hi irene

irene,

hi! i think i would try and read some nonfiction if i can get my hands on them.
at the moment, though, i'm not so sure if i would have time for some serious
reading. it's hard when you're still studying and in the midst of doing a very
serious project. i believe i've heard about the name Jesse James before. i'm not
quite sure where though.

i liked reading fantasy for the adventure. i know some might fantasy novels
unrealistic and childish, but some of them actually contains a much deeper
meaning than its what its story outrightly states. for example, did you know
that  Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings as actually a form of criticsm for the
materialism that the industrial revolution brought about  during the  time that
he wrote it. it isn't just a mere fairy tale. Tolkien created a world so vivid
in detail that it approaches the point of a scholarly, and not just a simple,
literary study.

some of the books i did manage to read contain very graphic sequences,
especially thrillers like the one i mentioned before. Koko is from Peter Straub
and it is so graphic at times especially because it has something to do with the
Vietnam war and the atrocities related to it, that it i'm sure some people would
not be able to stomach it. it is, however, a very important part of the story so
it would not help to skip it. i see your an animal lover such as myself.
fortunately, i think most authors are as conscious of animal rights in their
books as directors are in their movies. i haven't encountered many books
mentioning atrocities to animals. its a shame you don't like reading anything
about a little child abuse. i was supposed to recommend to you the book
"sleepers" by lorenzo carcattera. it's about his experiences in the months he
stayed in a correctional facility for minors, and how it affected him, and
perhaps, the closest thing i came to reading a nonfiction. (carcattera basically
change the names of the characters but he claims that almost everything else is
accurateor close to accurate.)

thanks for your suggestion. another member recommended an online library of
scifi books and i'm very excited about it. i'll still look for other sites and
maybe i'd get lucky and find some very interesting library. i'll let you guys
know if i come across something interesting.

well, that's all for now. got to dive into some more papers. hope to hear from
you guys again. thanks!

Arvin