Ursula K. Le Guin: “I keep Asking You Not to Buy Books from Amazon”

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by ApK

We must be getting tired or bored in this thread. Only two fish puns? I'm amazed at how quickly that effort...um....floundered.

We were all looking at the blue one next to the fish.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by Phogg

We were all looking at the blue one next to the fish.

Yes, this thread is wearing quite fin. Fish puns are, to quote a wise man (or woman), "Cod's gift to comedy". I'm sure we wiil get some more. I'm waiting with baited breath. No need to carp.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by shalym

Ok--I read the story. I agree that the message is powerful, but to me, the story wasn't compelling. It felt less like a story and more like a message.

I wouldn't re-read it, and it didn't do anything to change my opinion of her writing...sorry.

Shari

What might be interesting to know is who your favorite authors are?

Everyone has different tastes...

[shalym]

Originally Posted by kennyc

What might be interesting to know is who your favorite authors are?

Everyone has different tastes...

Heinlein, Stephen King, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Madeleine L'Engle, Orson Scott Card, Spider Robinson, Asimov, David Weber, and others, but those are off the top of my head that I read and re-read.

Shari

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by shalym

Heinlein, Stephen King, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Madeleine L'Engle, Orson Scott Card, Spider Robinson, Asimov, David Weber, and others, but those are off the top of my head that I read and re-read.

Shari

Thanks, I looked back through the thread and see that you mentioned them. I appreciate your response. Always interesting to compare playlists.

[murg]

Duuun dun duuun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by murg

Duuun dun duuun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun

The Jaws soundtrack is NOT on my playlist.

[Antoinekamel]

That is, read the Bible in KJV and you are good to go. Even to heaven.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Antoinekamel

That is, read the Bible in KJV and you are good to go. Even to heaven.

If I didn't know Antoine was legit, I'd assume that was some strange non-sequitur spam post.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by darryl

Yes, this thread is wearing quite fin. Fish puns are, to quote a wise man (or woman), "Cod's gift to comedy". I'm sure we wiil get some more. I'm waiting with baited breath. No need to carp.

I don't know where it originated but I believe the line of "Cod's gift to comedy" was used by Rowan Atkinson in the black comedy "Keeping Mum".

[darryl]

Originally Posted by patrickt

I don't know where it originated but I believe the line of "Cod's gift to comedy" was used by Rowan Atkinson in the black comedy "Keeping Mum".

I'd be surprised if it originated with Rowan. In fact, I doubt there have been any original fish puns coined in quite some time.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by darryl

I doubt there have been any original fish puns coined in quite some time.

Not since this song at least:

[darryl]

Originally Posted by ApK

Not since this song at least:

I think that's the end of the fish puns in this thread! I doubt anyone is going to top that.

[Lemurion]

More "I want to control others for their own good" crap. No thanks, Ms. LeGuin. I'll pay my money for what I want to read and buy it from whoever I want to buy it from, and most importantly let everyone else do the same.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

hmmm... without becoming offended...and actually listening (reading?) to what she said...it does make a certain sense.

I dare anyone to argue that there is NOT a lot of crap being peddled at these self published sellers - Amazon being a huge one. And, no, I'm not saying there isn't good stuff too...but one apple amidst a crate of candy bars doesn't belie the point she makes.

Yes, any reading is good reading: when you are trying to teach a child to read...and to love reading. But an adult reading the equivalent of "The rat sat on my hat", and thinking that what they read is true literature....well, come on.... and no, she is not talking about whether someone ENJOYS what they read...she specifically made the point that people become accustomed to the low standard and think that is what it should be. I do believe people ENJOY eating junk food...kinda hard not to with all the chemicals and drugs added to it to make you THINK it tastes good...(but that's another subject).

There is definitely something to be said for the days when publishers would filter what they published...what came out of the other end of that process had a much better chance of being a higher quality of work...and worth the money spent on it. Yes, there were rejected books that later became best sellers - and any number of other examples someone could point to...but generally speaking, the process kept the standards much higher than the depths to which they've fallen recently.

Cheers,

But when was there EVER not a lot of crap being sold?