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I've only read O Pioneers by Cather and I enjoyed it a great deal. It was a short, quick read but packed a powerful emotional punch. Had me weeping at the end. I have My Antonia on my TBR list. ell

Prairie Girl, first of all, do you like sci-fi dystopic books? If you do, then I'd recommend Oryx and Crake, hands down. If sci-fi's not your thing, then I'd suggest Alias Grace or The Blind Assassin for a re-introduction to Atwood. Last night I was mulling over the things I like about...

So here's my lob at goodminton: Gem, I think you've explained yourself very well. I believe part of this dialogue is to do just as your father implies; juxtapose our own experience with the observations and conclusions of others who have gone before, to "stand on the shoulders of giants" if...

Hello Gem. :D Nice of you to join us and glad to see you've made yourself at home. :) ell

Not my favourite, but an interesting one: ell

Ya gotta love those yellow-stickies. By the end of an interesting book, I have almost as many stickies as pages. Great thing about them is that you can write notes to yourself on them as well as use them as place-markers. (I'm one of those anal people who don't like to write in their books.)

Gem, your picture looks like the niece of my son's girlfriend. Uncanny! I had to take a second look. Very cute. ell

Here's an old Margaret Atwood thread with a few suggestions. The membership has changed since then so if you resurrect it you may get some new input. I still stand by my favourite, The Blind Assassin but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Back to Oryx and Crake: Ions, I did think...

I find this topic quite fascinating but feel ill-equipped to contribute in a scholarly way. What I offer is from personal experience ony. I hope I'm not intruding on your discussion. I think I understand what Rex-Yuan means when he says he senses no change within himself. It is not a...

It seems I'm one of the few Atwood fans on the forum. :( I re-read Handmaid's Tale awhile ago and found that it holds up pretty well. I found Oryx and Crake a darker, more ominous work now. (I don't think I'll ever get over the vision of modified chickens running around with holes straight...

Ronny makes a valid point. The issue could have been handled with a PM and a quiet split/redirect to General Chat. No need to drag it into a public debate. ell

Welcome, Scottishduffy! RN = Registered Nurse

You have waaay too much time on your hands, sirmyk. :D Worthwhile link, though. ell

I 've just started Slow Learner: Early Stories by Thomas Pynchon and, as KS mentioned, the stories are quite a mixed bag. What I found most interesting was Pynchon's introduction (written in 1984) where he dissects each story with the hypercritical eye of a mature writer. At the same time...

Dear Ice, happy birthday! Hope you have a lovely day with friends and family. Make sure phil takes you out for a special dinner or something else romantic (maybe with a fave song playing in the background?). :) ell

I read a book in my early twenties called Summer of the Black Sun by Bill T. O'Brien. It made quite an impact on me at the time, but have no idea how it would hold up now. It was set in a psychiatric hospital based on the one where I did my psychiatry rotation for my nursing degree (maybe the...

RainbowGurl, I found Angels and Demons very predictable, the writing mediocre and thought it was a book where you had to put your brain 'on hold' too much in order to enjoy it. I liked DVC because it offered some interesting ideas that I'd not previously thought about, so the poor writing...

I haven't read any John Le Carre for quite awhile. I went through a Le Carre phase, reading every book as it came out, back in high school and uni days. I haven't read any since. No particular reason, just never thought about it. This thread has me interested in going back to him. If I...

Thanks, Irene. I knew you would give it to me straight (I figured calling you by name is the only way I'd get you to talk to me here). I don't have a problem with density (even if it takes two, three, four readings) and as I get older, the dark-humoured is more to my liking than...

Thank you, Sitaram. You've left me much to chew on. Your link in the other thread to Allen Ruch's article was very helpful. Our history is an aggregate of last moments. I may just use this for my signature. ell