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*What book are you reading? (part 2)

Something almost a shit as gosub 's book. "Epicenter" by Joel C. Rosenberg. Pro-Zionist Christian Evangelical anti-Russian and anti-Islam claptrap masquerading as political comment. Astoundingly, this whackjob was invited to elucidate his fuckspudulence in front of Congress!
 
I'm also reading a bit of a shit book, but seem determined to finish it. The Epicure's Lament by Kate Christensen.

Apparently this is 'loser lit'. The main character is a lazy, rude, misogynist monied prick who dribbles his feckless way through life smoking fags and having sex with beautiful women who demand that he demeans them. It's odd that it's written by a woman, which could make it clever and revealing, but it doesn't.
 
Started reading The Exorcist by William Blatty at lunch. Talking about the ghost story with the fella the other night and he said the book of The Exorcist put the shits right up him when he was younger, so I thought I'd give it a go.
 
ringo said:
I'm also reading a bit of a shit book, but seem determined to finish it. The Epicure's Lament by Kate Christensen.

Apparently this is 'loser lit'. The main character is a lazy, rude, misogynist monied prick who dribbles his feckless way through life smoking fags and having sex with beautiful women who demand that he demeans them. It's odd that it's written by a woman, which could make it clever and revealing, but it doesn't.
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Finished it. Read a few reviews to confirm my theory that she was attempting to write a novel with a main protagonist you're meant to dislike and feel unable to empathise with.

It sort of works, but only because she adds just enough positive attributes to him that the reader hopes he'll redeem himself, chiefly by making him stop rejecting his illegitimate daughter long enough to save her from a paedophile.
 
I based a large part of my parenting techniques on a throwaway sentence in Cannery Row (the bit where the harassed Hispanic mother simply strews beans under the table for grovelling offspring to rootle about like little dogs...only I used raisins and bits of cheese.

Love the humanity in Steinbeck's writing - always true and raw and unmediated.
 
Well, I quite enjoyed The Exorcist. Apart from the fucking bajillion typos in it that kept hurling me out of my suspension of disbelief, that is :rolleyes:

Loads in there that, obviously, never made the film. Glad I read it now. Fix those fucking typos though, my god.
 
Against the Troika - Crisis and Austerity in the Eurozone by Heiner Flassbeck and Costas Lapavitsas.

Making the case for a return to left Keynesianism, and showing how the neo-liberal policies simply do not work as they pretend to. Bloody ages since I read this much economics, it's very good on showing up the fallacies in the neo-liberal model, but not quite as convincing in making its own case - not so far, anyway.
 
Started 'Shark' by Will Self last night. It's a prequel to 'Umbrella' which I read a few months ago (but written afterwards).

Excellent. Fucking about with modernist ideas once again, there are no chapters (as per Umbrella) and the inner consciousness of one character glides (mostly) without any clue into another, with yet other characters, thoughts, and sometimes hints of backstories appearing in italics.

It is not 'an easy read'. You work for the enjoyment, but it really is there in bucketloads. I happen to enjoy reading whilst simultaneously analysing a text - that's 'fun', to me.

I've seen him slagged off so many times for 'swallowing a thesaurus' but you know what - what is so fucking wrong with having an extended vocabulary and choosing exactly the right word to communicate the exact meaning? I sometimes grasp for ages trying to select exactly the right word for my meaning. I love his writing, the style, syntax, experiments, the lot. Hugely satisfying :cool::cool:
 
I lost my reading mojo for a while but it came back by chance last summer when I read 'Wicked'..the alternative story of The Wicked Witch of The West from The Wizard of Oz. I found the book in the apartment I was staying in & devoured it after I finally finished '12 years a slave'. This year I have read 'And The Mountains Echoed' by Khaled Hosseni whom wrote 'The Kite Runner'. At first I was wary/weary of it being a downtrodden Afghan story but it certainly isn't.

Then I read 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn which I also enjoyed very much & will be sending a copy to my sister for her upcoming birthday. Currently I'm reading 'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton and about 65 pages in and again happily engrossed. In the post today I received 'A Confederacy Of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole and 'Do No Harm' by Henry Marsh.
 
sojourner said:
I've seen him slagged off so many times for 'swallowing a thesaurus' but you know what - what is so fucking wrong with having an extended vocabulary and choosing exactly the right word to communicate the exact meaning? I sometimes grasp for ages trying to select exactly the right word for my meaning. I love his writing, the style, syntax, experiments, the lot. Hugely satisfying :cool::cool:
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I used to not be able to read him, or thought I couldn't, as I thought he was an insufferable post-modern smartarse. And I already read lots of Umberto Eco, so had no need for two such authors in my life (also, it was a pain in the arse having to carry around both a big book and an even bigger dictionary to look up the obscure words). Then I read How the Dead Live and realised how wrong I was.

Because the whole point is, he really does use precisely the right word at the right time, he isn't just showing off his erudition like some pisspoor pseudo-intellectual trying to hide their averageness behind big words (a No Prize goes to the person who first mentions the particular lefty blogger I'm thinking of there...). It's challenging and enlightening, and really bloody clever. and a lot easier to look up now I only have to highlight the word on me kindle
 
kittyP said:
Rivers of London - And I am thoroughly enjoying it :)
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You're the second person to recommend that to me in as many days. My Mum liked it, too, although she did add 'I doubt you'd like it' which she says about everything tbf. I think she believes me to be incapable of enjoying anything. Anyhow, I shall give it a whirl.
 
belboid said:
I used to not be able to read him, or thought I couldn't, as I thought he was an insufferable post-modern smartarse. And I already read lots of Umberto Eco, so had no need for two such authors in my life (also, it was a pain in the arse having to carry around both a big book and an even bigger dictionary to look up the obscure words). Then I read How the Dead Live and realised how wrong I was.

Because the whole point is, he really does use precisely the right word at the right time, he isn't just showing off his erudition like some pisspoor pseudo-intellectual trying to hide their averageness behind big words (a No Prize goes to the person who first mentions the particular lefty blogger I'm thinking of there...). It's challenging and enlightening, and really bloody clever. and a lot easier to look up now I only have to highlight the word on me kindle
Click to expand...
:):cool::cool::cool::thumbs:

Exactly!

I've not read that How the Dead Live - they've only got it on a talking CD at the library. Not sure I want to hear someone's voice other than my own reading that to me.
 
I usually have three or four on the go I've just finished Philippa Gregory"s The King's Curse from the Cousin's War series and am also reading Poison a Social History by Joel Levy along with the Thomas Cromwell one - time to trawl my book hoard for another to read.
Edit - damned & blasted auto correct :mad:
 
Finished Stockhausen serves Imperialism by Cardew last night. It's raw, undiluted, and vociferous communist polemic against the avant-garde, but oh so conservative in its own way.

I think Adorno and the Maoist era Cardew were both wrong on music, basically. Revolutionary intent can be conceived by the composer but whether it translates to the (potentially revolutionary) subject is another question entirely.
 
Joyland by Stephen King. Been a wee while since I've read a Stephen King, actually went to the library to get Doctor Sleep, there were 2 copies last time I was there but none when I went back so picked up Joyland. Enjoying so far.
 
I have just read Fortunes Pawn by Rachel Bach. I enjoyed it, some new sci-fi ideas, quite a lot of action and an ending which leaves one wondering if there is a sequel.
 
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