books, books, books
I have just gone on a Haruki Murakami reading spree... Kafka on the Shore, The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, and Dance, Dance, Dance (sequel to the very surreal Wild Sheep Chase). The guy is an out and out genius and I just wish he would arrange a collaboration with David Lynch and commit some of his tales to film.
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Goody2Shoes
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While on vacation last week, I read Hiaasen's Native Tongue, which was, as Moody notes, like candy, but it's fun and funny and perfect vacation reading. I also read Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down, which I thought got off to a promising start, but bogged down in the middle, and by the end, I didn't care what happened to any of the characters, except for Maureen. Also plowed through Molly O'Neill's Mostly True, a memoir about her growing up the eldest, and lone girl, of 6 in the midwest in the '50's and '60's, and about her life as a chef, food writer and restaurant critic, and a whole bunch more. It was wonderful.
I am now working on Cross Country by someone I can't remember, Thomas Sullivan, maybe? I'm only 50 pages in, and I'm not so sure about it yet.
I am now working on Cross Country by someone I can't remember, Thomas Sullivan, maybe? I'm only 50 pages in, and I'm not so sure about it yet.
It's a radiation vibe I'm groovin' on
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Who Shot Sam?
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I'm currently reading Bill Buford's "Heat", his memoir about training under celebrity chef Mario Batali, both at his New York restaurant Babbo and in Italy. Very funny and entertaining so far. Highly recommended for foodies out there.
I read Buford's book on hooliganism, "Among the Thugs", a few years ago, so I knew he was skilled at throwing himself into difficult situations. This book is far more uplifting than "Among the Thugs", thankfully.
I read Buford's book on hooliganism, "Among the Thugs", a few years ago, so I knew he was skilled at throwing himself into difficult situations. This book is far more uplifting than "Among the Thugs", thankfully.
Mother, Moose-Hunter, Maverick
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Otis Westinghouse
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Would love to read it too. The (fairly intensive) promo done for it here a few weeks back, including very entertaining radio spot on Radio 4's 'Start the Week' made it sound truly appealing, and as something of a foodie and erstwhile pasta-making enthusiast, I would salivate over it, for sure. maybe my expense account in NY will extend to eating in that restaurant?!?! Maybe not... 
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
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Who Shot Sam?
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Better get your reservation in early if you want to eat at Babbo - it is fairly small and booked weeks in advance.Otis Westinghouse wrote:Would love to read it too. The (fairly intensive) promo done for it here a few weeks back, including very entertaining radio spot on Radio 4's 'Start the Week' made it sound truly appealing, and as something of a foodie and erstwhile pasta-making enthusiast, I would salivate over it, for sure. maybe my expense account in NY will extend to eating in that restaurant?!?! Maybe not...
Mother, Moose-Hunter, Maverick
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Otis Westinghouse
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Who Shot Sam?
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No more expensive than any of the other top restaurants in New York. If you want to try one of his other restaurants, Faust has been to Lupa and says it is very good, though I've never eaten there...
http://www.luparestaurant.com/
All of his restaurants get excellent reviews.
http://www.luparestaurant.com/
All of his restaurants get excellent reviews.
Mother, Moose-Hunter, Maverick
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Otis Westinghouse
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Have you read the chapter called Whacking Off yet? I think that was its name, the one with the famous liver scene.
I loved The Human Stain. Hard to think of a recent book to match it for Big, Interesting Themes and fantastic writing. I read all 25 critiques on amazon.com, some good, some bad (one accusing Roth of huge racism, which is absurd), and several moaned about him piling on the language too thick, saying the same thing 4 ways, but this to me is one of the beauties of it, though in fact I don't agree with the assessment, what it is more like is trying to get to the essence of the thing in question and recognising that one go won't do it, that the multifacetedness of everything requires a similar linguistic response to try and convey it. I think he does this brilliantly. I don't know whether this is a feature of the narrator's style, Nathan Zuckerman, who features in no less than 7 of Roth's books and is obviously some form of alter ego, or whether it's Roth proper, but it frequently had me re-reading whole paragraphs with delight. Someone reffed Henry James on amazon in a negative way, but it's far less drawn out and sleep-inducing than James tended to be, especially in his later stuff, more muscular, direct, charged. It's the kind of book you could spend hours discussing. If only Martin Amis could put his linguistic ability to something that explored contemporary Britain as well. People say London Fields et al do so, but it's so much more one-dimensional, I think. Roth seems very much on a par with Amis's beloved Bellow, in terms of scope.
I'm now reading The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by Irish writer John Boyne. Simple in style, readable by 10 year olds (my Irish mother-in-law got it for my 10 year old son), but a moving and original take on writing about Auschwitz, or Out-With as it's now known to us from this book.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-Boy-in-Striped ... F8&s=books
My wife is glued to Ishiguro's Never Let Me Down. Shortlisted for the Booker and receiving much praise, but friends of ours both hated it. It's got the most amazing dust jacket quotes. Kind of thing that makes you want to get a piece of that straight off. Can't wait to read it next:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Let-Go-Ka ... F8&s=books
After that, Roth's American Pastoral beckons. I didn't realise that it, I Married A Communist and Ther Human Stain former a trilogy, all featuring Nathan Z. My copy of the latter makes no ref to this, I think.
I loved The Human Stain. Hard to think of a recent book to match it for Big, Interesting Themes and fantastic writing. I read all 25 critiques on amazon.com, some good, some bad (one accusing Roth of huge racism, which is absurd), and several moaned about him piling on the language too thick, saying the same thing 4 ways, but this to me is one of the beauties of it, though in fact I don't agree with the assessment, what it is more like is trying to get to the essence of the thing in question and recognising that one go won't do it, that the multifacetedness of everything requires a similar linguistic response to try and convey it. I think he does this brilliantly. I don't know whether this is a feature of the narrator's style, Nathan Zuckerman, who features in no less than 7 of Roth's books and is obviously some form of alter ego, or whether it's Roth proper, but it frequently had me re-reading whole paragraphs with delight. Someone reffed Henry James on amazon in a negative way, but it's far less drawn out and sleep-inducing than James tended to be, especially in his later stuff, more muscular, direct, charged. It's the kind of book you could spend hours discussing. If only Martin Amis could put his linguistic ability to something that explored contemporary Britain as well. People say London Fields et al do so, but it's so much more one-dimensional, I think. Roth seems very much on a par with Amis's beloved Bellow, in terms of scope.
I'm now reading The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by Irish writer John Boyne. Simple in style, readable by 10 year olds (my Irish mother-in-law got it for my 10 year old son), but a moving and original take on writing about Auschwitz, or Out-With as it's now known to us from this book.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-Boy-in-Striped ... F8&s=books
My wife is glued to Ishiguro's Never Let Me Down. Shortlisted for the Booker and receiving much praise, but friends of ours both hated it. It's got the most amazing dust jacket quotes. Kind of thing that makes you want to get a piece of that straight off. Can't wait to read it next:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Let-Go-Ka ... F8&s=books
After that, Roth's American Pastoral beckons. I didn't realise that it, I Married A Communist and Ther Human Stain former a trilogy, all featuring Nathan Z. My copy of the latter makes no ref to this, I think.
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
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Otis Westinghouse
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Was confusing my Bowie and my Ishiguro: it's Never Let Me Go.Otis Westinghouse wrote:My wife is glued to Ishiguro's Never Let Me Down.
Finished The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. Heartbreaking ending. Am drawn to Primo Levi's The Drowned And The Saved to focus my thoughts some more on the unbelievable events that happened there. A detour before Ishiguro. I don't think I've read it before. I read If This Is A Man, If Not Now, When? and The Periodic Table in the late 80s, bit it is worth re-reading if I did. His last book, before sudddenly, without any known premeditation, flinging himself to his death in his apartment block in Turin. His intelligence and reasonableness are exemplary.
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
Otis - There are actually two referecnce to Alex whacking off using a peice of liver.
1. In the chapter 'Whacking Off' Alex writes, ' "Come, Big Boy, come," screamed the maddened piece of liver that, in my own insanity, I bought one afternoon at the butcher shop and, believe it or not, violated behind a billboard on the way to a bar mitzvah lesson.' (p. 19)
2. Later on in the book (don't know chapter name) he writes, 'My first piece I had in the privacy of my own home, rolled around my cock in the bathroom at 3:30--and then had again on the end of a fork, at 5:30, along with the other members of that poor family of mine.' (p. 134)
1. In the chapter 'Whacking Off' Alex writes, ' "Come, Big Boy, come," screamed the maddened piece of liver that, in my own insanity, I bought one afternoon at the butcher shop and, believe it or not, violated behind a billboard on the way to a bar mitzvah lesson.' (p. 19)
2. Later on in the book (don't know chapter name) he writes, 'My first piece I had in the privacy of my own home, rolled around my cock in the bathroom at 3:30--and then had again on the end of a fork, at 5:30, along with the other members of that poor family of mine.' (p. 134)
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think that you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt
- M. Twain
- M. Twain
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VonOfterdingen
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Otis Westinghouse
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I still haven't read it (had my first copy stolen along with another load of books in a bag when I first went to Madrid dages ago, and haven't broached the replacement), but surely someone here will step up to defend it. I have a friend who rates it as one of the best books ever, and the whole idea of it has always fascinated me. Must read soon!
Thanks for liver details! the billboard and the dinner table references stuck in my mind are now confirmed!
Thanks for liver details! the billboard and the dinner table references stuck in my mind are now confirmed!
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
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mood swung
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Stuck at the end of what might possibly be the worst book ever written (Andrew Greeley's Happy Are The Merciful) - it's really laughably awful. My dad gave it to me. I think it's punishment for enjoying all of Barbara Kingsolver's so much.
Also finished John Irving's The Fourth Hand. I posed this to G2S already, but I'll ask it again: are there ANY Irving characters who aren't maimed? This was not as good as A Widow, the last one I'd read, so maybe it's all just downhill from here. I mean, for me.
I'm looking forward to this one, about a "a ghost girl wafting through this ghost house."
Also finished John Irving's The Fourth Hand. I posed this to G2S already, but I'll ask it again: are there ANY Irving characters who aren't maimed? This was not as good as A Widow, the last one I'd read, so maybe it's all just downhill from here. I mean, for me.
I'm looking forward to this one, about a "a ghost girl wafting through this ghost house."
Like me, the "g" is silent.
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so lacklustre
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vonO, Moby Dick is indeed a very strange book, written by a very strange man. I've read it a couple of times (one for school and then for pleasure), and both times I skipped a lot of the technical whaling stuff, and other arcane detailing that he does. The book still works without that stuff, much like War and Peace works even if you skip the boring military campaign stuff. I would not read the book to try to get a picture of American society back in the late nineteenth century. Some of the book's themes certainly give you a feeling for the philosophical obsessions of intellectual americans way back when, and a lot of people read sections of the book as allegories about colonialism, but to me the book is all about Melville's various psychological obsessions, and much of it is made enjoyable by his command of the language. He was a powerful writer, and very mad indeed. Prior to publishing MD, he had been a very popular writer. This book basically killed his career.
Speaking of books, here's the tuff i've been reading, all recommended:
God's Funeral, by A.N. Wilson-- Good stuff on god and the Victorians.
Holy War, by Karen Armstrong--Ex-nun, now an advocate for Muslim virtues, tells us about the Crusades and how the Christians who went off on those rampages are the precursors of all holy wars that follow. A little biased but fun to read.
Constantin's Sword, by James Carroll--Another book by a former Catholic biggie. This one by a former priest, and it's a very long detailed summary of the abuses committed by the Catholic Church on Jews and others.
The Quantum Zoo, A Tourist's Guide to the Neverending Universe, by Marcus Chown-- easy to understand explanations of relativity and quantum theory.
Vidal in Venice, by Gore Vidal-- Picture book with words from Vidal. I am a big fan of GV, who, despite his eccentricities, is in my opinion the finest essayist we got going. He's a bitchy one though. Here's a sampling as he riffs on tourists in Venice (circa 1985): "There are also hordes of Bavarian peasants, who do arrive at dawn in their hired bus, toting their lunch of sausages, brown bread, and wine in string-bags, and who return to their farms the following dawn. After writing some postcards, and maybe buying a gondola-shaped ashtray, all that these day-trippers leave behind them are a few lire and a lot of rubbish". Ouch.
Speaking of books, here's the tuff i've been reading, all recommended:
God's Funeral, by A.N. Wilson-- Good stuff on god and the Victorians.
Holy War, by Karen Armstrong--Ex-nun, now an advocate for Muslim virtues, tells us about the Crusades and how the Christians who went off on those rampages are the precursors of all holy wars that follow. A little biased but fun to read.
Constantin's Sword, by James Carroll--Another book by a former Catholic biggie. This one by a former priest, and it's a very long detailed summary of the abuses committed by the Catholic Church on Jews and others.
The Quantum Zoo, A Tourist's Guide to the Neverending Universe, by Marcus Chown-- easy to understand explanations of relativity and quantum theory.
Vidal in Venice, by Gore Vidal-- Picture book with words from Vidal. I am a big fan of GV, who, despite his eccentricities, is in my opinion the finest essayist we got going. He's a bitchy one though. Here's a sampling as he riffs on tourists in Venice (circa 1985): "There are also hordes of Bavarian peasants, who do arrive at dawn in their hired bus, toting their lunch of sausages, brown bread, and wine in string-bags, and who return to their farms the following dawn. After writing some postcards, and maybe buying a gondola-shaped ashtray, all that these day-trippers leave behind them are a few lire and a lot of rubbish". Ouch.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Otis Westinghouse
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Otis, I don't watch much tv, but the reading time is all courtesy of the crazy commuting times in the NY metropolitan region. I basically spend 2.5 hours each day sitting (albeit comfortably) in commuter trains shuttling in and out of Manhattan (another half hour a day is spent getting in and out of train stations by car and on foot). I use the train time to read. In fact, these days I hardly ever read at home. Reading has always been one of my passions, though.
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Mechanical Grace
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mood swung
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otis wrote
2.5 hours to read, relatively uninterrupted, EVERY (working) DAY? you are a god, alexv.
Stuck in another bad book (I've got to get these piles sorted out!) - Dean Koontz' False Memory or something like that. And the worst part is, I've read it before. But I don't remember enough and the "plot" is just intriguing enough to make me skim thru again.
it's the possibility of penis maiming that concerns me.so lacklustre wrote:
if you can put up with the penis holding episodes.
Any liver involved?
2.5 hours to read, relatively uninterrupted, EVERY (working) DAY? you are a god, alexv.
Stuck in another bad book (I've got to get these piles sorted out!) - Dean Koontz' False Memory or something like that. And the worst part is, I've read it before. But I don't remember enough and the "plot" is just intriguing enough to make me skim thru again.
Like me, the "g" is silent.
Only on WORKING days, Mood. It's usually EVERY working day, except for those days when annoying cell phone users break my concentration, or on night rides home when I fall asleep between Grand Central and Stamford (first stop). Hum, I guess it's not EVERY day. But, we had a beautiful weekend out here and, in between working in the garden and ferrying my boy to baseball games, I did some outdoor reading: "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out", by Richard Feynman. He was a Nobel Prize winning scientist from NYC, with a very unpretentious style. I read his collected letters some time ago. A funny, unconventional genius, whose approach to life is very inspiring.
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mood swung
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Goody2Shoes
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Recently:
Consider The Lobster by David Foster Wallace. A collection of essays on subjects as varied as the lobster industry, John McCain's bid for the republican presidential nomination, conservative talk radio, a gathering at his old neighbor lady's house the afternoon of 9/11, porn video awards, and much more. This guy is a genius, and hysterically funny, if a bit wordy (but he uses the words with such authority and obvious interest in the subject, that you excuse him for this). And maybe just a little self-indulgent, but I would be, too, if I were a genius like that.
July, July by Tim O'Brien. A story about a group of friends that takes place at their 30th college graduation reunion. Someone here, I can't remember who, recommended this a while ago. Breathtaking. Stories like these I think have a tendency to be rather maudlin, and have too much of a "opportunities missed" theme, and while that is certainly present here, O'Brien manages to tell it without getting soppy and sentimental. It's not "The Big Chill". The last 3 pages are especially riveting, serious goose-bump material. I read them about a dozen times, had the same reaction each time through.
The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain, of Kitchen Confidential fame. Which I haven't read. Entertaining, if a bit uneven. He's funny, so vulgar, you know, in a funny way, and I can't figure out if he loves or hates his profession. I imagine it's a bit of both, like most of us.
Currently, I'm reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, one of his books written for kids. My 11-year-old recommended it to me, and she was thrilled that I have finally gotten to it. It's pretty good, I can see how a kid would like it. Funny. I don't know, I guess I just like more sex and foul language in my reading. 'Cause I'm such a high-class broad.
Next up, Lee Smith's Fair And Tender Ladies.
Consider The Lobster by David Foster Wallace. A collection of essays on subjects as varied as the lobster industry, John McCain's bid for the republican presidential nomination, conservative talk radio, a gathering at his old neighbor lady's house the afternoon of 9/11, porn video awards, and much more. This guy is a genius, and hysterically funny, if a bit wordy (but he uses the words with such authority and obvious interest in the subject, that you excuse him for this). And maybe just a little self-indulgent, but I would be, too, if I were a genius like that.
July, July by Tim O'Brien. A story about a group of friends that takes place at their 30th college graduation reunion. Someone here, I can't remember who, recommended this a while ago. Breathtaking. Stories like these I think have a tendency to be rather maudlin, and have too much of a "opportunities missed" theme, and while that is certainly present here, O'Brien manages to tell it without getting soppy and sentimental. It's not "The Big Chill". The last 3 pages are especially riveting, serious goose-bump material. I read them about a dozen times, had the same reaction each time through.
The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain, of Kitchen Confidential fame. Which I haven't read. Entertaining, if a bit uneven. He's funny, so vulgar, you know, in a funny way, and I can't figure out if he loves or hates his profession. I imagine it's a bit of both, like most of us.
Currently, I'm reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, one of his books written for kids. My 11-year-old recommended it to me, and she was thrilled that I have finally gotten to it. It's pretty good, I can see how a kid would like it. Funny. I don't know, I guess I just like more sex and foul language in my reading. 'Cause I'm such a high-class broad.
Next up, Lee Smith's Fair And Tender Ladies.
It's a radiation vibe I'm groovin' on