Now Reading

[Bob Dylan]

Just remember to read the "revisited" after it!

[logakght]

Just remember to read the "revisited" after it!

 

please expand... i'm reading the "normal" one (I guess)... what's in the revisited?

 

started 1q84, didn't get far. boring as fuck, badly written, goes absolutely nowhere. murakami really went downhill since wind-up bird.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running was a great read. The only other I've read by him is Norwegian Wood, which is considered his most accessible I suppose. I'd like to read others, so is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle the place to go first?

 

 

I read the end of the world and hard boiled wonderland and I find it really awesome... not impressive, but it blends surreal, drama,love and cyberpunk shit pretty well.

[triachus]

 

started 1q84, didn't get far. boring as fuck, badly written, goes absolutely nowhere. murakami really went downhill since wind-up bird.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running was a great read. The only other I've read by him is Norwegian Wood, which is considered his most accessible I suppose. I'd like to read others, so is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle the place to go first?

 

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was the first book of Murakami I've read, and I really love it

 

I'm also obsessed with this cover, can't stop looking at it

 

[Bob Dylan]

 

Just remember to read the "revisited" after it!

 

please expand... i'm reading the "normal" one (I guess)... what's in the revisited?

 

He wrote a 100 page non-fiction analysis of the book thirty years later called "Brave New World Revisited". A lot of the versions of the book actually have it attached to the end of the original.

[azatoth]

Currently reading Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age. About half way through and I like it even if the verbosity is sometime annoying, which I am familiar with reading a couple of his later novels. Planning to read his Baroque Cycle later and Reamde. But I sometime wish he had an editor, but I guess it's his style.

[baph]

Currently reading Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age. About half way through and I like it even if the verbosity is sometime annoying, which I am familiar with reading a couple of his later novels. Planning to read his Baroque Cycle later and Reamde. But I sometime wish he had an editor, but I guess it's his style.

 

The Baroque Cycle is full of insight, colorful characters, items of historical interest, modernized excesses of baroque-era prose (NS doesn't really try too hard to hew to historical grammatical or literary convention) and digressive thought, passages of tedium and reward, parodic absurdity, anachronism, humor, &c.

 

Reamde, in contrast, is honestly about as straightforward as a 900 page beach-reading technothriller complete with underdeveloped islamic terrorist villains and a 100-plus-page shootout sequence gets. The quality of the sentence-by-sentence prose is certainly a step up from, e.g., Tom Clancy, but it's honestly missing most of what makes NS at least idiosyncratic/problematic/interesting. IMO. It's just a bit of fun, I guess. It's sort of just: ooh, more guns. Going from, say, Anathem to Reamde is like you've just gone from watching a full season of the Wire with all of its complex characterization and threading and concern with the function and dysfunction of inescapable institutions to watching some HBO-requested spinoff series in which Brother Mouzone is the central character and just look at how nonchalant and badass he is, wow.

 

I'm probably being too hard on Reamde because I did have fun reading it. But I was a little disappoint.

Edited January 23, 2014 by baph

[azatoth]

That's the impression I've also got when reading reviews about Reamde. Maybe he wanted to do something more simplistic after the rather heady Anathem, but in that NS style. I am looking forward to that 100 page shootout.

Edited January 23, 2014 by azatoth

[baph]

That's the impression I've also got when reading reviews about Reamde. Maybe he wanted to do something more simplistic after the rather heady Anathem, but in that NS style. I am looking forward to that 100 page shootout.

 

You can even read a deliberate thematic/ self-parodying structure into it without having to be over-generous, as there are certain ideas touched on initially in the book that raise expectations of typical Neal Stephenson spec-fic world building to come, and then Neal seems to go "fuck this shit, pewpewpewpew" and the characters just have to survive. It's pretty funny, actually. I mean, he always clearly loved writing the pewpewpew bits but this becomes more or less about pewpewpew. If I remember correctly, the afterward thanks folks for help with ballistics copy editing.

Edited January 23, 2014 by baph

[Bob Dylan]

 

Currently reading Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age. About half way through and I like it even if the verbosity is sometime annoying, which I am familiar with reading a couple of his later novels. Planning to read his Baroque Cycle later and Reamde. But I sometime wish he had an editor, but I guess it's his style.

 

The Baroque Cycle is full of insight, colorful characters, items of historical interest, modernized excesses of baroque-era prose (NS doesn't really try too hard to hew to historical grammatical or literary convention) and digressive thought, passages of tedium and reward, parodic absurdity, anachronism, humor, &c.

 

Reamde, in contrast, is honestly about as straightforward as a 900 page beach-reading technothriller complete with underdeveloped islamic terrorist villains and a 100-plus-page shootout sequence gets. The quality of the sentence-by-sentence prose is certainly a step up from, e.g., Tom Clancy, but it's honestly missing most of what makes NS at least idiosyncratic/problematic/interesting. IMO. It's just a bit of fun, I guess. It's sort of just: ooh, more guns. Going from, say, Anathem to Reamde is like you've just gone from watching a full season of the Wire with all of its complex characterization and threading and concern with the function and dysfunction of inescapable institutions to watching some HBO-requested spinoff series in which Brother Mouzone is the central character and just look at how nonchalant and badass he is, wow.

 

I'm probably being too hard on Reamde because I did have fun reading it. But I was a little disappoint.

 

 

 

Indeed, Reamde had so much wasted potential, I still think that his prose was wasted with this book. But like you, I finished the book and told myself "ok that was still a fucking nice roller-coaster!"

[YEK]

[Guest Ron Manager]

i'm just over halfway through Gravity's Rainbow (~p. 460 in my edition), and i'm thinking of taking a break from it. it's been a slog, and i'm not sure how much i'm enjoying it at the moment. the central narrative is interesting and i'm keen to see where it's going, and at times i think it's one of the funniest books i've ever read, but there are just so many chunks (basically chapters) that are more or less totally lost on me. i've been reading with my tablet by my side to occasionally go online and check out references or look for some pointers about the significance of certain extended tangents, but i have to say that i'm finding GR a bit of an ordeal. i think i might go and read a short novel or two and try returning to it.

 

btw - first Pynchon, first attempt.

[Bob Dylan]

First Pynchon and it's GR? That's not the good way, but still good job being at half-way point! Most first-reader won't make it pass page 45 or something similar.

 

 

GR should be the end of a journey through Pynchon.

[Guest Ron Manager]

Yeah, so I now gather... The first part was exceptionally hard, but I plowed on and then some semblance of linear narrativity appeared, but it's still incredibly dense. GR was the only Pynchon in my local bookshop so I took the plunge, not really knowing that much about his work.

 

I got a few books for Christmas, so might dip into them and then see how I feel about GR after a few weeks. Perhaps it would be worth trying a short Pynchon like The Crying of Lot 49.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Edited January 27, 2014 by Ron Manager

[zkom]

I also started reading Pynchon with GR because it has the reputation of being difficult to read.

 

I probably didn't get half of it but I liked it from the start.

[hello spiral]

it's one of the funniest books i've ever read,

 

yup.

 

I probably didn't get half of it but I liked it from the start.

 

yup

 

Also started with GR.

 

Actually had no idea about what kind of writer he was and only wanted to read Gravity's Rainbow because the title kept coming up as an aside in articles I'd read, I liked the sound of the name, I'd just finished a book at work so had nothing to read on the way home and knew there was a copy in the bookshop near Kings Cross.

 

Realised what I'd let myself in for after about 30 pages in and then doing a quick wiki/google.

 

Nevertheless I plowed on through and managed to finish it. That was in 2012 and I think I'm gonna be rereading it pretty soon.

 

Don't give up Ron! It's incredibly satisfying to finish. Also, don't get so bogged down in not understanding certain parts. I'm actually kind of looking forward to coming to those again and them making a little more sense on the second go'round.

 

Also, for some reason I found Lot.49 underwhelming. Maybe I spoiled myself with GR but I just found it kinda slight.

[Danny O Flannagin]

 

 

Just remember to read the "revisited" after it!

 

please expand... i'm reading the "normal" one (I guess)... what's in the revisited?

 

He wrote a 100 page non-fiction analysis of the book thirty years later called "Brave New World Revisited". A lot of the versions of the book actually have it attached to the end of the original.

 

Almost done with the regular book. My copy has the revisited and I'm really excited to read how it ends and hear Aldous' take on it. I find the book very fascinating because the way Huxley lived his life is very much how this dystopian society lives. It almost feels like his fantasy of the future.

[Nebraska]

 

will try and start this tonight (or tomorrow night)

[Guest]

So Lolita is much more fun than expected; sure, Humbert Humbert has some .. unconventional urges, but the story is told in such a virtuous poetic manner, and which such delightful, humorous connotations that I sometimes find myself smiling cheek to cheek while reading it and also, it pains me to say, somewhat excited on the Humbert-Lolita interaction.

[Sprillian]

and also, it pains me to say, somewhat excited on the Humbert-Lolita interaction.

Yeah. It caused uncomfortably pleasurable anticipation in me too...

Edited January 28, 2014 by Sprillian

[Dpek]

I've finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I think this was my 6th or 7th book by Murakami - and it was one of his best and also one of his most disjointed. The majority of the book is about the main character who has absolutely no clue whatsoever what the fuck's going on and I can clearly see Murakami behind his writing desks similary having no clue about the plot. But the book is still - and maybe just because of it - strangely human and warm. I recommend it.

[Guest]

I've finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I think this was my 6th or 7th book by Murakami - and it was one of his best and also one of his most disjointed. The majority of the book is about the main character who has absolutely no clue whatsoever what the fuck's going on and I can clearly see Murakami behind his writing desks similary having no clue about the plot. But the book is still - and maybe just because of it - strangely human and warm. I recommend it.

lol, definitely

 

 

What was that being stuck in the well about?

 

[Guest A/D]

I think that was about the stillness that accompanies big changes in yourself. Some people go on long trips, some people just sit in a basement and watch TV. It was about stripping away the idea that your life is some kind of quest for any one thing and reconnecting with your unconscious. After that his trajectory changes..

[sheatheman]

White Noise

 

Murray is one of the most epic characters I have ever seen.

 

-

 

Anyone read George Saunders? Tenth of December from last year was great. Pastoralia is also amazing. Both of those are in the form of a Novella/Novelette grouped with several stories.

 

Everyone should read Saunders. He was awarded the MacArthur Genius Grant in 2006.

 

-

 

I also just finished Train Dreams by Denis Johnson. Basically a pretty dry, subtly humorous Jeremiah Johnson novella. And if you have not read Jesus' Son, you should.

[logakght]

I just finished Murakami's Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Impressive. Really loved it since the first chapter. People say it's one of his finest novels, but I can't really agree since I haven't read anything else from him. Suggestions? :)

Edited February 1, 2014 by logakght

[Guest zaphod]

White Noise

 

Murray is one of the most epic characters I have ever seen.

 

-

 

Anyone read George Saunders? Tenth of December from last year was great. Pastoralia is also amazing. Both of those are in the form of a Novella/Novelette grouped with several stories.

 

Everyone should read Saunders. He was awarded the MacArthur Genius Grant in 2006.

 

-

 

I also just finished Train Dreams by Denis Johnson. Basically a pretty dry, subtly humorous Jeremiah Johnson novella. And if you have not read Jesus' Son, you should.

 

civilwarland in bad decline is his best. read that. i thought tenth of december was weak. disappointing. i feel like he's getting pretty formulaic. his philosophy as a writer seems to be "be nice to people" which isn't very deep, is it? but he has mastered a certain tone and seems to capture the absurdity of corporate structures and the dehumanizing aspects of capitalism very well in easily digestible stories.