<p>This is often a great way to get to know people. I'll start:</p>
<p>The Magus, John Fowles
Gone with the Wind
The Fountainhead
Atlas Shrugged
The World According to Garp
Atonement
The Virgin Suicides
The Clan of the Cave Bear
Wuthering Heights
The Posionwood Bible
Fight Club
Notes from the Underground
The House of the Spirits
Emily Dickinson poetry
T.S. ELIOT</p>
<p>I'm hoping to find readers and bibliophiles at Hamilton. :-)</p>
<p>The Fountainhead
Atlas Shrugged
1984
The Door into Summer
Dune
The World According to Garp
The Hotel New Hampshire
The Complete Sherlock Holmes Vols. 1&2
Of Human Bondage
Gone With The Wind
Hawaii
Timeline
We the Living
The Foundation Trilogy
Time Enough For Love
Cider House Rules
etc....</p>
<p>I've probably forgotten a lot - these just come to mind right now. Do you have a favorite genre?</p>
<p>I forgot The Catcher in the Rye--an all time favorite.</p>
<p>I don't have a favorite genre at all.....you?</p>
<p>Have you read The Magus??</p>
<p>Well I am partial to the work of serious SF writers such as Heinlein, de Camp, Asimov, Clark, Pohl, etc. I'm rather omnivorous when it comes to reading - I treat each book as unique and try to step away from saying: "Oh, just another mystery, thriller, romance, etc. Right now I'm trying to expand my reading palate and I'm open to any recomendations. </p>
<p>I haven't read The Magus - but if it's at the top of your list I could go and check it out from my library. I'm not sure how long it is, but anything under 600-700 pages I could finish in a day or so. Over that might be a week. Could you tell me a little about it?</p>
<p>Well, it is considered one of the "100 most important books of our time" by some group or another. </p>
<p>It is a science-fiction/supernatural/erotic/lifechanging kind of book. </p>
<p>It is a bit long, but worth it. I cannot reccomend it more highly.</p>
<p>I'll pick it up tommorow :)</p>
<p>Edit - I've noticed that different reviews all seem to mention the erotic part? How much eroticism is in there, that everyone seems to mention it? Or was it just particularly memorable?</p>
<p>well...its hardly porn....(don't get too excited! lol)</p>
<p>There's just something about it....a kind of all-encompassing passion. There IS alot of sex....but that's not it. Its a very consuming story.</p>
<p>Those are quite a number of books u guys are reading but looking at the contents and ideologies contained in the books, it is noticable that we all tend to read books which generally chronical our immediate societies preferences and past experiences (maybe i'm wrong but for now cos there are the miscellaneous flushies we accidentally come across, but i'm firmly of the deterministic school of thought)</p>
<p>back to books.....</p>
<p>well i've very recently read and loved</p>
<p>Things fall apart, Chinua Achebe
The House of the Spirits, Allende
Death and the Kings Horsemen, Wole soyinka
Midnights children, Salman Rushdie
The famished Road, Ben Okri
Eva Luna, Allende
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (absolutely smashing as he takes us through the mind of an autistic child)
The interpreters, Soyinka
No longer at ease, Achebe</p>
<p>(and to prove to friends that i aint gone bunkers) Harry Potter by rowlings (but give her credit i do believe its brilliant writing though cos writers ted to lose a lot when they become overtly didactic and want to necessarilly "say something" in teir books. for the, the creative mind should be given utmost preference and people should just WRITE)</p>
<p>loved 1984 even though i read that when i was like 13. Orwell is great (came to this conclusion after reading 'Down and out in Paris and London' like 6 times)</p>
<p>so there...</p>
<p>tats stuff that i've digested recently (when i get time off the IB)</p>
<p>i'll check for the Magus though</p>
<p>I read Things Fall Apart way back in freshmen year and wasn't that impressed with it. The society they described wasn't that endearing, what with the ogbanje and "Black Forest." It was pretty brutal actually. I don't know - maybe I'm not remembering the book correctly. </p>
<p>What is a flushie? What do you mean by saying you are of a "deterministic school of thought"?</p>
<p>I don't go out of my way to read "multicultural" books. If a book is good, I'll pick it up. If not, then I could care less. I don't judge books based on nationalities.</p>
<p>well, that was a typo. I did mean to say floozies. (its meaning shouldnt be taken as literarily as the dictionary prescribes in this context as its a slang in south of the UK which means chance situations)</p>
<p>The other phrase you wanted clarified just simply means i believe in the dogma of derterminism.</p>
<p>i wasnt alluding to the idea that all persons of a literate mind should initiate an "affimative action campaign" on themselves by reading what you call "multicultural books". i was passing commentary on the list of books you and Adelinelux say were your favorite books. i wasn't judging your reading palates but comparing them to mine in terms of exposure.</p>
<p>I had heard of Ayn Rand in passing and never knew that she created a belief system of her own which has gone as far as influencing POP culture. I believe you would know her because you're America, just like the way i will definately know and appreciate Achebe as a Nigerian.</p>
<p>You contradict yourself by judging Achebe's works fom your shallow American experiences. You are one of those who easily fall for the facile themes of African literature. Unfortunately, you lack the understanding to savour the essence of literature in English which comes from overtly diverse experiences different from yours.</p>
<p>This also applies to me becuase i might read Atlas shrugged and still not appreciate the essence which you so enjoy from such a book and that is why i mention determinism because the books we read almost portray our backgrounds.</p>
<p>That doesn't mean that i can't learn to fully enjoy your type of literature or you, mine. this is why it isnt only americans that win Nobel Prizes in Literature or other worthy literary laurels.</p>
<p>Read Achebe again but with a more open mind and try to immerse urself in the life of my fore-fathers.</p>
<p>lakesidevibe -</p>
<p>Is English your first language? If it is then I'd like to remark that I find your comments rather insulting. If English isn't one of your native languages then I'd like to point out several idioms and words that make your post sound condescending.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Those are quite a number of books u guys are reading but looking at the contents and ideologies contained in the books, it is noticable that we all tend to read books which generally chronical our immediate societies preferences and past experiences (maybe i'm wrong but for now cos there are the miscellaneous flushies we accidentally come across, but i'm firmly of the deterministic school of thought)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm assuming "cos" means "because" first of all. If you are deterministic that means that you believe that in a predetermined order to all actions (ie. fate) and that you don't believe in free will. How does this relate to the types of books we read? Unless you're saying that society determines that we read particular types of books, and that's the end of it - because that's just patently false.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You contradict yourself by judging Achebe's works fom your shallow American experiences. You are one of those who easily fall for the facile themes of African literature. Unfortunately, you lack the understanding to savour the essence of literature in English which comes from overtly diverse experiences different from yours.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>First of all the phrase "you contradict yourself" makes no sense in this context. Which statement of mine did I contradict? What is a facile (or easy) theme of African literature? You insult me and AdelineLux and every American by lumping us together as one "shallow" entity. I could just have easily said that your "shallow" Nigerian experiences bias you toward Western novels. Your last sentence also doesn't make much sense if I read it word for word. I don't understand why you would think that I wasn't able to "savour the essence of literature in English" as I am a native speaker of English and thus able to "savour" the experience quite adequately.</p>
<p>
[quote]
This also applies to me becuase i might read Atlas shrugged and still not appreciate the essence which you so enjoy from such a book and that is why i mention determinism because the books we read almost portray our backgrounds.</p>
<p>That doesn't mean that i can't learn to fully enjoy your type of literature or you, mine. this is why it isnt only americans that win Nobel Prizes in Literature or other worthy literary laurels.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You openly contradict yourself here by saying that because of determinism we cannot "appreciate the essence" of another culture's books, but in the next paragraphy you say that it <em>is</em> possible, which requires free will which refutes your determinism.</p>
<p>When I read Things Fall Apart I fully appreciated the "essence" of the story and read it with an open mind. I then thought about <em>what</em> I read and whether I liked it or not and I decided that I didn't particularly care for it. Why do you assume that I'm too "shallow" to understand a piece of literature just because I didn't like it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Read Achebe again but with a more open mind and try to immerse urself in the life of my fore-fathers.
[/quote]
When you say "urself" do you mean "yourself"? Is this just a fast way to spell things on the internet, or are you having trouble adjusting to English spelling?</p>
<p>Man, there is a tough crowd in here.</p>
<p>So i do hope "your-well versed -self" is happy now. As your 'Holy genius' has spread its karma, hope u see satisfaction. The temptation persists but i would rather not want to turn this thread, which i consider quite important, to one in which intellects and wits clash in order to increase someone's ego.</p>
<p>There are betters things to do with time than to start causing ripples of discord which are almost impossible to undo.</p>
<p>So in other words you capitulate. I'm not being belligerent or trying to assuage my "wounded ego" as you would put it. By responding as you did I have to assume that you either are the type to start a conversation and just walk away as soon as someone says something that you don't like, or you agree with me and have nothing more to say. You also never answered whether English was your second language and if what you said were intentional mistakes or not. If you truly wish to end the conversation then just say so as I'd rather not waste my time with someone who isn't listening.</p>
<p>Is this guy stupid or just plain dumb? Is the sod in your upper cerebellal cavity preventing you from comprehending subtle hints? Then here :-</p>
<p>Beat it, you're a waste of blog space.</p>
<p>Honestly, how can one be so childish right at the croos roads of college.</p>
<p>Honestly, how can one be so childish right at the cross-roads of college.</p>
<p>Your nom de guerre must be blabber mouth.</p>
<p>Listen Mr. Nigerian "I'm smarter than you stupid shallow Americans." Obviously you aren't capable of having a real discussion so I'll dumb it down for you: IF YOU INSIST ON USING AD HOMINEM ATTACKS I'LL HAVE YOU BANNED. There that's simple, even for you.</p>