Talk About It! discussion
Talk, about Books
I don't really have one favourite book. I have favourite books according to genre, time to read and what their significance is to me.Like for instance:
Lord of the Rings - showed me how awesome fantasy was
The Chronicles of Narnia - helped me learn to read alone and awesome stories and quality, some good morals too
Edgar Allan Poe's works/Chekhov's works - Showed me the quality of short stories
Percy Jackon series - tapped into some of my interests, quality YA
The Hunger Games - read before the hype, given to me by a friend (friend connection with someone who doesn't read as much as me)
The Sherlock Holmes stories - read at various times, love of mysteries developed through the ones I've read
The Great Gatsby - connection to lit classes
Shakespeare's works - well I just love his language and how he's influenced English
Anything by Brandon Sanderson - Again, just after Year 12 he got me doing some quality and entertaining fantasy reading
The Wheel of Time - It's just so epic!
The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan
A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede
Veralidaine wrote: "The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan
A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede"
I've read all of them and liked them apart from A Matter of Magic...which I haven't read.
Jonathan wrote: "Veralidaine wrote: "The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan
A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede"
I've read all of them and liked them apart from A Matter of Magic...which I haven't read."
You should read A Matter of Magic. :)
Oh and I also really like the Percy Jackson series, although I wouldn't call it one of my favourites.
It's on my list as a to read fantasy now!I forgot to mention that I also love 1984, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and Brave New World - all of which were read this year!
Veralidaine wrote: "The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce
Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan
A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede"
I want to read all of these. I tried to convince my mother to buy me the Tamora Pierce ones, but she said no :(
Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan
A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede"
I want to read all of these. I tried to convince my mother to buy me the Tamora Pierce ones, but she said no :(
I like all things I have read by Marx, Socrates, (anything philosophy) Shakespeare, E. E. Cummings (who did not change his name to lower case), Emily Dickinson, Samuel Beckett, George Orwell, Sonya Hartnett, Arthur Conan Doyle. I do not like Tomorrow When The War Began by John Marsden.
my fav book is before we say good byethe book is by Gabriella Ambrosio
It is seven a.m. on a spring morning in Jerusalem. Eighteen-year-old Dima trudges through the mud to college and reflects on many things, including her forthcoming marriage to her cousin Faris. Seventeen-year-old Myriam skips school to sit on the tree-lined hill overlooking the city and think about her friend Michael, whose death she still mourns. And Dima’s and Myriam’s families – one Palestinian, one Israeli – go about their ordinary, separate lives; for today is like every other day. Yet in seven hours’ time, everything will have changed. For ever.
“This is no life. Sooner or later it must finish.”
It is seven a.m. on a spring morning in Jerusalem. Eighteen-year-old Dima trudges through the mud to college and reflects on many things, including her forthcoming marriage to her cousin Faris. Seventeen-year-old Myriam skips school to sit on the tree-lined hill overlooking the city and think about her friend Michael, whose death she still mourns. And Dima’s and Myriam’s families – one Palestinian, one Israeli – go about their ordinary, separate lives; for today is like every other day. Yet in seven hours’ time, everything will have changed. For ever.
Before We Say Goodbye begins at 7am and charts the journey of four people hour by hour on a spring day in Jerusalem. Myriam is trying to come to terms with the death of her friend Michael who was blown apart by a suicide bomb and is trying to see a future without him. While Dima, who is top of her class and is facing marriage to her cousin cannot see a future at all, and is preparing for her death.
A little bit of background on this book… First published in Italy in 2004 as Prima di Lasciarsi this is based on the true story of the suicide bombing of a supermarket in 2002. The author, Gabriella Ambrosio is a journalist and when she read the report of the bombing in the newspaper she was astonished to see the striking similarity between the bomber and her victim. You can read a full account of that in an article HERE. This prompted her to investigate further.
What I found so utterly compelling about this book is that it absolutely does not judge. There is no “right” and “wrong” side, there’s no political or emotional bias whatsoever. Perhaps that’s down to Ambrosio’s journalistic training? In the Author’s Note at the end of the story she says:
Everyone warned me: if you write this story you’ll have to take sides, express a point of view. But a point of view is not a good point of view if it only shows one side of the story. Good books don’t supply answers. Good books merely help us ask questions; more and more questions.
Whatever the reason, Ambrosio has absolutely pulled off what she intended to do.
I found it a little difficult to keep track of the characters to begin with. The sections on each are very short and you don’t have long to get to know them before you’re off onto someone else. Helpfully, there is a character list at the start of the book which I began to refer to less and less as the story developed. The shortness of chapters, although hindering character knowledge to begin with, is the driving force in keeping the pace of this novel swift and compelling. It’s a very short book at only 145 pages and I absolutely raced through it. Despite knowing what the ending would be before I began, I was so captivated by the world the girls lived in and the issues they were dealing with that I had to keep reading.
This is not an uplifting book, I would certainly categorise it as a “difficult read”… but then a lot of the best books are. Before We Say Goodbye is endorsed by Amnesty International UK as contributing to a better understanding of Human Rights and the values that underpin them. A basic knowledge of the conflict in the Middle East is needed to understand the background but the fact that this book makes no moral judgements and presents each side with no bias makes this a fabulous resource for teenagers (or adults) who want to discover more about the human impact.
Anyone in Edinburgh for the Book Festival can see Gabriella Ambrosio at the Highland Park Spiegeltent on the 18th August.
his was the first book I tackled for Dewey’s 24hr Read-A-Thon. I picked it up from the Book Depository in the first order I did with them after reading a review on The Book Whisperer. I’ve mentioned before I have a long standing interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that comes from my studies in political science and international relations. I’ve written a couple of papers on it and although I’ve slacked off in recent years on keeping up with the issues as much as I did, I still take an interest. So I wanted to read this book the moment I heard about it.
Before We Say Goodbye is written as a third person narrative switching between quite a few people in the lead up to a terrorist suicide bombing. Dima, a Palestinian girl of eighteen who is thinking of her future – marriage to her cousin Faris, further studies, quite a lot of freedom. Myriam, a Jewish girl of the same age has yet to recover from the loss of her best friend Michael, who himself was the victim of a bombing recently. They had plans to return to America, where they had both lived at various times in their lives, looking to return to the land of the free. That plan has been cut short now and Myriam is lost. She doesn’t know what she wants to do. Abraham is a store security guard, possessed of an uncanny ability to know when someone is walking into his store with plans. Plans that could be deadly. He receives a call in the morning and is given the choice of two locations and he chooses the supermarket so that he may get home early to spend time with his younger wife and their two sons. It is a choice that will end his life. Ghassan is 23, a Palestinian and explosives expert who is co-ordinating the next attack. He is meeting with the young girl who has made the choice of self-sacrifice.
Before We Say Goodbye is a tiny novel, clocking in at just 145 pages. Each ‘chapter’ is an hour out of the eventful day, clocking in with each character so that we can see what they are doing. Starting at 7am and ending at 2pm when the bomb goes off, the author manages to pack the small novel full of thoughts, emotions and actions. There is no judgement here, there is no preaching. There is no Israeli propaganda, there is no Palestinian propaganda. That isn’t the point. You are given just a snippet of this conflict, just an insight into the lives of two similar girls – same age, who live near each other and study, who have seen terrible things as a part of their everyday lives. Who have faced losses and felt anger. One of them makes a choice, to fight back against the injustices she has seen, to bring about the kind of suffering she has experienced. She is determined to take out many – her life is worth a hundred lives!
This novel has been made required reading for high schoolers in the author’s native Italy and in universities in countries like Australia. It has been published in both Hebrew and Arabic and is used in both Israel and Palestine as an education tool which I think is just an incredible thing. If you’re interested in reading a wholly non-judgmental book free of opinions and bias then this really is a book you should pick up. It’s so many things – engrossing, insightful, balanced and the translation, by Alastair McEwan, is perfect . I’ve already moved it to the top of Rob’s TBR pile!
the blurb says
"On a spring morning like any other, Dima trudges to school. Her thoughts drift to her forthcoming marriage to her cousin Faris.
Across the city, Myriam skips school to sit and grieve her boyfriend Michael. They had dreamt of travailing to america together can she still live those dreams without him?
As the hours tick on, Myriam begins to see the future ,while Dima dose not. For Dima has accepted her destiny today she will die.
"this book does not blame or judge...it is brutally honest. And that is where the magic lies"
Vered Cohen-barzilay, Amnesty International"
lol long blurb huh
György wrote: "I like all things I have read by Marx, Socrates, (anything philosophy) Shakespeare, E. E. Cummings (who did not change his name to lower case), Emily Dickinson, Samuel Beckett, George Orwell, Sonya..."
You are very well read, György. I am going to follow your example and read more of these authors you have mentioned.
You are very well read, György. I am going to follow your example and read more of these authors you have mentioned.
Emily wrote: "György wrote: "I like all things I have read by Marx, Socrates, (anything philosophy) Shakespeare, E. E. Cummings (who did not change his name to lower case), Emily Dickinson, Samuel Beckett, Georg..."Sonya Hartnett's writing is like a synthesis of poetry and life.
The Mighty Katara wrote: "I recommend that everyone in this thread read the Book Thief. Seriously, you'll thank me later."Thank you in advance, if we end up with the same opinion that is. :)
The Mighty Katara wrote: "I recommend that everyone in this thread read the Book Thief. Seriously, you'll thank me later."
My sister "borrowed" (or more accurately, stole) my copy from me, but I am part way through it. I will continue reading it when she returns it to me :) It is good so far.
My sister "borrowed" (or more accurately, stole) my copy from me, but I am part way through it. I will continue reading it when she returns it to me :) It is good so far.
The Mighty Katara wrote: "Emily wrote: "The Mighty Katara wrote: "I recommend that everyone in this thread read the Book Thief. Seriously, you'll thank me later."
My sister "borrowed" (or more accurately, stole) my copy fr..."
She seems to. And she refuses to give it back to me, so I think it is safe to assume that she does :)
My sister "borrowed" (or more accurately, stole) my copy fr..."
She seems to. And she refuses to give it back to me, so I think it is safe to assume that she does :)
The Mighty Katara wrote: "Haha, well that's good. I'm making converts without even speaking to them :)"
You are. It's kind of annoying. ;)
You are. It's kind of annoying. ;)
György wrote: "I like all things I have read by Marx, Socrates, (anything philosophy) Shakespeare, E. E. Cummings (who did not change his name to lower case), Emily Dickinson, Samuel Beckett, George Orwell, Sonya..."I've enjoyed what I've read from those authors. Emily Dickinson's poems are excellent... "Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves. And Immortality." I remember that from school since my teacher was writing a thesis on Dickinson and Plath. A correlation between depression and their poetry: she said it was about poesis.
I love, oh idk, I think it's safe to say the numbers are in the 600's minimum.•Redwall- just plain enjoyable fantasy withlite light bit of the occasional gory violence and great storyline
•LOTR- people who don't like this series, I question their humanity ;) jkjk but seriously it's AWESOME
•The Pellinor Chronicles- LOTR fans, I command you, READ THESE BOOKS! Alison Croggon did a fantastic job, and very know and then you catch a glimpse whet she was inspired by Tolkien. The style is definitely different, as is the storyline, but there is a definite kinship to the writing and story that made me instantaneously love the first book. READ THEM! Although if you are bothered by a girl protagonist (you shouldn't be! *scowls darkly*) then don't read them. -_-
•A Wrinkle in Time, The Wind in the Door, Many Waters, A Swiftly Tilting Planet- great books. Increased my interest in biology and anatomy. And get this, I read them when I was 7 and 8! I astound myself thinking back at that! I have had many re-reads, these books are AWESOME!
•Chronicles of Narnia- again some o the first chapter books I read along with the Madeliene L'Engle books. I don't think I even need to explain why I like these books.
•The Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce- girl protagonist, good fantasy, humor, danger, epic battle, it's all there
•The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & The Hoind of the Baskervilles- love mysteries, and Sherlock is forever the king of detectives in my book.
•Nancy Drew; Hardy Boys- I loved all the series (excluding the one from the eighties or so that was nothing but dating nonsense) cuz pf the characters and mysteries. Another one of my book love affairs since the tender age of 8
•The Enchanted Forest Chronicles- Patricia C. Wrede has to be one o he best comical fantasy writers, hands down. Those books make me crack up every time I read them!
•Hunger Games- its got everything! And it's scary we. You think of how Capitolistic society could very well become!
•Divergent- WOW! just. WOW. AWESOME BOOK!!!!
•Pride and Prejudice- light, humorous read, I love the classics
•All Creatures Great and Small series- James Herriot is my hero. Back when I wanted to be a vet, I wante to have as many funny and heartwarming experiences as he did. :)
•Anything Shakespeare- Uh, hello! The immortal bard! Need I say more?!?
•Love Comes Softly by Janete Oake- it's a really sweet book, yeah you guys out there would find it sappy most likely, but it's got a lot of good Christian values in it
•Arms of Love & Surrender by Carmen Marquette- READ THESE!!!! I do not care of you're not Catholic, READ THEM!!! They show so much about how a good relationship is supposed to look like, and the storyline is very enjoyable!
•White Fang- It's a wolf dog, he's loyal, fierce, awesome, hardcore, okay I have enthused enough. Read it!!!
•Percy Jackson- I mean it, the dudes my long lost twin brother!
•Peter Pan- this is an AWESOME classic! The 2003 movie follows it very closely, probably the best book to movie adaption there is, READ THE BOOK! It's great!
•The Jungle Book and Other Tales- Another unbeatable classic. We used to own the awesome 1920's illustrated edition.... And mom GAVE IT AWAY!!!!! O.O DX
•Ella Enchanted- Love the book!!! To the point where I heard it on audio over 50 times, NO LIE.
•The Thief Lord- after reading, I immediately put Venice on my bucket list
•The Ink series- Cornelia Funke is a literary genius, she described my love of books perfectly in this series. :)
•Black Beauty- uh hello classic!
•The Black Stallion series by Walter and Steve Farley- A-MAZ-ING! Read when I was 8-10 and have continued to re-read occasionally. I wanted to be a jockey for a while there. Hey I'm small enough!
•Voyage of the Bassett series- awesome mythology mix-ins
WOW. And that wasn't even half of them....
Gosh, I cannot believe that I forgot I was a huge fan of mystery novels! I just ordered Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" on amazon.com. Objective thought: It cost US$6.99 plus US$10.98 shipping.
Subjective thought: Stupid Amazon! I can't believe they charge so much! When are they going to get a place here in Australia so I can get things cheaper?! I need some Mahler to calm me down. Symphony no. 1 should be good tonight.
György wrote: "Gosh, I cannot believe that I forgot I was a huge fan of mystery novels! I just ordered Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" on amazon.com. Objective thought: It cost US$6.99 plus US$10.9..."
If you want to get things here is Australia cheaper I recommend ordering direct from the noted bookstores. The shipping's cheaper and the delivery is pretty fast on the whole.
Jonathan wrote: "If you want to get things here is Australia cheaper I recommend ordering direct from the noted bookstores. The shipping's cheaper and the delivery is pretty fast on the whole. "I see. It's just that I used to be a music addict buying box sets of classical music from amazon for prices much cheaper (including Wagner's ten operas from the Bayreuth Festival (got it for $115!!!) of which I am most proud). Thanks for the advice though, I'll keep it in mind.
György wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "If you want to get things here is Australia cheaper I recommend ordering direct from the noted bookstores. The shipping's cheaper and the delivery is pretty fast on the whole. "I..."
No problem. I really like the fact that you have such a taste for classical music and older novels by the way. It's a good thing to have!
Jonathan wrote: "No problem. I really like the fact that you have such a taste for classical music and older novels by the way. It's a good thing to have! "Haha, thank you. I have always felt somewhat safer going with older literature that has been known and praised for years. As for classical music, I listen to everything from Gregorian Plainchant to highly complex styles of composers today.
György wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "No problem. I really like the fact that you have such a taste for classical music and older novels by the way. It's a good thing to have! "Haha, thank you. I have always felt som..."
What modern composers do you listen to then? I'm lost when it comes to that style of music, save the composers who use their talents in film/tv.
And yes, older literature does tend to have more of a footing. I tend to read a lot of it. And a lot of the literature that academics recommend since they usually know what they're talking about. Usually being they key word. I've hated some texts my literature academics have set for me to read...
Jonathan wrote: "What modern composers do you listen to then?"All the ones I come across. If you're interested I could recommend an excellent book by Australian composer Andrew Ford on the subject of modern classical music.
Jonathan wrote: "And yes, older literature does tend to have more of a footing. I tend to read a lot of it."
I agree with this. :)
I know of Andrew Ford!(view spoiler)
I'm currently reading E. R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros which uses an old fashioned Norse style. It's very interesting so far...
Jonathan wrote: "I know of Andrew Ford![spoilers removed]
I'm currently reading E. R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros which uses an old fashioned Norse style. It's very interesting so far..."
I have named myself after my favourite composer (György Ligeti) for the purpose of remaining anonymous on the internet and because I don't have a favourite author to name myself after. Maybe it would have been a better choice to go by the name of John Cage as he was a musical philosopher.... Where have you heard of Andrew Ford?
I believe musical friends (here in Australia) were talking about him and mentioning his work. He's more known to people in Australia I suspect so no doubt that's why I've heard of his name.
Jonathan wrote: "I believe musical friends (here in Australia) were talking about him and mentioning his work. He's more known to people in Australia I suspect so no doubt that's why I've heard of his name."Ah I see. I have read several of his books and heard him on the radio (both his music and him as a radio presenter). He's written some very good stuff which has introduced me to a wide variety of modern music.
György wrote: "Gosh, I cannot believe that I forgot I was a huge fan of mystery novels! I just ordered Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" on amazon.com.
Objective thought: It cost US$6.99 plus US$10.9..."
I love that book. :)
Objective thought: It cost US$6.99 plus US$10.9..."
I love that book. :)
jennifer wrote: "It's my b-day lol"
Happy Birthday :)
Happy Birthday :)
György wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "I believe musical friends (here in Australia) were talking about him and mentioning his work. He's more known to people in Australia I suspect so no doubt that's why I've heard of ..."Ah interesting!
jennifer wrote: "It's my b-day lol"
Nice! have a good birthday!
jennifer wrote: "It's my b-day lol"Happy birthday! I hope you have a terrific day. :)
I cannot believe how long I went on lol
I've heard it's good, but I didn't know it was the same author as the one for Bridge! Now I HAVE to read it.
The Mighty Katara wrote: "I really liked Terabithia, but I liked this one a little better. I forced my sister to read it, and even though we agree on like no books, she enjoyed it quite a bit. I mean, she didn't even like D..."WHAT?!?!?!? You checked her for fever, concussion, and insanity right?
WHAT?!?!? *keels over, mind so boggled brain can't function*
The Mighty Katara wrote: "I fear for her sanity daily. Disliking Divergent can't be healthy.She also hates the Narnia movies. And Star Wars. And Redwall."
Okay, Divergent's fine but the others mean it's something wrong...
Seriously wrong! Like call a mental institution NOW wrong to see if the damage that must have occurred when she was dropped on her head at birth can be reversed!
Mod
So are you saying that you like THG Danny? And no, despite archery's epicness, Batman tops Green Arrow. Now of there were some more intricacy to his character, maaaybe Green Arrow would beat Batman. Maybe. Sorta doubt it. But maybe.
I've heard that the Hunger Games is pretty bad...
Yes it's bad if you dissect it and take stuff out of context and don't bother to just get into the story. If you actually just read it without critiquing each little detail, it's AWESOME.
ϮAʛʛⅇℛʊℵʛ {Lerman Lover} wrote: "Yes it's bad if you dissect it and take stuff out of context and don't bother to just get into the story. If you actually just read it without critiquing each little detail, it's AWESOME."I've also heard that it has an almost identical storyline to Battle Royale.
That I cannot comment on because I have yet to read it.
The Mighty Katara wrote: "Emily wrote: "The Mighty Katara wrote: "Haha, well that's good. I'm making converts without even speaking to them :)"
You are. It's kind of annoying. ;)"
How's it annoying?"
Because I was reading that book and she took it from me. Goodness, you have encouraged Theft-Of-Good-Books-From-Innocent-Bystanding-Readers!
You are. It's kind of annoying. ;)"
How's it annoying?"
Because I was reading that book and she took it from me. Goodness, you have encouraged Theft-Of-Good-Books-From-Innocent-Bystanding-Readers!
The Mighty Katara wrote: "I fear for her sanity daily. Disliking Divergent can't be healthy.
She also hates the Narnia movies. And Star Wars. And Redwall."
No offense...but your sister? Is she seriously okay?
She also hates the Narnia movies. And Star Wars. And Redwall."
No offense...but your sister? Is she seriously okay?
Discuss your favourite, least favourite, and all the inbetween books here.
And Please! Remember, it's a Free Country! BE NICE! DON'T BE BULLIES or whatever! And seriously, can we all act grownup about this? It's not like everyone has to agree on one particular opinion of a book - Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, so don't knock anyone down for theirs. Okay?