I finished "Our First Revolution : The Remarkable British Upheaval That Inspired America's Founding Fathers " by Michael Barone a few days ago and moved on and am well into to "1688 : The First Modern Revolution" by Steve Pincus. Barone's book is more of a straight up history, bu...

A few other things made the tragedy so powerful for me. First, was the believability of the relationship between Winston and Julia. The way that these are two souls found each other such an oppressive world, and attempted to fight and love against their tormentors was very poignant and touching, as ...

So is that a question of writing style or subject matter? Is it because they fail to make the unbelievable believable or because their ideas are completely absurd and unfounded in any known science? For me it is writing style and depth of ideas. I too, read tons of science fiction when I was younge...

Welcome. Thomas Mann can or cannot be difficult, depending on how deeply you delve into his books. You can read for the "story" alone.....or scratch be neath the surface. If you do, some basic knowledge of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, fin de siécle decadence and homosexuality will be very ...

I adore this book. In a way, it's a bit of a love story, too. Isn't it? It is. I remember how my heart sunk towards the end when Winston and Julia tried to touch hands (or make contact in some way) and felt nothing. For me, the passage that you describe above is the most disturbing piece of fiction...

You'll have to read American Pastoral, and then The Human Stain. American Pastoral is a fascinating story, a bit easier to read than THS. Thanks for the recommendation. I finished Zuckerman Bound a few weeks ago, and liked it so much that I was tempted to move on more Zuckerman books right way. Whi...

I have not yet read "Narziss and Goldmund". It will get to it, I think that sooner rather then later. My understanding of Jung is spotty and superficial at best, but I believe that some of the themes found in "Steppenwolf", multiple parts ofa person's persona, the feminine image ...

Just out of curiosity I poked around You Tube a little. There are at least two videos posted, several months old, of people burning Korans. People have, and will continue to burn the Koran as well as other books. I suppose this group got so much attention because it is a religious congregation, and ...

i also liked sidhartha a lot. and i sort of put it together with journey to the East. It has been some time since i have read them but they have a good place in my memory. i particularly remember the criticism that the person receives from the "guild" when they remind him that when he pas...

As I move through this book I agree it is somewhat difficult and in parts more of a philosophical essay then fiction. Yet as I posted earlier, I am very much enjoying it. "Siddhartha" is still my favorite Hesse work. I found it to be the best written in both structure and in an aesthetic s...