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Ok it isn't so quiet in here but our resident librarian will ensure that there is good discussion on literature, prose, poetry, etc. You may also post sermons, notes, and the like as long as it is not copyrighted material and within reason of the post length regulation.

We encourage you to take a lose look at the threads and offer honest and useful input. This forum is a place where we discuss literature of any media, as well as personal creations by some of our own wordsmiths. Debate is encouraged, but we often find ourselves relaxing here.

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  • Originally posted by Sparko View Post
    The wheel of time series is great. I listened to them also. The only irksome thing is Robert Jordan can get really tedious in his description of women's clothes and repeats the same phrases over and over. Count how many times he says "crossed her arms under her breasts" for instance. what is up with that?
    I read the Thomas Covenant series by the guy cited in my sig block. in 1986, David Langford published an essay by Nick Lowe, in which Lowe suggested "a way to derive pleasure from Stephen Donaldson books. (Needless to say, it doesn't involve reading them.)"This proposal involved a game he called "Clench Racing", wherein players each open a volume of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant to a random page; the winner is the first to find the word "clench". Lowe describes it as a "fast" game – "sixty seconds is unusually drawn out".
    That's what
    - She

    Without a clear-cut definition of sin, morality becomes a mere argument over the best way to train animals
    - Manya the Holy Szin (The Quintara Marathon)

    I may not be as old as dirt, but me and dirt are starting to have an awful lot in common
    - Stephen R. Donaldson

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    • Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
      I read the Thomas Covenant series by the guy cited in my sig block. in 1986, David Langford published an essay by Nick Lowe, in which Lowe suggested "a way to derive pleasure from Stephen Donaldson books. (Needless to say, it doesn't involve reading them.)"This proposal involved a game he called "Clench Racing", wherein players each open a volume of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant to a random page; the winner is the first to find the word "clench". Lowe describes it as a "fast" game – "sixty seconds is unusually drawn out".
      On the other hand, reading the Thomas Covenant series made me have to look up a few words because I hadn't seen them before, and that's pretty rare. (Check your sig for a typo.)
      Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

      Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
      sigpic
      I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

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      • Originally posted by Sparko View Post
        The wheel of time series is great. I listened to them also. The only irksome thing is Robert Jordan can get really tedious in his description of women's clothes and repeats the same phrases over and over. Count how many times he says "crossed her arms under her breasts" for instance. what is up with that?
        That must be a thing in later books. I'm 76% through the first one and I've encountered that phrase once so far. It does bother me a bit when authors have their favourite word or phrase that they use repeatedly. Elaborate descriptions don't bother me so much unless it's lengthy enough to interfere with telling the story.

        Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
        I read the Thomas Covenant series by the guy cited in my sig block. in 1986, David Langford published an essay by Nick Lowe, in which Lowe suggested "a way to derive pleasure from Stephen Donaldson books. (Needless to say, it doesn't involve reading them.)"This proposal involved a game he called "Clench Racing", wherein players each open a volume of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant to a random page; the winner is the first to find the word "clench". Lowe describes it as a "fast" game – "sixty seconds is unusually drawn out".
        I read the first three books. I didn't care for them much. I like it when the good guys win every once in a while, y'know?

        Originally posted by One Bad Pig View Post
        On the other hand, reading the Thomas Covenant series made me have to look up a few words because I hadn't seen them before, and that's pretty rare.
        Same here.
        Curiosity never hurt anyone. It was stupidity that killed the cat.

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        • Originally posted by QuantaFille View Post
          That must be a thing in later books. I'm 76% through the first one and I've encountered that phrase once so far. It does bother me a bit when authors have their favourite word or phrase that they use repeatedly. Elaborate descriptions don't bother me so much unless it's lengthy enough to interfere with telling the story.
          The first book was fast paced and exciting. It really slows down in the middle books. I think he was going to write a trilogy or some short series at first, then decided to milk it for all it's worth and stretch the story into a dozen books. I enjoyed the audiobooks because you can just sit back and listen. But if I had to READ through the books, as thick and slow as they are, I would have given up by the third book. I think it took me a year to go through all of the audiobooks (I listen on the way to and from work and during road trips)

          Comment


          • Originally posted by QuantaFille View Post
            That must be a thing in later books. I'm 76% through the first one and I've encountered that phrase once so far. It does bother me a bit when authors have their favourite word or phrase that they use repeatedly. Elaborate descriptions don't bother me so much unless it's lengthy enough to interfere with telling the story
            I think Egwene ends up doing that a LOT. Nynaeve tends to grip her braid more
            Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
            1 Corinthians 16:13

            "...he [Doherty] is no historian and he is not even conversant with the historical discussions of the very matters he wants to pontificate on."
            -Ben Witherington III

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            • Originally posted by Raphael View Post
              I think Egwene ends up doing that a LOT. Nynaeve tends to grip her braid more
              It's weird looking at the spelling of the names since I only heard the names in the audiobooks. I thought it was Egwayne and Nineve. :-)

              But I swear it takes like 5 minutes to describe someone's dress. Who cares? Just say she was wearing a green dress. No need to describe every fold and button and bead. I get it, it was a nice dress. move on.

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              • Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                It's weird looking at the spelling of the names since I only heard the names in the audiobooks. I thought it was Egwayne and Nineve. :-)
                I've only read them, so they're pronounced in the manner that kinda made sense in my head at the time.

                Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                But I swear it takes like 5 minutes to describe someone's dress. Who cares? Just say she was wearing a green dress. No need to describe every fold and button and bead. I get it, it was a nice dress. move on.
                You've never read the descriptions of food in the Redwall books then have you?
                Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
                1 Corinthians 16:13

                "...he [Doherty] is no historian and he is not even conversant with the historical discussions of the very matters he wants to pontificate on."
                -Ben Witherington III

                Comment


                • Originally posted by Raphael View Post
                  I've only read them, so they're pronounced in the manner that kinda made sense in my head at the time.

                  You've never read the descriptions of food in the Redwall books then have you?
                  Nope.
                  Last edited by Raphael; 01-26-2017, 07:09 PM.

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                  • A History of Byzantine Music and Hymnography by Egon Wellesz
                    American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor - it is quite obviously written from a progressive perspective (naturally, Slate loves it).
                    Un Lun Dun by China Miéville
                    Also reading the various Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey I have lying about (possibly for the last time, as I'm noticing some rather significant plot holes for the first time this time around)

                    On order through ILL:
                    The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
                    The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill
                    BIBLICAL AND LITURGICAL SYMBOLS WITHIN THE PSEUDO-DIONYSI​AN SYNTHESIS by Paul Rorem
                    DIONYSIUS BAR SALIBI: COMMENTARIES ON MYRON AND BAPTISM trans. Baby Varghese
                    ALMSGIVING IN THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE: CHRISTIAN PROMOTION AND PRACTICE by Richard Finn
                    THE HOMILIES OF PHOTIUS, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE trans. Cyril Mango
                    PATRIARCH PHOTIOS OF CONSTANTINOPLE: HIS LIFE, SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE TOGETHER WITH A TRANSLATION OF FIFTY-TWO OF HIS LETTERS by Despina Stratoudaki White
                    Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

                    Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
                    sigpic
                    I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by Raphael View Post
                      I'm reading a very interesting book called Commando: A Boer Journal of the Boer War, by Deneys Reitz.

                      A very interesting read, with Reitz giving his autobiographical account about fighting against the British and Colonial forces in the Second Boer War.

                      (the word Commando actually comes for the name for the Boer forces during this war)
                      Definatly was a very good read, and now I'm just starting the second book in Deneys Reitz' autobiographical trilogy: Trekking On: A Boer Journal of World War One.

                      Reitz, who fought against the British in the Boer war, fought for the British in WW1, ultimately commanding the Royal Scots Fusiliers
                      Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
                      1 Corinthians 16:13

                      "...he [Doherty] is no historian and he is not even conversant with the historical discussions of the very matters he wants to pontificate on."
                      -Ben Witherington III

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by QuantaFille View Post
                        I have (re)started listening to Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series in audiobook format. I listened to the first book years ago but did not have an opportunity to listen to the rest. I have recently started a new job which is a very tedious one in manufacturing and I plan on listening to quite a lot of audiobooks. Next on the list is Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, another that I started and never got to finish.
                        I haven't read WoT, but Brandon is a friend of mine, knew him before he was famous. I love just about everything he writes.
                        "It seems to me that these women were the head (κεφάλαιον) of the church which was at Philippi." ~ John Chrysostom, Homilies on Philippians 13

                        Weighted Glory | Christians for Biblical Equality | Worlds Without End: A Mormon Studies Roundtable

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                        • Originally posted by One Bad Pig View Post
                          The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
                          Loved The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest. Final book was kind of "meh" (too much misogyny), but still worth reading to finish the series.
                          "It seems to me that these women were the head (κεφάλαιον) of the church which was at Philippi." ~ John Chrysostom, Homilies on Philippians 13

                          Weighted Glory | Christians for Biblical Equality | Worlds Without End: A Mormon Studies Roundtable

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by Raphael View Post
                            Definatly was a very good read, and now I'm just starting the second book in Deneys Reitz' autobiographical trilogy: Trekking On: A Boer Journal of World War One.

                            Reitz, who fought against the British in the Boer war, fought for the British in WW1, ultimately commanding the Royal Scots Fusiliers
                            And on the long weekend, I finished this one, and started the third one No Outspan - a Boer Journal of Life after the War., which is about His entry into South African politics, more of a book for someone who knows South Africa than the second one (which I do) but still is a good read, I'm about halfway through it.

                            Reitz' second book was a very interesting one on WW1, considering he fought the Germans on 3 different fronts, German West (Namibia), German East (Somalia and surrounds) and in the trenches in France, definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the history of the Great War.
                            Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
                            1 Corinthians 16:13

                            "...he [Doherty] is no historian and he is not even conversant with the historical discussions of the very matters he wants to pontificate on."
                            -Ben Witherington III

                            Comment


                            • Michael R. Licona, Why Are There Differences in the Gospels?: What We Can Learn From Ancient Biography
                              Roger Penrose, The Emperor's New Mind
                              Thomas Nagel, Mind & Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False
                              J. P. Moreland, The Soul: How We Know It's Real and Why it Matters
                              Eric Metaxas, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life
                              R. Douglas Geivett & Gary R. Habermas, eds., In Defence of Miracles: A Comprehension Case for God's Action in History
                              Alvin Plantinga, Knowledge and Christian Belief
                              Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief
                              Francis J. Beckwith, William Lane Craig, and J. P. Moreland, eds., To Everyone An Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview
                              Craig L. Blomberg, The Historical Reliability of the New Testament: Countering the Challenges to Evangelical Christian Beliefs
                              My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0719RS8BK

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                              • Originally posted by Rational Gaze View Post
                                Eric Metaxas, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life
                                Just heard Eric Metaxas speak (live) for the first time on Friday. He's pretty good.
                                Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

                                Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
                                sigpic
                                I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

                                Comment

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