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/lit/ - Literature

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1366476 No.1366476 [Reply] [Original]

'sup /lit/?

A (female) friend of mine and I were having a discussion about what we like to read the other day, and she is dubious that fantasy can be anything but silly/crap, but she is willing to give it a shot.

So can one of you kind sirs suggest a book for a semi-sceptical fantasy first-timer? I doesn't matter what sub-genre of fantasy, and it doesn't matter if it's part of a series or not, but it should be well written.

I'll take equivalent sci-fi suggestions too, though fantasy is preferable.

I give you delicious cheese pizza in return; I can also provide tits if desired.

tl;dr - recommend something for a first-time fantasy reader.

>> No.1366488

What does she normally read? I want to say the Gormenghast trilogy, if she's in the mindset that fantasy is all useless tripe. It definitely changed my mind.

>> No.1366492

Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass

>> No.1366500
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1366500

well anon surely you must read fantasy if you're trying to show her otherwise!

give her something you like, i'm sure your tastes won't effect how much she likes you!

>> No.1366501

why do you have to spread your childish indulgences? isn't it enough that the jocks at school no longer give you swirlies?

>> No.1366505

>>1366488

Well she reads various things really, though she is currently reading The Master and Margarita, and I think her favourite book is The Bell Jar.

I don't think she necessarily feels that strongly against fantasy, but she is definitely sceptical.

ty for the suggestion too, I recall a friend recommending that once.

>> No.1366507

The Tempest

>> No.1366509

>>1366500
or she might realize that this fantasy fanboy has no redeeming qualities

>> No.1366513

If she likes romance, get her to read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

>> No.1366539

>>1366492

I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner, one of my favourite books.

>>1366501

I hail from the UK; we have neither jocks nor swirlies. Seriously though, I love tea and toasted muffins.

>> No.1366548

>she is currently reading The Master and Margarita, and I think her favourite book is The Bell Jar

Give her Ficciones and The Handmaid's Tale

>> No.1366554

>>1366505
Oho. Maybe throw some Borges or Calvino her way (which are both dubiously speculative fiction). Also check out Lord Dunsany, and I second the Gormenghast suggestion.

>> No.1366557
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1366557

>>1366505
>I think her favourite book is The Bell Jar.
Guys is this danger zone? I'm quite young, unexperienced & girls have been reading this for a long time. wanna know if it's loser-fuckedup or hipster-fuckedup. (a girl liking it that is)

>> No.1366560

>>1366507
>>1366513

ty for the suggestions

>>1366509

We're friends with benefits anyway, so I doubt it matters whether or not I have any redeeming qualities.

>> No.1366567

A Game of Thrones.

I was skeptical about fantasy, too, until I read that.

>> No.1366575

I don't think that any non-geeky girl is ever going to be a fan of fantasy - even the really good kinds of fantasy, I think, don't tend to appeal very much to women. Very male-oriented in the way they tend to be good.

So I think it depends what kind of person she is. Tell us more about her taste. She sounds like a sort of artistic - poetic - intellegentsia girl (I want to clarify, before I go on, that I mean this only in a descriptive sense) and if that's the case then don't even freaking bother.

>> No.1366580

>>1366557
Whore

>> No.1366592

>>1366554
>>1366548

Many thanks for the ideas; Gormenghast has received two votes so I may go with that, though I will definitely consider everything else too.

>> No.1366590

>>1366575
Maybe not things like A Game of Thrones or that type of fantasy, but a lot of the books in >>1366554 are rather gender neutral.

>> No.1366593

>>1366557
drugstore-feminism fucked-up

>> No.1366594

>>1366557
I've read the Bell Jar and if forced between the two choices, I'm gonna have to say loser-fucked up. Prozac Nation is more hipster-fucked up.

>> No.1366599

Does Neil Gaiman count as fantasy?

Because he's great.

>> No.1366602
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1366602

>>1366560
>We're friends with benefits anyway
THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT KILL ME

>> No.1366607

>>1366599
I'm not sure she'll be much into Gaiman if she likes Bulgakov. but then again, dat voice. You could give her the Sandman comics, if she's against comics, OP.

>> No.1366606

Fantasy usually goes right over my head. Tolkein's writing style was able to draw me in and make sense more than any fantasy I had been exposed to previously. I started with The Hobbit.

>> No.1366605

I really liked Bell Jar, I don't think it was all that fucked up. So she attempted suicide, bfd it was a great book.

>> No.1366603

>>1366590
I don't know. I think you're actually right about Gormenghast, and maybe about Dunsany. But certainly Borges, for all his genius, is a writer who I think appeals more to male than to female readers. And I think the same is true of Calvino.

>> No.1366609

>>1366602
You would like Morrissey, whore.

>> No.1366610

>>1366607
*she's NOT against

herp

>> No.1366612

>>1366594
ok so bell jar should be a warning sign whereas prozac nation should be enticing.

what about girl interrupted?

>> No.1366617
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1366617

>>1366609
no i really hate morissey as a person. but unfortunately the lyrics mean that i have to, compulsory, like it or not, listen to the smiths once a month at least. but i guess he's a good singer & marr is a lovely guitarist.

>> No.1366619

>>1366590
>>1366567

ty

>>1366575

She is very 'slightly-shy-girl-next-door' in her outward appearance and demeanor and so on, but she actually has fairly geeky taste and appreciates quite dark humour, which is why I we get along well; she's not masculine, but she's not particularly feminine either once you get to know her.

>> No.1366623

>>1366603
Really? I'm female and those are two of my favorite authors. I've introduced a few of their stories to some female friends of mine as well, and they loved them. Eh, who knows.

>> No.1366632

>>1366623
Well, I guess I'm just a shithead, then. More power to you.

>> No.1366651

>>1366632
>>1366623
>>1366603
>>1366607

Appreciating the discussion/suggestions, ty

>>1366610

>herp O_o