NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm reading The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. It's the first book I've ever read by him. Granted, I've heard people rave about him for years, especially in regards to his signature works, Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five, but never bothered to read them. But I decided to try The Sirens of Titan. There are very few books by any author that I was unable to put down, and this is one of them. I'd have to dig further in the book, but this is phenomenal for some reason, and it isn't even his best two. I'll definitly have to read them.
So, are there any Kurt Vonnegut fans, here?

Breakfast of Champions and Cat's Cradle I think are his best.

Love Vonnegut. At least his fiction. Everytime he opens his mouth to talk about politics or society yoou can tell the old guys off his meds. I think 'God Bless you Mr. Rosewater' was my favorite...

I'm a little partial to Robert Jordan. Of course, like any good libertarian, I have a soft spot for Ayn Rand. And lets not forget Max Barry, through whose innovative sales strategy we all find ourselves on this wonderful NS forum.

Love Vonnegut. At least his fiction. Everytime he opens his mouth to talk about politics or society yoou can tell the old guys off his meds. I think 'God Bless you Mr. Rosewater' was my favorite...
I read a USA Today article about him, where he said, among other things, that the President was a "twit", though you have to admit that's very polite for a leftist these days. Anyhow, his views don't matter to me. His skills of sublimination seem superb. That's the way it always is, that the wackiest guys are able to be the most creative and revolutionary.

I'm a little partial to Robert Jordan. Of course, like any good libertarian, I have a soft spot for Ayn Rand. And lets not forget Max Barry, through whose innovative sales strategy we all find ourselves on this wonderful NS forum.
I take issue with ayn rand because she can't stop shoving her ideology down the throat of the reader. It's just done poorly, and gets repetitious. I mean, honestly, especially in atlas shrugged, it gets tiring quickly.

Me, yes I write a "book". Well technically it is a compilation of many pages that are never printed. Then the great day of formatting came and took them all away (I was hacked, and I don't take chances. No I don't back up...). So now I am making V2s for them (not the reprasil weapon.) Luckily the first couple of things were backed up by my friend.

I like O'Reilly. He is good with programming books, lot better then the guy who did the C++ Primer. Couldn't understand anything past constructs.

J.K. Rowling :)

LOL

Dan Brown is good, James Joyce is very good, Auldous Huxley, Machiavelli, etc.

I take issue with ayn rand because she can't stop shoving her ideology down the throat of the reader. It's just done poorly, and gets repetitious. I mean, honestly, especially in atlas shrugged, it gets tiring quickly.

That's kinda the point of her books. If you don't like her philosophy, don't read it. Although, you do have a point about Atlas Shrugged. I loved most of the book, but even I can't make it through John Galt's 150 page speech at the end.

I'm a little partial to Robert Jordan. Of course, like any good libertarian, I have a soft spot for Ayn Rand. And lets not forget Max Barry, through whose innovative sales strategy we all find ourselves on this wonderful NS forum.
Ayn Rand has wafer thin characters and predictable plots, but The Fountainhead and Anthem had excellent metaphors, and of course, her ideas were revolutionary. She was perhaps one of the most creative authors of the 20th century. And I must add that her ideas are better presented in fiction than in her non fiction works, and I am a little heartbroken that she devouted her life to be a philosopher after Atlas Shrugged, because that career was a flop for her.

J.K. Rowling :)

LOL

Dan Brown is good, James Joyce is very good, Auldous Huxley, Machiavelli, etc.


Rowling is a great children's author, and her stuff is entertaining for adults as well. I really liked the concept of The DaVinci Code, but I think Dan Brown is a terrible author.

J.K. Rowling :)

LOL

She's probably the best author that's publishing books today. I remember that I couldn't stop reading her first book, and I said to myself that nothing could be better than this. I was wrong. Every one was better than the last, and by the sixth one, it was so good, I was moved to tears.

Yea Vonnegut is good - I read Slaughterhouse Five; very weird to say teh least

Any Palahniuk fans?

That's kinda the point of her books. If you don't like her philosophy, don't read it. Although, you do have a point about Atlas Shrugged. I loved most of the book, but even I can't make it through John Galt's 150 page speech at the end.
That doesn't make her a good author though. Look at 1984, or Brave New World. Same basic ideas (to get across a point), yet they do it without three(!) hour long radio speeches.

I rarely read fiction. Probably 14 out of 15 books I read are non-fiction, and of those, 95% or more are politics/history.

She's probably the best author that's publishing books today. I remember that I couldn't stop reading her first book, and I said to myself that nothing could be better than this. I was wrong. Every one was better than the last, and by the sixth one, it was so good, I was moved to tears.

I tried to read one of her books. Really boring.

Then again I don't like to read leisurly. I like to read to increase my abilities/knowledge, such as programming books, text books that weren't poorly written, etc.

One word:


Chekhov

F. Scott Fitzgerald

/thread

Steinbeck is my personal favorite. Although I did once miss a day of high school because I couldn't put Slaughter House Five down until I finished it. I also have a fondness for Lovecraft and Stephen King, especially the Dark Tower series.

Me, yes I write a "book". Well technically it is a compilation of many pages that are never printed. Then the great day of formatting came and took them all away (I was hacked, and I don't take chances. No I don't back up...). So now I am making V2s for them (not the reprasil weapon.) Luckily the first couple of things were backed up by my friend.

I like O'Reilly. He is good with programming books, lot better then the guy who did the C++ Primer. Couldn't understand anything past constructs.
I've written a couple of unfinished "books". I intend to have at least one of them published posthumously under a pseudonym.

I tried to read one of her books. Really boring.

Then again I don't like to read leisurly. I like to read to increase my abilities/knowledge, such as programming books, text books that weren't poorly written, etc.
Mostly a nonfiction type, I see. I actually am, too. But I read voraciously. I have a theory that all authors are secretly my slaves, writing just to make me feel good.

I've written a couple of unfinished "books". I intend to have at least one of them published posthumously under a pseudonym.

That I would like to see, Czardas.

Personally, I enjoyed Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeer and The Count of Monte Cristo . I also liked Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth along with his Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea . Homer's The Odyssey . As for Authors of music, the Brandenburg Concertos by J. S. Bach are good.

That I would like to see, Czardas.
It'd be a book of my reflections on human folly and the inhumanity of the world, I think. No plot or anything. Nonfiction. You'd get a tour of my brain with the admission price listed on the back.

It'd be a book of my reflections on human folly and the inhumanity of the world, I think. No plot or anything. Nonfiction. You'd get a tour of my brain with the admission price listed on the back.

Hmmm. I could write my opinions of humans, considering that I believe I am not one. No one could venture inside of my brain, tis too complex.

I'm reading The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. It's the first book I've ever read by him. Granted, I've heard people rave about him for years, especially in regards to his signature works, Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five, but never bothered to read them. But I decided to try The Sirens of Titan. There are very few books by any author that I was unable to put down, and this is one of them. I'd have to dig further in the book, but this is phenomenal for some reason, and it isn't even his best two. I'll definitly have to read them.
So, are there any Kurt Vonnegut fans, here?
Yes, big fan of KV here. Gets my vote for one of America's all-time greatest authors. Fantastic unmistakable style.

Yes, big fan of KV here. Gets my vote for one of America's all-time greatest authors. Fantastic unmistakable style.
Now that I think about it, it is a bit like Hemmingway's: short, terse (or in Vonnegut's case, laconic) sentences with lots of strong nouns. Then again, I've never seen an author that shifted focus as often or as freely as Vonnegut.

shakespeare

'nuff said

One word:


Chekhov
I've only read a few of his short storie and Iquite did enjoy them.

Hmmm. I could write my opinions of humans, considering that I believe I am not one. No one could venture inside of my brain, tis too complex.
I'm not really one either. And this is just a tour of the relevant portions. My own brain is far too difficult to understand anyway.

shakespeare

'nuff said
He'd be a good author, but I just don't like poetry, and Shakespeare uses far too many poetic devices. Then again, nothing good came out of the English language until the Georgian era.

I've only read a few of his short storie and Iquite did enjoy them.
Compared with others, he wrote little and short in length, but he wrote best.
You should try the novellas (I especially recommend reading "Ward Number Six") and, of course, his theatre.

No "best author thread" should go this long without anyone mentioning Marcel Proust. He is absolutely amazing.

Though I am glad to see people mentioning Joyce and Vonnegut, of course.

Other favorites: Nabokov, Marquez, Woolf, Mann, Grass, Faulkner, Rilke, and Flannery O'Conner

Compared with others, he wrote little and short in length, but he wrote best.
You should try the novellas (I especially recommend reading "Ward Number Six") and, of course, his theatre.
There are several books of his writings, but I have never read one. The story I remember most was about a wager made by a banker.

My favourite: Stephen King.

Marcel Proust. He is absolutely amazing.

Though I am glad to see people mentioning Joyce and Vonnegut, of course.

Proust? Joyce? Don't get me wrong, they're great (I have only read fragments of Proust's work, though) - but this indicates that you had/have lots of time on your hands :) .

Love Vonnegut. At least his fiction. Everytime he opens his mouth to talk about politics or society yoou can tell the old guys off his meds.

Do you really think his fiction and his politics are so easily separable? If so, I think you're missing the point of a fairly large portion of his literary work!

(Of course, that is not to say that one cannot appreciate fiction without agreeing with its ideological foundations. For instance, my absolute favorite play is "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?" Although I disagree with every ounce of its politics, I think Albee is absolutely brilliant. On the other hand, my opinion of him is deeply bound up with what I perceive as his talent for making conservatism seductive... I love him for getting me to love what I hate, if that makes any sense...)

I take issue with ayn rand because she can't stop shoving her ideology down the throat of the reader. It's just done poorly, and gets repetitious. I mean, honestly, especially in atlas shrugged, it gets tiring quickly.

Ah, I agree entirely about Rand... and this is precisely to the point of my previous post. Albee sucks you in to his ideology -- he doesn't drown you in it.

havent read whole thread, but has anyone said Homer?
the Odyssey, the Iliad.

Dan Brown is good, James Joyce is very good, Auldous Huxley, Machiavelli, etc.

I'm not sure I follow that "et cetera"... :confused:

Agatha Christie is amazing, with her mystery novels. Max Barry as well, with JG and Syrup (No, I'm not just saying that cause this is his site, and yes, I've read both books).

Anthony Horowitz!! I love his Alex Rider books, that series kicks major ass!

(Hopefully someone nominates me as a great author, some day. I'm twelve stinkin' years old and I have already started writing a book)

Anthony Horowitz!! Hands down. I love his Alex Rider books, that series kicks major ass!

(Hopefully someone nominates me as a great author. I'm twelve stinkin' years old and I have already started writing a book)
I thought euro said this... :[

Agatha Christie is amazing, with her mystery novels. *second favorite author ever!!!*

Anthony Horowitz!! Hands down. I love his Alex Rider books, that series kicks major ass!

(Hopefully someone nominates me as a great author, some day. I'm twelve stinkin' years old and I have already started writing a book)
What's it about?

I was writing stories at 12 too, although admittedly they weren't very good....

I'm still writing, lol. My latest work of fiction is set in a futuristic society like an uber-authoritarian version of China, in which those who fail their exams or break the laws of society are branded with a special mark and cast out of society, and their revolution led by a character based on me to a great extent. ;)

well, homer was a poet technically, but he did stories, so does he still count?

I thought euro said this... :[
Who??



@Czardas, do you want me to make a thread about it so I can discuss it? I don't want to get off topic of this subject. Oh, and nice plot for a story, however it reminds me of a book called...oh wait nevermind. I was thinking of that book The Barcode Tattoo. That book has a bit to do with futuristic stuff, and if you don't get a barcode at a certain age, you are cast out of society. Just not with the China stuff and a revolution.

Proust? Joyce? Don't get me wrong, they're great (I have only read fragments of Proust's work, though) - but this indicates that you had/have lots of time on your hands :) .

Haha -- I guess my BA in lit explains it.

But I've seen all kinds of people take the time to read Proust. A prof of mine once told me of a cop who would come home every day from work and spend like twenty minutes reading Remembrance of Things Past....when he would finish it, he'd start over again. Maybe a little OCD, but certainly admirable.

How did you like the fragments you read?

Who??



@Czardas, do you want me to make a thread about it so I can discuss it? I don't want to get off topic of this subject. Oh, and nice plot for a story, however it reminds me of a book called...oh wait nevermind. I was thinking of that book The Barcode Tattoo. That book has a bit to do with futuristic stuff, and if you don't get a barcode at a certain age, you are cast out of society. Just not with the China stuff and a revolution.
It's not anyway set in China, it's set in an unnamed country in the future that just bears a few resemblances. And in my version the world is ruled by exams; for example if you fail your exams you are cast out of society. It's a combination of ideas from a number of books I've read. There are also slavers who use the outcasts to work the nation's industrial facilities, and bounty hunters who turn rulebreakers and cheaters in to the Secret Police for money; and so on.

You can make a new thread, or you can post it here. It scarcely makes much difference.

John Irving
Douglas Adams
Jane Austen

My fiction list. There is a totally different list for non-fiction and poetry.

Who??
Euroslavia, Master of Stickies, The Moderator Ascendant, NationStates Lesser Guardian, Ruler of the Kingdom of the Midlands.... you know, that guy?

Homer is the best author ever, hands down.

It's not anyway set in China, it's set in an unnamed country in the future that just bears a few resemblances. And in my version the world is ruled by exams; for example if you fail your exams you are cast out of society. It's a combination of ideas from a number of books I've read. There are also slavers who use the outcasts to work the nation's industrial facilities, and bounty hunters who turn rulebreakers and cheaters in to the Secret Police for money; and so on.

You can make a new thread, or you can post it here. It scarcely makes much difference.
OOC: My advice: write the book, at least finish it, get a publishing company to look over. If they don't like the idea, curse at them behind their backs and get another company to see it. Rinse and repeat. (Wierd getting advice from a twelve year old isn't it??)

Anyways, Im gonna go and make a thread of my book.

OOC: My advice: write the book, at least finish it, get a publishing company to look over. If they don't like the idea, curse at them behind their backs and get another company to see it. Rinse and repeat. (Wierd getting advice from a twelve year old isn't it??)
No, I was quite wise at the age of 12. I had a lot more common sense than I have now. Even now, people on the internet mistake me for 18 or even 21 years old.... :p

How old am I really? I'll never tell you! Ahahahahaha!

[/hijacking]

I rarely read fiction. Probably 14 out of 15 books I read are non-fiction, and of those, 95% or more are politics/history.

Read anything by Plato, and you can get something that is, ambiguously, both fiction and nonfiction.

;)

How did you like the fragments you read?
The only thing I could comment on is style. It was to my preference, as Proust is painting the world with words.
All action elludes me, though. "Rememberance" has never been fully translated in my mother-tongue (and the way it is cut in several "novels" - that do not cover the whole text - is unnerving to the point where you would read only some fragments of the fragments, and I would've had to learn them by heart in order to remember something to this day :) ). Getting a full copy in another language is next to impossible.

Homer is the best author ever, hands down.
besides the writers of the Bible itself, YES!
thank you!

Anyway...


I have to put in a vote for Kafka. He manages to stimulate profoundly provocative thoughts on politics and society, without anchoring himself in any clear ideological position.

I think that Kafka manages to do what some theorists would consider impossible: he writes pure critique, from "no position." Reading Kafka is like drinking Kant.

;)

J. R. R. Tolkien

In my opinion the best (and factually the 2nd best selling of the last 50-years) book of all time is The Lord of the Rings.

Anyone who disagrees... :mp5: :mp5: :mp5:

personally my vote is with sun tzu :D

(and factually the best selling of the last 50-years)
Anyone who disagrees... :mp5: :mp5: :mp5:
I DISAGREE about the credability of your "fact" at least. The Bible has been the best selling book throughout the world for a long time, so much so that they dont even print it in the papers in the best selling list because every week it tops the charts

I DISAGREE about the credability of your "fact" at least. The Bible has been the best selling book throughout the world for a long time, so much so that they dont even print it in the papers in the best selling list because every week it tops the charts
oh yes, the Bilble,
sorry Homer, but your replaced by several.

I DISAGREE about the credability of your "fact" at least. The Bible has been the best selling book throughout the world for a long time, so much so that they dont even print it in the papers in the best selling list because every week it tops the charts
I'd have to agree. And even if you are not a Christian, any reader must agree that it is a triumph of early literature. It was certainly the best cultural acheivment of early Jewish civilization.

oops. I ment 2nd best...

normally I dont make typos that bad...

everything on here gets turned to religion, which is bad because these forums are athiest packed.
as a Christian i feel its me vs the forums.

you arent alone long horn country ( i live in texas too, which where i assume u live)

Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Robert Heinlein, Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Asprin :p , Charles Dickenson, C.S. Lewis… and many more :)

(*I didn't mention some others because they were already listed)

Miguel de Cervantes Saveedra.

Greatest author ever, and the only author who made the narrator just as interesting as all of the characters--with the exception of Tolkien's Hobbit, which wasn't quite as good. Anybody who does not love Don Quixote is not my friend.

Any Palahniuk fans?
wouldnt say he's the best author ever, but I do love his works (atleast the ones I've read by him). Definatly a very different author

everything on here gets turned to religion, which is bad because these forums are athiest packed.
as a Christian i feel its me vs the forums.
Funny, Neo Rogolia said the same thing.