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Post by Horned Gramma on Dec 20, 2010 15:52:49 GMT -8
Some of you guys know how to read, right? Reading anything good right now? Any favorites?
I just finished devouring every word Jonathan Lethem ever published, starting with 'Chronic City' - which caused me to update for the first time in ten years my Favorite Book status. 'The Fortress of Solitude' is an unbeleivably amazing book. Jonathan Lethem speaks my language more clearly than anyone I've ever read.
Jonathan Carroll is a huge passion as well. His metaphysical love stories are funny and scary and truly mind-expanding. He has a very unique understanding of the concept of death.
Tom Robbins, I'm sure we all love Tom Robbins. Some of his books have aged better than others, but I've never laughed harder at a book in my life than at the final pages of 'Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates'. 'Jitterbug Perfume' and 'Still Life With Woodpecker' formed major parts of my personality.
Daniel Handler, including his books as Lemony Snicket (if you haven't read A Series of Unfortunate Events I can NOT tell you how great they are, the best children's literature I've ever seen and i'm a connoisseur) and the three novels he wrote under his own name. Daniel Handler puts Dave Eggers to shame.
Clive Barker is the most insane, visionary novelist in the world. His villains are as vast and terrifying as the notion of evil itself. He does things on the page that couldn't be achieved in cinema for all the money in the world.
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Post by stamper on Dec 20, 2010 16:05:50 GMT -8
sadly, the only stuff i've read in the past 16 months are plays & screenplays. fuckin grad school
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Post by emptyfox on Dec 20, 2010 16:15:31 GMT -8
I'm addicted to Aldous Huxley...
Everyone should read 'Island'
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Post by Friendly Destroyer on Dec 20, 2010 17:14:07 GMT -8
I really love David Foster Wallace. I don't know if "Infinite Jest" is my favorite book, but I have read it more times than any other. It's like Harry Potter for zany adults, only no magic or wizards.
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Post by Horned Gramma on Dec 20, 2010 17:21:29 GMT -8
I've made three failed attempts at 'Infinite Jest'. I've been meaning to take another crack at it.
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Post by Friendly Destroyer on Dec 20, 2010 17:27:30 GMT -8
I've never read anything by Clive Barker, what's a good one? I always had him lumped in with Dean Koontz and Robert Patterson.
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Post by Horned Gramma on Dec 20, 2010 17:33:23 GMT -8
Classic mistake. Clive Barker isn't just a horror writer, he's an incredible storyteller. That guy's got some kind of conduit to a weird place in his head.
Um, let's see... 'The Great and Secret Show' is the first book of an unfinished trilogy; the sequel is 'Everville' and together they are a fucking incredible story. He's so engrossing, too - nobody does sex or monsters or violence or perversion or builds such complex conflict like Clive Barker. 'Imajica' is along the same lines. And his Abarat books - just pick one up and look at it and you'll be completely hooked.
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Post by Horned Gramma on Dec 20, 2010 17:34:29 GMT -8
I'm exhausted today and my grammar is for shit. That's why I didn't do A Record a Day. Please forgive some pretty awful syntax, too.
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Post by Friendly Destroyer on Dec 20, 2010 17:36:49 GMT -8
Well you've sold me. Thanks a lot and I hope the day worked in your favor.
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Post by interstateeight on Dec 23, 2010 19:24:47 GMT -8
The last novel I read was Crime and Punishment. Otherwise it's casebooks. I miss fiction.
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Post by Drew on Dec 23, 2010 21:48:50 GMT -8
HG you might like Hygiene and the Assassin by Amelie Nothomb. English version just came out and I reviewed it for The Literary Review, and the main character Pretextat Tach reminds me of you.
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Post by thedude on Dec 24, 2010 1:31:58 GMT -8
I'm addicted to Aldous Huxley... Everyone should read 'Island' Funny, I started that back in September after a friend gave it to me before I came to the UK. I got sidetracked by readings for class, so I never got around to finishing it. I've really enjoyed what I've read so far: Huxley's prose is fantastic (full disclosure: I've never read Brave New World). Maybe I'll pick it up again here in the next day or two if have the mind to read---just feeling a little burned out at the moment. I was going to try to tackle The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky over the term break, but that's probably not happening anymore. That book is fucking intimidating. I'd also like to finish And the Ass Saw the Angel by Nick Cave (he's actually a fantastic writer as well as musician!) and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, both of which I started ages ago and got interrupted by life and never went back to. Maybe get to Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, which I've wanted to read for ages. The last book I finished was Time's Arrow by Martin Amis for my postmodern lit class. It was all right, if not a bit gimmicky. |
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Post by Fig on Dec 29, 2010 13:18:42 GMT -8
I've always been a bit of a sci-fi nerd and thus will forever have a giant nerd boner for the original "Dune" series (not the ones writen by Frank Hebert's son and friend). Hard to find a book in that genre that encompases so many different topics.
Other than Frank Hebert, I love most of the stuff done by Arthur C. Clarke of course. "Songs of a Distant Earth", the Rama books, and naturally the Space Oddysey books were well worth the time I spent reading them.
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Post by unifiedscene on Dec 30, 2010 23:39:36 GMT -8
Someone mentioned High Fidelity in Movies. It's one of my favorite books too. I actually gave mixtapes as xmas gifts this year because of it, despite almost nobody owning a cassette player anymore.
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Post by Pea on Dec 30, 2010 23:56:55 GMT -8
Code of Federal Regulations 14: Federal Aviation Regulations and the Aeronautical Information Manual are the only light readings that occupy my time these days.
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Post by ComesWithASword on Jan 3, 2011 12:08:17 GMT -8
I wish I had time for books but I can barely get through my class courseware. The last thing I read cover to cover was a collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories. I had started reading "A Confederacy of Dunces" but then I lost it. I think it may be under my bed.
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Post by Switch on Jan 20, 2011 20:47:52 GMT -8
I have one book that I always highly recommend. "A Circus of the Earth and the Air" by Brooke Stevens. This is a book that everyone should read (in my opinion). Its a dark and mysterious story that will leave you thinking "what the fuck happened" when you get to the last sentence. READ IT. If you only take one of my posts seriously on this board then this is the one to take seriously.
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Post by Horned Gramma on Jan 21, 2011 8:31:04 GMT -8
'The Circus of the Earth and the Air' is an amazing book. I loved it so much that when I was done with it, I tracked down Brooke Stevens' email address and got in touch; I told him the book had meant a lot to me and asked if he would mind if I shipped my copy to him and have him sign it. He did, and sent it back to me with a signed copy of his second book, 'Tattoo Girl', as well.
I had a collectible can of Pepsi from Star Wars Episode I, with Watto the junk dealer or whatever on it, sitting on top of my bookcase. Years ago. It was unopened, but somehow gross pepsi resin seeped out and ruined my copy of The Circus of the Earth and the Air. It sucked.
Great book though. High five, switch.
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Post by Switch on Jan 21, 2011 10:56:17 GMT -8
What did you think of Tattoo girl? I didn't think it was nearly as good but it still had that mysterious creepy feel to it. I'd give it a B+
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Post by Horned Gramma on Jan 21, 2011 11:04:23 GMT -8
Honestly I never made it through Tattoo Girl. He seemed to be aiming for more of an Oprah's Book Club vibe with the stuff he did after his first book.
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