/lit/ - Literature

after spending some time here, i realized that i'm having difficulty establishing a scale in expertise, especially with philosophy. i haven't encountered anything i couldn't understand but there are sometimes passages i've had to read and reread. what is it that defines a difficult text? what are some difficult concepts or philosophies? what are some examples of either?

my current thoughts are that difficulty arises not with complex thoughts but in complex descriptions. i think of it like trying to follow someone's irregular footsteps in the snow at the same pace they're moving; it's not particularly difficult to do but there is definite variability in how well you can keep up.

A friend of mine who is really into fantasy does not believe me that a lot of series actually take place in homebrew DnD worlds. Unfortunetly all I could come up with on the spot as examples were:

Riftwar
Malazan

Any help naming some more?

What websites do you use for book news, reviews, and new releases list?

Or do you just kind of pick stuff up at random?

Looking for ideas of what rules I should hold myself to for a daily writing challenge.

I used to write a bit in high school and early in college. Last few years, not so much. I want to get in the habit again. Not trying to write masterpieces or anything, just some short shit I can do every day to get in the habit again. I would be nice if I could keep it going until I die so I could say "well I never wrote a novel but I have amassed 900 million words in this .doc for some reason."

I was inspired to do this by hte Daily Grind Iron Man challenge. It was a webcomic challenge to do at least one two panel strip every weekday. Started in 2005 and is still going now. I used to read a lot of the entries back then and just remembered it existed today. Cannot believe there are still 5 people in it.

So, any ideas for the rules I should hold myself to?

So I am looking to write an epistolary horror/sci-fi/surreal novel this year for Nanowrimo. In the months leading up to it I want to read some good examples but I am having trouble find many. So far:

Dracula
Frankenstein
The Prestige
The Yellow Wallpaper (not really horror/sci-fi but fits the theme of insanity I'll be writing about)
Flowers for Algernon

And that is all I've got. Any others that I should know about? Even original shite on feedbooks or something would be appreicated.

Plus, general Epistolary novel thread

I like epic fantasy series and usually check new series out when I notice them. But I seem to always be really far behind. By the time I notice a new series there are always like 3 books already out.

tt;dr: Can someone point me in the direction of a good epic fantasy news site?

Bump

Hey /lit/ I am gonna finnish Oracle Night in the next hour and wanted to know hat book should I read next?
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
In Cold Blood by Capote
Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
Invisible Man by Ellison
Alice in Wonderland
Henry James short stories
Paradise Lost by Milton
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde
The Color of Magic by Pratchett
Libra by Don Dellilo
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's' Court by Mark Twain
Iliad or Odyssey by Homer
or finally The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

How does one improve his writing?

Seriously I'm not happy with myself, at all. I wrote, I read it and I liked it. Later I read it again - I still liked it. Continued writing. Had a break. Read it again tonight - utter shit. It's not that I dislike the idea, it's that I dislike my pathetic attempts to present the idea.

I do read a lot, write a lot. But is there any other way to get better?

Have fun bro.