Books

[dorian gray]

NAD: yous wants to try some Jonathan Franzen? I'll mail you The Twenty-Seventh City when I'm done. It's his first novel. Not the best, but I gave his other, better shit to someone else. Lemme know.

 

[spaffe]

Re-read Crime and punishment some weeks ago and concluded boldly that it's one of the best books ever written. Now I'm almost through Brothers Karamazov and is ready to say the same about this one

<3 Dostojevskij <3

 

[Necromunchkin]

So for all Rushdie advocates, what is a good starting point for his work? Should I go with the infamous "Satanic Verses" or is there a better literary beginning for his writings?

 

[dorian gray]

spaffe, you got some serious free time on your hands

 

[spaffe]

spaffe, you got some serious free time on your hands

Haha yup, that I have. But, as we all know, that'll all change when/if the kids come, hence I try to make good use of the time now
Basically, I need to go through a lot of books now, so that I know what's worth re-reading when in the future I have less spare time

 

[dorian gray]

Lurch, are you listening to spaffe here?

 

[NAD]

NAD: yous wants to try some Jonathan Franzen? I'll mail you The Twenty-Seventh City when I'm done. It's his first novel. Not the best, but I gave his other, better shit to someone else. Lemme know.

I have no idea who that is, but okay, I'll read it.

So for all Rushdie advocates, what is a good starting point for his work? Should I go with the infamous "Satanic Verses" or is there a better literary beginning for his writings?

I started with The Satanic Verses and cannot suggest a better start, even if Fury is my favourite by him. Shalimar the Clown is in close third place compared to those two, and although that one takes a long time to get into, once it does, christ. Quote:

Who killed the children? Who whipped the parents? Who raped that lazy-eyed woman? Who raped that grey-haired lazy-eyed woman as she screamed about snake vengeance? Who raped that woman again? Who raped that woman again? Who raped that dead woman? Who raped that dead woman again?

*shudders*

Umm, since last time I've read The Waltz Invention and Despair by Nabokov, Crooked Little Vein and books 2, 3, & 4 of Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis, and smore more Lovecraft. Currently reading Dirk Gently and the Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul which is starting to become favourite Adams since the second HitchHiker's book.

In more accessible booknews, I recently picked up the His Dark Materials trilogy because the woman loved the movie and I want to read the book first, and I got that Borat book of literary genius.

 

[Nico]

Currently reading Dirk Gently and the Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul which is starting to become favourite Adams since the second HitchHiker's book.

Hoping to hell here that you've covered Holistic Detective Agency first...

 

[Necromunchkin]

I think "Dirk Gently" and "..Teatime" are my favorite Adams books ever. Thanks for the reco, going to pick up "Satanic Verses" Thursday. Should make for great holiday reading (once I finish up with the Vonnegut I'm reading at the moment.)

 

[NAD]

Hoping to hell here that you've covered Holistic Detective Agency first...

Jess, read that earlier this year I believe. I remember the typical review liked the first but didn't the second, but I'm having the opposite reaction so far. Well, I liked Holistic but I'm enjoying this one more it seems. The only Adams I didn't like was Mostly Harmless, it put me in a foul mood, very much unlike his other work. I later read that the time during the writing of that one he was very depressed indeed. It shows.

I think "Dirk Gently" and "..Teatime" are my favorite Adams books ever. Thanks for the reco, going to pick up "Satanic Verses" Thursday. Should make for great holiday reading (once I finish up with the Vonnegut I'm reading at the moment.)

Nothing like pissing off christians, muslims, and illiterates during the holidays!

 

[Nico]

Aye, I prefer the first, by quite a wide margin. I just find the thought experiments extremely apt and the introduction of characters to be world class, along with the characters themselves. I don't get that out of Teatime.

But aye, Mostly Harmless really put me foul, which I was really disappointed about because So Long... and Thanks for All the Fish was such an uplifting tale!

 

[Susperia]

 

[NAD]

I think half this board has read Life of Pi thanks to JayK. We had some threads on it awhile back:

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/royal-carnage/181648-life-pi.html
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/royal-carnage/197494-just-finished-life-pi.html

Breakfast of Champions is the only Vonnegut I've read that didn't give me a boner the whole way through, only at the end really. However, I adored Bluebeard, which is directly related.

 

[spaffe]

I think half this board has read Life of Pi thanks to JayK.

Haha, yeah and I'm one, but I didn't really share his huge enthusiasm for it. It was ok I guess, but it never really grabbed onto me

 

[MajestikMøøse]

It looks kinda absurd

 

[NAD]

Hitchhiker's Guide rules so freakin' much. One of the best books/series EVAR.

Haha, yeah and I'm one, but I didn't really share his huge enthusiasm for it. It was ok I guess, but it never really grabbed onto me

It could have definitely trimmed about 50 - 100 pages from the middle, but the end made it worth it for me.

 

[Reign in Acai]

I'm half way through it. I put it down for a cluster of other tales that needed to be told. I'll try to finish it off in the next couple days.

 

[Susperia]

The Life of Pi is so positive and endearing....I'm surprised you negative knuckleheads liked it.

It's interesting reading these two books back to back because they are so opposite in terms of character outlook. Martel's character is so positive and uplifting throughout the entire book but Vonnegut's characters are so depressing.

This is actually the first Vonnegut book I've read----- Does anyone have any recommendations for what else of his I should read?

 

[Necromunchkin]

The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse Five, Cat's Cradle.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

The Life of Pi is so positive and endearing....I'm surprised you negative knuckleheads liked it.