Enders game has more plot holes and inconsistencies than dragon ball z, but i love it to death.
The whole discworld series, especially thief of time.
The red dwarf and hitchikers guide to the galaxy novels are also awesome.
[quote]OctoberGirl wrote:
It was a short story titled “The Body” but I figured most folks probably didn’t read it, but they did see the movie.
Thanks for letting me clear that up if there was confusion.
[/quote]
“Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” is in a book of four of his novelettes I have, along with “The Body” (the compilation is “Different Seasons”). Shawshank is a great read. Generally I can’t handle reading books I’ve seen in movie form, but both Shawshanks are terrific.
Also, speaking of King and his movies/books, “Green Mile” is a good book, too.
For what I think of as classics (old books they tend to read in schools), have you read “Catcher in the Rye,” OG? Great book. I thought it was really funny, though I know many people find it sad.
For recent books, “The Time Traveler’s Wife” was all the rage in my circles three or four years ago. I don’t recall anyone disliking it. Professors, housewives, college girls…everyone seemed to love it. I’m not sure if any men read it, or if it’s a total chick book. But smart chicks were all over it.
“The Road” was a great book and I’m glad I read it, but I was having trouble breathing by the end of it. A total assault on the spirit.
You can’t go wrong with “Angela’s Ashes,” “Corelli’s Mandolin,” or “Middlesex,” all of which are, in my opinion, page-turners a Stephen King fan would like.
[quote]analog_kid wrote:
Did you read Twilight yet OG? Come on, you know you want to. [/quote]
lol
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
pushharder wrote:
deputydawg wrote:
EmilyQ:
In my befuddled 40 something brain I seem to recallthat you were writing a novel with a weighlifter as a character. How did that turn out? Do you have any published books? I'm curious as to what would be on your list (not necessarily "future classics" but relatively recent stuff you like).
Good question. I don’t recall any updates from her on that book.
Thanks for asking. deputydawg, I’m unpublished. The book that brought me to T-Nation is my first completed novel.
I’m not really sure how it’s going. It’s hard to tell. I’ve been messing with it for right at a year now. In that time I’ve been going to writing/critique groups and trying to learn the business of writing books. I’ve got a mentor who vets manuscripts for her small publisher, who’s told me her publisher will print it if I decide not to pursue “New York.” But I want New York. I want to see my book on a shelf at Barnes and Noble. Still, it’s exciting to think I can at least be an obscure published writer.
I’m currently in a desperate rush to get the thing organized and printed and shipped off to an agent who requested the entire manuscript two weeks ago. It’s kind of a big deal to me because I’ve gotten only form rejections until recently. Which means my query letter and synopsis are getting tighter, as is the book itself. The book was 50% longer than was salable when I finished it and sent out the first batch of queries. The second batch have actually garnered some more personal/positive response. It’s still 20% too long, so the requesting agent will ultimately reject it. I’m still trimming.
So…good, I guess! Even if I don’t get far with this one (but I hope I will), I’ve learned enough over the course of this year to make the next one much easier.
[/quote]
Whoa ! That is awesome ! Great work and good luck !
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
I agree with the bulk of your post. I don’t like your possible classics list, though.
[/quote]
How 'bout now ?
Tommasina Robbins
Sally Rushdie
Donnette DeLillo
Jane Kennedy Toole
Kerry Vonnegut
Rae Carver
Josey Saramago
[quote]SinisterMinister wrote:
So, by your logic, ‘Slaughterhouse Five’ is ‘populist drivel’ and ‘Mein Kampf’ is a classic.
[/quote]
I wouldn’t consider Kurt Vonnegut populist – drivel perhaps, but not populist. ‘Mugumbo Snuffbox’ was much better, IMO. Sometimes I think people equate cult status with being classic. I was actually referring to the OP’s mention of the pop lit she listed.
I like all of Kerouac’s stuff but I don’t consider it classic just because a bunch of misunderstood, beat teenagers can relate to it.
I am not going to pretend to be a literary scholar. I am sure such people have a criteria for what makes a classic. To me, as with musical taste, labels don’t matter much but rather what one likes.
Just to be clear, there hasn’t been one popular fiction written in the last 25 years (that I have read) that I would consider classic.
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
Mark Twain? Populist drivel sometimes goes the distance.
[/quote]
Hey, that guy could write a story. I never said I didn’t like “drivel”. Everyone needs some entertainment now and then.
[quote]sen say wrote:
EmilyQ wrote:
I agree with the bulk of your post. I don’t like your possible classics list, though.
How 'bout now ?
Tommasina Robbins
Sally Rushdie
Donnette DeLillo
Jane Kennedy Toole
Kerry Vonnegut
Rae Carver
Josey Saramago[/quote]
Hey! My list was written by all men! Except maybe “Time Traveler’s Wife.” I can’t find the actual book. I could google it, I guess. But the rest? Sweaty, hairy MEN.
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
I’m sure even the widely accepted classics were recognized for their potential when they were first published.
[/quote]
Because the price of printing a book was significantly greater when books began to be printed en masse than it is today I would imagine publishers took more time to consider a manuscript’s worthiness for printing. Just the fact that a manuscript made it to print put it in contention for classic status. The price of printing is so minimal and the number of publishers so vast in modern times that pretty much anyone who can write a complete story can get published.
Also, just think about all the other materials that one does not need because of the relatively cheap PC – no more typewriter; no more endless amounts of paper; no more ink ribbon. This alone makes literature more available than ever before. With the advent of e-publishing I am going to predict that finding classics is going to be that much more difficult. Virtually everyone who can write will be “published”.
[quote]sen say wrote:
Whoa ! That is awesome ! Great work and good luck ![/quote]
Thanks. I’m excited about it all, when I’m not in despair. The agent asked for the complete manuscript after reading the first three chapters. Pretty heady stuff. It came at a good time, because another agent sent me a note saying that while she liked my premise, she found my writing “stiff.” Which of course had me in tears. But even getting a handwritten note is positive, from what I hear. It means she bothered to read it through before shattering my hopes and dreams.
Poor Mr. Q. It’s gotta suck to be him as I deal with these rejections and mindfuck it all to death.
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
But even getting a handwritten note is positive, from what I hear. It means she bothered to read it through before shattering my hopes and dreams.
Poor Mr. Q. It’s gotta suck to be him as I deal with these rejections and mindfuck it all to death. [/quote]
I once got a note on a poem I submitted asking me what ‘redux’ meant…I was on cloud 9 for a week.
As for Mr. Q., I’m sure all you’ve learned on the SAMA threads has alleviated any of his problems…speaking of which…when are you bringing the second broad into the boudoir so he can engage in the Sherlock Holmes?
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
PonceDeLeon wrote:
I’m sure even the widely accepted classics were recognized for their potential when they were first published.
Because the price of printing a book was significantly greater when books began to be printed en masse than it is today I would imagine publishers took more time to consider a manuscript’s worthiness for printing. Just the fact that a manuscript made it to print put it in contention for classic status. The price of printing is so minimal and the number of publishers so vast in modern times that pretty much anyone who can write a complete story can get published.
Also, just think about all the other materials that one does not need because of the relatively cheap PC – no more typewriter; no more endless amounts of paper; no more ink ribbon. This alone makes literature more available than ever before. With the advent of e-publishing I am going to predict that finding classics is going to be that much more difficult. Virtually everyone who can write will be “published”.[/quote]
On the other hand, being published in print is becoming more difficult. There’s a lot more competition for readers, who are spending their leisure/reading time online. The Loius L’Amour, Dean Koontz, Nora Roberts readers are posting on message boards or skimming through MSN and Yahoo. They make up the bulk of the market. Romance alone is 50% of the total book market. The industry is struggling. Without buyers for the genre books, there’s less money available to take chances with literary work.
[quote]Natural Nate wrote:
Cimmerian wrote:
Natural Nate wrote:
I was just making an obscure quote. Come on, someone get it!
Nietzsche?
Ghostbusters![/quote]
Of course, that was going to be my second guess.
I noticed a bit of talk of Stephen King in here. I recommend you horror fans try out some H.P. Lovecraft and then see if King measures up.
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
pushharder wrote:
deputydawg wrote:
EmilyQ:
In my befuddled 40 something brain I seem to recallthat you were writing a novel with a weighlifter as a character. How did that turn out? Do you have any published books? I'm curious as to what would be on your list (not necessarily "future classics" but relatively recent stuff you like).
Good question. I don’t recall any updates from her on that book.
Thanks for asking. deputydawg, I’m unpublished. The book that brought me to T-Nation is my first completed novel.
I’m not really sure how it’s going. It’s hard to tell. I’ve been messing with it for right at a year now. In that time I’ve been going to writing/critique groups and trying to learn the business of writing books. I’ve got a mentor who vets manuscripts for her small publisher, who’s told me her publisher will print it if I decide not to pursue “New York.” But I want New York. I want to see my book on a shelf at Barnes and Noble. Still, it’s exciting to think I can at least be an obscure published writer.
I’m currently in a desperate rush to get the thing organized and printed and shipped off to an agent who requested the entire manuscript two weeks ago. It’s kind of a big deal to me because I’ve gotten only form rejections until recently. Which means my query letter and synopsis are getting tighter, as is the book itself. The book was 50% longer than was salable when I finished it and sent out the first batch of queries. The second batch have actually garnered some more personal/positive response. It’s still 20% too long, so the requesting agent will ultimately reject it. I’m still trimming.
So…good, I guess! Even if I don’t get far with this one (but I hope I will), I’ve learned enough over the course of this year to make the next one much easier.
It’s chick lit, btw, so not a future classic. But that’s okay. I don’t aspire to that sort of immortality. I’m happy to be a rich, famous lowbrow.
I’ll have to think of my book list later. Honestly, I hate to do “favorite books” or “favorite movies” lists. It depends on my mood at any given time.
[/quote]
Great job EmilyQ! The fact that you FINISHED writing a novel impresses the hell out of me. Myself, I’ve started a couple but could never finish – my ADD kicked in and I lost interest. So I am impressed. Good Luck. If it does get published let us know, I’m sure you’ll get a little T-Nation sales action.
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
Romance alone is 50% of the total book market. The industry is struggling. Without buyers for the genre books, there’s less money available to take chances with literary work.
[/quote]
Does this foretell the death of “dime” novels or literary work?
Something tells me populist fiction will remain in print. People still like to hold and read mindless paperbacks when sitting on the beach or crammed in to an airbus, for example.
On thing that I do see happening for literary work is “print on demand”. Imagine being able to link into a site like Amazon and having an out of print book printed at the click of a button. There will be market forces that make literary work available where there is a demand. I also think there will be technology available soon that will make e-books more user-friendly.
In regards to horror, I listened to the audio book by Clive Barker, “History of the Devil.” That was a pretty good and interesting story.
I am not a Lovecraft fan but I am an Edgar A. Poe fan. I just recently learned he was the first person put forth the “Big Bang Theory” as the a possible origin for the universe.
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
EmilyQ wrote:
Romance alone is 50% of the total book market. The industry is struggling. Without buyers for the genre books, there’s less money available to take chances with literary work.
Does this foretell the death of “dime” novels or literary work?
Something tells me populist fiction will remain in print. People still like to hold and read mindless paperbacks when sitting on the beach or crammed in to an airbus, for example.
On thing that I do see happening for literary work is “print on demand”. Imagine being able to link into a site like Amazon and having an out of print book printed at the click of a button. There will be market forces that make literary work available where there is a demand. I also think there will be technology available soon that will make e-books more user-friendly.[/quote]
That time is now! Amazon’s Kindle is absolutely lovely. I have a friend with a Sony (I think) version, and it’s surprisingly hold-able and readable. I’m not ready to give up printed books, but if the Kindle was a couple hundred dollars cheaper, I’d bite.
As for the print on demand, that too is here now. That’s what small presses do (vanity presses as well, which charge the author, a whole different thing). My published friend’s books are sold at Amazon. I’m not sure whether they stay a couple copies ahead, or what, but it’s POD.
The problem is that it’s tough to build enough buzz to really sell a book without hard copies. For now, anyway. Print on demand authors are making very little money.
Sen Say…no other broads as yet. Don’t you think one of me is enough??
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
EmilyQ wrote:
Romance alone is 50% of the total book market. The industry is struggling. Without buyers for the genre books, there’s less money available to take chances with literary work.
Does this foretell the death of “dime” novels or literary work?
Something tells me populist fiction will remain in print. People still like to hold and read mindless paperbacks when sitting on the beach or crammed in to an airbus, for example.
On thing that I do see happening for literary work is “print on demand”. Imagine being able to link into a site like Amazon and having an out of print book printed at the click of a button. There will be market forces that make literary work available where there is a demand. I also think there will be technology available soon that will make e-books more user-friendly.
That time is now! Amazon’s Kindle is absolutely lovely. I have a friend with a Sony (I think) version, and it’s surprisingly hold-able and readable. I’m not ready to give up printed books, but if the Kindle was a couple hundred dollars cheaper, I’d bite.
As for the print on demand, that too is here now. That’s what small presses do (vanity presses as well, which charge the author, a whole different thing). My published friend’s books are sold at Amazon. I’m not sure whether they stay a couple copies ahead, or what, but it’s POD.
The problem is that it’s tough to build enough buzz to really sell a book without hard copies. For now, anyway. Print on demand authors are making very little money.
Sen Say…no other broads as yet. Don’t you think one of me is enough??
[/quote]
I’ve seen the Kindle on amazon.com, but I like being able to read a book and if I enjoy it, pass it along to someone. Make notes in the margin, doodle, pencil in messages. And I don’t have to worry about charging my battery to read.
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
Don’t you think one of me is enough??
[/quote]
Egads…more than !!!