liampreston
Spend time, not money
Just starting Oryx & Crake.........
*What book are you reading ?
- Thread starter ck
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you should read Psychotic Reactions & Carburettor Dung by Lester Bangs. or The Dark Stuff by Nick Kent. Or Shots From The Hip by Charles Shaar Murray.
y'know, MUSIC JOURNALISM.
anyway, i'm starting Owning Up - The Collected Volumes of George Melly's autobiography, which was a birthday gift from furvert. the man's a lovely flamboyant old fruit and he's had a fascinating life
onemonkey
winmonkey
had a quiet sunday polishing off a few books..
Pinball 1973 - Haruki Murakami - his first novella - his trademark style, atmosphere and oddness are already there - but there isn't enough of a story to keep them coherent.. probably why he doesn't want it to be made available in english but for the fan it is worth the (very short) read.. it's available in electronic samizdat if you search on google.
Faust (part 1) - Goethe - I've long been fascinated by the myth of Faust - don't see how anyone can lose their faith in god but retain a respect for the devil.. (i've said it before and i'll say it again - satanism has got to be the most stupid religion - against some strong competition!) sadly neither Goethe's version of the story nor Kit Marlowe's seem to address this question. Goethe's version is more intimate than Marlowe's & his Mephistopheles is more malevolent.. but sadly the translation i read can't compete with Kit & i doubt it does much justice to the original.
oh and this..
Simple heuristics that make smart
Pinball 1973 - Haruki Murakami - his first novella - his trademark style, atmosphere and oddness are already there - but there isn't enough of a story to keep them coherent.. probably why he doesn't want it to be made available in english but for the fan it is worth the (very short) read.. it's available in electronic samizdat if you search on google.
Faust (part 1) - Goethe - I've long been fascinated by the myth of Faust - don't see how anyone can lose their faith in god but retain a respect for the devil.. (i've said it before and i'll say it again - satanism has got to be the most stupid religion - against some strong competition!) sadly neither Goethe's version of the story nor Kit Marlowe's seem to address this question. Goethe's version is more intimate than Marlowe's & his Mephistopheles is more malevolent.. but sadly the translation i read can't compete with Kit & i doubt it does much justice to the original.
oh and this..
Simple heuristics that make smart
chemical_girl__
troll
after picking up, and swiftly putting down, a rather yawnsone copy of oaradise lost, and an artless book by john le carre, i'm now halfeay thru -
keep the aspadistra flying - george orwell
and im thoroughly enjoying it.......... in terms of characterisation and ease to engage with it, it surpasses 1984.
keep the aspadistra flying - george orwell
and im thoroughly enjoying it.......... in terms of characterisation and ease to engage with it, it surpasses 1984.
foo
dirtysweet
Xinran - The Good Women of China.
Harrowing, and awful tales of women's lives during the Cultural Revolution - stories told to the journalist Xinran who then wrote this book.
I'm having the same (minor) problem as I do when reading JT LeRoy's books - I know the material is important, as is the intention behind the telling of the stories, yet the style of writing irritates. It probably shouldn't matter, but I don't think it's very well written. I can't quite put my finger on what grates - a bit sensationalist perhaps? As with LeRoy, this keeps putting me off but I will persevere because the subject is so interesting and important.
Harrowing, and awful tales of women's lives during the Cultural Revolution - stories told to the journalist Xinran who then wrote this book.
I'm having the same (minor) problem as I do when reading JT LeRoy's books - I know the material is important, as is the intention behind the telling of the stories, yet the style of writing irritates. It probably shouldn't matter, but I don't think it's very well written. I can't quite put my finger on what grates - a bit sensationalist perhaps? As with LeRoy, this keeps putting me off but I will persevere because the subject is so interesting and important.
onemonkey
winmonkey
had another go at getting into High Society by Ben Elton but after grinding through another 30 pages or so, this time i'm not going to bother going any further.. seems to be a completely pointless book.
it was like trying to eat a whole pack of rice cakes.. it's vaguely palatable for the first one and half but then it just becomes more and more of a chore. By a third of the way through the last thing you'll ever want is another rice cake.
Strange because the writing style is fluent, the subject matter & perspective on it were agreeable.. but it is a terrible book.
but everything is so monotonous, there is nothing addictive about the book whatsoever, the plotting so primitive and the characters so one-dimensional that i felt absolutely no curiosity about what happened next, turning each page was laborious.
it's typical ranting, crusading Ben Elton without any humour and no grand imagination.. it is a work of hackery.
all the characters are garish stereotypes, vain politicians, hipocritical journalists, shallow drug addled celebs, upright policemen vs bent coppers, drug dealers more stupid and selfish than outright evil, poor unfortunate heroin addicts.. yes people like these do exist to some extent but to write a book which pushes such stereotypes so relentlessly and unremittingly is both lazy and incredibly cynical.. it merely perpetuates what it claims to hate.
and everything that happens to them is driven by the blunderbus narrative logic worthy of the worst straight to TV movie you could imagine.
When i first heard of the book, i assumed it was an novel set in a near future where all drugs had been legalised.. now if Ben Elton had turned his imagination & humour to that then he might have had some chance of writing a book i could have read..
Sadly he didn't but what does he care?
it was like trying to eat a whole pack of rice cakes.. it's vaguely palatable for the first one and half but then it just becomes more and more of a chore. By a third of the way through the last thing you'll ever want is another rice cake.
Strange because the writing style is fluent, the subject matter & perspective on it were agreeable.. but it is a terrible book.
but everything is so monotonous, there is nothing addictive about the book whatsoever, the plotting so primitive and the characters so one-dimensional that i felt absolutely no curiosity about what happened next, turning each page was laborious.
it's typical ranting, crusading Ben Elton without any humour and no grand imagination.. it is a work of hackery.
all the characters are garish stereotypes, vain politicians, hipocritical journalists, shallow drug addled celebs, upright policemen vs bent coppers, drug dealers more stupid and selfish than outright evil, poor unfortunate heroin addicts.. yes people like these do exist to some extent but to write a book which pushes such stereotypes so relentlessly and unremittingly is both lazy and incredibly cynical.. it merely perpetuates what it claims to hate.
and everything that happens to them is driven by the blunderbus narrative logic worthy of the worst straight to TV movie you could imagine.
When i first heard of the book, i assumed it was an novel set in a near future where all drugs had been legalised.. now if Ben Elton had turned his imagination & humour to that then he might have had some chance of writing a book i could have read..
Sadly he didn't but what does he care?
onenameshelley
is Major Morgan's bitch
Originally posted by Russ5
Just been given a copy of Ian Rankin's 'Watchman' to read, and give opinion on. Fuck, I love my job
Ooooh let us know if its any good i have everything that he has written so far.
Lucky git where can i get a job like that
oh shit, didn't think about that.
sorry...
thank fuck i didn't tell him that the nice french policeman that the sweet school teacher has befriended is actually really the evil handgliding russian serial killer that they are all trying so desperately to avoid and he's going dismember her body after taking her for a cheese and choritzo picnic in the mountains
sorry...
thank fuck i didn't tell him that the nice french policeman that the sweet school teacher has befriended is actually really the evil handgliding russian serial killer that they are all trying so desperately to avoid and he's going dismember her body after taking her for a cheese and choritzo picnic in the mountains
foo
dirtysweet
sylvia plath
I hope you're feeling happy and fulfilled Rollem - you need to be to cope with The Bell Jar.
That book did my head in - although it was years & years ago. I've gone off Silvia Plath since actually. I'll probably get strung up for this but when I attempt to read Plath nowadays I just want to shake her. Especially her poetry.
nasty foo.
I hope you're feeling happy and fulfilled Rollem - you need to be to cope with The Bell Jar.
That book did my head in - although it was years & years ago. I've gone off Silvia Plath since actually. I'll probably get strung up for this but when I attempt to read Plath nowadays I just want to shake her. Especially her poetry.
nasty foo.
Originally posted by onenameshelley
Ooooh let us know if its any good i have everything that he has written so far.
Lucky git where can i get a job like that
I'm proof reading the next edition
the 'uncorrected book proof, not for sale'
fuck i love my job
edit: he first wrote watchman in 88, could never get my hands on it before for at least a 20.
Just finished the sequel "Beyond Nab End" William Woodruff.
Well, erm, starts off okay with his journey into the unknown east end of London as a 16year old sprite but then....
It all becomes this mishmash of sentimental bollox of Oxford and hanging around with the ruling class gits. He chats with Harold Wilson on the steps of Balloil college ffs. Fuckin sold out that sod woody....
Not his fault really though I suppose. His politics were always meandering. But you don't help the workers like me by teaching the ruling class about our movements!
Nuff said....
The first is a masterpeice in its own right though.....
Well, erm, starts off okay with his journey into the unknown east end of London as a 16year old sprite but then....
It all becomes this mishmash of sentimental bollox of Oxford and hanging around with the ruling class gits. He chats with Harold Wilson on the steps of Balloil college ffs. Fuckin sold out that sod woody....
Not his fault really though I suppose. His politics were always meandering. But you don't help the workers like me by teaching the ruling class about our movements!
Nuff said....
The first is a masterpeice in its own right though.....
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