The Society for the Prevention of Slanderous Grammatical Errors

[Doc Rocco]

Welcome Nick, Dystopia and Refieth! Good to have you guys here!

On the topic of "haitch", I obviously disapprove of its use. In Australia, one of the common excuses for saying it is the fact the letter makes a "huh" (I'm not sure how to write it. Hehe.) sound, so it needs that sound at the beginning. That is incorrect. The letters s, l, m and n, just to name a few, are all examples of letters which do not begin with their sound. I'm sure you can all appreciate how silly that sounds, as those of you who say haitch seem to say it because you were raised to?

[Govinda]

Originally Posted by FFGuru

I understand where you're coming from on that front but to be honest I think your usual Waterstones is making enough business; I know mine is. I don't know, to me they seem to be the corporate side of bookselling and I much prefer the smaller backstreet bookshop or market stall. I've bought many a book at two for £1 for example. That's not to say I haven't shopped at them though because let's face it they have a wide range and they are keeping the industry going after all. And they are fairly nice places to relax, get yourself a coffee and while away the hours.

I hardly ever buy from bigger shops; like I said, I'd say at least 85% of all the literature I own was bought in a charity shop. I have no bones at all about buying a bashed up book for 50p a go; in fact, I'd say I prefer it, just because of some of the things I've found in them. In the back of my copy of Life of Pi I found a series of letters from a man in India to, I assume, the previous owner of the book. They were lovely letters, and one even had an ace recipe for Indian cider in it which I am determined to road test when I have the time. The things people use as bookmarks, really...in The Blind Assassin I found a letter in an envelope about halfway through the book. I still remember it. 'Come and talk to me soon. You know what I'm going to say so there's no point in writing it down just now. J x. How ace?!

But sometimes you just can't find that right book in the charity shops, at which point I go to Waterstones or Borders waving my student card about and praying for discounts. But I will not buy from the internet unless it's an specific book for Uni that I'm after, which are always overpriced in shops and cannot be found in smaller ones as they are turgent tomes that, half the time, represent nothing more than a waste of trees. Then, Amazon becomes my good pal.

I finished Murakami's Norwegian Wood this morning, and I haven't worked out quite what it is about him yet that makes him such a master. I think I'm content to leave it at that, though. Always knew what was going to happen to Naoko. I felt sad, though, and happy at the same time; Toru finally free to stop stringing himself, Midori, Naoko and Reiko along. I became attached to the people Murakami has made. As such, I'm now on active lookout for the name Murakami on my upcoming booksearches. If you want your world to feel a little magic for a while, a little philosophical and bathed in the gentlest rain, read Norwegian Wood. It's a hard book to read well, but the clues are there if you stop yourself from thinking that all the writer does is moan on behalf of his character; but the fact that he can do that at all hints at the life he gives these imaginary real people.

I started Stephen Fry's The Liar this afternoon because I haven't got a job yet, and thus have nothing better to do than read stories and then write stories to distraction. I love Fry. So CLEVER. And so unbearably funny. I am going to savour this one.

[Doc Rocco]

Originally Posted by Pablo Honey

I hardly ever buy from bigger shops; like I said, I'd say at least 85% of all the literature I own was bought in a charity shop. I have no bones at all about buying a bashed up book for 50p a go; in fact, I'd say I prefer it, just because of some of the things I've found in them. In the back of my copy of Life of Pi I found a series of letters from a man in India to, I assume, the previous owner of the book. They were lovely letters, and one even had an ace recipe for Indian cider in it which I am determined to road test when I have the time. The things people use as bookmarks, really...in The Blind Assassin I found a letter in an envelope about halfway through the book. I still remember it. 'Come and talk to me soon. You know what I'm going to say so there's no point in writing it down just now. J x. How ace?!

I try to avoid the big stores as well. Our little town of five thousand used to have a bookstore, but closed down because it just didn't have the buying power of the larger bookstores. Instead of going to the store and asking them to order in the book they wanted, people would order online from A&R or Dymocks instead. So I wont go to bigger stores on principle. Unless I absolutely have to, or I am in Perth for a holiday. That little bookstore was great. It also sold second hand books, and I bought the entire Chronicles of Narnia for $5, and a whole host of Enid Blyton books for $20. The Narnia books came with a little Christmas card for a young boy telling him to enjoy the wonders of Narnia, and the Blyton books had child scribble on blank pages.

I love Blyton. I grew up on her books. I still love reading her as a teenager. The Magic Faraway Tree would have to be my favourite series, with Jo, Bessie and Fanny. I refuse to call them by their politically correct names. Dame Slap is NOT Dame Snap!!! And thinking of changing George's character in the Famous Five! What is the world coming to? These books were written in a different era, so of course the language is going to be different! If we change the stories we will never be able to appreciate the styles of times gone by. Do they change Shakespeare because Tybalt and his aunt are having an affair? No! Yet a tomboy is way too offensive! Stupid PC Brigade...

[Govinda]

All this talk of books...should we do a survey m'dears, to garner the reading tastes of our find little group? We could even get some kind of thing on the go at some point where we read the same thing and then compare notes. I don't even want to think about the logistics of that. It's 3am. On with the show!

Please name your top three authors and your reasons for choosing them, if you would oblige (because asking for only one would just be unfair).

Your top three books?

Any books that you really loved when you were a bit younger?

The best thing you've read in 2008 is...?

What does reading do for you? What do you like about it, why do you indulge in it?

I'll have a go at answering but considering the time it took for me to articulate the questions properly I do not anticipate this going all too well. Fag break and will then get back to it.

Okay. Allez-y.

My top three authors, consistently, are Margaret Atwood, Douglas Coupland and Louis de Bernieres. I love Atwood for her astoundingly beautiful turn of phrase and for the way she can make the ordinary extraordinary with just sentences with stories like Cat's Eye and The Blind Assassin. Her metaphors ring like the most wonderful bells you've ever heard in The Handmaids Tale and Oryx and Crake, and in all her books she lets her imagination out in such inspiring ways. A chauvanist dystopia ringing with the Bible in The Handmaid, a warning about how we toy with love and nature in Oryx and Crake...books like The Blind Assassin can seem so simple if you don't pay attention to her clues. A true master.

I love Douglas Coupland for his ability to take the world as we see it, and tells us just what that means. He can turn three people living in the desert into an engaging essay about where humanity is going; use the story of four teenagers and their dead friend to warn us against complacency; explain beauty to us with a story of anonymity; always with a rapier wit and such an accessible voice. He's never stuffy, never uptight, always speaks to you like you know him. Yes, JPod sucked balls. But he can be forgiven for books like Generation X, All Families Are Psychotic, Eleanor Rigby, Girlfriend in a Coma...every time I read one of his books it instantly becomes my favourite of his novels.

And Louis de Bernieres I love for his imagination. Stories with a vague political allegory told in the voice of Saki with more imagination and lustre than that man had time to create. History made human. The same cutting cynicism coupled with boundlessly happy images. A city full of huge, magical black panthers and a priest who says the Bible, by logic, is one of Satan's lies and therefore should be discarded, while the rebels press in from the jungle? Yes please. Always with the same humour and the achingly intelligent, witty turn of phrase that makes me think of Saki. The sheer emotion he projects, without ever having to resort to horrible, flowery and needlessly flamboyent prose. So GOOD.

My three favourite books are 1984 by George Orwell, Generation X by Douglas Coupland, and The Handmaid's Tale by Atwood. Honourable mentions to The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman and Captain Corelli's Mandolin by de Bernieres; also, the entire Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series, anything by Terry Pratchett, Crime and Punishment and Mr Sherlock Holmes. I love them all for various reasons; but individual imagination, humour, voice and metaphor are things I always love to read.

As a kid, I loved Blyton. I think I read every Famous Five novel. As I got a bit older, I really loved Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy; I read them when I was about 13-14, I think. They were my transition between younger books and older literature, and for that I love them. I have always detested Harry Potter.

Best read of 08 has been Crime and Punishment, which I finished in January. Joyce's Ulysses comes a close second.

I love readinf because it makes my brain wake up. Without it, I start to kind of wilt mentally. I consume books when I have time to do so, and even when I don't. I don't know how many I've read or have picked up in the charity shops. Without reading my conversation and ability to hold a train of thought take a sharp turn downwards.



Well. I felt like talking about books. Sorry if it makes little to no sense. Bedtime now. Night night loves.

[Doc Rocco]

Please name your top three authors and your reasons for choosing them, if you would oblige (because asking for only one would just be unfair).
Well, I love the writers of Norse mythology. I LOVE Norse mythology. The epic sagas, the strange and wonderful characters, the abstract concepts they have in there… I love the idea of the world being divided into nine different areas in a giant ash tree.

As for the other two, I can’t decide. This question is cruel. I can’t think who I like the most out of my top authors. I have a hard time listing them as it is! It’s like asking me which parent I like better. It depends what mood I am in.

Your top three books?
My Encyclopaedia Mythology because I love all things mythological. It has the stories of Greek, Roman and Norse mythology, and articles detailing all aspects of those mythologies. Although not really a book, I loved a Streetcar Named Desire. It was a great story, even if it was a little dark. As it’s a play, the stage directions help you create a sharper image in your mind, and really get a feel for what’s going on.

Can I defer my third book? I really love all the books I own, each for their own reason. I’m a book nerd as well. Hehe. I should answer the next question properly...

Any books that you really loved when you were a bit younger?
Anything by Enid Blyton. I could read her forever as a child, and still can. The Magic Faraway Tree series were the first series of books I can remember being read to me, along with Noddy and other series. Once I was able to read by myself, I progressed onto more complex books such as Famous Five and Secret Seven.
The best thing you've read in 2008 is...?
The Strawberry Picker. I talk about that book way too much. That just goes to show how much I love it.

What does reading do for you? What do you like about it, why do you indulge in it?
Reading is how I like to relax. My idea of a perfect day is waking up around eleven, have some brunch (I love that word), shower, find a comfortable spot and read with a really big pot of tea to drink throughout my reading session. That is my idea of bliss. Being able to read like that, comfortable and at peace really soothes and calms me. I can just zone out and escape, so when I return to reality I am in a slightly out-of-it state which makes me pleasant and slightly more tolerable.

I also love to escape into a place where everything is grammatically correct, a place where I find someone with a passion for English, who has made sure their work is a piece of art.

[Martin]

Please name your top three authors and your reasons for choosing them, if you would oblige (because asking for only one would just be unfair).

It's hard to narrow it down to three but if I had to choose I'd say T. E. Lawrence, Hugh Brogan and perhaps Douglas Adams. Lawrence in particular, perhaps it would be fair to say that he didn't have a great amount published but that only serves to make what he had written all the more interesting and makes me more appreciative of it. Seven Pillars of Wisdom was one of the best books I've ever read even if it was very hard to understand in parts, but I had a vested interest in the story to begin with. And The Mint is a very early case of mental projection: it's a fascinating outlook into the mind of a clearly affected individual.

Brogan has a knack of writing in such a way he sounds semi-sarcastic and yet also completely to the point. He's an academic writer so his books are targeted at History students and as such non-fiction, but even though what he speaks is largely truth and interpretation, he manages to put it across in a way that speaks to me. It's almost a story, but yet told from a critical perspective. I recommend anyone read his book on JFK.

And I don't think I need to say much about Doug. The world took him far too young. The Hitchhiker's series obviously gets a mention here, because it gives a free lesson in writing truly laugh-out-loud science-fiction humour, but I go beyond that. I love the Dirk Gently series more perhaps, sure Hitchhiker's will claim the fame and rightly so, but it really deserves a better mention in the literary circles.

Your top three books?

Couldn't possibly say because it does tend to fluctuate fairly regularly. I would say I'm loving a lot of Arthur Miller works though, in particular, The Crucible and A View From The Bridge and maybe I'd put Death of a Salesman in too.

Any books that you really loved when you were a bit younger?

Ha I'd be taking Doc Rocco's route here. I used to love the Enid Blytons, but in particular the Wishing Chair series. I had a mass collection of those stories, however I don't think they'd be classed as too politically-correct these days. For those who are not aware, the owners' of the chair, Mollie and Peter share it with a Pixie... named c h i n k y. I kid you not.
That and I used to love all the Roald Dahl stories too such as The BFG, Danny, Champion of the World and The Twits.

The best thing you've read in 2008 is...?

Hard to say. But I'd definitely put Seven Pillars up there.

What does reading do for you? What do you like about it, why do you indulge in it?

For me, it's pure escapism. I like to read to escape to a world not my own, free from the responsibilities and hardships we all face on a daily basis. I also like to read to put myself in a different mindset: for example if I read a book like Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, I would be transported to pre Civil-War America. I need to get away from it all sometimes.

[Refieth]

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for my recent inactivity here. Basically, it was due partly to illness, partly to school, and also due to me forgetting to bring a laptop on holiday. At the moment, I'm using a public computer, but I will definitely be back for good on the 20th. I am so sorry...
Secondly, I'm going to try and answer a few of these topics. Sorry if my answers are a bit rushed, I'm already running up a huge bill here...

Any books that you really loved when you were a bit younger?

Without a doubt, Harry Potter. As a nine-year old intrigued by magic, mystery and fantastic beasts, that series was the best I had ever read. Yes, I know... what would that boy at my school say about this? Of course, I would never use such colloquialisms myself... "nooby". I was certainly a bit "nooby" when I was younger.

I would answer the others if I had more time, but rest assured, at least two more of those topics will be answered when I return on the 20th. Let's hope you can all hang on without me...

[Mistress Sheena]

So, this club dies/moves to Archive today unless some one else posts here within 24 hours, or PMs me after the time, if they want this to stay.

[Mistress Sheena]

Welp. It's 4 days later and nothing. So.. it's being moved to Archive. Bye bye~

Edit: All right, since Lily planned a post for this, go ahead~
It's back in action!

Although, may I make a slight suggestion? Perhaps you should edit the intro post to not come off so...pompous'ish. If we're going to help people with their grammar, we need to be more humble and polite. Just saying.

[Tiger Lily]

Ahahaha. Um. Yeah. Welcome to my first post in my own stinking club.

Har har, I've got a rant. This is a rant that I've wanted to rant for a looong time. Hem hem.

Firstly: The use of apostrophes. Does anyone else want to tear their eyes out when they see something like "CD's" or "DVD's"? Or "Those cat's are cute"? How about "The dragon pulled it's tail closer to it's body."? Even if "it's" IS technically possessive, for reasons that I cannot remember, it is incorrect! D=

These (and many more!) aggravate me to no end.

Apostrophes are for contractions and possessive. Nothing else. v_v

Secondly: The phrase "Could care less". This really irks me. The phrase is really "Couldn't care less".

Scenario Where "I Could Care Less" is Correct

Person 1: The world is ending. The sun is going to expand and swallow the earth, burning it up.
Person 2: I could care less.

This means that you do care. This is correct. Because the sun swallowing you alive with its fiery tendrils kind of warrants caring. ^^;

Scenario where it is INCORRECT

Person 1: I dropped my pencil.
Person 2: YOU MEAN YOUR AWESOME SHINY GOLD ONE?
Person 1: No. My really, really, REALLY sharpened ten-cent one.
Person 2: I could care less.

It SHOULD be "I couldn't care less", which akin to "I don't care". Which is what you mean to say. "I could care less" means that you DO care. WHICH YOU DO NOT.

..Gah. ^^;

Ahem.

Also, a topic of discussion for us to, well, discuss:

What do we all think of movies that are based on books? Can they compare? SHOULD the be compared? Opinion time. I'll post mine at a later date. I don't want to be the only one postin' in here. =O

[Mistress Sheena]

Hmm.. Movies based on books, from my experiences, aren't really all that great compared to the books.

The HP movies may look all spectacular and stuff, but the books have so much more depth and left out scenes and stuff. I haven't seen them all, though. Nor read them all, either.

Although I DO prefer the movies of the Bourne series. It's way different than the book series, but it's done much better. I mean.. in the book series, Bourne is an old man... jumping off roof tops. That's like... no.

[Doc Rocco]

Attention TFF! We're no longer nazis as we're perceived to be. Check page one for the new, improved regime!

==========

"I could care less." irks me as well. When used incorrectly. Obviously if it's used correctly then it's fine. (Duh, Rocco)

Originally Posted by Mistress Sheena

Hmm.. Movies based on books, from my experiences, aren't really all that great compared to the books.

The HP movies may look all spectacular and stuff, but the books have so much more depth and left out scenes and stuff. I haven't seen them all, though. Nor read them all, either.

I agree entirely. Most movies adapted from books that I have seen pale in comparison to their original form. The HP movies are a prime example of this. The movies look pretty, but the script is hardly faithful to the book and lacks the brilliance of Rowling's writing. Harry is way too brilliant in the movies, whereas in the books he's really only average. Hermione is obviously the lead. Hehe.

[Mistress Sheena]

Do you hear what you're saying, Rocco?

In the movies.... he's brilliant. But in the films.... he's a genius. o_o;

So which is he? XD;
You've kinda got me stumped there, bucko.

[Tiger Lily]

I believe that what Rocco means is that in the books, Harry is a complete dolt whereas in the movies he is depicted as an utter genius.

I concur. Harry Potter, especially, has slaughtered the books. Storylines gone, character personalities changed, HarryxHermione insinuated, Harry brilliant, Hermione in the background.. argh.

I also saw the Eragon movie when it came out a while ago. It was awful. Made a mockery of the book. But, as I recall, it was done by Spyglass and they screwed up the Chronicles of Narnia movies. That said, Prince Caspian was infinitely better than The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

I think the only book-to-movie conversion I have been able to bear so far has been The Lord of the Rings. I can't stand it when they alter storylines. Yeah, it makes it shorter and easier to film. But it completely wrecks the story that people wanted to go and see on screen. :\

I don't get it. Why make a movie of something popular so people can see a representation of it on the big screen and then massacre it brutally so that it's not even recognisable? Well, recognisable, but nothing like as good as the book.

I do not like it. I do not like it at all.

[Govinda]

I've given up on movies being better than books after seeing the screen adaptation of The Cider House Rules. I was so confused watching that film. Most of the characters were there, but they were doing completely different things, along completely different storylines.

A taster: In the book, Homer and Candy's son Angel discovers that Rose Rose is pregnant with her father's baby. It is he, in a beautiful twist of irony, who drives the unwilling abortionist, his father, to accept his identity and his role, and the good it can do.

In the film, Angel doesn't exist, and Homer finds out about Rose Rose through gossip in the orchard. He is not promoted in the film, thus spending most of his time with the pickers, so he finds out alone. Nurse Caroline, a pivotal character, doesn't exist either. Dr Larch is SLEEPING WITH (in the book he is celibate) Nurse Angela. And Fuzzy Stone seems far too old.

So yeah. Books are pretty much always better than their screen translations. I've only seen one of the HP films, and it even managed to suck more than the books do.

Actaully, one conversion I really liked was LOTR. I preferred the films to the books by a fair margin, actually. I really don't like Tolkien's style, and he never had enough of the smoochin' going on for my tastes.