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GHutt
- FB Fan -
105 Posts |
 Posted - 12/07/2003 : 22:32:17
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| I picked up The Life and Legend of Leadbelly the other day, and am enjoying it a lot. Before that it was Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk, which I sped through in a couple of days. |
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sultanbigpants
- FB Fan -
45 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2003 : 22:39:18
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I should be studying for my exam right now.
I am reading Et tu, Babe by mark Leyner right now. He's defintiely my favorite author. I think if you guys like Frank Black, and the fact that he is teh smasher of what is "normal" in his craft, then you might like that abotu Leyner.
My favorite book ever is probably Dorian Gray.
Here's a sample of Mark Leyner (my favorite sentence ever)
“even dummies have feelings, even marionettes complain of headaches, even porcelain geese have a vague sense of haplessness, even a glass of seltzer harbors a kind of festering “what if such and suchness”, so however one audits the figures, they add up, and the sum is a snowballing of coy, timid indiscretions, of pot-valiant audacity, of jammed broadcasts, of inadvertent breaches of confidence, of bungled trysts, unscrupulous geisha girls, and mislabeled blood types, so here we are, mio dolce amore, at the homecoming it took chains to secure.” |
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benji
> Teenager of the Year <
New Zealand
3426 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 04:37:44
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my favourite book(s) of all time are the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series.
i can't differentiate between the different ones cause i always read them in one go....
think i've read the entire series 15 odd times.
and douglas adams is my favourite author, closely followed by jeffrey deaver. |
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bedrock_barney
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
871 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 04:54:40
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Yep, also like Douglas Adams.
John Irving has always kept me entertained with his intertwining plots and powerful characterisations. I think I've read all of books bar the last couple. Top 3 to date:
1. The Cider House Rules
2. The World According to Garp
3. A Prayer for Owen Meany
Another great author is Tom Sharpe. Lovely black comedy. The Great Pursuit is probably my favourite.
 "I have been enslaved by the Cult of Ming / He is ever so merciless...unlike that nice Mr Black." |
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apl4eris
~ Abstract Brain ~
USA
4800 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 08:21:26
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Recently finished House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski
V, by Thomas Pynchon - very good, but I have this overriding feeling that I will never really understand any of Pynchon's stuff. But it's still great. Very funny! I couldn't get past the halfway point in "Gravity's Rainbow".
and
White Noise, by Don Delillo
Reading Underworld by Don Delillo,
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas R. Hofstadter (I think i'm going to have an aneurysm trying to finish that one)
Webmaster in a Nutshell - Desktop Quick Reference - 3rd Edition (O'Reilly), 'cause I am woefully ignorant but still trying to build out a decent website.
I was reading The Elegant Universe : Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory, by Brian Greene, before giving it to my husband for Christmas, but then I found out my stepdad wanted it for his birthday, so it got cannibalized. Guess I need to buy another one - I almost forgot. (It sounds way more high-falutin' than it is - it's written for the layman, and I like what I've read so far.)
Too many favorite books...a couple absolutely great books:
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville (I didn't appreciate it at all when I first read it for school at 14) and
Suttree, by Cormac McCarthy
 Join the Cult of Carl / Lisening him do bass for our power ballad 'Hypocrite of the Heart' is like lisening to angels play bass. |
Edited by - apl4eris on 12/08/2003 10:12:23 |
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WolfManMikeLonely
= Cult of Ray =
USA
936 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 08:27:37
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Has anyone here read anything by Matt Ruff? He's great.
"Hey fuck you if you don't like it."
-Johnny Thunders
www.transposed.net |
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Scarla O
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
947 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 08:49:20
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I've recently read Richard Brautigan's 'Sombrero Fall-Out' which is great but not quite as great as his short stories (you can get a compendium containing 'A Confederate General from Big-Sur', 'Dreaming Of Babylon', and 'The Hawkline Monster' - all of which are magnificent). |
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Danishboy
- FB Fan -
Denmark
175 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 12:12:47
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apl4eris- What´s "white noise" about, any good?
I only read "underworld" by Delillo. Thought it was very different(a good book)
Man of steel |
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Carolynanna
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Canada
6556 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 12:36:12
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Frank's World by George Mangels is very interesting.
(Just thought I'd pick one with a Frank in it ;) |
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pinkashtray
- FB Fan -
USA
96 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 14:41:56
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i have been reading 'behold a pale horse' by william cooper, top-secret-govt type shit..it's the type of book you can't really read from start to finish. i just jump in and out.
im about to start 'the power of now' ekhart tolle..i need some enlightenment.
i got a broken face |
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Cheeseman1000
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Iceland
8201 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 14:57:03
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I'm still reading Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Its really good, but quite long!
I would say my favourite books ever are:
The Commitments by Roddy Doyle
Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra
Incidentally, anyone ever finished reading Gormenghast by Mervin Peake? I've started that so many times and always get lost and give up. One day...
"What are we going to do tonight, Brain?"
"Same thing we do every night, Pinky: try to take over the world!" |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 15:07:39
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I just about picked that up yesterday, Cheesy... had it and War & Peace in either hand and left with both empty. I suppose I'll drop by the library and pick one of 'em up.
 "Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
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Cheeseman1000
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Iceland
8201 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 15:13:19
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Its really good, COF. Not depressing or heavy going at all, and it sounds intelligent when people ask what you're reading!
"What are we going to do tonight, Brain?"
"Same thing we do every night, Pinky: try to take over the world!" |
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apl4eris
~ Abstract Brain ~
USA
4800 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2003 : 19:58:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Danishboy
apl4eris- What´s "white noise" about, any good?
I only read "underworld" by Delillo. Thought it was very different(a good book)
Yeah, Danishboy, I think it's a great book. It's about a Jewish professor whose specialty niche is lecturing on Hitler as an Icon (ala Elvis). I don't want to give anything away, but the white noise has several layers of meaning, and when I was reading it, certain things were going on near where I lived that were very coincidental. Yeah, it's quite weird, too. It reads a bit like a play, and has an incredible character study. The observations about everyday life and the personalities of those around him tweaked something in my brain that hadn't been reached before. I loved his treatment of the thought patterns and nuances of the mind that there aren't words for (that may make sense when you have read it ;)). It may be a highly individual thing, because my husband read it soon after me, and I kept expecting to hear him laugh or exclaim, "Oh my god, yeah!" or "Right on!" or any paraphrasing of what I said when I read it, but apparently it just didn't do much for him. He said it was alright. All I can say is, if you like Delillo's writing voice and style in Underworld, you will probably enjoy White Noise - and it is much much shorter!
Join the Cult of Carl / Lisening him do bass for our power ballad 'Hypocrite of the Heart' is like lisening to angels play bass. |
Edited by - apl4eris on 12/08/2003 20:02:03 |
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thermoplastics
- FB Fan -
33 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2003 : 03:35:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Danishboy
Let´s get this thing of the ground, what are you reading now.
Best book, favorite author?
I just finished "The strumpet city" by James Plunkett, great story but not so great ending.
Favorite author: Ken Follet read allmost everything he´s written.
Best book: Pillars of the earth by Ken Follet.
Man of steel
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thermoplastics
- FB Fan -
33 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2003 : 03:44:50
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Just finished "A Army At Dawn". First of a three part series of the history of the US Army in Europe. This book covers North Africa. Even though I've read decades of military history, I was unaware of the depths of military unpreparedness of the US military. In a way, North Africa was a training ground. No way could of the US have invaded the European mainland at that point. Too raw, untrained, and unskilled.
Now I am reading "Crytonomicon". About a hundred pages in and it hasn't taken off yet.
As an aside, I was in the NL last week and saw Frank at Liedon( spelling ? ) and at the Milky Way in Amesterdam. Enjoyed the city and besides the shows, the ShipArt museum. |
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thermoplastics
- FB Fan -
33 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2003 : 03:47:39
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quote:
Originally posted by apl4eris
Recently finished House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski
V, by Thomas Pynchon - very good, but I have this overriding feeling that I will never really understand any of Pynchon's stuff. But it's still great. Very funny! I couldn't get past the halfway point in "Gravity's Rainbow".
and
White Noise, by Don Delillo
Reading Underworld by Don Delillo,
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas R. Hofstadter (I think i'm going to have an aneurysm trying to finish that one)
Webmaster in a Nutshell - Desktop Quick Reference - 3rd Edition (O'Reilly), 'cause I am woefully ignorant but still trying to build out a decent website.
I was reading The Elegant Universe : Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory, by Brian Greene, before giving it to my husband for Christmas, but then I found out my stepdad wanted it for his birthday, so it got cannibalized. Guess I need to buy another one - I almost forgot. (It sounds way more high-falutin' than it is - it's written for the layman, and I like what I've read so far.)
Too many favorite books...a couple absolutely great books:
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville (I didn't appreciate it at all when I first read it for school at 14) and
Suttree, by Cormac McCarthy
Join the Cult of Carl / Lisening him do bass for our power ballad 'Hypocrite of the Heart' is like lisening to angels play bass.
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thermoplastics
- FB Fan -
33 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2003 : 03:53:58
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Gavity's Rainbow is a slog, but worth it. It doesn't come together, if ever, till the end. I read it twice. It's like driving a jeep into the desert, breaking a driveshaft, flat, a couple of roll overs. Yet when you get back from reading it, you never forget the trip you were on. It isn't easy in any form, but it is well worth the struggle. What makes it so hard is the baggage a reader brings from reading, ahem, "regular" books. You have to let go, which is hard as our brains are conditioned, and not in a bad way. Pychon exands the mental envelope, without being absurdist.
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Danishboy
- FB Fan -
Denmark
175 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2003 : 17:22:03
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I´m allmost finished reading "not without my daughter" you know the Sally Fields movie of the same title.
Dident think much of it, but it give a view of everyday life in Iran about food living and such.
Ok book, quick read.
Man of steel |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2003 : 20:05:23
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My mom LOVES that book. I think it might be one of her favourites. Not sure why I thought I should post that, but there you have it...
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
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Danishboy
- FB Fan -
Denmark
175 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2003 : 02:31:51
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So myself and your mum has something in common. Makes me fell.....That maybe i should go to the bookshop....
Man of steel |
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ObfuscateByWill
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1887 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2003 : 04:48:12
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Not much variety in my reading right now.
Trade Unionists Against Terror: Guatemala City 1954-1985 -> Deborah Levenson-Estrada
Miguel Marmol -> Roque Dalton
Notes from the Gallows -> Julius Fuchik
I have read this book several times. Dated and heavy-handed, but still incredible.
*Shka-pow! |
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Bartholomew
= Cult of Ray =
USA
344 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2003 : 06:14:36
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Just finished "Mississippi Solo" by Eddy Harris last night . It's a great memoir of a trip he took from the start of the Mississippi up in Minnesota to it's end in New Orleans –– in a canoe. I'm also reading East of Eden by Steinbeck. And no, I'm not an Oprah fan either. Also also I'm reading Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi"
Favorite book: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Favorite authors: Ray Bradbury, Amy Hempel, John Steinbeck, Richard Russo, Philip K. Dick (his good stuff) |
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Bartholomew
= Cult of Ray =
USA
344 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2003 : 06:48:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Johnny Yen
re: steinbeck - I really like Cannery Row, but I think Tortilla Flats may be my favorite.
I've never been able to finish the first chapter of Dune (after many tries).
-rereading Confederacy Of Dunces
-The ABCedarium
It's about time to reread The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles.
Hey, Johnny Yen. You haveimpeccable taste! I love Cannery Row and Tortilla Flat (Cannery is my favorite, though) and I’m hopefully getting Sweet Thursday the sequel to Cannery Row for Christmas. I also LOVE Confederacy of Dunces. Too bad that dude couldn’t have stuck around to write more, let alone to enjoy success. I too, have not been able to get past the first chapter in Dune. Horrible writing if you ask me, but I’m sure the stories good ala Philip K. Dick. |
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apl4eris
~ Abstract Brain ~
USA
4800 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2003 : 17:43:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Johnny Yen
-rereading Confederacy Of Dunces
-The ABCedarium
Johnny Yen, which ABCdarium are you reading? Is it the Edward Gorey one? !!! If so, that is really cool.
I love Edward Gorey. He was/is a major inspiration for my wanting to write and illustrate children's books. He had an incredible, dark, quirky, and twisted sense of humor. Very interesting character.
Join the Cult of Carl / Lisening him do bass for our power ballad 'Hypocrite of the Heart' is like lisening to angels play bass. |
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realmeanmotorscutor
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1764 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2003 : 19:12:51
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Confederacy of Dunces bored the hell out of me and yet I pushed through it. Why do I do that to myself?
 "I joined the Cult of Popeye / The CoF required my good eye" |
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