Embarrased to Say...

[JaceSan]

I think older novels are harder to read because of the writing style. Stokers Dracula comes to mind.

I like Rices Vampire Chronicles. Lestat is a great character. Queen of the Damned bored the hell out of me though. The two after were better. The Tale of the Body Thief. Especially liked Memnoc the Devil.

[Neophobic Man]

I have to agree about most things pre-WWII...different times, different styles...they just don't do it for me though...though there are exceptions...I love The Great Gatsby and plenty of other Fitzgerald works...Hills Like White Elephants, man, I'd forgotten about that short story, but it's a good one...'lara, in your disdain for American novelists (not sure I agree or disagree), you seem to be mentioning a lot of the writers from the '20's...jones is right, what about after WWII? Into today? Interesting...I always love how a thread about one of us (me in this case) whining about something can turn into such an excellent debate...

[erisesoteric]

Originally posted by Jaxom_27:
I always love how a thread about one of us (me in this case) whining about something can turn into such an excellent debate...

<font size="2" face="Comic sans ms, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's just a corrolary to our natural communal urge to make fun of you, Jax...

[Neophobic Man]

...or something... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Someone pull this thing back on topic! Stat!

[erisesoteric]

Hmm...

Oprah's book club.... occaisional good source, or a load of horse hockey?

[Neophobic Man]

It's a good idea. Just not too good on the selections...I thought it was kinda interesting that when she brought it back she went for the Steinbeck...Enlara must be furious...heh...

Maybe we need to get bran or jones to send her advanced copies of their work so they can get the push Oprah's Club tends to give books...

[Enlanra]

I'm not a witch, I'm a sorceress. Wiley's a witch.

I did hate Moby Dick though. Actually, all American novelists irritate me.

[jones]

I'm surprised to see anyone dismiss American writers so quickly. No offense meant -- no one should have to apologize for their tastes, but do you really mean that Kate Chopin, J.D. Salinger, Philip Roth, Edith Wharton, Jack Kerouac, Margaret Mitchell, Thomas Wolfe, James Jones (no relation [img]wink.gif[/img] ), Jean Toomer, and Oakley Hall all annoy you?

Except for Russia, America has taken the form to a fuller and more creative expression than any other. I'm not saying other cultures don't produce great novels, but the U.S. has a longer, broader history with it that includes equal attention to tradition and experimentation. Aside from the novels of tsarist Russia (Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev), there's no national body of work that's made such lasting contributions to the form. To each her own, of course, but are you sure you've looked at enough American writing to adequately judge?

Oh! I totally found the exception! There's always Branflakes! She's an American novelist, and a pretty good one! No way she could annoy anybody. (though I'll admit I'm biased 'cos she said I was cute -- now if I could only find a way around that lesbian thing -- but if she wouldn't even convert for Bruce Lee, what's a jones() to do?)

And not to divert the thread, but Bran, have you finished your novel? She Thinks She Remembers, right? When do we get another peek?

take care

---jones()

[Jadian]

As a person who's read about half her list BEFORE any of them were on her list, I would just like to say that I make a point of not buying any book that has that nasty orange O sticker on it.

[Ski]

you don't like orange O's Jadian? [img]wink.gif[/img]