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[jay-ell]

I watched a miniseries called "Tin Man" -- not knowing before I started it that it was a SciFi original -- and it was rather Meh. However, it did remind me how much I loved Return to Oz (ever so much more than The Wizard of Oz), and I got to wondering how closely it followed the other Oz books. So I downloaded the first five Oz books from Project Gutenberg (they're in the public domain) and have been reading them.

There are thirteen in all, and being children's books they're pretty straightforward and quick to read. (I read the first two last night.) They were all published between the turn of the century and the beginning of World War II, and stylistically they're quite spare and remind me of A.A. Milne. Dunno if they're enjoyable, per se, but I feel like I'm Accomplishing something by reading them, learning a new mythology, etc. Plus, it's interesting to see where the well-known films take license with the original stories.

Recommended? Probably not, unless you're really interested in absorbing the official canon of a specific branch of children's literature, as I am.

Yeah, I'm a nerd.

[AugustWest]

I watched a miniseries called "Tin Man" -- not knowing before I started it that it was a SciFi original -- and it was rather Meh. However, it did remind me how much I loved Return to Oz (ever so much more than The Wizard of Oz), and I got to wondering how closely it followed the other Oz books. So I downloaded the first five Oz books from Project Gutenberg (they're in the public domain) and have been reading them.

There are thirteen in all, and being children's books they're pretty straightforward and quick to read. (I read the first two last night.) They were all published between the turn of the century and the beginning of World War II, and stylistically they're quite spare and remind me of A.A. Milne. Dunno if they're enjoyable, per se, but I feel like I'm Accomplishing something by reading them, learning a new mythology, etc. Plus, it's interesting to see where the well-known films take license with the original stories.

Recommended? Probably not, unless you're really interested in absorbing the official canon of a specific branch of children's literature, as I am.

Yeah, I'm a nerd.

Have you read Wicked?

[Choop]

i've read wicked like five times, fantastic book. skip the sequel, or for that matter anything else the author's written. dude had one great idea and it fruited and since then he's been riding his own coattails

[jay-ell]

Have you read Wicked?

Yes, I liked it. Dude did his homework; I'm discovering that there's a lot in there that comes straight from Baum's books. I also enjoyed Son of a Witch, tho not quite as much. Pedro didn't like either book, but loves the musical; go figure.

Reading Baum's books tickles my History bone, tho.

[robot_god]

Cat's Cradle was the most disappointing read I've ever read.  What a lame ending.

[theinevitable]

THANK YOU.

I've liked other books of his, but that book I found completely unenjoyable.

[littlefallsmets]

But but but...

That ending is the only one that could happen!

In a human race trying to commit suicide for capricious reasons, against a God absent/uncaring/andor/incompetent and with the maguffin of Ice-9 in play, what other ending was there?

[robot_god]

The only one I can think of is to not publish the book and write a better one.

If that book were a webcomic we'd all be like, "he's not even trying anymore."

[littlefallsmets]

Like, what ending could've made more sense with the themes, I guess I'm asking.

I'll admit straight up: I am an irrational defender of that book. I agree with most of the ideas it is trying to get across about the human condition.

[robot_god]

Well, I dunno, I can't really remember the details.  I guess once it got to the island it just seemed pretty predictable, so I probably would have just never taken it there.  But I don't remember it well enough to suggest where it could have gone.

[Drygioni]

Well I really enjoyed Cat's Cradle. It is one of his more divisive books though I reckon, all comes down to personal preference. Rate it above Breakfast of Champions, at any rate

[AugustWest]

Cat's Cradle is one of my most favorite books.

[wombat]

The only one I can think of is to not publish the book and write a better one.

I remember nothing about Cat's Cradle but there sure are a lot of other books where the author should have taken that advice.

[theinevitable]

I tease my mom because of her reading habits. If she is reading a book where someone is mean or unfair to someone else (especially if it is a kid... like... say... Harry Potter) she just can't handle it and has to stop reading the book for a while.
I am realizing that I am the same way. I get really agitated about what happens to characters in books. Now I'm reading a fictionalization of the people who worked on the Kinsey Reports, and it is just making my skin crawl. All socially pressuring each other into doing sexual stuff they don't want to do/their spouses don't want them to do/ etc.

This seems obvious in retrospect, but the reason my mom's weirdness bugs me so much is that I am weird in the same ways, and they are some of my least favorite personal characteristics.

[Mr Trout]

What do you use to read ebooks? I can throw them on my phone or I can read them on my laptop but neither are comfortable enough for long-format reading. Maybe it's time to pick up a used Kindle or something, but I feel like I have enough electronic devices as it is.