What are you reading now?

[prinnysquad]

Perusing through social media, I came across one of those appalling meme things that I know shouldn’t irritate, yet inexplicably do.

IS THERE ANYBODY WHO HASN’T WATCHED A SINGLE EPISODE OF GAME OF THRONES? It asked.

It’s weird the kind of congratulatory back-slapping that goes on in these threads. People applauding each other for resisting temptation, or proudly declaring that they don’t ‘do’ popular culture, or saying they didn’t like LOTR so haven’t bothered with this. Really? Ok...

Anyway, flicking through the comments I notice a former teacher of mine saying that he’d read the books while in hospital because he ‘had nothing better to do.’ Don’t talk ****e, Sir. Don’t pretend to be coerced by circumstance and be blasé about it.

He also proclaimed that they ‘were poorly constructed’. Are they? Have I missed something? I think the general flow and structure of the first three books at least are excellent and absorbing POV triumphs. Before GRRM got flabby and started to split by location, and waste pages on tedious setting description, in the kind of indulgence that has led to him neglecting the core series in favour of 600 page histories.

He also said that there was only one narrative arc in more than 2000 pages. Uh? Isn’t that the definition of any book or series? A single arc divided into several strands. If anything, there’s too many strands in the Song of Ice and Fire books. Once again, am I missing something?

He then concludes on this pearler: ‘Come on. Let’s have some intelligent criticism rather than a plebeian delight in gruesome spectacle.’ If ‘constructive criticism’ is, in fact, ‘lazy generalisations and anti-factual snide accusations masquerading as a critique’ then I’d rather not bother! ASOIAF is many things, but these ramblings are way off base in my view. It’s been a few years since I read the books. Am I missing something?

[kryss]

Not a teacher you liked much then eh?

[prinnysquad]

He wasn’t too bad. He just seems to be good at winding people up. I remember on the front of a local free newspaper one day, a vicar was quoted as saying: “The man’s an idiot.”

[QualityChimp]

Yeah, I hate that "never seen Star Wars" mentality, like it's a badge of honour.

Fine to say it's not your thing, but going on to slag something off you've not seen/read is foolish.

This teacher seems to want to be appear like he's read them and dislikes them just to sound clever.

Fine, you go and write your best-selling opus that gets made into massive TV hit, whilst everyone gets on with enjoying GoT.

Had a friend post he was watching League of Extraordinary Gentleman. I asked if he'd read the graphic novel, but dismissed them as comics for grown ups.

So he's happy watching a poor adaption of a great comic, but not read the comics.

[prinnysquad]

That’s just snobbish nobbery.

In addition to that bellwhiffery, you get the spanners who approach a book/film/whatever with a wholly negative mindset, willing themselves to hate it. What a way to live your life.

[QualityChimp]

In this case, I don't think he's being snobby, just got a preconception that comics are something he wouldn't enjoy.

I'm sure there's plenty of people who saw Endgame and think the same way.

[JazzFunk]

So many sad ****ers about. Truly.

I see the same stuff on FB all the time at teh mo, all that 'post if you've never seen GOT'-type of sad shat. And I just think it's the next way for certain twats to be passive-aggressive after FB curtailed anti-religious stuff being posted. Almost like they're trying to turn GOT into some strangely deficient, desperate type of thing, an object of derision meant to be derided by all, without question.


(I'm not even a GOT fanboy. Last time I saw it was early 2016 when that young witch turned into an old witch with a wrinkled minge. It's awesome. Too awesome for kitchen sink me. But undeniably funkily brilliant. But I gave up. Mr Kitchen Sink).

ANYWAY


It's always the same peeps who post the same shid. Guaranteed. They do Brexit posts and you know they do. That type. The bitter ones.

They try to find a crew where they hate on GOT??? All hating it together???!!!!

Would ANYONE wanna be in such a crew? Like I said, to me, GOT I can take or leave...but in no way can I say that shid is not cool. Pure lies...and a pathetic stance. Shame on you sad old bitter bastards.

Also, finished Brave New World thinking it'd been written in like 1962 but secretly thinking it was earlier, more like 1952. It was 1932. I just read an 87yr old book that felt hella futuristic, a mental one. What an imagination, I am astounded. Stunning achievement...biggest anomaly was thinking we'd need paper rolls for music. Come on, Aldous, fuxake. But I reckon the Feelys are close with PSVR. Just needs some thinking outside the box. Yeah. Great book. Dated but can't deny that ****in brilliance, product of a great mind.

[vanpeebles]

I’ve never seen Game of Thrones Sounds a like japanese tv show all about toilet humour.

Brave New World is ace too, inspired by a trip to a chemical plant in Billingham, Teesside.

[JazzFunk]

I wanna know what soma is like.

[JazzFunk]

I don't care if I'm spoilering but in one scene in GOT, some fey, twattery bloke gets killed via molten, liquid gold poured all over his bonce like some crazy, inedible ice cream made of precious metals that would break your teeth apart into the twentieth dimension.

It's BRRRRRILLLIIIIAAAAANTT!!!!

[JazzFunk]

Read the first fifty pages of Walter Mosley's White Butterfly this morn.

It's cracking. I love the way he writes, it's thick with atmosphere yet as easy like the main character's name ("Easy", btw) . Brilliant already, I can sense this is gonna be brilliant and an absolute pleasure to read, nice to read a crime novel again. Hurrah!!!!!

[randombs]

Limmy's Daft Wee Stories.

Brilliant.

[QualityChimp]

Tying in with our earlier discussion, I find people who listen to audiobooks can sometimes look down on people who watch movie adaptations and people who read books look down on those who listen to audiobooks.

This is all ridiculous and they all have their own merits.

For example, I started reading Hannibal (Silence of the Lambs Sequel), it was quite clear when there would be a jump-scare in the film, so I stopped reading it as I felt that it would work better as a film.

Horror is a genre I struggle with in books as it never really scares me in the same way that a spooky scene can send chills down my spine in a film.

So my question is, have you ever read a book that has spooked you in the same way that a movie has?

[JazzFunk]

I can think of a few examples that apply, I actually read Hannibal as I'd enjoyed the movie that much. I thought the book was brill...if essentially exactly the same as the film. It's been about 18 years now but I think the only difference was the ending...iirc the DVD has the alternate ending as an extra. But in essence, you get the same effect from the book as the movie. It's just you don't get the visuals from the book. Hannibal is a great-looking movie. Great both ways!!

I recently read I, Partridge, paperback, and just didn't really find it that belly-busting amusing. But I've had that free audiobook version Audible gave away a few years back, read by Steve Coogan as AP. I reckon that would've been the way to enjoy it best.

Movie adaptation wise, I'm bringing Papillon to court. The movie is great but put in comparison to the epic book, you only get like 25% of its content in the movie.

I think one should try to go for the optimum version each time, even if it's an audiobook. It's just I've never really used them. Something about someone else reading them for me, doing all the work!

[QualityChimp]

Audiobooks are great.
Every day I have a 30 commute, so I have an hour of escapism, rather than listening to the radio which is alternatively bad music, bad chatter or bad adverts!
EDIT: I should point out that I drive - reading books whilst driving is frowned upon.

I'm one of those people who can happily watch the film first, because you get the impact of the visuals and sound and read the book afterwards. It's like watching an extended cut with even more world to explore.

I just think horror is a primarily visual genre, but happy to be proved wrong!