books, books, books

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 9:59 am

Richard: you can imagine from my Pynchonic celebrations above and my Joy Divisional ones elsewhere how large a smile your parallel between the two things brings to my face!

I don't know if you have/know of the collection of Pynchon's early short stories Slow Learner. I was thrilled on my recent visit to the Pompidou centre in Paris to see the original Magritte feet turning into boots painting that was used on the cover (here, at least).

I'm terrified of embarking on Underworld. That's 12 months for me! I am going to start reading more and quicker, though, honest. The baseball scene was very celebrated on publication here and I did take a good look at it when I got the book, looks awesome.

Haven't read Chabon, but clearly must. The closest I've been was the splendid film of Wonder Boys. Would witnesses of both say it's a good version of it?

tallulah · Post by **tallulah** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 11:18 am

The best book I've read this summer (and in awhile actually) is called STIFF, the curious lives of human cadavers.

I can't say enough about it really. It's gross and funny and interesting and terribly informative. Donate yourself to science and find out what will happen to you!

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 4:28 pm

so lack resurrected this once before Black Friday (or was it saturday????). time for the defibrillator.

currently reading The Hitchhiker's Trilogy again. just finished Breakfast of Champions for the 400th time, but it's been a few years and it just seemed so right right now. also still plugging away at Ulysses. I may have it done by this time next year.

Post by **BlueChair** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 4:47 pm

Just finishing up Fast Food Nation.

As much as I liked the film Super Size Me, Fast Food Nation is much more effective at wanting me to avoid McDonalds for the rest of my life.

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 7:43 pm

Revisiting a couple of fantasy tales by George MacDonald - "Phantastes" and "Lilith".

If you like fantasy I cannot recommend these highly enough... MacDonald is credited as the writer who influenced both Lewis Carrol and CS Lewis.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 7:46 pm

I'm currently reading Dylan's "Chronicles: Part I". Really wonderful stuff.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 7:48 pm

I just might have to keep that "Avatar Lost in Crash" graphic. LOL.

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 2:43 am

Finished Leigh Montville's biography of Ted Williams last weekend. Great stuff on a par with Richard Ben Cramer's DiMaggio book. Despite being a deeply flawed person, Ted fares quite a bit better than Joe D did.

I just started "The Prince of Providence". This one is all about Buddy Cianci; the rebirth of a city and corruption as tradition and entertainment. Fascinating stuff.

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 4:03 am

Have just read Harry Potter 5 in 3 days. One of the weakest which still means terribly entertaining and time-comsuming though

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:12 am

VonOfterdingen wrote:Have just read Harry Potter 5 in 3 days. One of the weakest which still means terribly entertaining and time-comsuming though

I love those Harry Potter books - just finished reading the Chamber of Secrets to my daughter. The movies have been terrific too, though I have yet to see the third one.

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 9:19 am

You're in for treat then. The third movie is so much better than the first two. As for the books i'm most envy that your family still got 'Goblet of fire' waiting.

A quick rank:
1. Goblet of fire
2. Chamber of secrets
3. Prisoner of Azkaban / Order of the Phoenix
4. The philosophers stone

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 11:03 am

Has anyone else read The Plot Against America? It's very good, though I find Philip Roth's writing a little tough to get into at times.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 11:17 am

I was just given Catch 22 by Joseph Heller as a present.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:45 pm

I bought THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF CAVALIER AND CLAY in July (!) and still haven't cracked it, and am dying to. The problem is, I am so addicted to watching DVDs-- something I could never do in my previous life-- it eats up all my reading time. I'm totally engrossed in watching the Grenada series CRACKER. But when that's done (6 more episodes) I am determined to get to the Chabon book.

Until then it's three nights a week of reading Harry Potter aloud to my son, and that's it for me and literature!

Post by **BlueChair** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 9:56 am

Just started The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster.

I loved his New York Trilogy, and so far this is great too.

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 1:09 pm

bambooneedle wrote:I was just given Catch 22 by Joseph Heller as a present.

Good taste in books whoever gave it to you. Might be among my top 5 books

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:36 pm

VonOfterdingen, I've heard great things about its humour and irreverence, and am really looking forward to it. It should take me about a week or less.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 5:11 am

Backbooking Hiaasen, now on Strip Tease.

I loved Catch 22 when I first read it 20/25 years ago but when I re-read it a couple of years ago it didn't seem to be quite so good. I have learnt a lesson from this, don't re-read books that you loved 20/25 years ago!

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 7:36 am

It's alright, I don't think I'll be rereading Huckleberry Finn in a hurry.

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 8:11 am

I hope you will like it, bambooneedle. It's humour is really sharp and when it wants to be horrible it's really horrible

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 8:39 am

I like horrible things sometimes.

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 4:42 am

Finished 'The Da Vinci Code' last night. I don't read many crime books like this but because of the fuzz and the upcoming film I thought it would give it a go. It's not bad, the first 250 pages are quite good but then it's downhill from there.
Most of all i find the historical facts about buildings and the storyline interesting while the writing is close to bad. The characters are also extremly one-dimensional and Harry Potter seems like a Raskolnikov when compared. Nevertheless it was fun reading it although my relationship with Dan Brown ends here.

Copenhagen Fan · Post by **Copenhagen Fan** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 5:07 am

I just finished the Cold 5 Thousand by James Elroy....quite a good book. In the begining, the idiom will drive you nuts, but as one digs into the book, then it is almost amazing how cool Elroy uses stacto phrases and 50's style vernacular in written form to paint a picture and create a realistic atmosphere. The story is not bad either. I love how he mixes in historical figures and hangs them out to dry and destroys their historical credibility in the way he does. How does he get away with it??! Maybe because they're all dead

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:27 am

Currently reading Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables, and realizing that it sort of does and sort of doesn't make a difference that I have only the vaguest idea of what a gable is (something on a house). I love the floridity (word?) of the 19th century.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:48 am

Here you can see 3 of the 7: