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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   30702 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of September 22, 2025

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This was my experience of reading the Twilight series a while back, at the recommendation of IRL friends. Also the time my godmother gave me a copy of Eat, Pray, Love.

I like Sanderson better than either of those. I like him about as much as Edgar Rice Burroughs, and more than Dickens, who's bloat I can't stand, and don't read by choice. I like him more than Terry Brooks, who is also a prolific mid-tier novelist, but went downhill faster, IMO. I haven't tried reading GRR Martin, and don't intend to, even if he manages to finish Game of Thrones, which seems unlikely at this point. The premise of 100 Years War, but with dragons and some vague magical happenings seems unappealing, even if the writing is better.

First of all, I don’t think people read particularly widely any more.

Prior to reading Sanderson, I read most of the St John's Reading List, as did the friend who recommended Mistborn. Brandon Sanderson is good like Joss Whedon, not like Tolstoy. If I'm having a good time, then I'm happy that there are 100 hours of Buffyverse shows to watch, and five Rosier novels to read, because they're fun. I guess I'm also glad there are 60 hours of War and Peace available, but not in the same way. I feel like I'm taking a course and learning a lot about the world and what people are like and building out my model of life and humanity reading War and Peace. If I'm reading The Way of Kings of watching Buffy, I know I'm not really learning much of anything, but it does get me a bit out of my own head and problems, which can be good.

I guess you are probably not Mrs. Psmith, then.

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