A Book Meme! Ooooh!
Jul. 21st, 2006 03:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cinaed10 books that stick in your head.
Do a list of ten books that have stuck in your head, and the reason why. Now, this is very important. You don't have to just list them because they were good books. They can be good, but also list the books that made you go "...what the hell? Did I spend money on this tripe?" They can be the books that made you feel dirty just by reading them (Virginia Andrews, I'm looking at you here.). They can be the books that made you stare at them and wonder if you were on heavy drugs because they were just so surreal.
They can be any genre. They can be fiction, reference, comic books... Only restriction is try not to list the same author more than twice. Spoilers are allowed in the description, although if it's a recently released book, you may want to try and LJ-cut.
And copypaste this bit to the top of the list in your LJ so other people can do it too :-)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
I thought I'd start out with an "ow" book. And Les Mis is an "ow" book because, I mean, ow. 1,488 pages? I honestly went through the entire book going, "...why am I still reading?" because while I loved the ABC Cafe, I hated Cosette and Marius. And there was also the fact that I developed a twitch after realizing Hugo wrote twenty-page chapters about characters who were in the present timeline of the story for TWO PARAGRAPHS. He did this, repeatedly. It made me want to cry. (Still does, actually.)
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
I've been on a 'classics' kick this summer, but I picked up I, Robot with trepidation. I mean, sure it was by the sci-fi master, but that didn't mean I'd like his work. But I was pleasantly surprised. Asimov is humorous but heartbreaking all at once, with telepathic robots and robots that go insane and start singing songs by Gilbert and Sullivan. (And I got slash happy with the two robot engineers.)
Regeneration by Pat Barker
This book? One of the reasons I adored my British History professor in college. Regeneration is the first book of the Regeneration series by Pat Barker, a historical (and fictional) account of WWII by studying the famous poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen and other people who were at a mental institution during the war because of "shell-shock." The first book is amazing (helped by the fact that they're all gay, all of them -- except for the one guy who was bi), and the only reason I haven't read the other two yet is because Wilfred Owen was my favorite and I know how he dies historically. But still, the prose, the characters, are all amazing and wonderful.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
This book...messed with my head. I loved the gods aspect of it, of course, because I am a HUGE fan of Norse mythology (and any other mythology, honestly), but the entire time I kept thinking to myself, "I've read this. Seriously. I've read this before. It seems so familiar." (As far as I know, I'd never read it before.) It's a decent book, not as good as I'd heard it would be, but still, enjoyable. It's Gaiman, after all.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Did I mention I was on a classics kick? Well, I am. And I was also worried about reading one of Doyle's most famous works, because I'd never read anything by him before, and was afraid he'd turn out to be another Victor Hugo. Luckily, he wasn't, and I had a ton of fun reading this and trying to figure it out (I guessed one of the major points, but the rest totally floored me, which I find enjoyable -- I love being surprised).
Godless by Pete Hautman
My friend Britt recommended this to me. It's for grade 7 and up, so the prose is a little simplistic, but that doesn't mean it isn't an amazing book. I mean, it's about a group of kids who start a religion revolving around their town's water tower, and it's good. It's a story about the struggle to believe in anything at all, most of all religion, and some of the quotations ring so true, like when the main character Jason refuses to take communion like his Catholic parents want him to: "I sit there and burn under the hellfire and damnation stare my father gives me. And I feel awful. But what choice do I have? According to Father Haynes, if a nonbeliever takes Holy Communion, he'll be damned for all eternity. Of course, being a nonbeliever damns me anyway, so I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I figure it's safer not to partake. Just in case I'm wrong about the whole God thing."
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
All of Nancy Farmer's works are amazing, from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm to A Girl Named Disaster, but The House of the Scorpion holds a special place in my heart because it's insane. A drug lord? A country called Opium right between the United States and Aztlan (formerly Mexico)? Cloning? Computer chips inserted into people's brains to make them docile? It's insane and ridiculously interesting, and set in a future that might possibly exist.
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
Okay, Bean's not Ender. I don't care. Bean is cooler than Ender. So there. This is a companion piece to Ender's Game and the fifth book in the Ender series (never mind that I've only read this one and Ender's Game and ignored the rest). Bean's backstory is engrossing and intriguing and of course, Orson Scott Card's prose and plotline is amazing.
The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf by Gerald Morris
This is not the first story of The Squire's Tale series, but it is my favorite. And Gerald Morris is in fact my guilty pleasure. Sure it's for Grades 6-9, and sure it's got lovey-dovey romance, but it's hilarious fluff. Morris takes the stories of Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur and other tales of the Round Table, throws in the Seelie and Unseelie Court, adds a liberal dash of irony, and makes me smile every time I even see one of the books of The Squire's Tales series.
The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones
I dunno how it happened, but I'm ending the list with a depressing story. I adore Diana Wynne Jones, despite her irritating trait to pair everyone up towards the ends of her stories, but The Homeward Bounders? Made me cry. If you need a good cry, just read it, because even thinking about the ending makes me want to whimper pathetically and curl up under the covers with tons of chocolate. After you read it, though, make sure to read some fluff...like my guilty pleasure. *runs off with The Squire's Tale*
Do a list of ten books that have stuck in your head, and the reason why. Now, this is very important. You don't have to just list them because they were good books. They can be good, but also list the books that made you go "...what the hell? Did I spend money on this tripe?" They can be the books that made you feel dirty just by reading them (Virginia Andrews, I'm looking at you here.). They can be the books that made you stare at them and wonder if you were on heavy drugs because they were just so surreal.
They can be any genre. They can be fiction, reference, comic books... Only restriction is try not to list the same author more than twice. Spoilers are allowed in the description, although if it's a recently released book, you may want to try and LJ-cut.
And copypaste this bit to the top of the list in your LJ so other people can do it too :-)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
I thought I'd start out with an "ow" book. And Les Mis is an "ow" book because, I mean, ow. 1,488 pages? I honestly went through the entire book going, "...why am I still reading?" because while I loved the ABC Cafe, I hated Cosette and Marius. And there was also the fact that I developed a twitch after realizing Hugo wrote twenty-page chapters about characters who were in the present timeline of the story for TWO PARAGRAPHS. He did this, repeatedly. It made me want to cry. (Still does, actually.)
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
I've been on a 'classics' kick this summer, but I picked up I, Robot with trepidation. I mean, sure it was by the sci-fi master, but that didn't mean I'd like his work. But I was pleasantly surprised. Asimov is humorous but heartbreaking all at once, with telepathic robots and robots that go insane and start singing songs by Gilbert and Sullivan. (And I got slash happy with the two robot engineers.)
Regeneration by Pat Barker
This book? One of the reasons I adored my British History professor in college. Regeneration is the first book of the Regeneration series by Pat Barker, a historical (and fictional) account of WWII by studying the famous poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen and other people who were at a mental institution during the war because of "shell-shock." The first book is amazing (helped by the fact that they're all gay, all of them -- except for the one guy who was bi), and the only reason I haven't read the other two yet is because Wilfred Owen was my favorite and I know how he dies historically. But still, the prose, the characters, are all amazing and wonderful.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
This book...messed with my head. I loved the gods aspect of it, of course, because I am a HUGE fan of Norse mythology (and any other mythology, honestly), but the entire time I kept thinking to myself, "I've read this. Seriously. I've read this before. It seems so familiar." (As far as I know, I'd never read it before.) It's a decent book, not as good as I'd heard it would be, but still, enjoyable. It's Gaiman, after all.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Did I mention I was on a classics kick? Well, I am. And I was also worried about reading one of Doyle's most famous works, because I'd never read anything by him before, and was afraid he'd turn out to be another Victor Hugo. Luckily, he wasn't, and I had a ton of fun reading this and trying to figure it out (I guessed one of the major points, but the rest totally floored me, which I find enjoyable -- I love being surprised).
Godless by Pete Hautman
My friend Britt recommended this to me. It's for grade 7 and up, so the prose is a little simplistic, but that doesn't mean it isn't an amazing book. I mean, it's about a group of kids who start a religion revolving around their town's water tower, and it's good. It's a story about the struggle to believe in anything at all, most of all religion, and some of the quotations ring so true, like when the main character Jason refuses to take communion like his Catholic parents want him to: "I sit there and burn under the hellfire and damnation stare my father gives me. And I feel awful. But what choice do I have? According to Father Haynes, if a nonbeliever takes Holy Communion, he'll be damned for all eternity. Of course, being a nonbeliever damns me anyway, so I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I figure it's safer not to partake. Just in case I'm wrong about the whole God thing."
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
All of Nancy Farmer's works are amazing, from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm to A Girl Named Disaster, but The House of the Scorpion holds a special place in my heart because it's insane. A drug lord? A country called Opium right between the United States and Aztlan (formerly Mexico)? Cloning? Computer chips inserted into people's brains to make them docile? It's insane and ridiculously interesting, and set in a future that might possibly exist.
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
Okay, Bean's not Ender. I don't care. Bean is cooler than Ender. So there. This is a companion piece to Ender's Game and the fifth book in the Ender series (never mind that I've only read this one and Ender's Game and ignored the rest). Bean's backstory is engrossing and intriguing and of course, Orson Scott Card's prose and plotline is amazing.
The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf by Gerald Morris
This is not the first story of The Squire's Tale series, but it is my favorite. And Gerald Morris is in fact my guilty pleasure. Sure it's for Grades 6-9, and sure it's got lovey-dovey romance, but it's hilarious fluff. Morris takes the stories of Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur and other tales of the Round Table, throws in the Seelie and Unseelie Court, adds a liberal dash of irony, and makes me smile every time I even see one of the books of The Squire's Tales series.
The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones
I dunno how it happened, but I'm ending the list with a depressing story. I adore Diana Wynne Jones, despite her irritating trait to pair everyone up towards the ends of her stories, but The Homeward Bounders? Made me cry. If you need a good cry, just read it, because even thinking about the ending makes me want to whimper pathetically and curl up under the covers with tons of chocolate. After you read it, though, make sure to read some fluff...like my guilty pleasure. *runs off with The Squire's Tale*
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Date: 2006-07-22 01:11 am (UTC)I just couldn't stand the way Victor Hugo babbles. I'm in the middle of Hunchback of Notre Dame and am having the same type of difficulty. He wrote thirty pages of pure description of the city, lol, and I gave up for a moment.
Thank you! *hugs my Wendy icons* I love your icon too. *pats Greg*
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Date: 2006-07-22 07:12 am (UTC)Did you know that, supposedly, the longest sentence written in Western literature is actually from Les Mis? I believe it's 3 and a half pages long, and it's somewhere in the part of the book where Jean Valjean is traipsing around the sewers. Needless to say, yes, he babbles. *g* For some reason, though, I really enjoy it. ;)
I love the pretty fallingness of the icon! It's just so priteh! ... Also, your Hodges icon is excellent. As for Greg ... Well, how can you not like Greg? *snuggles him*