Recommendations post
Sep. 23rd, 2007 04:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lace_agateYes. I'm posting a list of things I recommend to everyone.
Books
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville ~ This is a crazy, surreal, hilarious fantasy, sort of Alice in Wonderland with a Neil Gaiman-esque twist. Friends Zanna and Deeba are drawn into UnLondon, a strange pseudo-London full of semi-sentient junk, ghosts, dustbin ninjas and a host of other strange beings. Very clever, highly entertaining read.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ~ Never let it be said that classic novels are boring. Well, OK, a lot of them are, but this isn't one of them. Set in the American South in the 1930s, it deals with a case of a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, as seen through the eyes of the defence lawyer's eight-year-old daughter. Well, there's actually a lot more to it than that. Just read it.
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman ~ Beautifully written, beautifully presented novella set in a semi-fantasy, semi-real post apocalyptic world. A girl loses her entire family in an explosion of some kind and gradually reinvents herself. Reads a bit like a fairy tale, with the same sense of maybe-this-is-an-allegory.
Where's My Cow? by Terry Pratchett ~ Yes, a picture book, I know. But it's a Discworld picture book, OK? If you've read and enjoyed any of the Discworld series (especially Thud!) you will enjoy this too.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman ~ How the world ended, and then didn't. Featuring the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse, many angels and demons (one of whom gets trapped in a tape player), a phophetess, witchfinders and a boy called Adam. Hilarious.
Anime/Manga
Princess Mononoke ~ I know some of you will have seen this, but if you haven't, it's well worth it. It's quite a bit darker than other movies by Hayao Miyazaki, and has some thought-provoking environmental and political themes. Alternatively, you can just watch it for the story, which is also great. Warnings for some blood and gore, and pseudo-mythological setting.
Chobits ~ I'd especially recommend the manga, but then I haven't watched the anime yet. It's a sort of science fiction fairy tale, set in a future where computers look and behave like people, and dealing with questions about what actually makes a human being. Especially good if you're in search of a story that will cheer you up considerably (probably). Warnings for nudity and sexual innuendo.
Websites
Frogblog ~ The official blog of the New Zealand Green Party. Makes for very interesting reading even if you don't agree with them. Click here.
Icanhascheezburger.com ~ A website dedicated entirely to lolcats and variations. If you haven't heard of lolcats, I suggest you go here first. Otherwise, click here.
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville ~ This is a crazy, surreal, hilarious fantasy, sort of Alice in Wonderland with a Neil Gaiman-esque twist. Friends Zanna and Deeba are drawn into UnLondon, a strange pseudo-London full of semi-sentient junk, ghosts, dustbin ninjas and a host of other strange beings. Very clever, highly entertaining read.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ~ Never let it be said that classic novels are boring. Well, OK, a lot of them are, but this isn't one of them. Set in the American South in the 1930s, it deals with a case of a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, as seen through the eyes of the defence lawyer's eight-year-old daughter. Well, there's actually a lot more to it than that. Just read it.
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman ~ Beautifully written, beautifully presented novella set in a semi-fantasy, semi-real post apocalyptic world. A girl loses her entire family in an explosion of some kind and gradually reinvents herself. Reads a bit like a fairy tale, with the same sense of maybe-this-is-an-allegory.
Where's My Cow? by Terry Pratchett ~ Yes, a picture book, I know. But it's a Discworld picture book, OK? If you've read and enjoyed any of the Discworld series (especially Thud!) you will enjoy this too.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman ~ How the world ended, and then didn't. Featuring the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse, many angels and demons (one of whom gets trapped in a tape player), a phophetess, witchfinders and a boy called Adam. Hilarious.
Anime/Manga
Princess Mononoke ~ I know some of you will have seen this, but if you haven't, it's well worth it. It's quite a bit darker than other movies by Hayao Miyazaki, and has some thought-provoking environmental and political themes. Alternatively, you can just watch it for the story, which is also great. Warnings for some blood and gore, and pseudo-mythological setting.
Chobits ~ I'd especially recommend the manga, but then I haven't watched the anime yet. It's a sort of science fiction fairy tale, set in a future where computers look and behave like people, and dealing with questions about what actually makes a human being. Especially good if you're in search of a story that will cheer you up considerably (probably). Warnings for nudity and sexual innuendo.
Websites
Frogblog ~ The official blog of the New Zealand Green Party. Makes for very interesting reading even if you don't agree with them. Click here.
Icanhascheezburger.com ~ A website dedicated entirely to lolcats and variations. If you haven't heard of lolcats, I suggest you go here first. Otherwise, click here.
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-23 09:12 am (UTC)And I'd recomend the Japanese dub of Chobits as opposed to the English dub.
*bemoans* Someday I'm going to work my way through the classics of literature and all Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett works.
So yes, I'm going to take this list into consideration. (Not like I wasn't anyway...)
Except for the things like PM and Where's my cow.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-23 09:38 pm (UTC)And I must get round to watching the Chobits anime.
I finally changed my userpics!