Now Reading

Just finished Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - a good graphic novel autobiography about a 10-year-old girl growing up amidst the Islamic Revolution in Iran. A New Year present from my girlfriend.

About to get started on this:

A dystopian, satirical novel from 1930 that is apparently highly critical of Stalinist policies. Unsurprisingly, this was not published in the USSR until 1987. Looking forward to this one.

a 550-page non-fiction dystopian nightmare. sometimes overreaches, sometimes simplistic, but its flaws don't detract from its horrifying honesty. should be required reading in high schools.

  On 1/24/2013 at 11:54 PM, BCM said:

I read the first chapter of this which was released as a promotion. Seemed good - it's been ages since I've read an Iain (M) Banks novel but based on that, it seems he's still got it.

just finished Deus Irae from Philip K. Dick and began reading Brasyl by Ian McDonald

read this:

not as strong as his first two story collections. i'd rate it about equal with in persuasion nation. he's fallen a little too hard into the sentimental side of his writing and when he goes for the absurdist stuff it comes off as kind of disingenuous and played out. i don't know where that leaves him in my eyes. maybe it's time to start writing novels.

also rereading this:

  On 1/25/2013 at 10:24 AM, Iain C said:

 

  On 1/24/2013 at 11:54 PM, BCM said:

the hydrogen sonata

 

 

I read the first chapter of this which was released as a promotion. Seemed good - it's been ages since I've read an Iain (M) Banks novel but based on that, it seems he's still got it.

yes- i just read the synopsis of this and it sounded vaguely familiar

  On 1/19/2013 at 6:48 PM, A/D said:

I'm reading Blood Meridian. It is painful. Millions of pages of grotesque things in language like centuries-old rock faces. What is it that makes a man write this.

I'm reading this too at the moment. Is that to say you aren't enjoying it? I like it a lot so far (third of the way through it). I quite like the effect of me personally having pidgin Spanish like some of the characters in the book - most is comprehensible enough, but some of it passes me by.

  On 1/25/2013 at 4:52 AM, usagi said:

 

  On 1/24/2013 at 9:17 AM, Al Hounos said:

a 550-page non-fiction dystopian nightmare. sometimes overreaches, sometimes simplistic, but its flaws don't detract from its horrifying honesty. should be required reading in high schools.

 

 

hmm, curious about this. I read No Logo when I was 16, haven't read anything of hers since (out of laziness, not choice).

I think this is book is excellent. Much better than No Logo even. I agree with your judgement though Al - sometimes misses the mark a bit (particularly in its analogising), but it's a fascinating and terrifying assessment of global economics over the last 60 years.

long, dense and complex. not sure where this is going but it's going to take me forever. it's got a bomb, a guy getting a hardon when the bomb goes off, and a guy trying to figure out something to do with bombs. seriously- wtf?

tyrone gets his hardons *before* the bombs drop.

I was thinking of reading that. I'm not sure whether to try and get involved...

do you like hardons? bombs? dominatrix? western shoot outs that take place in a toilet? ya know, that sorta thing...

Epic book that I must reread.

One of my fave bits was with all the nauseating, English, wartime, old lady sweets.

  On 1/19/2013 at 6:48 PM, A/D said:

I'm reading Blood Meridian. It is painful. Millions of pages of grotesque things in language like centuries-old rock faces. What is it that makes a man write this.

Blood Meridian is definitely one of the best books I've ever read, I read it when I was maybe 15 or 16 at which point I'd never experienced something so intense, dark and beautiful through literature. I've since read most of McCarthy's catalog, probably my favourite being The Outer Dark.

Currently reading this by him; an ex con living on a house boat befriends a homeless teenager who fucks watermelons.

  On 2/1/2013 at 8:53 PM, hello spiral said:

Epic book that I must reread.

 

One of my fave bits was with all the nauseating, English, wartime, old lady sweets.

lol forgot about that

I'll read anything about Prince, but this is not as bad as a lot of people have credited it. A fair and well told story so far at least, but skips ahead a bit fast at times.

just finished up "the time keeper" by Mitch alborn. not bad..not great either. certainly better than the insipid "tuesdays with morrie" for which Mr. Alborn is also responsible.

  On 2/2/2013 at 5:46 PM, Alcofribas said:

Epic book that I must reread.

 

One of my fave bits was with all the nauseating, English, wartime, old lady sweets.

 

lol forgot about that

I laugh-vomited. Can taste the camphor just thinking about it.

I need a breather from Underworld so I'm now filling my brain with this grim shit:

JP Sartre - Nausea

Depicting my very existence in the last few years. I wonder why I left it sit on my shelf for so long. I guess one must endure to understand.

I love Nausea. Especially the scene in the park where the character kicks against the roots of a tree and it triggers the whole "existence" experience for him (hope I remembered that right). Even though Sartre's philosophy (generally Existentialism) is in no way my cup of tea, his novels absolutely belong to my favourite books. "Age of Reason" is another one of my all time favourites. I've read that one countless of times.

Same with Camus (though I like Sartre's style better). Maybe Existentialism works better as literature than as philosophy. It does so for me at least.

  On 2/7/2013 at 10:09 AM, verticalhold said:

I need a breather from Underworld so I'm now filling my brain with this grim shit:

 

How is it? I want to read that one soon.

Currently reading:

As I was supposed to read it in class, but really, one can only take so much rampant globalization cheerleading. I mean, I like globalization, but it is not without its faults.

  On 2/7/2013 at 11:04 PM, chenGOD said:

I need a breather from Underworld so I'm now filling my brain with this grim shit:

 

How is it? I want to read that one soon.

 

Currently reading:

 

 

As I was supposed to read it in class, but really, one can only take so much rampant globalization cheerleading. I mean, I like globalization, but it is not without its faults.

Good so far. While it is a pretty depressing i havent found it be a big a leap from the american authors i've been reading (first japanese author for me). Really hurries along and it's pretty amazing considering he wrote it when he was 20-something - thought it was actually written in '94 but it turns out that's just the year it was translated