver Sylveon award for excellence, and a commemorative plaque. One of my favorite hangouts The Book Club has been voted first runner up for Club of the Year! Congratulations my dear friend Lina. May the silver Sylveon be a light illuminating the pages of this wonderful library.

https://i.imgur.com/ibk3aeb.gif


https://i.imgur.com/5AVlDcD.png


Be sure to come claim your giftcard prize! Let us know when you're ready which store your gift card will be from.

Your awards were designed by none other than the legend Sylveon mod herself! I'll private message you the imugr link if you wish to display em in any particular way for your award-winning club.

/Hands you a bouquet of roses

Thank you so much, my dear Milotic! I am ecstatic to have been gifted this fabulous award! I must say, it isn't I that makes this club so special, it's each and every member, everyone that contributes to discussion! All of my dear members make this club what it is today and I'm so proud!

I will respond to all of the posts shortly! I apologize for my brief absence. I wish everyone a happy new year and I'll talk to you all soon! Keep on reading! ^-^

Ninetales January 8th, 2020 6:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baire (Post 10103489)
I keep forgetting what I read over the year but luckily goodreads has me covered
https://i.imgur.com/1cYl7ao.png

This is fabulous! I should sign up to Goodreads, It'd be very interesting to see all of the books that I read throughout 2019.

Quote:

Originally Posted by baire (Post 10103489)
currently reading Mason & Dixon by Pynchon as well as The Tempest by Shakespeare, both have that older style of English which has been really fun, even though Pynchon wrote Mason & Dixon in 1997. I always wonder how many of these words are actually pronounced the way I imagine it, I know that Shakespeare for example used words in his writings that were specific to his time period, so professors are always talking about how great the OED is for close readings etc. but not only that, often the words were pronounced differently in their time and you ended up with some funny puns that just don't carry over!

I must admit I despised Shakespeare's work in high school, as I found his writing difficult to comprehend and I failed to see what relevance it had. Although, in 12th grade, we explored Hamlet, which I surprisingly really enjoyed. I can't quite point out what about it I liked exactly, it just made sense to me. As a lover of history I do think that old-English, as painful as it is to read, is quite fascinating. I constantly think about what it would be like if the English language hadn't evolved any further from the pre-enlightenment era. Just imagine the memes.

Maybe I should give one of Shakespeare's plays another read. How are you enjoying The Tempest thus far?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10103886)
I mostly just got into Stephen King because my father used to read his books. I'm also most likely one of the few people who kinda liked how the Dark Tower saga ended.
Philosophy: I've always been a little too much into trying to grasp the big meanings of life. I've also never been the type to make friends, never had any feeling of belonging anywhere. During the lowest of my life, when others may look into religion or unhealthy groups, I picked up Nietzsche...and didn't understand anything at all. But it's something I find important, back then in hopes to figure out who I am and even now still as a means to find something to go towards to.
But needless to say: that stuff is difficult. I personally prefer ancient Greek/Roman philosophy over modern. They had something special, their own weird quirks, but still simple enough to understand. Modern philosophy I find mostly either lacking, superficial and on the other side of the spectrum of modern philosophy overly convoluted (read: academic).
Psychology: goes kinda along with my interest in philosophy. If you want something that's good to get into then read "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. It's very approachable, at least I found it so. Imo it gives good insights into why we act the way we act and why we make so many mistakes.

Yes, my father was quite fond of Stephen King at one point of his life as well. I used to find various King novels tucked away in closets and drawers throughout the house growing up. Although, I haven't seen him pick up a hearty novel in at least half a decade, perhaps longer. The only thing he reads nowadays are hardware magazines. Anyways, I had to do a bit of research on Nietzsche, as I was unfamiliar with him and his work. He seems to have a plethora of interesting philosophical ideologies, many of which differ greatly from my own, which I find all the more intriguing. If his philosophical ideologies speak to you, I'm glad! What in particular about his views do you connect with the most, if you don't mind me asking.

I do agree, I've always admired Greek/Roman philosophy, you're right, it's very easy to understand, and so many of their ideas are so incredibly profound. Early Greek theorists such as Aristotle and Democritus and philosophers were truly ahead of their time. In terms of modern philosophy, well, truthfully, I don't have much of an opinion. I think in our increasingly connected world their are so many ways of thought and such an array of ideologies that it's hard to keep up with. I'm not even sure I can offer an explanation on what modern philosophy is. Perhaps you're right, maybe it is overly convoluted.

Thank you for the recommendation. I will have to keep an eye out for that book. I've been yearning to read something non-fiction and relating to psychology for quite some time now, given that 100% of all I read and have ever read is fiction.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10103886)
It's the one. To be honest I kinda went in blind and didn't really expect it to be a story about revenge. I do like myself a little revenge story, however. I suppose, I'm just not a good person xD
But yeah, it's not particularly...complete.

Yeah, the plot was incredibly turbulent and it wasn't what I anticipated at all. It was very engaging, although I found it ludicrous how Victor seemed so unemotional in regards to the deaths of several of his friends and family members. To me, the monster seemed more human than he did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10103886)
Context, most likely. Afterall it's very much a story in the world of Christianity. Dante traveling through Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise, meeting people of name in all the circles (most of them Italian, because Dante was Italian) and listening to they stories and then moving on; supposedly what made it popular in the first place was how it changed the "genre". Up to then Italian literature of this kind was always written in Latin. Dante wrote his "Comedy" in Italian. There may also be that he finished his work only one year before he died (kinda reminds me of Goethe's Faust in that aspect). There may also be more that I'm missing.

In that sense, "boring" might not be the right word. It may well not be my type of literature, something I enjoy. But I read it anyway, because I'm that stubborn in terms of literature: finish what you start.

Even if it's Hegel. But more on that when I talk about what I've read this year and what I plan on doing in the next one.

That's fair, there's certain books that I've read two words of and I've immediately understood that they weren't for me. It's interesting because I'm the complete opposite of you, I refuse to read something that doesn't suite my tastes, even if it's a required novel for a class. I simply cannot dive into an book that I don't like. I'm a book snob, if I do say so myself.

A good example of this is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It wasn't a bad novel, by any means. It's widely popular and has been made into a successful movie (As I'm sure you may know). Last year, we had to read the novel within the span of the month, and once a week as a class we would come together to discuss it. I read the last two chapters and a couple of pages scattered throughout the novel and that was it. I simply couldn't get into it. I found a lot of the underlying messages quite interesting, including ones related to religion and whether Richard Parker was a real, living tiger or a fable of Piscine's dazed imagination. I read mostly of the book's plot online in order to contribute to the discussions and that was really it. Again, it wasn't that I disliked the book, it just wasn't something that I would've ever selected to read myself.

The book at you're describing does sound quite interesting. Perhaps that's because I'm Christian myself, although I don't know that would jive with comedy. (I must admit I don't believe in Inferno or "hell" myself but it would be interesting to see its portrayal.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairy (Post 10103890)
D-did I never join this club??? Shame on me!

Name: Fairy
Favorite Book: This is a tough one. A Song of Ice and Fire, Slaughterhouse V, To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Traitor Baru Cormorant... but I’m also a big fan of amateur horror too.
Favorite Author: Octavia Butler, Kurt Vonnegut, and Orson Scott Card would be too if not for all the... bigotry. :/

Welcome, my dear! So grateful that you have stumbled upon my little club. I hope you'll stay for a cup of tea!

Oh To Kill A Mockingbird. Yes what a classic. Now that was a novel that I didn't expect to take to but I genuinely enjoyed it. What about the critically-acclaimed yet immensely scrutinized novel did you enjoy most? Who was your favourite character? Myself, I loved Atticus Finch. I imagined him as quite a dashing older gentlemen.

A Song of Ice and Fire also rings a belle. I'm almost certain that a friend of mine read that once, although I don't think I've come across it myself. It has a lovely title though so I'm sure it's fabulous.

Megan January 18th, 2020 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 10111310)
What in particular about his views do you connect with the most, if you don't mind me asking.

Well, it kinda started just as a matter of curiosity. Apparently, reading Nietzsche was at some point expected, but it fell out of favor. So I wanted to look into it. There were also some hearsay about how he was supposedly nationalist and suffered from syphilis. So I wanted to clear that up for myself. Turns out, both of them were false.

In terms of content: Nietzsche is kinda hard to understand and he's made very much clear that he did so intentionally. It took me about 8 of his books just to get the feeling that I finally got what he wanted to say.

I think, for me the most important part was about individuality and the associated purpose. Thing is, I never had any feeling of belonging to a group and usually was stuck with my own thoughts. Nietzsche does talk many times of people who "suffer from society", that is those, who don't fit into a current system and are instead people made to pave the path to, what Nietzsche likes to call, the "Übermensch" (uber human, super human, whatever English translation there is). I personally don't think I'm entitled to such a position, it may even well be that I completely misunderstood something completely.

But in any case: if you happen to have a better understanding of him, you can go ahead and correct me. That, btw., is something everyone else can also chime in, if they like. :)
Quote:

The book at you're describing does sound quite interesting. Perhaps that's because I'm Christian myself, although I don't know that would jive with comedy. (I must admit I don't believe in Inferno or "hell" myself but it would be interesting to see its portrayal.)
Well, it's a comedy because right from the beginning it is made clear that Dante is still alive and that he'll return to tell everyone of his experiences through his travels.
But it is true, that the book requires a lot of context. Dante (the rl author that is), being exiled after repeatedly going against the pope and other Christian influence holders, calling them out on their power abuse. The book was very much made as some sort of retribution, showing that he indeed is a devout Christian who cares about the morals and values.

I'm probably doing a very bad job at describing it so you may want to do some of your own research. ^^"

VisionofMilotic January 19th, 2020 1:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 10100756)
Aww, I'm delighted that you consider this one of your favourites! I gladly welcome you back, my dear! ^-^ Your lovely presence was missed dearly.

This book has quite an interesting title! I did a bit of research on it and it seems to be rather enthralling! I might just have to read it! How do you feel about the way in which androids are treated? I think there are a plethora of real-life parallels that relate to the androids, sadly.

Also, how are you enjoying the novel thus far? Do you like the writing style, the pacing? I'd love to hear your thoughts, my dear!

Now for my full review of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" This novel is quite brilliant, it's so unexpected and full of irony and ahead of it's time. I don't really know a book that this is similar to, but I was on the edge of my seat as I peered into this strange world. As for the pacing, I couldn't put the book down.

The title is that much more poignant in context because there was a mass extinction that took place before the events of the novel, and what mostly roams the world are electric animals that were made to simulate real ones so post-apocalyptic earth looks more like it did before the war. The few surviving animals are sometimes wrongly assumed to be fake, meanwhile the imitations are so realistic that they can fool the onlookers into thinking they have come across a real living creature.

Even though people often struggle to distinguish the two unless they are around them for extended periods, everyone would prefer to have an authentic animal instead of a synthetic one because of their rarity, and because it's a connection to another living being in the desolate remains of earth, even though real animals are almost unaffordable and will eventually die like all living things. To have any animal is a status symbol, and if you can afford a living pet even a common mouse you are thought to be very lucky.

The protagonist Deckard, a government contractor and android bounty hunter can't afford a real animal and keeps an electric sheep to graze in his yard because of the pressure from his wife to keep up with the Joneses, but he is obsessed with having the companionship of a live animal some day, especially one that hasn't been domesticated, something wild and free. He has contempt for the electric sheep because it feels dishonest to him. He has a memory of real sheep from before the war. The electric sheep epitomizes everything he finds hypocritical with this world.

Because Deckard is a sensitive man with a conscience he initially tries to justify his job "retiring" androids (killing them) by comparing androids to his electric sheep that he can walk over to and just turn it's switch off when he's tired of it. The key word there is tries. His job gets harder and harder psychologically the more androids he has to face.

As for how androids are treated, I will quote an android so you can hear it from their own lips.

"It's a chance anyway, breaking free and coming here to Earth, where we're not even considered animals. Where every worm and wood louse is considered more desirable than all of us put together."

I won't tell you which android said it and spoil things in case you read the book one day. It's something of a detective novel that keeps you guessing about who is an android and who is not, and throws curve balls at the reader.

One of the things I found especially riveting and original about this book is a concept known as Mercerism, it's a sort of religion that has taken root in post-war earth. In accordance with Mercerism you do not kill any living thing, not even an insect, it is sacrilegious. You would certainly never harm a human being.

Androids are legally classified as property like animals. However unlike an animal an android is not recognized as even alive by the state, so they are not protected by the aforementioned moral code. While the death of an animal would be regarded as a tragedy and a serious crime, killing an "Andy" (as they are derisively called sometimes) is of no consequence unless it was still in service to a person or company as , in which case there penalty would be some minor fine to compensate the owner for profit loss or property damage no more. Androids themselves have no civil rights. To "retire" an android no longer considered useful or manageable would not only be permitted by law, the law would enforce this like scraping an unsafe car. You would be expected to terminate a runaway android.

Being an android is perhaps an existence even more hopeless than that of a slave in the history of our world because a slave might be able to purchase their freedom or be set free under some circumstance or run away to a place that doesn't have slavery and live in peace. But sadly there's nowhere that you can go as an android where you would be recognized as a living being. The only way to not be enslaved is if you escaped and passed as human for whatever time you had left. It's a life of constant fear. There is no destination where you are safe once and for all, you just have to keep running and hiding.

Androids might be designed and employed for any occupation, but they are mostly found in colonies on Mars to do labor in conditions that humans would not be able to physically withstand. At the start of the novel we learn that a rebellion happened on planet Mars where a number of androids killed their owners to escape slavery and fled to Earth to hide, and have now infiltrated society, posing as human. This is where the specialist Deckard comes in, to track down everybody who had anything to do with the revolt, unmask them as androids and "retire" them to make the streets safe again.

I think the book is interesting because the morals are not black and white. The androids Phillip K Dick introduces to us are often ambivalent figures. They are usually physically beautiful, they can form friendships, display emotion, use reasoning powers, they show curiosity and exhibit all sorts of talents. They in some ways have a childlike quality. Yet the author doesn't romanticize androids. He is willing to an explore an android's capacity for cruelty and manipulation, something that also exists in the heart of human beings in his story. Nobody is noble. It's one continuous shade of gray that just gets a lot darker in places.

I would give this book four or five stars, and want to check out more of Phillip K Dick's stories like "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" and "Minority Report."

Megan January 26th, 2020 9:41 PM

I'm done with Moby Dick. The end was a little bit heavier than I first expected. I'm going to take a little while and think about it. Afterwards I may talk a little bit more about the book and the experience I had with it.

Megan February 1st, 2020 1:25 AM

To be honest: when you spend hours thinking about what to write and you could literally fill books with those thoughts alone; but then you write things down and afterwards realize that what you wrote down is not much at all; it kinda makes you sad; and by "you", I mean myself.

Anyway, here are my condensed thoughts on "Moby Dick; or, The Whale" by Herman Melville.

***

Call me Ishmael! Among the few things that I new about the book Moby Dick, this quote was one of them. Yet, only when I got to the first sentence of the very first chapter did I actually remember it.
Ishmael introduces himself as a scholar with the occasional urge to board a ship and earn is money as a sailor. Though, having been on a couple of merchant vessels before, this time he desires to join the crew of a whaling ship, that is: he wanted to try out the profession of hunting whales.

Thus, he heads out to the town of New Bedford where he meets and befriends a harpooneer called Queequeg, a member of a cannibal tribe. The two decide to board the same ship and head for Nantucket, hailed by Ishmael as the birthplace of whaling. Finally, they join the crew of the Pequod.
However, the tone of the story is set even before the sails are set as a prophet tells them that the voyage will end in certain doom.

As the ship sets sail we get introduced to the main actors on board. Starting with Starbuck, the first mate and the "voice of reason", Stubb, the somewhat crazy, but also quite philosophical, second mate, who describes himself as "always jolly", and Flask, the third mate who starts off a little bit too cocky but gets cut down to size pretty quickly only to be taking only a minor role for the rest of the book. Those mates also assign their respective harpooneers. Those being Queequeg, Tashtego, a native American and Daggoo, a man from Africa.

Lastly there is Captain Ahab. At the beginning he is rarely seen, being assumed to be ill. As time progresses he starts appearing more and more up until at last he calls his crew on deck to reveal to them the true intention of the voyage: to take revenge on and kill Moby Dick, the white whale.
This is also the first instance where we get to see the first mate trying to reason Ahab out of his monomaniac plans.

The book thenceforth is filled with little stories describing the everyday life on the Pequod as well as with a lot of analysis in regards to the profession of whale hunting, the methods and tools used to hunt down whales, the anatomical structure of the different species of whales, but also some mythological aspects as well. There are also multiple occasions when the crew encounters other ships and exchanges information, hoping to learn the location that Moby Dick resides.

Some things about the whale himself: he belongs to the species of Sperm Whales. Those whales where the main target of whaling ships due to the oil they store in an organ inside their head. This oil has a milkish color which the sailors back then confused with sperm leading to the species being called the way it is. This oil becomes solid when cooling down and was used for e.g. making candles.
The Sperm whale is also one of the few whales who have actual teeth, making them the largest predator on earth. This circumstance also lead to Ahab losing his leg during his last encounter with Moby Dick.

As for the conclusion of the book, I don't think there is much to spoil about it. The story is well known and the trope of revenge has certainly been used many times in media afterwards. I won't talk about how it ended, but I will talk just a little bit about how I experienced the ending. That is: even before the final chase happened, the stage was already set for the things to come. And more important: some of the information given at that point made the ending more of a tough pill to swallow than I was expecting at first. It usually does take a lot to get any reaction out of me. Feeling empty after reading a long book is normal, but this book took "feeling empty" to a completely new level.

Anyway, I'm not rating the book. I don't like rating things. Numbers are too arbitrary. What I will say, however: I liked the book. And I will put it into my pile of "will reread in the future".

Ninetales February 4th, 2020 11:02 AM

Spoiler:
Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10121031)
To be honest: when you spend hours thinking about what to write and you could literally fill books with those thoughts alone; but then you write things down and afterwards realize that what you wrote down is not much at all; it kinda makes you sad; and by "you", I mean myself.

Anyway, here are my condensed thoughts on "Moby Dick; or, The Whale" by Herman Melville.

***

Call me Ishmael! Among the few things that I new about the book Moby Dick, this quote was one of them. Yet, only when I got to the first sentence of the very first chapter did I actually remember it.
Ishmael introduces himself as a scholar with the occasional urge to board a ship and earn is money as a sailor. Though, having been on a couple of merchant vessels before, this time he desires to join the crew of a whaling ship, that is: he wanted to try out the profession of hunting whales.

Thus, he heads out to the town of New Bedford where he meets and befriends a harpooneer called Queequeg, a member of a cannibal tribe. The two decide to board the same ship and head for Nantucket, hailed by Ishmael as the birthplace of whaling. Finally, they join the crew of the Pequod.
However, the tone of the story is set even before the sails are set as a prophet tells them that the voyage will end in certain doom.

As the ship sets sail we get introduced to the main actors on board. Starting with Starbuck, the first mate and the "voice of reason", Stubb, the somewhat crazy, but also quite philosophical, second mate, who describes himself as "always jolly", and Flask, the third mate who starts off a little bit too cocky but gets cut down to size pretty quickly only to be taking only a minor role for the rest of the book. Those mates also assign their respective harpooneers. Those being Queequeg, Tashtego, a native American and Daggoo, a man from Africa.

Lastly there is Captain Ahab. At the beginning he is rarely seen, being assumed to be ill. As time progresses he starts appearing more and more up until at last he calls his crew on deck to reveal to them the true intention of the voyage: to take revenge on and kill Moby Dick, the white whale.
This is also the first instance where we get to see the first mate trying to reason Ahab out of his monomaniac plans.

The book thenceforth is filled with little stories describing the everyday life on the Pequod as well as with a lot of analysis in regards to the profession of whale hunting, the methods and tools used to hunt down whales, the anatomical structure of the different species of whales, but also some mythological aspects as well. There are also multiple occasions when the crew encounters other ships and exchanges information, hoping to learn the location that Moby Dick resides.

Some things about the whale himself: he belongs to the species of Sperm Whales. Those whales where the main target of whaling ships due to the oil they store in an organ inside their head. This oil has a milkish color which the sailors back then confused with sperm leading to the species being called the way it is. This oil becomes solid when cooling down and was used for e.g. making candles.
The Sperm whale is also one of the few whales who have actual teeth, making them the largest predator on earth. This circumstance also lead to Ahab losing his leg during his last encounter with Moby Dick.

As for the conclusion of the book, I don't think there is much to spoil about it. The story is well known and the trope of revenge has certainly been used many times in media afterwards. I won't talk about how it ended, but I will talk just a little bit about how I experienced the ending. That is: even before the final chase happened, the stage was already set for the things to come. And more important: some of the information given at that point made the ending more of a tough pill to swallow than I was expecting at first. It usually does take a lot to get any reaction out of me. Feeling empty after reading a long book is normal, but this book took "feeling empty" to a completely new level.

Anyway, I'm not rating the book. I don't like rating things. Numbers are too arbitrary. What I will say, however: I liked the book. And I will put it into my pile of "will reread in the future".



I love your analysis of Moby Dick, thank you so much for sharing! I must confess that I was genuinely unaware of the premise of this popularized rale before your explanation. The entire premise of whaling is unexpected honestly, I always assumed it was about a man or women who befriended a lonely whale. How juvenile of me! Oh whale, I do have a child-like imagination (sea what I did there?)

Honestly, the way in which you've described the characters makes them seem quite interesting. I adore stories with a that have lively and interesting stories. Are any of the character's backstories heavily explored? If so, which character had the most intriguing past and who was your favourite character?

I also find it interesting how details about whales were presented in the book. Its nice when authors offer bits of information that can help a reader to connect and understand various elements of a story more. I certainly was unaware where sperm whales got their name from!

Anyways, Moby Dick seems like a fabulous read. I genuinely might consider reading it. I'm also thrilled that you enjoyed it.

Spoiler:
Quote:

Originally Posted by VisionofMilotic (Post 10116268)
Now for my full review of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" This novel is quite brilliant, it's so unexpected and full of irony and ahead of it's time. I don't really know a book that this is similar to, but I was on the edge of my seat as I peered into this strange world. As for the pacing, I couldn't put the book down.

The title is that much more poignant in context because there was a mass extinction that took place before the events of the novel, and what mostly roams the world are electric animals that were made to simulate real ones so post-apocalyptic earth looks more like it did before the war. The few surviving animals are sometimes wrongly assumed to be fake, meanwhile the imitations are so realistic that they can fool the onlookers into thinking they have come across a real living creature.

Even though people often struggle to distinguish the two unless they are around them for extended periods, everyone would prefer to have an authentic animal instead of a synthetic one because of their rarity, and because it's a connection to another living being in the desolate remains of earth, even though real animals are almost unaffordable and will eventually die like all living things. To have any animal is a status symbol, and if you can afford a living pet even a common mouse you are thought to be very lucky.

The protagonist Deckard, a government contractor and android bounty hunter can't afford a real animal and keeps an electric sheep to graze in his yard because of the pressure from his wife to keep up with the Joneses, but he is obsessed with having the companionship of a live animal some day, especially one that hasn't been domesticated, something wild and free. He has contempt for the electric sheep because it feels dishonest to him. He has a memory of real sheep from before the war. The electric sheep epitomizes everything he finds hypocritical with this world.

Because Deckard is a sensitive man with a conscience he initially tries to justify his job "retiring" androids (killing them) by comparing androids to his electric sheep that he can walk over to and just turn it's switch off when he's tired of it. The key word there is tries. His job gets harder and harder psychologically the more androids he has to face.

As for how androids are treated, I will quote an android so you can hear it from their own lips.

"It's a chance anyway, breaking free and coming here to Earth, where we're not even considered animals. Where every worm and wood louse is considered more desirable than all of us put together."

I won't tell you which android said it and spoil things in case you read the book one day. It's something of a detective novel that keeps you guessing about who is an android and who is not, and throws curve balls at the reader.

One of the things I found especially riveting and original about this book is a concept known as Mercerism, it's a sort of religion that has taken root in post-war earth. In accordance with Mercerism you do not kill any living thing, not even an insect, it is sacrilegious. You would certainly never harm a human being.

Androids are legally classified as property like animals. However unlike an animal an android is not recognized as even alive by the state, so they are not protected by the aforementioned moral code. While the death of an animal would be regarded as a tragedy and a serious crime, killing an "Andy" (as they are derisively called sometimes) is of no consequence unless it was still in service to a person or company as , in which case there penalty would be some minor fine to compensate the owner for profit loss or property damage no more. Androids themselves have no civil rights. To "retire" an android no longer considered useful or manageable would not only be permitted by law, the law would enforce this like scraping an unsafe car. You would be expected to terminate a runaway android.

Being an android is perhaps an existence even more hopeless than that of a slave in the history of our world because a slave might be able to purchase their freedom or be set free under some circumstance or run away to a place that doesn't have slavery and live in peace. But sadly there's nowhere that you can go as an android where you would be recognized as a living being. The only way to not be enslaved is if you escaped and passed as human for whatever time you had left. It's a life of constant fear. There is no destination where you are safe once and for all, you just have to keep running and hiding.

Androids might be designed and employed for any occupation, but they are mostly found in colonies on Mars to do labor in conditions that humans would not be able to physically withstand. At the start of the novel we learn that a rebellion happened on planet Mars where a number of androids killed their owners to escape slavery and fled to Earth to hide, and have now infiltrated society, posing as human. This is where the specialist Deckard comes in, to track down everybody who had anything to do with the revolt, unmask them as androids and "retire" them to make the streets safe again.

I think the book is interesting because the morals are not black and white. The androids Phillip K Dick introduces to us are often ambivalent figures. They are usually physically beautiful, they can form friendships, display emotion, use reasoning powers, they show curiosity and exhibit all sorts of talents. They in some ways have a childlike quality. Yet the author doesn't romanticize androids. He is willing to an explore an android's capacity for cruelty and manipulation, something that also exists in the heart of human beings in his story. Nobody is noble. It's one continuous shade of gray that just gets a lot darker in places.

I would give this book four or five stars, and want to check out more of Phillip K Dick's stories like "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" and "Minority Report."



One question I immediately have as I read through your analysis is are there any efforts to increase the population of "authentic" animals? Are there scientists working to breed these creatures in order to allow them to flourish once again in the wild? Or are scientists solely focusing on the development of artificial electric organisms? I'm rather intrigued.

This story deeply interests me to the highest level. A post-war, post-apocalyptic society where machines can model as human beings and other living creatures sounds truly terrifying. It also highlights a fear that many people have in our increasingly technological-reliant society, is that one day computers and "androids" may outsmart us. I think perhaps there is a similar fear that is present in the society that you describe, which perhaps would explain why "androids" have no civil rights. This is perhaps a bizarre question, but is there a part of you that hypothesizes that are current society is heading towards an age of dominated by artificial intelligence?

Anyways, the prospect of androids getting hunted down genuinely breaks my heart. I feel for these individuals, even if they are indeed soulless. What is your perspective on this?

http://pa1.narvii.com/6328/219ef4442ff68a4814fde710aae425d52c482014_hq.gif

I appreciate your thought-provoking analysis of this story, as well as Seliph's intriguing review. I love hearing different opinions on various stories! I do plan on sharing details on stories that I've read within the past month or so, so please stay tuned! ^-^

Megan February 15th, 2020 12:52 AM

As I've finished not one but two books just recently, I want to take some time to talk about both of them. One belonging to the "health" categoriy, the other being a short story written by Jules Verne.

The first one is a German book called "Die 7 Revolutionen der Medizin" (transl: the 7 revolutions of medicine). It's divided into seven chapters talking about some modern world health problem before providing some sort of wonder medicine supposedly fixing the issues. You know, I didn't quite decide to read this on my own. I have a relative who is heavily into this stuff and really likes not only reading those books (among others) but also constantly giving them to others so that they too read them and then give them back. That's how I ended up with it and I really wanted to get this over with.

Anyway, I'm not a medical expert so I want to keep this rather short. There are some things in this book that over time have been proven right, the others I can't tell. To be fair, the book does provide some references to some of the studies the guy talks about, which to be fair, I didn't bother doing some research in the matter. I know I didn't like some of the statistics provided, in particular those who had a very small amounts of test subjects and those more anecdotal "evidences". I also didn't like how at times it felt way more like an infomercial and from what I've gathered the stuff you're supposed to take costs quite a bit.

Well, I don't wanna rag on this book for too long because the next one is actually more interesting. The next one I'm going to talk is "From the Earth to the Moon" by Jules Verne.

In regards to stories written by Jules Verne there are two that I've already experienced. I've watched "In 80 days around the World" on TV a long time ago. "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" I've read last year. The former I've forgotten most of, but as I have it in book form I will pick it up in not too long. The latter on the other hand is an excellent book that I definitively recommend reading! I've been meaning to continue reading more of Jules Verne's stories so after finishing Moby Dick I decided to start with "From the Earth to the Moon".

Guns, Cannons, death and destruction. The US has been waging its war for independance for quite some time now. But alas! at last victory is attained, the US freed at last. No more need for guns or cannons, no more reasons to develop new weapons of destruction.
With these depressing thoughts in mind the members of the Gun Club of Baltimore now had to come to terms with the fact that their club might soon disband. However, in these trying times a wonder was about to happen.

A letter was sent to the members of the club. It was written by Barbicane, the president of the Gun Club, himself. He was organizing an assembly for he had an announcment in regards to the future of the club.
Barbicane's plans are revealed: to push the frontier of human society even further a cannon will be build. A cannon of obscene size that is meant to shoot a projectile to the moon. This is welcomed with great excitement and the plan to build it is set into motion, immediately.

But this will not be all, not by a long shot. Right after completion of the the massive columbiad a telegraph makes its way into Barbicane's hand.

"From the Earth to the Moon" is a rather short story. Its main focus revolves around the planning, logistics and building of the cannon and projectile as well as all the problems that come along with that. What materials to use? Where to set up the cannon? Where to get the financial support for all of this? Those and more questions are being tackled throughout the whole process.

All in all I enjoyed the story. I think in part this is also due to how the story ended. Without spoiling too much: the ending was kinda surprising but also kinda hilarious.
Though, while I did enjoy it, I don't think it gave me enough to make me want to reread it some later time.
Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 10122164)
Honestly, the way in which you've described the characters makes them seem quite interesting. I adore stories with a that have lively and interesting stories. Are any of the character's backstories heavily explored? If so, which character had the most intriguing past and who was your favourite character?

Sadly more precise describtions of characters backstories are rather thin. Queequeg is probably the character with the most of it. Other than that we get a little backstory for Ahab in the beginning and the end of the book, as well as a little for Starbuck at the end as well.
As for my favorite it's most likely Stubb due to his rather philosophical though processes. Though, I should probably also mention that he also has some rather "outdated" viewpoints. But that's what you kinda expect from media from back in the day.

VisionofMilotic March 2nd, 2020 8:13 AM

I mean to come back for a long visit soon. I got so many interesting questions about Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and am dying to answer them when I get the time. I also want to comment on some of the new books I have been reading. I am going to pop in for just a hot second though because I stumbled open a video called The World's Most Mysterious Book, and I thought it would be perfect to share with my beloved Book Club.

What do you guys think of the Vonyich manuscript? Oh how I love watching Ted-ed! It has brought some really thought-provoking content to my attention.


Neb March 13th, 2020 1:39 AM

Name/Nickname: Neb/Benjamin
Favourite Book: Flowers for Algernon
Favourite Author: Neil Gaiman

I try to read from as many different genres as possible, but my favorites are memoirs and science fiction.

VisionofMilotic March 13th, 2020 8:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 10122164)

One question I immediately have as I read through your analysis is are there any efforts to increase the population of "authentic" animals? Are there scientists working to breed these creatures in order to allow them to flourish once again in the wild? Or are scientists solely focusing on the development of artificial electric organisms? I'm rather intrigued.

That's a great question Lina! The answer is yes, breeding real animals is hugely important. Having a female animal is especially sought after for reproduction purposes. Unfortunately, even though there is effort to raise more animals, those animals as well as people still struggle to inhabit earth due to the condition it is in post-war, so the endangered "real animals" still do not always survive. The fledgling animal population is susceptible to all the diseases and risks that they currently experience in our world, but have mostly lost their habitats and live in an atmosphere that has radioactive dust in it left over from the last nuclear war. This is one of the pitches that salesman of synthetic animals make, that the animals they offer you will never die unlike the real ones, so it's a better investment they argue.

Also some once common species are not just endangered or vulnerable, but have sadly gone altogether extinct. So in many cases there is no way to authentically reproduce any more, only the synthetic copies are available now, having an owl would be like having a dinosaur in our world today.

To get your hands on an animal of a species thought extinct and lead recovery efforts to increase the population would mean international acclaim, medals in the sciences, peace prizes, making billions of dollars and more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 10122164)
This story deeply interests me to the highest level. A post-war, post-apocalyptic society where machines can model as human beings and other living creatures sounds truly terrifying. It also highlights a fear that many people have in our increasingly technological-reliant society, is that one day computers and "androids" may outsmart us. I think perhaps there is a similar fear that is present in the society that you describe, which perhaps would explain why "androids" have no civil rights. This is perhaps a bizarre question, but is there a part of you that hypothesizes that are current society is heading towards an age of dominated by artificial intelligence?

This also a really interesting question. In Phillip K Dick's world androids are clever and usually highly-skilled, they may quote great philosophers and make literary allusions. They can be programmed to do just about anything. You want an a master concert pianist android, leading chef or skilled neurosurgeon to do the job? You got one! They can be exceeding strong, and many will remain calm and level-headed even in the face of death. So, indeed they can excell and would outperform humans in many fields.

On the other hand, androids are still relatively new creations. An android may physically look like a mature person in their thirties, but literally could have been born yesterday. Something I reminded myself of while reading the story is that the androids we encounter are all under 4 years old if you judge age by the date of their creation. As precocious as they are, there are still many things that androids don't have a reference for, which I attribute that to how short their time in the world has been. An android attempting to pass for human might begin to show signs of confusion and discomfort if you make mention of things that we did as a society in the years before the war for instance-- there were no androids at the time after all, and usually they learn about the past from books or movies. Though androids are intelligent, often at the same time there are gaps in their knowledge that the average person would not have. There's a naivety about androids despite their many talents, and humans can exploit this to ensnare them. So I think whether an android can take the place of a human would really depend on what it is that they're doing, because while they can outsmart us, there are also ways that we humans can outsmart them.

There are jobs were you arguably need a human touch too, often humans are better as veterinarians for instance, "real" mammals often just bonds more with humans than they would an Android. Our animals are sensitive enough to just know there's a difference.

I really love your questions! Well, I can't say whether we are headed towards an age dominated by artificial intelligence or not. I will say that some of the robots that have been developed do take my breath away with how human they look, especially the ones by Mesmer. You might want to take a peek at these if you haven't heard of them. I ask myself, "where do we draw the line between human beings and machines?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2BP6yndc6w

Our present understanding of the science robotics is relatively new and budding, and the androids we have obviously are extremely limited and awkward compared to the Nexus-6 models that Phillip K Dick envisioned, but I do sometimes wonder... While I see a lot of potential for good coming out of AI like self-driving cars, robot-performed surgeries and bomb removal, and am happy for these contributions to a better world right now, I ponder sometimes if this cab lead to a greater morality issue in the future as we continue to make breakthroughs and develop more and more lifelike androids. If we develop an android with the ability to think on par with humans, that can survive without depending on us and coexist alongside then should they have the right to autonomy in our society? Should they be paid wages for their occupation? There are interestingly hotels right now in Japan that are staffed right now by all robots like the Henn na in Nagaski, Japan, and don't have any people working there to cut costs.

Human beings have even married robots I have learned. Should we recognize these as civil unions?

What if an android's creator wants to reprogram or discontinue the Android, does the android have a say?

One of the most well-known androids is Sophie, she is an ambassador who holds United Nations titles, is recognized as a citizen in some countries and has acted in films and is a regular guest on many talk shows. She lives in Saudi Arabia and arguably has more rights than some human women in this particular country where there are many restrictions on mobility to travel and dress codes you have to observe. Sophia is a Hanson robot.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LguXfHKsa0c

Victor Frankenstein tried to do something good, and create life, and made a new race of being that he wasn't prepared for the ramifications of, and I think that's a cautionary tale we should remember going forward and take into account many different possibilities as robots evolve. I'm not saying androids should not exist, but I do wonder what that will ultimately mean for our world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticalNinetales (Post 10122164)
Anyways, the prospect of androids getting hunted down genuinely breaks my heart. I feel for these individuals, even if they are indeed soulless. What is your perspective on this?

I agree with you. I think it's a very ironic world they live in. There are human characters you encounter who are colder than the robots.

I think androids wanting to escape captivity and death is a natural instinct that any human or animal would experience, and that very impulse would seem to indicate to me that regardless of what the law says--they are alive. So I do sympathize with these individuals too. Even to kill to get free or to kill to keep someone from killing you would be considered bravery in most cultures in human civilization, and reading this as an American descendant of slaves I don't think an android deserves death just for not wanting to be someone's property. I think if androids were treated with a drop more dignity then it might not have to come to humans and androids killing each other.

That being said, I think PKD's world is one where I have to watch out for making generalizations about androids bad or good, or people for that matter. There are androids that don't seem dangerous, and like they could be a positive influence in society if given a chance. There's one female android I liked, and having the job to retire this android is what begins to disillusion Deckard as well. We meet a variety of quirky characters in the novel. There are androids that I would like to grant to clemency to, and give a chance to assimilate into society. But then there are others like Roy, leader of the recent uprising on Mars, who was built for combat purposes. He's portrayed as an anti-social, battle-hardened soldier and would quickly slit my throat if he thought I had seen to much and might expose him, and then go make dinner. Some of these individuals we will just not be able to negotiate with, and I think you'd have no choice but to take them down because they can be extremely dangerous. I would have to look at each android's case individually.

What I like about the writer is that he shows the situation in it's complexities, sometimes he gives you an android that is likeable, sometimes he gives you one that's sinister, some fall into a grey zone and you go back and forth about whether you like them or not. The book still gives me much to think about.

Megan April 4th, 2020 2:29 AM

I'm currently a little bit of a slump and am taking a break from reading regular books. I still have a couple of them that I put on hold for the time being but will get back into at some point in the future. Those being:
- Musashi (Eiji Yoshikawa)
- Five weeks in a balloon (another Jules Verne story)

as well as potentially picking back up Terry Pratchet. I've read "The Color of Magic" about one or two years ago but never really delved deeper into the universe that comprises the Disc World.

--

I do have a question: are Manga up for discussion as well? Because I've been reading (and finishing) a couple series as of late and I could probably talk a little bit about some that I found interesting. The finished ones I may talk about being:
- Deadman Wonderland
- Rurouni Kenshin
- Claymore
- Hellstar Remina

Ninetales April 4th, 2020 9:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neb (Post 10135637)
Name/Nickname: Neb/Benjamin
Favourite Book: Flowers for Algernon
Favourite Author: Neil Gaiman

I try to read from as many different genres as possible, but my favorites are memoirs and science fiction.

https://gifimage.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/anime-girl-smiling-gif-9.gif

Hi! Welcome to the book club, so lovely to have you! ^-^ It's so wonderful to see my humble club growing.

May I ask what memoir is your favourite that you've read thus far? Also, are there any other memoirs that you've been eyeing recently? I'm highly curious!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10143056)
I'm currently a little bit of a slump and am taking a break from reading regular books. I still have a couple of them that I put on hold for the time being but will get back into at some point in the future. Those being:
- Musashi (Eiji Yoshikawa)
- Five weeks in a balloon (another Jules Verne story)

as well as potentially picking back up Terry Pratchet. I've read "The Color of Magic" about one or two years ago but never really delved deeper into the universe that comprises the Disc World.

--

That's completely understandable! I have been in a similar situation as well. I've been so preoccupied with school that I've admittedly neglected reading, despite having a million books to read. I hope to pick up a book this upcoming week. I started The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan a while ago and I hope to re-introduce myself to it again. It does seem quite intriguing and enjoyable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10143056)
I do have a question: are Manga up for discussion as well? Because I've been reading (and finishing) a couple series as of late and I could probably talk a little bit about some that I found interesting. The finished ones I may talk about being:
- Deadman Wonderland
- Rurouni Kenshin
- Claymore
- Hellstar Remina

Yes! Absolutely! I was actually going to start a discussion about Manga. I've been reading manga more frequently as of late. It's convenient and it doesn't require the same commitment that a traditional novel does. Lately I've been reading Waiting for Spring and Grand Blue Dreaming, which are both vastly different. Waiting for Spring makes for a lovely read because it's easily digestible and has an array of likeable characters. It's a high-school romance, love triangle sort of thing, which as cliché and cheesy as it may seem, I love it! Grand Blue Dreaming is anything but romantic. It's Seinen and therefore is not meant for consumption by my demographic. Regardless, I thought it looked interesting. It's by no means my favourite but I am enjoying it thus far. Besides, it's splendid to diversify your reading.

Do you read manga? If so, what is your favourite manga (question intended for all book club members.)

VisionofMilotic April 5th, 2020 2:57 PM

I really love anime and manga with historical themes like Rose of Versailles and adaptations of literary classics like Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette.
The manga I'm following right now Requiem of the Rose King is both. It's about a real period in English History the War of the Roses, and it's also a twist on Shakespeare's play Richard III.

I love the art style, it's just ravishing and very sleek and graceful, and also full of expression.

https://i.postimg.cc/rpj7V23s/IMG-20200405-140103138.jpg

I like the characters mostly. For one I enjoyed the way Richard's father (also named Richard) the Duke of York was portrayed as a man of grace and honor with a very strong bond with Richard. While York gets depicted sometimes as ambitious and grasping in historical fiction novels, the impression I have of the historical Duke of York (also named Richard) is that he had innate leadership qualities that King Henry VI did not, and was very devoted to his family and house. His king had literally gone stark raving mad and was clearly unfit to rule, and York did have a legitimate blood claim to the throne, and had a reasonable case to make. So I don't think he was just a usurper, and suppose this is a fair way to show the father of the Kings Edward and Richard, if a little romantic. Shakespeare is not unkind to York either in the Henry VI plays.

https://i.postimg.cc/ryC6HRCG/IMG-20200405-135245302.jpg

The way Elizabeth Woodville is portrayed also stands out to me. She is shown as deeply in love with her first husband, and her heartbreak over his loss is her driving motive. The real Elizabeth Woodville was someone who ended up switching sides multiple times during her life. Her 1st husband John Grey was a knight who fought for the House of Lancaster (the red rose side) but was killed in battle, leaving her widowed with small children. When she petitions the king for help settling a land dispute, he falls in love with the famously beautiful Elizabeth and proposes to her to the shock of the country, and so she becomes part of the house of York, (the white rose) opposite of the house her family fought for. I mostly saw the historical Woodville as some just trying to survive the turning wheel of fortune, but Aya Kanno's Woodville is deeper than that. It's not often that Elizabeth's vulnerable side is portrayed in fiction, and it's an interesting conception of Elizabeth and Edward the story of the king who married a commoner for love as not a love story at all like we've been told, but instead she is a tragic and haunted character.

https://i.postimg.cc/y6tFyhV8/IMG-20200405-135724951-2.jpg

There's touches of the occult in this manga that I like, curses, demons to be exercised, ghosts. The spirit of Joan of Arc haunts the forest near where Richard's castle is. The English did after all kill her. She appears sometimes as a trickster of a guide to Richard.
https://i.postimg.cc/DwYPMPwM/IMG-20200405-135750150.jpg

While basically I like the characters, I think Kanno could present a more sophisticated portrayal for Richard, especially when there are so many other cool supporting characters. Shakespeare's Richard III is a machiavel full of intrigue and dark humor, bumping people off to clear a path to the throne. In the manga though he is demonic evil, psychotically massacring thousands indiscriminately. He is like the blood countess or Ivan the Terrible. Richard is drawn amazing, and I like a lot of the exciting situations he is placed in, I just think the artist can pull it back, and still have a villain without making him this extreme.

https://i.postimg.cc/0NMZJYMD/IMG-20200405-140042661.jpg

Historically the worst Richard III is suspected of doing is ordering his nephews (the princes in towers) killed to consolidate his reign as king, that is the worst charge levied against him, and even that has been challenged by some historians. What is agreed about Richard by historians is that he was someone who had distinguished himself in military campaigns, he did so in spite of having scoliosis and was brave on the field. he was very religious, he was popular where he lived in the North of England with the people and unlike his older brother the Duke of Clarence and his cousin the Earl of Warwick who both did rebel against King Edward during his lifetime, Richard stayed loyal to his brother throughout his reign. , There weren't the early signs of cruelty you might expect, and I think he probably just lost his way. Now of course this is fiction, I don't expect historical accuracy from a manga, and can enjoy material that takes artistic license. I just think it would be a more compelling story to tell the tale of a man who gets corrupted because of the pressures and temptation of the crown, rather than write a character who is just a sociopath from childhood. I think she has a lot of potential yet to be explored to make the story more dramatic and multifaceted.

For what it is though it's a really fun and creative twist of time in English history that I like, the last Plantagenet king, it has a lot of style, and glad I bought the volumes that I did, would be interested in reading some more and seeing where it goes.

Ninetales April 10th, 2020 8:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VisionofMilotic (Post 10143680)
I really love anime and manga with historical themes like Rose of Versailles and adaptations of literary classics like Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette.
The manga I'm following right now Requiem of the Rose King is both. It's about a real period in English History the War of the Roses, and it's also a twist on Shakespeare's play Richard III.

I love the art style, it's just ravishing and very sleek and graceful, and also full of expression.

https://i.postimg.cc/rpj7V23s/IMG-20200405-140103138.jpg

The art style is quite appealing to the eyes, I will say. I also adore manga with historical elements. As we've addressed countless times, I have an obsession with historical fiction, so it's only natural for me to be drawn towards historical manga as well. The characters as you describe them seem so dark and the story seems very interesting. I do like how Elizabeth married into the white rose faction despite her previous ties to opposing forces. I could imagine the emotional confliction with making such a transition. I think I may have to read Requiem of the Rose King if I ever do come across it.

I have a few suggestions for you. I would recommend Oumuksu Kyoshi Heine or The Royal Tutor.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/news/107751/30745.jpg

It is set in what in a post-industrial revolution society (most likely the mid-late 19th century). The city that the story takes place in, Wien, is supposedly modelled after the real life city of Vienna, Austria. It involves the story of 4 princes - Kai, Bruno, Leonhard, Licht, who are second-fifth in line for their throne, after their eldest brother, Eins. The king, Viktor von Granzreich, wants to prepare his younger sons in the case that Eins is unable to succeed him as king. Therefore, he hires Heine Wittgenstein to be their tutor and to shape them into perfect successors to the throne. Of course, the 4 boys, each with strikingly different personalities, have no intent of learning from an educator and have a history of running off previous tutors with their disobedience.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0pRP1Z5JKBk/Wjk0S1ak48I/AAAAAAAE62I/a3zrTJAIMgkSm14-gNIX3GrFYcKhWRPZgCHMYBhgL/s16000/0059-011.png

It's a fantastic read! It's full of lively characters and each volume expands on the story of a different prince. I think you'd really enjoy it. Toward the end, Heine Wittgenstein's backstory is unveiled and it comes as quite a shock.

Another option is Tsukumogami Kashimasu, which takes place in Edo, in what appears to be the 18th or 19th century.

https://honeysanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Tsukumogami-Kashimasu.jpg

Oko and Seiji own and run the Izumo-ya lending shop in the Fukagawa district of the city. Several of the items they lend are old and have become tsukumogami, which are objects that over time have acquired a spirit or kami and are usually items that are loved and treasured by humans over a long period of time. Seiji with the help of the tsukumogami, has a reputation for being able to solve mysteries and other difficult problems and would often lend the tsukumogami to people who he suspected to have information regarding a mystery. The tsukumogami are portrayed as loving gossip and are wise and intelligent, as well as compassionate and desire to help out others. Oko and Seiji often listen to the tsukumogami in order to gain information and solve mysteries.

https://static.zerochan.net/Tsukumogami.Kashimasu.full.2286230.jpg

While I haven't actually read the manga (I've watched the anime adaption instead), I must say, I think you'd really enjoy the storyline. It's easily digestible and is somewhat of a historical slice-of-life. The characters are fascinating and it has expanded my knowledge on various aspects of Japanese culture and the innerworkings of Japanese society in the past. I would definitely recommend!

Megan April 13th, 2020 2:46 AM

I've recently been in somewhat of a manga reading spree and finished reading a couple series of varying lengths. Some of which I found pretty good; others I found a little disappointing.

Some I finished:

1. Deadman Wonderland
I've know of this series for a couple years. Back then the anime adaptaion comprising of only ten episodes and therefore only covering the first few arcs made its way on TV. It was one of those showes specifically designed to serve as advertisements for their respective manga. However, I mostly forgot about it shortly after the series finished and only remembered when I stumbled upon a random Youtube review. At that point I decided to take a closer look at the series.

Ten years after a massive earthquake in Japan that destroyed a big part of Tokyo things seemingly went back to normal. We get introduced to the main character Ganta Igarashi who is soon found to be plunged into great despair as not only gets his entire class killed by an unknown man in red right in front of his eyes, but also he ends up being blamed for the murders, sentenced to death and then thrown into the privately run prison called Deadman Wonderland. He is forced to wear a collar which is constantly infusing a deadly poison and the only way to survive is to participate in games and earn money to buy an antidote that allows him to survive for a couple more days.
Shortly after his arrival a strange power awakens in him that allows him to utilize his blood as a weapon, something that brands him as a so called deadman. At the same time he meets a girl that not only seems to be able to walk the prison freely but also claims to know Ganta. Yet, he doesn't remember her at all.

The main focus here is for Ganta to uncover what happened ten years ago all the while fighting to survive the constant onslaught of deadly challenges he is forced to face by this prison that seemingly seems to be connect to the past as well.

Honestly? I think it was alright. It's definitely not the greatest, but definitely above average. I can't really put my finger on what exactly felt a little off; if I had to guess it was probably just me and my expectations being a little bit too high? I suppose I was expecting something a little bit more philosophical. But its still good.

2. Rurouni Kenshin
Have I mentioned yet that Youtube was one of my main resources to make me look up manga series? This one was no different.

The era of samurai has come to an end. Ten years have passed, governments have established and the possesion of swords is prohibited. Kenshin who was a major figure during the war that brought the change is now living his life as a vagabond. With him he carryies his sakabato, a reverse bladed sword that is only meant to be used in self defense and to protect others. Kenshin wants nothing but to atone for the atrocities he commited. But the scars go far deeper.
Things are about to change hwoever when after years of restless traveling he finds himself moving into a rundown dojo that teaches the way of the sword that protects life.

All in all I like the series. All things considered it's pretty short only boasting two big arcs and some minor ones. It still amounts to over 250 chapters which means that everything that really matters is explained with throughoutly enough. It has a bunch of serious moments but also likes to balance them with some more lighthearted ones as well.

Some I'm still in the process of reading:

1. Sun-ken Rock
This one was made by boichi who is also responsible for the art of Dr. Stone. And it really shows!
Since I also happen to read Dr. Stone and I randomly watched a Video that talked about the art style used I got interested into the series and figured I may as well pick it up.

Kitano Ken confesses his love to a girl but is soon rejected as she tells him that she is in fact Korean and intent to return to her home country as well as become a policewoman there. Not being willing to accept instead he decides to drop out of school and move to Korea as well. There he spends his first year as a recluse before being thrown into a situation where he is forced to fight a couple gang members. Soon after Ken is being approached by another gang who proposes to make him their leader. Is is the beginning of a conquest to take over and reform the country, all the while Ken finds himself constantly having to balance between learning what it means to be a leader as well as making sure to keep his occupation a secret to his girlfriend.

The series is a seinen series and therefore very adult, _very_ adult. Violence, corruption, racism, sex, etc. you name it, you get it. All depicked in a really beautifully detailed art style. But it isn't only dark and gloom, there are plenty of light hearted moments. Ken himself, while having his own convictions and determination to push them through, he also is kind of a dork who does some really hilariously stupid things at times.

2. The Promised Neverland
I wanted to pick up a more modern series that was considered to good. This one seemed promising.

The series starts by introducing us to a bunch of children living at an orphanage. Their life is a happy one. Lots of food, lots of playtime, learning and a loving mother.
Out of all the children there are three that standout for their high intelligence: Emma, Norman and Ray. When one of their siblings got adopted Emma and Norman stumbled across a dark secret that made them realize the true purpose of the orphanage and that they need to get out of there as fast as possible.
However such a feat is not done easily as they find out pretty quickly.

The first arc is in my opinion by far the strongest. Even the following arcs are still pretty good. However as times progressed the pacing just went wrong. With all the buildup done throughout the story the last few arcs should have been the most satisfying. However, things are just being resolved so quickly it makes it feeling as though the writer is trying to end the series as fast as possible. Something similar happened with the characters themselves: did the series start off introducing three main characters, at the end only one really takes the focus and everyone else has been relegated to being nothing but a support character. Granted, the series is still going. So maybe some other characters may still be able to shine. I'm not going to drop it, but I'll not hold too high of an expectation.

--

I may also talk about a couple other series like Dr. Stone which I'm also currently reading on a later day.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninetales (Post 10143406)
Yes! Absolutely! I was actually going to start a discussion about Manga. I've been reading manga more frequently as of late. It's convenient and it doesn't require the same commitment that a traditional novel does. Lately I've been reading Waiting for Spring and Grand Blue Dreaming, which are both vastly different. Waiting for Spring makes for a lovely read because it's easily digestible and has an array of likeable characters. It's a high-school romance, love triangle sort of thing, which as cliché and cheesy as it may seem, I love it! Grand Blue Dreaming is anything but romantic. It's Seinen and therefore is not meant for consumption by my demographic. Regardless, I thought it looked interesting. It's by no means my favourite but I am enjoying it thus far. Besides, it's splendid to diversify your reading.

Seinen are an acquired taste. They are a lot more detailed about mature topics sometimes to a degree that you wouldn't want to show a younger audience. But its not only that: there's usually a lot more effort put into them in terms of artwork. A chapter of such a manga would take about a month as opposed to let's say a generic shonen that has to adhere to a weekly schedule.
Quote:

Do you read manga? If so, what is your favourite manga (question intended for all book club members.)
I'm not sure if I have a favorite because there's a lot of them I really like. There may just be too many to choose from. One Piece is still pretty good due to its massive worldbuilding, Berserk is very impressive especially on the artistic side, Dr. Stone is pretty interesting because it tries to do something different with the shonen formula, etc.

Ninetales May 29th, 2020 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10146516)
I've recently been in somewhat of a manga reading spree and finished reading a couple series of varying lengths. Some of which I found pretty good; others I found a little disappointing.

Some I finished:

1. Deadman Wonderland
I've know of this series for a couple years. Back then the anime adaptaion comprising of only ten episodes and therefore only covering the first few arcs made its way on TV. It was one of those showes specifically designed to serve as advertisements for their respective manga. However, I mostly forgot about it shortly after the series finished and only remembered when I stumbled upon a random Youtube review. At that point I decided to take a closer look at the series.

Ten years after a massive earthquake in Japan that destroyed a big part of Tokyo things seemingly went back to normal. We get introduced to the main character Ganta Igarashi who is soon found to be plunged into great despair as not only gets his entire class killed by an unknown man in red right in front of his eyes, but also he ends up being blamed for the murders, sentenced to death and then thrown into the privately run prison called Deadman Wonderland. He is forced to wear a collar which is constantly infusing a deadly poison and the only way to survive is to participate in games and earn money to buy an antidote that allows him to survive for a couple more days.
Shortly after his arrival a strange power awakens in him that allows him to utilize his blood as a weapon, something that brands him as a so called deadman. At the same time he meets a girl that not only seems to be able to walk the prison freely but also claims to know Ganta. Yet, he doesn't remember her at all.

The main focus here is for Ganta to uncover what happened ten years ago all the while fighting to survive the constant onslaught of deadly challenges he is forced to face by this prison that seemingly seems to be connect to the past as well.

Honestly? I think it was alright. It's definitely not the greatest, but definitely above average. I can't really put my finger on what exactly felt a little off; if I had to guess it was probably just me and my expectations being a little bit too high? I suppose I was expecting something a little bit more philosophical. But its still good.

Oh my goodness, now THIS is interesting! Framed for murder, I couldn't imagine. That's one of my biggest fears - to be found guilty of a brutal crime I didn't commit and sentenced to death. Furthermore, the idea of prisoners competing in games in order to survive is immensely cruel and heinous! The fact that the prison itself may have connection to the crime is interesting as well. Overall, it seems multi-layered and fully dimensional. The plot seems well-thought out and heavily complex as you describe it! I have a feeling that I'd prefer the anime adaption of this but nevertheless, it sounds quite peculiar!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10146516)
2. Rurouni Kenshin
Have I mentioned yet that Youtube was one of my main resources to make me look up manga series? This one was no different.

The era of samurai has come to an end. Ten years have passed, governments have established and the possesion of swords is prohibited. Kenshin who was a major figure during the war that brought the change is now living his life as a vagabond. With him he carryies his sakabato, a reverse bladed sword that is only meant to be used in self defense and to protect others. Kenshin wants nothing but to atone for the atrocities he commited. But the scars go far deeper.
Things are about to change hwoever when after years of restless traveling he finds himself moving into a rundown dojo that teaches the way of the sword that protects life.

All in all I like the series. All things considered it's pretty short only boasting two big arcs and some minor ones. It still amounts to over 250 chapters which means that everything that really matters is explained with throughoutly enough. It has a bunch of serious moments but also likes to balance them with some more lighthearted ones as well.

This sounds riveting indeed! I love the concept of a samurai returning to the way of the sword and re-adopting an appreciation for it, whilst passing down his skills to the next generation. I think many fall in and out of love with their hobbies or passions - only to rediscover them and view them in a different light years later. It's quite inspiring. Also, I can't imagine all that Kenshin has seen and experienced as a hardened warrior. I'm sure his past is riddled with hardship and I'd be very intrigued to learn of it. Sounds excellent to me! I might have to give it a read, it somewhat remains me of InuYasha!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10146516)
Some I'm still in the process of reading:

1. Sun-ken Rock
This one was made by boichi who is also responsible for the art of Dr. Stone. And it really shows!
Since I also happen to read Dr. Stone and I randomly watched a Video that talked about the art style used I got interested into the series and figured I may as well pick it up.

Kitano Ken confesses his love to a girl but is soon rejected as she tells him that she is in fact Korean and intent to return to her home country as well as become a policewoman there. Not being willing to accept instead he decides to drop out of school and move to Korea as well. There he spends his first year as a recluse before being thrown into a situation where he is forced to fight a couple gang members. Soon after Ken is being approached by another gang who proposes to make him their leader. Is is the beginning of a conquest to take over and reform the country, all the while Ken finds himself constantly having to balance between learning what it means to be a leader as well as making sure to keep his occupation a secret to his girlfriend.

The series is a seinen series and therefore very adult, _very_ adult. Violence, corruption, racism, sex, etc. you name it, you get it. All depicked in a really beautifully detailed art style. But it isn't only dark and gloom, there are plenty of light hearted moments. Ken himself, while having his own convictions and determination to push them through, he also is kind of a dork who does some really hilariously stupid things at times.

This does seem incredibly mature due to the subject matter that it touches on. Not too often do you find anime with such depth, nor do you find anime that mirrors the real world in a way that puts emphasis on the corruption that persists within the social fabric of our world. If you have finished this, please do share your thoughts! I'm genuinely curious. I generally enjoy lighthearted slice of life, drama, and the occasional Shonen. This story seems quite contrasting to those, and yet, I am highly intrigued.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10146516)
2. The Promised Neverland
I wanted to pick up a more modern series that was considered to good. This one seemed promising.

The series starts by introducing us to a bunch of children living at an orphanage. Their life is a happy one. Lots of food, lots of playtime, learning and a loving mother.
Out of all the children there are three that standout for their high intelligence: Emma, Norman and Ray. When one of their siblings got adopted Emma and Norman stumbled across a dark secret that made them realize the true purpose of the orphanage and that they need to get out of there as fast as possible.
However such a feat is not done easily as they find out pretty quickly.

The first arc is in my opinion by far the strongest. Even the following arcs are still pretty good. However as times progressed the pacing just went wrong. With all the buildup done throughout the story the last few arcs should have been the most satisfying. However, things are just being resolved so quickly it makes it feeling as though the writer is trying to end the series as fast as possible. Something similar happened with the characters themselves: did the series start off introducing three main characters, at the end only one really takes the focus and everyone else has been relegated to being nothing but a support character. Granted, the series is still going. So maybe some other characters may still be able to shine. I'm not going to drop it, but I'll not hold too high of an expectation.

A rushed series? I don't think that's uncommon for anime/manga, I've read/watched countless series that feel too brief and too condensed. The concept of an orphanage with a hidden secret is compelling, already I am drawn in. However, if the pacing is as bad as you've described, that throws me off entirely. Pacing is very important and I have dropped books if the pacing feels jumbled or too rushed. Have you completed this series? Was there any improvement in regards to the pacing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seliph (Post 10146516)
I may also talk about a couple other series like Dr. Stone which I'm also currently reading on a later day.

Seinen are an acquired taste. They are a lot more detailed about mature topics sometimes to a degree that you wouldn't want to show a younger audience. But its not only that: there's usually a lot more effort put into them in terms of artwork. A chapter of such a manga would take about a month as opposed to let's say a generic shonen that has to adhere to a weekly schedule.

I'm not sure if I have a favorite because there's a lot of them I really like. There may just be too many to choose from. One Piece is still pretty good due to its massive worldbuilding, Berserk is very impressive especially on the artistic side, Dr. Stone is pretty interesting because it tries to do something different with the shonen formula, etc.

I finished the first volume of Grand Blue Dreaming! It's apparently one of the top 10 best rated manga on MyAnimeList (surprisingly!) I must admit that while it is by no means my favourite, it was pretty decent all things considered. As it progressed I did begin to understand the characters a bit more and it was an enjoyable read. I doubt that I'll purchase more volumes, I think this one is enough for me, but it turned out to be better than I had expected!

Ninetales June 5th, 2020 9:51 AM



In wake of recent events, I thought it'd be a marvelous time to highlight the works of Black creators and Black authors and their contributions to literature.

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Maya Angelou is one that comes to mind. Not only is she a successful author but she's also a famed poet and activist, who dedicated her life to combating racism and sexism. She is known to have advocated for the rights of African Americans alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights movement. A prolific poet, her words often depict Black beauty, the resilience of the human spirit, female empowerment whilst demanding social justice and pushing for social change. She is know for her critically acclaimed autobiographies that detail events from her early life. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) is one of her most famed autobiographies and was the first. She sought to alter the very structure of autobiographies. Her first collection of poems Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1972. This was the same year she become the first Black woman in history to have a screenplay produced.

She passed away in 2014 after a long, immensely influential and prosperous career. I personally recall watching a series in which Oprah interviewed her when I was younger and she discussed her life and her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I was immediately drawn to her, she had such wisdom and class, and had such a way with words that truly touched the heart and soul. To me, she is one of the most wonderful and talented writers that has graced the earth and I admire her dedication to changing the social fabric our world for the better. She is an inspiration to all.


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Michelle Obama is another one of my favourite authors. Her famed memoir Becoming, is a wonderful, incredibly powerful read that details her time as First Lady of the United States, motherhood, and how she found her voice among other things. It's something that I'm currently reading and I can only sing its praises. Michelle Obama is a graduate from Princeton and Harvard Law School who is known for her dedication to healthcare reform, education, poverty awareness, and her efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of school aged children through nutrition, physical activity and opportunity. A gracious and thoughtful woman, Michelle in my opinion, is one of the greatest female role models of our generation. Despite not being American, I respect her hard work and her devotion to change and Becoming is a literary masterpiece in its own right. With almost 10 million copies sold worldwide, it is regarded as one of the most successful and best-selling memoirs in history.


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Who is your favourite Black author and why? Have you read a novel that has themes relating to racial discrimination or racial inequality? How did you feel about how these issues were portrayed?


VisionofMilotic June 7th, 2020 7:59 AM

Who is your favourite Black author and why?

Probably Zora Neale Hurston. I read Their Eyes Were Watching God, and really enjoyed that. I find her voice as an author very lyrical, natural and airy. It's the story of a free-spirited biracial young lady named Janey living during the turn of the century and orphaned at a young age. She is a great beauty that many want to possess, but the men in her life often prove to be people she can not count on, and fortune wheel never fully stops turning.

Hurston is an Alabama-native, and Southerners often bring these rich dreamy romantic prose that make even everyday settings hypnotic I find like William Styron or Tennese Williams.

My favorite black poet might be Robert Hayden. His imagery is poignant, you can see a person and their character and the pain of their line in a few lines. He's a very sophisticated writer, and you might find interesting allusions from Greek mythology to impressionist masterpieces to biblical references to contemporary political events all wrapped into verse for a juxtaposition that can be breathtaking.

Have you read a novel that has themes relating to racial discrimination or racial inequality? How did you feel about how these issues were portrayed?

Yes, Beloved by Toni Morrison comes to mind. It's the story of a woman who escapes from slavery and the psychological and literal physical way that it scarred her. It's a very graphic portrayal, there are beatings, rapes, lynchings. It's honestly a tough read to get through, very unsentimental. The heroine makes a terrible choice in the story when met with the prospect of being dragged back into slavery and having her family also taken back into this institution. I don't always like Sethe or agree with her decisions, but I think it's a realistic portrayal.

The story is deeply personal, and I like that the ghosts of her past are not just physical, but literal supernatural ones that haunt her as well.

One of the things I think is interesting about the novel is that it's not as simple as black and white. I don't think Morrison idealizes anyone, and even inspite of the horrendous racism and oppression there are some characters like the escaped indentured servant Amy that give you a glimpse into the way poor white people also suffered within structure of the Society.

Megan November 16th, 2020 10:24 AM

I have a couple more books I'd like to list:

1. "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa
This is a novel about Japan's legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto. It depicts his way from a young mindless brute to a mature well versed and spiritual samurai.

As it is Japanese literature you can expect there to be a hugh focus on honor. At the time a lot of ronin where roaming the land turning bandits and threatening the common folk. You have schools that have lost their way and are now deteriorating.

It's very much reflected in the actions of the main characters: Musashi who starts out as a good-for-nothing maturing over the course of his journey; Matahachi, his best friend, who starts out as the son of a noble family but becomes a good for nothing; Sasaki Kojiro who is a strong as Musashi and a lot more talented but lacks spirituality; Otsu who has engaged to Matahachi but after his loosing the engagement falls in love with Musashi and stays true to her feelings; Akemi who is very much the opposite of Otsu; Osugi who is Matahachi's mother and who swore revenge on Musashi; as well as Jotaro, Musashi's first disciple, who is very much undisciplined and Iori, Musashi's second disciple, who his very much the opposite.

The first half of the story plays out in the region around Kyoto, the old capital. Musahsi is pitched against the Yoshioka school who after having lost against him on multiple occasions became quite desperate to try anything in their power to restore their lost honor.

The second part majorly plays in the region of Edo, the new capital, where slowly all the different paths unwind and the stage gets set for Musashi's final confrontation against his biggest rival.

I started this book because I saw others talking about Japanese literature. I got curious and I also remembered an old school mate reading this book back in the day. So I decided to read it. I have to say: I really liked it! It was definitely an experience and it's pretty neat being able to catch a couple more references in more modern Japanese media.

2. "20000 Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne
A strange whale like thing has appeared on sea and on multiple occasions has been the cause of accident. It has gotten to a point when the war ship "Abraham Lincoln" sets out to hunt this being down. Invited on board is also the professor Pierre Aronnax, known for his book he wrote on creatures that roam the oceans. With him his has his trusty assistant Conseil who is good at categorizing but lacks practical experience. On board also is the Canadian harpooner Ned Land who is well versed at his job.

When the ship finally found this creature it turned out to be a massive underwater vessel. What's more: they can't do anything against it. During the chase the three get swept overboard and when they awake they find themselves on top of the submarine. The hatch opens and they are led inside where they meet Captain Nemo. He allows them to roam the submarine as they please. However the one condition is that they need to obey when Nemo demands it.

And as such a journey of 20000 Leagues (1 League=~4 Kilometers) begins.

Throughout the journey they visit a lot of different places all across the globe, although all of them within the boundaries of the sea. They also categorize a lot of creates of the sea. A _lot_.

However what are the origins of Captain Nemo? Who was he, why did he decide to cut ties with the rest of the world?

This is definitely one of my favorite Jules Verne stories so far. I found it very interesting how someone can just write a book (technically two) that does nothing but talk about things that happen during an ocean journey. Especially given that back then a lot of it was still unexplored (example: the Antarctic).

3. "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway
This is a story about an old fisherman catching a fish.

For weeks he had bad luck. The fish just wouldn't come and he would return empty handed. But the boy would still come and support him. He would help the old man and bring him food and he would ask him to take him on board to catch fish the next time.
Another day approached and the old man went to the sea again to catch fish. And then he would try to catch a fish.

I don't know if I'm doing this properly. Hemingway is kinda weird. Tbh. I'm not sure if I like his very simplistic style or not. But it was definitely an interesting read!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninetales (Post 10166817)
Who is your favourite Black author and why? Have you read a novel that has themes relating to racial discrimination or racial inequality? How did you feel about how these issues were portrayed

Do I need to feel bad for not having read a book by a black author? I'm still somewhat stuff in books from back in the day and haven't really gotten around to more modern books. I think the closest I got was while listening to radio. We have a radio station that has these reading sessions where they read a lot more modern books that usually have racism as one of their main themes, books usually written by people affected by it, though.
I have to say: I have hugh difficulties really relating our understanding what's going on. I suppose not being part of the afflicted group and in general lacking this "empathy" thing makes it not easier.

Older novels kinda have the tendency to portrait racism as not as bad (read: normal). I don't know if that counts, though. But it's something to be aware of if you ever find yourself wanting to read an older story. Especially when the name of the author contains "Lovecraft".

Megan December 15th, 2020 1:33 AM

The Epic of Gilgamesh
This here is the oldest story that humankind knows about. There are two different versions known: one from ancient babylonian scriptures and one from old ninivitian tablets written, created at about 2700 B.C.
The translation I've read (Reclam) was made from what we so far managed to reconstruct from the latter. In total the story is comprised of 11 tablets, though an additional 12th one was created years afterwards. I don't know much about that one, though, as the translation was purely about the other 11 that come before it and which entail the entirety of the epic.

As is to be expected from old stone tablets, however, is that due to environmental factors parts of the story are still missing. It's estimated that about 2/3 of the story are yet to be reconstructed. Fortunately, the story is not too complicated which means that even without the last 1/3 it is perfectly understandable. The translation I used made note of any missing line as well as fractures of text that where lost.
Another point that makes this a little bit easier is the amount of repetition. There where multiple times when the same lines where repeated, often the exact same and sometimes ones similar enough.

Lastly, before I start summarizing the story there also needs to be mentions in regards to names. Different versions tend to use different names and some translations can be a little bit confusing, as well. For instance: Gilgamesch is also sometimes known as "Bilgamesh" or Chumbaba I've also seen being called "Chuwawa" or "Humbaba". Usually, if they sound similar, they probably are the same person.

Btw.: spoilers for a ~5000 years old story :P

The story: Gilgamesh is a mesopotamian king who rules the city of Uruk (somewhere in modern Iraq). He's known for being very capable and strong and supposedly was responsible for building the walls around the town. It's also said that he is 1/3 human and 2/3 god.

But Actually, the story doens't start off with Gilgamesh. Instead it depicts the origins of Enkidu. Enkidu, being a man made out of clay by the gods who spends his entire time among the wild animals, gets civilized by the most effective way possible (aka sex work). He then learns about Gilgamesh's strength and decides to challenge him to a fight. Gilgamesh easily overpowers him and they become close friends.

Afterwards there are depictions of the different exploits the two go on. The quest to the Cedar forest to fell some of those valuable trees as well as slaying its guardian Chumbaba (who curses the both of them to death) and the slaying of a godly beast sent by a very envious goddess (Gilgamesh wouldn't fall for her).
Things take a turn for the worse when Enkidu dies. Gilgamesh spends a couple days in grief right at the bodies side. After the hopes of his best friend returning from the dead don't find fullfillment he gets terrified by his own mortality. He sets out to find the answer to life and death and even goes beyond the reaches of the world. There he finds the ancient hero who survived the flood (which was most likely the inspiration for the tale found in the bible) who only tells him that while humans where granted life, their death is still in the hands of the gods and if Gilgamesh can't even stay awake for a week he will never overcome death.

Lastly this hero tells Gilgamesh to retrieve a flower which is supposed to give him back his youth and then to head back to his home town. On the way however, said flower got devoured by a snake leaving Gilgamesh empty handed. It's not said what happened after he went back home, however supposedly Gilgamesh ended up earning a place among the gods.

To finish: I find this very interesting and I'm sad that we still aren't able to fully reconstruct the whole story. I wanna say I would recommend it. Obviously, if you pick it up you also want to read up on the context as society was very different back then; though, I suppose it goes without saying. :D

It's also relatively short.

Megan February 19th, 2021 1:32 AM

I have here two books I want to talk about. However, there's also quite a bit of weight to what I'm about to do. If you're not interested into someone's self reflections then this here post is better off being skipped. The reason for this is that this is not just me talking about two philosophical books, but it is me closing a chapter of my life. So important, for myself, that I do feel the need to center a huge portion of this around the context of this my chapter.

The thing is that I've always been interested into the deeper questions of life. Even during childhood I spend a huge amount of my lonely time to reflect on all kinds of aspects in life. What is the meaning of life? How big is the entire universe? Where are me going? etc.
Yet, for the longest time I've never read a philosophical book.

A couple years ago I found myself in a bad spot. After a chain of terrible events I find myself isolating from the rest of the world. Cutting ties to everyone I knew, stopped going to university, closing myself into my small little room and spend all day just watching videos. It was very miserable.

I was watching a documentary, something about modern workers. One of the interviewed employers was talking that nowadays nobody reads the likes of Nietzsche, anymore. The reasons for that statement were not important. But it let me realize that I had the time to look into one of those philosophical books.

It would still take some time, however, until I picked the first one up.

There were two weeks I had to spend without internet and I prepared by getting a copy of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" ("Thus Spoke Zarathustra") by Nietzsche. I spend the first week doing nothing but reading it. For those who don't know: philosophy books are difficult to read. Some of them are really difficult and Nietzsche is definitely among them. However, this book in particular is not one you want to start with. As you might expect: I didn't understand a single word of it. But I read it anyway.

A couple years later I went to trade school and moved into my own apartment. At that point I started collecting and reading more philosophical books. They were a very wide array including:
- The Art of War (Sun Tsu)
- more books by Nietzsche
- Politeia (Plato)
- Meditations (Rene Descardes but also Marc Aurel)
- The Prince (Machiavelli)
- Nichomachean Ethics (Aristotle)
- as well as different psychological books (mainly Freud)
- I even read parts of the bible

Aristotle actually had some huge influence as he made me look into politics. When I started I picked the for me most logical place for political input: Youtube
You know, the definitely not most toxic place you can think of. That was long before they cracked down on right wing propagandists/grifters. You can probably imagine what channels I got presented.

One of those channels I remember in particular. I was watching this guys channel who was constantly shouting around how important "philosophy" is. I actually likes his stuff for the most part. However, then I stumbled upon a video that guy made about Nietzsche. He labeled him a psychopath and even dragged down Plato just for good measure. At the time I was still fairly shaky about those two. But at least I had already developed somewhat of a feel of what they were about.
So this is when I realized that that guy was full of shit. If that is what he had to say about those important philosophers who could say how much garbage the rest of his "content" was? Needless to say I stopped watching his videos and never looked back.
This was a good thing because it turns out the guy was pretty much a cult leader with some very abusive ways to deal with people who first engaged with his stuff and later decided to stop. In that sense I dodged a very massive bullet. ^^
SO massive in fact that during the social media purge last year he was one of the major players who got banished to the shadow realm.

Years later I still had two books to read though. This is when I realized that I was pretty much done with philosophical book. "Done" in the sense that I stopped having a desire to read them. This is why it took me years to get around to reading them. Well, sort of. I'll explain when I get to the individual books.

The two books I still needed to read about were:
- Organon (Aristotle)
- Phenomenology of the Spirit (Hegel)

You might have already guessed it. Going back to what this thread is actually about, I'm going to talk about those two remaining books.

So without further ado:

Organon (Aristotle)
I'm going to be straight on this one: I've not read it completely and I'll never do it. I've read parts of it and I've skipped others. I will tell you why I decided to do it this way.

First things first: this isn't a book written by Aristotle. It's a collection of notes made by one of his disciples. And it is a good thing they decided to do exactly that.

For those who don't know: Aristotle is the inventor of the scientific method. He created different methods to categorize and analyze his surroundings. He laid the ground work for how scientific proof is conducted. The way how it is, however, is very convoluted which made going his explanations very difficult, to a point where I realized that it's not worth it.

The way we conduct science nowadays is a lot more approachable because it's something we've been doing all our life. Thus I thought to myself that trying to understand an outdated version of the same thing we intuitively do every day is simply not necessary. SO I ended up dropping it. Sorry, if someone finds this disappointing, but I'm not going to change my mind.

Phenomenology of the Spirit (G. W. F. Hegel)
Looking back, maybe I should've dropped this one as well. But I didn't. Well, at least I can tell you that I've read all the words that the book had. They were words, alright. But let's start at the beginning:

A couple years ago I was playing Persona 5. One of the characters was dropping Hegel's name which is how I became aware of him. Later on in school someone dropped his name and complained about how hard he is to understand. Because I'm such a huge masochist and I really love smashing my head against a wall I decided to look for books Hegel wrote. This is how I managed to get my hands on it.

When people talk about how difficult Hegel is to understand then they are not kidding. But there is more to it than just being able to understand the words he was writing down. For example, when Hegel is talking about "logic" he isn't talking about logic as we understand it. To make matters worse he never gave an actually explanation as to what he even understood as "logic".
It gets worse when you consider that this book was meant to be part one of a two part series. When Hegel got around to the second one he himself realized that this first one didn't actually fit anymore, which is why it kind of is a standalone thing but at the same time it isn't.

The book is presented in somewhat of a circular way. The premise of it is pretty much proof of that: Hegel wanted to establish philosophy as a science. For that he created this book as a scientific philosophy book that used scientific tools of philosophy in order to proof that philosophy is scientific.

The book is split into five parts: the introduction in which Hegel explains what his goals are by writing this book (showing that philosophy is scientific and necessary as such), the first part that deals with the individual and its perception, the second part that deals with society as an accumulation of individuals and their understanding of morals, laws and crime. The third part is about the cultural aspects: religion and it's trueness in its "being of light" and art in all its artificial and true nature. Finally, at the end he talks about true knowledge.

There have been different system people tried to use in order to make sense of what is written in the book. I'll try to explain the two that I've found to make the most sense:

1. Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis
There are two states:
- the current (beginning) state - thesis
- the final (ending) state that is the opposite of the current one - antithesis
and there is the transition from the first to the final state - synthesis

This synthesis is progression and life is all about one state flowing into the other. Philosophy is not a science of definite states, but rather a science of constant progression.

In math you don't need to understand why a formula gives you a specific result. You just put in the numbers and get a result. In real life this, however, is not how things work. Only if you understand what you need to do can you progress to the final stage. If you don't know about a subject (thesis) but you want to know about it (antithesis) then you need to actively learn about it (synthesis).

However, in the book it is also noted that different people can get a different understanding of the world around them. If you have two people looking at the same tree, they will still see a different one. The reason for that is because even though they may look at the same object, they still look at it from different angles, see different details that the other may not see.

Another example deals with the question on whether one can determine the character of a person on how they look. Hegel's taking one of the back then leading scientific fields that tried to figure out if you could understand the intends of someone by looking on the shape of their skull. He argued that the only way to determine who you are is not by looking at your features but rather by observing on how you act.
Someone is not a murderer because they look like a murderer but rather because they murder people.

You are what you do and not how you look is still pretty important nowadays, don't you agree? So parts are still pretty relevant today.

2. Master-Inferior
I actually don't know if those are the actual words used for the system. Basically, there are two people. One who is the dominant one who needs someone else who acknowledges their superiority and another, an inferior who needs a superior that recognizes the inferior. This causes a sort of dependency between the two which has this interesting side effect in which the two keep changing from one of the extremes to the other. In a sense the superior is also the inferior due to their need of the other to recognize them as superior all the while the inferior for being recognized by the other shift to the superior because of how their efforts cause the other to be dependent on them turning them into the inferior instead.

I think you can see where the problem lies with Hegel's philosophy?

It was very difficult to go through. But interestingly enough it also gave me a bunch of ideas for world building stuff, etc. In that sense it was not in vain. Though, I may still need to make some more research in the matter. But not by reading more philosophical books. That train left already and I'm ok with not boarding another one like this.

All in all, when looking back, I can't tell if reading philosophical books helped. When I started I wanted to find a purpose in life and was very miserable. Now, I still haven't found a purpose in life, but at least I'm a little less miserable? I won't deny that there may be some positive influence (apart from the political stuff I was talking about earlier), but only future will tell.

So the question is: do I recommend reading Hegel, or any philosophical book?
The answer is: if you have to ask, then no. No you shouldn't read them. If you want to know more about different philosophies, go to Youtube, look up some good videos about them. They are shorter, they are a lot cheaper and the people who talk about them usually have done the difficult part of trying to make sense of it.

Megan May 17th, 2021 8:39 AM

It has been a while since I last wrote about the books I've been reading. In the meantime I've already finished three new ones that I'd like to talk about. I also think I'll not go in too deep. If anyone happens to have questions: just ask away! :)

Chobits
This is a manga made by CLAMP and combines a rather liberal idea of technology with romance aspects.

Hideki Motosuwa currently studies in order to make it to university. As he also lacks money he spends a lot of time in his part time job doing busywork and such in a small store. He'd really love to own a computer, a commodity that's becoming more and more common.

Computers, however, while they function very much the same as we understand them in real life, in the manga they also happen to look like humans. Nobody actually knows why that is the case.

As Hideki walks back home, being done with work for the day, he spots a computer that just lies in the trash! He decides to move it back home. As he moved it, a disk dropped to the ground.
The computer looked like a little girl and when he decided to boot her up, she also started acting like one, all too eager to learn about anything she came across. She even gets a name in Chi.

The story focuses on Hideki trying to find out more about Chi and where she came from. All the while a lot of focus is set on what relationships computers and their owners have between each other. Especially early on it is stated that a lot of people find themselves unhappy and lonely and for some reason computers always seem to be at least in part responsible in the matter. What's more: even though it is clearly stated that computers don't have feelings, that all they do is follow their programming.
Yet, at the same time something strange seems to be happening whenever Chi finds another chapter of a picture book that somehow seems to affect her in some unknown way.
There are also rumors about a very specific model of a computer: so called "Chobits". Could Chi belong to this mysterious model?

This manga I bought as two compiled books, simply because I was interested into reading something cute. It ended up being a lot more than that, fortunately. I really like the philosophic aspects that are touched in this story. Can computers/robots have feelings? Can humans form actual relationships with them? Of course, for western audiences that's probably not as topical as it would be for especially Japanese ones. But it intrigued me, regardless; at least enough to finish the story.

I did wish there was a little bit more to it. Some of the things built up seemed to be resolved a little bit too quickly which left somewhat of a sour aftertaste, but not too much as to ruin my experience.


Uzumaki
This is a manga made by Junji Ito who is very much, to this day known for his terrifying horror stories. Uzumaki might just be, among Tomie, one of his most known works.

In the village of Kurouzu strange things are happening. Spirals appear everywhere and as their numbers increase the village spirals more and more into chaos.

Protagonist of this sotry is Kirie Goshima, as student at the local school. Early on she disregards the warnings her boyfriend Shuichi, who was very heavily affected by the curse of the spirals, but as time passes she becomes more and more aware of the dangers that loom.

The manga is very episodic, especially in the early parts. Those parts are very much "monster of the week"-esque. Every episode a new threat is introduced that is linked to spirals in some way. Some of the threats are overcome, some others, however, aren't and as such: a lot of those end up reappearing in a later point of the story.

This was not my first time reading this manga. While I was walking through my local book store I found a compiled book that had all the chapters in one. Since I had a couple extra bucks I decided to pick it up and reread it.

I do like a good horror story. I've read a lot of Stephen King books in the past and I've also read Lovecraft's entire story collection. I've also read a lot more stories from Junji Ito. Just taking into perspective all of his other works I've read I think it comfortably sits very high on the list.


The Mysterious Island (Jules Verne)
It is the later parts of the Civil War. The engineer Cyrus Harding, his trusted companion Neb, and his faithful dog Top, the reporter Gideon Spilett, the boy Herbert and the sailor Pencroft find themselves prisoners of war. Making up a bold plan they finally manage to escape their confinement by riding a balloon. But the euphory is not lasting long; a massive storm breaks loose and the balloon is swept to sea, flying for a long time until it starts to break apart due to air loss. During this occurance the engineer falls off and shortly after the balloon crashes on unknown shores.

This unknown location ends up being an island not yet discovered! The group becomes a merry band of colonists who thanks to the seemingly endless knowledge of Cyrus Harding manage to build up their own colony on this "Lincoln Island". But there is more to the island than it seems, as everytime they find themselves in serious trouble, some mysterious events occur that always help them to turn things around.

So as the colonists build up the colony and try to find a way that someday may allow them to get back to their homeland, they also keep their eyes open for any hint they can get on these mysterious happenings.

Out of the Jules Verne stories I've read so far this one might be one of my favorites if not even my favorite story. It's a lot longer than the others, but it also has a lot more exploration going on. A lot of the story is spend with building different buildings, apparatus, furniture, etc as well as planting, cultivating, basically building the colony. But not in the same way how in different stories things just get listed up and be done with (listing off all the species they see in "20000 Leagues Below the Sea" felt very tedious), but it does all belong to the overarching story of building a new home for the settlers.

I think, I'll be taking a little break from Jules Verne, though. I've almost exclusively been reading his stories for almost a year, when it comes to regular novels.

VisionofMilotic June 18th, 2021 9:55 PM

Currently reading Song of Sacrifice by Janell Rhiannon. This is the first book in a series of novels about the Trojan war called The Homeric Chronicles. I know a lot about this legend and a thing or two about the bronze age. I have read Homer's poem The Iliad before and the Odyssey, and have seen performances of the Euripedes play The Trojan Women. I have also emersed myself in documentaries and books about the archeological site of Troy, ancient Greece before the Dorian invasions by historians like Bethany Hughes, as well as life in the near east, particularly within the Hittite empire--which the real Troy was connected to. So I am not a newcomer to this subject.

It's been some years though since I have read a good re-telling of The Trojan War. Though I am always interested in seeing my favorite mythological characters living again,
most efforts end up disappointing me in oneway or another. There was one novella Kassandra by a German author Christa Wolf that I rather liked reading the translation of. However, I don't think I have yet read a large-scale novel that I thought really did justice to the subject matter.

I say all that to say though that I may have finally found the book I have been waiting for. I think this is a interesting novel that was really a pleasant surprise. I can't believe I happened upon it almost by chance, this series deserves much more publicity than it has received. I learned about it through discussion on mythology with the author I found on YouTube, and I was impressed by how knowledgeable she was about ancient literature, and the insights she had into some of the Greek heroes. She has a character analyses series called Super Men and Wonder Women of Greek mythology that I find very informative. During the course of her podcasts she shared some samples of her own writing, and I was intrigued. So I purchased her book on my Kindle Amazon, and couldn't put it down in the first 20 chapters.

I love that Rhiannon makes the Greek Gods and their magic highly visible in her world, because a lot of writers of today demystify the world of Ancient Greece, and tell the story of the Trojan War only as a drama, and not a fantasy. The most mystical it might get is a dream sequence or a priest. This story doesn't spoil my fun. The whole pantheon of Gods and Goddesses abound, Artemis, Apollo, Zeus, Ares, Hera, Poseidon and more all appear in the flesh. There's Pegasus, wood and water nymphs, shape shifting, psychics, healing just to whet the appetite within the first dozen chapters.

In The Homeric Chronicles war is part of a grander plan by Zeus to end lines of demigod children between mortals and the immortals. When you think about it, there are many legendary figures half-human and half-divine who were involved in the Trojan War like Aeneas, Penthesilea, Memnon, Troilus, Achilles, Helen, sometimes Hector even is a son of Apollo, and several of them are killed, though some do survive.

The theme of population control of these superhumans is actually supported by some ancient sources, not Homer so much, but in Hesiod. I have never seen a contemporary author make use of this as a plot though, and I think the author is brilliant for seizing on this.

This plot device not only gives us a window into the world of the Gods, and their perspective, but it also allows me to look at some of the Greeks and Trojans from a point of view that I don't think is explored as often in contemporary adaptations of the Trojan war, as victims of fate.

Paris is really well fleshed out well as a character in The Song of Sacrifice, and that's noteworthy I think because he is often not an easy character to relate to, it's his actions that trigger the war by running away with Helen. Homer portrays him in the Illiad as a pretty face, but weak of character, pampered and vain. He doesn't have the moral scruples that his brother Hector has, and they serve as foils, with Paris being considered dishonorable, and Hector being the good prince who gives wise, honest counsel, is devoted to his family and his city, and behaves responsibly, meeting his opponents in battle with courage and dignity.

More recent depictions of Paris romanticize him into more of this Lancelot or Romeo-like figure who is offering a release from an unhappy marriage. The Song of Sacrifice offers a fresh interpretation though to the others that I am familiar with.

We spend several chapters with a young Paris, long before the war takes place, when he's living on Mt Ida before he realizes he's a prince, and I like this portrayal of him. Rhiannon's Paris is kinda like a beast master. Paris being found by a cowherd as a baby and being raised as his own son is a popular motif in literature, but Rhiannon's twist of the legend is that he can talk to animals, which I think is fun! Again, there's a good dose of magic in this adaptation.

I think Rhiannon's good at making characters come alive and re-interpreting legendary figures in ways that I have not seen before. Her prose are also moving. I like the way she writes Hecuba. The chapters dealing with her perspective are some of my favorites. The author puts some time into exploring how having her child sacrificed (or so she thinks) has traumatized her emotionally, and she writes Hecuba as a character who has sunken into a deep depression. The loss is magnified by the fact that she had previously suffered miscarriages, and then finally conceives this healthy, beautiful baby boy, only to be told that it's cursed and has to die. Rhiannon's Hecuba never stops fighting and begging for her son's life to be spared, and hates her husband Priam for taking him away. After losing Paris Hecuba is only going through the motions of her duties as queen. She's physically there, but has greatly distanced herself emotionally from her husband, and there's all this internal dialogue going on in her head while she wears a stoic face. Because of the trauma of the loss of this baby, she also wasn't able to fully bond with children that came after him, they are conceived without love because she no longer wants Priam's affections, and they remind her of the child she lost. The sadness is always there. The only one she really can open up to is Hector, and she rationalizes their relationship as special because he was born before Paris and before her sufferings started.

This novel also has a good sense of historical accuracy I think, the types of rituals and temples, agricultural practices, descriptions of clothing and hairstyles feel appropriate to the bronze age. I think it also feels authentic that Priam has a royal harem, Homer did write that Priam had more than 50 children by various wives, and polygamy was a widespread practice for kings of the ancient world in the middle east, it was done by the Hittites, Assyrians, the Egyptians that ensure dynastic succession, so that seems on point here. Though I think sometimes she looks at concubinage from a perspective that feels more western, but that's a minor criticism. Overall, I like what this writer is doing a lot.

Knight Of Legendaries December 6th, 2021 11:23 PM

Name/Nickname: Knight of Legendaries
Favorite book: Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow
Favorite author: Maybe Rick Riordan or Jim Butcher? Hard to pick a favorite.

VisionofMilotic January 22nd, 2022 9:42 AM

I recently read Animal Farm by George Orwell. It's damn good, albeit it's savagely cruel, even by Orwellian standards. I would make the arguement that Animal Farm is more cynical than his Magnum Opus 1984. Animal Farm can catch the reader off guard I think more easily because of the simpler world that the story is set in, and Orwell's ever-witty narrative voice, but below is why I personally think it's the more disturbing read. You have been warned of plot spoilers.

Spoiler:
In the final half of 1984 the brainwashed state Winston is reduced to would seem to foreshadow how helpless the rest of humanity is to resist the party, but Orwell didn't completely shut the door on the possibility of the Brotherhood's existence though. There is certainly doubt cast on whether they are real or not. They could just be another myth designed as propaganda to scare loyal party members and entrap the disgruntle ones into incriminating themselves, or there might really be an organized resistance out there, even if the main characters were not part of it. I'm inclined to believe the former, but its left ambiguous enough that the reader could choose to believe in the latter option, and where continued opposition is something.

In Animal Farm there's not even the dimmest notion of anything left that could bring about salvation for the oppressed, even in a distant future. Not only did we see the hopeful and independent state they constructed systematically revert back to the misery of the beginning, but the scale of suffering even increased, with Napoleon as the antagonist being a more organized form of evil than Jones was ever capable of achieving.

What's even more tragic is that Napoleon held power only because everyone allowed him to do so, and in reality had little more than bluff to back him up. He had just a handful of dogs to enforce his reign of terror, dogs that were not his, but stolen from Jessie and Bluebell on some nonsensical pretext. Everybody could have taken their power back at any time, as we see when Boxer easily disables one of the dogs during the purge. The characters of Animal Farm have banded together to bravely overcome far worse odds on multiple occasions when they fended off attacks from Jones or Fredrick and their guns and bombs, but that's the irony, and Orwell's cautionary tale to us, how we cooperate in our own exploitation and destruction. In 84 the main character is doomed before he even thought of actively or passively resisting, but in Animal Farm it could have had a totally different outcome than it did, and I personally find that the sadder and more frustrating story to tell, because they really had a chance to turn things around immediately. I kept reading Animal Farm and waiting for a big internal revolt, especially when Boxer was openly carted off to his pitiful end. I told myself that this was the last straw, his friends will lose it and march in there and kill Napoleon for this, but no, the nightmare continues. I never thought we'd see animal farm buying up others, but here we are. When the men and pigs played cards in the end I hoped that there were some more pages of the book left, and said to myself no, the story can't end here. Of course, it did.


It's a book that makes you think and poignantly feel, I do need a breather from it though, before picking up another.

Megan May 5th, 2022 10:06 AM

I agree, Animal Farm is, indeed, a very sad and cruel story. At the same time I also thought to myself, when I was still at the beginning, "is this going to end like I think it does?". And, yes, it did. ^^"


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