What are some good books to read, films or Shows to watch during the Corona lockdown?

submitted by BillionDollarEgg3 from thefw.com

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[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Hesse is indeed great. I've read several and still have a few on my shelf yet to read. I don't have The Glass Bead Game. Should I find a copy?

Interesting about Cristo. I loved that book, but now that you mention it, it has little to do with the characters. At least the 3 Musketeers has personalities. The Black Tulip was great too, underrated, IMO. I read a lot of classics that were made into swashbuckling movies. Some were better than others. For me it was about immersion and escaping to another time and place. I wonder how much of the media I consumed in my life would have very different appreciations if I were have known all that I now know about Machiavellianism and truth-seeking, not to mention about plot/character writing. (Before I was just a professional animator. Now I'm writing to have better and meaningful content to actually animate eventually.)

Revenge is certainly among the petty emotions, yet somehow I think many can identify that Cristo really earns it. More flat than the book was the 2002 movie adaptation that utterly Hollywoodized the ending and cast a dud as the protagonist. Guy Pierce was good as usual, but it all had so much potential to be great.

[–]Drewski 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

I highly recommend The Glass Bead Game, though it's the only one of his that I've read. Which others would you recommend?

I think Monte Cristo is the only Dumas book I've read all the way through. I started Three Musketeers when I was younger, but put it down. I should give it another shot. Since we're talking about revenge, another scifi book comes to mind that I really enjoyed: Alfred Bester - The Stars My Destination

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

If Dumas wasn't your bag, don't force it. Just because he's exceptionally popular doesn't mean it's for everyone. Shakespeare is too. I honestly don't like reading it, except to learn about historical contexts of things. IMO, folks are clinging to over-played out ideas and olde psyops there (puns intended).

Steppenwolf is among my favourite novels of all time. Abstract and philosophical, it's not for everyone. Also from Hesse that is top notch is Siddhartha, especially recommended for anyone who does not know about Zen Buddhism, which I took in university so I already knew most of it before I read it, but loved it regardless. Narcissus And Goldmund is very good too, though not on their level. I have yet to read Beneath The Wheel and Magister Ludi on my shelf. I'm quite certain there were more, but I must have lent them or something. (I lend books and rarely get them back. And the worst part is that I never lend shitty books - only the good ones worth recommending.)

I"ll put The Glass Bead Game and The Stars My Destination in my folder of books to buy online when the COVID shit eases up, as books are cheaper in the US than Canada. Thanks for the recs.