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| Author: Posted: Nov. 17, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 3,843,147 |
Question of the Week: 64 - 10/29/2001 What Are YOUR book/video/dvd Recommendations? What books do you like? Which ones do you read over and over again? What ones do you recommend for those 'taking a mental break' moments or for holiday gift giving? Do you have some suggestions for videos/dvds that deserve a viewing? Your suggestions need not be Pagan specific. In fact, we encourage you here to offer tips on good selections that may be found in the often-overlooked area of mythology, history, humor, sociology, sci-fi or art sections of the bookstores or video sections. |
| Reponses: There are 119 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| Hmmmm.....so Many Recommendations, So Little Space.... Right Now I'm Reading The... | Oct 28th. at 7:00:59 pm EST |
| Bryony Ravenwillow (Kansas City, Missouri US) | Age: 33 |
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Hmmmm.....so many recommendations, so little space.... Right now I'm reading the first three books of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. The rest haven't been published yet, and I'm impatiently waiting for Book 4! The first three titles are "A Game of Thrones", "A Clash of Kings", and "A Storm of Swords". Extremely well-written and intricately plotted, with distinct characterizations. Laurell K Hamilton's books are good reading. "Narcissus In Chains" just came out, and I admit that I'm getting a copy for a friend as a Yule gift, so I can borrow it afterwards! Fortunately, I'm a speedy reader. Melanie Rawn's "Dragon Prince" and "Dragon Star" trilogies are very, very good, with a unique magical system using light. Katherine Neville's "The Eight". It's about a mystical chess set fought over between the forces of good and evil, and it skips back and forth from the French Revolution to 1970s New York. It's really, really good! It's got several Pagan elements to it. In nonfiction, I highly recommend Phyllis Curott's "Book of Shadows", and Leonard Shlain's "The Alphabet Vs the Goddess". The first needs no introduction. The book by Shlain postulates a fascinating theory between the invention of writing with the decline of goddess worship in ancient times, and its resurgence coinciding with the return of more visual mediums like motion pictures and the internet. You may not agree with it, but it's definitely thought-provoking. With movies, I love "Interview With the Vampire", "Braveheart", "Rob Roy", "The Crow", "The Princess Bride", "Ladyhawke", "The Shawshank Redemption", "American Beauty", "Seven", "Shakespeare In Love", and "Sense and Sensibility". One other fiction book before I forget! "Tigana" by Guy Gavriel Kay is a beatifully written book, and it's absolutely heartbreaking. Actually, anything by Kay is beautifully written and heartbreaking. His are the only fantasy novels I've read where victory is never absolute. But "Tigana" is my favorite. Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain, everyone! |
| Movies- Babette's Feast Was Mentioned A Few Days Ago, Well Worth A... | Oct 28th. at 6:50:57 pm EST |
| lilith (somewherein, Washington US) | Age: 48 |
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Movies- Babette's Feast was mentioned a few days ago, well worth a look. Another food film, Tampopo, is on my see-again list. Strictly Ballroom- quite a feast of its own. I've Heard the Mermaids Singing.... a sweet little Canadian film Baghdad Cafe, near the top of my list for more than a decade Music- anything by Gaia Consort Sheila Chandra's ABoneCroneDrone and Weaving My Ancestor's Voices Rumours of the Big Wave (single The Burning Times- well worth a listen) anything by Jane Siberry Books- non-fiction introspective Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn fiction Marion Zimmer Bradley- so much more to choose from than Mists of Avalon Morgan Llewellyn Ursula K. LeGuin Tom Robbins pagan/craft stuff Curott's Book of Shadows Starhawk's Spiral Dance and Fifth Sacred Thing Doreen Valiente, the Farrars in a category by himself Robert Anton Wilson, thank you, RAW! |
| I Don't Really Get Out Much Outside Of My Job And Right... | Oct 28th. at 4:37:56 pm EST |
| Amber Heathen (suburb of Portland, Oregon US) | Age: 21 - Email |
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I don't really get out much outside of my job and right now I'm on maternity leave. I usually just stay home and read or watch movies or tv. Here's a list of some of my favorite things: Fictional Books: (I know, cliche) The Mists of Avalon trilogy by Marion Zimmer Bradley Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (I didn't like the movie much, but I absolutely *love* the novel) Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 1984 by George Orwell Animal Farm by George Orwell The Color Purple by Alice Walker The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis The Stand by Stephen King Nonfiction: What To Expect When You're Expecting and What To Expect The First Year (I just had a baby girl a week ago) You're Pregnant! A Guide For The Longest Nine Months Of Your Life by Kathryn Hammer (this book got me through my pregnancy and gave me some really good laughs...I would have gone absolutely crazy without it) Movies: The Crucible Dogma Steel Magnolias One True Thing Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Elizabeth Shakespeare In Love Hamlet (the one with Mel Gibson...mmmmm) Saving Private Ryan Enemy At The Gates Of Mice And Men The Color Purple Braveheart The Who's Tommy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Fast Times At Ridgemont High Heathers Good Will Hunting Dumbo (the only *good* Disney movie) Music: anything Loreena McKennit Type O Negative Cradle of Filth Fleetwood Mac (I even named my daughter Rhiannon) Pink Floyd The Who Lacuna Coil Theatre of Tragedy Amorphis Moonspell Coal Chamber Amber |
| Book Series:mickey Zucker Reichert's "the Renshai Chronicles." A Series Of Fiction... | Oct 28th. at 12:58:34 pm EST |
| Mason (Melrose, Massachusetts US) | Age: 14 |
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Book Series:Mickey Zucker Reichert's "The Renshai Chronicles." A series of fiction books based loosely on Norse Mythology, and set 300 years after the Ragnarok, the Norse "End of Days" type myth.I strongly recommend it. If you like Norse Mythology, or Medieval/Fantasy Fiction, you'll love these books. |
| Hey Sorry About That Last One!as You Know My Name Is... | Oct 28th. at 11:17:19 am EST |
| heather (aafb, Maryland US) | Age: 13 - Email |
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hey sorry about that last one!as you know my name is heather.you know my info.so ehre are the books i recomend:rhapsody, destiny, blue moon, burnt offerings , bloody bones (dont worry they are not all that bad they just have weird names), sister to the rain(thats my fav), and many more that i acnt remember.well thanx for reading they are really good books!now for the movies :ofcourse "the craft" that is actually the only on ei can think of.oh well.oh and im new to the religion and i am needing help to sort things out and find my meaning.thank you.please e-mail me if you can do anything to help me. |
| ... | Oct 28th. at 11:11:16 am EST |
| hetaher (aafb, Maryland US) | Age: 13 - Email |
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| Right Now, I'm Re-reading A Favorite By William Least-heat Moon Called 'blue... | Oct 28th. at 9:28:42 am EST |
| Rhonda McGiffen (Rice, Texas US) | Age: 23 - Email |
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Right now, I'm re-reading a favorite by William Least-Heat Moon called 'Blue Highways'. This seems to be a good time of year to read about how one man dealt with the cycles of ending and beginning in his own life. He does something those of us with wanderlust dream of doing -- just him, his truck, and a map; pick a direction & drive. The title refers in part to the backroads of America, usually marked in blue on older maps. Along the way, he meets a wide variety of people and goes way off the beaten track to the some oddly named towns. (Who could resist traveling to a place called Nameless?)And yes, there are pictures! As well as letting us see others through his eyes, he lets us have a close look at himself, the good moments, the bad moments, and the I-can't-believe-I'm-doing-this moments. It's earned a spot on my bedside table, as well as one of the 'good' bookmarks! |
| I'll Just Throw In A Few. Books: The Lord Of The Rings... | Oct 28th. at 9:23:02 am EST |
| Amanda (Dallas, Texas US) | Age: 20 |
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I'll just throw in a few. Books: The Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit by Tolkien- I just started reading these a couple of months ago. I've gotten up to The Fellowship of the Ring. Great books. Don't know why I waited so long to read them. Fahreinheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Book I was made to read in high school and liked. Very important message to it. Creepy how his vision of the future seems to be coming true. I've also read "The Veldt", a short story by Bradbury, and want to read more by him. Reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse - Before I was into Paganism I was into Eastern Religions, and they still appeal to me. Easy, thin book about a guy in ancient India searching for meaning in life. The Hitchhiker's Trilogy by Douglas Adams - Humorous Sci-Fi that gets kind of deep in places in satirical sort of way. Dr. Seuss - I learned to read off Dr. Seuss! The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - My favorites as a kid. Allegory of the Bible with talking animals and stuff, but I had no problem with that. I haven't been reading much lately. Not as much as I should anyway, so I'm kind of behind on new books out there. Hopefully you guys will give me some ideas. The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris - Probably some of the information is out of date by now, but when it came out in 1967 it was a big deal. Study of humans from the perspective of a zoologist. Very insightful. Also reccomend "Catwatching", "Dogwatching", and the new "Horsewatching" by the same guy. If you have any cats, dogs, or horses these will give you some insights into why they behave the way they do. I'm a science geek! The science and nature section of the bookstore is one of my favorites. Movies: Contact - Based on Carl Sagan book that I haven't read yet. Carl Sagan was a neat guy! Lots of people I know didn't like the movie. Too intellectual I guess. I loved it. Lots of science vs. religion stuff, or maybe more like stuff you can prove vs. stuff you can't prove. Loved the ending. American Beauty - Maybe the best movie I ever saw. Again, most people I know didn't like it, although the few that did totally loved it like me. About how a guy spends the last year of his life (of course, he doesn't know it's his last year). Reminds you that most likely you will never know when your last year is going to be. How are you going to spend it? The Lion King - My favorite animated Disney movie. Get over the talking and singing animals and look at like a fable or folktale. I wish I could see the musical. Beatles movies - I love the Beatles! A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Let it be, The Beatles Anthology. If I really want to treat myself I pull out some of those. Monty Python is good for laughs. More videos that will have you speaking in a British accent the rest of the day. Okay, I think that's enough for me. |
| I Think You Should Give Spells And Imformation About Whitches For Those... | Oct 28th. at 8:49:52 am EST |
| nanilla (chicago, Illinois US) | Age: 16 |
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I think you should give spells and imformation about whitches for those who are interested. |
| I Love Anything By Orson Scott Card. He Has So Many Books... | Oct 28th. at 7:03:47 am EST |
| Rose (Portsmouth, New Hampshire US) | Age: 22 - Email |
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I love anything by Orson Scott Card. He has so many books out, and yet hardly anyone has ever heard of him. He write Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Suspense. You name it, he's probably written something for it. His most famous series (and one of my personal favorites) starts off with a book called Ender's Game. It's a sci-fi series about a young boy, a "third" child in a future where there are limits to how many children you can have. All the children in the community are screened to see if they'd be good for combat training. If they pass, they are shipped off (usually as young as the age of 6) to Battle School, which is located on an asteriod in deep space. These children are trained to fight in the third "Bugger War", the buggers being an alien species that resemle large wasps. Ender, which is the boys name, is destined to be the best and the brightest (not to mention the youngest) of the entire bunch. They have mock battles in zero g between the "armies", or classes, and he eventually works his way up the ranks. He gets promoted to Command School by the time he's 9, when most don't make it until their 13 or 14 if they make it at all. In Command School you get to see him struggle with his "good" nature, his hatred of killing, against his being pushed further and further so that he'll be ready by the time the "buggers" come back. It is a wonderful tale. I recommend it to anyone. And I don't read sci-fi! Rose. |
| For Wonderful Irish Mythology Reading I Turn To Juliet Marillier's "sevenwaters" Trilogy... | Oct 28th. at 5:35:46 am EST |
| Londubh (Honolulu, Hawaii US) | Age: 24 |
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For wonderful Irish mythology reading I turn to Juliet Marillier's "Sevenwaters" trilogy. The first two books are out; "Daughter of the Forest" deals in a very old Irish legend of the girl-child Sorcha and how she worked to save her brothers, who had been turned into swans by an evil enchantress. The second book, "Son of the Shadows", continues the family saga with the next generation of spellcrafters. For moments when I want to read but don't have the time to dive into a large novel I read anthologies of short stories collected or written by the late Marion Zimmer Bradley. "Sword and Sorceress", a sci-fi/fantasy-themed collection, is one of my favorites. "Lythande" is another fantasy collection I recommend. -Londubh |
| Dragonlance Chronicles By Weis And Hickman Can't Say Enough Good Things About... | Oct 28th. at 1:10:04 am EST |
| alucard (rhinelander, Wisconsin US) | Age: 16 |
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dragonlance chronicles by weis and hickman can't say enough good things about these books... read one and you will be hooked |
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