Friday OT #1 - Cunning Linguists
- Thread starter Angie
- Start date
A joke I like is the Hemingway answer to why the chicken crossed the road.
'To die. Alone. In the rain.'
Yea, this is why I wouldn't necessarily use Steinbeck or Hemingway. Great writers, but their style is really plain and straightforward. Not much in the way of cunning.
Shakespeare on the other hand... **** jokes for days.
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Cyclonepride
Thought Police
Homer. Obviously everything I have read is translated and I'm sure smoothed out in ways in the process, but it absolutely fascinates me how a 3000 year old work could be so easily and compulsively readable.
Also Tolkien. The way he built his history in almost an obsessive manner created an entire world and mythology to it's own, and it's the gold standard for me in fictional writing.
Also Tolkien. The way he built his history in almost an obsessive manner created an entire world and mythology to it's own, and it's the gold standard for me in fictional writing.
My brother got me reading a lot of fantasy when I was a kid, so Tolkien has to fall into my list for nostalgia's sake.
A couple fantasy authors that I like a little better as I read more:
David Eddings - really fell in love with the Belgariad series, well written dialogue with good humor mixed in
Stephen R Donaldson - Thomas Covenant was such a good anti-hero. I remember actually getting so ****** off at him that I stopped reading the book for a week
Others:
Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston - Really like their mix of suspense and intelligence.
Joe Posnaski - sports writer for the KC Star when I first moved here. Some of his baseball stories were things of beauty to read.
Dave Barry - humor columnist. Even though his routine got a little old after awhile, I really liked his comedic style when he was on.
A couple fantasy authors that I like a little better as I read more:
David Eddings - really fell in love with the Belgariad series, well written dialogue with good humor mixed in
Stephen R Donaldson - Thomas Covenant was such a good anti-hero. I remember actually getting so ****** off at him that I stopped reading the book for a week
Others:
Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston - Really like their mix of suspense and intelligence.
Joe Posnaski - sports writer for the KC Star when I first moved here. Some of his baseball stories were things of beauty to read.
Dave Barry - humor columnist. Even though his routine got a little old after awhile, I really liked his comedic style when he was on.
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If we're basing it on cleverness and cunning wit, then it's Joseph Heller in a landslide. Nobody does clever better than him.
If you haven't already, check out Donna Tartt. She's pretty brilliant at developing her characters.
Definitely Chuck for me too.
I have a handful for sci-fi -- David Brin, EE Knight, James Alan Gardner, and Pournell & Niven.
Post apocalyptic trash -- Deathlands series by James Axler
Detective mysteries -- Carl Hiaasen. He has the same basic characters in his stories, but they are really funny page-turner reads. Check out "Bad Monkey."
In terms of favorite authors:
from my early years: Louis L'amour.
now my tastes run more mainstream:
George RR Martin, John Grisham, JK Rowling, PD James, Margaret Atwood.
I love the Dr. Seuss mention. my son got a boxset of Roald Dahl's complete works and we've been reading them. I'd only read a couple before, but they are all really good.
from my early years: Louis L'amour.
now my tastes run more mainstream:
George RR Martin, John Grisham, JK Rowling, PD James, Margaret Atwood.
I love the Dr. Seuss mention. my son got a boxset of Roald Dahl's complete works and we've been reading them. I'd only read a couple before, but they are all really good.
Roald Dahl is great. I used to read a ton when I was little, and have read both him and the first Harry Potter to our kindergartner. She loves both, both Dahl and Rowling are great at painting a mental picture.
My thoughts went the same direction as KentKel. Aaron Sorkin writes the most amazing, intelligent, witty, thoughtful dialogue of anyone in the screenwriting business. I've loved pretty much everything he has written (of course, it helps if they pick the right actors who can pull of the rapid-fire speeches).
For straight books...
Tom Clancy (the early ones that he actually wrote...not the later special ops & rainbow six stuff)
Dean Koontz (Strangers, Watchers, & Lightning are my favorites)
F Paul Wilson (Repairman Jack Series)
Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston (together and separately)
James Rollins
William Bernhardt (series about a rather hapless lawyer from Tulsa who occasionally gets paid in chickens, and his rather diverse staff)
Pretty eclectic choices.
There are many other authors I like, but these seven I have read & re-read.
Hapless? And he gets paid in chickens? Down here that is considered a pretty successful lawyer!
