Reading goals

[a_rocky_ravine]

My brain is a muscle that I've admittedly allowed to atrophy. My creative activities last year were not challenging, but they were time-consuming, to the point that I wasn't even reading anything not related to RP tags

Comments

[dickable]

If you like medieval settings, I'd give George R.R. Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire a try. A Game Of Thrones, A Clash Of Kings, A Storm Of Swords, and A Feast For Crows are what's out so far. Also, Shogun by James Clavell is really good, though the rest of the Asian Saga is take-it-or-leave-it.

[a_rocky_ravine]

The only medieval setting I can think of off the top of my head is Tolkien, but I may check those out. Shogun I do have, because I had to rescue my dad's library FROM THE TRASH AJLFEKLGFJNIE

Ahem.

Another friend actually gave Shogun a pretty bad review. I shall have to be the tiebreaker. :U

[a_rocky_ravine]

And OT, but I haven't seen you on AIM lately. :( I'm sorry I haven't written up that Kristoph app yet. Maybe you're waiting on me, maybe not. I still like the idea of playing him, and I have a friend who's keen to see your Klavier because she's had an eye out for a game with a good Klavier and an open Ema slot. I can hook you up, dude!

I know this is kind of random...

[kami_krazy]

But I noticed you on the GSRP forum, signing up for the part of Klavier Gavin. I'm attempting to sign up as Kristoph, and I was just kind of wondering if you wouldn't maybe mind getting in contact outside of the GSRP forum to do some RPing on the side.

I know it must sound like a kind of weird request, but I'm not entirely sure if my application will be accepted, and I was really interested in yours. On top of which, I've been looking for someone to RP GS stuff - something I haven't been able to do in a while, though I do still RP pretty consistantly (Saiyuki, at the moment).

Hopefully I'll hear back from you...and hopefully you don't mind if I friend you too.

Re: I know this is kind of random...

[a_rocky_ravine]

I'm flattered that you think so well of my application! Klavier's a new character to me and I'm still sussing things out for him. That said, I don't want to make anymore commitments, RP wise, until GSRP starts officially and I can gauge what pace it will run at, and how much of my time it will take. I'm already obligated to another RPG elsewhere, so I don't want to take a heavy load.

Good luck with Kristoph for GSRP, though!

[entanglement]

Does manga count as a book?

If so -- or even if the answer's no! -- I recommend D. Grayman, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Hikaru no Go. There's a lot of manga that I enjoy, but I think those take the cake for being amazing on all levels, not just the enjoyable "beach reading" that I find a lot of my manga to be but engrossing, involving, with incredible art and a genuinely high level of storytelling. D. Grayman is ongoing; Fullmetal Alchemist will run its final installment next month; and Hikaru no Go has finished.

D. Grayman takes place in a steampunk, alt-Victorian England setting where the Vatican and its exorcists are at war with the Millenium Earl and his "akuma," mechanical monsters powered by the souls of the dead. What elevates this series for me is Hoshino-sensei's characterization: everybody in story could be easily reduced to a stereotype, and then you gradually figure out that that's because everybody in the story is a liar. The stereotype is who they wish they were or think they should be or have had to be in order to

[a_rocky_ravine]

Oh wow. Thank you for calling my attention back to this list. I hadn't been keeping it, though I have been reading-- albeit not at the book-a-week rate I planned. >__>

Manga definitely counts, although I dread getting caught in the trap of a long-running series. Hikaru no Go and D Grayman sound really interesting, though, so I think I'll risk it! Thanks for the recommendations!

In turn, maybe I can recommend a series to you: Yokaiden by Nina Matsumoto. It's about a boy who absolutely loves yokai, who's entering their realm to take revenge on a kappa who killed his grandmother. Along the way he's making friends, and the author's depictions of traditional demons are so endearing. It's got a definite "fractured fairy tale" feel to it, but it's also quite serious. There are two volumes out so far. The pace seems to be a book a year, but Yokaiden 2 was very much worth the wait.

[entanglement]

Oh, man, I need another series like I need another hole in the head...but Yokaiden sounds exactly up my alley. I love fractured fairy tales and friendships that look odd on the outside but make total sense to the friends. And turning stereotypes and traditional motifs on their heads (it's part of what makes D. Grayman fun!).

Hikaru no Go isn't very long, and it's complete; again, I think you'll really enjoy it. It's just so sweet, and so much fun, and yet -- and I can hardly wait to chat with you about this -- there is this soft, subtle sadness to it, unusual for a shonen coming-of-age tale. And the relationship between Hikaru and Sai is wonderful. Sai is such an ADD poster child, and he keeps getting Hikaru into trouble: having public and intensely frustrated fights with thin air, for example. And yet you can totally see where his friendship with Sai is the most important, most influential thing on Hikaru, who's only eleven when he ends up haunted.

D. Grayman would be worth reading if only for the steampunk Victorianesque

[a_rocky_ravine]

It's only two little volumes so far...! You should definitely check it out. I adore the protagonist and all his friends, and even his enemies! (Nina Matsumoto makes the legend of the slit-mouthed woman endearing, even!) And the art is just beautiful. I found myself stopping to appreciate the nuances of the backgrounds.

I guess I'll have to pick up some manga when I go to find the next book of the Dexter series!