Reading - books or ereader (other kindles are available)!

[annedonnelly]

The lack of punctuation would make my eyes bleed...

I can't even read posts on here with no punctuation.

 

[Reynard]

The first ever audio book, so to speak ...

Yeah... It's much easier to listen to than to read, that's for sure.

Although it's got to be hell for the person having to actually reading out loud...

 

[Reynard]

I can't even read posts on here with no punctuation.

Fanfiction.net is another such crime scene... It does my head in when you have a premise that, on the face of it, looks interesting, but when you actually call up the story, the quality of the writing is so very disappointing.

Good writing should flow, have a cadence and rhythm to it - and the correct use of punctuation is the key to that. Some writers seem to get away with "experimental" stuff, like that excerpt by James Joyce that was flagged up a few posts further back, but really, reading should be a pleasurable experience. You shouldn't have to be banging your head against the wall trying to make sense of something just because someone either can't or won't use punctuation. Or decent grammar, for that matter...

 

[annedonnelly]

Fanfiction.net is another such crime scene... It does my head in when you have a premise that, on the face of it, looks interesting, but when you actually call up the story, the quality of the writing is so very disappointing.

Good writing should flow, have a cadence and rhythm to it - and the correct use of punctuation is the key to that. Some writers seem to get away with "experimental" stuff, like that excerpt by James Joyce that was flagged up a few posts further back, but really, reading should be a pleasurable experience. You shouldn't have to be banging your head against the wall trying to make sense of something just because someone either can't or won't use punctuation. Or decent grammar, for that matter...

Some editors and proof readers clearly don't do a good job. That's the sort of thing that stops me reading something no matter how good the story or famous the author.

I've done quite a bit of proof reading for a friend and I know it's not a trivial job but if you're going to charge people for the opportunity to read your work it should be as correct as possible.

I'm currently filling some of my spare time "smooth reading" for the Gutenberg project. That's more or less proof reading and is an opportunity to read some diverse texts.

 

[Reynard]

Some editors and proof readers clearly don't do a good job. That's the sort of thing that stops me reading something no matter how good the story or famous the author.

I've done quite a bit of proof reading for a friend and I know it's not a trivial job but if you're going to charge people for the opportunity to read your work it should be as correct as possible.

I'm currently filling some of my spare time "smooth reading" for the Gutenberg project. That's more or less proof reading and is an opportunity to read some diverse texts.

Indeed. That's the downside of reading amateur works, as you can't expect a beta reader to do all of the required corrections. And so, it really shows up the wide level of ability far more than for those who are writing professionally and have access to editors and proof readers. Although yes, even then, that's still no guarantee.

Likewise, I proof-read for a friend who is a screenwriter. And I write, also, having in the past produced assorted academic papers and also completed a stint as a motorsport journalist. So I've fingers in both pies, as it were.

I'm pretty fastidious with my own work, I think. It's as much about personal pride as anything else...

 

[Tenkaykev]

yep - I'm on several. Only drawback is some won't let you renew if someone else in god knows where wants it. Risky if you read several books at a time. You can be part way through/approaching the end of a book when it disappears not to be available again for weeks/months,

I'd recommend taking a look at the excellent " Calibre " program. I use it to manage the library on by laptop and my Kobo. There are quite a few " extensions " that you can add to the program which enable you to customise your reading. There's also a " deDRM" add on which solves the problem with books disappearing. You can manually delete the books after you've finished reading them.

 

[tyred]

I read Animal Farm, 1984, and Brave New World in English Lit. at school. I enjoyed them and went on to read everything written by Orwell and Huxley. Then I got into DH Lawrence and John Wyndham.

I spend a lot of time reading technical stuff online, but long ago got out of the habit of reading novels. I'm trying to get back into it now. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the books on my to-read list. I was also thinking the other day that I cant remember ever reading any Dickens. I fancy trying a Sherlock Holmes novel too.

I've read some Dickens and would consider The Christmas Books as one of my all time favourites but generally speaking I find Dickens incredibly hard work. I bought a copy of Bleak House in a charity shop a few years ago and every so often I try to read it for a bit before feeling completely lost!

I love Sherlock Holmes and have read them all at least once. The hound of the Baskervilles is probably one of the greatest novels ever written. The sign of four is good too. The short stories vary but the early ones are generally excellent. I'd say it's definitely worth your while to give Holmes a go.

James Joyce is English but not as we know it

I've always loved Thomas Hardy's poetry and have been trying to get into his novels recently. He's a better poet than novelist but I think Far from the madding crowd is a very good novel.

 

[Reynard]

I've read some Dickens and would consider The Christmas Books as one of my all time favourites but generally speaking I find Dickens incredibly hard work. I bought a copy of Bleak House in a charity shop a few years ago and every so often I try to read it for a bit before feeling completely lost!

Oh, tell me about it...

Strange to think that he was the best-selling author of his day, so incredibly popular. Most of his books were actually published, not as a single volume, but serialized, which you bought weekly or fortnightly like a magazine.

WHSmith made its money in the early days by selling Dickens in train stations. A very Victorian success story...

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I love Sherlock Holmes and have read them all at least once. The hound of the Baskervilles is probably one of the greatest novels ever written. The sign of four is good too. The short stories vary but the early ones are generally excellent. I'd say it's definitely worth your while to give Holmes a go.

@ColinJ I'd agree with this summary. Incidentally last week Radio 4Extra had an adaptation of Hound of the Baskervilles. You could find it on BBC Sounds and give it a listen to see if it grabs you.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I re-read the epic poem Song of Roland recently. The foreword by Dorothy L Sayers is very good at putting things into context and pointing out things you may miss as it's a great poem about human nature and frailties (as well as lots of blood and gore).
Reminds me I must re-read Beowulf, I do like the old sagas.

 

[ColinJ]

Strange to think that he was the best-selling author of his day, so incredibly popular. Most of his books were actually published, not as a single volume, but serialized, which you bought weekly or fortnightly like a magazine.

WHSmith made its money in the early days by selling Dickens in train stations. A very Victorian success story...

Stranger still, to think that I was just able to get the entire works of Dickens free in less than 1 minute courtesy of the Kindle Store on Amazon!

I'll try Bleak House when I have finished my current reading.

 

[tyred]

Oh, tell me about it...

Strange to think that he was the best-selling author of his day, so incredibly popular. Most of his books were actually published, not as a single volume, but serialized, which you bought weekly or fortnightly like a magazine.

WHSmith made its money in the early days by selling Dickens in train stations. A very Victorian success story...

He was great at creating characters to be fair.

 

[slowmotion]

I like books. I spend far too long in front of screens so it's a massive relief to get entertainment from paper pages.

 

[tyred]

Stranger still, to think that I was just able to get the entire works of Dickens free in less than 1 minute courtesy of the Kindle Store on Amazon!

I'll try Bleak House when I have finished my current reading.

Good luck

 

[ColinJ]

I have just spotted The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in my Kindle Library - I had obviously downloaded it in the past but not got round to reading any of the adventures!

I'll try some of those and if I enjoy them I will move on to The Hound...