Search results

It works best for me when the author's life was compelling in itself, when the biography or autobiography will in itself be part of the reading experience. Some authors this has worked particularly well for are: Woolf, Nin, Twain, Melville, Millay, Plath, Tolkien, Asimov, Piercy, and Douglas...

LOL. I have enough books to last me 40 years, and I still catch myself cringing at the thought of running out of things to read.

Of course, a modern publicist would do this: "...Full of interest..." --Mark Twain

"It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies." (Mark Twain)

Yes, that's the one I meant.

I love the Arabian Nights, though it's really the frame story of Sheherazade herself that grabs me. I like stories that involve three wishes. There are so many twists to how the wishes can be used, or wasted, or can go awry. I also like collections of folktales from around the world...

Even if we take away the issue of the f word, I am stunned that they have a policy allowing students to talk back to teachers five times in a session. I'm too young to be old fashioned, but that's how I see it.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. More than just hyped, the book was recommended to me by two people whose taste I respect. I really looked forward to some high-quality writing, but I found the writing impersonal and burdensome, and I didn't finish it.

I pretty much talk all the time, but I'm almost never alone, so it's really a running commentary for everyone else. When I'm out and about, I seem to have a habit of assuming I'm already in conversation with the people around me. A lot of people start with a look like, "Do I know you?" but it...

I binge on one author's work at a time. I gather most of his or her writings, a biograhy or two, letters and diaries if they've been published, then I read it all straight through. I fall back exhausted, then move on to the next author. In fact, I won't start on an author until I've collected...

Poe criticized novels as being too long to read in one sitting. He recommended short stories because the whole effect could be gained without taking breaks. I agree, except that I try to make up for it by reading novels in as few sittings as possible. I will read about 350 pages in one...

I bought a beautiful book like that a while back, but then felt I couldn't spoil it with random thoughts, etc. So it has become my commonplace book. I do keep a journal, though. It's a growing file on this computer. *pats* It's not a diary in the sense of recording each day's activities...

No. Period.

"The 1,130-pupil school, which was criticised as 'not effective' by Ofsted inspectors..." Yeah, no shit.

Homoeroticism in Moby Dick As raised in another thread, here is the beginning of a discussion about homoerotic subtexts in Moby Dick, and possibly other literature if the discussion goes that way. I assume most people know about this already. I raised it in the other thread only to explain...

Now that this thread includes a mention of erotica, I can express my doubts that I could post about some of the books I'm reading professionally, since one of my niches seems to have become editing sex manuals. As background for this task, I've been reading a lot about sexology. Even some of...

Reading screenplays can add to movie experiences. Even if the movie is based on a book, I like reading the screenplay too. The directions, for example, sometimes give insights.

A Book of Luminous Things is a handy introduction to the international aspects of poetry, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Western Europe and North America are also included, though Latin America and Africa are not, alas.

The "mystery" in an open mystery is how the perpetrator will be caught, instead of whodunit. I actually prefer the open kind. The Demolished Man is a classic example that combines open mystery with science fiction.

I assume Charlie Chaplin movies won't be too hard to find. "The Gold Rush," for example, is great. "Modern Times" is interesting because it was made after sound was well established. It flirts with sound in clever ways, and also has an engaging score. I think it's his best. Then of course...