Recent comments in /f/books

kimjobil05 t1_jdwthy2 wrote

Reply to comment by kleebish in This sub's most popular posts regarding Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist are negative... I loved it! by benspaperclip

that's why books are so powerful... ive read the alchemist like three times, i understand the criticism, yet id still recommend it, especially to people i know who struggle to read difficult, 500 pages tomes. all that the book needs is to speak to me, thats enough.

what is claudine at school about? thats an amazing experience... you were almost educated on adulthood by this books. is that a fair comment?

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StellaNonSilenziata t1_jdwt359 wrote

Reply to Cancelled books? by FaithlessnessOdd9006

Under the Same Stars by Rose Christo (Rose's memoir about her brother and her poorly written Harry Potter fanfic, My Immortal)

Canceled at manuscript stage by the publisher due to fraudulent documents provided by the author.

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MattMurdock30 t1_jdwsuml wrote

Reply to Story time: About my son and his love of reading...Should be mad but proud instead. Thank you for your time. by DuxBellorumUthred

I am completely blind. I often in school had "silent reading" books because it was part of the requirements. So I would have my regular Braille textbook on the desk and my silent reading Braille novel inside the desk and sneak my fingers to read inside the desk for the novel when I was supposed to be working.

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iamamuttonhead t1_jdwsppb wrote

Reply to Story time: About my son and his love of reading...Should be mad but proud instead. Thank you for your time. by DuxBellorumUthred

My younger kid was not reading in kindergarten and his teacher was very worked up about it. We were adamant that it was not a problem and that he would read when he was ready to read. By the end of first grade he was reading well beyond his peers. By third grade he was getting in trouble for reading in class after he had done his classwork. Sometimes teachers can be stupid just like everyone else. In any case, letting the rascal sneak in extra reading is not really a problem.

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BlacktailJack t1_jdwpg9t wrote

Reply to comment by omicron7e in What are some great books with terrible covers? by glister_and_gold

The original, heavily illustrated covers are perhaps the most generally attractive of the various editions (YMMV of course), in that they have fun color use and that old school 80's-90's paperback illustration vibe, but god they're so wildly inaccurate.

That blond white boy on the cover of all three books of the Fitz trilogy sure the hell isn't Fitz, who is described along with most of his family (>!excepting his mother!<) as having some shade of brown skin and dark hair. Nor is it the Fool, whom at that point has skin and hair that are literally white, and would be a thematically weird character to include on the cover with Nighteyes or Chade anyway (the latter is looking awfully pale himself, while we're at it.)

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shnoogle111 OP t1_jdwkm3u wrote

Reply to comment by dankpoots in Donna Tartt and John Irving by shnoogle111

For sure! I think I’d classify it as a Bildungsroman because even though he does stay mired in the past, it does detail his psychological and moral changes as he grows. I think the experiences of growing up during the Vietnam War inform his views towards modern politics and international affairs. All that said, I think you are spot on that he does remain stuck in the past. I think that may be indicative of many of the Vietnam War generation who were so closely affected. And oh I loved Cider House! Probably my second favorite after Owen Meany. All that said, I read Owen Meany in the summer in between high school and college, and I feel it may be impossible to separate my interpretation from the specific time in my life I read it.

And yeah Irving does have a ‘a thick’ so to speak, but I think it slightly changes as he ages and perhaps comes to terms with those details of his life. It’s interesting that like John from Owen Meany, he also moved to Canada and has strong feelings towards his government. I suppose life can sometimes imitate art!

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dankpoots t1_jdwjath wrote

Reply to Donna Tartt and John Irving by shnoogle111

I've never read The Goldfinch, but I wanted to comment because I find your interpretation of Owen as a coming of age story to be really intriguing. I just reread it and found it to be almost the opposite of this - while the protagonist does age as the story progresses, he is mentally and emotionally mired in an almost perpetual childhood or adolescence. I think that's what is meant to be symbolized by his virginity, sexlessness and lack of ability to move past traumatic events in his life. I think Cider House is a better example of the true Bildungsroman. This isn't to smear Owen, though. It is one of my favorite novels and I've read it many times since first being assigned it in English lit.

I LOVE John Irving, and while I have to agree with the commenter who says the themes and emotions in his novels can be repetitive, I don't think it's inevitably a bad thing for a novelist to have a "schtick."

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bookboyfriends t1_jdwj43e wrote

Reply to Internet Archive Loses Lawsuit Over Ebook Copyright Infringement. Here’s What to Know... by Halaku

They were in the wrong. There definitely needs to be a balance between making all books accessible and making sure the authors get paid for their work. Piracy is not the answer.

Libraries pay a higher amount for limited use. Ebooks are paid per use also. The same way Blockbuster would pay a huge amount to buy movies to rent out. I remember it being $200-$500 per DVD. I’m sure it’s the same with movie theaters but at a higher cost. Entertainment costs money and man hours to create.

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