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Rumblecast; Something I did.
Topic Started: Aug 25 2012, 03:11 AM (1,333 Views)
CobiWann
The Drunken Icon
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sychosys,Aug 30 2012
06:01 AM
Read the first 3. Were I a teacher I'd give 'em all between a C+ and a B- in 7th grade English. On reading book 4 my wife, who had been obsessed with the series, became very angry. By this point we'd watched the first two movies as a couple. She didn't want to watch the third. This is a woman who DECKED me for laughing during the first movie. Straight up jacked my jaw.

This is almost how I felt about the "Mass Effect" series. LOVED the first two. Loved the third up until the final fifteen minutes.

Now, I haven't even downloaded any of the DLC, including the "Extended Cut," since BioWare's opinion seems to be the only thing getting in the way of fans loving the conclusion is that they've yet to find the right words to explain it.

And Hayes didn't sparkle during his match, he "glistened."
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Mozeart
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Sheik-ee, Sheik-ee, give me your answer do...
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orklad,Aug 30 2012
07:50 AM
sychosys,Aug 30 2012
06:01 AM
Mozeart,Aug 30 2012
12:45 PM
orklad,Aug 29 2012
03:28 PM
She wrote that with far more personality than Bella had from what I've been told.

My wife struggled through the first of the Twilight books and declared it the worst thing she'd ever read in her life...but she wanted to confirm that it was something that we should keep out of our kids' hands on general principle.

Read the first 3. Were I a teacher I'd give 'em all between a C+ and a B- in 7th grade English. On reading book 4 my wife, who had been obsessed with the series, became very angry. By this point we'd watched the first two movies as a couple. She didn't want to watch the third. This is a woman who DECKED me for laughing during the first movie. Straight up jacked my jaw.

Anyway ... I almost regret not seeing the third. Bad as they were the movies were structured better, no, wait, better suggests the books were structured in some way. The movies had a structure. There. Anyway I was curious if the third was done in the same way. Not curious enough to watch it alone though...

Maybe they fixed a lot of those issues in the Japanese translation, or maybe I don't know good Japanese from poor Japanese, but the first book read fine to me. Not enough that I'd want to read the rest of them though.

Japanese Harry Potter is a much harder read...

"That woman never met a comma she didn't like." was one of the complaints.

Apparently her sentence structure was atrocious.

But bad writing's the popular style these days. That's "good" writing and classic literature is, well, I think the most common response to classics like Moby Dick and the like in recent years is "Zzzzzzzzzzz..."

Sad but true...
And it was at this moment that the entire world realized, in unison, that tandem bicycles were AWESOME~!
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orklad
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I think you're reading the wrong books, Moze.

The Song of Ice and Fire is very well written from a technical standpoint. Rowling's skill with Harry Potter was decent (her grammar and sentence structure didn't get in the way of the story).

Certainly there's drek out there...but that's nothing new.
Orklad

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Don, Lord of Pudding
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RedRajah
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The problem is, a LOT of the crap out there is getting most of the publicity and marketing. (See also Dan Brown)
And here's where I pretend to be a writer...
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Mozeart
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Yeah, and by recent I mean just the last few years. I mean ... hasn't Potter been over for like 5?

And books like Twilight are reaching, I think, broader audiences than either title you (Don) mentioned. I mean, I haven't checked stats so correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think I am.
And it was at this moment that the entire world realized, in unison, that tandem bicycles were AWESOME~!
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Flouzemaker
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 44 million copies, the other Potter books sold over 10 million copies, but the precise number of sales can't be determined.

Same goes for 4 Twilight books. They all sold over 10 million copies, but apparently no reliable numbers.

If you all the book sales of the Song of Ice and Fire series, it has sold around 15 million copies between the five books currently published.




In sadder news.... the top 3 in current book sales according to USA Today is:
1- Fifty Shades of Grey
2- Fifty Shades Darker
3- Fifty Shades Freed
Didn't even know there were sequels...
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TheotherJC
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We've totally derailed this topic, but this DOES allow me the opportunity to ask a question I've been asking everyone else lately.

What books should I be reading? I just finished Stephen King's "the Stand" and will be starting the "Dark Tower" series shortly. I'm told that I'd enjoy All the Pretty Horses, the Road, and No Country for Old Men. I also have "In Cold Blood" in my Kindle Queue, as well as trudging through the Isle of Doctor Moreau.

My current favorites include the Codex Alera, The Dresden Files (I'm a fantasy nerd), World War Z, the first 2 Bourne books... and a few others that escape me for the moment. (Brain fried from the move)

What should I be looking at?
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sychosys
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TheotherJC,Aug 31 2012
08:31 AM
We've totally derailed this topic, but this DOES allow me the opportunity to ask a question I've been asking everyone else lately.

What books should I be reading? I just finished Stephen King's "the Stand" and will be starting the "Dark Tower" series shortly. I'm told that I'd enjoy All the Pretty Horses, the Road, and No Country for Old Men. I also have "In Cold Blood" in my Kindle Queue, as well as trudging through the Isle of Doctor Moreau.

My current favorites include the Codex Alera, The Dresden Files (I'm a fantasy nerd), World War Z, the first 2 Bourne books... and a few others that escape me for the moment. (Brain fried from the move)

What should I be looking at?

There's a topic for that!
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Mozeart
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Flouzemaker,Aug 30 2012
12:20 PM
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 44 million copies, the other Potter books sold over 10 million copies, but the precise number of sales can't be determined.

Same goes for 4 Twilight books. They all sold over 10 million copies, but apparently no reliable numbers.

If you all the book sales of the Song of Ice and Fire series, it has sold around 15 million copies between the five books currently published.




In sadder news.... the top 3 in current book sales according to USA Today is:
1- Fifty Shades of Grey
2- Fifty Shades Darker
3- Fifty Shades Freed
Didn't even know there were sequels...

Aaand with that I'm too depressed to continue contributing to this conversation. See you guys back at the plot.

(Pun intended.)
And it was at this moment that the entire world realized, in unison, that tandem bicycles were AWESOME~!
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rcole
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I tend to try and read about three books a week... anything from pulp to decent fiction. I won't read the "Fifty Shades" books because drek is drek, and I don't like reading blatant fan fiction S&M porn. But I plow through a lot of different things at any one time... and often re-read books I've already read. If you enjoy Dresden you might enjoy The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. Similar themes... urban fantasy. The Vampire Earth series by EE Knight started off decently enough but sort of went a little tepid around the fourth or fifth book. The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts are very engaging, but it takes a VERY long time for one book to come out after the other... it's still not done. She has a few other really good books besides that one.
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RedRajah
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If you like humor, I recommend Ludlum's "Road to Gandolfo" & "Road to Omaha". Also, I'm a huge fan of Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" books (RIP Harry!).
And here's where I pretend to be a writer...
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orklad
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Mozeart,Aug 30 2012
10:53 AM
Yeah, and by recent I mean just the last few years. I mean ... hasn't Potter been over for like 5?

And books like Twilight are reaching, I think, broader audiences than either title you (Don) mentioned. I mean, I haven't checked stats so correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think I am.

Harry Potter has sold FAAAAR more books than Twilight.
Orklad

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Don, Lord of Pudding
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orklad
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TheotherJC,Aug 30 2012
06:31 PM
We've totally derailed this topic, but this DOES allow me the opportunity to ask a question I've been asking everyone else lately.

What books should I be reading? I just finished Stephen King's "the Stand" and will be starting the "Dark Tower" series shortly. I'm told that I'd enjoy All the Pretty Horses, the Road, and No Country for Old Men. I also have "In Cold Blood" in my Kindle Queue, as well as trudging through the Isle of Doctor Moreau.

My current favorites include the Codex Alera, The Dresden Files (I'm a fantasy nerd), World War Z, the first 2 Bourne books... and a few others that escape me for the moment. (Brain fried from the move)

What should I be looking at?

Simon L Green writes some light, entertaining stuff.

The Lovely Bones was a very good book that I'd recommend.

If you want more, you'll need to tell me what you've already read.
Orklad

or

Don, Lord of Pudding
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sychosys
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orklad,Sep 1 2012
12:14 AM
Mozeart,Aug 30 2012
10:53 AM
Yeah, and by recent I mean just the last few years.  I mean ... hasn't Potter been over for like 5?

And books like Twilight are reaching, I think, broader audiences than either title you (Don) mentioned.  I mean, I haven't checked stats so correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think I am.

Harry Potter has sold FAAAAR more books than Twilight.

Harry Potter has advantages in longevity (15 years to 7) and quantity (7 books to 4), so you'd have to scale the sales numbers a bit to make a fair comparison of popularity.
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