The Bookworm's Thread 2016

pollypenny

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Now Cat's Eye (singular;)) is the one I'd recommend least - funny, isn't it?:)

Oops! Yes one eye!

My suggestion was based on the fact that's it's not a dystopian future world.

I also love The Handmaid's Tale and the Oryx and Crake trilogy. The later did not go down well with the book group, though.

I'm glad you've managed to ginger up your group, missbiggles.

missbiggles1

whiteslice wrote: »

Yes, feminine. Realistically conveying the shared experience particular to women, for want of a better definition.

To some people 'feminist' is also a dirty word.

There's a perfectly good word that isn't an insult; it's "female".

missbiggles1

pollypenny wrote: »

Oops! Yes one eye!

My suggestion was based on the fact that's it's not a dystopian future world.

I also love The Handmaid's Tale and the Oryx and Crake trilogy. The later did not go down well with the book group, though.

I'm glad you've managed to ginger up your group, missbiggles.

Apologies for nitpicking.:)

Have you read "The Robber Bride"?

Callie22

carbootcrazy wrote: »

Thanks, Callie, much appreciated:T

It's anything dystopian that puts me off even giving her a go:o

I've been part of a few challenges this past year where I've had to force myself to read genres I've avoided before including science fiction. I can't say I'll read any more from them but at least I had a go;).

I'm going to bite the bullet and read something by her now:j. I know she is very highly-rated by a great many people.

I think Atwood herself calls what she writes 'speculative fiction' rather than 'science fiction' - does that help at all? I'm not a massive science fiction fan, but I will admit that I am a fan of dystopian fiction generally. If you want to avoid the 'science' aspect then I'd try 'The Handmaid's Tale' - it is dystopian fiction but I remember reading an interview with Atwood where she said that there's nothing in it that hasn't happened at some point in history (or words to that effect). Certainly reading it again recently it struck me that there are some interesting parallels with today's society ... Or if you'd prefer to avoid the dystopia altogether then I'd still recommend 'Cat's Eye'. I don't think I've ever read a novel that captures so well how little girls bully each other, and how experiencing that can affect you as an adult.

Having said I'm not a massive science fiction fan it is a genre that I read quite often, although I'm not really into space operas. If it's a genre you'd like to try then I'd recommend 'Childhood's End' by Arthur C. Clarke as a way in - yes there are aliens but it's a very intelligent exploration of what would happen if they came to Earth. I made OH read it and it's now one of his favourites. And it's not really science fiction but I'd also recommend 'American Gods' by Neil Gaiman. I have to admit that I started this a couple of times and gave up on the first chapter, but on the third go I stuck with it and it's now a favourite, although it's very much a book you have to be in the mood for.

I also recently read a novel called 'Dark Eden' by Chris Beckett, which I really enjoyed - it's a science fiction novel about a group of humans on a dark, snowy plant, who are waiting for someone to come and take them home.

mumps

My favourite sci-fi writer is John Wyndham, his novels always make the fantastic seem so normal somehow. The action isn't in New York or some dystopian future, just in an English village or London with characters that seem real. I suppose they seem old fashioned now but I first read them when I was about 12 or 13 and have read them a few times. I never watch fireworks without have it cross my mind that we might all wake up blind the next day. I guess he made an impression on me. The Kraken Wakes has influenced my attitude to swimming in the sea. Scarred for life, that's me.

mumps

I read The Lincoln Lawyer this week and last night the film was on More4. I didn't particularly like Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller, when I first saw him I thought he was close to my image but he didn't sound right to me.

missbiggles1

mumps wrote: »

My favourite sci-fi writer is John Wyndham, his novels always make the fantastic seem so normal somehow. The action isn't in New York or some dystopian future, just in an English village or London with characters that seem real. I suppose they seem old fashioned now but I first read them when I was about 12 or 13 and have read them a few times. I never watch fireworks without have it cross my mind that we might all wake up blind the next day. I guess he made an impression on me. The Kraken Wakes has influenced my attitude to swimming in the sea. Scarred for life, that's me.

I love John Wyndham as well, in fact I like lots of dystopian fiction.

What I find interesting is what dystopian fiction tell you about the time and society in which they're written. In JW's books, written in post war Britain, society and the infrastructure collapses almost immediately whereas in "Earth Abides" by George R. Stewart (another favourite of mine), written at roughly the same time, they have electricity for some time and running water for more than 20 years! The difference in confidence between British and US society at the time is very striking.

mumps

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I love John Wyndham as well, in fact I like lots of dystopian fiction.

What I find interesting is what dystopian fiction tell you about the time and society in which they're written. In JW's books, written in post war Britain, society and the infrastructure collapses almost immediately whereas in "Earth Abides" by George R. Stewart (another favourite of mine), written at roughly the same time, they have electricity for some time and running water for more than 20 years! The difference in confidence between British and US society at the time is very striking.

I wasn't sure how young people would view John Wyndham, it is very of its time and as a 50s baby I love it. I was delighted when my youngest, 23 soon to be 24, borrowed the books and loved them as much as I do.

I suppose the wartime experience in Britain and the US was very different, and mainland Europe different again. I definitely identify more easily with Wyndham's world.

Callie22

I'm a huge fan of Wyndham too - it's very English, very practical science fiction where everything gets sorted properly with a nice cup of tea I also loved 'Earth Abides'. I read it for the first time quite recently and I was amazed at how 'modern' it is, and how much of an influence it has had.

I'm a fan of dystopian literature and something I read fairly recently was 'World Made by Hand' by James Howard Kunstler. It's very much in the same vein as 'Earth Abides' but much smaller in scope. I didn't enjoy the second book in the series as much ('The Witch of Hebron') but I'd definitely say they're worth a read. Another recent read was 'California' by Edan Lepucki. I didn't love it - it's a kind of 'hipsters go feral' modern dystopia - but it's not a bad novel. And I will just put in another mention of 'Station Eleven' by Emily St John Mandel, which I thought was great.

greentiger

polly, persevere with the Miniaturist. It's quite a surprising book.