I'm stunned that there aren't more Cornwell posts on this site.  If the Warlord series been published when I was a teenager it would have definitely changed my reading tastes forever

Vonnegut is like a gateway to finding one's literary tastes. SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5 was the first modern literary work that spoke to my 14 years old tastes and preferences, and more than any other book made me the reader that I am today.  That said, I stopped seeking out Vonnegut after JAILBIRD. Same with Thomas Wolfe.

Vonnegut is like a gateway to finding one's literary tastes. SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5 was the first modern literary work that spoke to my 14 years old tastes and preferences, and more than any other book made me the reader that I am today.  That said, I stopped seeking out Vonnegut after JAILBIRD. Same with Thomas Wolfe.

Well said—This describes Vonnegut's impact on my literary tastes to a T.  As I get older, and as I am dealing with a father who was in the military during W.W. and who is now struggling with Alzheimers, the novel's experiments with chronology and the experience of feeling "unstuck" in time have more personal…

Well said—This describes Vonnegut's impact on my literary tastes to a T.  As I get older, and as I am dealing with a father who was in the military during W.W. and who is now struggling with Alzheimers, the novel's experiments with chronology and the experience of feeling "unstuck" in time have more personal…

That said, I got completely hooked into THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND in 5th Grade when I was recovering from Strep throat.  Fortunately Verne was available in abridged additions that eliminated most of the footnote stuff.  Had to suffer through the didactic political screeds throughout H.G. Wells' sci-fi as a lad.

That said, I got completely hooked into THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND in 5th Grade when I was recovering from Strep throat.  Fortunately Verne was available in abridged additions that eliminated most of the footnote stuff.  Had to suffer through the didactic political screeds throughout H.G. Wells' sci-fi as a lad.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5 was my introduction to "serious" contemporary fiction when I was a high school freshman.  With the sex and the "F" bombs, I would have had a hard time thinking of it as YA when I was introduced to it.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5 was my introduction to "serious" contemporary fiction when I was a high school freshman.  With the sex and the "F" bombs, I would have had a hard time thinking of it as YA when I was introduced to it.

I'm glad to see the attention paid here to Cormier, although he isn't really a favorite.  AFTER THE FIRST DEATH has a torture scene that I've never been able to shake, and the turn of events in the story really upset my expectations of how a "hostage rescue" narrative would play out.

I'm glad to see the attention paid here to Cormier, although he isn't really a favorite.  AFTER THE FIRST DEATH has a torture scene that I've never been able to shake, and the turn of events in the story really upset my expectations of how a "hostage rescue" narrative would play out.

My guess is that he scored his points with the book and decided to move on.  The guy has too eclectic a mind to spend 45 year or so championing a particular method of film criticism.

My guess is that he scored his points with the book and decided to move on.  The guy has too eclectic a mind to spend 45 year or so championing a particular method of film criticism.

The value of auteur criticism is how it uses the catalogue of a director's career to parse out themes and motifs that would not be noticeable  when judging the quality of a single film.  In using auteur theory to discuss a particular movie, there is always the temptation to distort the merits of a particular title…

The value of auteur criticism is how it uses the catalogue of a director's career to parse out themes and motifs that would not be noticeable  when judging the quality of a single film.  In using auteur theory to discuss a particular movie, there is always the temptation to distort the merits of a particular title…

The strip actually premiered in the L.A. Reader. where Groening was also writing music reviews and delivering the paper to various West L.A. stores and venues around UCLA.  Yes, I knew him when—-

The strip actually premiered in the L.A. Reader. where Groening was also writing music reviews and delivering the paper to various West L.A. stores and venues around UCLA.  Yes, I knew him when—-

The only real problem that I had with the season was its lack of subtlety and it's going for the big moments in a bit too obvious a way.  I did enjoy how the show brought the characters back to their origins at the end of the season.  It seems to use the medium of television to say that the object that represents what…

The only real problem that I had with the season was its lack of subtlety and it's going for the big moments in a bit too obvious a way.  I did enjoy how the show brought the characters back to their origins at the end of the season.  It seems to use the medium of television to say that the object that represents what…

I took an elective "Great Books" class in 20th Century literature in high school, and all of Pynchon's works up to that time were included.  Clearly, no parents had read GRAVITY'S RAINBOW.