Quote from: JDog on October 02, 2007, 01:45:51 AM

I am 27 and I read comic books and I read "intellectual books" too. I see nothing wrong with it...

 

Quote from: wpruitt on October 01, 2007, 06:26:53 PM

Quote from: joergHH on October 01, 2007, 01:01:01 PM

My favorite authors are John Irving.
J

Irving ... one of my favorites

Also an Irving fan here.  So far I've only read:

- The World According to Garp
- The Fourth Hand
- Until I find you

Garp was my favorite of these, but I would eventually like to read all his books.

Quote from: xnewyawka on October 02, 2007, 02:29:33 PM

Quote from: JDog on October 02, 2007, 01:45:51 AM

Stew I wonder if all you do is lecture people about their choice in reading material or body adornment. I'm getting real tired of you  harping on people all the time.

I am 27 and I read comic books and I read "intellectual books" too. I see nothing wrong with it and you certainly are in no position to tell people what they need to read so why dont you back off and start accepting people have different interests.

I agree J, he seems to be a pretty critical fellow, he got my goat, so to speak, back in the tattoo and piercing threads and I had to bite my tongue. Some people should keep their opinions to themselves, you know what they say about opinions, right?

Joe, I believe it is something regarding their similarities to the human bowel?

I guess I didn't realize this was 'Dump on Stew' day.  There is nothing wrong with comic books; yes I read them when I was growing up; and no, I wasn't trying to be critical.  I got the feeling from Ryan that he was searching for more, and I was trying to encourage him to see what else was out there.  Maybe 'dump the comic books' wasn't the best choice in words (I try to be careful with how I choose my words) because obviously some of you interpreted that as 'lecturing.'  Ryan, read whatever you want; maybe I misinterpreted what you were saying, and if I did, I'm sorry.  JDog, I don't consider Vince Flynn as intellectual, and I don't lecture people.  I think you may have misjudged me.

As far as body art comments mentioned previously,  I believe I tried to be nothing but respectful in previous threads.  Although I am not into tats and piercings, I tried to offer a different perspective... not rushing in to do something extreme without thinking through things like how it could impact future job opportunities; will you really be happy 10 years down the road about your choices; can you reverse the body art if you decide at a later date that you don't want it anymore, and understanding how society (whether right or wrong) judges appearances.

It is a free country (including Australia, Canada, and the UK the last time I checked) to do what you want.  I do my best not to judge other people on their outward appearances.  I would like to have the same non-judgemental courtesy given to me.  I won't make a lame apology like 'if I offended anybody, I'm sorry,' because there was never any malicious intent on my part on anything that I have said.  If it came across that way, then maybe I am not as good at choosing my words as I think I am.  Sending private messages offering your perspectives can sometimes be more effective than a public flogging.  OK, maybe that last sentence was a little preachy, but hopefully you know what I mean.    Let's be friends, ok?

Quote from: R_McGarry on September 26, 2007, 02:51:11 PM

Quote from: Stew on September 25, 2007, 10:24:40 PM

For fiction, I currently like anything by Vince Flynn -- if you like Clancy, you'll like Flynn as well.  I'm also a big fan of history books and the History Channel... am currently reading 'A World Undone - The Story of the Great War 1914 - 1918.'  It has a lot of good history -- started reading it because as I understand it, much of the crises and conflicts we are dealing with today have their roots in WWI and its aftermath, and this book supposedly lays it all out very well.

Ryan, maybe you can ditch the comic books, and see if you can find something in a book that you might find interesting.  With the internet, it might be a lot easier to discover books/authors that might peak your interest.  I used to read more when I was younger, and now it takes me a long time to finish a book... too many competing interests.  

Also, what is wrong with comic books? I bet u read them as a kid.

I also read comics and I am 30.  I don't see anything wrong with them at all and feel comics are a great artform.  The literary quality of some of the comics/graphic novels rival anything I have seen in other literary artforms.  Check out Alan Moore (V for Vendetta is one example), Steve Niles (for horror), Josh Whedon (a personal favorite), Frank Miller (Sin City / 300), etc.  Plus some of the art itself is fantastic...

but subsequent comments from others were decidedly not kidding, and were quite harsh and personal which is why I responded the way I did.  Take it easy.

Dune, Frank Herbert

The original novel is the best work of fiction written, in  my opinion. The rest of the series was just ok, but the original stands tall.

The Count of Monte Christo comes a close second.