what book(s) are you reading right now?

[drahcirual]

i read. but it's mostly music rags and whatnot; rarely pick up novels. but now and again, i pick one up if i have the time to fully concentrate on it. currently i'm thumbing over this free book 'peace corps: the great adventure.' various essays, once in a while 1 really good standout spectacular one. i know, it's propaganda; but still, i really dig travel and life abroad type recounts.
how about you?

[kh6kine]

I mostly read business books. How suck-y. The last one I read was "Competitive Intelligence," about how companies have to establish info and intel on their enimies in order to succeed. A real good book for job hunters is Knock 'Em Dead, by Martin Yate. I am continuously looking for jobs.

When I have time, I like cop stories. Joseph Wambaugh (The Choir Boys, THe Onion Field, etc, etc) or "black humor," like Joseph Heller (Good as Gold).

I also like John Grisham (The Firm), Tom Clancy (THe Hunt for Red Ocotober).

[lovelikefrogs]

I'm reading a book called "Guns, Germs, and Steel-Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond. Its about the evolution of societies and deals with the ultimate causes of how and why the Euro-asian societies "conquered" most of the World and not the other way around. It takes a very non-racist approach as to how environmental and regional factors led to the development of how the Romans became advanced and how the Aborigines remained Hunter-Gatherers. Sometimes it goes into too much detail about specifics but overall Its a really informing book and breaks down many myths of racial superiority over another.

[joetron2030]

I just finished reading "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson. That was a long-assed book, but I plowed right through it.

Now, I'm working on some David Sedaris books ("Me Talk Pretty One Day" and "Santaland Diaries").

[falcor]

i just finished reading the beach for the second time and now i'm working on queer by william s. burroughs. i'm still trying to plow through zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance by robert s. prisig but it's taking me ages. i also bought house of leaves but have not even attempted it yet - more for summer reading. i also plan to get started on my maison ikkoku collection. my brother had one and now he's too far away to jack them from.

[hellomay]

I'm reading tons of stuff for my classes this semester. Some of the best stuff is Irish Hunger, an anthology of essays about the legacy of the Irish Famine, edited by Tom Hayden; Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt; A Brief History of Japanese Civilization by Conrad Schirokauer (if you're interested in Jap. history, this is a good intro); Cambridge Illustrated History of China which has great pictures and text that can be casually read.

For my J.Civ class, I read an excerpt of Love Suicides at Sonezaki and if I had time, I would read all of it, along with Tale of Genji and Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book.

[hellomay]

I'm reading tons of stuff for my classes this semester. Some of the best stuff is Irish Hunger, an anthology of essays about the legacy of the Irish Famine, edited by Tom Hayden; Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt; A Brief History of Japanese Civilization by Conrad Schirokauer (if you're interested in Jap. history, this is a good intro); Cambridge Illustrated History of China which has great pictures and text that can be casually read.

For my J.Civ class, I read an excerpt of Love Suicides at Sonezaki and if I had time, I would read all of it, along with Tale of Genji and Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book.

[kh6kine]

i have "business at the speed of thought" by bill gates on the shelf. Gotta read that one soon.

[l-train8]

Originally posted by kh6kine
i have "business at the speed of thought" by bill gates on the shelf.

Dude that book is unreadable. It's a great cure for insomnia. Here's an excerpt:<i>"Blah blah blah...Microsoft software is great...blah blah blah...Have your company health benefits on a corporate intranet...blah blah blah."</i> Nothing insightful in there. Yeah he's the richest man in the world, but that doesn't mean he says interesting things in his book. Mainly it's a big long ad for Microsoft. And a boring one, too.

[l-train8]

Originally posted by lovelikefrogs
I'm reading a book called "Guns, Germs, and Steel-Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond. Its about the evolution of societies and deals with the ultimate causes of how and why the Euro-asian societies "conquered" most of the World and not the other way around.

I took a History of Western Civilization class in college, and the instructor spent about half of one class talking about why we should be studying this subject, instead of History of African Civilazation or History of South American Civilization. He didn't really say much except for
"because that's the civilization that 'conquered' the world." Jared Diamond's book is a very interesting take on why that is. You're right that it drags in places, but it is still very interesting. And it gives some concrete arguments to use in discussion with racist idiots who claim that whites are obviously superior because they conquered the world.


Another good book about unintentional racism in science is "The Mismeasure of Man" by Stephen J. Gould. It looks at the history of IQ testing, and how it has erroneously been used to argue that whites are superior. This idea was brought up just a few years ago in the book "The Bell Curve", and is frequently trotted out by racists or anti-immigrationist or bigots of all kinds, so it's nice to have the flaws in the argument pointed out. Aside from the obvious cultural bias that is often present on IQ tests, Gould argues that a person's mental worth cannot be evaluated by a single number.

[martin]

I'm reading Absolute Beginners by Colin Macinnes. It's about youth culture in England during the 60s (or so). Old teds versus new mods, etc. Because there's so much slang, it's kind of slow reading--harder than Chaucer or Milton for me. It's cool, though. You probably heard of the song with the same name by The Jam or the movie adaptation by Julien Temple...

[Mikio4]

Flow my tears the policeman said- Philip Dick
Book of changes - Interviews by Kristine McKenna (mainly artists, musicians and filmmakers)
Please don't call me human - Wang Shuo

I try to finish one thing before starting another (or read a mag or comic or something if I don't wanna read my current book) but sometimes It doesn't work that way.

Martin, I noted you listed Wang Shuo as someone you read in a thread a while back and was wondering if ya read this one. Did ya like it if ya did? Just curious. Also have ya seen the movie I the Heat of the Sun? I guess it's based on a book by Wang. It's gonna screen here in a coupla weeks but I may not get a chance to look at it.

[soundslikequiet]

i just finished reading Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" and i'm about to start "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris.

[joetron2030]

Originally posted by soundslikequiet
i just finished reading Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" and i'm about to start "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris.

Hey!

I just started "Me Talk Pretty One Day" last night! It's pretty funny so far.

[Mikio4]

Originally posted by shawgirl74
this quarter it's all about Japanese modern lit. we have to read 6 books and i've already read one of them--A Wild Sheep Chase by Murakami Haruki. it was a good read--so good it took me less than 2 hours to read. i am about to start All She Was Worth by Miyabe Miyuki which is a mystery. my professor is really into it so i am hoping it is good as well.

I gave All She was Worth as a gift to my bro or my Pops the other year and I keep forgetting to borrow it to read it myself. Post on it when yer done. As for the Murakami, he's the man. I especially like Dance, Dance, Dance and the Wind Up Bird Chronicles, although I haven't read anything of his that I haven't liked.

Originally posted by lovelikefrogs
I'm reading a book called "Guns, Germs, and Steel-Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond. [EDITED].

I thought that book was really interesting but like most thesis oriented books it got really repetitive in the end since all those books are structured -- state your thesis, prove your thesis, restate your thesis.

I am reading "Citizens" by Simon Schama about the history of the French Revolution. Simon Schama is a great historian -- he has a lot of feeling for cultural history and the history of classes but is still able to recognize important individual contributions. Plus the French Revolution is such an awesome time period anyway.

I haven't been reading books since college. I swore off that sh*t. Its The Man's tool to keep the Asian brother busy reading while they control society. :)

Actually I do a lot of reading but mostly technical stuff for work. There are those occasional times where I want to learn something new so I visit the library and borrow a ton of books to browse through. I don't read everything but I learn a lot when I'm finished researching.

I forgot the name of this one book but it was all about this little town in California. It was inhabited by all Asians except for one woman who served as the town's prostitute. It was a little weird at first but more interesting as I kept reading.

[scuba keef]

i've been using one of those self help books to help me get to sleep at night, True Professionalism by David Maister, giving you the courage to care about your clients and career, my boss gives every desk a copy.

i just bought a book yesterday called "thousand pieces of gold." not sure if it's good. the summary caught my attention. if anyone's read it...is it good? either way i'm still gonna read it because i spent money on it.

[TypeFiend]

Well I am just wrapping up "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. Its an unusual read that slowly sucked me in with its queer pace and intriguing plot. I highly recommend it.

Next on my list is "All the Names" by Jose Saramago, and after that is "Go West Young Fucked-Up Chick"....been buying and borrowing books like a fiend.

Remember, take a look, its in a book....Reading Rainbow~

Originally posted by TypeFiend
...after that is "Go West Young Fucked-Up Chick"....been buying and borrowing books like a fiend.



That's funny...i saw this book at crown and it was on sale. hmmm i wonder what caught my attention? the title perhaps? so you highly recommend this book?

[TypeFiend]

Originally posted by daaznbomb
Originally posted by TypeFiend
...after that is "Go West Young Fucked-Up Chick"....been buying and borrowing books like a fiend.



That's funny...i saw this book at crown and it was on sale. hmmm i wonder what caught my attention? the title perhaps? so you highly recommend this book?

I don't know whether its good enough to recommend or not yet....have yet to read it. I stole it from my sister's collection, so I'm guessing it will be a good read since I trust her taste. I think the title and the fact the story takes place in LA caught my eye. The book I highly recommended was "The Wind-up Bird Chronicles"...

[kh6kine]

Originally posted by kikaida01
I haven't been reading books since college. I swore off that sh*t. Its The Man's tool to keep the Asian brother busy reading while they control society. :)

Actually I do a lot of reading but mostly technical stuff for work. There are those occasional times where I want to learn something new so I visit the library and borrow a ton of books to browse through. I don't read everything but I learn a lot when I'm finished researching.

I forgot the name of this one book but it was all about this little town in California. It was inhabited by all Asians except for one woman who served as the town's prostitute. It was a little weird at first but more interesting as I kept reading.



Yo, Kik - You could be right about The Man keepin' the asians down. Kinda like that line in the movie - oh. What was that Viet Nam movie - Full Metal Jacket? They said that about weed and the Bros....

whatcha reading in the way of technical shee-it? I am curious.

And Dude - try to remember the title of that book, it sounds inteeresting......

[soundslikequiet]

jskang, how far are you into the book?

i started this afternoon, and i've already read 4 of the stories. damn he's funny.

[soundslikequiet]

i just realized i made it to Robot status!

i'm a geek now!

[martin]

Mikio,

Please Don't Call Me Human is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. It's like a combination of Confederacy of Dunces and the Ultimate Fighting Challenge directed by John Waters. I cringed, cracked up, and more. I felt uncomfortable but couldn't stop turning the pages. Finished it in one plane flight. I can't recommend it enough.

Haven't seen any Wang Shuo flicks yet, though. I would definitely be interested.

[joetron2030]

Originally posted by soundslikequiet
jskang, how far are you into the book?

i started this afternoon, and i've already read 4 of the stories. damn he's funny.

I just finished it last night! He's totally super funny.

I loved all of his stories about living in Paris and learning French.

I just ordered 3 or 4 Murakami books from Amazon.com and "Snow Crash" because of their free shipping deal going on right now.

[martin]

I blew through all of the Sedaris books in two or three weeks... So good. I bought my sister-in-law all of his stuff on book-on-tape, and I want to borrow next time I drive to Mammoth or SF. I've heard most of Me Talk Funny on NPR and totally want to hear the rest.

The story in Naked about the stained towels was genius.

[Mikio4]

Originally posted by martin
Mikio,

Please Don't Call Me Human is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. It's like a combination of Confederacy of Dunces and the Ultimate Fighting Challenge directed by John Waters. I cringed, cracked up, and more. I felt uncomfortable but couldn't stop turning the pages. Finished it in one plane flight. I can't recommend it enough.

Haven't seen any Wang Shuo flicks yet, though. I would definitely be interested.



Yeah I gotta get on that. I bought it for myself while X-Mas shopping for others (strange how that works) but only read a chapter or two before I got sidetracked by some other books. If I get out to see the flick basewd on his book I'll let ya know what I think.

[Mikio4]

Originally posted by shawgirl74 i have just finished All She Was Worth and it was great. it's a mystery with a lot of twists and turns so i'm not going to give you any details, but definitely read it!!! she has written others books, but All She Was Worth is the first one to be translated into english-- i hope they translate some of her other works (at least until i learn how to read japanese). [/B]

Cool. Guess I'll add it to my list that only seems to get bigger never smaler.

[guymandude]

Just finished "Something Like an Autobiography" by Akira Kurosawa. Reading Dark Horse release of "Akira" and just started "Spartacus".

[jwa]

I just read Lloyd Steven Sieden's "Buckminster Fuller's Universe: His Life and Work". It is the best book about Buckminster Fuller.

[soundslikequiet]

has anyone read some of banana yoshimoto's stuff? i'd like some suggestions.

[5.92]

I never read books but when I do for some reason its Douglas Coupland. I'm reading his latest book, Miss Wyoming.
I'm mostly a magazine ho though.

[martin]

I've read NP and Kitchen by Banana. They pass the time pretty well, but I'd be lying if I said I had any revelations.

I'm still in the middle of Absolute Beginners, but I also remembered that I'm 100 pages into David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Talk about barely cracking open a book.

[yofattim]

has anyone heard about the new Haruki Murakami book - Sputnik Sweetheart? i noticed it wasn't translated by his usual Alfred Birmbaum or Jay Rubin. i was slightly disappointed after reading South Of The Border, but i really got into Underground : The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, but then again it was non-fiction.
i am a admitted Murakami addict now in a seven step program.

[l-train8]

I'm 100 pages into David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Talk about barely cracking open a book.

That book is pretty good, at least, the first 800 pages that I read. And I'm only halfway through it. Man, it's like a telephone book. I really dug the stuff about AA. It seemed like a real honest look at the process recovering addicts go through, and it was really interesting. But that book is long, and when it changes gears, it's like suddenly reading a different book. I stopped reading it after one of those changes a few months back, and I haven't picked it back up yet. I still want to finish it though.

I thought it was kind of confusing at the begining, because it jumps around between a lot of different characters and stories, and because some of the sci-fi stuff isn't explained until later. But if you get into it, it's got some really memorable parts.

[l-train8]

I agree with Martin. I read Kitchen, and thought it was okay. But I didn't run out and get more stuff by her. I think she is famous because she has an unusual name.

[Todd Inoue]

Lizard is my favorite Banana Yoshimoto book. Its a bunch of short stories that deal with mortality. Real lyrical and whimsical.

t.

[Mikio4]

Yeah, I read Kitchen too. I think I liked it better than others who've posted on it here, but it wasn't unforgettable or anything. I think she's talented and recently I've been thinking of picking something else up by her.

[Mikio4]

Originally posted by yofattim
has anyone heard about the new Haruki Murakami book - Sputnik Sweetheart? i noticed it wasn't translated by his usual Alfred Birmbaum or Jay Rubin. i was slightly disappointed after reading South Of The Border, but i really got into Underground : The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, but then again it was non-fiction.
i am a admitted Murakami addict now in a seven step program.


Wow! I didn't even know there was a new book out. Looks like I'm going to the bookstore today. I have to agree that I was a bit disappointed with South of The Border too. And while I thought that Underground was interesting, and I understand why he explored the topic the way he did, I wish that he was able to penetrate a little more to the core of some of the people, particularly the Aum members he talked to.

Originally posted by jskang

I just finished it last night! He's totally super funny.

[/B]

Have you ever heard David Sedaris read? He's great, in person and when he's on "This American Life".
If you haven't already, you should check out SantaLand Diaries. It's in his first book Barrel Fever. He also reads it on TAL and you can hear it online.

[joetron2030]

Originally posted by dara
Have you ever heard David Sedaris read? He's great, in person and when he's on "This American Life".
If you haven't already, you should check out SantaLand Diaries. It's in his first book Barrel Fever. He also reads it on TAL and you can hear it online. [/B]

Yeah, I've heard him on NPR a couple of times...

I've read "SantaLand Diaries" in a collection of his essays for the holiday seasons called "Holidays on Ice" (I think). I got that and "Me Talk..." for X-mas from my fiancee. Strangely enough, I gave her "Me Talk..." for X-mas as well. So, briefly, we have two copies. Total "gift of the magi" style.

I've also read "Naked" but I haven't picked up "Barrel Fever" yet. I should get that one too.

I'm awaiting my shipment from Amazon.com of 4 Haruki Murakami books.

So, in the meantime, I'm reading the recently reissued Akira on Dark Horse Comics. Anyone know if they've released book two yet?

Also, I'm jonesing for the next GR (and Robot Power when that becomes available)!

[l-train8]

I'm reading a book called A Confederacy of Dunces. It's about a geek in the early 60's in New Orleans. I always wondered what geeks did before the invention of RPG's and computers. They studied medieval history, and like present day geeks, lived in their mother's basements. It's very funny.

Also, I am reading Lawrence Lessig's Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, which outs me as the same type of geek I was talking about above. It's an interesting and kinda scary book. It's all about how commerce will try to change the architecture of the internet to make it more "regulable." This will be done to protect credit card companies and record industry intellectual property, but it will have other far reaching effects. Up till now, the net has been pretty wide open. You hear things like "the internet sees censorship as damage and routes around it" and "information wants to be free." That's true for now, but forces are at work that could change that.

[martin]

This isn't really a book, but I think it's great. I'm talking about the new issue of Harper's.

Not only is there an amazing piece about the evolution of the American language and the that dictionaries play in it by David Foster Wallace (complete with long-ass footnotes, different stock paper, fake dictionary tabs, and a full page of American English fuck-ups), but there's also a great story on a John Wayne wannabe in Phoenix, an excellent analysis of modern book publishing, and some fiction by Joyce Carol Oates. Some of the other highlights are a deconstruction of a state adoption Web site, a downed airplane's black box recording transcript, and the Index.

That should tide you over until GR22 hits the stands later this month.

[joetron2030]

Wow, that sounds pretty cool Martin. I might have to pick that up today...

Thanks for the heads-up.

[joetron2030]

One other thing, I read "David Boring" by Daniel Clowes and "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" by Chris Ware yesterday and they put me in kind of a funk (especially the Jimmy Corrigan book).

But, they were such beautiful books and were great to read. highly recommended!

[Jinxy]

Originally posted by l-train8
I'm reading a book called A Confederacy of Dunces.

Man, I loved that book. Y'know the author's mother found that manuscript after he committed suicide and took it to a publisher, and then it was awarded a Pulitzer! Talk about posthumous fame.

[Umbilicus]

"Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" makes me want to disappear completely. It's just so damn depressing.

I'm reading "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream" by Hunter S. Thompson again. Also working my way through "Broom of the System" by David Foster Wallace.

Has anyone here actually read all of "Infinite Jest" by DFW?

[i]I want to read David Egger's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius next. It sounds absolutely hilarious. [/B]

Just read it. It can be funny at times, but also excrutiatingly painful at times. And not just because of the tragedy he suffers (both his parents die w/in months of each other, leaving him to care for his 8-yr old bro when he's like 22 years old). Think about the most obnoxious person (probably male) in an English class in college and how he would love to go off with his opinions. Dave Eggers is like that 10 times over. "Self-indulgent" is the best word I can use to describe this. I got tired of his immature rantings, although like I said, I laughed out loud at times. He does some interesting "literary" stuff though, so I can't totally dis it.

I'm reading the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and it's excellent. I'm all into learning more about Africa now! Also read God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Difficult to get into and slow at times, but she is an amazing writer and the story is tragic.

Originally posted by Umbilicus
Has anyone here actually read all of "Infinite Jest" by DFW?

Oof ... I bogged down in that thing. I guess its a generation gap thing since i'm in my late 20s but i just thought the narrative was going nowhere and the ton of footnotes was clever at first but then just struck me as sort of tedious.

[Umbilicus]

I thought the same thing about it. It's ok for a while but just goes on for far too long. It was easier and much more enjoyable to read "Gravity's Rainbow" and "Mason & Dixon" by Pynchon than to read IJ by DFW. The opening line is OK though.

[martin]

In Infinite Jest, I've just reached the triple-digit mark. So far, I like it a lot. But I'm a fan of footnotes--as evidenced by early issues of GR)...

[Cinnamon]

I've recently gotten into reading as many of the martial arts classics as I can find - translated.
-Blades from the Willows
-The Deer and the Cauldron I, II
And am currently reading Journey to the West translated by W.J.F. Jenner - splendid Monkey King!
Next I'll tackle Fox Volant of Snowy Mountain and Outlaws of the Marsh.

Anyone have any other suggestions? And where to purchase them?

sorry can't help ya with that one i have never heard of them. but thanks for reminding me, i have this book that i have read close to thirteen times, and it has been packed away and i really want to read it again. it is by susan staples i think, and it is called ella enchanted. a really surprising book, i really love it. i even went to meet her and get it signed. also, hmm i need to get to g.p. and pick up this months issue of my manga series. i have got to get the first few pocket additions besides that cause i have number 8 of bishoujo senshi sailor moon, and then i have the usuall monthly issue, but i really want to read the story from the beginning cause it is quite diff from the anime, and mamoru is kind of perfect unlike in the anime, they sort of messed up his character a bit maybe rouga will order it for me... anyway, i like sci-fi, adventure, fantasy. i am not into too many non fiction books. my friend reads a lot of biographies. how strange cause he is the rough and tumble motorcrossing type. i used to read a ton of L.J. smith books, but right at the end of her nightworld series (which she never finished) i think she just sort of dissapeard, cause they had advertised the next book, and then it never came out, it has been over three years. but my mom got rid of those books. she dosn't like vampire stuff. it's ok, i got a great mom. she is cool. she is cooking me some awsome steak right now too.*huggles mom*

i just read a book called "the possessive investment in whiteness: how white people profit from identity politics". its a social anthropology book but its easy reading. its got some good shit in it you can throw out in your next angry-self-riteous-vitriolic-against-the-devil-whiteman type discussion. also "Pimp: my life story" by Iceberg Slim has taught me alot about understanding and dealing with women. much more than that venus mars book, anyway.

in case anyone is interested. "possessive investment in whiteness" was written by george lipsitz.

[Stretch]

TOKYO SUCKERPUNCH a Billy Chaka adventure, which was funny as Hell and a pharmacology review series, not funny as Hell.

Originally posted by l-train8
I'm reading a book called A Confederacy of Dunces. It's about a geek in the early 60's in New Orleans. I always wondered what geeks did before the invention of RPG's and computers. They studied medieval history, and like present day geeks, lived in their mother's basements. It's very funny.


Confederacy of Dunces was great.

Right now, I'm reading Don Delillo's Underworld.

[TypeFiend]

Originally posted by Stretch
TOKYO SUCKERPUNCH a Billy Chaka adventure, which was funny as Hell and a pharmacology review series, not funny as Hell.

Oh nelly...TOKYO SUCKERPUNCH is a hilarious novel indeed. Its like James Bond meets Austin Powers meets Beat Takeshi, with some crazy characters thrown in for good measure....had me amused the whole read. To be honest, I bought the novel because of the cover....being happily suprised that it was as entertaining inside as cool looking on the outside.
Recommended!

[martin]

I just ordered the Deer and the Cauldron books. Totally expensive hardcover volumes, but someone just recommended them to me and I understand they are the basis for the Royal Tramp movies with Stephen Chow (!).

So I guess Infinite Jest will go back on hold...

Back to Natsume Soseki. I haven't read the one mentioned a few entries above. I have read I am a Cat trilogy, but you know that if you have GR2. Great, and I am not even a cat person.

[Cinnamon]

I read the first Deer and the Cauldron and am saving the second as the other hasn't been translated yet. I wasn't aware that Chiau's films were based on these books. I'll have to watch again. I can see how just based on the title "Royal Tramp' there could be a similarity. Martin, you might want to check out Blads from the Willows. Although it's much more fantasy/Lord of the Rings like than Deer and the Cauldron. Also, my students verified for me that Dragonball Z is based on Journey to the West!

[hippyjonny]

I have the attention span of a field mouse thus the pile of half read books at the crib:

about a boy, nick hornby- so far so good.

a confederacy of dunces, john k. toole- story behind the book is crazy.

septuagenarian stew, c. bukowski- in my quest to read every shread of written work this brillant motherfucker put down.
i have a ways to go.

celestine prophecy, james redfield- when will I learn to stop trusting the best seller list. blahhhhh

midnight in the garden of good and evil, whats his name- alright considering most is massaged truth.

tropic of capricorn, henry miller- i really liked tropic of cancer, so this should be hold my attention.

a biography of hunter s. thompson, e. jean carroll- i only read this on the shitter, so depending on my output; could be a long read

recent books i've finished

you can't be neutral on a moving train, howard zinn- brillant, brillant, brillant i cant recommend this book enough.

trainspotting, irving welsh- great book, but it is written in scottish. git tae fuck, ya plukey-faced cunt.











[Edited by hippyjonny on 04-23-2001 at 09:53 PM]

[martin]

But is anybody reading GR21 yet? It's getting out there.

[hellomay]

Originally posted by martin
But is anybody reading GR21 yet? It's getting out there.

Yes, and it's fabulous! It's almost uncanny how GR always covers the stuff that I really want to read about at the moment, like in #21, it's Rainer Maria, Wong Kar-Wai, Tony Leung. I've read the whole thing already and I can't wait for the next issue...

[TypeFiend]

Currently in the reading rotation here:

New issue of McSweeny's (Issue 6 with They Might Be Giants CD to accompany the text)

Expressing the Human Body by Bruce Lee

Guide to Macromedia Dreamweaver

New issues of Bust, Tokion, BIG, and Giant Robot of course.

[Cinnamon]

Martin:

I received my copy last week and am saving the article on LMF until last - finally some info on these guys! Reading it inbetween my chapters of Monkey King! Splendid Monkey King!

[martin]

I bought a Monkey King toy at Wonder Con this weekend. I guess there's been a cartoon in Taiwan. Anyone know anything about this? I haven't seen it. The toy is cool, though.

[nancyK]

i recently started reading "The FigEater"
from the first page, a girl is already murdered.. it's a lady author but she gets pretty explicit with the gruesome details.
so far so good.. it's one of those books that are hard to put down once u get into it..
but i might have to put the book aside for now until finals are over

[nikel]

just started the amazing adventures of kavalier and klay by michael chabon. about two cousins getting into the comic books business circa WWII.

just finished thunder from the east: portrait of a rising asia by nicholas kristof and sheryl wudunn. a series of articles about social and economic trends there in the '90s, with bits of history mixed in. not as dull as the title sounds.

[nancyK]

Originally posted by nikel
just started the amazing adventures of kavalier and klay by michael chabon. about two cousins getting into the comic books business circa WWII.


i was gonna get that instead of the figeater.. how is it so faR?

[nikel]

Originally posted by nancyK
Originally posted by nikel
just started the amazing adventures of kavalier and klay by michael chabon. about two cousins getting into the comic books business circa WWII.


i was gonna get that instead of the figeater.. how is it so faR?

only read the first two chapters. the character set-ups are intriguing, esp. joseph kavalier's, who is not an american yet. my sister gave me this copy 'cause she stopped reading it after 100 pages - "too boring".

other fiction i read before this was indian killer and the toughest indian in the world, both by sherman alexie. uh gee, can you guess his ethnicity? i loved the latter, it reminded me of a cross between raymond carver's and louise erdrich's short stories.

[Margin Walker]

Originally posted by nikel
Originally posted by nancyK
Originally posted by nikel
just started the amazing adventures of kavalier and klay by michael chabon. about two cousins getting into the comic books business circa WWII.


i was gonna get that instead of the figeater.. how is it so faR?

only read the first two chapters. the character set-ups are intriguing, esp. joseph kavalier's, who is not an american yet. my sister gave me this copy 'cause she stopped reading it after 100 pages - "too boring".

Yeah, from what I've heard from others, people either absolutly love it or dismiss it as plodding and boring.

Right now, I'm about 1/4 way through "Pagan Babies" by Elmore Leonard. If you don't know who Elmore Leonard is, go directly to jail, do not go past GO, do not collect $200. He's the guy that wrote the books that flicks like "Out of Sight", "Get Shorty", "Jackie Brown", etc., etc. were based on. So yeah, it's good.

[falcor]

incidents in the life of a slave girl by linda brent. it was a text book but i never read it.

next on my list (to acquuire):
goodbye tsugumi by banana yoshimoto
tooth imprints on a corndog by mark leyner

[trigonometry_vs_velvet]

every one poops and the gas we pass: story of farts. you can get both of them at borders under the childrens section.

[frogbelly]

Christiane F. An Autobiography of a Girl of the Streets and Heroin Addict

[jardine]

Originally posted by nikel
just started the amazing adventures of kavalier and klay by michael chabon. about two cousins getting into the comic books business circa WWII.

McSweeney's number 7 has a Kavalier and Klay "lost chapter" by Chabon. The cover for it is by Chris Ware.

I just started Twenty Years After, by Dumas--the sequel to the 3 Musketeers. I may have to put it down though, and re-read the Book of Three series by Lloyd Alexander...am going to the library today and who knows what will happen...

[Kenishiro]

Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
I like it. I love her.

[archonemis]

I still have A Brave New World. I still haven't read it. I'm going to hell.

[stryfe]

finished anthony bourdaine's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060934913/qid=1020446423/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_83_1/002-5651349-5365602">Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly</a>

and re-reading
lemony snicket's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0064408647/qid=1020446503/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/002-5651349-5365602">The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6)</a>

[nikel]

Originally posted by stryfe
finished anthony bourdaine's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060934913/qid=1020446423/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_83_1/002-5651349-5365602">Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly</a>


what insane lives - really liked this one. please don't become a movie with scene-chewing actors...

[stryfe]

Originally posted by nikel
what insane lives - really liked this one. please don't become a movie with scene-chewing actors...
same here. i don't know anything about the restaurant business, but i was entertained by his style of writing.

[Edited by stryfe on 05-03-2002 at 11:16 AM]

[falcor]

Originally posted by archonemis
I still have A Brave New World. I still haven't read it. I'm going to hell.
yes you are, sally.

[archonemis]

:*(

[falcor]

read it. fear it.

[earnhardt2]

Originally posted by Choice G
[i]I want to read David Egger's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius next. It sounds absolutely hilarious.

Just read it. It can be funny at times, but also excrutiatingly painful at times. And not just because of the tragedy he suffers (both his parents die w/in months of each other, leaving him to care for his 8-yr old bro when he's like 22 years old). Think about the most obnoxious person (probably male) in an English class in college and how he would love to go off with his opinions. Dave Eggers is like that 10 times over. "Self-indulgent" is the best word I can use to describe this. I got tired of his immature rantings, although like I said, I laughed out loud at times. He does some interesting "literary" stuff though, so I can't totally dis it.

I'm reading the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and it's excellent. I'm all into learning more about Africa now! Also read God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Difficult to get into and slow at times, but she is an amazing writer and the story is tragic. [/B]

I can't recommend this book enough. Especially if you're going to Cal. It is all the more hilarious b/c it's all true. I'm truly jealous of Dave Eggers. I wish I had a younger brother like Toph. I want to try and tackle Infite Jest by David Foster Wallace next, but I'm scared.

[archonemis]

Originally posted by falcor
read it. fear it.

I shall. I think I might hiatus myself from the boards long enough to read a bood gook.

I just started a collection of short prose by Georges Bataille. I've been rereading his Story of the Eye every year.

I also intend to reread Kafka's The Castle. There's a fairly new translation of it, and I want to compare. Plus Kafka is genius.

[archonemis]

Does it have pictures?

[gorillaglue]

"doppelganger" by some person called Higgs
next up is "rock fever" and i'm s l o w l y getting thru hagakure and bushido
my "to read" list is becoming absurdly long.
if only i could read while i slept all my problems would be solved....

[sonnycheeba23]

vonnegutt : Time QUake

[EK-4000]

Bukowski and Carver --

I read those two when I was an undergrad.

That's all that needs to be said.

[j tea cozy]

I just finished up the The Red Tent by Anita Diamant and picked up Nuala O'Faolin's My Dream of You.

[sonnycheeba23]

Bukowski is my idol.

[shammy718]

a book on kenneth patchen!

[anti-toi]

i don't care how five-years-ago he is... D.F. Wallace is
B-rilliant. pretty much anything he has writen (with the exception of a few of his usless-detail plauged short stories) has been mind numbingly entertaing.

also david sedaris is kind of funny sometimes (me talk pretty one day) but he tries a little too hard it seems like.

[paean]

i'm reading confessions of an ugly stepsister for my bookclub... (i didn't pick it!)

it's pretty girly.

i've also been reading fixer chao... this one's pretty cool... it's about this filipino dude that gets hired to act like a chinese feng shui master, screw up people's chi and charge them $$$ for it. han ong's commentary on race- and class- relations.

[emilie]

The Plague - Albert Camus
No Exit - Jean Paul Sartre
The Hour - Michael Cunningham

[Margin Walker]

Originally posted by paean
i've also been reading fixer chao... this one's pretty cool... it's about this filipino dude that gets hired to act like a chinese feng shui master, screw up people's chi and charge them $$$ for it.


This has just replaced "Lieutenant Governor" as my dream job of choice.

[shammy718]

i like clemente..more portraits-wise than writing though...

and i like reading some of my friends' stuff

play some video games to even things out!

[Margin Walker]

Originally posted by OG Simpson
i just read a book called "the possessive investment in whiteness: how white people profit from identity politics". its a social anthropology book but its easy reading. its got some good shit in it you can throw out in your next angry-self-riteous-vitriolic-against-the-devil-whiteman type discussion. also "Pimp: my life story" by Iceberg Slim has taught me alot about understanding and dealing with women. much more than that venus mars book, anyway.

I was just talking about Iceberg Slim over in the "Freeway II" thread. Anybody know where I can find a copy of "Pimp"? I've been looking for awhile for a used copy with no luck. Are any of his books still in print?

I just finished "Pagan Babies" by Elmore Leonard and am slowly getting through "Soul On Ice" by Eldridge Cleaver.

[captain beeheart]

"Them - Adventures With Extremists" by Jon Ronson. This is a wonderful, wonderful book - Ronson tries to uncover the human reality of the people that liberal western concensus has cast as bogeymen, by hanging out with Islamic Fundamentalists, Klansmen (he is Jewish, though doesn't actually let them know this), Northern Irish Loyalists, people who believe the world is run by 12 foot tall paedophile lizards etc etc...

My line up for this week:

Strong Motion
Jonathan Franzen

Don Delillo
White Noise

[amboy]

i did a lot of bookshopping this weekend. anyways, right now im working on:

issue 5 of mcsweeneys
the fall by albert camus (re-read)
rayuela by julio cortazar
invisible cities by italo calvino
sleepwalk by adrian tomine

recently finished

the cheese monkeys by chip kidd
in the cut by susanna moore

Chip Kidd? Bah.

[amboy]

Originally posted by paean

i'm reading confessions of an ugly stepsister for my bookclub... (i didn't pick it!)

it's pretty girly.

i've also been reading fixer chao... this one's pretty cool... it's about this filipino dude that gets hired to act like a chinese feng shui master, screw up people's chi and charge them $$$ for it. han ong's commentary on race- and class- relations.


hey paean, fixer chao is a great book, ive read it too. lot of great commentaries on race and class in there, and just life in the big city as well. one of my favorite parts is where he talks about how he prefers previews to actual movies, as previews are all high points. it has one of the best openings to a book ive read in a long time, too.

[Kenishiro]

I'm reading "About A Boy". Yes, i know..the movie is out. I like Nick Hornby. High Fidelty was a great book and a good movie. This book is so far following suit with High Fidelty. I haven't seen the movie yet.

[emilie]

last 4:

The Plague - Albert Camus
No Exit - Jean-Paul Sartre
Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett
Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

now:

The Hours - Michael Cunningham

[angryallthetime]

hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy---douglas adams

Interesting link.

Bataille, I read because he is still quite potent. And indeed his readership may be more male centric than female, but to classify literature one way or the other is like saying Michael Ondaatje novels are for women that crave far off exotic places.

I for one, buy NOTHING with that hideous Oprah Selected sticker, clearly aimed at female readership. Being male, I opt for a cover without such obvious feminizing advertisement, going at lengths to even purchase first or overseas editions.



[Edited by Metempsychosis on 05-28-2002 at 10:44 AM]

[bokhan]

yellow and hour of gold, hour of lead.

Originally posted by janet
I for one, buy NOTHING with that hideous Oprah Selected sticker, clearly aimed at female readership. Being male, I opt for a cover without such obvious feminizing advertisement, going at lengths to even purchase first or overseas editions.
[Edited by Metempsychosis on 05-28-2002 at 10:44 AM]

Being female, I opt to feminize everything possible. The next time I'm in a chain bookstore I'm going to plaster "Oprah Selected" over all the Hemingway, Bataille, Bukowski, and Norman Mailer books I can find.

Frankly, anybody reading Ondaatje deserves whatever they get.

[/B]

Pity those who shop at large chains, they know not the delight and benefit of the small independent book shop owners and used book dealers. Instead they get crappy University part time students "recommending" books.

[archonemis]

I picked out Micheal Chrichton all on my own. I'm proud that I can find mediocrity anywhere.

[archonemis]

That, by the way, means that I'm not well read enough to keep up with the conversation.

. . .

Just so you know.

=(

[atomicscissors]

Reservation Road by John Burnham Schwartz

I'm getting real lazy with my reading. It's taken me about 3 weeks to get to page 50-something.

[captain beeheart]

Originally posted by Margin Walker

I was just talking about Iceberg Slim over in the "Freeway II" thread. Anybody know where I can find a copy of "Pimp"? I've been looking for awhile for a used copy with no luck. Are any of his books still in print?


It was re-released in the UK on Payback press a couple of years back along with a load of african american, carribean and african titles (including the awesome autobiography of Charlie Mingus)... try amazon.co.uk if amazon.com doesn't show anything.

[anti-toi]

Pynchon's Mason & Dixon...

it is thick, and i am scared.

Originally posted by anti-toi


Pynchon's Mason & Dixon...

it is thick, and i am scared.

Try his Gravity's Rainbow first.

[kitty purower]

I just finished reading Catcher in the Rye (my fav!) and I'm starting Snow Falling on Cedars. I saw the movie a long time ago and I forgot what happens so I decided to read the book.

I also want to find a good Ayn Rand book on Objectivism, any suggestions?

[kid_robotron]

Another Day in Paradise - Ed Little.

Originally posted by kitty purower
I also want to find a good Ayn Rand book on Objectivism, any suggestions?

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
Kierkegaard's Either/Or
Heidegger's Being & Time
Schopenhauer's Will to Power
Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathusa
Sartre's Being and Nothingness
Camus's The Rebel

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 05-28-2002 at 06:25 PM]

[anti-toi]

Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Originally posted by anti-toi


Pynchon's Mason & Dixon...

it is thick, and i am scared.

Try his Gravity's Rainbow first.

i've heard that most all of his work is somewhat fantastic, but wasn't sure where to start. thanks for the suggestion. any other must reads?

Originally posted by anti-toi
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Originally posted by anti-toi


Pynchon's Mason & Dixon...

it is thick, and i am scared.

Try his Gravity's Rainbow first.

i've heard that most all of his work is somewhat fantastic, but wasn't sure where to start. thanks for the suggestion. any other must reads?

By the same author?
The Crying of Lot 49. Slimmer, but just as confounding.

If you haven't already, and I gather from your wanting to read Pynchon you are interested in the surreal satirical all encompassing something, try these: Ulysess by James Joyce, Lolita by Nabakov, White Noise by Don Delillo, The Trial and The Castle by Franz Kafka, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, and JR by William Gaddis.


But what do I know. Afterall, this is a list for little boys to read while being tucked into bed.

Of the list above, I have not read two. I'll let you guess which ones...

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 05-28-2002 at 08:55 PM]

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
try these: Ulysess by James Joyce, Lolita by Nabakov, White Noise by Don Delillo, The Trial and The Castle by Franz Kafka, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, and JR William Gaddis.


But what do I know. Afterall, this is a list for little boys to read while being tucked into bed.

Of the list above, I have not read two. I'll let you guess which ones...

Ooh! Ooh! I guess Ulysses and JR. But I hope I'm wrong and it's really White Noise and Infinite Jest. [/B]

Sorry. It's actually Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, and Doestevsky's Brothers Karamazov.

[kitty purower]

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by kitty purower
I also want to find a good Ayn Rand book on Objectivism, any suggestions?

There is no such thing. Ayn Rand is a clinical sociopath whose contribution to this world consists of two excellent jokes for which she is the punchline.

The first is in Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's Illuminatus Trilogy, where a character based on Ayn Rand discusses Heraclitus's fragments for the duration of an eight hour flight (there are only about 130 fragments, get it? well, in the book it was funny) and writes a book called "Telemachus Sneezed".



Ayn Rand's theories on Objectivism serve as a basis for Capitalism. I don't find separation of goverment and economy, reason, individualism, and freedom as ideas of a clinical sociopath. One shouldn't dismiss a philosopher based on criticisms of others' without investigating the basis of the argument. Her anti-altruistic views can be seen as selfish and inhumane, but her philosophy is based on independency and achievement. I agree that her views lack compassion, but shouldn't be thrown aside because of the criticism of other people.

I believe open-mindedness to be a good thing. Philosophers who read Kant don't regard Anselm of Canterbury to be a nut case. I think what you are saying is pretty harsh, and if you are against objectivism and capitalism I can see why. Otherwise, to be a critic it's best not to judge a book by its cover (literally).

[captain beeheart]

Rat Pack confidential by Shawn Levy:

"It was sauce and vinegar and eau de cologne and sour mash whiskey and gin and smoke and perfume and silk and neon and skinny lapels and tail fins and rockets to the sky.

"It was swinging and sighing and being a sharpie, it was cutting a figure and digging a scene.

"It was the ultimate spasm of traditional showbiz - both the last and the most of its kind

"It was the Rat Pack. It was beautiful."

[archonemis]

I guniunly wish I had something to contribute to this thread, but all the phallic displays are more than I can handle. My knowledge is far inferior to these behemoths. I can't even spell that word. *runs away*

[anti-toi]

janet, you ruined my game. *in a whiney vioce* I was going to say james joyce and gaddis. damn.
well i guess i won't be able to show what a well versed, literary connioseur i am- schucks, maybe next time though...

[stryfe]

you guys saw good will hunting too?

[l-train8]

Boring internet arguments:

Is Ayn Rand any good? - why are there so many Ayn Rand fans on the 'net? You don't run into them in the real world.

Gun Control - Also boring topic on talk radio.

Best Star Trek Captain - There are way too many geeks with free time. And besides, it's so obvious that Picard is the best.

Warez: Good or Bad - Just point me to the downloads, buddy.

GameCube vs Playstation 2 vs Xbox - Again, way too many geeks with free time.

Solipsism: Hero or Menace - History will judge.

[mangamonster]

Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan...again

[WankSpirit]

PC for the intellectualy chalenged.

[kitty purower]

Originally posted by Den
Originally posted by kitty purower

Ayn Rand's theories on Objectivism serve as a basis for Capitalism.

LOL. "The basis of capitalism...?" Reread this miss kitty. Can you see how ridiculous this statement is? Please, the Catholic Church did more for capitalism than Ayn Rand ever did.

I think you misunderstood me, I am trying to point out that objectivism gave Capitalism a Philosophic basis and a thorough defense. In no way am I saying that Capitalism was introduced after her theories, that is ridiculous. I don't clearly understand how the catholic church did more for capitalism? And no, I am not an Ayn Rand fanatic.

[archonemis]

I'm a huge fan of macronecropyrobeastiality.

Originally posted by archonemis
I'm a huge fan of macronecropyrobeastiality.

You like giant dead flaming beasts fucking?
Get thee to a shrink.

[archonemis]

Actually, I always thought the phrase 'flaming dead elephants' kind of rolls off the tongue.

On the Ayn Rand issue, I don't particularly care for her Objectivism as a "philosophy." Yeah, yeah, yeah..I know, I am taking the academic high ground, but the ideas that Rand devotees champion are easy to dismiss in light of what's been said, and said better by others.

In a similar parallel, I know people in some outmoded psychology circles still swearing by Thomas Szasz, but haven't touched or read nor ever will read one ounce of Michel Foucault, happily ignorant of certain sources of their cherished knowledge. Instead, it's Szasz this, Szasz that.

Rand is that for me. A dumbed down version of many things that are harder and less clear to the general populace. I can't blame the dumb fuckin masses for being turned off by giant German sentences that last two pages long or are written just to confound (Hegel for instance did just that; he made it clear in one of his journals that the great men of philosophy [KANT in his case] wrote in byzantine language, therefore, so shall he). Nor can I blame them for disliking French pop-intellectualism or snooty South American literary theorists or cynical Baudrillardians (although the popularity of the Matrix may prove the latter wrong).

I know one Rand Objectivist oriented friend, and when we talk, I ask him what else he has read. Scant little it appears.

What I will read Rand for if anything is the characterization. I've heard some good things about it from that perspective.

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 05-29-2002 at 04:12 PM]

[archonemis]

I got a few door stops like that.

[ladybug]

hotel honolulu by paul theroux

perfect read while holding a dripping fruit bar on a cali spring day

[cosmicgrrl]

mortgages for dummies

i hate my job.

[archonemis]

PRO-RAPE - Blake R. Mewmew III Esquire P.H.D.

[Karim Rashid]

I Want to Change the World

[Brodie Baby]

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (so... damn... hard... to... read...)

and

Bomb the Suburbs! by William Upski Wimsatt (seething smart book on Hip Hop, urbania, and how to change the world... I recommend it to anyone who thinks of themselves as a hip-hop head)

My brain is getting its daily doses of capitalism and socialism at the same time. Boo yah.

[Edited by Brodie Baby on 05-29-2002 at 05:44 PM]

[Karim Rashid]

Philippe Stark for Dummies

[falcor]

the hotel new hampshire by john irving.
zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance is temporarily on hold. again.

[nikel]

Originally posted by falcor
the hotel new hampshire by john irving.
zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance is temporarily on hold. again.
why is zen... on hold? i've never read it, just seen the title around and wonder what people who've actually read some content think.

[falcor]

it takes me a while to digest it. this is the second time i've tried to read it and i read really fast. this is a book you really need to take your time with. ask bobby. he's the one who gave it to me.

[ironmonkey]

"ive got love on my mind" by natalie cole

[Dojo Casino]

I just finished reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker...and am deep into "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain (It's a bit of a quick read, but cracking good).

[gorillaglue]

manhattan hunt club by john saul

Originally posted by janet
I think I'm ready for another Murakami novel. I somehow think I can get summer to start earlier by ritually reading his stuff. I've read Sputnik Sweetheart, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Underground. Which one should I read next?
Definitely I recommend Norwegian Wood. A nice 'slice of life', coming-of-age story about a young japanese college student's personal experiences. It's very enjoyable and a simple, quick read. Also, it was Murakami's first book.

[Dojo Casino]

I love Murakami. If you haven't read "The Elephant Vanishes", it's great. It's a collection of short stories. Also "Wild Sheep Chase" and it's sequel "Dance Dance Dance" are very good. "Norweign Wood" is amazing too. I've yet to read "Sputnik Sweetheart" or "Underground". How are they?

i just finished "underground." it was a very interesting read, but i also like murakami haruki's writings
to begin with. the book tells you a lot about the contemporary japanese culture, in subtle ways.
another book i'm reading that's really, really good is "embers" by sandor marai.
just picked it up kinda by accident. the level of writing is on par with the best of 'em, and reminds me
a little bit of milan kundera.

[amboy]

Originally posted by janet
Thanks for the Murakami recommendations, everybody. Looks like <i>N. Wood</i> is next.

<i>Sputnik Sweetheart</i> and <i>Underground</i> were both very good, though different. <i>Underground</i> reminded me of both Susan Faludi's <i>Backlash</i> and Studs Terkel's <i>Working</i>. It uses individual stories to slowly piece together a mosaic narrative that gives a picture not only of the Sarin attacks, but of the Japanese national character. The second part of the book, with Murakami's analysis, is the most interest portion. This was the first of his work I'd read, and it really set me up well to enjoy his novels. I don't think I'd have appreciated the subtlety and depth of his characterizations if I hadn't seen his insights expressed more explicitly in <i>Underground</i>.

<i>Sputnik Sweetheart</i> is similar in tone to <i>Bird Chron</i>: an introspective man, mysterious connections, beautiful women that aren't tied to the earth, and love finding its way through the cracks like a weed.

south of the border west of the sun is also very good. theres a certain murakami character that appears through all of his novels that ive read, and probably has a lot to do with the author himself. you describe him pretty well, except i think the more negative side of being removed and idealistic in such a strongly group oriented society comes up in south of the border: the protaganist's more selfish sides come out and the effect it has on the women he forgoes for the more 'beautiful women who arent tied to the earth' is more clearly illustrated.

interestingly enough, norwegian wood is a good precursor to south of the border. nw is a beautiful book, and my favorite by murakami. however, its his least typical. also, i dont think its his first book, but it is the first book that made him famous.

[Dojo Casino]

That's very true..."South of the Border..." does make a nice companion-piece to "Norweign Wood". And while they are not quite in the typical Murakami Universe (like Wind-Up Bird, or Wild Sheep Chase, etc) they do somehow reside parallel to it. I think I'll definitely pick up "Underground" and "Sputnik Sweetheart", probably this weekend. Actually, "Hard-Boiled Wonderland..." is an amazing book also. The End of the World Chapters were obscenely beautiful and tragic. Though, like most authors, he seems to work the same themes over and over again it's interesting to read the progression and re-evaluation of his ideas throughout the novels (and stories).

[amboy]

i finished the fall today, good book, though i think the translation makes everything kind of clumsy. i read a more recent translation of the stranger a couple years ago that attempted to make the tone of the writing more conversational and colloquial, and it turned out well. anyway, i thought the fall was good, and pretty relevant to today's world. i didnt understand the book the first time i read it when i was 17 or 18 at all, but ten years later its a lot clearer and a lot more relevant to my life. its interesting that people get the stranger right away at 16 or 17, but dont really get his other work until their older, even though the themes are similar.

Originally posted by amboy
i finished the fall today, good book, though i think the translation makes everything kind of clumsy. i read a more recent translation of the stranger a couple years ago that attempted to make the tone of the writing more conversational and colloquial, and it turned out well. anyway, i thought the fall was good, and pretty relevant to today's world. i didnt understand the book the first time i read it when i was 17 or 18 at all, but ten years later its a lot clearer and a lot more relevant to my life. its interesting that people get the stranger right away at 16 or 17, but dont really get his other work until their older, even though the themes are similar.

Camus and all those French intellectuals of the Existentialist fold were then very much into American cinemas. One of the things they liked a lot of the Americans was how simple the exchanges and dialogue were. The Stranger was supposedly written in such "bland descriptive" ways. It was their experimentation, and Camus was the better of that group because at heart, he wasn't a Parisian snob. (Ever read Sartre? Aside from his tome, Being and Nothingness, all his plays and fictions are terrible reads...)

By the way, the drowning woman is thought now to be representative of Camus's second wife, and the Parisian lawyer is thought to be Camus. Camus was a well known womaniser (at one point, having affairs with at least 4 mistresses at the same time), and he cheated on her many times. She eventually suffered a mental breakdown over it, and The Fall was Camus's sort of confessional.

I don't think a lot of people "got" The Stranger at 16 or 17. The single question that is the most important one in The Stranger is: Did Mersault change? Most 16 or 17 year olds wouldn't be able to answer that...

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 06-04-2002 at 06:07 AM]

[amboy]

well, not 'get', but it strikes them a lot more, and people at least 'feel' closer to it. whereas, at least for me, when i first read the fall, i didnt get it at all.

[amboy]

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by amboy
well, not 'get', but it strikes them a lot more, and people at least 'feel' closer to it. whereas, at least for me, when i first read the fall, i didnt get it at all.


But is a change in Mersault the critical thing about <i>The Stranger</i>? The loathsome Roger Shattuck had something to say about it, to the effect that student readings of Camus generally reflect identification with Mersault: "a grave misreading leading to moral myopia." I think the question of change in a character makes more sense if we are talking about <i>Brothers Karamazov</i>.

yeah exactly. sort of like with holden caufield and catcher in the rye. of course, albert camus defended his character with much love, saying that mersault had a right to his happiness. but what is there to identify with someone who forgets what day his mother died? but i think the sort of worship of mersault, holden caufield, etc. by young people has a lot to do with misunderstanding and can have dangerous effects, ie the guy who assassinated john lennon.

thats what i realized when i was re reading the fall, that the character is enticing because of his wit, and maybe you begin to 'identify' with him, but the story is a condemnation of the evil of inertia and indifference of modern man, and through your identification your implicated in that condemnation. anyways, not something i would have gotten at 15.

Originally posted by janet
But is a change in Mersault the critical thing about <i>The Stranger</i>? The loathsome Roger Shattuck had something to say about it, to the effect that student readings of Camus generally reflect identification with Mersault: "a grave misreading leading to moral myopia." I think the question of change in a character makes more sense if we are talking about <i>Brothers Karamazov</i>. [/B]

I believe it is critical.

In The Stranger, the change in Mersault is so minute and subtle that rarely anyone realizes it, including the people that "identify" with the Mersault character or initially read Mersault's character as the guilt-free human minus all sense of morals, responsibilities, detached from the situations he is presented with.

A deeper reading reveals a lot more than that. Mersault starts off an automoton at his Mother's funeral, stays an automoton through the killing and trial, but in the end, something does change in him. He becomes quite human. In fact Camus taunts the reader by having Mersault say, "people never change their lives." When and how he expresses this change is for you to find.

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 06-04-2002 at 12:37 PM]

[shammy718]

i'm reading walter benjamin right now

Originally posted by shammy718
i'm reading walter benjamin right now

Hmm...

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by Metempsychosis

In a similar parallel, I know people in some outmoded psychology circles still swearing by Thomas Szasz, but haven't touched or read nor ever will read one ounce of Michel Foucault, happily ignorant of certain sources of their cherished knowledge. Instead, it's Szasz this, Szasz that.
[Edited by Metempsychosis on 05-29-2002 at 04:12 PM]

I have never even heard this guy's name. I have that bad habit that grad students (which I am not) seem to get of reading indices, so I find it odd that the name doesn't ring even the shadow of a bell. Foucault I know about as well as I probably ever will, but Szasz?

Can you give me thumbnail sketch? This is kind of exciting. Hey, any opinion on Maurice Blanchot while we're at it?

Szasz's website: http://www.szasz.com/
Thomas Szasz's claim to fame is his 1961 book: The Myth of Mental Illness. He's a bit of a nut and a guru.

Szasz was popular amongst the handful of psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as lawyers and judges, rebelling against the onslaught of American Psychiatry, and its moral crusade to treat all things mental during the 60s and 70s. In some ways, this group did raise a good deal of public awareness in cases where violation of human rights by psychiatric organizations & institutions were unchecked. Nurse Rachet anyone? The topic of forced treatment is still a very controversial issue, as hospitals are still given the right to waive patients' rights if they feel the patient or the family are incapable of making clear judgements in the "proper" treatment procedures.

Szasz's controversial views align with and are derivative of Foucault's classic study: Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. In a nut shell, mental illness is seen as a social problem. The medical instutions that are "scientific" in their approach are nothing more than extentions of the prison guard who finds ways to deal with the mentally ill (notice how closely a mental ward & a prison ward are—down to the drugs they use); they are less interested in curing the patient as in silencing him from the rest of society (ask any psychiatric doctor today how he is curing schizophrenia, and they will tell you in your face that they are not curing the disease but the symptoms).

It's all part of Foucault's eventual take on power dynamics, which has been duly dismissed by many critics.




Maurice Blanchot, I don't have the will to discuss right now...post-modernism is too draining...

Forgot to mention Lang's influence on Szsaz as well...but hell, it's just an intro...

[mikeyinnyc]

At sea in the city: New York from the water's edge. good nature stuff

IBM and the holocaust. Never knew the inherent evils of programming.

Pipe Dreams. About crack

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by Choice G
I want to read David Egger's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius next. It sounds absolutely hilarious.

Dave Eggers is like that 10 times over. "Self-indulgent" is the best word I can use to describe this.


A friend referred to it as "A Mouthbreaking Work of Staggering Deez Nuts" for that very reason.

Is there a reading group happening here already? If so what are we reading and if not why not? [/B]

I haven't read it yet. I heard good things and bad things. I withold my judgement until I do read it. I do collect his McSweeney's for the way they are presented.

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Forgot to mention Lang's influence on Szsaz as well...but hell, it's just an intro...

This thread is getting hot. Do you mean R.D. Laing? His work I know reasonably well. How odd that I didn't across Szasz through any of it.

As for Mersault, I'm not saying there is no change, but I do think other readings of the book are important, and to designate a single perspective as the most important strikes me as oddly limiting. Hopefully the work is rich enough to sustain examination from several angles.

And I started a new book (actually I'm reading it again): John Lilly's Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer. I must say, he's a very bright man. Wacky, but very bright.


Oops, left out the "i" in Laing...
I've seen a couple of his videotaped lectures. I find it interesting how he used some physical connectors, like swaying his leg with or mimicking the "patient," a way to delve, understand, and show compassion.

Lilly's book I haven't read. I might have a battered copy lying around in the house with many things I know will be unread when I pass from the face of this earth...
I have read other people who study the sphere of the mind and thought. It's fascinating how there are so many theories out there...Dennett to Chomsky to Minsky to Searle to Hofstadler...ad nauseum... But isn't Lilly supposed to have jumped started the whole New Age genre (for a lack of a better word)?

I have just added Kobo Abe's The Ruined Map to my "summer" reading list...

[-minus_one]

"cheescake!" the rotenberg collection
- the beautiful girls next door - 50 years of pin-up fever, 767 pages of naked women (ok, so not alot of reading, but think of the historical significance)

"traditional woodblock prints of japan" by seiichiro takahashi. part of the heibonsha survey of japanese art series. really nice.

[captain beeheart]

Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Forgot to mention Lang's influence on Szsaz as well...but hell, it's just an intro...

Lang was a terrible sad alcoholic fuckup by the end, but he gave a lot to the development of alternative London.

[captain beeheart]

Robert Lomas - The Man Who Invented The Twentieth Century: Nikolai Tesla, Forgotten Genius Of Electricity

[angrykitty]

"cryptonomicon" by neal stephenson.

this is a fun read.

Originally posted by captain beeheart
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Forgot to mention Lang's influence on Szsaz as well...but hell, it's just an intro...

Lang was a terrible sad alcoholic fuckup by the end, but he gave a lot to the development of alternative London.

Everyone had their darkside. Especially the thinkers. And remember, he was working and attempting to comprhend the "mentally insane."

[captain beeheart]

Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Originally posted by captain beeheart
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Forgot to mention Lang's influence on Szsaz as well...but hell, it's just an intro...

Lang was a terrible sad alcoholic fuckup by the end, but he gave a lot to the development of alternative London.

Everyone had their darkside. Especially the thinkers. And remember, he was working and attempting to comprhend the "mentally insane."

As opposed to which other type of insane?

Yes, a lot of people have their darkside, but for someone whose modus operandus was therapy, he certainly got steadily more and more fucked up. A lot of his patients did too.

Originally posted by captain beeheart
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Originally posted by captain beeheart
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Forgot to mention Lang's influence on Szsaz as well...but hell, it's just an intro...

Lang was a terrible sad alcoholic fuckup by the end, but he gave a lot to the development of alternative London.

Everyone had their darkside. Especially the thinkers. And remember, he was working and attempting to comprhend the "mentally insane."

As opposed to which other type of insane?

Yes, a lot of people have their darkside, but for someone whose modus operandus was therapy, he certainly got steadily more and more fucked up. A lot of his patients did too.

Type of insane? Splitting hairs are we? It's an expression, but we can play this semantic cat & mouse game all day long, perhaps till your pearly white teeth have rotten away from that skull of yours, and that thing you call your brain is but a mass for a case of advanced Alzheimer's. How about as opposed to the uh...criminally insane? Or are all insane people criminals as well, and vice versa?

By the way, you also forgot to mention that Laing took LSD with his patients regularly, was barred from medical profession due to heavy drinking, had multiple lovers, and died from a heart attack penniless and without merit. Sounds like a lot like other famous people. Poe, van Gogh, Foucault, Lautrec, Sartre, Rimbaud...and the list of hippies continue ad nauseum. What makes psychiatry something different from say writing to the masses?

But what interests me, really, is the comment about Laing's patients also being just as "fucked up," towards the end of his career. Were the patients at the beginning of Laing's career not as insane? Did they get better? Worse? Do you have any references, online or otherwise, that may substantiate or support this assertion that Laing's earlier patients were better off than the ones he had at the end ? Since when did a mentally ill person become sane? Or is that merely a formality of the society? Does one get steadily more and more less fucked up? What type of "fucked up" are we talking about here? I mean, I get "fucked up" every Friday & Saturday personally. I call it a vodka martini....several to be exact. Am I insane?

But if you are talking about the uh...mentally ill (because there are many "types" of illnesses)...prove me one case of full blown schizophrenia where neuroleptics have been successful without turnng the patient into a vegetable or some form of zombie. You'd be hardpressed to find a doctor that says the pharmacological industry has any chance of a cure for schizophrenia. Nor will you ever find a doctor who says they are treating schizophrenia as a whole, opting insted for vague side stepping expressions like: we treat the symptoms of the disease only.

But...I waste my time with a proud nationalist, where every turn is the word London or Britain, or perhaps the fucking Queen's jubilee, that relic of a bygone era of Imperialism marketed as a "happy family" for an unthinking population obssessed with tabloids. I mean, did Laing not advance the development of alternative New York? Los Angeles perhaps? Boulder fucking Colorado? Only London my dear chap? Bah.

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 06-11-2002 at 05:19 AM]

Originally posted by janet
What type of "fucked up" are we talking about here? I mean, I get "fucked up" every Friday & Saturday personally. I call it a vodka martini....several to be exact. Am I insane?
[Edited by Metempsychosis on 06-11-2002 at 05:19 AM]

If you drink vodka martinis, yes, you are clearly insane. Nobody tries to make a vodka margarita or a vodka caipirinha, but the poor martini gets bastardized constantly. At least you didn't simply call it a "martini" which would have been much worse.

So what exactly is this argument about? Whether Laing was a successful private practitioner? Whether psychiatric treatment holds promise for mental illness? The origins of schizophrenia?

Laing's lasting contribution will probably be his work on revisioning how we view the insane (as people who have found a way, however unorthodox, to cope with unbearable stresses -- rather than as monsters or victims). Lots of mentally ill people have distinct biochemical imbalances that can be corrected with medication. This is ethically (I think) much like taking meds to lower your blood pressure, but practically much more complex. It remains to be seen how much can be done. The origins of schizophrenia are most often some combination of genetic predisposition, biochemistry, and experiential stressors.

But what the hell reason can there be for putting vodka in an otherwise lovely glass of vermouth? [/B][/QUOTE]

I don't care for vermouth. In fact I hate when they make mine "dirty."

I don't completely agree with the chemical imbalance theory for schizophrenia or any mental illness, because the serotonin and dopamine theory is still a theory, and if you explore how they actually developed those theories, it gets kind of scary. The serotonin and dopamine theories were formulated after they started doing lobotomies, and after they started doing electroshock therapy. Gathered from those rather sketchy techniques, remnants of a bygone science era, scientists chose to use a simpler solution: drugs. Administering powerful mind altering drugs to patients, this is often described as a "chemical lobotomy."

This prompts the question: How can you form a theory from years of wrong experimentation? Doesn't it seem to be in reverese? You cannot amputate a man's pinky toe and formulate a theory that says pinky toes in general are useless because the patient can still walk without the toe. It's absurd. The antipsychotic drugs are like that. Most were discovered when they were used for veternarian purposes of sedating animals. Which goes back to Foucault and Szasz: doctors are not treating the mentally ill in the medical sense, but are rather blindly serving a societal power structure. The great "revolving door."

There was an article in the New Yorker a couple years ago which outlined the whole drug company policy with antipsychotic medicine. The drug companies, the article charged, were on 5-10 year cycles, and would produce drugs like Clozapine, a drug for those with "treatment-resistant schizophrenia" (if you read the marketing literature). It is marketed as safer and with less symptoms than previous neuroleptics that may have caused eventual neural damage in the patient, leading to a condition known as tardive dyskinesia.

Tardive dyskinesia is uncontrolled gross muscle spasms. TD is what you see some elderly or blind people (who sometimes take these medications for other reasons other than for psychotic episodes) rock back and forth uncontrollably.

But back to Clozapine. Let's say some random university study 5-10 years after the drug is introduced shows that Clozapine eventally causes 75% significant blood disorders (which it has been found to do so) and no TD cases in patients. Drug companies step in, say, "Well, we've been researching it too, and now we've developed a newer drug that's even better than Clozapine with reduced blood disorder risks. It's called Risperidone." Doctors switch drugs, drug companies get off the hook, and drug companies benefits millions from doctors who prescribe the drug (usually as a deal for research funding and sponsorship from the drug company). What happens to the Clozapine patients? Tough luck, you may or may not develop symptoms, we'll monitor you, but in the meantime take some risperidone. It's a vicious cycle.

Just bear in mind, antipsychotic neuroleptic drugs used to be classified under a group of drugs formerly known as major tranquillizers. They don't cure, but rather control and sedate patients, leaving this so called schizophrenia disease still a problem when the drugs wear off.

I am wary and I have my reasons and experiences.

[kid_robotron]

Dance Dance Dance - Haruki Murakami.

Originally posted by janet
To tell you the truth, I don't much care for vermouth either. But then we should both find other things to drink besides martinis of any stripe. Try a gibson! (kidding)

Which begs an even more interesting question: Are pharmco's doing good science? What kind of regulation is in place now, and what should be put in place?
[/B]

I don't care for mixed drinks. But I'll have mojitoes in the summer to stave off the damn heat...

As for the question: I'd say no. The FDA just released a report saying that nearly all new drugs marketed and sold under doctors' prescriptions last year and early this year are practically identical to old drugs marketed under a different name a couple years before it. Am I surprised. Not one bit...

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 06-11-2002 at 05:24 PM]

Hahaha...Bernhard for fun.
I see you read a lot of the same stuff I read...Although I haven't quite touched Extinction yet.
I was just glancing over his collection of 104 Stories called The Voice Imitator published quite handsomely by University of Chicago Press...

[amboy]

Originally posted by janet
"Rather than die of despair it's better to go to a luxury shop and fit ourselves out in the most grotesque fashion; it's better to turn ourselves into a luxury creation for a kitsch production of Don Giovanni than to take to our beds and resort to a treble dose of sleeping pills, not knowing whether we'll ever wake up, even though it's always been worthwhile to awaken."


what are you supposed to do if youre broke??? i wish i could go down to soho and les and outfit myself, im sure it would totally cheer me up.

anyways, in my bag, ive got julio cortazar's rayuela and italo calvino's invisible cities, i think i mentioned them before. im definitely getting into invisible cities, all this stuff about cities and desire and memory.

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Hahaha...Bernhard for fun.
I see you read a lot of the same stuff I read...Although I haven't quite touched Extinction yet.
I was just glancing over his collection of 104 Stories called The Voice Imitator published quite handsomely by University of Chicago Press...

No, really! I sincerely think Bernhard is hilarious. I love his anti-Heidegger rants:

"... Heidegger with his stupid Black Forest wife and his stupid Black Forest cap and his stupid Black Forest socks and his stupid Black Forest crusts of bread..."

(or something to that effect, quoting from memory)

What's this? Hardcover Voice Imitator? Or the paper one? All my Bernhard novels are in paper. My ex had the lot of them in hc firsts. The bastard. I love that book. Whenever I think I'm feeling mean, Bernhard makes me realize I'm a creampuff. In V.I. he sounds so clipped, almost like Duras or somebody.

Hardcover. 97 edition.
I try my hardest to get 1st editions but for reading I get paperbacks.

Originally posted by shawgirl74
i'm reading a book about Dorothy Parker...

And the Vicious Circle.

Did anyone see the movie?

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 06-12-2002 at 08:34 PM]

[Thesis101]

The trial-Franz Kafka {Nightime reading}

The sailor who fell from grace with the sea- Yukio Mishima {Daytime reading}

[Jack]

Myself, I've just finished 'The Glass Palace' by Amitav Ghosh which I borrowed from my mom. Along with about a dozen other books (including the two Bridget Jones'. It's sad because I can relate and I'm only half her age! Argh, V. Bad.) like 'Wild Swans' by Jung Chang, 'Bonesetters Daughter' and 'Hundred Secret Senses' by Amy Tan.

I've been reading a lot of books about the Cultural Revolution - 'Colours of the Mountain' by Chen Da, that kind of thing.

of course, this is completely off topic, but my favourite books for a long time were 'Microserfs' by Douglas Coupland and 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Addams.

[TmINFRARED]

Well, they're not books, but I'm reading the new G1 Transformers Comics right now. Great artwork, really interesting story... cool break off of the original show.

[shammy718]

reading gary snider...

[-minus_one]

my friend lent me this dope book called "japanese ghosts & demons, art of the supernatural"

[falcor]

the death of vishnu by minal suri

finished hotel new hampsire. don't think i want to see the movie. they could never do it justice.

[monkeybutt]

I'm reading Letters to Wendy's. I wish i knew what this guy's deal was. He seems totally insane. Does anyone know?

[m1]

reading: MTIV by Hillman Curtis.

great book for the "New Media" designer.

[Supa' Jesus]

the cheese monkeys... oh my lord... read it if you think you're a graphic designer

Originally posted by Supa' Jesus
the cheese monkeys... oh my lord... read it if you think you're a graphic designer

Chip Kidd? Bah...

[amboy]

this book is actually a lot of fun. i read it on a plane ride, and its perfect for that. i think the ending really sucks, and so does the gay twist on it, but i think the character of the teacher is really strong. it could make a good movie, even if there wasnt enough public interest in graphic design education. its a good teacher story. tobey maguire could play the student enamored of his teacher, and ed harris could play the teacher.

one thing i read however was that chip kidd sacrificed some of his royalties so that the design of the book could be kept as it is.

[emilie]

Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins

i fear that i've posted this already. i should go read.

[angryallthetime]

in our time (short stories)---hemingway

Originally posted by amboy
this book is actually a lot of fun. i read it on a plane ride, and its perfect for that. i think the ending really sucks, and so does the gay twist on it, but i think the character of the teacher is really strong. it could make a good movie, even if there wasnt enough public interest in graphic design education. its a good teacher story. tobey maguire could play the student enamored of his teacher, and ed harris could play the teacher.

one thing i read however was that chip kidd sacrificed some of his royalties so that the design of the book could be kept as it is.

Chip is gay. I am serious. I'll read it and see how much it matches his personality. He never spoke much in the room. It was always his partner at the time, Barbara deWilde.

[amboy]

yeah i know chip kidd is gay, but it wasnt worked into the story in a very interesting way. theres one scene that sort of just happens, then really isnt revisited later or explained. i think the story falls apart at the end.

[gorillaglue]

the tripods trilogy and the prequel book:
when the tripods came
the white mountains
city of gold and lead
pool of fire

then i think i might read the chronicals of narnia in chronological order:
the magician's nephew
the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe
the horse and his boy
prince caspian
voyage of the dawn treader
the silver chair
the last battle

can anybody reccommend anything current in the way of mystery or suspense?

[falcor]

not really my genres.

the bell jar by sylvia plath

[perseus]

Originally posted by gorillaglue
the tripods trilogy and the prequel book:
when the tripods came
the white mountains
city of gold and lead
pool of fire

then i think i might read the chronicals of narnia in chronological order:
the magician's nephew
the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe
the horse and his boy
prince caspian
voyage of the dawn treader
the silver chair
the last battle

can anybody reccommend anything current in the way of mystery or suspense?

wow! i read (almost) all of those several times, the first being... hmm, mb 20 years ago. i didnt know there was a prequel to the white mountains series though, never read that one...

i like Jim Thompson in the way of Mystery or Suspense, but he's not current... everyone should read "The Killer Inside Me" though, quite a book.

i am reading Norman Spinrad's "Child of Fortune" right now, and it is very good, very intelligent, mature, and seriously written. it takes a bit of getting used to at first, for one because the language (sentence structure, vocab, etc) is fairly complex, but also because he uses a lot of phrases from all sorts of languages as if they were just part of the one language the characters speak. once i got used to it though it added to the novel. it's a classic story basically, about the epic journey where the hero (main character) turns from child to adult, but it is sci-fi and so of course in a (very creative and well imagined) future universe. i just dont have the energy to give this book the description it deserves, but there are some good reviews on amazon.com for anyone who really wants to know ;)

[TricycleBrain]

I just finnished "BLUES FOR CANNIBALS" by Charles Bowden an it gave me the creeps. Not scary creeps,more like the blues. I've been kind of not with it much since i finished it.All that seedy side of life,not criminal shit,I mean seedy! if you are emotional about the state of society and the way America is evolving. If Columbine shootings make you sad,don't read this.
I did like it though. I quoted it a coupla times already at work.
________
VAPIR OXYGEN (http://oxygenvaporizer.com)

[m1]

i'm reading: Electroboy - Andy Behrman

it's an autobiography about being manic depressive and having gone through NINTEEN shock therapies. it's an intense story and surprisingly relatable. it's really disturbing but you can't stop reading about it. the characters, how he comments about them and the crazy, unbelieveable shit he does is trapping. if you're even slightly eccentric, you'd dig this.

here's the website:
http://www.electroboy.com


m1



[Edited by m1 on 06-23-2002 at 10:56 PM]

[gorillaglue]

Originally posted by perseus
Originally posted by gorillaglue
the tripods trilogy and the prequel book:
when the tripods came
the white mountains
city of gold and lead
pool of fire

then i think i might read the chronicals of narnia in chronological order:
the magician's nephew
the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe
the horse and his boy
prince caspian
voyage of the dawn treader
the silver chair
the last battle

can anybody reccommend anything current in the way of mystery or suspense?

wow! i read (almost) all of those several times, the first being... hmm, mb 20 years ago. i didnt know there was a prequel to the white mountains series though, never read that one...

i like Jim Thompson in the way of Mystery or Suspense, but he's not current... everyone should read "The Killer Inside Me" though, quite a book.

i am reading Norman Spinrad's "Child of Fortune" right now, and it is very good, very intelligent, mature, and seriously written. it takes a bit of getting used to at first, for one because the language (sentence structure, vocab, etc) is fairly complex, but also because he uses a lot of phrases from all sorts of languages as if they were just part of the one language the characters speak. once i got used to it though it added to the novel. it's a classic story basically, about the epic journey where the hero (main character) turns from child to adult, but it is sci-fi and so of course in a (very creative and well imagined) future universe. i just dont have the energy to give this book the description it deserves, but there are some good reviews on amazon.com for anyone who really wants to know ;)





actually i think i own "killer inside me" but i got it several years ago and i don't think i ever finished it.
i have all of these books that i start and don't finish and then i wind up reading the same old books over and over again. like "thief of always" this year was the first time i didn't read in february like i always do.
i gotta start reading new stuff.

has anybody read this book called "slightly single"?

[mwt.]

Originally posted by emilie
Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins

i fear that i've posted this already. i should go read.

my absolute FAVORITE BOOK, without question. excellent call.

[perseus]

has anyone read William Vollmann's book "The Royal Family"? it looks really interesting, but i dunno... several others of his look good too, like "The Ice-Shirt", so i don't really know where to begin. if anyone has read any of his stuff i would appreciate a quick opinion ;)

Woo-hoo! Just finished 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Up next, Kenzaburo Oe's 'A Quiet Life'. So desu ne.

I'm reading Nalda Said by Stuart David (of Looper) it's a great and sad book.

[ocd]

The Hermit of 69th Street by Jerzy Kosinski.
This one's going to take me a while.

[emilie]

just finished Margaret Atwood's Surfacing
starting Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead

[ShadeElaine]

Originally posted by Lars
I'm reading Nalda Said by Stuart David (of Looper) it's a great and sad book.

i got a copy of it signed by Stuart David at this in-store reading/performance thing when i was in Leeds a couple of years ago. it was a gift for my friend... of course, i read it before i gave it to him. hehe. i wouldn't say it's fantastic, but it's a decent, quick read.

[Asharak]

http://www.gapingmaw.com/507411/

[Charlie]

Originally posted by NotYourFriend
Woo-hoo! Just finished 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Up next, Kenzaburo Oe's 'A Quiet Life'. So desu ne.

kenzaburo oe is an excellent writer. i haven't read "a quiet life" yet. but "a personal matter" is my all time favorite book. you should check that out as well. i can only imagine how his words read in his native language. i sometimes feel cheated reading a translation of a work of literature.

[ironmonkey]

i just started "neverwhere" by neil gaiman.

[ninjaKid]

re-reading the "hitchiker's guide to the galaxy" series again . . . DAMN i forgot how funny they are! R.I.P. Douglas Adams . . . hopefully you're at Milliway's . . .

-ad

[YelloKitty]

*sobs* i never learnt how to read!

[hippyjonny]

Explaining Hitler-Ron Rosenbaum

i'm only one chapter in, so far so good

just finished Stupid White Men-Michael Moore
this is my first thing i've read from Moore. really
funny political satire.

[Margin Walker]

Originally posted by YelloKitty
*sobs* i never learnt how to read!

Well, any durnt fool could see that. You shoulda frazed that "I never *done* learnt how to read"

I just finished re-reading my Preacher tpb's and are reading my Invisibles trades & James Ellroy's "My Darkest Places" w/ he recently signed for me ("SHE LIVES! JAMES ELLROY" it reads).

[archonemis]

Finished Brave New World. It was hella cool. My favorite part was the Savage and his dad. So cool. I'm starting a philosophy book.

[Asharak]

Originally posted by emilie
just finished Margaret Atwood's Surfacing
starting Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead

Interesting combination.

[emilie]

Originally posted by janet
Oh god, here we go again with Ayn Rand. I'm exhausted already. Why not just read Dianetics and skip the shabby pseudo-philosophizing to go straight to the lunatic fringe fantasies? [/B]

for the most part, i read The Fountainhead because i am highly interested in architecture, and somewhat interested in Rand's philosophy. i also like a challenge; 700 pages and teeny tiny print. i must finish it before a go to school.

Originally posted by Charlie
[QUOTE]kenzaburo oe is an excellent writer. i haven't read "a quiet life" yet. but "a personal matter" is my all time favorite book. you should check that out as well. i can only imagine how his words read in his native language. i sometimes feel cheated reading a translation of a work of literature.

I know what you mean. It seems like some of the flavor and nuances of the original book gets lost in the translation. Kenzaburo Oe lectured at my college and that's how I got into him. If I remember correctly, I think he read some passages from 'A Personal Matter'.

[emilie]

Originally posted by bjorktress
what did you think of Surfacing?
[/B]

it's a quick read. i like margaret atwood. read The Handmaid's Tale, which i believe is the better book of the two. but Surfacing is good. lots of nature is involved. lots of talk about sex and love too. good ending.

read it

[jimmy tran]

Read most of Bomb the Suburbs by William Upski and reading his latest: No More Prisons. Plus, the Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting.

[archonemis]

Originally posted by drahcirual

i bought it for 25 cents years ago and it's still sitting on my bedroom floor unread, except for half, i gave up after that. it's a coincidence, i threw it in my bag, hoping to read it today. mending is better than ending. today i borrowed on the road, trying to give it a try, even though kerouac hasn't been one of my favorites. free rentals on fahrenheit 451 film and woman under the influence film, and a tape on chinese opera. that's it.

Actually the quote is:

"Ending is better than mending."

The idea was that if you bought more you'd be circulating the money more. Mending means keeping your money. Ending means buying something. Better for economics.

"The more stitches the less riches."

[emilie]

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by emilie
Originally posted by janet
Oh god, here we go again with Ayn Rand. I'm exhausted already. Why not just read Dianetics and skip the shabby pseudo-philosophizing to go straight to the lunatic fringe fantasies?

for the most part, i read The Fountainhead because i am highly interested in architecture, and somewhat interested in Rand's philosophy. i also like a challenge; 700 pages and teeny tiny print. i must finish it before a go to school.

First of all, don't take my tone personally. It's Rand, not you, toward whom my ire is directed. Second, how about Finnegan's Wake for a challenge? How about Man Without Qualities or Recherche du Temps Perdu or the Alexandria Quartet? Or even Recognitions for that matter? How about the Gormenghast Trilogy? How about Vollman's Atlas?

You can get all the challenge you want, and plenty of architecture, without wasting valuable neuroelectricity on Den's gf. [/B]

your tone. ok. you have surpassed me with your knowledge of titles... you have won. i will still read The Fountainhead. [and shesh, take it easy, i'm a youngin'. my time will come when i will read those titles you've listed above.]

[archonemis]

^emilie's sig:

"We are no longer the knights who say, 'ni.'"

"NI!"

"Sshhh!"

"We are now the knights whos say, 'ecky, ecky, ecky, ecky, fackang, zzZZOMBOING zrwzzzrwz."

"Ni."

Originally posted by janet
Or even Recognitions for that matter?

I started this the other day. Just finished chapter 3. The humor is great...Ah Gaddis...

You could have recommended my favorite (no, NOT Moby Dick): Gravity's Rainbow.... but I sense you dislike Pynchon.

[shammy718]

the book of images - rilke

reflections - walter benjamin

Originally posted by shammy718
reflections - walter benjamin

Walter Benjamin eh? Interesting...

[fmstlr]

That's it, I'm way over my head this time. I kept starting new books before I finish the old ones, now I'm stuck half ways through 5 books, unable to decide which one to finish first, or to go painfully slow reading all 5 in parallel.

Originally posted by fmstlr
That's it, I'm way over my head this time. I kept starting new books before I finish the old ones, now I'm stuck half ways through 5 books, unable to decide which one to finish first, or to go painfully slow reading all 5 in parallel.

You bit off more than you could swallow.

[ocd]

Originally posted by fmstlr
That's it, I'm way over my head this time. I kept starting new books before I finish the old ones, now I'm stuck half ways through 5 books, unable to decide which one to finish first, or to go painfully slow reading all 5 in parallel. I've done that a few times.
I find it's best just to finish one, then read the other ones from the start. Sometimes you catch things you missed anyway, so it ends up being okay.

[falcor]

::sigh::

still stuck in the middle of 'zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance' and 'acid dreams' which some of you may remember i was reading last summer, gawdamn!

[Charlie]

"John Henry Days" by Colson Whitehead
about 1/3 done with the book. really engaging story with tons of interesting characters. haven't been able to put it down since i got it. funny too.

i-D magazine
this month's issue has some tokyo flavor to it.

Originally posted by janet
Dislike is not the right word. I think Pynchon is overrated by loads and loads. I think it was fun to read him at 19, but I don't think he's of any use, nor even really interesting, once you're out of your adolescence. Really, he writes "young adult" lit for young adults that haven't spent their formative years autolobotomizing with television, top 40 radio, junk food, and fumbling sex. [/B]

I don't agree. I find him quite relevant still. I see him as a prankster.

To poke at that postmodern tendancy of yours, I'd ask: of use to whom? I think that all things we read ultimately are of "use" even in its "non-use." We may dismiss and disregard certain works, but is it not these things we dismiss and disregard that define your criteria, your likes & dislikes? Is criteria an unchanging thing? What I hated in adolescence, I now gladly read with delight. Things I dislike, I learn to un-dislike. No doubt the ramblings of a contrarian.

I think it's an ongoing evaluation. Too often people read things too fast, a once over. Then they seek the next book in the hopes of addition and accomplishment. For me, these people do themselves and the material a disservice.

What does it mean for instance to say that I have read the whole King James Bible (which I have) at the age of 18 and now have no use for it? The Bible I can dismiss as mere fabrications of old fables and stories that have no relevancy to me now at the age of 26. The Book of Job? A mere simplistic tale to reinforce faith. The Book of Revelations? The mere rants of a madman who spent too much time in the desert eating wild honey and locust. No book is more overrated than the Bible. I, however, would be a fool for dismissing its importance.

I visit books over and over again. Perhaps this is the mentality of a child, to see wonder in the same places over and over again. It's when we start to grow up that things really become—uninteresting.

[Edited by Metempsychosis on 07-18-2002 at 11:28 AM]

Originally posted by janet
http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/postmodern/

This I will not be involved in.
Let's just say that I've graduated from this a couple years ago.

Again, I refer you to the Sokal Affair.
http://skepdic.com/sokal.html

Originally posted by janet
Originally posted by Metempsychosis
Originally posted by janet
http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/postmodern/

This I will not be involved in.
Let's just say that I've graduated from this a couple years ago.

Again, I refer you to the Sokal Affair.
http://skepdic.com/sokal.html

Did you look at the link? You don't need to refer me to Sokal.

Yes, I did. And I laughed myself silly for a good minute.

[gorillaglue]

just finished a painted house by john grisam
also the first three harry potter books and im in the middle of the fourth one. they're actually pretty good, especially if you like c.s. lewis
i also read the magician's nephew.
its too hot to move too much so i just read.

[kimchi_girl]

I'm starting on "The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maugham. My sister keeps raving about it and wants my opinion. I've read "Of Human Bondage" and enjoyed it so I think I may like this novel as well...

[angryallthetime]

NIGHT---ELIE WIESEL

[incoglido]

The Picture of Dorian Gray by oscar wilde

A friend of mine lended me the book 3 years ago, and i am just getting into it now. Shameful I know.

[TricycleBrain]

'Me Talk Pretty Some Day', by David Sedaris.
I also just finished 'Blues for Cannibals', by Charles Bowden.
Someone mentioned 'a Flag for Sunrise', by Robert Stone, so I read it last weekend. Kinda good, sad ending, made me depressed for a few days. Blues for Cannibals is worse, though.
________
Top rated vaporizers (http://vaporizer.org/reviews)

[amboy]

the mezzanine by nicholson baker

[angryallthetime]

CLANS OF THE ALPHANE MOON-PHILLIP K DICK

[Mikio4]

Originally posted by angryallthetime
CLANS OF THE ALPHANE MOON-PHILLIP K DICK

I remember not liking that one too much. I think Dick's stuff before the late 60's isn't that great from what I've read. Am currently reading Waterland by Graham Swift. Anyone read him before? This is a first for me and am enjoying it so far.

[braden]

just finished pinball 1973- murakami

and am starting jay rubins book on haruki murakami

[anti-toi]

I just finished "Jesus' Son" by Don Delillo. He sometimes reminds me of Jack Keourac. I'm not sure why.

[disgruntledemployee]

the fugitive game: online with kevin mitnik

[l-train8]

Originally posted by disgruntledemployee
the fugitive game: online with kevin mitnik

Ooh, I read that right after I finished Takedown by Markoff and Shimomura. It pissed me off so much. After reading The Fugitive Game, I was mad that I had paid for Takedown and made money for its authors.

I now hate the lying bastard Markoff and think that Shimomura is an arrogant prick. Shimomura's ego is off the charts in proportion to his mad sk177z. In Takedown, he kept going off on his graduate student assistant, treating the guy like shit, even though he (the assistant) was busting his balls on Shimomura's little project. What an asshole.

[Angel10]

just started reading "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski -- has anyone read this? -- was wondering if it was really a 'found' piece of work, and is it as good as i've heard it is?