Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Shogun by James Clavell already mentioned: Dune by Frank Herbert not high art but ... Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen Before it is all said and done, I suspect some book by Gore Vidal and Gary Jennings will make my short list.
But having been thoroughly indoctrinated with scholarly/theatrical hero worship for twenty some-odd years this book came out at the perfect time in my life. If I re-read it today I may agree with you. I'd also probably not enjoy Encyclopedia Brown as much as I once did. Oh and I listed the wrong title, it should be True and False : Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor. -Hipster
I know what you mean. I agree with some of the content the book, but I have a hard time with someone who isn't an actor defining what an actor "should be". My problem with it is I think actors aren't just cogs moving from A to B. The character creation that an actor brings to rehearsal is vital and needs nurturing. To just say that "character" is the Author's job and that an actor should not focus on it is not beneficial to anyone IMO. I'm no method junkie either - I've seen method training work for some and fail miserably for others. Like most things I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle ground. A little talent, work ethic, and repitition seem to be what works for me. A little training in all of it is what helped me to get there. I hope I didn't offend you with the hipster thing, I was just trying to be funny. Many people who have confused me as a staunch Method supporter have waved that book in my face in the past. I just think it's a blend of everything - and I've been told I'm wrong by BOTH sides. It seems theatre, like everything else, has become so polarized and I often worry about it's future as a medium. [/off soapbox]
There's no such way as the wrong way to act -- I found what worked for me was to study all of the different styles and incorporate what works for me according to the role. My approach changes pretty much with what the role demands. I'm off book after about 10 days no matter the size just so I can explore for the rest of rehearsals. But back to books. I liked Fervent Years: The Group Theatre and the Thirties - Harold Clurman
Do Dr. Seuss' books count? If not, then SwoLy here has NEVER EVER read an entire book in his life. (wtf is SwoLy doing speaking in 3rd person, anyway?)
Not at all And SwoLy Seuss certianly counts. My favorite right now is the Sleep Book, which I didn't remember as a kid and my kid's too young for, but I think is excellent!
Ayn Rand couldn't write, and her philosophy's total BS IMHO. I started reading Atlas Shrugged at age 15, and I finished it two weeks ago. Took me a decade to read that crap.
The problem is that some actors are dogmatic about one style or another of acting. That is where the danger begins. An actor can certainly be dogmatic as far as their own style, and do what works for them. But trying to say some people are right or wrong is crazy. What a lot of method people for get is that Stanislovsky, Checkhov and the early Russian founders instituted that style assuming that actors would all have gone through years of voice and physical training first. It was never meant to replace standard classical training, but to add on to it. Sometimes people feel that method and other styles can replace training in movement, voice, and everything else that makes theatre theatre.
My favorite is Startide Rising by David Brin. The rest of his Uplift books are also really good. Other favorites are Watership Down, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Dune. Favorite comic books/graphic novels: Larry Hama's run on G. I. Joe.
The Sweet Valley High series? Seriously, any Ayn Rand The Poisonwood Bible The Confederacy of Dunces (my sister-in-law plays in a kick ball team in portland with that name)
Ok right now from the top of my head: * Deathstalker series by Simon R. Green * Liege Killer by Christopher Heinz * Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien * Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum Collection of short stories * Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith * Second Variety by Philip K. Dick
My Top Five list as of now (subject to change at any time): 1. Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami (my favorite book of all time - read it at least three times in Japanese, twice in English - I enjoy reading translations to see how they are different from the original language) 2. Catcher in the Rye - Salinger 3. Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky 4. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie 5. Immortality - Milan Kundera (Eternal Lightness of Being was also very good) Other notables: Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" or "Fountainhead" - yeah, her philosophy can be debated, but it made me think about a lot of issues during my early college years Osamu Dazai's "Setting Sun" or "No Longer Human" Junichiro Tanizaki's "Naomi"
