BookTalk.org

Hello all!

I'm a college junior (soon to be senior), which I think makes me one of the younger members on this forum. I like to think of myself an aspiring historian, would-be philosopher, voracious reader, and academic-at-heart. I enjoy fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Mostly my interests in nonfiction lie in the direction of the social sciences and humanities: History, Anthropology/Sociology, Philosophy, Religion, Feminist Theory, and the like. I like a wide variety of fiction, but have a special soft spot for magical realism and cyberpunk. Some of my favorite authors are Chaim Potok, Barbara Kingsolver, Terry Pratchett, William Gibson, and Kurt Vonnegut (among many, many others). Favorite nonfiction writers would include Thomas Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization is probably his best known) and Joseph Campbell. Among favorite poets are e. e. cummings, Mary Oliver, H.D., and William Carlos Williams. Personally speaking, I'm a bit of a nerd (if you haven't picked up already haha), but I also love music and like to keep up with the concert scene. Also, I have a tendency to talk on endlessly when I get excited, so I will stop here unless there are questions....

Oh! And I heard about BookTalk.org from my mother, who convinced me to sign up even though I fear I may not have much time to post during the school year.

Hello Indigo, welcome to BT !

Make yourself at home, browse our forums and start posting wherever suits your fancy.

Is your mother a BT member?

Ophelia wrote:Hello Indigo, welcome to BT !

Is your mother a BT member?

She is!

Yes, that's what I thought Saffron.


It's nice that you're telling your friends and family about Booktalk.

Hello Indigo, and welcome!

I thought it interesting that my favourite genres are the two you describe, magic realism and cyberpunk, but I haven't read a couple of the authors you have mentioned, and read very little from a couple others. I've read nothing by Chaim Potok and Barbara Kingsolver, and very little from Terry Pratchett and Kurt Vonnegut. What books would you recommend by those authors?

Good luck with your schooling.

Theomanic wrote:I thought it interesting that my favourite genres are the two you describe, magic realism and cyberpunk, but I haven't read a couple of the authors you have mentioned, and read very little from a couple others. I've read nothing by Chaim Potok and Barbara Kingsolver, and very little from Terry Pratchett and Kurt Vonnegut. What books would you recommend by those authors?

Well, none of those four are really magical realism or cyberpunk, but they're definitely excellent authors. I'd recommend The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, and Slaughter House Five or Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut. William Gibson is hands down my favorite cyberpunk author, and my favorites for magical realism are Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Neil Gaiman.

Thanks for the welcome, Theomanic and Ophelia.

I just looked up cyberpunk. I didn't know that this genre was out there. It sounds like a good primer for what the future will probably be like.

Welcome to BT, I'm pretty new here too!

President Camacho wrote:I just looked up cyberpunk. I didn't know that this genre was out there. It sounds like a good primer for what the future will probably be like.

Welcome to BT, I'm pretty new here too!

Thanks!

Cyberpunk is like the seedy, punk cousin of Scifi. I recommend Neuromancer, by William Gibson as a good introduction to cyberpunk and a really fun read. Or, if you've ever seen the movies Bladerunner or The Fifth Element then you already know cyberpunk....

Do you have myspace? :king:

A belated welcome, Indigo! I like your avatar (Linden leaves?), and could probably tell that you are young without your telling us your age, because adding the image was just a snap for you, whereas I puzzle over these things till my puzzler is sore (Dr. Suess, I think). Your interests are very diverse; calling them eclectic doesn't do them justice. I hope you get at least a few chances to tell us your thoughts between all the school tasks.

DWill