ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE English Studies => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE English & EAL => Topic started by: Studyinghard on January 19, 2010, 04:37:43 pm
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FFFS! They make english books so boring these days that no wonder no one likes to read them.
"Island" and "Years of Wonder" . 2 books that are sooo boring that it makes me want to cry just thinking about how much more I have to read.
Anyone else got any interesting books their school picked?
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Into Thin Air...ARGH.
A newspaper article extended into a book with a ton of filler (I saw Tony, he lives in America and does this and yadda yadda yadda *for 2-3 pages on average) on the 1996 Everest Disaster written by one of the climbers...I hate it. The first 200 pages is just the author explaining everything in super detail, giving useless facts about people who are only mentioned once and talking about everyone (else's) faults. The last 100 pages were on the disaster, which was interesting, but seemed to try and place blame (on what turns out to be the hero of the disaster...). I haven't read the other novel (my Lit books are better imo).
Why couldn't we do 1984 like most school's, most people would be interested in a story of a near total authoritarian dystopia...
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Into Thin Air...ARGH.
A newspaper article extended into a book with a ton of filler (I saw Tony, he lives in America and does this and yadda yadda yadda *for 2-3 pages on average) on the 1996 Everest Disaster written by one of the climbers...I hate it. The first 200 pages is just the author explaining everything in super detail, giving useless facts about people who are only mentioned once and talking about everyone (else's) faults. The last 100 pages were on the disaster, which was interesting, bad seemed to try and place blame (on what turns out to be the hero of the disaster...). I haven't read the other novel (my Lit books are better imo).
Why couldn't we do 1984 like most school's, most people would be interested in a story of a near total authoritarian dystopia...
Well "Island" is just a bunch of short stories that start of explaining everything in absolute detail that it takes about 20 pages just to understand the setting and then ends so abruptly that you realise there was absolutely no story and no ending but just a random blabbering.
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At least the author of that book didn't get too rich off it (as it ain't a "bestseller"). :P
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1984 is amazing. I have been staring at it on my book shelf for years and I could never get through the first chapter until now since I sort of have to. But yeah, it's great (hopefully analysing it to death won't put me off it's brilliance). The people in my school who are complaining, 'omg why are we reading 1984, we're in 2012 this is totally irrelevant' make me want to rage.
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Don't really mind reading our school books, all of them are pretty easy and quick reads. Not to difficult to analysis either.
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1984 is good but Cosi is just amazing! I pity those who have crap books to read for school. Blame your English department who clearly just want to make your last year of secondary education hell ;)
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Actually Year Of Wonders is an excellent book. Pity you don't like it.... However, it does drag a fair bit
I'm reading Atonement for lit at the moment and am in love with it. Thank god for my school picking substantial books.
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Actually Year Of Wonders is an excellent book. Pity you don't like it.... However, it does drag a fair bit
I'm reading Atonement for lit at the moment and am in love with it. Thank god for my school picking substantial books.
Well to be honest I haven't finished the whole book but as you mentioned it is a drag which made me loose interest but if it gets interesting (which I thought it would going by the blurb) then I might try to read it with more enthusiasm :)
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be greatful ur not reading sharknet.
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Thats the only thing comforting me right now aha. The fact that people could have it much worse helps me read :).
I think boring english books are the main contributor to people dropping out of yr 12!. If they made us read interesting books then analysing texts would be fun and it wouldn't be such a drag
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lol i wouldnt say the main contributor, its always the math/science related subjects.
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be greatful ur not reading sharknet.
I've never burnt a book before, but I'll make it my mission to set Shark Net ablaze at the end of this year.
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The sharknet is so tedious, I'm struggling to get it finished before school begins at this rate.
But I guess it's balanced by Cosi, which is an excellent play. as well as a street car named desire
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wow this "sharknet" seems terrible. Atleast my boring book has short stories so you dont have to be concentrating throughout the whole book but can get the misery in short little packages :P
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it's worth than that Harry potter diary where the letters you read are inscribed on ur hands.
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it's worth than that Harry potter diary where the letters you read are inscribed on ur hands.
lol dont you mean when you write with some specific quill it gets inscribed on your hand ?
<3 HP
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haha, precisely.
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be greatful ur not reading sharknet.
I've never burnt a book before, but I'll make it my mission to set Shark Net ablaze at the end of this year.
LOL
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Dude cant be worse than The Secret River.
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Dude cant be worse than The Secret River.
it can :(
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well i got prob worst from what ppl tell me
secrete river
1984-is a decent book
year of wonders-read bout 30 pages boring.
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well i got prob worst from what ppl tell me
secrete river
1984-is a decent book
year of wonders-read bout 30 pages boring.
years of wonder is just a hack. the little bit on the back is interesting but then its just gay!~
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well i got prob worst from what ppl tell me
secrete river
1984-is a decent book
year of wonders-read bout 30 pages boring.
Secret River isn't bad. So far I like it.
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well i got prob worst from what ppl tell me
secrete river
1984-is a decent book
year of wonders-read bout 30 pages boring.
Secret River isn't bad. So far I like it.
Are you serious? The start is soo boring
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well i got prob worst from what ppl tell me
secrete river
1984-is a decent book
year of wonders-read bout 30 pages boring.
Secret River isn't bad. So far I like it.
Are you serious? The start is soo boring
Try to get into it; feel the trauma and disgust and happiness, any emotion the book evokes. If you do this it will become riveting, I assure you.
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haha I become sad whenever I touch the end of " A Farewell To Arms." I also used to become sad when I read "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank.
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well i got prob worst from what ppl tell me
secrete river
1984-is a decent book
year of wonders-read bout 30 pages boring.
Secret River isn't bad. So far I like it.
Are you serious? The start is soo boring
Try to get into it; feel the trauma and disgust and happiness, any emotion the book evokes. If you do this it will become riveting, I assure you.
Hahah yeah i tried to but it just doesnt work for long, gotta keep taking breaks from it.
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I take back that "years of wonder" is a bad book. The story line just got to me ~. Now reading about it on the internet just makes the book even better.
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I'm doing catcher in the rye, and I know it's a classic but shesh it's just a constant thought ramble.
A farwell to arms isn't too bad, although it took me a while to understand the start.
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Year of Wonders is a great book. So is Crucible =]
Secret River is OK, but thats only when i read the study guide i found it not as bad as what i thought.
Souljette<3
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Im doing 1984. Pretty good but it was like my favourite book in year 9/10 and i read it so many times over those few years i really was over it a year or two ago. But atleast im familiar with it haha.
Other text response is a man for all seasons. Don't know much about it other than the obvious stuff such as king henry, thomas more etc. and its a play so thats an excuse to not read it heeheehehehheh
I'm also doing Island for my context imaginative landscape. Fair boring but its only short stories. and my other thing for context is Robert frosts' poetry. its good coz its only like 20 pages of reading all up if that!
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I enjoyed AMFAS. It's a good idea to read a bit about the history and environment of the times though to understand the material. The preface is a good start, so is the 'Wizard' study guide. Many study guides are terrible but I find this one fantastic.
It may also help to watch the movie first, I found it great as it gives you good overview of the plot before you tackle reading the play itself.
mba.
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thanks mba. ive been doing a bit of reading last year and over these holidays just as a result of my curiosity and love of history. but i'll probs check out that stuyd guide you mentioned when we get up to it in class :)
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Life of Pi. Good book.
Look Both Ways. fml. That is all.
The Crucible and The Rugmaker of Mazar-E-Sharif for Conflict...
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I'm doing catcher in the rye, and I know it's a classic but shesh it's just a constant thought ramble.
A farwell to arms isn't too bad, although it took me a while to understand the start.
I'm also reading Catcher in the Rye this year for context. In my opinion it's one of the finest books I've ever read.
PS - Salinger died today in his cabin by the woods where he lived for most of his life hidden from the world (much like Holden's fantasy of escaping to the woods and becoming a recluse).
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I'm doing catcher in the rye, and I know it's a classic but shesh it's just a constant thought ramble.
A farwell to arms isn't too bad, although it took me a while to understand the start.
Yes, I heard about that. I wonder how old he was?
I understand that many people find the book to be brilliant, just not me. :)
I'm also reading Catcher in the Rye this year for context. In my opinion it's one of the finest books I've ever read.
PS - Salinger died today in his cabin by the woods where he lived for most of his life hidden from the world (much like Holden's fantasy of escaping to the woods and becoming a recluse).
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Salinger was 92 I think. He still managed to get married about 5 times in that time haha.
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Wow! haha
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Dude cant be worse than The Secret River.
+5 billion