ISCA: Literature
The ISCABBS forum: Literature
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- (Cadenza/27416) - I'm reading A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander, which is the second
I'm reading A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander, which is the second installment of the Emily Ashton series. If anything, it's better than the first book, which was really good. It features a strong female protagonist in Victorian times, and it's a very gripping story. There aren't too many adventure stories with strong female protagonist. I also like that while it's a historical novel, one is not beaten over the head with historical detail, but rather is submerged in it. It's plain the author did her research, but she doesn't feel compelled to share every little detail of her research to prove that she did it unlike some authors (*cough* Pamela Aidan *cough*). Anyway, it's entertaining subway reading.
Sat, 08 Mar 2008 07:32:00 -0600 - (Amaranth/27415) - The NYT has an article on recent literary hoaxes, although they negelcted to
The NYT has an article on recent literary hoaxes, although they negelcted to include the faked Holocaust memoirs (I am too tired to look it up or remember it). http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/books/05fake.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin
Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:05:00 -0600 - (Steppenwolf/27414) - The soothsayer in the crowd.
The soothsayer in the crowd.
Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:51:00 -0600 - (Nightspawn/27413) - In Julius Caesar, who is it that tells him to Beware the Ides of March?
In Julius Caesar, who is it that tells him to Beware the Ides of March?
Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:39:00 -0600 - (Hroswitha/27412) - George MacDonald Frasier has died. And with him, there go all the remaining
George MacDonald Frasier has died. And with him, there go all the remaining potential reminiscences of his marvelous anti-hero, Flashman. Only 11 novels in the series, and not all perfect, but some were absolutely astounding, brilliant prose pieces, and rich with often long-forgotten histories. My favorites -- Flashman's Lady (Madagascar, the White Raja, and Borneo pirates), Flashman and the Great Game (the sepoy rebellion of 1857 in India), and Flashman and the Dragon (the march to Peking, the TaiPing rebellion, the burning of the Summer Palace). If you've never read these, do yourself a favor. His obituary is in Late>.
Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:33:00 -0600 - (Molon Labe/27411) - That's EXACTLY the one I mean. Have you finished it and how long did it take
That's EXACTLY the one I mean. Have you finished it and how long did it take to get through? My reading list for 2008 so far. I add shit to it almost daily. * Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini) * Gates of Fire (Pressfield) * We (Zamyatin) * Martial Chronicles (Bradbury) * Common Sense/Age of Reason (Paine) * Path of Law (Holmes) * Augustus (Everitt) * Landmark Herodotus: The Histories (Herodotus) * Black Swan (Taleb) * Here Is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe (Pyle) * Aquariums of Pyongyang (Chol-hwan) * Churchill and American (Gilbert) * Stealing Elections (Fund) * The People Themselves (Kramer) * The Tragedy of American Compassion (Olasky) * An Empire of Wealth (Gordon) * Raid on the Sun (Claire) * The Arms of Krupp (Manchester) *sigh* And someday I need to finish Manchester's treatise on Churchill!
Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:08:00 -0600 - (Gespalder/27410) - You don't happen to mean Shelby Foote's THE CIVIL WAR: A NARRATIVE do you? The
You don't happen to mean Shelby Foote's THE CIVIL WAR: A NARRATIVE do you? The one in either three big paperbacks of many more, smaller, hardbacks? I have that one :) Also have the 4 volume BATTLES & LEADERS OF THE CIVIL WAR. :)
Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:18:00 -0600 - (Molon Labe/27409) - I just saw the Illustrated 1776 by David McCollough at Border's. $65 fucking
I just saw the Illustrated 1776 by David McCollough at Border's. $65 fucking smackers, but god DAMN did it look bad-ass. Only $39 on Amazon. I also desperately want the Everyman's edition of Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", as well as Shelby Foote's Civil War treatise. And Christmas is so far away now :(
Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:16:00 -0600 - (Rian/27408) - *shrugs* On the other hand, while everything I've ever heard/ read/ seen about
*shrugs* On the other hand, while everything I've ever heard/ read/ seen about Pratchett agrees with your characterization 100%, I've never read a word of him. I read the HDM trilogy and loved them, not knowing thing one about Pullman. My daughter did as well. And I saw the movie the day before yesterday and thought it was fine; not the best novel adaptation I've ever seen but far from the worst by a long shot, and a decent enough film in its own right. So mileage will vary. And as far as arrogant authors, but whose books are widely loved and sell like gangbusters: how about Piers Anthony? And according to at east some sources I've seen/ heard, C.S. Lewis was pretty proud of himself too. Just to name a couple of fantasy authors and not delve into other genres. So if true of Pullman, it's not at all unique, and certainly shouldn't reflect on the books; saints and jackasses alike can produce fine works.
Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:38:00 -0600 - (Xenos/27407) - In my opinion, Pullman is HORRIBLY egotistical, and that positively screams
In my opinion, Pullman is HORRIBLY egotistical, and that positively screams from every page of his books. I couldn't bear them because I couldn't get past the thought that this author had his head so far up his own arse he was about to see daylight through his mouth. Everytime I read an interview with him my opinion is reinforced. I've heard the movie isn't great though, so with any luck he might quieten down for a while. At the polar opposite of the spectrum, Terry Pratchett is as nice and self-effacing millionaire author as you could ever wish to meet (I have met him, albeit only to sign a book!). Apparently he's written more words than Shakespeare; his books have sold more than 45 million copies and have been translated into 33 languages worldwide. And yet there are still people who don't know who he is. And tragically, he's been diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's disease. Life is a bugger.
Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:36:00 -0600 - (Rian/27406) - I wonder then if Benson is the one I saw an article on... somewhere along the
I wonder then if Benson is the one I saw an article on... somewhere along the way, I saw this article about an elderly woman who reportedly was Keene and had written the Nancy Drew books. Many, many years back now, but she'd supposedly written a large chunk of them, as well as taking over the Harby Boys at some point. Either a mistaken article, or, more likely, she was the face chosen to be the public representation of the Keene name?
Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:21:00 -0600 - (Lammam P Yrruf/27405) - Yep. Edward L. Stratemeyer was in charge of the series. He came up with a
Yep. Edward L. Stratemeyer was in charge of the series. He came up with a bunch of storyline ideas and hired writers to turn them into novels. The group was called the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Franklin W. Dixon was a character invented as a pen name for authors writing Hardy Boys books. Other pen names for the Stratemeyer Syndicate: Laura Lee Hope - Bobbsey Twins John R. Cooper - Mel Martin baseball stories Jerry West - The Happy Hollisters Alan Stone - The Tolliver Family What was the name given for the Brett King authors? Now, there were some key authors in the Syndicate worth note. Andrew E. Svenson contributed to Hardy and Bobbsey and was the primary writer for Hollister, Tolliver and King series'. Oh wait! I forgot a pseudonym! Victor Appleton - Tom Swift It's also debatable whether Svenson wrote as much as he did. Three or four major players in the syndicate - owners and managers - tended to take credit for the work of dozens of ghsot writers. Writers also were sworn to secrecy but identities have been dredged up over time. The first thirty-some Tom Swift books were written by Howard R. Garis, who also wrote a few Bobbsey books. His wife Lilian, and their son and daughter also wrote a few books. Leslie McFarlane wrote the earliest Hardy Boys books, and Mildred Wirt Benson the early Drew books. Mildred was one of the first female graduates of U of Iowa's school of Journalism (Masters student!) Walter Karig wrote a few more Drew books after Mildred moved on to better paying work. Karig's books were the rather racist ones in the late thirties and early forties. After the forties, it's REALLY hard to track down Stratemeyer ghostwriters. The company had over a hundred series, over a hundred pseudonyms (one for each series) and more than fifty ghostwriters for more than 1500 books.
Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:40:00 -0600 - (Bud Fields/27404) - Dixon and Keene and those people never really existed, IIRC. They were just
Dixon and Keene and those people never really existed, IIRC. They were just names put on the books, which were actually put together by teams of writers.
Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:16:00 -0600 - (Amaranth/27403) - I recall reading in the New Yorker that although Dixon oversaw the Hardy Boys
I recall reading in the New Yorker that although Dixon oversaw the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series, they were largely put out in asembly-line fashion. It's been a few years.
Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:08:00 -0600 - (Rian/27402) - Among mysteries: Karen MacInerney finished Barbara Burnett Smith's last book
Among mysteries: Karen MacInerney finished Barbara Burnett Smith's last book after her death, John Gardner did some James Bond books. In sci-fi/ fantasy: other people have finished or extended Herbert's Dune, Asimov's Foundation, and I think Zelazny's Amber series; in chidrens books: Dixon's Hardy Boys, Keene's Nancy Drew, and Hope's Bobbsey Twins were all extended by other authors after the original's death... and it escapes my mind, but one of the old famous noir books - I think one of the old Gardners, someone did a sequel of years after the fact. And a ton of others, I'm sure... the list is pretty substantial, actually.
Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:10:00 -0600
