The Monster At Our Door by Mike Davies...about Avian Flu, bit boring.
Brave New World by Huxley...amazing, epsecially that this was written in the 30s but reads like it could have been written yesterday.
Stephen Fry's Incomplete & Utter History of Classical Music...entertaining, but a bit disjointed. Not nearly as good as the sheer utter brilliance of his autobiog. Moab Is My Washpot.
What, if push comes to uncouth shove, is your favourite book of all time?
Mine's one I'd forgotten about...I usually say Great Expectations, but found an old copy of Christie Malry's Own Double Entry by B.S Johnson - a work of postmodern genius. Bitter, funny, compelling...it's got the lot!
Anyone else read it.......it's about a bloke who hates his job, so takes out his revenge for any injustices he has suffered upon the world, indiscriminately. It's great.
books, books, books
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Who Shot Sam?
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selfmademug
Cool, Mug!selfmademug wrote:I'm adding that to my list, Vez. My ex has a copy (gift from my brother!) that should be borrowed easily enough.
As often happens, I'm reading two books at once (it's usually 2 or none!). I'm about half-way through Dylan's CHRONICLES and have just started Jared Diamond's COLLAPSE.
What do you think of Chronicles so far?
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selfmademug
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Otis Westinghouse
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I want to read it again after hearing loads more of his stuff, and also getting New Morning, but must get Oh Mercy first. I think there are many gems in it! I loved the New Orlenas bit most of all, though I adored the descriptions of his NY days too. And his stunningly precise memory of the exact weather conditions on any given day! The musical theory section is remerkable too!
What's Watchman, ElV?
What's Watchman, ElV?
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
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selfmademug
I figure these are either Thoreau-style diary notes or sheer invention. But I don't much care. It just underscores the sense I get of Go-ahead-and-bother-to-contradict-me,-I-won't-deign-to-notice-or-care.Otis Westinghouse wrote:his stunningly precise memory of the exact weather conditions on any given day
Finished Watchmen last night. Damn. That's all I can say.....damn.
Otis -
Here's a link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140120 ... e&n=283155
Normally I'd go into it and try to answer your question but I'm under the weather today.
Otis -
Here's a link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140120 ... e&n=283155
Normally I'd go into it and try to answer your question but I'm under the weather today.
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Otis Westinghouse
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If you were Bob Dylan and it was 40 years later, you would go into precise details about the kind of weather you were under, but I hope it passes quickly. So it's a graphic novel - will wait for you to get out from the weather to extol its virtues. As ever on amazon, most people reckon it's the best thing ever, and then someone pops up and says 'don't waste your time!'
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
Well, the thing that got me into trouble yesterday was that I started out on burgundy and soon hit the harder stuff. By mid-afternoon I was wondering what price I had to pay to get out of going through all these things twice while, unfortunately, being completely unable to buy a thrill because I splurged on cough syrup and vitamin c pills. And absinthe. Ok, that was really bad and I promise to never, ever do it again.Otis Westinghouse wrote:If you were Bob Dylan and it was 40 years later, you would go into precise details about the kind of weather you were under, but I hope it passes quickly. So it's a graphic novel - will wait for you to get out from the weather to extol its virtues. As ever on amazon, most people reckon it's the best thing ever, and then someone pops up and says 'don't waste your time!'
Gosh, where to start with Watchmen. Actually, the thing I most want to compare it to is Roman Polanski's Chinatown. I think both are brilliant examples of having a story that basically begins as a tiny crack in the windshield that soon becomes two slightly larger cracks, then three even larger ones and then they start appearing at this exponential rate until the glass explodes and slices you into ribbons. I hope that metaphor wasn't too strained. Watchmen is about a lot of things. It's a dark night of the soul version of The Incredibles, it's an alternate U.S. history where an American scientist becomes a very real and powerful superman and the effect that such a thing would have had on the relationship between the United States and Russia during the Cold War (Nixon becomes a three term president so I'll let you draw your own conclusions there) There are also more superficial (but highly enjoyable) revenge, redemption and sleuthing elements to it and, up until the finale, it can probably just be enjoyed as this amazingly absorbing piece of fiction. I'm glossing over a lot because there are a lot of twists and turns that would be best enjoyed if you have no idea what's coming. At any rate, I loved it and recommend it to anyone on the board who might be even remotely interested in reading it.
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Otis Westinghouse
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I'm sold! Sounds like a good option for a Christmas book token. Amazon UK is uniformly glowing:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 30-4783059
I remember getting into absinthe a bit when I was a whipper-snapper. Unfortunately the wormwood psychotropic Toulouse-Lautrec version no longer exists, it's all a bit sanitised, but it still gives a good kick. Sounds like you've done your best to enhance its effects.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 30-4783059
I remember getting into absinthe a bit when I was a whipper-snapper. Unfortunately the wormwood psychotropic Toulouse-Lautrec version no longer exists, it's all a bit sanitised, but it still gives a good kick. Sounds like you've done your best to enhance its effects.
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
El Vez, it was nice to read your appraisal of Watchmen. I purchased it on the installment plan when it first came out. 1 issue at a time for twelve issues total.
To put it into some context I had been a childhood comic reader until the age of about 10 or 11. Nothing unusual, Marvel, DC, 2000AD from England, Mad & Cracked magazine. When it was time to put childish things away they went into a box in the basement. Then in my college years I was introduced to Harvey Pekar's American Splendor, Love & Rockets & RAW magazine. I was hooked again.
Sometime in the mid-80s the mainstream media discovered this graphic art-form & would all publish the same article with the same caption. 'Comics; Not just for kids anymore!'
It was into this world that Watchmen & Dark Knight appeared. It seems strange now, but it took some convincing for me to take Watchmen seriously. I had some distaste for the super-hero genre & tried to make the justification that Watchmen was skewering the mores of that particular sub-class. With the current public embrace of Batman, Spiderman, Fantastic 4, X-Men etc at least in movie form, it seems strange to consider a time when it might be considered ridiculous for an adult to be concerned with the goings on of these men (& women) in tights!
So my own reading of Watchmen was perhaps blighted by that prejudice. I loved the symmetry & hard lines of Dave Gibbons art. I loved the literary quotes that ended each issue, hinting that this was not an ordinary super-hero tale. But a year after buying the comics I sold them back to the store, happy with their increase in value & happy to have those caped (& non-caped) crusaders out of my life.
I was not wise or insightful enough to make a connection like you did with Chinatown. If I can continue to love art spiegelman's Maus where people are portrayed as animals, why should I presume a tale involving super-folk can't have something to say about the cold war, about corruption & about deception.
If you have made it this far, please forgive my ramblings, but at least know that I am grateful for you resparking my interest in this remnant of my adolescence. I am sure when I repurchase it, it will sit proudly shelved next to my Pekar, Hernandez, Ware, spiegelman, Clowes & Sacco etc.
To put it into some context I had been a childhood comic reader until the age of about 10 or 11. Nothing unusual, Marvel, DC, 2000AD from England, Mad & Cracked magazine. When it was time to put childish things away they went into a box in the basement. Then in my college years I was introduced to Harvey Pekar's American Splendor, Love & Rockets & RAW magazine. I was hooked again.
Sometime in the mid-80s the mainstream media discovered this graphic art-form & would all publish the same article with the same caption. 'Comics; Not just for kids anymore!'
It was into this world that Watchmen & Dark Knight appeared. It seems strange now, but it took some convincing for me to take Watchmen seriously. I had some distaste for the super-hero genre & tried to make the justification that Watchmen was skewering the mores of that particular sub-class. With the current public embrace of Batman, Spiderman, Fantastic 4, X-Men etc at least in movie form, it seems strange to consider a time when it might be considered ridiculous for an adult to be concerned with the goings on of these men (& women) in tights!
So my own reading of Watchmen was perhaps blighted by that prejudice. I loved the symmetry & hard lines of Dave Gibbons art. I loved the literary quotes that ended each issue, hinting that this was not an ordinary super-hero tale. But a year after buying the comics I sold them back to the store, happy with their increase in value & happy to have those caped (& non-caped) crusaders out of my life.
I was not wise or insightful enough to make a connection like you did with Chinatown. If I can continue to love art spiegelman's Maus where people are portrayed as animals, why should I presume a tale involving super-folk can't have something to say about the cold war, about corruption & about deception.
If you have made it this far, please forgive my ramblings, but at least know that I am grateful for you resparking my interest in this remnant of my adolescence. I am sure when I repurchase it, it will sit proudly shelved next to my Pekar, Hernandez, Ware, spiegelman, Clowes & Sacco etc.
As always Richard, it's nice to hear from you and I'm sure I'm not the only board member who wishes you were a regular at this proverbial gin joint.
Are you familiar with Neil Gaiman? I've been meaning to get into Sandman for years now and the longer I put it off, the more overwhelming that whole series seems to be and I don't have clue one as to where I should start. I've also been meaning to pick up American Gods since the thing came out.
I'm with you on The Dark Knight Returns. What an amazing read that was. I was a little young for it when it came out but it was definitely a big deal for me in undergrad. I remember the first really dark, edgy comic that I ever read (at least it seemed that way to me at the time) was a six-part Spider Man storyline where Kraven The Hunter shoots him point blank and Parker is buried, claws out of his grave into this dank sewer and we're introduced to Vermin, one of the more repulsive Marvel villains and then there was this really nasty showdown between Spider Man and an insane Kraven. I was maybe seven or eight at the time and I remember being blown away by how vicious that story was. I'd give anything to find a reprint of it somewhere but I never can.
And while I'm on this thread, are there any other James Morrow fans on the board? Towing Jehovah and Bible Stories For Adults are two of my all time favorite books.
Are you familiar with Neil Gaiman? I've been meaning to get into Sandman for years now and the longer I put it off, the more overwhelming that whole series seems to be and I don't have clue one as to where I should start. I've also been meaning to pick up American Gods since the thing came out.
I'm with you on The Dark Knight Returns. What an amazing read that was. I was a little young for it when it came out but it was definitely a big deal for me in undergrad. I remember the first really dark, edgy comic that I ever read (at least it seemed that way to me at the time) was a six-part Spider Man storyline where Kraven The Hunter shoots him point blank and Parker is buried, claws out of his grave into this dank sewer and we're introduced to Vermin, one of the more repulsive Marvel villains and then there was this really nasty showdown between Spider Man and an insane Kraven. I was maybe seven or eight at the time and I remember being blown away by how vicious that story was. I'd give anything to find a reprint of it somewhere but I never can.
And while I'm on this thread, are there any other James Morrow fans on the board? Towing Jehovah and Bible Stories For Adults are two of my all time favorite books.
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Who Shot Sam?
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Well, I broke down and bought the outstanding history that Rick Glanvill wrote to commemorate Chelsea's centenary when I was at the Megastore on Saturday (not surprisingly, it ain't available over here).
Not anything that anyone else on the board would ever want to read, but I got through a big chunk of it on the way home today and it is top-notch football writing, and very balanced. Fascinating little tidbits on the founding of the club (it involves a dogbite), the Abramovich takeover and the huge debt Chelsea were carrying at the time, the hooligan element, and the club's general futility and the many reasons behind it.
Nice photos too, including one of Raquel Welch demonstrating her free kick technique in a Peter Osgood replica kit.
Not anything that anyone else on the board would ever want to read, but I got through a big chunk of it on the way home today and it is top-notch football writing, and very balanced. Fascinating little tidbits on the founding of the club (it involves a dogbite), the Abramovich takeover and the huge debt Chelsea were carrying at the time, the hooligan element, and the club's general futility and the many reasons behind it.
Nice photos too, including one of Raquel Welch demonstrating her free kick technique in a Peter Osgood replica kit.
Last edited by Who Shot Sam? on Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thank you for your kind words El Vez. It is always a pleasure to be able to read & contribute. I only wish it could be more often. I prefer vodka to gin, but vodka joint just doesn't have the same resonance does it?
I too let Sandman slip through my fingers & it does indeed look like a daunting prospect to begin now. Please post your thoughts if you do dive in.
You mentioned Bible Stories For Adults which I am not familiar with at all. It did bring to mind the Canadian Chester Brown's Yummy Fur series which is long since out of print. He worked his way through the entire Gospel Of Mark & part of the Gospel Of Matthew as back up strips to the main story before the series ended. I would love to see them in collected form. Understanding that they were back ups to a strip that dealt with a clown that had the head of another dimensions president on the end of his penis lets you know that these were Biblical retellings unlike any you have ever seen.
I too let Sandman slip through my fingers & it does indeed look like a daunting prospect to begin now. Please post your thoughts if you do dive in.
You mentioned Bible Stories For Adults which I am not familiar with at all. It did bring to mind the Canadian Chester Brown's Yummy Fur series which is long since out of print. He worked his way through the entire Gospel Of Mark & part of the Gospel Of Matthew as back up strips to the main story before the series ended. I would love to see them in collected form. Understanding that they were back ups to a strip that dealt with a clown that had the head of another dimensions president on the end of his penis lets you know that these were Biblical retellings unlike any you have ever seen.
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Otis Westinghouse
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The mid-to-late eighties was definitely a cultural watershed for the comics world, commercially, it's entirely possible it was a bit of a last hurrah.
At that point in my life, I'd pretty much foresworn all comics other than Will Eisner's "The Spirit" (still the greatest comic ever created, to my mind).
"Watchmen" is probably my favorite by far from that time, the mix of political thriller and absurdist humor was too much for me. "Dark Knight" was kind of the American semi-reactionary response to Alan Moore's British radicalism and it was almost as brilliant and maybe even more provocative.
Almost as good as these, was Frank Miller's and Bill Sienkiewicz's mind blowing "Elektra: Assasin" which was basically a superheroic "Prizzi's Honor" as drawn by a photo-realist Marc Chagall or something.
Of course, all these comics were supposed to be a signpost on the way to artistic maturity for mainstream (as opposed to alternative/undergroundish) comics. They were supposed to be marking the death of the superhero genre, much in the same way that Sam Peckinpaugh and Sergio Leone's films were marking the end of the traditional western. "Sandman", which was wonderful and occasionally wonderfully sick stuff, seemed to be pointing the way out toward genre fiction that was a hair less dependent on guys in acrobat suits.
However, it was anything but. Kind of unfortunately but definitely ironically, the post-modern superhero comic because a kind of a genre unto itself. The darn things kept selling. Even Alan Moore who at point swore of superheroes entirely, felt compelled to return to the form.
Can you tell I'm putting off a big job I have to do?
At that point in my life, I'd pretty much foresworn all comics other than Will Eisner's "The Spirit" (still the greatest comic ever created, to my mind).
"Watchmen" is probably my favorite by far from that time, the mix of political thriller and absurdist humor was too much for me. "Dark Knight" was kind of the American semi-reactionary response to Alan Moore's British radicalism and it was almost as brilliant and maybe even more provocative.
Almost as good as these, was Frank Miller's and Bill Sienkiewicz's mind blowing "Elektra: Assasin" which was basically a superheroic "Prizzi's Honor" as drawn by a photo-realist Marc Chagall or something.
Of course, all these comics were supposed to be a signpost on the way to artistic maturity for mainstream (as opposed to alternative/undergroundish) comics. They were supposed to be marking the death of the superhero genre, much in the same way that Sam Peckinpaugh and Sergio Leone's films were marking the end of the traditional western. "Sandman", which was wonderful and occasionally wonderfully sick stuff, seemed to be pointing the way out toward genre fiction that was a hair less dependent on guys in acrobat suits.
However, it was anything but. Kind of unfortunately but definitely ironically, the post-modern superhero comic because a kind of a genre unto itself. The darn things kept selling. Even Alan Moore who at point swore of superheroes entirely, felt compelled to return to the form.
Can you tell I'm putting off a big job I have to do?
http://www.forwardtoyesterday.com -- Where "hopelessly dated" is a compliment!
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VonOfterdingen
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"Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive"--Jared Diamond. A truly frightening but interesting book about how different cultures over the centuries have ended up destroying themselves, particularly due to often unintentional ecological policies. Highly recommended.
"Still Looking"--John Updike. Next to SMM, America's foremost non-professional (I assume SMM is not professionally involved) art critic looks at American painters. Great writer; great art; can't miss.
"The Letters of Richard Feynman"-- edited by his daughter. A Nobel Prize winning quantum theorist's letters to one and all (if you wrote him, he answered you). Inspirational. The most moving book I've read all year.
"Quarrels and Quandary"--Cynthia Ozick. I love her essays and review. Here she has a movie review of Portrait of a Lady that I think is the best "movie" review of any of the James movies. Also writes beautifully about NYC, Kafka, Ann Frank and others.
"Still Looking"--John Updike. Next to SMM, America's foremost non-professional (I assume SMM is not professionally involved) art critic looks at American painters. Great writer; great art; can't miss.
"The Letters of Richard Feynman"-- edited by his daughter. A Nobel Prize winning quantum theorist's letters to one and all (if you wrote him, he answered you). Inspirational. The most moving book I've read all year.
"Quarrels and Quandary"--Cynthia Ozick. I love her essays and review. Here she has a movie review of Portrait of a Lady that I think is the best "movie" review of any of the James movies. Also writes beautifully about NYC, Kafka, Ann Frank and others.
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selfmademug
You guys know that whole Simpsons/Sopranos/Buffy & Philosophy series? Well, there's one on Dylan coming out in January and one of the chapters was written by Elizabeth Brake, a friend of mine, so I thought I'd plug that a bit.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081269 ... ingrain-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081269 ... ingrain-20
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Otis Westinghouse
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