Post by Mikauzoran on Apr 12, 2015 23:27:23 GMT
So we have book recommendations and what anime/manga are you watching/reading, but nowhere to discuss what books we're reading so here we go.
Well, lately, I've been on a Lupin kick, so I read the first couple collections of short stories which were fabulous. I looooove Arsene, and Maurice Leblanc is sooo witty. I really enjoy his style.
The Blonde Lady was pretty interesting as well, but I don't really like the the parodies of Holmes and Watson. Holmes is so mean to Watson, and it's sad.
The Hollow Needle was really good in some parts but kind of meh in others. It really hooked me but then it lost me but then it hooked me again. I adore Isidore Beautrelet. I think this book is when I first started appreciating Lupin's genius. He's just so clever! And Isidore is such a cutie-pie. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Hakuba and Kaito, only Lupin's slightly meaner to poor Izzy. I'm going to have to name a character Isidore sometime. Anyway, the end ripped my heart out. So sad. I had originally wanted to have Hakuba and Kaito talk about the end in my fic Compulsory Conversations.
Next was when my Lupin obsession really picked up steam with 813. This is another book that just rips your heart out and stomps on it. I think the mystery in this one is super compelling. Again, Lupin is a genius! I love, love, love him! The awesome thing about the Lupin books is that you never know who exactly Lupin is. In this one there are, like, three of him running around, and it's just so awesome. And then the end killed me.
After that was The Crystal Stopper. It was a fun read. I enjoyed it very much. HATED the villain. And it was fun to hate the villain, so...really well written, but I don't think the mystery was quite as good as 813. It didn't seem as cohesive.
Next, The Confessions of Arsene Lupin, another collection of short stories that were, again, fun. Some where better than others, but still.
THEN the Teeth of the Tiger! Oh my gosh! I liked this one just as much as 813. Again, the mystery was quite brilliant, and I was just so happy to see Arsene alive and well again and successful even! This one makes you feel really sad and angry and kind of "Hn." and then happy.
After that I started on the classics with The Scarlet Pimpernel. Really interesting. I kind of hated Sir Percy for two-thirds of the book, though. So obnoxious. Cool plot, though. The scenes at the opera and the ball were my favorites, though.
Next was Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I couldn't finish it. Bleh. Horrible book. I got thirteen chapters in and just couldn't. It wasn't poorly written or anything, and I really liked Tess, but... It's one of those books that delights in making you feel bad.
And then there was H. P. Lovecraft! Oh. My. Gosh. I LOVE him. Everything he does. I read a whole ton of his short stories, and they were spectacular! Some make you shudder while others make your skin crawl. Sometimes the hair on your arms stands straight up. He has wonderfully chilling tales, and he's so creative! He really makes you think. Some of my favorites were The Beast in the Cave, Herbert West Reanimator, The Nameless City, Dagon, Polaris, and The Street.
After H. P. Lovecraft, I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It was kind of disappointing. It wasn't bad by any means. I really did like it, but about halfway through I realized that the big reveal was that they were the same person. THAT was the huge, awesome plot twist. THAT was the WOW moment of the book. But I already knew that going into the book, so...I think I would have liked it better if I hadn't been spoiled on it from the get-go.
Next I read The Picture of Dorian Gray. The original version without the edits and the added stuff to make it less gay. I LOVED Basil, and Harry was such a fun character. Dorian started off as such a sweetie, but by the end...sad. I really didn't like him much. Except when he was trying to seduce/blackmail his ex-lover into destroying the body and the evidence for him. I liked his coquettish, devious side. Poor Basil. He really did truly love Dorian. I think that the book in general had some really lovely, well-written parts. Sometimes it got a little boring and lost me, but I really like Oscar Wilde's style.
I read about three-fourths of Dante's Inferno after that. I've got about ten cantos left, and I'm planning on coming back to it later. I really liked the beginning, but the last third is kind of dragging for me. There's some really awesome imagery. It'd be cool to read this if it were written in present times.
At the moment I'm working on two books. Woman of Mystery by Maurice Leblanc and The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.
Woman of Mystery is really good. I'm, in turns, frustrated by and fascinated by the main character Paul. The mystery is really cool and intriguing too. I don't usually like books about war or fighting, but this one really has me hooked. I'm wondering how Lupin is going to eventually figure in. I read that he was written into the book later, so it'll be interesting to see how he was retconned in.
The Moonstone is really charming. I LOVE the narrator of the first twenty-three chapters, Gabriel, the head servant and butler of the family whose cursed diamond is stolen. He's just so likable! He's a cute seventy year-old man who's really dedicated to the family he's served for the past fifty years. He's really made me want to read Robinson Crusoe. I also like Sargent Cuff, the detective. The Lady of the house is also a really cool woman. The daughter, Rachel, I don't like so much. Penelope, Gabriel's daughter and Rachel's maid, is also a really likable character. The first twenty-three chapters are told from Gabriel's point of view to give us the setup and background of the case, and after that the last twenty-five chapters are going to be told to us by six or so other characters so that we get a everyone's perspective on the case. I think it's really neat, but I miss Gabriel already. :c I'll have to let you know how the rest of the book turns out.
Okay. Now that I've talked your ear off about everything I've read in the past six months, what are you reading right now/recently?
Well, lately, I've been on a Lupin kick, so I read the first couple collections of short stories which were fabulous. I looooove Arsene, and Maurice Leblanc is sooo witty. I really enjoy his style.
The Blonde Lady was pretty interesting as well, but I don't really like the the parodies of Holmes and Watson. Holmes is so mean to Watson, and it's sad.
The Hollow Needle was really good in some parts but kind of meh in others. It really hooked me but then it lost me but then it hooked me again. I adore Isidore Beautrelet. I think this book is when I first started appreciating Lupin's genius. He's just so clever! And Isidore is such a cutie-pie. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Hakuba and Kaito, only Lupin's slightly meaner to poor Izzy. I'm going to have to name a character Isidore sometime. Anyway, the end ripped my heart out. So sad. I had originally wanted to have Hakuba and Kaito talk about the end in my fic Compulsory Conversations.
Next was when my Lupin obsession really picked up steam with 813. This is another book that just rips your heart out and stomps on it. I think the mystery in this one is super compelling. Again, Lupin is a genius! I love, love, love him! The awesome thing about the Lupin books is that you never know who exactly Lupin is. In this one there are, like, three of him running around, and it's just so awesome. And then the end killed me.
After that was The Crystal Stopper. It was a fun read. I enjoyed it very much. HATED the villain. And it was fun to hate the villain, so...really well written, but I don't think the mystery was quite as good as 813. It didn't seem as cohesive.
Next, The Confessions of Arsene Lupin, another collection of short stories that were, again, fun. Some where better than others, but still.
THEN the Teeth of the Tiger! Oh my gosh! I liked this one just as much as 813. Again, the mystery was quite brilliant, and I was just so happy to see Arsene alive and well again and successful even! This one makes you feel really sad and angry and kind of "Hn." and then happy.
After that I started on the classics with The Scarlet Pimpernel. Really interesting. I kind of hated Sir Percy for two-thirds of the book, though. So obnoxious. Cool plot, though. The scenes at the opera and the ball were my favorites, though.
Next was Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I couldn't finish it. Bleh. Horrible book. I got thirteen chapters in and just couldn't. It wasn't poorly written or anything, and I really liked Tess, but... It's one of those books that delights in making you feel bad.
And then there was H. P. Lovecraft! Oh. My. Gosh. I LOVE him. Everything he does. I read a whole ton of his short stories, and they were spectacular! Some make you shudder while others make your skin crawl. Sometimes the hair on your arms stands straight up. He has wonderfully chilling tales, and he's so creative! He really makes you think. Some of my favorites were The Beast in the Cave, Herbert West Reanimator, The Nameless City, Dagon, Polaris, and The Street.
After H. P. Lovecraft, I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It was kind of disappointing. It wasn't bad by any means. I really did like it, but about halfway through I realized that the big reveal was that they were the same person. THAT was the huge, awesome plot twist. THAT was the WOW moment of the book. But I already knew that going into the book, so...I think I would have liked it better if I hadn't been spoiled on it from the get-go.
Next I read The Picture of Dorian Gray. The original version without the edits and the added stuff to make it less gay. I LOVED Basil, and Harry was such a fun character. Dorian started off as such a sweetie, but by the end...sad. I really didn't like him much. Except when he was trying to seduce/blackmail his ex-lover into destroying the body and the evidence for him. I liked his coquettish, devious side. Poor Basil. He really did truly love Dorian. I think that the book in general had some really lovely, well-written parts. Sometimes it got a little boring and lost me, but I really like Oscar Wilde's style.
I read about three-fourths of Dante's Inferno after that. I've got about ten cantos left, and I'm planning on coming back to it later. I really liked the beginning, but the last third is kind of dragging for me. There's some really awesome imagery. It'd be cool to read this if it were written in present times.
At the moment I'm working on two books. Woman of Mystery by Maurice Leblanc and The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.
Woman of Mystery is really good. I'm, in turns, frustrated by and fascinated by the main character Paul. The mystery is really cool and intriguing too. I don't usually like books about war or fighting, but this one really has me hooked. I'm wondering how Lupin is going to eventually figure in. I read that he was written into the book later, so it'll be interesting to see how he was retconned in.
The Moonstone is really charming. I LOVE the narrator of the first twenty-three chapters, Gabriel, the head servant and butler of the family whose cursed diamond is stolen. He's just so likable! He's a cute seventy year-old man who's really dedicated to the family he's served for the past fifty years. He's really made me want to read Robinson Crusoe. I also like Sargent Cuff, the detective. The Lady of the house is also a really cool woman. The daughter, Rachel, I don't like so much. Penelope, Gabriel's daughter and Rachel's maid, is also a really likable character. The first twenty-three chapters are told from Gabriel's point of view to give us the setup and background of the case, and after that the last twenty-five chapters are going to be told to us by six or so other characters so that we get a everyone's perspective on the case. I think it's really neat, but I miss Gabriel already. :c I'll have to let you know how the rest of the book turns out.
Okay. Now that I've talked your ear off about everything I've read in the past six months, what are you reading right now/recently?