jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
That looks interesting. Added it to my hold list
2023 Reading Challenge
- Thread starter Selaws
- Start date
Indymisanthrope
Well-Known Member
I haven't read the third yet, but I'm interested to see how it gets adapted. The characters in the books have a lot of the same weaknesses as in other hard sci-fi: they're not really well-drawn as individuals, but are primarily vehicles to deliver ideas and scientific principles, speaking in ways that no human actually speaks (with a nod to the pitfalls of translated text).
Sula is the only Morrison I've read, in college. I got accused of plagiarism over the paper I wrote on it, and was threatened with expulsion.
(I omitted a citation, deliberately, but I freely admitted it because I believed I had a good faith argument for why I thought it wasn't necessary.) I totally understand why the prof thought I was in the wrong, and maybe I was, but I still don't understand why he took it to that level. I've often wondered if maybe he was just trying to scare me straight, because he was otherwise an incredibly supportive teacher that I thought I had a great relationship with.
Later that year I would be accused for a second time of plagiarism -- PLAGIARISM -- because a fellow humanities major and I were taking a chemistry 101 course to fulfill graduation requirements, and we would work together on regular assignments (not exams) that required math. We both got accused of academic dishonesty because we got the answer to a problem wrong, by following the same incorrect steps. The prof said we plagiarized...each other. I still to this day can't wrap my head around what he thought we actually did wrong, or why it WASN'T academic dishonesty if we got the answer right. I've never heard of such a thing before or since that incident.
Anyway, it's not Toni Morrison's fault but that first experience left a bad taste in my mouth and I've never revisited her work.
Indymisanthrope
Well-Known Member
Not to mention how they will handle the grimness and sense of futility that suffuse the whole story. Having finished the second novel I know it's not *completely* bleak, but it still feels like something that could test viewers' stamina.
Hemotep
Well-Known Member
That's why I want to watch the Chinese version. I enjoy the bleakness of it, but I think that's something Hollywood has a hard time with in American releases and tends to change them. That's not the case in a lot of the Chinese stuff I've watched so far, so I think that one will be closer to the books. But if they can pull it off then I'd like to see how it's adapted to an American audience as well. I know the first season is incredible long in the Chinese version. I'm not sure if they've started filming the American one yet or if the strikes interrupted it, but I think I read it's a Netflix thing.
Indymisanthrope
Well-Known Member
Nice -- I wasn't even aware there was an existing Chinese version, honestly, so this is interesting news. Very, very curious how they show the in-game Three Body world, and the unfolding of the sophons, which my feeble brain can barely handle reading about.
Indymisanthrope
Well-Known Member
I'm actually a little confused. On IMDb, I see a Chinese live action adaptation with 30 episodes produced, another animated Chinese adaptation with 11 episodes produced, and another Chinese live action adaptation movie (?) adaptation for just part 1 in post production, all in addition to the Netflix adaptation releasing in January. Why would three adaptations get produced simultaneously in China?
Hemotep
Well-Known Member
Oh wow, I'd only come across the 30 episode show. Didn't know about the other ones. I'll watch em all!
Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
August 2023
Book 33: The Penitent - Isaac Bashevis Singer
An interesting short read to start the month. An American Jew decides to atone for his past sins by moving to Israel and becoming a good, penitent Jew whilst nearly joining the mile-high club on his plane over and later, trying to force himself on a former Israeli soldier who declines his advances in no uncertain terms. Recounted over a couple of sessions to the writer whom he meets while visiting the Wailing Wall, the narrator explains his past and how he came to the conclusion that the western Jew is simply a wrong 'un.
Book 34: The Mirror and the Light - Hilary Mantel
Glorious concluding instalment to this trilogy. Cromwell continues to defy all his detractors' expectations as he rises even further from his dog-rough upbringing and the King continues to ply him with titles. His enemies though, aren't content to let him go unchecked and the conclusion starts to look inevitable from early on. The fall of surely one of literature's greatest anti-heroes was amazingly emotional, as the groundwork is laid and the backstabbing starts to take place. This series of books have completely altered my feelings towards historical fiction, I cannot praise them highly enough.
Book 35: Portnoy's Complaint - Philip Roth
This was alright. I can see why it would have been such a controversial success at the time of release with it's graphic description of Portnoy's sexual life from young boy to the narrative now. But, for me at any rate, much like drugs, sex is best experienced for oneself rather than reading about somebody else's experiences! I did really like the style though of spilling one's guts to their therapist and the writing is unquestionably excellent. Very funny at times, feeling like the best bits of Woody Allen's films in its (fairly stereotypical) depiction of the American Jewish family unit.
Book 36: Blue in Green - Ram V, Anand RK, John Pearson, Aditya Bidikar & Tom Muller
I feel like I saw this somewhere on N&G at some point but a search for the title brings up way too many results. When it came up cheap on Amazon, I bought it but, shortly after read a fairly scathing review of it (NPR) and put it on the back-burner. Finding myself between books at the weekend while visiting Oxford and wanting something that I could read in the very short amount of time I'd have to spare, I went for this and thought it was excellent. I'd fully agree with the bad review that the artwork is the real winner but I thought the story was pretty damned good too: a fresh take on the struggling artist fighting their demons and reaching creative peak after striking a deal with the devil. Good backstory and likeable, believable characters gave it plenty to work with and yes, the artwork is spectacular, each panel worthy of study.
Book 37: Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
What a debut this is. I'm late to the game with Adichie's work, this being my first and it is so, so good. Told by the shy daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman, media owner and devout Catholic. Kambili lives a reserved life, studying hard to live up to her father's high expectations, but it becomes apparent, to also avoid his grossly abusive violence that none of the family are safe from. There's very little joy in her life until she and her brother spend some time away with their aunt and cousins where she sees how poorer people live and meets a charming young priest who she forms a crush on. The book reaches a tense and emotional climax as family members are displaced and killed but Adichie leaves us with a glimmer of light in her poetic closing lines. Beautifully written, capturing the political turmoil and corruption in post-colonial Nigeria, I’ll absolutely be reading her work further.
Book 33: The Penitent - Isaac Bashevis Singer
An interesting short read to start the month. An American Jew decides to atone for his past sins by moving to Israel and becoming a good, penitent Jew whilst nearly joining the mile-high club on his plane over and later, trying to force himself on a former Israeli soldier who declines his advances in no uncertain terms. Recounted over a couple of sessions to the writer whom he meets while visiting the Wailing Wall, the narrator explains his past and how he came to the conclusion that the western Jew is simply a wrong 'un.
Book 34: The Mirror and the Light - Hilary Mantel
Glorious concluding instalment to this trilogy. Cromwell continues to defy all his detractors' expectations as he rises even further from his dog-rough upbringing and the King continues to ply him with titles. His enemies though, aren't content to let him go unchecked and the conclusion starts to look inevitable from early on. The fall of surely one of literature's greatest anti-heroes was amazingly emotional, as the groundwork is laid and the backstabbing starts to take place. This series of books have completely altered my feelings towards historical fiction, I cannot praise them highly enough.
Book 35: Portnoy's Complaint - Philip Roth
This was alright. I can see why it would have been such a controversial success at the time of release with it's graphic description of Portnoy's sexual life from young boy to the narrative now. But, for me at any rate, much like drugs, sex is best experienced for oneself rather than reading about somebody else's experiences! I did really like the style though of spilling one's guts to their therapist and the writing is unquestionably excellent. Very funny at times, feeling like the best bits of Woody Allen's films in its (fairly stereotypical) depiction of the American Jewish family unit.
Book 36: Blue in Green - Ram V, Anand RK, John Pearson, Aditya Bidikar & Tom Muller
I feel like I saw this somewhere on N&G at some point but a search for the title brings up way too many results. When it came up cheap on Amazon, I bought it but, shortly after read a fairly scathing review of it (NPR) and put it on the back-burner. Finding myself between books at the weekend while visiting Oxford and wanting something that I could read in the very short amount of time I'd have to spare, I went for this and thought it was excellent. I'd fully agree with the bad review that the artwork is the real winner but I thought the story was pretty damned good too: a fresh take on the struggling artist fighting their demons and reaching creative peak after striking a deal with the devil. Good backstory and likeable, believable characters gave it plenty to work with and yes, the artwork is spectacular, each panel worthy of study.
Book 37: Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
What a debut this is. I'm late to the game with Adichie's work, this being my first and it is so, so good. Told by the shy daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman, media owner and devout Catholic. Kambili lives a reserved life, studying hard to live up to her father's high expectations, but it becomes apparent, to also avoid his grossly abusive violence that none of the family are safe from. There's very little joy in her life until she and her brother spend some time away with their aunt and cousins where she sees how poorer people live and meets a charming young priest who she forms a crush on. The book reaches a tense and emotional climax as family members are displaced and killed but Adichie leaves us with a glimmer of light in her poetic closing lines. Beautifully written, capturing the political turmoil and corruption in post-colonial Nigeria, I’ll absolutely be reading her work further.
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Oh, this looks awesome!
Bull Shannon
Well-Known Member
very curious to hear the This is What it Sounds like takes; I got pretty frustrated with it and would love to hear what other music obsessives think.
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Just started last night and hope to dig in a bit more soon.
I'm two chapters in and it seems a bit uneven. Like, she goes back and forth from 'music for dummies' to more advanced concepts. Not sure what I think yet, but I have enjoyed parts of it so far.
I finished What it Sounds Like and the subtitle of the book is a bit deceiving. Overall it was an ok read, not great.
Now I'm onto another highly revered writer I have yet to read anything by. I started this on Sunday.
Book 11 - Rabbit, Run by John Updike.
Now I'm onto another highly revered writer I have yet to read anything by. I started this on Sunday.
Book 11 - Rabbit, Run by John Updike.
Hemotep
Well-Known Member
I've only read selections from this book for a class years ago, but it's been on my to read list ever since because I enjoyed those selections. I just have too long of a to read list.
Yeah, my 'to-read' list is so lengthy too. I can say that his writing style grabbed my attention right away. That being said, it'll be a book that likely takes some time to get through.
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Ditto
Indymisanthrope
Well-Known Member
11. Washington Black, Esi Edugyan: one of the more harrowing depictions of slavery that I've read. Something about the protagonist being a child and not understanding why things are happening around him only amplifies the sense of danger and cruelty that permeates every corner of his life. The book does an admirable job of demonstrating how these traumas follow Wash around for his entire life and how they inform a worldview in which his freedom is always conditional and his safety is only temporary.
But the book does have a lot of narrative dead ends, with events and characters introduced in a way that seems to signal that they will be significant to the plot but are actually summarily dismissed without adding much to the story. It's tricky, because the world is well-drawn and Edugyan adds a lot of detail to make characters feel like living, breathing people, but at the expense of sometimes spending too long dwelling on a person who is ultimately not important to this story, with the end result that by the end it feels like there are some underdeveloped storylines.
Not sure how I feel about this one. There's a lot to think about, and Edugyan is no slouch as a writer, but I don't know if I agree that it deserved its place on so many of the best of lists in the year it was published.
Edit: I see that one of the Amazon reviewers says that the ambiguous plot threads that are left hanging in the book seem to be in support of a theme that we are ultimately unknowable to each other, and there's probably some truth to that. That's an interesting idea to explore, but this may not have been the ideal vehicle for it.
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kvetcha
Well-Known Member
I regret (?) to inform you that Death's End is equally insane, and maybe my favorite of the three.
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Book 23
Make the World New - The Poetry of Lillian Allen selected with an introduction by Ronald Cummings
Lillian Allen is Canadian spoken word royalty. While it is a bit strange to read her work on the page instead of experiencing it from stage, or old LPs, it is very cool to have an academic collection of her work. I've been very impressed with every collection I've checked out from the Laurier Poetry Series so far, and especially love how the series includes conceptual and now dub poetry as well as more traditional poetics. I don't know that I would necessarily recommend this to anybody who isn't already familiar with Lillian Allen because it definitely benefits from hearing her voice and cadence while reading but passing familiarity with dub poetry and/or reggae would likely be helpful as well. One of my favourite things about the LPS editions is that, wherever possible, they include an Afterword by the featured poet. Lillian's Afterword here is an absolute delight.
Book 24
Duct-Taped Roses by Billeh Nickerson
I adore Billeh Nickerson. The humour and humanity he infuses so deftly into his work have brought a lot of joy and wonderment through the years. And sadness too - this book more than any of his others, but there's a lightness to it without invalidating, cheapening, or lessening the sorrow. He is a master of craft and a truly kind soul.
This book was published at an awkward time in my life so I've just now read it a few years later for the first and definitely not last time. When I used to travel over to Vancouver a lot more, typically for poetry-related gigs and festivals, I would love bumping into Billeh at his local coffee shop, which would typically be where I'd set up with my laptop when I needed to do admin work. An early version of a poem in this collection was actually featured in the debut issue of the (sadly) short-lived literary journal I published with a buddy in 2016 and 2017 - cool to see it mentioned in the acknowledgments!
Make the World New - The Poetry of Lillian Allen selected with an introduction by Ronald Cummings
Lillian Allen is Canadian spoken word royalty. While it is a bit strange to read her work on the page instead of experiencing it from stage, or old LPs, it is very cool to have an academic collection of her work. I've been very impressed with every collection I've checked out from the Laurier Poetry Series so far, and especially love how the series includes conceptual and now dub poetry as well as more traditional poetics. I don't know that I would necessarily recommend this to anybody who isn't already familiar with Lillian Allen because it definitely benefits from hearing her voice and cadence while reading but passing familiarity with dub poetry and/or reggae would likely be helpful as well. One of my favourite things about the LPS editions is that, wherever possible, they include an Afterword by the featured poet. Lillian's Afterword here is an absolute delight.
Book 24
Duct-Taped Roses by Billeh Nickerson
I adore Billeh Nickerson. The humour and humanity he infuses so deftly into his work have brought a lot of joy and wonderment through the years. And sadness too - this book more than any of his others, but there's a lightness to it without invalidating, cheapening, or lessening the sorrow. He is a master of craft and a truly kind soul.
This book was published at an awkward time in my life so I've just now read it a few years later for the first and definitely not last time. When I used to travel over to Vancouver a lot more, typically for poetry-related gigs and festivals, I would love bumping into Billeh at his local coffee shop, which would typically be where I'd set up with my laptop when I needed to do admin work. An early version of a poem in this collection was actually featured in the debut issue of the (sadly) short-lived literary journal I published with a buddy in 2016 and 2017 - cool to see it mentioned in the acknowledgments!
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Just finished #32 Colson Whitehead - Zone One. I have mixed feelings about 'literary' authors who dabble in genre fiction. The writing is fine but feels too much of wink-wink look how I am subverting the genre to give you my take on the cold, isolating modern world.
Next up is This is what it Sounds Like
Next up is This is what it Sounds Like