Max Contreras

Random books from my shelf

Public Notes

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  Harry B says

  Hi Max!
  How are you? Still working by day and teaching at night?
  Philosophy, such an interesting subject! Any favourite Philosophers? Books?
  We have moved back to the Netherlands again. Time to settle down and all that.
  I am loving the Hyperion cantos mate! I am listening to the audio books and I can recommend them. In the middle of the fourth one at the moment.
  Hoping Anya makes it and Raul doesn't get the poisoned gas treatment in the end ;])
  
  Enjoy your life and your reading!
  
  Harry

  Posted 3 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Francisco L says

  Jajaja tengo que ponerme a eso si, esta lluvia...

  Posted 3 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Harry B says

  Hi Max,
  
  How are you?
  And I have to say your the first person of the dominican republic I've met as well!
  Technically I am not a new zealander though. I am from the Netherlands and have been living in NZ for about 2 years now.
  Escaping the crowds in Holland for a more relaxed lifestyle down under.
  I really enjoyed white oleander and can recommend it to you!
  It's not SF or fantasy though but It is a very interesting story about a young girls life going from institution to institution.
  And I've just finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. This is a real SF classic which I really enjoyed. It paints a future society where independent thought is very much controlled and humans are almost manufactured in stead of born.
  Maybe another good one for you to check out!
  
  Best wishes,
  
  Harry

  Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Harry B says

  Hi Max,
  
  How is your weekend going?
  Here in NZ it's another hot day! The summer seems to have really begun this weekend.
  And I am reading a pretty good book at the moment.
  White Oleander by Janet Finch. A story about a girl growing up going from foster home to foster home.
  Quite tragic but also very interesting. Books can bring to life worlds so very far removed from our own.
  
  I'd have to agree with you on Lord of the rings. It's my favourite as well. Tolkien is the master story teller and you can read them again and again and still learn something new. Closely followed by Dune by Frank Herbert and Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. If they fall in the fantasy genre I am not really sure. Dune is more SF I think and Wind in the willows childrens I gues.
  
  I have not read any of the other series you mentioned apart from the Eye of the world which I really enjoyed.
  I've read the 2,3 and 4th of that series but found that they did not really grip me any more.
  I'll certainly have a look at those books you've mentioned.
  I have read Pullmans stuff though and enjoyed them quite a bit. I do think that they lose some of the force of the plot near the end though but well worth reading.
  
  Have you read Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy or Johnathan Stroud's Bartimeus trillogy? Fantasy for kids and YA I'd say but I really enjoyed them.
  
  I am not sure wether I agree with you on fantasy being harder than SF to write....I think it allways boils down to wether it's a good storyline and that is equally hard in any genre. And even though it may seem that in SF you can just invent technology and immagine new wordls it does need to be realistic because the readers will see through a badly thought out world very easily. But than I am a SF fan as well and I have been busy writing a SF story this year as well. ;]) Not easy!
  
  Well nice to hear from you and greetings from Down Under!
  
  Harry

  Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Harry B says

  Hi Max,
  Thanks for the invite and I do like to talk about books so we can certainly do that!
  You've read quite a bit I see and are into fantasy books I notice.
  I am quite fond of fantasy too. What are your favorite fantasy books?
  Take it easy and enjoy your reading too!!
  Harry

  Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )