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Then reading ... is reading absorbing word as dark smudges and making something of them that may create an action of affinity ... sort of like a phlegmatic humour ... bloody slicky situation if you are drawn to it as an absolute .. albeit occult organization if subtle? Does this involve extracting a meaning of life as communicated through word ... dark entities that they are without Lexicon ... leads to ... http://www.ted.com/talks/john_koenig_beautiful_new_words_to_describe_obscure_emotions#t-198374


Are thoughts lighter than obscure emotional words? May create floatation for de sol entity! Thus buoyant words to entertain the darkness ... and we did all this for a' Muse 'n words ... as God? What a turn about ... or round about crank there is out there recycling such nonsense ... just for eddy ephy cation ... to pair up with the anions! Shocking agglomeration of wee stuff ... ad aM yst in space?
 
A' Moor on flat out understanding words with highs and lows yet common and un-like in a domain where diversity is desired ... that's God for yah ... Ja Hoo Duh! This leads to agglomeration of similar and :

Hommoio/hommeo: a word bringing fear into the sol of those afraid of differences! Who created this fear?
From Lexicons of convention (not necessarily Baptist) --- word-forming element meaning "similar to," Latinized from Greek homio-, from homoios "like, resembling, of the same kind," related to or an expanded form of homos "one and the same," from PIE *sem- "one, as one" (see same). homeo- in Medicine Expand. homeo- pref. Like; similar: homeostasis.

Generates underlining and underlying circumstances for dialectic (that's something other than expected ... and projected to be strange).
 
I have just finished reading A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi and highly recommend it for a satisfying story and an informative story - very gripping.

The blurb describes it as 'A vivid, unforgettable story of an unlikely sisterhood...[that] illuminates the plight of women in a traditional culture'. I see it more as an insight into family life and society in Afghanistan and also illumination of Afghanistani law as seen through the eyes of local citizens and an ex-pat, ethnic Afghanistani American lawyer.
 
Jill said:
I have just finished reading A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi and highly recommend it for a satisfying story and an informative story - very gripping.

The blurb describes it as 'A vivid, unforgettable story of an unlikely sisterhood...[that] illuminates the plight of women in a traditional culture'. I see it more as an insight into family life and society in Afghanistan and also illumination of Afghanistani law as seen through the eyes of local citizens and an ex-pat, ethnic Afghanistani American lawyer.
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Possibly an evil read as it goes against the sacred brotherhoods! Presently into rereading Celebrating Eve by Don Murray ... a dark mystery of what are sometimes referred to as daemons and sometimes as protective agents against wild passions ...

This contrary mode is assertive but not aggressive as some Eve Angelists who hang out between a heavenly state of mind and real earthy states where bummers may SET and dialogue with mortal men that in English tradition are Ange-loid ...

Simple abstraction ...
 
BetteTheRed said:
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I don't think there's a better writer alive.
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He's brilliant. Even his kids books like Odd and the Frost Giants are a great read. I have his new book Norse Mythology, in which he retells stories from Norse mythology, on my tab.

You know that Season 1 of the TV adaptation of American Gods is coming up in the spring? It's on Starz and Amazon Prime, unfortunately, but I may see if I can find a way to watch. The reviews of the pilot at SXSW were stellar. Gaiman is executive producing and was closely involved in the writing and casting so there is hope they'll get it right.

Gaiman is also showrunning and writing (well, has already written) a TV adaptation of Good Omens (his collaboration with the late Sir Terry Pratchett) which is going to BBC and (I think) Prime. Pratchett's estate (his daughter, specifically) is also involved with the production.
 
First off, I'm not sure I agree with Bette that he is the best alive, but Gaiman is certainly up there with the best of them. Why?
  • He can write. Pure and simple. He can tell a story in plain, readable English and evoke just the right emotions for each moment. And it works whether he's writing a comic book (his first, and still arguably one of best, works was the comic series Sandman for DC/Vertigo), a short story, a novel for adults, a novel for kids/YA, or a picture book for the little ones (he's written three). Haven't actually seen any of the films he's written, but ultimately the director shapes the story more than the writer in that medium.
  • He understands the power of myth and imagination. Many of his books are rooted in myths and fables and he knows how to make them work. Sandman, the lead character of the comics, is the embodiment of dreams and stories and the series is full of reinterpretations and reunderstandings of mythologies (including a brilliant take on Lucifer and the war in heaven). American Gods has traditional deities like Odin and Thor up against modern ones like Media and Technology. He's written Cthulhu Mythos stories and Sherlock Holmes stories (at least once, he wrote both at the same time). And every time, he gets to the essentials of what makes stories tick.
I'm not sure which of those is more important, but I think it is probably the latter. It is because he understands how the great stories work that he is able to craft his own so well.

BTW, he is extremely active on Twitter and often drop nice, wry commentaries on writing, current events, and so on as well as news about his writing, TV productions,and family. He's also famous for retweeting appeals for support from causes he supports or fans who are in distress. @neilhimself is his handle.
 
Mendalla said:
First off, I'm not sure I agree with Bette that he is the best alive, but Gaiman is certainly up there with the best of them. Why?
  • He can write. Pure and simple. He can tell a story in plain, readable English and evoke just the right emotions for each moment. And it works whether he's writing a comic book (his first, and still arguably one of best, works was the comic series Sandman for DC/Vertigo), a short story, a novel for adults, a novel for kids/YA, or a picture book for the little ones (he's written three). Haven't actually seen any of the films he's written, but ultimately the director shapes the story more than the writer in that medium.
  • He understands the power of myth and imagination. Many of his books are rooted in myths and fables and he knows how to make them work. Sandman, the lead character of the comics, is the embodiment of dreams and stories and the series is full of reinterpretations and reunderstandings of mythologies (including a brilliant take on Lucifer and the war in heaven). American Gods has traditional deities like Odin and Thor up against modern ones like Media and Technology. He's written Cthulhu Mythos stories and Sherlock Holmes stories (at least once, he wrote both at the same time). And every time, he gets to the essentials of what makes stories tick.
I'm not sure which of those is more important, but I think it is probably the latter. It is because he understands how the great stories work that he is able to craft his own so well.

BTW, he is extremely active on Twitter and often drop nice, wry commentaries on writing, current events, and so on as well as news about his writing, TV productions,and family. He's also famous for retweeting appeals for support from causes he supports or fans who are in distress. @neilhimself is his handle.
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Thank you Mendalla, and now I've followed him on Twitter. I might actually try reading some of his stuff in the summer when I'm on school break.
 
Jae said:
Thank you Mendalla, and now I've followed him on Twitter. I might actually try reading some of his stuff in the summer when I'm on school break.
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Neverwhere, mentioned already by Bette, would be a good start as would American Gods or Anansi Boys (not a sequel to AG but in the same milieu). Normally, I'd say read some Sandman graphic novels first but I forget what your tolerance for body horror is and Sandman goes there at times. Neil can be whimsical but he can also write horror that would make Stephen King cringe.
 
Mendalla said:
Neverwhere, mentioned already by Bette, would be a good start as would American Gods or Anansi Boys (not a sequel to AG but in the same milieu). Normally, I'd say read some Sandman graphic novels first but I forget what your tolerance for body horror is and Sandman goes there at times. Neil can be whimsical but he can also write horror that would make Stephen King cringe.
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Hmm... I don't even actually know what body horror is... but it doesn't sound like my kind of thing. Will look into Neverwhere. :)

My school library actually seems to have a number of things which Gaiman co-wrote.
 
Jae said:
Hmm... I don't even actually know what body horror is... but it doesn't sound like my kind of thing. Will look into Neverwhere. :)
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Have you seen David Cronenberg's version of The Fly? That's pretty much the dictionary definition of body horror. The horror comes from the main character being gruesomely transformed and how they react to the transformation. A lot of other Cronenberg films, esp. from the first half of his career, fall under the tag as well (Rabid, Scanners, Videodrome come immediately to mind).
 
After many years I am going to re- read "To Kill a Mockingbird" and follow it

up with "Go Set A watchman" by Harper Lee.
 
I've been reading "Frogkisser" by Garth Nix. I was looking for something light in a fantasy novel and stumbled over it in my library's Overdrive e-book collection. Just not in the mood for dark or epic these days, which seem to be the default moods for fantasy any more. It riffs on fairy tales in much the same way as Princess Bride, with the hero being a teenaged princess (it is technically a YA novel) who must go on a Quest to save her little kingdom from her evil stepstepfather (Yes, you read that right. Her family is a bit complicated.) in time for her older sister to come of age and become the new queen. Features talking dogs, giant newts who used to be human, and a spunky heroine who I am becoming quite fond of.
 
I've seen @Pinga in the currently online and I think I got a like and a reply or two from her since getting back. Just not posting much, I guess.
 
crazyheart said:
After many years I am going to re- read "To Kill a Mockingbird" and follow it

up with "Go Set A watchman" by Harper Lee.
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Crazyheart, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was (and remains) one of my all time favourite books. Certainly worth a reread every decade or so.
'Go Set A Watchman' was a big disappointment. I found it hard to believe that it was by the same author and about the same characters. (Well, some of the same characters - some of the main supporting characters in Mockingbird were missing altogether or briefly mentioned in Watchman - one had died, another moved to England, another never mentioned at all.)

I had to keep reminding myself that, although it is set 20 years later when Scout is an adult revisiting her hometown, the novel itself was a first attempt by Harper Lee written some time before 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Harper Lee never meant for it to be published.

I'm not trying to discourage you - just give my opinion. Go ahead and read them - then keep Mockingbird and donate Watchman to the next used book sale.

ps - I also loved Gone With the Wind and found the supposed sequel 'Scarlet' a big disappointment - but then it was picking up on the same two main characters but by a different author.
 
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