What books have you read or are reading?

[heslopian]

I'm currently reading The Exorcist, the novel by William Peter Blatty on which he based his Oscar-winning screenplay for the film of the same name. I half expected it to be trashy schlock, something Blatty knocked off before going to work on the script as a way of making more money, but I've just finished the prologue and so far it's gorgeously written. The scenes with Father Merrin in Northern Iraq are as compelling as they were in the film.

[billy]

the main thing i'm reading at present isn't a book but poetry.
as i'm posting the famous poets i'm getting more and more into reading them.
some i've already read but i'm finding gems all over the place that i never knew existed.
the last book i read was a terry pratchett novel.

[heslopian]

What do you think of Philip Larkin? I recall you bringing him back to life recently.

[addy]

Bought a Dean Koontz book from a discount bin just for the hell of it... "Forever Odd", which is apparently the second(?) book in a series. I've only gotten partway through... I'm not that riveted haha ! It's always been hard for me to find novels I really like. One I really enjoyed was "The Little Friend" by Donna Tartt... gorgeously written, and made quite an impression on me.

[heslopian]

What do you generally like to read? I think Forever Odd might be the sequel to The Oddkins.

[billy]

i like some and don't like some,

high windows was one i found to be good and 'this be verse' i thought was excellent.

wasn't keen on 'love again' it felt flat or 'the school in august'
in contrast 'the old fools' was full of depth and insight,
it's hard to remember a lot of them after only a few readings but some are definitely worth a second look.

one of his i remember though is 'dublinesque.' not by heart, i seldom remember any writing by heart but the essence of it for me ethereal. specially the opening lines;
Down stucco side streets,
Where light is pewter

just those two lines capture Dublin's shadowed side streets in the late afternoon in November or early winter. the rest isn't as good but i do love the poem. which can be found on Larkins page. and soon by poem title

[heslopian]

Wait no Forever Odd was the sequel to Odd Thomas. Sorry Addy.
And yeah Billy those lines about Dublin are brilliant. The School in August was loosely based on stories he wrote to amuse his college friends about an amorous girl's boarding school where the busty students made out with each other This Be the Verse is the only poem I know off by heart

[billy]

even the really famous poems i can't recite verbatim.
i love the jabberwock but ask me to recite it. i even did a homage poem to it
which i can't recite either

i'm not that into wanting or needing to know how people lived or died (no offence meant)
though i have retained some aspects of poets lives. i recall snippets of others lives of course
but i just want to read the words. their anguish and suffering and how they arrived at them is secondary.
i'm impressed about the school in august anecdote, it's something i struggle to retain.

[heslopian]

I like anecdotes, but mostly I agree with you. Discovering Larkin was a vile racist after the posthumous release of his diaries wasn't important to me, and I was stunned that people were turned off by his poetry as a result. Who you are as a person isn’t relevant to who you are as an artist. At least in my opinion.

[billy]

unless you're mj or gary glitter
but yes, in general i agree with you. though i think it depends if their art is a portrayal of their beliefs.
for instance i doubt i'd enjoy poetry that portrayed racial hatred just for the sake of it. it would have to have some sort of intent other than hate. the same with pedoism and rape, i don't think such things should be banned but unless they were really well written and more than just a rant or rage poem i'd probably pass it by.

[heslopian]

Why are MJ and Glitter special cases? I still like their music, though Glitter can go hang and, learning what I have done about MJ since we first began discussing him (so many years ago now...) he doesn't seem the sort of chap you'd want babysitting your grandkids.
Yes, Philip Larkin never discussed his racial beliefs in his poetry, which makes all the difference. Like I can't watch extremely gruesome films, no matter how artistic they are.

[billy]

i never liked glitters music to start with, i was however brought up on mj's music and after the incident felt that somehow i'd been conned, not that i was. i just felt a little bit dirty for enjoying the music of a pedo.

[addy]

What do you generally like to read?

I read mostly what my siblings read ... fantasy stuff like terry pratchett and neil gaiman. I try to branch out sometimes but I'm really bad at picking books for myself because either a) I overthink and try to be too relevant (jules verne is certainly a classic, but damn 20,000 leagues was boring ) or b) I try something everybody likes to see what the fuss is about (I couldn't get past that first chapter, i just couldn't)

I agree that certain pieces of art have messages that can stand independent of their author... meaning that they are not simply a representation of their author (whatever that may entail). They take on a life of their own... I think MJ's songs, the world owns them just as much as MJ does.

[mrmod]

Anyone here ever read "The Van" by Roddy Doyle.

One of my favourite Irish comedies

[srijantje]

William Gibson,Dan Simmons,Neil Stephenson

[heslopian]

Don't think I've heard of any of those authors SJ. Care to enlighten me?

[srijantje]

they're all science fiction writers,some of my favorites

[heslopian]

What is it about sci-fi you like?

[srijantje]

new ideas,new situations,unlimited possibilities ,lots of things coming out of sf ideas are common things today,ofcourse it has to be written well

[heslopian]

That's why I love Star Trek so much The new movie is just space opera, but the original stories are filled with innovations and possibilities.