Posts by LoveUniHateExams

43

What novels would you recommend?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because i was forced to move back to bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.. i currently own just 9 novels.. salem's lot (stephen king).

three by john ajvide lindqvist:.

let the old dreams die.

LoveUniHateExams

@TD

Perhaps some 'lowbrow' novels can become classics if they're written well enough.

For instance, I'm not sure if Salem's Lot and Let The Right One In are lowbrow or highbrow, but in my opinion they're better than Dracula, even though that book is regarded as a classic which pretty much started the vampire genre.

Salem's Lot brings vampires into modern times, and LTROI is an excellent take on child vampires. Having child vampires is nothing new but I don't think it's ever been done as well as it is in LTROI.

43

What novels would you recommend?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because i was forced to move back to bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.. i currently own just 9 novels.. salem's lot (stephen king).

three by john ajvide lindqvist:.

let the old dreams die.

LoveUniHateExams

Off the top of my head, here are some novels I had to throw away when I moved house

Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)

Dracula (Bram Stoker)

It (Stephen King)

A Time To Kill (John Grisham)

Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton)

The Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris)

Last Rituals (Yrsa Sigurdardottir)

43

What novels would you recommend?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because i was forced to move back to bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.. i currently own just 9 novels.. salem's lot (stephen king).

three by john ajvide lindqvist:.

let the old dreams die.

LoveUniHateExams

@TD

TBH, I'm not particularly interested in 'high brow' books, or even the idea of dividing them into high brow and low brow.

As long as the author comes up with a solid plot, writes engaging characters, and has interesting ideas, I'm in.

43

What novels would you recommend?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because i was forced to move back to bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.. i currently own just 9 novels.. salem's lot (stephen king).

three by john ajvide lindqvist:.

let the old dreams die.

LoveUniHateExams

I am very picky when it comes to movies made from books - I can be picky, too, although there are lots of good movies that came from novels, e.g. Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Godfather, Jaws, One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest, Bladerunner, Let The Right One In, The Martian, etc.

Re Dune - I think the concepts are great. Even the Islamic influence is something I find interesting. I picked up a copy and saw in the glossary that Frank Herbert used real Arabic words, or Anglicisms which he invented. For instance, 'portygalls' means oranges, and this doubtless comes from the Arabic burtuqaal, which means the same.

It's a shame Lynch's film was so poor, because I like his other films.

43

What novels would you recommend?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because i was forced to move back to bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.. i currently own just 9 novels.. salem's lot (stephen king).

three by john ajvide lindqvist:.

let the old dreams die.

LoveUniHateExams

@SBF

Although I haven't read his novels, I've heard Jo Nesbo is good.

I've seen a film adaptation of The Snowman, directed by Tomas Alfredson. It wasn't particularly good despite featuring some good actors and stunning shots of Norway.

Which Jo Nesbo books have you read?

43

What novels would you recommend?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because i was forced to move back to bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.. i currently own just 9 novels.. salem's lot (stephen king).

three by john ajvide lindqvist:.

let the old dreams die.

LoveUniHateExams

@JeffT

Yes, I've thought about getting Dune. The only experience I have with the Dune universe is David Lynch's film (not one of his best, lol).

BTW what are your other 4 novels about?

43

What novels would you recommend?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because i was forced to move back to bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.. i currently own just 9 novels.. salem's lot (stephen king).

three by john ajvide lindqvist:.

let the old dreams die.

LoveUniHateExams

I used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because I was forced to move back to Bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.

I currently own just 9 novels.

Salem's Lot (Stephen King)

Three by John Ajvide Lindqvist:

Let The Right One In

Let The Old Dreams Die

I Am The Tiger

Three by John Grisham:

The Firm

The Whistler

The Judge's List

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Arthur Conan Doyle)

The Demon Headmaster (Gillian Cross)

Er, and that's it.

Do you have any good novels to recommend, particularly any horror or thriller ones?

40

Why believe in a god?

by menrov in

if you consider that the god they believe in:.

- cannot be seen or heard and is only known in books written by writers we do not know nor do we have the original writings- does not listen to prayers from believers for security, safety, health, survival, protection, rescue, food etc- promises things that have not come true though had plenty of time to act on the promises- does not provide what you need to live- let's you suffer, struggle, work etc equal to non-believers, treated equally.

........ how does a believer look at his/her parents if they hide themselves, do not provide for you (shelter, food etc), make promises but never live up to these, does not provide what you need to live, treats you like anyone else but not as their child?

LoveUniHateExams

Why believe in God?

Well, at least some people realise life can be really shit - and even those that are successful or win the lottery end up dead. So, the idea that some kind of afterlife with God awaits the believer makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Also, in the real world, good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people, and that sucks.

Start believing in God, however, and the robbers who made off with all your possessions but weren't convicted by a human judge can now be punished by God in the end.

Of course, my answer doesn't cover all the reasons why people believe - some are brainwashed into it as children, some believe in God because they're scared non-belief makes him angry, and some just do it because it's what their family or tribe has always done.

2

I had a 'conversation' with ChatGPT about shunning and human rights .....

by EdenOne in

hello chatgpt.

can you discuss human rights?.

human rights are a set of fundamental rights and freedoms that are inherent to all human beings, regardless of their race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, or any other status.

LoveUniHateExams

I'm sorry to break it to you, EdenOne, but human rights don't actually exist.

Quick example: I could claim a right to a family life as my human right. But if no woman wants to marry me, then I can't get married and have a family with her. Therefore marriage or a family is not my human right.

All the millions of human rights lawyers claim that human rights exist, but they're no different than the billions of religious people who claim God exists.

8

Shamima Begum's challenge to the stripping of her British citizenship has failed

by LoveUniHateExams in

yeah, so shamima begum's challenge has failed.. the ruling body has declared that the home secretary's stripping of her citizenship in 2016 was lawful.. there are some people who say she was somehow 'groomed' but this is complete bullshit.

she was no more groomed by isis than a 15 year-old kid, who sees an advert for chocolate and then goes out and buys a chocolate bar is being groomed by cadbury's, or whatever.. glad to see common sense has won out this time.. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/22/shamima-begum-loses-appeal-removal-british-citizenship.

LoveUniHateExams

@stan

Perhaps she should stand trial in a Syrian-Kurdish court.