We hoard things. We are greedy. We are spoiled. ... Life is wonderful!

Have you saved books you have high expectations from, for some future moment? To pull out and cheer you up when you have grown old and relieve your jaded soul?

I have! Here are a few books that thrill me with delirious expectations and happiness, without even having read them:

The Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs
History of Middle-Earth in 12 volumes by J. R. R. Tolkien (I expect to dig gold.)
Unfinished Tales by J. R. R. Tolkien
A re-reading of Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien (Can not remember anything from reading it in my teens, except that it was breathtakingly epic.)
Araminta Station by Jack Vance
The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
The Golden Apples of the Sun and A Medicine for Melancholy by Ray Bradbury
The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Alraune by Hanns Heinz Ewers
West India tales of Henry S. Whitehead
John the Balladeer tales of Manly Wade Wellman

Dark Universe

The survivors live underground, as far from the Original World as possible and protected from the ultimate evil, Radiation. Then terrible monsters, who bring with them a screaming silence, are seen and people start to disappear. One young man realises he must question the nature of Darkness itself.

[www.goodreads.com]


The Abyss

The premise of the re-opening of a closed mine near the town of Bethel that leads to strange happenings. The author throws in the kitchen sink as he develops his (too) many characters: blood-thirsty animals, serpents, killers, religious fanatics, cheating people, greedy company men, bizarre eccentrics, and a gate to Hell.

[www.goodreads.com]


The Doomed City

The Doomed City is set in an experimental city whose sun gets switched on in the morning and switched off at night, bordered by an abyss on one side and an impossibly high wall on the other. Its sole inhabitants are people who were plucked from twentieth-century history at various times and places and left to govern themselves under conditions established by Mentors whose purpose seems inscrutable.

[www.goodreads.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 17 Aug 21 | 05:46AM by Minicthulhu.

Knygatin, I relish this thread, but before I respond I want to know if you intend us to refer to books we haven't read yet or to favorites we have read, or both.

Dale Nelson Wrote:
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> Knygatin, I relish this thread, but before I
> respond I want to know if you intend us to refer
> to books we haven't read yet or to favorites we
> have read, or both.

Well, books we haven't read or know, but have high expectations about. Books we have stored, like fine wines. (Silmarillion was an exception to my list, but it was because I have completely forgotten it.)

Good -- that's what I hoped you would say!

Here are some works of fiction that I haven't read but that I think or at least hope will be good. I'm not sure very many of them meet the criteria you state, Knygatin -- I hope it's OK for me to post them.

+The remaining Aubrey and Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian after The Far Side of the World, which was the tenth of 20 finished novels, which is the last one I read. I mean to read them all, perhaps even the 21st, which was not finished (as I understand).

+Little, Big by John Crowley -- a fantasy novel given to me some years ago by a respected friend

+Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

+The Roots of the Mountains by William Morris, the author of The Water of the Wondrous Isles etc.

The Fall of Gondolin by Tolkien

+Destiny Doll by Clifford Simak

The Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson

+Solovyov and Larionov by Eugene Vodolazkin, author of Laurus, which should've won a Mythopoeic Society Award -- I did start this & it didn't grab me, but I hope it will repay a second try

+Vertigo by W. G. Sebald, whose The Rings of Saturn I love

+A Mirror for Witches by Esther Forbes

+Valley Beyond Time by Vaughan Wilkins

I'm not sure that each of those will be exactly exciting, but I hope they will be well worth reading. These are all books I own. From the local library:

+The Trial of Sören Qvist by Janet Lewis

Knygatin's mention of the Tarzan books reminds me that, during my Great Burroughs Wallow years ago, I didn't get to the Jewels of Opar volume -- which seems to be well-regarded. So i think I'll see about getting that from the library....



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 17 Aug 21 | 10:33AM by Dale Nelson.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We hoard things. We are greedy. We are spoiled.
> ... Life is wonderful!
>
> Have you saved books you have high expectations
> from, for some future moment? To pull out and
> cheer you up when you have grown old and relieve
> your jaded soul?

That's why $40 whiskey was invented, K.

;^)

>
> I have! Here are a few books that thrill me with
> delirious expectations and happiness, without even
> having read them:
>
> The Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs
> History of Middle-Earth in 12 volumes by J. R. R.
> Tolkien (I expect to dig gold.)
> Unfinished Tales by J. R. R. Tolkien
> A re-reading of Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
> (Can not remember anything from reading it in my
> teens, except that it was breathtakingly epic.)
> Araminta Station by Jack Vance
> The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
> The Golden Apples of the Sun and A Medicine for
> Melancholy by Ray Bradbury
> The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Alraune by Hanns
> Heinz Ewers
> West India tales of Henry S. Whitehead
> John the Balladeer tales of Manly Wade Wellman

Great list!

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yours, Sawfish?

Knygatin Wrote:

SNIPPED...

>
> Well, books we haven't read or know, but have high
> expectations about. Books we have stored, like
> fine wines. (Silmarillion was an exception to my
> list, but it was because I have completely
> forgotten it.)


Hah! Or you completely drained to the point of blackout!

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dale Nelson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

SNIPPED

>
> The Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson

I started this two weeks ago, but had tired of Stevenson at that point.

If you do read it, please let us know your thoughts.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dale Nelson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yours, Sawfish?


Oh,oh.

I'm on the spot...

Not sure I have the self-restraint to set any aside.

Besides, I'm really turning into a very slow reader... :^(

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Knygatin Wrote:
> >
> > Well, books we haven't read or know, but have high
> > expectations about. Books we have stored, like
> > fine wines. (Silmarillion was an exception to my
> > list, but it was because I have completely
> > forgotten it.)
>
>
> Hah! Or you completely drained to the point of
> blackout!

That of any books probably could. Maybe it was so great I couldn't handle it, ... giving me a permanent psychosis.

Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knygatin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Have you saved books you have high expectations
> > from, for some future moment? To pull out and
> > cheer you up when you have grown old and relieve
> > your jaded soul?
>
> That's why $40 whiskey was invented, K.
>
>

Or taking down a nice thick book from the shelf, full of vibrant dreams, pressing off the pages as if frantic to leave the dark solitude of the book. That's not so bad either.

What are some nice thick books we have?

I'll mention Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy.

Now there's a book for poetic consciousness.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 17 Aug 21 | 03:53PM by Dale Nelson.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sawfish Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Knygatin Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > >
> > > Have you saved books you have high
> expectations
> > > from, for some future moment? To pull out and
> > > cheer you up when you have grown old and
> relieve
> > > your jaded soul?
> >
> > That's why $40 whiskey was invented, K.
> >
> >
>
> Or taking down a nice thick book from the shelf,
> full of vibrant dreams, pressing off the pages as
> if frantic to leave the dark solitude of the book.
> That's not so bad either.

No, it's better than the whiskey. The hangover is pleasant, for one major difference.

I was being facetious, like usual...

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I actually think that laying in stocks of decent beverages might not be a bad idea. If your money loses more and more of its value, on the other hand certain types of alcoholic beverages are likely to become even better with the passage of time. I don't know much about keeping a wine cellar or stocking brandy.

Also, if the climate is indeed changing for the worse, the cost of decent wine etc. is likely to rise. So what about stocking up? I wonder too if the time might come when one might pay for odd jobs, various repairs, with stuff rather than money, which may become more like Confederate money as time passes.

Only wondering. Any thoughts, books to recommend?

One of the books I own that is overdue for a rereading -- last read around 1975 -- is G. K. Chesterton's wild, absurd near-future fantasy in which Islam has taken over England. The novel is called The Flying Inn and concerns a fugitive pub. Of course nothing like what this comic satire suggests could ever happen.

By the way, I do see the rise of craft beer making as another hopeful sign along with young people getting into farmers' markets, raising, slaughtering, and selling lamb (ever had lamb that was raised about two miles from where you live?).

So anyway, K, yes, The Flying Inn is a book I look forward to reading, and it may almost be like reading it for the first time after almost 50 years.