what's everyone reading?
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i’m reading truman capote’s “in cold blood.” bought it years ago, never read it. holy fuck can that guy formulate a perfect sentence. his comma usage is out of control and his storytelling is impeccable. i’m only about halfway through the book and i don’t want it to end.
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oh man I know. That book is incredibly well-written. It unsettles me how the writing can make me feel somewhat connected with the killers. The whole thing is just fantastic.
I’m reading A Confederacy of Dunces, recommended by John, Sammy, and several others at a recent sunday supper. It is quite good… but I’m slightly jarred b/c I see more of myself in Ignatius than I would like. Is he supposed to somehow be the Everyman of the modern era?
Im reading ‘On The Road’ by Jack Kerouac. Can’t say anything about it since I just started it.
Im reading ‘On The Road’ by Jack Kerouac. Can’t say anything about it since I just started it.
Alix said:Im reading ‘On The Road’ by Jack Kerouac. Can’t say anything about it since I just started it.
one of my top three books of all time. let me know what you think. great summer read. guarantee you’re gonna wanna take a road trip.
Dawn, what you mention about the modern era Everyman might be right. Hutch and I were just talking about “extended childhood” or something like that, wherein people are living with their parents later in life, etc. Maybe Toole has predicted correctly. I don’t read many books twice, but A Confederacy of Dunces I definitely have to.
I just finished Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground. I didn’t like it. The narrator made some strong points about being anti-social, which became meaningless to me when said narrator went out and found others’ opinions important. He also mentioned a lot about the positives of loneliness, but then in the same breath talks about a connection with god. The contradictions turned me off, pretty much.
I’m reading Kafka’s 3 story “collection” The Sons (featuring The Stoker, The Metamorphoses, and The Judgment). Apparently Kafka asked his publisher to make sure those 3 were put together some time in the future.
My toilet reading has steadily been the SAS Survival Guide.
Thanks for asking!
I’m just finishing up The Dog of the South by Charles Portis and I would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it. It’s not very long, but I would put it alongside Confederacy of Dunces and Catch-22 as one of the funniest books ever.
NF: Word Origins ..and how we know them by Anatoly Liberman.
F: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories by Susanna clarke.
the scrabbled.
not much, though i’ve been trying to motivate myself to read Fables series. reading has failed me lately – i need to get back on the horse.
maggie said:NF: Word Origins ..and how we know them by Anatoly Liberman.
interesting!
I’m reading the novelization of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s really good.
Once I get my new glasses, yes I am old and cannot see.
I am thinking I will jump straight back into Clive Barker’s ‘Weave world’. I love that book and after just re reading Papillion I am now considering ’On the Road" as I have not looked at that for many a year.
Paris said:Apparently Kafka asked his publisher to make sure those 3 were put together some time in the future.
I’m not sure that this is true because Kafka wasn’t published during his lifetime and he asked his best friend to burn all his writings in his will. His friend then went and published them. Some friend. Though there’s probably some truth to those three stories being grouped.
I’m just finishing The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and really enjoying it. I’m still reading Murakami’s After the Quake and Sarah Vowell’s Take the Cannoli when I don’t have the time or mental capacity to delve into Joyce.
And, of course, lots of non-fiction about programming languages, the web, and, recently, business.
I’m reading a Dave Eggers edited annual of stories that I got from John. Also reading the first volume of Y: The Last Man.
Y: The Last Man is so great! Ryan bought the trades, and I just couldn’t put them down. They’re making it a movie, possibly starring Shia LaBeouf as Yorick… but I hope not b/c I don’t think he could do the character justice.
I am reading the Diary of Anne Frank in Spanish. I found a copy of it last night for less than 3 bucks and it has some great, 1984ish illustrations. In English, I’m reading Tortilla Flat because my dad just mailed it to me and I love love love John Steinbeck.
I just finished reading a terrible book called Travels Through a Thin Country, by Sara Wheeler, a British woman who spent 6 months traveling through Chile in 1992. I don’t think I have ever read anything so negative about someone’s voluntary vacation before. I really do not recommend this book.
In Cold Blood is the most awesome book. For some reason I also greatly enjoyed the Count of Monte Cristo. I think Dumas’ writing created a clear picture in my mind of what was going on. The Godfather was also a great book. I am thinking of reading some Jane Austen beause I hear so many good things about her writing. I need a vacation book and hope that is a good choice.
I just finshed Wally Lamb’s new one and wasn’t that impressed. I loved She’s Come Undone and his other one, but this one was kindof annoying.
A great “beach read” book is “Stiff” by Mary Roach. The subtitle is “The Secret Lives of Cadavers.” nuff said.
I heart Jane Austen. I recommend Pride and Prejudice b/c 1) since it’s the most popular, it’s often referenced in pop culture, so it’s cool to be able to recognize that; and 2) it’s actually really funny. The dialogue b/w Mr and Mrs Bennett in particular makes me laugh.
i’m interested in a post apocalyptic, dystopian version of pride and prejudice.
The last book I read was “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, it was disappointing.
I though The Road was amazing. It made me want to kill myself- in a good way.
K-Mart said:I though The Road was amazing. It made me want to kill myself- in a good way.
I won’t say the book is boring, because it does have some tense moments. I just felt no emotional attachment to the characters, so the ending felt pretty hollow.
Suzanne said:
I just finshed Wally Lamb’s new one and wasn’t that impressed. I loved She’s Come Undone and his other one, but this one was kindof annoying.
there were many times where “the hour i first believed” dragged on. but holy hell can that dude write a character. we’ve already had threads on this last year so i won’t go into details. but “this much i know is true” is absolutely phenomenal and will forever be on my top ten list.
i was disappointed in “the road” too, i didn’t even finish it. I also had no connection to the characters and i wasnt a huge fan of the prose either.
the prose was unbearable in the first chapter or so, but got better. I’m assuming it was a narrative technique; perhaps reflective of the characters’ slow and subtle resignation/acceptance of his new lot in life. I don’t know. I liked it though. It made me cry at the end.
I kind of really want to run out and buy The Road right now. I have a feeling I’d love it.
you can borrow our copy if you want.
Matthew offered the same. I’m totally borrowing a copy from whomever I see first. Thanks, guys!
when you start the book club, you should also build some type of database where all of us can input the books we have, then when someone else is looking for one, they can see who among us has one to borrow… kind of exactly like a library.
THAT’S the sort of great idea that keeps from building the goddam thing in the first place. The more ideas we have, the further away from being done it gets.
pish posh you just hate books and learnin – that’s why you won’t build the site!