Gothic.net Community

Gothic.net Community (https://www.gothic.net/boards/index.php)
-   Literature (https://www.gothic.net/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=7)
-   -   What Are You Reading? (https://www.gothic.net/boards/showthread.php?t=517)

BourbonBoy 10-16-2015 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormbringer (Post 812307)
Hi Bourbonboy, as I said to MoonCreature, I'm a big fam of Moorcock (hence dubbing myself Stormbringer) the guy's a phemomenon and contributed a lot to the creation of steampunk and dare I say, goth itself. Enjoy !

Sorry for the late reply, I've been a little busy lately.:) "Nomad of the Timestreams" was the first book I picked up by Moorcock and still love reading it from time to time. I've truly felt for a long time that the great fantasy film that was never made was regarding Elric of Melniboné since it's been in production limbo forever. Gotta confess though, I've always enjoyed his sci-fi over his fantasy :p but you have to admire a writer who can connect all of his stories in one unique multiverse.

tessla-jane 10-21-2015 12:03 PM

The Dovekeepers - Alice Hoffman

Molster 10-26-2015 06:00 AM

Now onto Moondance of Stonewylde, really loving the books...more info can be found here

Lyonel 10-30-2015 03:35 PM

The Gumshoe, The Witch & The Virtual Corpse by Keith Hartman. This book is pretty random, lots of nonsensical twists. I'm in the middle of the book and I still have no idea where the plot is heading. Things are getting pretty interesting though... I hope. Lol

LovelyLunaxx 11-06-2015 10:40 AM

Am I the only one who consumes books and reads many chapters of different books every day? I am currently engrossed in Harry Potter, Maze Runner, Hunger Games (yes I do so enjoy my escape in fantasy) and the Castle of Otranto. I welcome any book suggestions...I do go through them so quickly.

Stormbringer 11-06-2015 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LovelyLunaxx (Post 812509)
Am I the only one who consumes books and reads many chapters of different books every day? I am currently engrossed in Harry Potter, Maze Runner, Hunger Games (yes I do so enjoy my escape in fantasy) and the Castle of Otranto. I welcome any book suggestions...I do go through them so quickly.

If you like Walpole's Castle of Otranto Luna, you'll love Anne Radcliffe's The Mysteries Of Udolpho (1794) - the gothic novel par excellence. It's a challenging read at times but beautifully written and vastly rewarding, Ms Radcliffe was a best selling author in her day.

LovelyLunaxx 11-06-2015 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormbringer (Post 812512)
If you like Walpole's Castle of Otranto Luna, you'll love Anne Radcliffe's The Mysteries Of Udolpho (1794) - the gothic novel par excellence. It's a challenging read at times but beautifully written and vastly rewarding, Ms Radcliffe was a best selling author in her day.

Very intriguing...thank you for the suggestion, Stormbringer. I think I will enjoy this very much.

Stormbringer 11-06-2015 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LovelyLunaxx (Post 812516)
Very intriguing...thank you for the suggestion, Stormbringer. I think I will enjoy this very much.

See if you can get the Penguin Classics edition (inexpensive and easy to find), it has a fascinating introduction and notes at the back. Anne Radcliffe is little known today but she had many admirers in her day; the Bronte sisters, Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Horace Walpole. And her heroine Emily is easy to fall in love with.

LovelyLunaxx 11-07-2015 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormbringer (Post 812518)
See if you can get the Penguin Classics edition (inexpensive and easy to find), it has a fascinating introduction and notes at the back. Anne Radcliffe is little known today but she had many admirers in her day; the Bronte sisters, Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Horace Walpole. And her heroine Emily is easy to fall in love with.

My, my thank you for the suggestions. As soon as I can get my claws on these books I will surely devour them.

Acharis 12-19-2015 02:00 AM

Picked up an Anne Rice book from the op shop to re-read (Taltos) but it's not holding up well. Reading for the enjoyable descriptions of clothing, makeup and food... but actually finding the characters really irritating.

Anise 12-19-2015 01:04 PM

Oh gosh, ya know I love Anne Rice ~ she's simply darling <3
But betwixt ourselves Acharis, I found her books a chore to read ..
Did I whisper that? Sure hope so!
I dunno? *shrugs* o.O
Too elaborate .. too long~winded?
I'm going to hell for dissing the Rice aren't I!? lol

At present I'm reading Gothic Dark Glamour ...
Well, I say 'reading' but that act is being distracted by my diversions into drooling on the pictorial accompaniments! ... Some nice imagery for ya! lol

Anise 12-19-2015 01:10 PM

P.S. I've just noticed that on the back cover of the copy of GDG that I sought from Amazon it states .. 'Baltimore County Public Library' hahahaaa :D

Stormbringer 12-19-2015 03:05 PM

I'm going to hell for dissing the Rice aren't I!? lol

Heh, Anise, I agree with you. After seeing Mr Cruise in the first movie more than one of my female co-workers decieded they would be doing me a huge favour by lending me all the books. I got as far as the end of the first tome then gave them back - with fulsome thanks for the courtesy of course.

My local op-shop recently had a complete (obviously pre-loved) Harry Potter set too. One wonders what circumstances would lead one to part with the entire set after having gone to all the trouble and expense of assembling it ? Nothing tragic one would hope.

Saya 12-19-2015 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acharis (Post 813183)
Picked up an Anne Rice book from the op shop to re-read (Taltos) but it's not holding up well. Reading for the enjoyable descriptions of clothing, makeup and food... but actually finding the characters really irritating.

This is a big issue I have with Anne Rice. I don't think she's a bad writer, I just usually end up hating her characters XD

I got a sci-fi anthology going on right now, and debating whether I want to read Anno Dracula or The Secret History of Wonder Woman next.

Anise 12-19-2015 06:45 PM

Oh dear .. the whole set! Susicious ~~
I think Anne herself is wonderful, a darling lady; and of course she has had great success with her writing, many adoring readers .. it's just I can't seem to read them! I can dissect Shakespeare, digest Chaucer but for the life of me ..
Can't enjoy an Anne Rice novel o.O

I adored Queen of the Damned .. I know some find it a cheesy romance film, but the soundtrack was immense and with Stuart Townsend being Irish ...
Well c'mon .. I have to big up the Irish massive ;)

Interview with a Vampire also translated well into film format, and although Mr Cruise did a fine job .. he just wasn't Lestat .. Townsend is Lestat!

I often purchase books from my local village store; there's a few shelves dedicated to used books; £1 each all funds for the much needed Air Ambulance. Today I saw several of Charlaine Harris's 'True Blood' books. Wasn't tempted, I have the set and haven't read one of them from cover to cover! Again, I enjoyed the series, but the books lol, well there's no visuals of Eric!

*shrugs* I dunno .. Vampyre literature has just waned since Polidori and Stoker. It's hard to get a true story with bite :p

The Thomas Harris novels Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon, now whilst the film adaptations were great, the books were fantastic! I bloody loved Francis Dollarhyde! My poor lamb ~ it wasn't his fault that he became a serial killer. One can only sustain so much shit in life, there IS a tipping point ...
LOL the worm turns!

Fantastically real characters and you feel them, their inner frailty. That, to me is what makes a story worthy of the read, a page turner. As a child I read Wuthering Heights in under 2 days and almost cried when I reached the final page .. longing for more. Whilst I revere Ms Rice as a contemporary author, unfortunately no matter how I tried I simply couldn't give a flying fuck about any persons contained within a story .. too much talking, not enough heart?

Saya 12-19-2015 06:57 PM

If you want a fun vampire read, have you read Bloodshot by Cherie Priest? She's a great writer anyway, but I loved her vampire books particularly. They're not particularly dark or scary, but they're pretty entertaining without being mind rot.

I actually read Twilight and Life and Death (the genderbent version) recently, so I could do a comparison review. I think I'm off vampires for a while as a result -_-* It was just...so...bad.

Stormbringer 12-19-2015 07:59 PM

I'm reading Sir Walter Scott's Kenilworth (1821) I've got a lovely 1871 edition with gold embellished Victorian cover. Purchased for the princely sum of $2 from a Trash & Treasure stall. Great novel full of beautiful language and flights of high romance, tragedy, intrigue and Regency period fancy :

"...the extended front and massive towers of the castle were seen to rise in majesty and beauty. We cannot but add, that of this lordly palace where princes feasted and heroes fought, now in the bloody earnest of storm and seige, and now in the games of chivalry, where beauty dealt the prize which valour won, all now is desolate."

A bit of a demanding read at times, to be sure but vastly rewarding none the less.

Acharis 12-20-2015 04:12 AM

It's weird because parts of Anne Rice are ok? Like the descriptions of clothing, cosmetics, styles, and food are luscious. It's amazing in a sensory way that gives me cravings. And I like a good story.

I just don't like Michael's thing for little girls, get kind of annoyed at how over the top the characters act when they don't need to, and I can't stand Mona at all. It just feels like everyone is trying tiresomely hard to be Very Grown Up and Dramatic.

Oh dear. I'm a cranky old creature :mad:

Ellethwyn 12-20-2015 11:55 PM

I just started, Beyond Beowulf.

Black_Ice149 12-21-2015 07:50 AM

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
Needful Things by Stephen King
Human, All Too Human by Friedrich Nietzsche

Anise 12-21-2015 08:16 AM

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” ~ love me some Nietzsche.

Stephen King is faaantabulous! Enjoy ;)

Yes Acharis, agree with your view upon the delicious descriptive images of finery. Haven't read Taltos, but this Michael sounds suss! ~~

Thanks for la mention Saya! Will check Ms Priest out <3

Anise 12-21-2015 08:20 AM

P.S.

Acharis ~ is Mona a Vampyre?
*sings* Mona the Vampiiiiiiiire ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ--srHM_Do

Acharis 12-21-2015 09:14 AM

Well actually - (click and drag for spoiler) ...Weirdly enough she apparently gets turned into one later, because she's dying after delivering her supernatural monster child. I haven't read that book.

Gawd. Depressingly this is seeming more and more like the granddaddy of Twilight. And yes, while it's seen as fine in the book Michael is suss as fuck.


^^ I love Stephen King though.

Stormbringer 12-21-2015 12:28 PM

Stephen King was part of my formative years. He was a household name in the 80s and, for better or for worse, Hollywood quickly snapped him up. I loved Christine in particular - both the book and the movie. Both came out while I was in high school and the story struck a real chord with me then - teen angst and all. The Shining, Pet Semetery, Carrie, Misery were all excellent but I lost interest in him thereafter.

Black_Ice149 12-21-2015 02:01 PM

Yeah, King's books don't necessarily always fit in with "goth values", but then again, nothing does so for everyone. I suppose being Goth, by whatever means, is mostly such a personal experience; like a fascination with something that calls your name from the end of a dark corridor - it almost just HAS to happen when you're alone.


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 10:43 AM.