tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671128.post6081934488269885378..comments2024-01-19T13:24:15.734+00:00Comments on ::Acquired Taste: Tim Strettonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598897603628943741noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671128.post-2468744211658915222008-09-18T08:44:00.000+01:002008-09-18T08:44:00.000+01:00Hi, TimI'm not sure I comfort read much; there's t...Hi, Tim<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure I comfort read much; there's too many books out there I haven't read and too little time to read them, but there are a couple I go back to. With me it's usually Clive Barker's Weaveworld. If I want to be motivated, I read passages from Gates of Fire (Stephen Pressfield) or I pluck a short story from somewhere (Lovecraft, King, Poe, DH Lawrence etc) as a match if the ignition isn't working that day.mattfwcurran.com Web Admin https://www.blogger.com/profile/13651266491906006561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671128.post-67898226135020445152008-09-11T17:57:00.000+01:002008-09-11T17:57:00.000+01:00btw, I see that you've reached "Out of Stock" stat...btw, I see that you've reached "Out of Stock" status on the PanMac page. (Will once explained that "out" doens't really mean "out" but means they've shipped all but some number of reserve copies.)<BR/><BR/>That doesn't mean none will fly home to roost, but still--it seems like quite a good sign to me!David Isaakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04928598446742324391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671128.post-24520187584190136572008-09-11T07:56:00.000+01:002008-09-11T07:56:00.000+01:00It is always good to expand your range--particular...It is always good to expand your range--particularly in the direction you are going, swainson...<BR/><BR/>Akasha, Great Expectations is certainly a book that rewards re-reading--perhaps the most of all the Dickens novels (although Bleak House has many treasures buried deep).Tim Strettonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08598897603628943741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671128.post-89885929091982532912008-09-10T22:43:00.000+01:002008-09-10T22:43:00.000+01:00I’ve been thinking about the “Comfort Reading” phe...I’ve been thinking about the “Comfort Reading” phenomena recently. <BR/><BR/>Personally I like:-<BR/>David Gemmell for his sheer belief in mankind.<BR/>Stephen Donaldson’s Gap series for being totally immersed into a story. <BR/>David Weber’s Honorverse for swashbuckling.<BR/>All of Zelazney just because he is Zelazney.<BR/><BR/>That’s what I have read in the last couple of months to help me centre myself.<BR/><BR/>I now feel I should be reading new stuff and regardless of reviews, I will be making a Stretton purchase in the near future.Swainsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12868686527341125913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671128.post-52265388302299607502008-09-10T20:22:00.000+01:002008-09-10T20:22:00.000+01:00I go back to my favourite books time and time agai...I go back to my favourite books time and time again. I am actually in the middle of rereading The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub for what must be at least the sixth time. And I have to read Great Expectations annually, it's by far my favourite Dickens book.Akasha Savage.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13482147165827577180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671128.post-23744456508343911332008-09-10T19:43:00.000+01:002008-09-10T19:43:00.000+01:00There's plenty of books I go back and re-read (Aus...There's plenty of books I go back and re-read (Austen soothes, delights and awes every time); but there is no book that so perfectly encapsulates what I look for in a story and what I admire in a writer than Suldrun's Garden.<BR/><BR/>I ration myself to reading it every couple of years or so...Tim Strettonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08598897603628943741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671128.post-79710144234103601122008-09-10T18:18:00.000+01:002008-09-10T18:18:00.000+01:00There isn't a single book that does it all for me....There isn't a single book that does it all for me.<BR/><BR/>I reread "Gatsby" when I want to experience something with luxuriant prose but with no wasted moments. (Though his adverb-laden dialogue tags now seem badly dated.)<BR/><BR/>I reread the O'Brian books when I'm in the mood for sheer audacity. He does so many things so well simultaneously, it's like watching someone do magic tricks.<BR/><BR/>I reread Philip Caputo's "Horn of Africa" when I want to be reminded it is still possible to write a deeply philosophical novel as a gripping adventure story (the spirit of Conrad and Melville lives on).<BR/><BR/>"Lolita" to watch a master keep me absorbed in something distressing by sheer technical perfection.<BR/><BR/>Zelazny's "Lord of Light" for its sheer playfulness--telling a story while undercutting itself.<BR/><BR/>Tolkein I read partly to escape to my childhood, but mostly for the awesome scope of his imagination. If there's any earlier work of the imagination on that scale, I can't think of it.<BR/><BR/>There's other books I reread, too. I invariably learn something from every pass.David Isaakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04928598446742324391noreply@blogger.com