【Chat】favorite english novel...!?

[code789 10]

HALO first strike

HALO the fall of reach

HALO the flood

HALO ghosts of onyx

[幻羽〃芙 10]

i love "twilight"

i think its the best book ever=)

[spacedunce-5 10]

A Beautiful Mind

(It has also been made into a movie!!!)

But if anyone wants to read it, be careful:

it's a bit thick.

[tony_chen128 10]

Has anyone konw the novel named "The Kite Runner " ?

I'am touched by the content.

[冬風 軒 10]

''Canterbury Tales''

well, it's not a real novel actually.

''The French Lieutenant’s Woman ''might be the one I would recommand

[MikiRei 10]

recommand

recommend

WHICH version did you read? Canterbury Tales is.....literally unreadable unless you know ancient English - unless, of course, you've read the modernised version or so I've heard. (My copy is yet to be read)

[冬風 軒 10]

recommend

WHICH version did you read? Canterbury Tales is.....literally unreadable unless you know ancient English - unless, of course, you've read the modernised version or so I've heard. (My copy is yet to be read)

thx your correction

CERTAINLY.....well, I don't know Which version I read, it has yellow cover, that's all I know.

[MikiRei 10]

it has yellow cover, that's all I know.

Well, that helps = =|||. I presume you've read the modernised version. Here's an example of old English.

In þat lond ben trees þat beren wolle, as þogh it were of scheep; whereof men maken clothes, and all þing þat may ben made of wolle. In þat contree ben many ipotaynes, þat dwellen som tyme in the water, and somtyme on the lond: and þei ben half man and half hors, as I haue seyd before; and þei eten men, whan þei may take hem. And þere ben ryueres and watres þat ben fulle byttere, þree sithes more þan is the water of the see. In þat contré ben many griffounes, more plentee þan in ony other contree. Sum men seyn þat þei han the body vpward as an egle, and benethe as a lyoun: and treuly þei seyn soth þat þei ben of þat schapp. But o griffoun hath the body more gret, and is more strong, þanne eight lyouns, of suche lyouns as ben o this half; and more gret and strongere þan an hundred egles, suche as we han amonges vs. For o griffoun þere wil bere fleynge to his nest a gret hors, 3if he may fynde him at the poynt, or two oxen 3oked togidere, as þei gon at the plowgh.

= =||| - see what I mean? URGH

[瑋Ciel 10]

My favorite novel is " Harry Potter " !!!!!

It is a masterpiece !

I love Harry very much !!!!

me too, harry potter isi the best.........but it's so expensive........

[MikiRei 10]

me too, harry potter isi the best.........but it's so expensive........

Harry Potter....I don't know. First 4 books were good. 5 annoyed me to no end (and made me want to kill Harry). 6 was excrutiatingly annoying as I predicted what was going to happen anyways (though fine, not the Hocrux) and of course, the action only escalated in the last 200 pages making the first 400 pages a bit of a waste of time and 7th I just skimmed through. I didn't even have the patience to read it page by page. I'm like, "I know mostly what's going to happen, who is bad and who is not now just get to the end and kill Voldemort or so God help me."

J.K. Rowling really doesn't deserve all that money. I find it ridiculous that it's priced at 45 dollars though Taiwan has it better. It's like 21 dollars there - half the price - precisely why I waited almost 4 months to get my brother to get my copy from Taiwan (not that I cared really since I already skimmed through it on the net)

P.S. Did anyone noticed that Mrs. Weasely SWORE at the end of the book when she was fighting Bellatrix? How in the world did Rowling get away with that?!

[Elysian 10]

Harry Potter is my favorite, but it's not so special at all, 'cause I seldom read English novels. BTW,Do you guys mean novels in ENGLISH VERSION or the novels of which original text is English?

I've read Dan Brown's Angels&Devils and Da Vinci Code.They're great, too, but they seem a little difficult for me...Actually, I prefer reading relaxing novels.

[MikiRei 10]

English novels = novels originally written in English

[spacedunce-5 10]

Harry Potter....I don't know. First 4 books were good. 5 annoyed me to no end (and made me want to kill Harry). 6 was excrutiatingly annoying as I predicted what was going to happen anyways (though fine, not the Hocrux) and of course, the action only escalated in the last 200 pages making the first 400 pages a bit of a waste of time and 7th I just skimmed through. I didn't even have the patience to read it page by page. I'm like, "I know mostly what's going to happen, who is bad and who is not now just get to the end and kill Voldemort or so God help me."

J.K. Rowling really doesn't deserve all that money. I find it ridiculous that it's priced at 45 dollars though Taiwan has it better. It's like 21 dollars there - half the price - precisely why I waited almost 4 months to get my brother to get my copy from Taiwan (not that I cared really since I already skimmed through it on the net)

P.S. Did anyone noticed that Mrs. Weasely SWORE at the end of the book when she was fighting Bellatrix? How in the world did Rowling get away with that?!

Sorry, but I'm gonna take issue with you on that.

First of all, a novel isn't just a story;

in fact, many would say that the most imporant part of a novel is the characters.

Sure, we all know what Rowling has in mind for Harry,

but the way she tells the story is performed so that we experience every life-turning moment that Harry does,

and we do so through Harry's eyes, letting us get to know his character better.

What makes a person tick?

What goes through his mind when shit happens?

If a writer can let the reader truly understand these questions,

I believe him/her to be a great author,

regardless of plotline.

Which brings us to the next point.

Harry Potter isn't truly about a showdown between good and evil:

it's more like a story showing us Harry's growing pains and pleasures.

As people grow older,

Their views of adults and supposed role models change,

and they have to accept that.

Rowling used the device of a role model character breaking moral standards in order to demonstrate this.

MikiRei, you've seriously GOT to read more novels (no Grisham/Crichton/Clancy/Patterson/etc.)

[MikiRei 10]

Maybe I've just outgrown the series. In terms of characters, yes, I would say Rowling did a good job in describing them and keeping them consistent but by the 5th book, everything is getting a little repetitive and as I've said, easy to grasp. Harry acted exactly as I've predicted for many things, especially past the 5th book. Is that a sign that he's grown? I'm not sure. Maybe I need to reread the series again for the first time I read it was in year 8 or 9 when I was 14 and 15 but now I'm 21 so of course, there's going to be a change of taste and expectation.

Yes, Harry Potter is a children's book but I've read many other children's books that had used far better language than Rowling. There are critics that acclaim Rowling for being able to narrate her story in the modern tongue so that EVERYONE can read but I wonder if it does any good in helping children developing their language skills through reading her books.

I understand that I'm also a very cynical person and as I don't really consider Harry Potter to be a language masterpiece, it annoys me to see it being the most commercially successful books when I find there are other books and series out there written with far better language than Harry Potter. Though....I guess, what constitutes as a good writer or a good book depends on a person's taste. Should there be too many cheesy moments or cliched themes or characters acting as you've predicted (due to...well, cliche. Well, actually, come to think of it, if I can predict how they're going to act, how is that good characterization? It's a little 2D if you think about it. I don't really need to write a entire book to describe Harry's characters or anyone else's character for that matter. Not even Dumbledore was hard to understand in the end = =|||), I start getting turned off but again, maybe it's to do with the fact that I've outgrew them and am looking for something different (or, just simply, I'm weird - I know that for a fact :p). As a children's book, I don't really see much fault since, well, everyone has to start somewhere.

If a writer can let the reader truly understand these questions,

I believe him/her to be a great author,

regardless of plotline

Yes, yes. I agree but you CAN do it with far better language than that. The limited choice of vocabulary was one of the reason it started boring me out.

Which brings us to the next point.

Harry Potter isn't truly about a showdown between good and evil:

it's more like a story showing us Harry's growing pains and pleasures.

As people grow older,

Their views of adults and supposed role models change,

and they have to accept that.

Rowling used the device of a role model character breaking moral standards in order to demonstrate this.

Again, I agree with you. If you have to take it seriously, I shall tell you that my opinion is largely based on my growing frustration and disappointment as the series start to lose its charm (quite rapidly too) and the fact that it's become more of a commercial fad. The comment you quoted was also my quick, cynical and PERSONAL comment on the series as a whole (as of now that is). It was never meant to stand as a constructive argument but more as a passing comment. Should I ever bother reading the series again from book one and have the time to dish out a good 3 hours analysing the entire series in its entirety, then I might get back to you and we can share a more well-rounded argument. As of now, I still find the series tiring by the 5th book onwards. Also, she needn't have to use up so many pages. If she can do her magic within 100 pages for book 1, I don't see why she couldn't do it for the later installments (and as a result, it DRAAAAAAAGED for me). Somehow, I felt the extended number of pages was yet another marketing decision - possibly pushed upon her. = =|||

MikiRei, you've seriously GOT to read more novels (no Grisham/Crichton/Clancy/Patterson/etc.)

Hmmm - interesting. Somehow I get the feeling you're trying to mock me. However, though I cannot boast that I'm the greatest reader of all time (and indeed, there are many books I'd love to read and it's starting to become one of my retirement plans whereby I have my own library and just sit all day and read to my heart's content), neither can I or you justify that I have a limited amount of reading experience. For one, I cannot provide you with the precise number of books I've read in my lifetime, nor have I ever listed them out as a whole so I don't understand how you can safely assume that I haven't read enough books to be able to justly place any comments on books and reading in general. I'll make it clear and say most of my comments have been light-hearted and quick. I come here for pure enjoyment and as I'm no scholar or major in English, I do not feel it necessary to spend too much time on dragging out a big, long essay. I'll leave for the truly passionate ones to do that.

Conclusion: I guess, with all my above ranting, I'm just trying to say, relax, smile and don't take things too seriously. :p

P.S. Did anyone noticed that Mrs. Weasely SWORE at the end of the book when she was fighting Bellatrix? How in the world did Rowling get away with that?!

I noticed you highlighted this part but never commented on it. What is your comment here? If you need clarification, I just find it interesting that with all the shebang and general craze phase certain radical groups get into whenever they see anything "inappropriate" in their terms, it fails to my understanding how Rowling can get away, unscathed, despite having placed a swear word in book 7. (I mean, hey, we can't even say b**** on this forum!) Though....maybe.....England doesn't really care. Maybe, only the places that had banned Harry Potter would care. *shrug*

Added Coments:

Hmmmm....thinking back, I guess this is all misunderstanding. As I've said, I've made a quick comment. If you really want me to analyse the entire series, it will be more complicated than that. Generally, I whole-heartedly agree with what you've said, but maybe you've yet to understand where I'm coming from. I don't particularly want to go into details. Sorting out my entire argument will take days and I really don't have the time right now. = =|||

[TonyCheng 10]

Hum, to be honest, I haven't read English novel for a while.

I have been fancy to Japanese science fiction for years.

And recently I read a bunch of books authored by a Japanese writer named MIYABE MIYUKI (Just in case you don't know her, the kanji of her name is 宮部美幸). (But, of course, the books I read were all translated into Chinese.) I am a big fan of her and collecting series of novels written by her since 80's.

But there was time that I read some English novels flavored with crime scenes, detective activities and mysteries solving, therefore, I would recommend someone whose interests like mine some authors like Michael Connelly, Stephen King, Agatha Christie (also my favorite writer, I had half of her books) and so on.

For Dan Brown's works, I only tried Da Vinci Code which is also the only one I would waste my time reading it. (After I finished that entertaining novel, I really want to tell him "Try harder next time". Not mention the movie is even worse. Thanks Tom!!!)

For shaking on the controversial issues, I can list heaps of books better than his.

peace

[spacedunce-5 10]

My bad, MikiRei. Guess I got a bit too passionate.0_o

You're right, it's not like we're in a televised debate, we all have the right to speak what's on our minds at the current moment. And I shouldn't have said the last part about you not reading enough. I apologize.

As for the second highlight, I answered that in the second paragraph, though I admit to not looking at it from your point of view. Yet when reading adult fiction, cuss words are a regular part of the syntax, so maybe the publishers/editors decided that Harry's readers have grown up alongside of him.(?)

have my own library and just sit all day and read to my heart's content

Amen to that!!!

[MikiRei 10]

Yet when reading adult fiction, cuss words are a regular part of the syntax, so maybe the publishers/editors decided that Harry's readers have grown up alongside of him.(?)

o.0 - maybe. Of course, old fans have grown alongside with Harry but I'm sure new fans are still young children. Especially since the book is marketed towards 12 years and over (and under for that matter I think) so it surprised me that she was allowed to place that word in. Imagine a mother who doesn't like her children to know any swear words reading the book to her children during bedtime story time and then having to come across that word. I don't think they'll be too happy - at least, that's what I thought. Looks like noone really cares so I guess *shrug*

My bad, MikiRei. Guess I got a bit too passionate

No worries. I guessed that you probably didn't mean any harm. Most people here are nice people and we seldom have flame wars here (if ever).

[spacedunce-5 10]

SO WHO LIKES TOM CLANCY?????????xdxdxdxdxd

[瑋Ciel 10]

harry potter is the best~

harry potter 7 and the deathly hollows~

[Richtu 10]

Harry Potter is way too overrated. The first few books were refreshing, creative...but come on, it's been seven books...I've read up to the fifth novel before I stopped reading it, and I'll have to admit, it was the first novel that got me into reading, and for that I am grateful,but enough is enough...I'm not sure about the other ones but the formula for all the books in the series up to The Goblet of Fire seems to be the same :

Potter hates Summer->Potter starts a new semester at HW->Things go wrong->Voldemort appears->Potter defeats Voldemort one way or another->goes back and lives with the Durselys(with the exception of the third novel of course一_一狠)

Dan Brown's books are okay...but the plots all seems to be the same...algorithms and puzzles...Mystery is not my type:s

oh yeah...favorite novels:

Catcher in the Rye, LOTR, Ice Station, Life of Pi, Different Seasons, December 6, Schindler's List, Tuesdays with Morrie and Prey.:E

[spacedunce-5 10]

I fell asleep reading Tuesdays with Morrie, and Catcher in the Rye bored me to no end.

Prey is good, however.

[Richtu 10]

Well, for those of you that like fast action novels I suggest Matthew Riley. His books are like action flicks, very exciting and unpredictable, quite gory at some parts too:P.

[home6110 10]

The hound of the Baskervilles

and

The adventure of Tom Sawyer;-)

[pianonrock 10]

maybe you guys would be interested in "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, or "The five people you meet in heaven" by Mitch Albom.., very well-writen and insightful. =). enjoy reading and embrace life.

[spacedunce-5 10]

Five People is a spectacularly simple yet elegant book!!!

No difficult syntax, no perplexing grammar--but it's full of heart, and very profound.

I'm proud to say that I cried when the main character apologized to his father.