I’m thinking comments here are missing the point of Austen. She is not a romance writer, she writes comedies of manners. The manners very much of her time and place. In Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth speaks about class from a very modern feminist perspective.
I think the reason a lot of people would call Austen a romance author is because that’s why they’re reading her books. Sure, you can dissect the class issues, which are very strange from an American’s perspective. But I doubt people re-read the books because they just loooove talking about social hierarchy. They want romance and she wrote great romances.
She did write great romances. I did not mean to suggest her books are about class but they more than just a romance. I was responding to the comments about her books being about women just waiting around to be saved by a man. That they are not or Mrs Bennett would not be a comical character
I was going to suggest A Christmas Carol for Dickens, but it’s the only thing of his I’ve ever read. Just the right length for his style, though.
Not sure what your bag is, but if you are mildly interested in Epic Fantasy, Larry Correia’s Son of the Black Sword is better than any Martin, Jordan or Sanderson you might otherwise pick up.
I love your honesty! I hear what you're saying about Gaiman.
As far as Austen goes, I like Emma much better than the ever-popular P&P. Lady Susan is a delightful treat. I applaud you for not being a lemming about her, though. In that literary vein, Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South is so much better! It has the same polite enemies-to-lovers trope, but a much richer story.
The Gunslinger, was written when King was 19. And it reads like a 19 year old wrote it. I highly recommend the rest of the Dark Tower books. They are much, much better. So much so that when I suggest this series I always say read the Gunslinger. You won't like it, it's a meh book but read The Drawing of the Three and decide from there. Also, I enjoyed The Eyes of the Dragon and was completely charmed by Fairy Tale. Or perhaps try his short stories. I'm very fond of a short story...its like a charcuterie board of literature. Also, the Shining and Dr. Sleep. One written by King the addict and one written by King when sober. But I'm a longtime King fan, I think his middle works are the best.
I DNF'd the second book in the Throne of Glass series. This girl was supposed to be the best assassin... and I'd yet to see her kill anyone. (Sort of like how that travel blogger was never shown travel blogging, I guess.)
The only novel of Stephen King's that I've read is Carrie. I enjoyed it, but it didn't make me want to run out and read all his other stuff. One I am kind of intrigued with is Misery... though I don't know if that's the best choice for an author!
I read a lot of King as a teen and then reread a bunch of them in my late 20's and thought most of them were actually pretty bad books the second time around. Misery is one of the few that held up and is still one of my favorite modern fiction books. Plus the movie is good too.
King’s Misery is a good one, even for authors to prepare us for rabid fans. 😅 I also like his Holly, a thriller filled with a cast of interesting characters, and well-told in terms of pacing, description, conflict, not to mention a pair of truly evil ordinary people.
Not counting A Christmas Carol, Pickwick Papers is the only Dickens I’ve read. I don’t even remember getting through high school assignments, but I happened upon PP when still in school, and I really loved it. I read a lot of humor at the time (Thurber, Mr. Blandings Build His Dream House, more) and for me it ranked with all of them. [PS Mr. B was made into a movie successfully I think; the story is a raft of things that go wrong when building your suburban dream, from the time when Connecticut was being built up. NB there is a scene with a black maid that troubles people today for stereotype, but for me at the time it was okay because she saves the day for him. Standards have changed so I don’t disagree with anyone who rejects it. But it’s a thread among many in the plot.]
Oliver Twist was my first attempt at Dickens, aside from a free course on Christmas Carol, and it’s been sitting unfinished on the side table for months. I can see the social commentary he was aiming for, but I really haven’t been able to get invested.
I always think the most underated author was James Herbert. I have enjoyed every single one of his novels. Some are more action packed than others whilst some are genuinely scary and I never get scared by movies or books usually.
King can be a hit-or-miss affair with me, I am of the opinion that his masterpiece is The Stand, and if you want to get a good feel for his writing. It's LOOOOONG but offers some of his most fully-realized characters, and certainly after the pandemic, the idea of a world-ending epidemic rings true. Unlike some of his other works, I find The Stand has moments of levity that actually had me laughing out loud while reading it ... not a typical response to most of King's work!
The author’s only half the equation though. The reader’s emotional state or headspace and life experience bring just as much to a story. For instance, my first stab at N. Novik’s His Majesty’s Dragon fell completely flat (years ago). Tried again last year after finishing the ‘Deadly Education’ trilogy (and loving it) and was quite surprised to find the Temeraire books a lot of fun. Does every re-read of a beloved classic always hit the same way, or do you sometimes find new perspectives years later?
I’ve re-read a few books lately and what I noticed is that I have a better understanding of why I liked it in the first place. But I don’t really remember exactly what I thought of it in the first place, so I can’t say for sure if it’s a vastly new perspective or just another branch on my original thoughts. A book I’d like to re-read later is Rebecca because that’s one I can definitely image having a different take on when I’m older.
I loved The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Neverwhere and had American Gods, Anansi Boys, and Good Omens on my TBR, and then I heard about the disgusting things Gaiman has done to women and I can hardly even look at them on my bookshelf anymore.
The thing you have to remember about Dickens is that although he wasn’t paid by the word….his stuff was published serially. That is going to lend itself to a certain style of writing and pacing.
King jumped the shark years ago. However, his writing has been such a huge influence on mine, that I've just become more selective in newer stuff of his I read. Also he's been cranking out books so fast, it's hard to keep up.
As for Gaimen....ugh. My husband pestered me for YEARS that I had to read Sandman. When I finally caved, it was like what took me so long. And the series (ok, season 1 is all that's out) is OMG AMAZEBALLS. I've read all of his stuff, but given his behavior, I'm kinda done.
Another big disappointment for me was Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon. I've always had a passing interest in the whole King Arthur thing and I loved this book because it tells the story from a women's point of view. However.....a lot of not nice things came out about her (child abuse) and I can't bring myself to re read the book like I used to.
I’m thinking comments here are missing the point of Austen. She is not a romance writer, she writes comedies of manners. The manners very much of her time and place. In Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth speaks about class from a very modern feminist perspective.
I think the reason a lot of people would call Austen a romance author is because that’s why they’re reading her books. Sure, you can dissect the class issues, which are very strange from an American’s perspective. But I doubt people re-read the books because they just loooove talking about social hierarchy. They want romance and she wrote great romances.
She did write great romances. I did not mean to suggest her books are about class but they more than just a romance. I was responding to the comments about her books being about women just waiting around to be saved by a man. That they are not or Mrs Bennett would not be a comical character
Austen was not a romance writer. Unfortunately, the movies of her books used that angle to hook people in.
With you one hundred percent.
And though the manners are very time & place - the snobbery & meanness her heroines encounter is still with us.
I love Austen. She has much to say about life & how hard it is.
And she was very subversive & an advocate for women.
For Austen, I will always recommend Northanger Abbey — it’s so underrated but so so good, and has something that’s a bit different from the others.
I felt a lot of the same way about the Evelyn Hardcastle, but I think I got turned off it just less than 2/3 of the way through
I did read Northanger Abbey and it was fine. But I have to admit I preferred the 2007 movie. Maybe it’s because I saw it before reading the book.
Ooh I had no idea there was a movie! I’ll have to check that out
The actor who plays Tilney is great!
Yes it's unlike the rest of her work. A parody of the Gothic genre.
I really liked 11/22/63 by King. It's LONG, but the ending has stuck with me more than any other book I've read.
I did try watching the series they made several years ago but I never finished it. I’m sure the book is much better though; I’ll add it to my list.
I love that book
I was going to suggest A Christmas Carol for Dickens, but it’s the only thing of his I’ve ever read. Just the right length for his style, though.
Not sure what your bag is, but if you are mildly interested in Epic Fantasy, Larry Correia’s Son of the Black Sword is better than any Martin, Jordan or Sanderson you might otherwise pick up.
I recently read A Christmas Carol and really liked it. Here’s my review if you’re interested:
https://damselinthelibrary.substack.com/p/a-christmas-carol-made-me-appreciate
I do enjoy fantasy books and that Correia book has been recommended to me before. It’s on my list.
I love your honesty! I hear what you're saying about Gaiman.
As far as Austen goes, I like Emma much better than the ever-popular P&P. Lady Susan is a delightful treat. I applaud you for not being a lemming about her, though. In that literary vein, Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South is so much better! It has the same polite enemies-to-lovers trope, but a much richer story.
What’s the point of sharing a book-ish opinion if it isn’t honest? As for North and South, I LOVE it!! I re-read it last year and I did a review: https://damselinthelibrary.substack.com/p/re-reading-north-and-south-by-elizabeth
and I’m going to be talking about the adaptation next month.
The Gunslinger, was written when King was 19. And it reads like a 19 year old wrote it. I highly recommend the rest of the Dark Tower books. They are much, much better. So much so that when I suggest this series I always say read the Gunslinger. You won't like it, it's a meh book but read The Drawing of the Three and decide from there. Also, I enjoyed The Eyes of the Dragon and was completely charmed by Fairy Tale. Or perhaps try his short stories. I'm very fond of a short story...its like a charcuterie board of literature. Also, the Shining and Dr. Sleep. One written by King the addict and one written by King when sober. But I'm a longtime King fan, I think his middle works are the best.
Thanks for your recommendations! I will continue with the Dark Tower series.
I was hoping someone would mention The Eyes of The Dragon! Total King sleeper that most people don’t know about. But I think it’s one of his best.
Fairy Tale recaptured that feeling when I read Eyes of the Dragon.
I’d hoped for that feeling but using the present day as setting distracted me from that. Glad it worked for you though!
I DNF'd the second book in the Throne of Glass series. This girl was supposed to be the best assassin... and I'd yet to see her kill anyone. (Sort of like how that travel blogger was never shown travel blogging, I guess.)
The only novel of Stephen King's that I've read is Carrie. I enjoyed it, but it didn't make me want to run out and read all his other stuff. One I am kind of intrigued with is Misery... though I don't know if that's the best choice for an author!
Haha! A great assassin indeed. I hate it when an author hypes up a character’s skills and we never see any proof.
I think I might try some more King this year, maybe around Halloween. Misery does sound like a risky choice though!
I read a lot of King as a teen and then reread a bunch of them in my late 20's and thought most of them were actually pretty bad books the second time around. Misery is one of the few that held up and is still one of my favorite modern fiction books. Plus the movie is good too.
King’s Misery is a good one, even for authors to prepare us for rabid fans. 😅 I also like his Holly, a thriller filled with a cast of interesting characters, and well-told in terms of pacing, description, conflict, not to mention a pair of truly evil ordinary people.
Try Dickens' first book, "The Pickwick Papers". He knew how to do comedy, at least.
Not counting A Christmas Carol, Pickwick Papers is the only Dickens I’ve read. I don’t even remember getting through high school assignments, but I happened upon PP when still in school, and I really loved it. I read a lot of humor at the time (Thurber, Mr. Blandings Build His Dream House, more) and for me it ranked with all of them. [PS Mr. B was made into a movie successfully I think; the story is a raft of things that go wrong when building your suburban dream, from the time when Connecticut was being built up. NB there is a scene with a black maid that troubles people today for stereotype, but for me at the time it was okay because she saves the day for him. Standards have changed so I don’t disagree with anyone who rejects it. But it’s a thread among many in the plot.]
I was thinking about trying Oliver Twist or Great Expectations, but a comedy sounds like a better choice. Thanks for the recommendation!
Oliver Twist was my first attempt at Dickens, aside from a free course on Christmas Carol, and it’s been sitting unfinished on the side table for months. I can see the social commentary he was aiming for, but I really haven’t been able to get invested.
Dickens is a divisive author, but I very much enjoyed A Christmas Carol, and I did a review for it too:
https://damselinthelibrary.substack.com/p/a-christmas-carol-made-me-appreciate
I read A Man Called Ove and it was ok, but My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry really hit me in the gut. Amazing stuff.
I always think the most underated author was James Herbert. I have enjoyed every single one of his novels. Some are more action packed than others whilst some are genuinely scary and I never get scared by movies or books usually.
I’ve never heard of him. Any particular recommendation on where to start?
The Rats, The Fog and 48.
King can be a hit-or-miss affair with me, I am of the opinion that his masterpiece is The Stand, and if you want to get a good feel for his writing. It's LOOOOONG but offers some of his most fully-realized characters, and certainly after the pandemic, the idea of a world-ending epidemic rings true. Unlike some of his other works, I find The Stand has moments of levity that actually had me laughing out loud while reading it ... not a typical response to most of King's work!
I’ve read my share of thick books, so that’s not too much of a deterrent. Not sure when I would get to it, but I will put it on my list.
The Stand, The Dead Zone, Firestarter, Pet Sematary. He was on fire in the late 70s and early 80s. Every one a masterpiece.
I’ve got a long list of King books to try! Thanks for the recommendations.
The author’s only half the equation though. The reader’s emotional state or headspace and life experience bring just as much to a story. For instance, my first stab at N. Novik’s His Majesty’s Dragon fell completely flat (years ago). Tried again last year after finishing the ‘Deadly Education’ trilogy (and loving it) and was quite surprised to find the Temeraire books a lot of fun. Does every re-read of a beloved classic always hit the same way, or do you sometimes find new perspectives years later?
I’ve re-read a few books lately and what I noticed is that I have a better understanding of why I liked it in the first place. But I don’t really remember exactly what I thought of it in the first place, so I can’t say for sure if it’s a vastly new perspective or just another branch on my original thoughts. A book I’d like to re-read later is Rebecca because that’s one I can definitely image having a different take on when I’m older.
I loved The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Neverwhere and had American Gods, Anansi Boys, and Good Omens on my TBR, and then I heard about the disgusting things Gaiman has done to women and I can hardly even look at them on my bookshelf anymore.
The thing you have to remember about Dickens is that although he wasn’t paid by the word….his stuff was published serially. That is going to lend itself to a certain style of writing and pacing.
King jumped the shark years ago. However, his writing has been such a huge influence on mine, that I've just become more selective in newer stuff of his I read. Also he's been cranking out books so fast, it's hard to keep up.
As for Gaimen....ugh. My husband pestered me for YEARS that I had to read Sandman. When I finally caved, it was like what took me so long. And the series (ok, season 1 is all that's out) is OMG AMAZEBALLS. I've read all of his stuff, but given his behavior, I'm kinda done.
Another big disappointment for me was Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon. I've always had a passing interest in the whole King Arthur thing and I loved this book because it tells the story from a women's point of view. However.....a lot of not nice things came out about her (child abuse) and I can't bring myself to re read the book like I used to.
The Neil Gaiman intuition was spot on!
Yeah, I wasn’t really surprised when the news broke. Good to know my gut can be trusted in these matters.