Book Club

[ResettePlayer]

This forum is probably not the best place to try this... but I'm giving it a go anyway.

Ya like books?

I know ya like vidya garms, but it's good fun to embrace other media as well. Personally I find that, as much as I love video games and as strong as stories as they may have, they don't scratch every itch. Novels are their own beast, as are movies, shows, and games. I'd consider putting comics in another category as well.

Excuse me a moment as I wax lyrical about storytelling:

Spoiler

Sometimes it seems like each type of media has it's benefits in storytelling subtlety. Novels, for example, put you in the head of the character in a way that feels much more natural than if a movie, comic, or game just has a narrator rambling in your ear. Every now and then a thought or feeling is described in such a way that I keenly feel it in myself, or perhaps relive a time I felt that same emotion. Many novels centre around the exploration of a character's mind, and you can occasionally discover something about yourself when you meant to only read for fun.

Let's look at film, television, and comics. These are all primarily visual mediums, and the subtlety of an expression or shot can communicate so much, even if it's only there for a fraction of a second. The layout of a shot and the way it's framed can imprint a lasting image in your mind, and indeed, there are many elements that can serve to communicate an idea that may not even be noticed, because they don't have to be described. They're just there in front of your eyes, to interpret as you please.

Lastly, video games. Games are extremely diverse; many don't even have story or plot. Others have barely enough plot to justify whatever task you must perform. Some rely entirely on story. One of the greatest virtues a video game has is that story is optional. Let's look at Don't Starve and Oxygen Not Included--the lore is there if you dig, if you seek it out, but it can also be ignored at your leisure, and the game is still fun without it. Though a good story should impart a nice sense of satisfaction when it's done no matter what way it is told, a video game can give you a rewarding sense of discovery that other mediums may struggle with. It can certainly be done; clues dropped here and there, without too much attention drawn to them, but enabling a reader/watcher to interpret and decipher them as they please. That said, the sense of exploration and discovery, of piecing the story together yourself, is possibly done most strongly in the video game format, thanks to its interactive nature.

Anyway. Books.

It has been a long while since I've read fiction for fun. I chose to spend my time with my tea and novel, and frankly, it was a blast. I was content for hours to be swept up in a carefully constructed story, written with just enough description so that I could enjoy my own visuals. I was consuming an existing story, but at the same time, my own imagination was at work. This is where the written word rises above other mediums--even an interactive game cannot involve you quite as deeply.

I'm probably getting long-winded and pretentious here, but do you see my point? It's been so long since I've read that I forgot just how much I enjoyed it. It's all to easy to be sucked into the rabbit hole of the internet, which often just makes you feel depressed or like you've just wasted your time consuming so many advertisements. It was refreshing to disconnect from the world for a while, to feel slightly more independent from the technology that has, rather disturbingly, taken over the majority of our waking lives. I was worried my attention span was fried by how much instant gratification I've become accustomed to.

Sorry. Had to get that out.

The book that spurred me to post this was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which I enjoyed more than I could have expected. It could be that I simply forgot how much I enjoyed reading, or it could be that I was reading a genre I haven't really explored ever and found the freshness pleasing. Indeed, I'm the sort of person who abhors romantic subplots anywhere and everywhere, but when it's a more primary focus of the story, it is much more palatable. Anything that feels stuck-on, or merely added to check off a requirement, makes for a crappy read, but a well-planned, well-written, and thoughtful romance actually doesn't suck, to my slight surprise. Of course, it's all a matter of taste, and it seems I'm more susceptible to sentimental nonsense and drama than I had previously thought.

Possibly uncomfortable points:

Spoiler

It also helps that Jane Eyre is a Victorian, Christian novel. I am neither of those things, but a lot of the connotations people have about the romance genre is that it is primarily sexual. This may be the case for more contemporary novels, but this 171 year old book most certainly is not. I'm sure a lot of analysis has been done that finds ~seeeeeecret sexualllllllll syyyyyyyyyymbolismmmmmmmm~, but when you just read the frickin' book as it is, sexuality is implied here and there without a lot of importance placed on it. Greater attention is given to the faces and thoughts of the characters than their bodies, and both the leading woman and leading man were, quite explicitly, ugly by the standards of the time. Spoiler alert: they grow fond of one another via long conversations, not staring and fantasising.

It should be noted that Jane Eyre is also considered a gothic novel, and isn't entirely romance-centric. Other stuff happens too, such as child abuse.

Personally, I related to the titular character Jane (and her quest to become a valued, but not submissive, person) quite closely. That probably helped a lot with my enjoyment of the book, for as fun as it is to read something new and foreign to your mind, there is something to be said for familiarity. It is also fascinating to consider how old this book is, and how people haven't really changed much aside social expectations.

This book is by no means perfect, naturally. A lot of the complaints to be had with it are "product of its time" things. Some of these points may really bother some people though, such as a flavour of racism and British imperialism. Oh, and that, uh, spoilerly thing

Spoiler

This issue (significant spoiler-- beware!), 

Spoiler

Just lock away the mentally ill in a windowless room in the attic, that's the Victorian way! Oh, she's dead now, guess we can live happily ever after!

but also that time Mr Rochester was all too eager to point out, in his second or third conversation with Jane, that he was twenty years older than her, could be her father, she's so young and inexperienced, what a neophyte, that sort of thing. Later he reveals that he was interested in her since day one, basically. Honestly, it was quite entertaining to watch their relationship develop and evolve, but stepping back to think of it, I do wish Rochester was a slightly different character. Or that there was a slightly different ending to go with this Rochester. That said, when you dig into it more, he was there to provide a trial of sorts for Jane's constitution... yeah okay that's enough.

 

TL;DR: Read Jane Eyre, liked it, wanted to share my love of books.

Has anyone read anything lately? Pretty much anything counts; it doesn't have to be a classic, fiction, or even a physical book. Audiobooks count as well. And remember, even if you think you have no time for such frivolous things as reading, even a few pages before bed every night will get you through even the vastest tome eventually. Audiobooks are popular because they enable people to multitask. You can do it! Hopefully you find something you like-- and here is the place to rave about it.

[minespatch]

I've been rereading my copies of the Read Or Die manga but looking forward to finishing my mini-biography on Pablo Picasso and the the first book in the Lovecraft Junior high book series I picked up from Dollar Tree.

I was reading reviews on the Read or Die manga being exciting but it left them confused by the third volume point. Not exactly sure where they were confused.

[ResettePlayer]

9 hours ago, minespatch said:

Lovecraft Junior high book series I picked up from Dollar Tree

I am both repulsed and intrigued. 

It sounds like you have a lot going on at once! I'm wondering how you fit three books into your schedule, but do you even look at all of them in a day?

[CaptainChaotica]

I love reading!  Always have.  I don't find the amount/type of time for it nowadays that I used to as a kid, but I do still read. My overflowing, things in double-rows, stuff-shoved-in-sideways-where-it-sorta-fits bookshelves will attest to that.  Never read Jane Eyre, but I do have a lot of stuff considered "classics" in among my more currently nerdy stuff such as Star Trek, Discworld, Doctor Who novels, a few manga series I follow, etc. I also have a bunch of the "Oz" books by Frank Baum, and lemme tell ya, anybody who knows only the movie is in for a TREAT!  Or a surprise at least.  There is sooooooo much more in that series than just Dorothy following the Yellow Brick Road, including some weirdly progressive stuff considering they were written _in the 1900's_.  (Heck, even the first book...you read that, and you'll soon see how _loosely_ the 1939 movie is based off of it.  Hint:  It gets violent.  Think less "cute fluffy safe stories for kids" and more Grimms' Fairy Tales.)  But, that's a subject for another day.  I've gone on about how fantasy fans should give those a chance and blah blah many times in the past, so...

I've also got stuff by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells...nothing seperate by Lovecraft but I do have a couple of his short stories mixed in with collection-books.  Basically as you might've figured out, I'm a nerd, and my taste for older stuff also leans towards the nerdly, as in sci-fi and fantasy.  One of my absolute favourite finds was a compilation book called "Science-Fiction by Gaslight" that I found at a library used-book sale.  Not only was it EXACTLY the kind of thing I love (a whole ton of different "scientifical romances" from like the 1890s-1910's by many famous authors _and_ unknowns) but it only cost me FIFTY CENTS.  The fact that something called "Science-Fiction by Gaslight" is one of my favourite things ever should alone tell you something about me.  : P

But I read a wide variety of stuff, including some non-fiction (tending towards like, science and stuff about why society is the way it is).  Right now, I got a book at Barnes and Noble a while back called "Penny Dreadfuls", which is exactly what it sounds like--a collection of old-timey spooky/sensational/horror stories--and I SPECIFICALLY saved it for October.  Because Halloween.

For anybody who _doesn't_ read much but would like to know why, I would suggest looking up this new PBS series on Youtube called "It's Lit!"  (yes, that's its actual name... : P) which despite the stupid name is an adorable kids-can-understand-it-but-still-thoughtful series of short videos about various things literature.  Including my favourite, "Why is the book always better than the movie?" 

Anyway.  I'll shut up now.  But yeah, anybody wants to talk reading stuff, I'm always up for it in general!

...Notorious

 

 

[minespatch]

11 hours ago, ResettePlayer said:

I am both repulsed and intrigued. 

It sounds like you have a lot going on at once! I'm wondering how you fit three books into your schedule, but do you even look at all of them in a day?

It's for middle school age readers. I hope to read it later.

Nah, I read a bit before taking a bath as the tub fills. Gives me time to use the restroom too.

[ResettePlayer]

14 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

Discworld

Discworld is probably peak literature. Quite honestly my favourite series of all time. That said, I'm trying to wait a while to reread them in order to be able to rediscover it as much as possible, you know?

On a related note, have you ever read Good Omens? Pratchett wrote it with Neil Gaiman back in the 90s, and it's wonderful.

14 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

weirdly progressive stuff considering they were written _in the 1900's_

That's the thing about older books, eh? Especially ones that are even older than that. I don't think I've read anything older than the Victorian era, but man, times were different. I haven't read any other works by the Bronte sisters yet, but from what I understand, their stuff is considerably more feminist than a lot of what I've read so far from that era. Jane Eyre, for example, did go on at least one rant about how men and women aren't so different mentally, and a significant part of the book was how she doesn't want to be a good, submissive Victorian woman sometimes. It was somewhat bold and unexpected, but coming from a female author, not wholly surprising.

I'm saying this as someone who really likes Charles Dickens (read A Christmas Carol yesterday; Scrooge pre-reformation is a precious snarky gem), who is notorious for writing women characters who are either a) sweet, beautiful, submissive angels; b) old ladies who don't really matter and are kind of annoying; or c) independent, bonkers, evil women who will murder you in their efforts to tear down society.

14 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

Jules Verne, H.G. Wells

Some time ago, I bought a few of those fancy Barnes and Noble collectable editions. You know these ones? I have yet to finish it, though. It was really interesting to read how, in From the Earth to the Moon, it was Americans who undertook that task, and they launched from Florida! Which, if I recall correctly, was where Apollo 11 launched from 104 years later.

As for HG Wells, I've read the Invisible Man, The Time Machine, and another book about cyclists I forget the name of. This was some time ago, so I cannot remember many details, but I enjoyed them.

15 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

the nerdly, as in sci-fi and fantasy

Genre fiction is awesome! Fantasy has always been my favourite. Every now and then I try to read something literary, such as The Navigator of New York and it's just... bleh. I put it down, and have no desire to finish it. That said, I really liked East of Eden. It started out pretty slow, and it's a massive book, but I was really glad I stuck through to the end. East of Eden is a classic, though, and Navigator of New York was just a random contemporary book I found that seemed interesting at the time.

15 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

"Penny Dreadfuls"

Oh man, are these actual penny dreadfuls from the 19th Century? If so, that sounds super cool! A lot of the time, I'm not a huge fan of short story collections, unless they are specific collections from one author that I want to explore. I might make an exception in this case, though, if they are authentic old-timey stuff and not "inspired by" stuff.

15 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

library used-book sale

THESE ARE THE BEEEEEEEEESSSSST.

 

14 hours ago, minespatch said:

It's for middle school age readers

I like a lot of these, but that age group can be hit-and-miss. I love series such as Harry Potter, Fablehaven, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Artemis Fowl, The Alchemyst, and others that I may be forgetting right now. Wildwood by Meloy Ellis seemed alright, and I may continue that one. I read Inkheart recently and it just didn't gel with me for some reason, so I probably won't pursue it further. But yeah, a lot of good fiction comes out for that age group and it would be a shame to ignore it just because you're technically out of its target audience.

A book series which I haven't yet read for some dumb reason, is Skulduggery Pleasant. You're probably familiar with it, and man, I'm gonna have to get on that soon. At the moment though, I don't really want to purchase more books until I whittle down the "unread" pile a bit. 1984 is next, Brave New World after that, probably more Bronte sisters, gotta get through my Lovecraft collection...

[CaptainChaotica]

5 hours ago, ResettePlayer said:

Discworld is probably peak literature. Quite honestly my favourite series of all time. That said, I'm trying to wait a while to reread them in order to be able to rediscover it as much as possible, you know?

On a related note, have you ever read Good Omens? Pratchett wrote it with Neil Gaiman back in the 90s, and it's wonderful.

Oh yeah.  I've got my copy of it on the shelf right next to me here, alongside the Discworld stuff.  (I've also done Discworld fanart...if I feel brave enough to share that at some point.)  I would've checked out the TV version of Good Omens they're making no matter what, even if only from morbid curiosity, but now that I've heard that DAVID TENNANT is gonna play Crowley?!  Oh gods that would work.  I'm in.

(MASSIVE FREAKING WHOVIAN OVER HERE.  Although the Tenth Doctor isn't my favourite, I like all of them at least a little.)

The Oz books being "weirdly progressive"...okay, to give you an idea...

1. The whole country is run by a woman (or girl, actually)

2.  She GREW UP AS A BOY.

Dead serious.  Okay, sure, magic was involved, but...yeah, the Queen of Oz is technically transgender.  Not by the traditional way, but still...

The other most powerful people in the kingdom are the two Good Sorcoresses, one of whom was kinda scary as I recall.  There's also a lot of mini-kingdoms/smaller regions around the place that are run by whoever.  Sometimes not even human.  In Oz that doesn't really seem to matter.

 

Well, the Penny Dreadfuls book has a long intro at the beginning explaining what the stories chosen were and why they were chosen...it starts off with the _original_ version of Frankenstein, from before Mary Shelley toned it down apparently (!), also has the best-known (longer) story about Sweeney Todd in it, and I think the rest are relatively short stories.  They're all from the era, no "inspired by" here.  It was like 8 bucks. 

...Notorious

[bizziboi]

1 hour ago, CaptainChaotica said:

I've also done Discworld fanart...if I feel brave enough to share that at some point.

Be brave

[minespatch]

7 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

(I've also done Discworld fanart...if I feel brave enough to share that at some point.) 

Listen to the dev, bud.

[ResettePlayer]

15 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

I've also done Discworld fanart...if I feel brave enough to share that at some point.

Ooh, I probably have some too, in the archives. I think I first started reading the series about 6-7 years ago, oh man, that art is probably TERRIBLE.

I did throw out a lot of old art recently though; but if I find some ancient Discworld art and show it, you can show yours too! (Now you have three people asking, how can you refuse?)

I suppose I could just draw a fresh Rincewind and throw that up, if necessary.

15 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

Queen of Oz is technically transgender

Huh, that's interesting. Especially when you consider how quickly some books get banned from schools these days--of course, back then there probably wasn't enough of an LGBT+ community for stubborn old people to be afraid of.

15 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

before Mary Shelley toned it down

I haven't read the book yet, but that's really interesting! I'll see if I can pick up a copy some time; this sounds fascinating. I love the first-hand glimpse into history, yanno?

[geni0529]

God, I know just how the forgetting how much you love reading feels. Lately I’ve been too sucked away by art and a social life to really sit down and read something that is an actual published book. (Because lord knows I read my fair share of fanfiction)

I feel a bit out of place talking about the books I like because I come from a younger generation then most folks on here and read more YA books but I guess I can talk about a book I didn’t fully appreciate until I re-read it when I was older. 

My class has to read Ellie Wisels Night this year, and it’s a book I’ve already read when I was 12 or 13. I planned on skimming through it so I could answer the questions the teacher gave us but I found myself getting sucked into the pages of the book. I don’t think when I first read it that I realized the solemn feeling the book gives off. Every moment is so intense and as I re-read it I found myself upset that something so horrific could be inflicted on a person by other people. I think by far it has to be favorite books now, which is a little morbid to say, but true. The only other classic book I’ve read that tops it is To Kill a Mockingbird, since that book was the one that inspired me to try writing.

[ResettePlayer]

56 minutes ago, geni0529 said:

The only other classic book I’ve read that tops it is To Kill a Mockingbird, since that book was the one that inspired me to try writing.

I did try to say in the original post that any books are welcome, but that might have been lost in the sea of stuff. This isn't to be restricted to classics or books with an established reputation or anything! That's just what we've been reading lately, I guess.

I haven't heard of Ellie Wisel's Night, and I may look it up later. To Kill a Mockingbird, however, is a solid book that was required reading back in high school and I still remember it fondly. That'll be a novel worth rereading sometime.

Thanks for your contribution! Remember that this isn't meant as a contest to see who can list off the largest number of "intelligent" sounding books, just a place to celebrate and often-forgotten pastime.

[geni0529]

2 hours ago, ResettePlayer said:

I did try to say in the original post that any books are welcome, but that might have been lost in the sea of stuff. This isn't to be restricted to classics or books with an established reputation or anything! That's just what we've been reading lately, I guess.

I haven't heard of Ellie Wisel's Night, and I may look it up later. To Kill a Mockingbird, however, is a solid book that was required reading back in high school and I still remember it fondly. That'll be a novel worth rereading sometime.

Thanks for your contribution! Remember that this isn't meant as a contest to see who can list off the largest number of "intelligent" sounding books, just a place to celebrate and often-forgotten pastime.

I know, but it just seemed really silly to bring up a book like Warrior Cats or Shadowhunters when everyone is talking about classics. 

[ResettePlayer]

Okay, I haven't even started 1984 yet, but here's a book I've been reading and ogling lately. It's pretty awesome: a collection of sketches from 50 artists. It's around 312 pages and there's loads of images. Some of the art is more that commonly seen "concept art" style, but it's all very good, and there's some lovely unique work in there as well.

I thoroughly enjoy looking at sketches--polished art is great and all, but it's amazing to see what artists do for themselves, you know? There are more books in this series that I hope to attain. I'd like to pick up either "Characters" or "Dark Arts" next.

Editing this post to add a little more info as to why I like this book so much. Fifty artists get to show off their work as well as write a little about themselves and their process. That's fifty different perspectives, and it goes to show that there aren't really "correct" ways to do things in your sketchbook. There are tips as well--some of which may apply to you, some which may not.

I originally discovered Jeff Miracola from his YouTube channel (helpful if you're learning to paint, especially with acrylics). It was nice to see some works from this guy that I haven't seen before.

I also knew Wylie Beckert (who did the drawing above the title on the cover of this book) and she has a YouTube channel as well. It's not as educational as Miracola's, but sometimes it's nice to just watch a piece of art unfold, and her style is awesome! The first video on there shows the final painting of the drawing seen on the cover.

This book is a pleasure to look at, to be sure. It also inspires me to just draw something cool in my sketchbook, to try some new mediums, and to make something that looks different than what I've done before. Someone who doesn't draw very frequently might not get as much out of this book than someone who does, but if you find a PDF online or a copy at your library or something, consider giving it a flip through. There's some really neat stuff in there.

 

That's "Sketching from the Imagination: Fantasy" by 3DTotal Publishing

[minespatch]

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll think about it.

Decided to reread my issues of Wonderland last night. IT's a interesting sequel to the Disney 50s film:

[minespatch]

For the past few days I've been reading Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, so I like the idea of point of view through the eyes of a villain. Calling god the "enemy" and such. It's a book I highly recommend.

[CaptainChaotica]

On 10/24/2018 at 9:41 PM, geni0529 said:

I know, but it just seemed really silly to bring up a book like Warrior Cats or Shadowhunters when everyone is talking about classics. 

Oh, pff, I read sillier/more "cheap" pop-culture things all the time.  For example, I have a ton of Dragonlance books on my shelves.  My copy of the very first book is signed by Tracy Hickman (one of the two original writers), whom I met at a convention (remind me to tell you guys about that later; it was a fun story.)  Do you have any IDEA how mean the "Song of Ice and Fire" crowd is to those things?  Man. Yes, they were based off of a D&D session...to begin with.  It turns into a fully-developed fantasy world with a real plot (and doesn't take that long to do so, either); lighten up ya snobs!

Want me to talk about my extensive Choose Your Own Adventure collection?  Those are technically kids' books, but ask me if I care.  I've got the old ones with the original artwork and/or titles (they changed the _names_ on some of these...frankly I think "By Balloon to the Sahara" sounds WAY more poetic/romantic than just "Danger in the Desert".  What, you're worried the kidlets won't know what the Sahara is?  It's EASIER to look things up now than it was when the book first came out!)  Heck, I can review 'em even.  For a while there I was keeping stats on which books were the "deadliest" (the most bad endings) vs. "nicest".  Why?  Because I get curious.

How 'bout the Lone Wolf books?  Those are fun.  Cheesy-as-all-hell MELODRAMATIC WRITING!! but they're basically Choose Your Own Adventures mixed with RPG elements, such as stats, hit points, skills and inventory management...and you can _carry your character over to the next book and keep getting stronger over time_.  This was the first time I'd EVER heard of anything like that with _books_, so you can bet I was fascinated.  You can find totally interactive online versions of the books for free* and yes, they also keep track of your stats and carry them over.  But this was originally done with paper, pencil and the honour system.    The books themselves are like, fantasy adventure with a lot of violence and a main character that's kind of a mix between a D&D-style ranger and a Jedi, is the closest I can think of to describe it.  You pick out your own beginning skills and that can shape the _hell_ out of how your adventure goes.

Nah, I'm just reading classics right _now_ because I happened to bust out the "Penny Dreadfuls" book because Halloween.  It's all good. 

...Notorious

*With the author's permission!  He thought that a cool and appropriate way to celebrate the new millenium (these books are mostly from the '80s--although I didn't discover them until later) was to turn his books into a modern digital form that everyone could read.  Awesome dude.  He died only last year, and he wasn't that old.

[ResettePlayer]

11 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

a ton of Dragonlance books

Yo, Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms were my jam back in grades 7-8. In fact, I got some more cheesy old fantasy paperbacks on my shelf. [Goes to check] Wait a minute, somehow I ended up with The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant books 2&3, but only the SECOND Chronicles of Thomas Covenant book 1. What the heck? Well, I guess I'm never reading that series.

[geni0529]

Well, books that have really been an my mind that I want to re-read but haven’t got to are the Kane Chronicles, Aka Percy Jackson’s much cooler sister series. (Would it be called a sister series? A spin-off? Who knows.) 

I read the books when I was about 11 or 12 and I absolutely loved them back then. Thinking on it I think the Kane Chronicles had a lot of the problems I have with Percy Jackson solved. It’s consise, has a definite beginning, middle, and end, the magic had somewhat of a rule system to it, and it didn’t drag on. (The rule system thing is what really got me, the magic in Percy Jackson, while endlessly cool, makes no sense. At least these books TRIED to establish something.)

Then again, I could be remembering things completely wrong! Suppose I’ll find out when I re-read them.

[mymanga003]

I know exactly how the overlooking the amount you cherish perusing feels. Of late I've been excessively sucked away by craftsmanship and a public activity to truly take a seat and perused something that is a genuine distributed book. (Since master realizes I read a considerable amount of fanfiction). I get a handle on a touch of place discussing the books I like since I originate from a more youthful age than most people on here and perused more YA books yet I figure I can discuss a book I didn't completely acknowledge until I re-perused it when I was more seasoned. My class needs to peruse Ellie Wiesel's Night this year, and it's a book I've just perused when I was 12 or 13. I anticipated skimming through it so I could answer the inquiries the instructor gave us yet I wound up getting sucked into the pages of the book. I don't think when I previously perused it that I understood the serious inclination the book emits. Each minute is so serious and as I re-perused it I ended up vexed that something so horrendous could be exacted on a man by other individuals. I think by a long shot it must be most loved books now, which is somewhat dismal to state, yet obvious. The main another exemplary book I've perused that tops it is To Kill a Mockingbird since that book was the one that roused me to have a go at composing.

[ResettePlayer]

1 hour ago, mymanga003 said:

Ellie Wiesel's Night

That's the second time this book has been mentioned, I'll need to investigate it further. Especially considering that it has been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird! Thanks for your contribution, and I'm glad you feel the same way about books as I do.

[minespatch]

Right now I'm reading a book on grammar. My boss and his wife want me to reread up on my grammar and other writing etiquette.

[ResettePlayer]

4 hours ago, minespatch said:

Right now I'm reading a book on grammar. My boss and his wife want me to reread up on my grammar and other writing etiquette.

Positively thrilling.

[CaptainChaotica]

But something a LOT more internet people could definitely use.  (nodnod)  Well, more spelling really, but still... Like, all the random apostrophes used for plurals, and constantly getting your/you're wrong, and their/there/they're, and it's vs. its, and...did NOBODY listen to Strong Bad? He sang about this so well!  Hee.

People with legit learning disabilities and/or who do not speak English as their first language get a pass, though.  I may be a Spelling Nazi, but I'm not an OGRE.  : P

...Notorious

[Warbringer]

I am currently reading Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. It is considered to be the best Greek novel of all time, I'll see what the fuss is all about.