*What book are you reading ?

[May Kasahara]

I'm reading 'Small Island' for my book club, and so far it's hard to see what all the fuss is about. I'm only about 70 pages in though, so maybe it heats up later on. Not that it's bad or anything, just seems rather unremarkable. I put it down and instantly forget all about it.

Well, I've finally finished 'Small Island' and I am pleased to say that it completely won me over in the end. It stayed unengaging until a particular scene (the riot in the cinema), when the writing suddenly seemed to take off, the characters became more real and I actually started to give a shit. I wouldn't say it's any kind of groundbreaking, but it was ultimately funny, moving and interesting and I'm glad I read it.

Next is "I'm Not Scared" by Niccolo Ammaniti (sp?) which I've had out of the library for ages.

 

[maya]

Howard Zinn: USA- A People's History Of The United States
(interesting "grassroots" perspective)

Norah Vincent: Self-Made Man- My Year Disguised As A Man
(very interesting about identity, gender, etc.- recommended read!)

 

[rachamim18]

I am rereading "Conferderacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy OToole. The book has an amazing story behind it. The author committed suicide in his late twenties, at the end of the 1960s. The unpublished manuscript sat in his mom's attic gathering dust. Then, in the late 80s, the mom approached a creative writing professor and asked him to read the yellowed and stained manuscript. The professor, criniging, reluctantly agreed. To his amazement he was enthralled by the book. He realised he had a masterpiece on his hands, perhaps the funniest book he had ever read. He helped it get published and the book subsequently won a Pullitzer. Sadly though, it is the only thing ever written by the author. What a tragedy as the book is the work of genius.

Also reading: "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles. So far so good, onloy the first 60 odd pasges so far. For those that skipped the movie, period romance.

"The Palestinian People: A History" by Baruch Kimmerling and Joel S. Migdal. Very informative , slightly partisan [pro-Arab] but chock full of [ pertinent data].


[Edited for spelling]

 

[Philbc03]

I am rereading "Conferderacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy OToole. The book has an amazing story behind it. The author committed suicide in his late twenties, at the end of the 1960s. The unpublished manuscript sat in his mom's attic gathering dust. Then, in the late 80s, the mom approached a creative writing professor and asked him to read the yellowed and stained manuscript. The professor, criniging, reluctantly agreed. To his amazement he was enthralled by the book. He realised he had a masterpiece on his hands, perhaps the funniest book he had ever read. He helped it get published and the book subsequently won a Pullitzer. Sadly though, it is the only thing ever written by the author. What a tragedy as the book is the work of genius.

Correctomundo. I've just read this aswell and it is probably the funniest book I've ever read. Everyone should read this.

Now I'm on Gregory Benford's physics thriller, 'Cosm'. No laughs there.

 

[Boogie Boy]

Well after reading 'The Man In The High Castle' (Philip K Dick) a friend recommended 'The Outsider' (Albert Camus), which I found mildly interesting, but not greatly thought provoking. I'm not sure what to try next - hopefully it will leave me in a better mind than these.

BB

 

[feyr]

i am about to start Lifeless by Mark Billingham. not to taxing but nice enough

 

[jeff_leigh]

Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind - Had these 4 volumes sitting on my shelf for about a year now just started reading it two nights ago. Pretty good going so far

 

[Pieface]

Norah Vincent: Self-Made Man- My Year Disguised As A Man
(very interesting about identity, gender, etc.- recommended read!)

I read some interesting reviews of this - didn't she end up feeling sorry for men after her experiences and found she enjoyed their social dynamics more? May give it a try....

I'm about to start the second of the Cormac McCarthy Border trilogy - called the Crossing.

All the Pretty Horses was fantastic. I'm reading such good books this year - it's making me very happy

 

[Dirty Martini]

All the Pretty Horses was fantastic. I'm reading such good books this year - it's making me very happy

It's a great book. I haven't been able to get into any of his others though.

Coming to the end of Walter Abish's How German Is It and loving it.

 

[Dubversion]

Sadly though, it is the only thing ever written by the author.

not so, Confederacy was published earlier than that (1979-80?) and The Neon Bible - a much less brilliant work - was also published, but that WAS in the late 80s (he wrote it when he was a kid and even he didn't think it was worth putting out).

The CoD movie is on hold. Again

 

[maya]

Norah Vincent: Self-Made Man- My Year Disguised As A Man

I read some interesting reviews of this - didn't she end up feeling sorry for men after her experiences and found she enjoyed their social dynamics more? May give it a try..

yeah- basically she's a queer woman who decided to try and do the "walraff journo" thing and live disguised as a man for one year,
completely taking on the role of a man (lacing in boobs, fake beard growth, adopting masculine body language/movement, changing behaviour i.e. language, voice etc.)
she made friends with both men and women (some of them thought she was a gay/feminine man, but nobody suspected the role she was playing at all)

and yeah- in the end she got an even more sympathetic view of men, became more critical towards some shitty behaviour in women towards them- realising how far feminism have changed society and male-female power relations,
in fact she felt that men in some ways have become more marginalised...

very interesting book, well worth a try...

 

[tastebud]

yeah- basically she's a queer woman who decided to try and do the "walraff journo" thing and live disguised as a man for one year,
completely taking on the role of a man (lacing in boobs, fake beard growth, adopting masculine body language/movement, changing behaviour i.e. language, voice etc.)
she made friends with both men and women (some of them thought she was a gay/feminine man, but nobody suspected the role she was playing at all)

and yeah- in the end she got an even more sympathetic view of men, became more critical towards some shitty behaviour in women towards them- realising how far feminism have changed society and male-female power relations,
in fact she felt that men in some ways have become more marginalised...

very interesting book, well worth a try...

That sounds really interesting.
---
Yesterday I started reading The Bookseller of Kabul. 'Twas awful. She's an astonishingly bad writer. Don't think I'll continue, which is a shame as it's a bit of a wasted opportunity and could've been something very interesting.

This evening I just started reading Maximum City, Bombay Lost and Found by Suketa Mehta.

 

[Dirty Martini]

So I'd recommend How German Is It by Walter Abish.

Novel of late 70s Germany (written 1980) and its relationship to the past by American experimental realist who hadn't been to Germany when he wrote it. Lots of droll, intentionally flat writing that lays waste to the German economic/social miracle, tons of plot, very funny, slightly baffling, utterly confident, unique, characters beautifully drawn. It's now in Penguin Classics after a long time virtually unavailable.

Now: Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger.

 

[Pieface]

have started The Crossing.

He's not a writer you can get into on the train first thing in the morning. I ended up listening to Kiss FM while looking out the window in a bovine manner

 

[Philbc03]

Currently on George Orwell's 'Burmese Days'. V good so far (65 pages in)

 

[Orang Utan]

That sounds really interesting.
---
Yesterday I started reading The Bookseller of Kabul. 'Twas awful. She's an astonishingly bad writer. Don't think I'll continue, which is a shame as it's a bit of a wasted opportunity and could've been something very interesting.

My suspicions were correct then! <smug smilie>

 

[maya]

yesterday I started reading The Bookseller of Kabul. 'Twas awful. She's an astonishingly bad writer. Don't think I'll continue, which is a shame as it's a bit of a wasted opportunity and could've been something very interesting.

i agree. she's an awful, awful "author"- she couldn't write her way out of an unwanted marriage proposal, even if she tried- worst fucking uncoherent purplish language i've ever had the misfortune to read... !

she should stick to TV journalism...i bet the only reason she got published is that she's "young and beautiful", plus a bit of a B-celebrity as a war journalist...stupid cow.

not only is her "language" the verbal equivalent of having an enema shoved up your arse in a sahara detention camp, but she's immensely irritating in person as well-
what the fark happened to "authors" who could actually WRITE, not just look good and perfectly coiffeured on a humongous mugshot splashed over glossy hardback covers in woolworth's? : mad :

- reclaim the publishing industry with REAL writing! - abolish pictures of writers! - let the WORDS speak for themselves! - DOWN with this sort of thing!

 

[tastebud]

re, maya post:

to be honest i'm always a bit dubious about western authors going to another culture; thinking that they can fit in all good and well and get a balanced viewpoint on how things work in that society and culture. she even states at the beginning that her perspective is not actually a true representation of typical afghani life, as she lives with a middle-class family etc. why bloody bother? what a waste of writing, travelling, journalism. she also seemed to assume an air of authority about things which she couldn't have possibly know about. at times she even seemed to criticise the culture. this itself is insulting and annoying but i think her writing style was an even bigger problem!

i mean bad authors are one thing - i think it annoyed me that such a bad author was doing something as cool as what she ended up doing in order to write the book. ah well. it's not exactly uncommon i guess.

no orang, you weren't right particularly. i resent the term mum-lit to be honest. can mum's not read good books then or something?

anyway, whatever.

my current book is pleasing me greatly. he's a great writer and it's sooo exciting to read about bombay. it's such a completely crazy place - i think like no other. on the one hand i'm soooo excited and am counting the days - three weeks today! - and on the other i stare at the pages like this: - cannot wait!

 

[spartacus mills]

I'm on 'Niagara' by cult-actress turned writer Mary Woronov.

 

[chooch]

Just finished Joseph Roth the white cities- journalism from his decline/exile in France. Wonderful stuff.

 

[May Kasahara]

I'm on 'Niagara' by cult-actress turned writer Mary Woronov.

I didn't know she was writing now....she's cool. *goes off to Amazon*

And kudos for a truly excellent tagline!

 

[May Kasahara]

i mean bad authors are one thing - i think it annoyed me that such a bad author was doing something as cool as what she ended up doing in order to write the book.

The worst book I ever read, I think, was 'The Hot Zone', by Richard Preston - it's an account of the Ebola scare a few years ago with some backstory about the virus and what it does. I have never struggled through such bad prose, such awful misuse of the rhetorical question, such rampant egofrotting and just plain bad English. It's a mark of how fascinating the subject matter is that I made it to the end, but it made my blood boil. The climax of the book comes when Mr Preston, by now in total slavery to his monstrously out of control sense of self-importance, climbs to the cave where the virus is thought to have originated and stands around for a few minutes wittering on about how he's face to face with the heart of darkness, going mano a mano against this deadly blah blah blah. The fact that he's wearing a hazmat suit rather detracts from the sense of occasion, not to mention thwarting my strong desire for him to finish the book by actually contracting the fucking virus and dying bloodily in a heap.

Here's the author photo:

 

[Philbc03]

Just started Romanitas by Sophia McDougall.

Makes you sick to think she's just 24

 

[bluestreak]

i keep forgetting to update this thread.

i've started re-reading microserfs by douglas coupland. i forgot what a wonderful writer he is and how amazingly real his characters are. his writing is so clean and readable without ever being too sparse or unformed.

 

[Dubversion]

still dipping into the Dream Life but now reading a fantastic collection of Jim Thompson's noir novels - The Grifters, The Getaway, Pop. something or other and Killer Inside Me.

brilliant stuff.

 

[Leica]

Jim Thompson's noir novels

They are among my favourites.

 

[KernowBoy]

Robbie Fowler's autobiography.

Its a very interesting read. About half way through now. Just got to the bit about the drugs rumours. Started by the bluenoses.

 

[rennie]

1001 nights. excellent!

 

[milesy]

i've started re-reading microserfs by douglas coupland. i forgot what a wonderful writer he is and how amazingly real his characters are. his writing is so clean and readable without ever being too sparse or unformed.

he's ace. i've just started reading Jpod, and can't put it down. (except for now, when i wanted to post this on my way to the toilet)

 

[foamy]

bit of trash for me: Tony Parsons: 'Stories we could tell'