Comments | aurey09: Guilt meme

aurey09

Guilt meme

Jan 18, 2007 15:05

I was tagged by blueanddollsome Guilt What is yours? Explain yourself Culinary: Microwave Marshmallows. They taste better that way. Literary: I don't like some 'classic' books Perfume, Animal Farm, Slaughter House Five and Lord of the Flies. They're idea books and not Character driven.Audiovisual: I dislike some popular shows Ugly Betty, The OC, Doctor Who, ( Read more... )

meme

Comments 22

lorelei_frolick January 18 2007, 19:34:20 UTC

Your opinion of idea-driven books is interesting.
I really liked Lord of the Flies and I loved Animal Farm. I haven't read Slaughter House Five, it's on my "to do" list. In the case of Animal Farm, part of the reason I like it so much is that I'm really interested in Russian history, so I enjoyed reading about it in allegorical form. I also *heart* Boxer. I cried when they carted him away. It also has some wonderfully resonant passages, the way the Seven Commandments change and are simplified is great.
Of course, the very best writing combines strong characters and ideas. All of Joss' work, for instance, is very idea-motivated (eg. female empowerment) but of course also character-driven.

aurey09 January 18 2007, 19:54:51 UTC

It's not that I hated them I just didn't feel emotionally invested. They're well written it’s just personal taste.

I also find Russian history interesting and I'm in the middle of reading 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'. And Chinese history has interested me ever since I read a book called 'Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China.'

lorelei_frolick January 19 2007, 01:04:11 UTC

I agree with you about not being emotionally invested in Lord of the Flies. I cared about the Animals of Animal Farm though. I liked it much more than 1984, although 1984 is definitely worth reading just for the ideas ( ... )

aurey09 January 19 2007, 01:16:53 UTC

I'm going to have to type quickly (one in the morning here and I've got to get up at six.)

The book is by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

The other book I mentioned looks over a few generations of one family - some of it looks at the conflict between Chine and Japan and then communism. I didn't know much about it at the time and I found some of it shocking.

blueanddollsome January 19 2007, 07:14:21 UTC

Okay, I've tried microwaving marshmallows before, and they get all weird and inedible. How long do you microwave them for?

It's been a while since I've read Slaughterhouse Five, but I really liked it. I can see what you mean about not being invested in the characters, though. I'm just a fan of Vonnegut's style. I like the quirky.

How was "Of Human Bondage"? I've been meaning to read that. Also, have you read Joss' X-Men comics?

aurey09 January 19 2007, 22:00:56 UTC

Some makes of marshmallows taste better than others.

'Slaughterhouse Five' is the only book of Vonnegut's I've read, I was thinking about reading another. Is there one that you could recommend?

I liked 'Of Human Bondage.' It’s a very internal novel and deals a lot with beliefs, isolation and self-destruction. The parts about the main character's childhood really got to me. It was published in 1915 (I think.) I think the writer is one of those people who are ahead of their times.

You can download it here for free: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/351

I was going to read the X-men comics but haven’t got round to buying them yet, but I’ve read Fray and the Firefly ones. I’m not a big comic book person. But I’m still excited about Season 8 of Buffy - just not sure where I’m going to buy them from.

blueanddollsome January 20 2007, 22:40:21 UTC

The other Vonnegut book I read is "Breakfast of Champions," but I think "Slaughterhouse Five" is better. I want to read more of his stuff though, because apparently there's these recurring characters who show up. Like Kilgour Trout (I forget if he features in Slaugterhouse), and I think the aliens, whose name I forget to spell, show up in a couple of other novels too. I just think that's really cool.

Free ebook! Yay!

Yeah, I didn't especially like the comic format when I read the Serenity series. It's just that I'm going nuts at the moment between spoilers for season 8, and I need something Jossy to keep me occupied. I wasn't interested in X-Men at all, until I read an interview with Joss where he talked about how he made Cyclopse cool, and played Wolverine for laughs without making a clown of his character. I thought that was pretty cool

Kurt Vonnegut lorelei_frolick January 21 2007, 05:36:01 UTC

If you'd like to try more Vonnegut but don't wanna commit to a novel, you could always try his short stories. I really, really like "Harrison Bergeron."

Thread 5

ozma914 January 19 2007, 10:29:09 UTC

Joss likes The Killer Angels?! That's one of my favorite books ever.

I'm also big with the soundtrack collecting -- like you, for shows I don't even watch. I'll collect anything by certain composers, such as John Williams or James Horner.

aurey09 January 19 2007, 20:19:53 UTC

Here's some quotes from Joss Whedon interviews where he talks about the book ( ... )

poor Tillie! ozma914 January 21 2007, 22:32:00 UTC

So Firefly was inspired by one of my favorite books, which was turned into my favorite war movie? Great minds really *do* think alike! :-)

Re: poor Tillie! aurey09 January 22 2007, 00:59:11 UTC

There's Jubal Early in Firefly and I'm assuming that's a nod to the book.

Thread 8

evie_oh January 19 2007, 13:38:54 UTC

I'm not a huge fan of most classic books either (for example my most hated novel is Catcher in the rye, I'm sure that its probably a great book but I couldn't stand Holden)

And I completely understand the microwaved marshmallows thing :)

aurey09 January 19 2007, 20:27:58 UTC

I've read, 'Catcher in the Rye' I found it okay but it's not a book that I'd particularly want to read again. I know a lot of people that hated it though.

Finally someone gets the marshmallow thing, I like them when they're really crispy. They make a mess though and make people think you're childish and odd.

lorelei_frolick January 21 2007, 05:32:29 UTC

I *heart* Catcher in the Rye, and I love Holden. I really identify with him. We think the same way. Which isn't really a good thing. I guess it reflects better on your mental and emotional state if you don't identify with Holden.

evie_oh January 21 2007, 11:14:47 UTC

Yeah, as I said, its a book that a lot of people love, I just really couldn't relate to him or feel any sort of sympathy for him. But then again, a lot of the books I love are probably disliked by a lot of people :)

myfeetshowit January 20 2007, 19:03:53 UTC

I see we have a lot in common. I've never tried microwaving marshmallows, but I'm going to soon.

I like character driven books the most, but enjoy the change of pace that idea-driven books give, and they are usually the ones that stay with me. And even with character driven I need a good idea as well.

Soundtracks have been a obsession of mine even when it was considered incredibly geeky to like them. I find they are wonderful for putting me in the mood to write.