I have added everyone who has posted a Goodreads profile prior to this post (assuming you weren't on my list already). If anyone else is interested in adding me and seeing my new 4-star ratings every 1-2 weeks, you can do so here:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/32224879-kyle-swiston
I would definitely still recommend it. Part of the disappointment came from me feeling like I should have been given another 200-300 pages to see things through (even though the book was already 500 pages).
EDIT: Mumei: When I look at the Venn Diagram that Goodreads generates when comparing my library to yours, I feel like I am looking at one of those Astronomy diagrams showing the size of the earth in comparison to Jupiter.
Awww. I remember when you were shy. <3
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/25211755-jamesCan we do a goodreads profile sharing?
Same here. I don't know the best jumping on point, and it all seems so daunting.I always wanted to get into Lovecraft, but I have no idea where to begin with. :<
I have been pretty lucky with most of my book picks these past two years. I know my Goodreads account makes it seem like I just give everything a 4, but I have enjoyed almost everything that I have read since picking the hobby back up.
It helps that certain genres were pretty much wide open.
Added y'all. Mumei's read number made me feel comparatively illiterate.
https://www.goodreads.com/ephemeralvelleity
I should probably set up a goodreads profile, problem is remembering all the mystery books I read lol.
I've been saying this for a while.. maybe I should make it my new year's resolution.
Picked this up, thanks!
I should probably set up a goodreads profile, problem is remembering all the mystery books I read lol.
Speaking of goodreads, has anyone ever read a bunch of objectively bad, terrible books that you find entertaining because you were in the mood for some pure non-thinking, escapist, guilty pleasure entertainment, but are now embarrassed to add them to your goodreads account?
Kinda in that situation right now...don't judge me
Speaking of goodreads, has anyone ever read a bunch of objectively bad, terrible books that you find entertaining because you were in the mood for some pure non-thinking, escapist, guilty pleasure entertainment, but are now embarrassed to add them to your goodreads account?
Kinda in that situation right now...don't judge me
That's why you uncheck the "add to my feed" box when you add it. They'll have to dig for your shame!
Fuck! I just bought this for like $8.99 a few days ago. Oh well, authors gotta eat.
Nice! Thanks for sharing. And thanks for linking back. :bWell, it's up:
GAF's Favorite Books Read This Year
I'd like to ask everyone to participate. If it sinks like a rock my face is gonna be so red...
Speaking of goodreads, has anyone ever read a bunch of objectively bad, terrible books that you find entertaining because you were in the mood for some pure non-thinking, escapist, guilty pleasure entertainment, but are now embarrassed to add them to your goodreads account?
Kinda in that situation right now...don't judge me
Welp, I just bought The Complete Fiction of HP Lovecraft. Where do I start? Just at the beginning?
Starting at the beginning may not be your best bet. If its in chronological order you would be starting with Lovecraft's juvenilia and as such is a bit weaksauce. Lovecraft's best work was arguably written later in his career. So if you really want a taste of his best work, then try some stories like The Colour Out of Space, The Dunwich Horror, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, or then maybe The Call of Cthulhu. If you want a few very quick reads then try Dagon, Pickman's Model, or the Music of Erich Zann.
Ah, okay. I read The Beast in the Cave (first in this collection, I'm assuming the first he wrote) and I was like "ehhhhh?", but then I did some digging and realized he wrote it when he was 14. So yeah, I'll definitely skip to some of those you mentioned, since they're the ones I always hear about anyways. There's no particular order that any of them have to be read in right? They all share a universe but are standalone?Starting at the beginning may not be your best bet. If its in chronological order you would be starting with Lovecraft's juvenilia and as such is a bit weaksauce. Lovecraft's best work was arguably written later in his career. So if you really want a taste of his best work, then try some stories like The Colour Out of Space, The Dunwich Horror, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, or then maybe The Call of Cthulhu. If you want a few very quick reads then try Dagon, Pickman's Model, or the Music of Erich Zann.
I did try reading his Baroque cycle, but I just couldn't get into it.
Why yes! I do read fantasy novels sometimes.
Ah, okay. I read The Beast in the Cave (first in this collection, I'm assuming the first he wrote) and I was like "ehhhhh?", but then I did some digging and realized he wrote it when he was 14. So yeah, I'll definitely skip to some of those you mentioned, since they're the ones I always hear about anyways. There's no particular order that any of them have to be read in right? They all share a universe but are standalone?
The Call of Cthulhu (February, 1928)
The Dunwich Horror (April, 1929)
The Whisperer in Darkness (August, 1931)
The Dreams in the Witch House (July 1933)
At the Mountains of Madness (March-April, 1936)
The Shadow Over Innsmouth (April, 1936)
The Shadow Out of Time (June, 1936)
The Haunter of the Dark (December, 1936)
Simon R. Green's Nightside series, used too many deus ex machinas and the protagonist's vaguely defined power cop outs for my liking, but I still read most of them.Speaking of goodreads, has anyone ever read a bunch of objectively bad, terrible books that you find entertaining because you were in the mood for some pure non-thinking, escapist, guilty pleasure entertainment, but are now embarrassed to add them to your goodreads account?
Kinda in that situation right now...don't judge me
Nice! Thanks for sharing. And thanks for linking back. :b
Awesome, thanks for the list! I read the first section of Call of Cthulhu and I love it. It's gonna take a bit because there's a lot of text on each page due to the relatively small font used in this collection and the writing style being a bit different than what I'm used to, but it'll be worth it. I may stop reading CoC and read The Color Out of Space though.They are standalone stories but a number of them are still connected in a way. The only thing is that at one point Lovecraft began to write what is now labelled as "Cthulhu Mythos" stories in which he begins to create his own mythology of deities and monsters that are used and referenced throughout a number of different works. But none of the stories should be lost on you if you haven't read one before it. For example, if you read the The Dunwich Horror, before you read the The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, you may be a little bit more unfamiliar with a being known as Yog-Sothoth but its not a dealbreaker
If you really want to read them in order, the core Cthulhu mythos in order is a bit like this, give or take a few stories:
Reading them in order isn't mandatory, but it would certainly help. However, there are of course a lot of Lovecraft's stories that do not feature any of his iconic deities such as The Color Out of Space. I would in fact recommend you start with that story, it is immediately satisfying without prior knowledge of any Cthulhus or Nyarlothoteps or Shoggoths.