December 7th - MeMe

[alexisjane]

7th Dec: casey28 - 3 favourite books?

Oh God, this is hard! I've read nothing but fanfic for a year, I've forgotten what pages feel like!

I guess the book I've read the most is The Stand by Stephen King. It's pretty damn wonderful, but actually I have to say that having read more of his stories, esp. the Dark Tower series, it gets harder and harder to seperate them. Everything ties in together, characters reoccur and storylines intertwine...it's fucking awesome. So yeah, everything Stephen King I think is a legit answer : )

Um...maybe not a book but Odour of Chrysanthemums by DH Lawrence blew my mind as a kid. We later studied it in school and the heavy symbolism and evocative language really stuck with me. Also The RockingHorse Winner in the same collection, I think was the first real horror story I ever read. I really loved Lady Chatterley's Lover too, although apart from the surprise at seeing the word "fuck" on the page for the first time, I thought it was desperately sad and beautiful, and couldn't understand what the fuss was all about.

I'm so tempted to say The Hungry Caterpillar...Actually when I was a kid I had a book of fairy tales illustrated by Arthur Rackham. I remember the stories were closer to the originals so on the gorier side, the pictures were beautiful and immersive, and the last one in the book was a bit of Midsummer Night's Dream, that had a song with the music score and my mom used to sing it to me. That book was really key to introducing me to many of the things that I like. I wish I still had it, or at least could remember the title.

♥

Comments

[toratio.livejournal.com]

Oh God, I love The Stand. It's so epic, and so amazing. If you haven't already, I recommend reading the comic adaptation, it's totally amazing.

I love how King's books are always set in the same universe. Especially when It is referenced in other books, because that's another fave of mine.

Oh, and out of interest - Salman Rushdie said that Adelaide would be a great setting for a Stephen King book (because it's kind of creepy - that shouldn't be awesome, but it kind of is).

[alexisjane.livejournal.com]

Oooo, I have some of the Dark Tower comic but not that. Have you read The Talisman...oh my Lordy, so good and I think they started a comic of that too!
IT is so wonderful. I remember reading it in the winter and feeling really confused for a second when I would look up and it was raining and not bright summer! xx

[toratio.livejournal.com]

I haven't read Talisman. I've never gotten to his more sci-fi stuff, but I should. Isn't Flagg in Dark Tower?

[alexisjane.livejournal.com]

Oooo Talisman is more...I don't know, it kinda has alternate realities, and a really strong child character like in IT...and a quest. I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

Yup, Flagg is in pretty much everything I think. Eyes of a Dragon, his YA book features him heavily but yeah, Dark Tower is kinda like the hub that all the other stories feed into and ties them all together. It's a lot of volumes but once you read The Gunslinger, you'll be hooked!! : ) xx

[toratio.livejournal.com]

I might have to! Flagg is my favourite character, he's such a great villain.

[alexisjane.livejournal.com]

Oh Hun...well the opening line is...

The man in black fled across the desert. And the gunslinger followed.

I think you might like it : ) xx

[toratio.livejournal.com]

Ahhhhhh!!! *grabby hands*

[tifaching.livejournal.com]

The Stand! My favorite King book. I've read it a dozen times, at least.

[firesign10.livejournal.com]

Yeah,I think The Stand is the gift that keeps on giving. I love Dark Tower too, although I haven't read them all. People who discount King as a writer clearly haven't read his books - what he does with environment and the richness of his characters, even the throw-aways, is masterful.

[matchboximpala.livejournal.com]

The Stand is my all-time favorite Stephen King book.

The Arthur Rackham question is going to drive me crazy. Up until last year I had a copy of fairy tales illustrated by him, but I gave it away. It had been so long since I had read them, I can't remember if it was the same book you are remembering.

Many of his works are out of copyright, so you might find the book at Hathitrust.org.

http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?type[]=author&lookfor[]=%22Rackham%2C%20Arthur%2C%201867-1939.%22&page=1&ft=ft

If you find the book and want the PDF, let me know and I can download it for you because my institution is a contributing member to HT.

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this hun, I've not read any of these, so I shall be having a nosey, I am ALWAYS on the look out for something new. I need books like I need air! And porn ;) xx

[casey28.livejournal.com]

I haven't read any of these books... they all sound interesting. I like Arthur Rackham's art. There's books that I loved when I was a kid, and I can't remember their titles, either. I hope one of these days, the name of it will come back to you.