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Barna77 · 26-01-2021, 10:34

Farenheit 451 left me cold

The I read George RR Martin's Fevre Dream. His take on the vampire myth. I had never heard of it but I saw it somewhere listed as one of the best vampire novels. It's a page turner with his typical plot twists and big dinner tables

Coming up next, Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita

mustang shelly · 26-01-2021, 11:33

Finished The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.

Doing my best to recall how accurate the movie was but failing miserably as it seems like an age since I watched them.

mikhail · 26-01-2021, 15:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by mustang shelly

Finished The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.

Doing my best to recall how accurate the movie was but failing miserably as it seems like an age since I watched them.

The really big change is that Tom Bombadil is cut entirely from the film. He'd have been a challenge to fit in, tonally. Otherwise, the broad strokes are the same, trimmed to fit into a movie.

breezy1985 · 26-01-2021, 16:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikhail

The really big change is that Tom Bombadil is cut entirely from the film. He'd have been a challenge to fit in, tonally. Otherwise, the broad strokes are the same, trimmed to fit into a movie.

A lot of people were disappointed with that but I never got what was so great about Bombadil

mustang shelly · 26-01-2021, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikhail

The really big change is that Tom Bombadil is cut entirely from the film. He'd have been a challenge to fit in, tonally. Otherwise, the broad strokes are the same, trimmed to fit into a movie.

It was actually at that chapter that I decided I would have to rewatch the movies as I couldn't recall him. Now I know why

ChrisJ84 · 26-01-2021, 17:23

Just finished The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy. It's his first novel, and like all of them it's pretty dark and depressing! If you're already a fan it's definitely worth checking out, but isn't where I'd start if you've not read him before.

silliussoddius · 26-01-2021, 17:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisJ84

Just finished The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy. It's his first novel, and like all of them it's pretty dark and depressing! If you're already a fan it's definitely worth checking out, but isn't where I'd start if you've not read him before.

I had meant to read some of his earlier stuff, but god they seem bleak. My capacity for that has diminished in recent years.

ChrisJ84 · 26-01-2021, 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by silliussoddius

I had meant to read some of his earlier stuff, but god they seem bleak. My capacity for that has diminished in recent years.

Yeah, Child of God is without doubt the most disturbing and horrific book I've ever read! It's the only McCarthy book so far I don't think I'll read again.

The Orchard Keeper isn't nearly as bad, but definitely has its moments.

mariaalice · 26-01-2021, 17:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by silliussoddius

I had meant to read some of his earlier stuff, but god they seem bleak. My capacity for that has diminished in recent years.

Absolutely and I won't finish a book if I don't like it my husband is the exact opposite he will read to the end.

As I have got older I have gone off anything depressing or bleak.

Antics21 · 26-01-2021, 17:47

White Noise by Don Delillo.
Very late to reading Delillo. This is one of highest rated novels. I'm not sure I appreciate the coldness of his prose and the almost anesthetic form of the novel. I'm sure this intentional on his behalf but it's not a style I'm enjoying. The novel depicts a human reaction very like the early pandemic panic and is worth reading for that long middle section alone.

silliussoddius · 26-01-2021, 17:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisJ84

Yeah, Child of God is without doubt the most disturbing and horrific book I've ever read! It's the only McCarthy book so far I don't think I'll read again.

The Orchard Keeper isn't nearly as bad, but definitely has its moments.

Child of God was the one I was thinking of reading. I kind of feel bad about recommending The Road to my elderly mother in law.
Another bleak book I read a few years ago was On the Beach, by Nevile Shute. It wasn't as dark as McCarthy's stuff, but bleak in the nicest possible way (if that makes sense).

ChrisJ84 · 26-01-2021, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by silliussoddius

Child of God was the one I was thinking of reading. I kind of feel bad about recommending The Road to my elderly mother in law.
Another bleak book I read a few years ago was On the Beach, by Nevile Shute. It wasn't as dark as McCarthy's stuff, but bleak in the nicest possible way (if that makes sense).

The mother in law?!? That's pretty hilarious in fairness!

All the Pretty Horses and The Road are the two I always recommend.

Talking about grim and bleak, I've been reading some John Steinbeck and George Orwell recently, and they're not exactly a barrel of laughs either. I think it's time to switch to something more lighthearted, but I might just check out On the Beach first!

gutenberg · 26-01-2021, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by silliussoddius

Child of God was the one I was thinking of reading. I kind of feel bad about recommending The Road to my elderly mother in law.
Another bleak book I read a few years ago was On the Beach, by Nevile Shute. It wasn't as dark as McCarthy's stuff, but bleak in the nicest possible way (if that makes sense).

I’ve read The Road, and have heard that Blood Meridian is a modern classic - but I don’t know if I can bring myself to read it as it’s always described as horrific and nightmare-inducing.

Neville Shute also wrote A Town Like Alice, which I read a few years ago and really liked.

nialler1978 · 27-01-2021, 12:24

I am reading 'The Body Keeps The Score' by Bessel Van Der Kolk. It was given to me as I was in a serious car accident 8 years ago, I made a full recovery, or so I thought. The book deals with trauma, I thought I was heading into reading a self-help book (which it is) but it is also a fascinating read. I would recommend to anyone, even if you have not sustained any kind of traumatic experience.

https://www.easons.com/the-body-keep...xoCYHgQAvD_BwE

Danger781 · 28-01-2021, 22:46

I've started reading The Stand by Stephen King and it's not what I expected. The first 20%-25% of the book was SO BORING but I pushed through because I knew it was going to get good at some stage. After all it has been hyped as being among his greatest ever works. I'm about 45% of the way through and while it's definitely improving I'm still not entirely sure if I'm enjoying it. Slow burn...

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26-01-2021, 10:34	#691
Barna77 Registered User Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 2,788 Adverts \| Friends	Farenheit 451 left me cold The I read George RR Martin's Fevre Dream. His take on the vampire myth. I had never heard of it but I saw it somewhere listed as one of the best vampire novels. It's a page turner with his typical plot twists and big dinner tables Coming up next, Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita

26-01-2021, 11:33	#692
mustang shelly Registered User Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 24,609 Adverts \| Friends	Finished The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. Doing my best to recall how accurate the movie was but failing miserably as it seems like an age since I watched them.

26-01-2021, 17:23	#696
ChrisJ84 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 361 Adverts \| Friends	Just finished The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy. It's his first novel, and like all of them it's pretty dark and depressing! If you're already a fan it's definitely worth checking out, but isn't where I'd start if you've not read him before.

26-01-2021, 17:47	#700
Antics21 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 15 Adverts \| Friends	White Noise by Don Delillo. Very late to reading Delillo. This is one of highest rated novels. I'm not sure I appreciate the coldness of his prose and the almost anesthetic form of the novel. I'm sure this intentional on his behalf but it's not a style I'm enjoying. The novel depicts a human reaction very like the early pandemic panic and is worth reading for that long middle section alone.

27-01-2021, 12:24	#704
nialler1978 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 31 Adverts \| Friends	I am reading 'The Body Keeps The Score' by Bessel Van Der Kolk. It was given to me as I was in a serious car accident 8 years ago, I made a full recovery, or so I thought. The book deals with trauma, I thought I was heading into reading a self-help book (which it is) but it is also a fascinating read. I would recommend to anyone, even if you have not sustained any kind of traumatic experience. https://www.easons.com/the-body-keep...xoCYHgQAvD_BwE

28-01-2021, 22:46	#705
Danger781 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 5,571 Adverts \| Friends	I've started reading The Stand by Stephen King and it's not what I expected. The first 20%-25% of the book was SO BORING but I pushed through because I knew it was going to get good at some stage. After all it has been hyped as being among his greatest ever works. I'm about 45% of the way through and while it's definitely improving I'm still not entirely sure if I'm enjoying it. Slow burn...