Juno's Bibliophiles...

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Well, a Horace specalist once told me I had no chance of getting into Oxford and no chance of passing Latin, simpy because I hadn't had the chance to study Latin before, as I hadn't been able to afford to go to private school. Well, he was right about Oxford, but it remains to be seen what happens with Latin. My friends and I named this prig Horace, and I can't remember his real name now. We had to sit through a terrible long lecture he gave on the subject of Horace, and afterwards he saw fit to point out to us that we'd been falling asleep, and as we didn't like Horace, we'd never get into Oxbridge.

I don't know a book that lists those techs, but I have some notes my Latin teacher gave me that I could send you, if you like.

These days I find these sort of techniques slipping ino my writing quite a lot, and I quite like this.
 
Well Horace's actual poems are quite enjoyable - a lot of them are about the joys of drinking and carnal pleasures, and others are rather magnificent invective against former lovers. I'm sure your Horatian prig would have omitted to mention all this! I can't read the originals of course, but liked them in translation.
I would certainly be interested to read more about rhetoric techniques - if you have typed-up notes, you could mail them to novaheat50 (at) hotmail (dot) com, else I'll search around on my own, no problem.
 
I'll send them when I find them. They're typed up (I always type my notes, that way I can actually read them). I suppose I ought to read some Horace, but I'm prejudiced somehow ;)

Juvenal is great on invective, too. As is Cicero (who I adore!)
 
Yippie, I've finished my current set of books. Here's what's next:
Chronicles of Pern: First Fall by Anne McCaffrey - started today.
Dragonseye by Anne McCaffrey
Renegades of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

1 month and 2 weeks left to finish all of the Pern series...
 
I read a few of those some years ago, what my libary had anyway, and they were all right.
 
I'm currently reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini and unfortunately my enjoyment is being tempered by all the discussions held in this forum re his ability to write as a 15yr old, would the book ever have been published if his parents weren't in the business, etc. So I'm not reading it as just a book, more as a reviewer would. Oh well. I'll just have to write up a review for the forum.
 
I've thought about reading that, just to see what all the fuss is about, but I think I'd read it as a reviewer, too.
 
Well, I woke up this morning at 3 AM, unable to sleep, so I sat and read RIchard Matheson's I Am Legend in one sitting.


It was intense, and gripping, though hardly what you could call action-packed, except sporadically. The conclusion left me reeling for a while. I'll weigh in with more comments when the Book Club discussion in under way.
 
Post me the book, damnit! I must read it. Why does the universe play draughts with my emotions?

I'm on "At The Earth's Core", but so far "The Land that Time Forgot" is about seven times better. Less trashy, for one thing.
 
Gah, I went into town today but I forgot totally to go into Fagin's. I was too busy reeling about like a drunk trying to get used to my new glasses. So I have nothing to read tonight, boo hoo, except a dreafdul article on Neolithic Wessex that I've been putting off.
 
Still working on "I Am Legend" - but the end is in sight. I don't know why it's taking me so long to get through such a thin book.

Well, one reason may be that I've also started reading what I think will be a really interesting book (non-fiction) that is making a case for the claim that H. G. Wells stole "An Outline of History" from a Canadian woman who had submitted a manuscript that seems to be very like it in many respects to the Canadian branch of Wells' publisher. Not too far into it, so I'm not sure yet how good the case is. Will report back on it later.
 
Well, checked out the local used book store and since I hadn't been for a while I felt like a kid in a candy store! I had to limit myself to three books :eek:. Unfortunately not one of them is I Am Legend. I suppose I'll just have to stay out of this month's discussion. What I did get was Elric of Melnibone (wow it is tiny!), The Callahan Touch by Spider Robinson, which I've read but wanted to have a copy of (and read again of course :p) and a copy Teri Windling's The Wood Wife. What fun! I also stopped in to the library and picked up China Mieville's Perdido Street Station. What to read first? I think I'll tackle the Elric one as it is the smallest. Of course I can't do that yet as I've got quite a few other menial chores to take care of today.
 
Read Perdido, dwndrgn, read Perdido! I won't throw up any spoilers, I swear (although I suggest you don't read my review of the book for a while!). :D


I've just given up on Ringworld Engineers, the sequel to Larry Niven's Ringworld. Definitely an epitome of the qualities that make many a genre outsider dismiss sf - an excessive emphasis on technology over any other element, wafer thin characterisation, clunky prose and an inelegant episodic plot. There's a lot of (non-explicit) sex too, of a disturbingly adolescent wish-fulfillment variety. One for the number-crunchers, certainly but I'd hardly recommend it to anyone else.

In compensation, I am now reading Jack Vance's Alastor. It is so good to loose myself in Vance's gracious prose once again.

I'm also progressing on the book on Civilizations- fascinating stuff.
 
knivesout, what is this ado about "Perdido Street Station"? I checked it out of the library a while ago and had to return it before I could start it (other things going on). Is it really worth it? Should I check it out again?
 
Are there any spoilers in the review? If so, I think I'd rather wait to read it after I read the book. Unconventional works for me, though. I think I'll see if I can get it out of the library again.:)
 
No real spoilers, although I do say that the ending is not a totally happy ending. However, I haven't specified in what form. I think it is safe to read the review and I believe it will give you a good idea of what to look out for, as others who have read the book found it a fair asessment. :)
 
I've had a major reading sessions, no wonder my eyes hurt :D


I've managed to read since I my last post in this thread -

Death Mask by Jim Butcher
Circus of the Damned by Laurell K Hamilton
Dragon Sea Heir by Storm Constantine
 
knivesout said:
Read Perdido, dwndrgn, read Perdido! I won't throw up any spoilers, I swear (although I suggest you don't read my review of the book for a while!). :D
Click to expand...
I'm trying. So far I like the story itself and the characters. My biggest hurdle is getting over the illogical bits. The stuff that doesn't make scientific sense. I'm a wannabe scientist so maybe it is just effecting me more than most people. It's certainly not a quick and easy read.
 
Currently I'm reading three books:

I Am Legend~Richard Matheson
Byzantium~Stephen Lawhead
Dark Magic-Christine Feehan
 
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