Maxine’s Comments (group member since Aug 31, 2011)

Maxine’s comments from the *~Can't Stop Reading~* group.

The thing about Austen is she can't be pigeon-holed and her books can be read in so many ways. I am not a fan of romance novels as we think of them today which is how her works are often described. Yet, she is still my favourite writer because I don't see her books as (small r) romantic but rather as witty and insightful tales of the world she lived in - a rather unique time historically, by the way. She also has a grasp (and acceptance) of human frailty and foolishness which is timeless and is why her books and characters can so easily be modernized. She kind of took the popular themes and memes of novels in her day and made them her own. Just as Pride and Prejudice is her Comedy of Manners and Northanger Abbey is a send up of gothic novels, Sense and Sensibility is her response to the new Romantic movement of her day. For Jane, nature versus civilization becomes emotions or sensibility (Marianne) versus sense (Elinor) and she falls pretty heavily in the sense camp. Our Jane was no flighty Romantic fainting at the sight of an uncovered chair leg.

So if you want to read her with a posh accent, a cockney accent or anything in between, it really doesn't matter because just about everyone who reads an Austen novel will read it in a way that works for them. Austen speaks to the human condition like no other writer except perhaps Shakespeare which is why she is still so popular 200 years later.

It took me a long time to embrace the whole ebook idea. Now, though, I appreciate the portability of ereaders and the number of books I can take with me inside my purse. I also like the fact that I can hold the ereader in one hand. What I don't appreciate is all the hassle, the problems with freezing, etc. I also find I don't feel as invested in the books and tend to read less.

In the end, I would have to say paper hands down just for the simplicity, the smell, the feel and the greater emotional attachment I feel to paper books. In my case, it's a bit McLuhanesque - the medium is the message.

I'm a huge fan of Dickens, have been for a very long time, but he's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. His books were serialized and he got paid by each serial part (not by the word) so they can be somewhat long and wordy. And, of all his books, A Tale of Two Cities is my least favourite. Personally I prefer Bleak House and Dombey and Sons. But, for anyone interested in what it was like in Victorian England, no one wrote it better than Dickens (or funnier or more descriptively for that matter).

However, I think it's important to understand that classics are classics for a reason. I get why some people don't like them - they were written for a different audience with different expectations. We forget that writers like Dickens and Shakespeare wrote mainly for the masses, not the intellectuals or elites of the time. They were the Stephen Kings of their day so to speak but their works survive because they have something universal, timeless, and important to say. That today's audience would not like all the 'doths' and 'alases' of Shakespeare makes a certain sense - the audience of the time would have fully understood what, to us, is practically a foreign language. But, if you give it a chance, no one is more ribald or humorous than Shakespeare or had a better understanding of the human condition.

It is my favourite fantasy series and I read a lot of fantasy. However, you should know some things before you start. First, Gardens of the Moon was originally meant to be an RPG but, when Erikson pitched it, it was suggested he turn it into a book. It doesn't quite fit with the rest of the series. Still, one of the best fantasy books ever, though.

Second, Malazan Book of the Fallen is very violent - lots of murders, battles, not a lot of magic. It also has a cast of thousands literally and many of the names sound alike.

None of this bothered me. However, I have seen people complain about these things on fantasy sites. In the case of the names, I have seen suggestions that you keep a notepad near to write the names down to keep track. I thought that the important characters were vibrant enough that this wasn't a problem and I still remember some years after I read the books but it might be something to consider.

So, if you don't mind these things, and you like good modern fantasy like Game of Thrones, you will love Malazan. Erikson is one of the best fantasy writers around. He is also an anthropologist so his world- and character building seem very real. Personally, I think he's better than Martin in this regard. The other nice thing is that the series is complete (he still writes about Malazan but the books are separate from the series) so you don't have to wait years for the next one.

I was happy to accept your friend request. I hope you find something from my list to enjoy but definitely try The Hobbit. Tolkien is nothing like Martin - he kills off the occasional character and there's lots of sword fights but he never gets into the kind of dark subjects Martin does. Along with Austen, Tolkien is always on my very short list of authors to reread.

Sorry, I can't believe I forgot to give you the author's name. It's Karen Thompson Walker. Austen is one of the only authors I reread but she never fails to excite the reader in me. I hope I've helped a little - if you're like me, it's hard to get through the day without a little fix of fiction.

You might try the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness since you like the Hunger Games. You could also try The Age of Miracles. Although it's more coming-of-age than dystopian, it is still a great read. It's a fairly short book so, if you don't like it, you won't have invested too much time in it.

If you want to try LOTR but are worried about hating it, why not read The Hobbit? It's a single book, relatively short, but will give you a chance to decide whether to read more Tolkien. Just don't tell your friends when you start it.

Also, I have experienced a few bouts of reader's block and nothing is more frustrating to the book addict but I notice you're an Austen fan. Often, if I'm experiencing a block, I reread Pride and Prejudice - it almost never fails to respark the need to read.

Anyway, just a couple of suggestions - good luck and happy reading.