Introduction to new books

[Idril]

I'm not sure if this belongs here or in 'general' but if it needs to be moved, I'm sure the Mods, who are wiser than me, will see that it gets moved. :D

One of the several things I love about this site is all the books and authors I've been introduced to here that I don't know I would've stumbled upon on my own. And even some books and authors that I had heard of but needed a little 'encouragement' to read. I think of Faulkner who I had read before but didn't enjoy and it never would've occured to me to pick up another Faulkner book if I hadn't be spurred on to give him another try and while I didn't love the book, I didn't hate it either and in fact, I actually have another Faulkner book on my "to read" list. I also think of Pushkin who I was very aware of but turned off by the fact that he wrote mostly poetry and since I'm not a big fan of the genre, I had no plans to ever read him but again, I was encouraged to give him a try and I did and I love him. Then there's Bulgakov, his Master and Margarita was so highly praised here I had to read it to find out what all the fuss was about and I thought it was so brilliant that I found myself looking for other writings by him. And the list goes on...

I thought it would be fun to see what books other people have been introduced to here that they other wise might not have read so make your lists.

[Pensive]

Hans Christian's short stories. (moralistic stories basically) I really liked them a lot!

[mono]

To tell all honesty, I receive many, many author and book recommendations, even daily, yet I seldom get around to reading them, at least not very swiftly. Usually, however, and unintentionally, I will often connect that book recommended with the person, but, of course, will not dislike the person if I disliked the book.
For a few examples, a few selective people influenced me to read more Thomas Hardy, and a former writing professor recommended me to read The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James. A good friend of mine recommended Creation by Gore Vidal, which I later disliked immensely (still a good friend, however :D), yet he also promoted Breakfast At The Victory: The Mysticism In Ordinary Experiences by James Carse[/I] and Markings by Dag Hammarskjöld, two excellent nonfiction books.
I think the fact equally true with other writers: how one writer can influence one to read another author, particularly in philosophy. For a few examples, I probably would not have read Michel de Montaigne as soon if I had not read as much Ralph Waldo Emerson; Emerson also led me to Henry David Thoreau and William Ellery Channing. Friedrich Nietzsche influenced me to read Arthur Schopenhauer, and John Locke to George Berkeley. In terms of other writers, all of the beat poets (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Charles Bukowski) have connected themselves in my mind, as well as many of the 'whimsical' surprise-ending type of short story writers, such as O. Henry, Guy de Maupassant, Ambrose Bierce, and Mark Twain.

[Chava]

I'd love to contribute, but my list would be too long... after all, book recomendations is my job... the ones that i don't suggest, the customer usually does. (Did i mention that i've spent most my salary there as a result of such recomendations?) I still hope to have time for reading them one day :)

[mono]

I'd love to contribute, but my list would be too long... after all, book recomendations is my job... the ones that i don't suggest, the customer usually does.
Indeed, most books I have read in the past, I have read out of some kind of recommendation, either from friends, family, or other authors, poets, and thinkers; I could not exactly select a book by wandering around the bookstore, and think 'this looks good,' but more wander through the bookstore, knowing what I want to find.

[Virgil]

Idril, this is a great idea for a thread. I can't recall anything that I've actually read that was recommended here, but it certainly has enlightened me to various new works.

[Idril]

Idril, this is a great idea for a thread.

Well, thank you. I was just wondering if anyone was as suggestible as I was. ;)


I could not exactly select a book by wandering around the bookstore, and think 'this looks good,' ...

I love shopping for books that way! Of course I have to admit I've bought some clunkers doing that but I've also found some real gems. One year for my birthday, everyone gave me gift certificates to Barnes and Noble, I had over 100$ to spend and I just walked the aisles for about 2 hours picking whatever looked interesting, it was like a little slice of heaven.

[TEND]

Hmm, although I can't think of any particular titles, I'm sure I've at least added some books to the ol' "To Read" list. Generally I am intrigued reading the 'What You are Reading Now' and the 'Review a Book' topics, although I've found some suggestions in a few other threads.

[subterranean]

Probably James Joyce's :)

[Idril]

Probably James Joyce's :)

You are braver than me. I don't think there's anything that anyone could say that would induce me to give Joyce a second chance. I tried him once and to my utter humiliation, had to give up about 200 pages in because I was completely confused and bored, it was like he was talking in code! :blush:

[subterranean]

Well it took a lot of efforts for me to, Idril :D

[PeterL]

You are braver than me. I don't think there's anything that anyone could say that would induce me to give Joyce a second chance. I tried him once and to my utter humiliation, had to give up about 200 pages in because I was completely confused and bored, it was like he was talking in code! :blush:

You might want to read The Role of the Reader by Umberto Eco as preparation for Joyce, especially the hapter on Metaphor.

[Idril]

You might want to read The Role of the Reader by Umberto Eco as preparation for Joyce, especially the hapter on Metaphor.

:lol: :lol: Yes, I'm sure that would be helpful, although Umberto Eco sometimes gives me a headache too. ;) I kept thinking that stream of consiousness thing was just an introduction to the real novel but when I realized it was the novel, I was was quite depressed. Are all of Joyce's books that way or just Ulysses?

[Nightwalk]

Are all of Joyce's books that way or just Ulysses?

Finnegan's Wake is more so, while A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is in the traditional narrative.

[kathycf]

I liked Joyce's collection of short stories Dubliners. They are also done in a more traditional style, not stream of consciousness style that he is perhaps more famous for.

Idril, are you looking for "quality" books for enrichment and entertainment or are you also interested in something just for fun?

What genres of books do you enjoy? (not the Diana Gabaldon type, right? :brow: ;) )

[Idril]

What genres of books do you enjoy? (not the Diana Gabaldon type, right? :brow: ;) )

:lol: :lol: :lol: Ah, no, not that type. Not unless I feel the need to read soft core porn. ;)

I'm not really looking for anything really, my 'to-read' list is getting ridiculously long, I was just wondering if there was any Joyce I could possibly understand. :p Maybe I'll start with A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and if I can manage that, I'll move to one of his other, possibly shorter works, although it will have to wait a bit because I've just started a John Irving book, I have 2 Tolstoy books coming (The Cossacks and Hadji Murad), Quiet Flows the Don by Sholohkov and I just got A Hundred Years of Solitude in the mail today so Joyce will thankfully, have to wait.

[subterranean]

You might want to read The Role of the Reader by Umberto Eco as preparation for Joyce, especially the hapter on Metaphor.

On another note, I think Eco's stuffs are not too easy to understand as well :).


I liked Joyce's collection of short stories Dubliners

I have Dubliners too. But I haven't got any guts to touch any of Joyce's after The Portrait of An Artist as A Young Man :p

[Idril]

On another note, I think Eco's stuffs are not too easy to understand as well :).



I feel much the same way. The only Eco I've read is Name of the Rose but that was enough. Not that I didn't like parts of it but I had to reread a lot of passages a couple times to figure out what was going on. I think it will be awhile before I try another one of his books.

[papayahed]

I read The Master and Margarita from a recommendation from here and Diceman is still on my list.