Memes and things...
Aug. 13th, 2011 06:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Don't know what is up with me today, I feel so tired. May have been the shiatsu massage, which relaxed me to the point that I felt like going to sleep. Did help a bit, but still very achy. Also the story in my brain - is screaming to get out. But I can't write at all...at the moment. Tried and it felt, off somehow. I blame work and blogging, because I have to blame something. Oh well at least my back feels better, not completely there yet, but since I think I strained something in my lower spine - it may take a while.
2. In Plain Sight - which was quite good this week, only has six episodes left. Which will air next spring. Yes, it has been canceled, along with Eureka and The Closer. All are on their last legs. Can't say I'm surprised. In Plain Sight is also the only show on USA, with the possible exception of
Covert Affairs, that I find interesting or watchable. All the others are breezy boy shows that I've seen done before one too many times. I'm sure people find them comforting, I find them boring and one of them, just plain offensive. Not overly upset about the cancellations - I'm watching a lot of tv shows and none of them...really captivate me enough for me to get unduly upset by their untimely demise. [Why can't the shows I dislike be canceled? They never are. I won't bore you with the list - because, you may love a few of them.]
3.There's this 100 beloved Sci-Fantasy Titles Meme wandering about, that is compiled by NPR, from over 6,000 nominations, and 60,ooo votes. Glancing over the list, I find myself wondering about people again. I guess we should be happy, Atlas Shrugged isn't on it. Thank you for small favors. But...I do have quibbles. There are a couple of books on this list that I really dislike. And books that are missing from it - that well, shouldn't be. But eh...tis the deal with lists.
Bold if you've read, italicize ones you fully intend to read and/or own, underline if it's a series you've read part but not all of. I've also occasionally used underlining for books I started but didn't finish, and commented accordingly.
1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien - I preferred The Hobbit, got sort of bogged down in Return of the King...war stories tend to bore me. I find the fight for peace more interesting.
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams...have however seen the movie and tv series a few times, which may explain why I can't get through the book?
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card - may try again at a later point.
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert - made all the way up to Dune Messiah. The preachy metaphysics finally got on my nerves. I wanted more story and character exploration, less metaphysics.
The first prequel - was oddly more interesting - it was about the politics.
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin -- Working on Feast of Crows. Dance of Dragons is lying in wait.
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan -- I think I read this in grade school, but not sure.
It may have been the Circle of Light series.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut - tried...but never in the right mood for some reason.
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley - I think I'm allergic to the Victorians. The language is like pushing one's brain through quicksand.
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood - not a huge Atwood fan, I keep trying to read her, and outside of the Robber Bride...not much success.
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King - first book only.
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke -- saw the movie and I think I actually read the book, can't remember.
25. The Stand, by Stephen King - gave up with 250 pages left. Long-ass annoyingly chauvinistic book, with bits of misogyny thrown in, threw it across the room at one point. The tv serial was better.
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman - Read first series and a few of the second and third.
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess - keep trying...loved the film.
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne - tried. Saw the film a lot of times.
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley - tried and gave up. Too preachy.
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin - own
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White - made it half-way through, then got incredibly bored.
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons - read the first novel in this series. Own the second.
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman -- saw the movie?
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson - loved this book and still vividly remember it - even though I read it over 30 years ago, it's about a doctor diagnosed with leprosey, in Applachia, who travels to another world and uses his wedding ring to heal others. Fascinating discourse on belief, religion, ritual, and faith.
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold - Didn't get past the Cordelia novels, once we jumped to her son and the military stuff, I got bored. Not a fan of military sci-fi.
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle - cheesy, but fun, sci-fi book that I read 10 years back and can't remember much of, except that I read it.
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - own. Kidbro gave it a horrendous review - said it was a romanticization of manhood or macho.
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke - I tried. I got bogged down in the scholary Victorian prose style (wish contemporary writers wouldn't try to write like the Victorians) and the countless footnotes. (Imagine Bram Stoker meets Edith Wharton, with a touch of Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman thrown in. Personally? It gave me a head-ach, and brought back nightmares from my English Lit days - when I had to read such stuff. But I know others love it.)
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson - I keep flirting with it.
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger - haven't been in the mood. But do own.
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart - by far the best of the Arthur books by anyone to date.
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher - tried in a book-store, not my cup of tea. But if you like Sword of Shannah and Conan...
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn - read the first two. Really badly written. Timothy Zahn uses words like - he said hurriedly or he whispered, he squeaked. All the things you are taught NOT to do as a writer.
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan - also really badly written. And I gave up on about 99% of the way through. I spoiled myself on the sequels and realized that I could not suspend my disbelief. It made no sense to me that the modern scholarly husband is a jerk, and the ancient guy is this romanticized hero right out of a Julie Garwood romance novel.
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle - I read it, I do not remember it very well if at all. So obviously not that good.
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis - the best and most realistic time travel book on this list.
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville - was warned off of this one by a trusted source, who stated that Mieville had some odd ideas about women and the female body, which would bother me.
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony - most of them. Can't remember them - read them in high school or thereabouts.
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis -- I used to own, but got rid of, too religious and preachy for me.
Whoa, I've read a lot of these or at least tried to. Have lots of quibbles. Like - what happened to Octavia Butler's Kindred - a haunting and far better time travel book than the others. Not to mention Jack Finney's classic Time and Again. OR Invasion of the Body Snatchers?? Then there's the wonderful Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. Or how about Sherri Tepper's Grass - which is a truly innovative and frightening sci-fi novel. There's also Maria Doria Russell's excellent The Sparrow and Children of God. Kim Harrison's Hollows Series - a sci-fi twist on urban fantasy. The marvelous CJ Cherryh and Guy Gaverial Kay are nowhere in sight. Also far too slanted towards white men. And no, Harlan Ellison?
I don't know this list felt very pulpy/disposable sci-fi to me. With lots of high school English class must reads - a la Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World..Anne McCaffrey's better sci-fi novels were left off - Restoree and Ship Who Sang. Andre Norton is nowhere in sight - although she is considered by many to be too young adult so that might explain it.
These lists always make me wonder about people. I never agree with them. And I can't remember half the titles of the things I've read. I know, I know, I should keep a book journal, but much like a food journal...I keep forgetting to do it.
2. In Plain Sight - which was quite good this week, only has six episodes left. Which will air next spring. Yes, it has been canceled, along with Eureka and The Closer. All are on their last legs. Can't say I'm surprised. In Plain Sight is also the only show on USA, with the possible exception of
Covert Affairs, that I find interesting or watchable. All the others are breezy boy shows that I've seen done before one too many times. I'm sure people find them comforting, I find them boring and one of them, just plain offensive. Not overly upset about the cancellations - I'm watching a lot of tv shows and none of them...really captivate me enough for me to get unduly upset by their untimely demise. [Why can't the shows I dislike be canceled? They never are. I won't bore you with the list - because, you may love a few of them.]
3.There's this 100 beloved Sci-Fantasy Titles Meme wandering about, that is compiled by NPR, from over 6,000 nominations, and 60,ooo votes. Glancing over the list, I find myself wondering about people again. I guess we should be happy, Atlas Shrugged isn't on it. Thank you for small favors. But...I do have quibbles. There are a couple of books on this list that I really dislike. And books that are missing from it - that well, shouldn't be. But eh...tis the deal with lists.
Bold if you've read, italicize ones you fully intend to read and/or own, underline if it's a series you've read part but not all of. I've also occasionally used underlining for books I started but didn't finish, and commented accordingly.
1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien - I preferred The Hobbit, got sort of bogged down in Return of the King...war stories tend to bore me. I find the fight for peace more interesting.
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams...have however seen the movie and tv series a few times, which may explain why I can't get through the book?
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card - may try again at a later point.
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert - made all the way up to Dune Messiah. The preachy metaphysics finally got on my nerves. I wanted more story and character exploration, less metaphysics.
The first prequel - was oddly more interesting - it was about the politics.
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin -- Working on Feast of Crows. Dance of Dragons is lying in wait.
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan -- I think I read this in grade school, but not sure.
It may have been the Circle of Light series.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut - tried...but never in the right mood for some reason.
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley - I think I'm allergic to the Victorians. The language is like pushing one's brain through quicksand.
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood - not a huge Atwood fan, I keep trying to read her, and outside of the Robber Bride...not much success.
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King - first book only.
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke -- saw the movie and I think I actually read the book, can't remember.
25. The Stand, by Stephen King - gave up with 250 pages left. Long-ass annoyingly chauvinistic book, with bits of misogyny thrown in, threw it across the room at one point. The tv serial was better.
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman - Read first series and a few of the second and third.
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess - keep trying...loved the film.
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne - tried. Saw the film a lot of times.
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley - tried and gave up. Too preachy.
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin - own
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White - made it half-way through, then got incredibly bored.
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons - read the first novel in this series. Own the second.
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman -- saw the movie?
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson - loved this book and still vividly remember it - even though I read it over 30 years ago, it's about a doctor diagnosed with leprosey, in Applachia, who travels to another world and uses his wedding ring to heal others. Fascinating discourse on belief, religion, ritual, and faith.
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold - Didn't get past the Cordelia novels, once we jumped to her son and the military stuff, I got bored. Not a fan of military sci-fi.
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle - cheesy, but fun, sci-fi book that I read 10 years back and can't remember much of, except that I read it.
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - own. Kidbro gave it a horrendous review - said it was a romanticization of manhood or macho.
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke - I tried. I got bogged down in the scholary Victorian prose style (wish contemporary writers wouldn't try to write like the Victorians) and the countless footnotes. (Imagine Bram Stoker meets Edith Wharton, with a touch of Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman thrown in. Personally? It gave me a head-ach, and brought back nightmares from my English Lit days - when I had to read such stuff. But I know others love it.)
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson - I keep flirting with it.
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger - haven't been in the mood. But do own.
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart - by far the best of the Arthur books by anyone to date.
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher - tried in a book-store, not my cup of tea. But if you like Sword of Shannah and Conan...
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn - read the first two. Really badly written. Timothy Zahn uses words like - he said hurriedly or he whispered, he squeaked. All the things you are taught NOT to do as a writer.
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan - also really badly written. And I gave up on about 99% of the way through. I spoiled myself on the sequels and realized that I could not suspend my disbelief. It made no sense to me that the modern scholarly husband is a jerk, and the ancient guy is this romanticized hero right out of a Julie Garwood romance novel.
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle - I read it, I do not remember it very well if at all. So obviously not that good.
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis - the best and most realistic time travel book on this list.
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville - was warned off of this one by a trusted source, who stated that Mieville had some odd ideas about women and the female body, which would bother me.
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony - most of them. Can't remember them - read them in high school or thereabouts.
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis -- I used to own, but got rid of, too religious and preachy for me.
Whoa, I've read a lot of these or at least tried to. Have lots of quibbles. Like - what happened to Octavia Butler's Kindred - a haunting and far better time travel book than the others. Not to mention Jack Finney's classic Time and Again. OR Invasion of the Body Snatchers?? Then there's the wonderful Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. Or how about Sherri Tepper's Grass - which is a truly innovative and frightening sci-fi novel. There's also Maria Doria Russell's excellent The Sparrow and Children of God. Kim Harrison's Hollows Series - a sci-fi twist on urban fantasy. The marvelous CJ Cherryh and Guy Gaverial Kay are nowhere in sight. Also far too slanted towards white men. And no, Harlan Ellison?
I don't know this list felt very pulpy/disposable sci-fi to me. With lots of high school English class must reads - a la Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World..Anne McCaffrey's better sci-fi novels were left off - Restoree and Ship Who Sang. Andre Norton is nowhere in sight - although she is considered by many to be too young adult so that might explain it.
These lists always make me wonder about people. I never agree with them. And I can't remember half the titles of the things I've read. I know, I know, I should keep a book journal, but much like a food journal...I keep forgetting to do it.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-08-13 10:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-14 01:59 am (UTC)Clarification? the breezy boy shows that I was referring to are on USA (Royal Pains, Suits, Burn Notice, White Collar, Psyche,). And to a degree Necessary Roughness which is supposed to be a breezy girl show...
no subject
Date: 2011-08-14 02:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-14 02:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-14 01:13 am (UTC)It is an interesting meme, I was shocked to learn that I had read 25% of the books (I thought I never read sci-fi).
no subject
Date: 2011-08-14 02:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-14 02:40 am (UTC)Yeah, except that I didn't think I read that many fantasy books either....
(you can see my list on my lj, if you are interested).
I should go back to keeping track of what I read since so few of the books I've read in the last few years seem to appear on these meme lists....
no subject
Date: 2011-08-14 01:25 pm (UTC)The young adult novels have been left off the lists.
Most of the books on these lists are best-sellers or award winners, that is ignoring the vast majority of good reads out there.
For example Denis Lehane appears five times on the Thriller list, but no Richard Price who wrote Clockers? Or what about the numerous female writers who have written urban fantasy thrillers? Or pure thrillers?
Same with fantasy and sci-fi - there a lot of good sci-fi and fantasy books that aren't on these lists. Joan D. Vinge's The Snow Queen is a lot better book than Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-14 02:43 pm (UTC)The Forever War
Date: 2011-08-14 01:14 am (UTC)Re: The Forever War
Date: 2011-08-14 02:01 am (UTC)the George RR Martin books I'm plodding through. ;-)