tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post6094911193869828429..comments2024-03-28T01:53:34.870-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Open Friday: Re-readingJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-48273079864694157912011-07-25T14:22:08.835-04:002011-07-25T14:22:08.835-04:00In my teens I must have re-read LOTR every year or...In my teens I must have re-read LOTR every year or so; these days I’m lucky to revisit it once a decade. As others have mentioned, I also tend to re-read earlier books in a series when something new comes out.<br /><br />I have a number of “old favourites” that I turn to when I’m in need of a stress-free, good story – I guess the literary equivalent of comfort food. These tend to get read about once every 5 years or so. Examples would include: <br />Steve Miller & Sharon Lee’s very Travelleresque Liaden tales;<br />Robin McKinley’s novels (especially The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, Beauty, & The Door in the Hedge); <br />David Weber’s Honor Harrington novels;<br />Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series;<br />Andre Norton’s Witch World books;<br />Piper & Co.’s Lord Kalvan stories;<br />and David Eddings’ Elenium series.JBMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13915780514486101083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-19664841808427500412011-07-23T21:55:44.238-04:002011-07-23T21:55:44.238-04:00I reread Tolkien every few years and just finished...I reread Tolkien every few years and just finished the Hobbit again. I also return to the stories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser with some frequency. Then there is Promethea by Allan Moore, Astro City by Kurt Busiek and Sandman by Neil Gaiman.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17635116929490398699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-20197880524601816792011-07-23T19:11:58.229-04:002011-07-23T19:11:58.229-04:00The Hobbit and Watership Down for me.The Hobbit and Watership Down for me.Rachel Ghoulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765944479141792643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-37835480571217022022011-07-23T16:29:16.057-04:002011-07-23T16:29:16.057-04:00I turn to The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch wh...I turn to <i><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z5vpNAABjv8/RmjOPYv3jEI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Qu6RiBWuGSM/s400/palmer2.jpg" rel="nofollow">The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch</a></i> whenever I feel terrible, or want to feel terrible-er.<br /><br />I like to comfort myself with the thought that, despite how banal the mundane evils we face every day, there are truly monstrous things just out of sight, or just waiting for us to lift our eyes up to see a larger picture.<br /><br />"Faith of our Fathers," and some of his other short stories, too.huthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502682297320819595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-41337832363388861582011-07-23T12:47:53.557-04:002011-07-23T12:47:53.557-04:00Leiber, Vance, LeGuin, Burroughs (E.R., not W.S.),...Leiber, Vance, LeGuin, Burroughs (E.R., not W.S.), Aldiss, M. John Harrison, Mieville, and G.R.R. Martin have all been read in the last 2-3 months, though the last two were for work and I grew to dislike both.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08868302412533031659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-22504000097365851442011-07-23T12:44:01.249-04:002011-07-23T12:44:01.249-04:00There are so many books yet to read, and so little...There are so many books yet to read, and so little time! I read The Lord of the Rings aloud to my three boys (ages 8-13) over the course of June 2009-December 2010, which was re-reading, and I noticed and appreciated many details anew (though I had re-read it many times in my teen years). They then prevailed upon me to re-read The Hobbit aloud this year, which took much less time. To get my Tolkien fix nowadays, I don't have to re-read when there are 12 volumes of the History of Middle-Earth to delve into. The details on the dwarves in vol. 12 are a trove of material.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08868302412533031659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-33271119824974303052011-07-23T12:03:09.226-04:002011-07-23T12:03:09.226-04:00Lyonesse.
Lyonesse.
Lyonesse.
O'Brien'...Lyonesse. <br />Lyonesse. <br />Lyonesse.<br />O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin books. <br />LotR.<br />Stephenson's Cryptonomicon & Snow Crash. Segments of his Baroque Cycle too, though I haven't invested the time yet in a complete re-read of those.<br />Ender's Game and (moreso) Speaker for the Dead. <br />Paksennarion in the past.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-17314791984155687752011-07-23T10:22:09.985-04:002011-07-23T10:22:09.985-04:00@ Soren
Very nice. Dean Koontz's The Taking i...@ Soren<br /><br />Very nice. Dean Koontz's <i>The Taking</i> is definitely worthy of a few reads, especially for GMs looking to do horror well, rather than just throwing vampires and zombies in their players' faces and calling it horror.uwarrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14317203334211498424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-41551060413007369032011-07-23T07:45:20.632-04:002011-07-23T07:45:20.632-04:00Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. I'...Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. I've been re-reading it like clockwork, at least once a year.<br /><br />Also:<br /><br />The World of Tiers By Philip José Farmer. <br />The Demon Price series by Jack Vance.<br />Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman.<br />Lord of light by Roger Zelazny.The Wandering Yoshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00892188696206244756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7146208140350055782011-07-23T06:32:59.294-04:002011-07-23T06:32:59.294-04:00Arthur Machen.
Algernon Blackwood.
Dion Fortune.
L...Arthur Machen.<br />Algernon Blackwood.<br />Dion Fortune.<br />Lord Dunsany.<br />Clark Ashton Smith.<br />Jack Vance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58626507907191728212011-07-23T05:49:28.583-04:002011-07-23T05:49:28.583-04:00The Princess Bride. I probably alternate watch the...The Princess Bride. I probably alternate watch the movie or read the book every 6 months.blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09044744212577744849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-10668722921884614042011-07-23T03:37:50.639-04:002011-07-23T03:37:50.639-04:00Tolkien, Lovecraft, Howard, and Bujold often draw ...Tolkien, Lovecraft, Howard, and Bujold often draw me back, maybe every few years for each of them. I recently finished rereading Asimov's Robot and Foundation series. I'm currently rereading the Honor Harrington books, feeling as ambivalent about them as I did the first time. I just started rereading The Hobbit thanks to your recent posts. I'm setting aside the Thomas Covenant books to reread next thanks to that post and the debate it stimulated; I'm curious to see how I'll react to them the second time through.<br /><br />I most often reread Miyazaki's graphic novel Nausicäa of the Valley of Wind, which I like better than Dune (though the latter is due to hit my reread cycle soon). Nausicäa may be the only work I know that is equally apocalyptic and uplifting, a worthy story for our times.Rick Marshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01707062453047354335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-43954344683394223242011-07-23T02:05:06.094-04:002011-07-23T02:05:06.094-04:00JB: I know what you mean about the non-fiction (an...JB: I know what you mean about the non-fiction (and "New Agey", since some people dispute their fictional/non-fictional status). I didn't even try to list those. I also left out martial arts philosophy (my personal favorite, which I re-read frequently, is <i>Tengu Geijutsuron</i>, in its translation by William Scott Wilson (as <i>The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts</i>).faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-34268181047886533012011-07-23T01:39:28.938-04:002011-07-23T01:39:28.938-04:00Princess of Mars, Llana of Gathol, Chessmen of Mar...<i>Princess of Mars, Llana of Gathol, Chessmen of Mars</i> - Edgar Rice Burroughs, <i>Dune</i> - Herbert, <i>The Final Reflection</i> - John M. Ford, <i>The Hobbit </i> - JRRT, Pratchett's <i>Discworld</i>, C.L. Moore's <i>Northwest Smith</i>, anything Leigh Brackett.Captain Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10682678777940123469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-57252190553239874112011-07-23T01:28:14.663-04:002011-07-23T01:28:14.663-04:00I reread a LOT of books. The ones I've read th...I reread a LOT of books. The ones I've read the most include:<br /><br />The Hobbit (Tolkien)<br />Armor (John Steakley)<br />Siddhartha (Herman Hesse)<br />Starship Troopers (Heinlein)<br /><br />Hmm...even leaving out the New Agey and non-fiction books that's kind of a weird selection, I admit.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-43773864052771587672011-07-23T00:03:04.289-04:002011-07-23T00:03:04.289-04:00Oh! And Raymond Chandler. I must have re-read The ...Oh! And Raymond Chandler. I must have re-read <i>The Long Goodbye</i> a dozen times, and I occasionally read the others.<br /><br />And, though not frequently, I have re-read the Amber books of Zelazny a couple of times.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-34507571088521165282011-07-22T23:55:12.540-04:002011-07-22T23:55:12.540-04:00Sticking to fiction, I'd start with The Lord o...Sticking to fiction, I'd start with <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> and <i>Dune</i>, of course. Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood books. Lovecraft. Burroughs's Mars books. Tanith Lee's Flat Earth books. The two Arafel books by C.J. Cherryh (lately published in one volume as either <i>The Dreaming Tree</i>, with a re-written, and better, ending, or <i>Arafel's Saga</i> with the original ending). Bruce Sterling's Schismatrix stories. Howard's Conan stories. I may be adding Jim Butcher to this list. I used to re-read a few Heinlein books regularly, but that has become infrequent.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-71610313297425127712011-07-22T23:43:19.899-04:002011-07-22T23:43:19.899-04:00@zerohero...
Tombs of Atuan is fantastic. Trying t...@zerohero...<br /><i>Tombs of Atuan</i> is fantastic. Trying to match the narrative to that great map, and the fascinating religion Le Guin crafted.<br /><br />@formerlawyer...<br />How could I forget <i>The Rolling Stones</i> and <i>Have Spacesuit Will Travel</i>!?rainswepthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06165059567790555748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7530616598762097912011-07-22T23:05:12.173-04:002011-07-22T23:05:12.173-04:00Dune - Frank Herbert
Time and the Gods - Lord Duns...Dune - Frank Herbert<br />Time and the Gods - Lord Dunsany<br />Lyonesse - Jack VancePTRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01804620638450848244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-91651396428761908202011-07-22T22:54:55.638-04:002011-07-22T22:54:55.638-04:00As it seems with so many folks, I've re-read D...As it seems with so many folks, I've re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings and the original Dying Earth books. I could also go back through any given story by Leiber, Howard or Lovecraft basically at will. I read a good chunk of the History of Middle-Earth series back in college, which was like reading every draft of the Silmarillion (the Turin and Beren/Luthien stories are IMO Tolkien's best tales).<br /><br />I periodically revisit Orwell's 1984, a fascinating book. During high school I was devoted to it and would go back over certain passages again and again. These days not as much.Wayne R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04118962136054206381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21554312037971705452011-07-22T22:43:53.392-04:002011-07-22T22:43:53.392-04:00After reading the Dying Earth books this year, I f...After reading the Dying Earth books this year, I find myself going back to Cugel again and again. I would like to re-read the Guardian of the Flame series, including the last few books which I never have read. Middle-earth books, especially Silmarillion I re-read every now-and-than. The Dune series (and yes, the new ones too). I want to re-read The Broken Sword since it was really good (I liked it more than Children of Hurin). I also have audio books of some of the mentioned books so I can listen to them at work too, which is usually these days the way I "re-read" books I've read.Mighty Veilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13091153241917134322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-18375921445635339222011-07-22T22:33:57.127-04:002011-07-22T22:33:57.127-04:00I used to reread the Hobbit and LotR every few yea...I used to reread the Hobbit and LotR every few years but upon my last reading of the Rings Trilogy I could barely get through it. As Brandon noted, Tolkien does love himself some winding roads and rolling hills and I find myself thinking, "Get on with it man!"<br /><br />I've reread most of the early Discworld books two or three times, the Hitchhiker's Guide series two or three times and many of the books of Heinlein, Niven, Pohl, Norton and Herbert at least twice.<br /><br />I constantly reread my comic books and graphic novels, regardless of age or continuity, as those often inspire gaming ideas more than anything else.<br /><br />Well, those and artbooks. I think I've read through Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials and Lee and Froud's Faeries more times then I can count.Adam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-40805612068294964382011-07-22T22:14:14.940-04:002011-07-22T22:14:14.940-04:00Almost everything I reread from my favourite autho...Almost everything I reread from my favourite authors (which are too many to mention offhand). Especially if I've been reading a lot of new authors (whose quality may "vary"), rereading an old favouite author is relaxing. Comfort reading, which I keep finding myself returning to.<br /><br />For example I can always wax ecstatically over every word and turn of phrase in Peter S Beagle's <i>The Last Unicorn</i>, regardless of the number of times I've read it.<br /><br />Although I do have a tradition of rereading <i>The Divine Comedy</i> by Dante Alighieri every other Easter or so. In either Italian (which I picked up to enjoy the original prose [and to read <i>Il Principe</i> in the original language], or the Dorothy L Sayers translation.Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-43025728030076052542011-07-22T22:07:51.019-04:002011-07-22T22:07:51.019-04:00David Eddings Belgariad and MaloreanDavid Eddings Belgariad and MaloreanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-14364443760081523152011-07-22T21:58:09.100-04:002011-07-22T21:58:09.100-04:00Thank you, James, for this post. It is the first ...Thank you, James, for this post. It is the first one I have Pdf'd and will reference for future reading. Dune, of all books, huh? I have read it twice and remember most the characterization, dialogue, and seamless skein of science, fantasy, and story. Now, however, ill read again with this post as part of my background knowledge. Please keep it up!Digital Orchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00276516390269689741noreply@blogger.com