Author Topic: books to read  (Read 431093 times)

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Joust Ostrich

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1470 on: November 24, 2012, 06:09:55 PM »
These showed up on my door.  An ex girlfriend sent them to me.  Wondering if there is hidden meaning in her selections.
I'm posting from my blackberry wtf?!?!?

Baron Samedi

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1471 on: November 24, 2012, 06:47:23 PM »
These showed up on my door.  An ex girlfriend sent them to me.  Wondering if there is hidden meaning in her selections.

Kavalier and Clay is so good

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1472 on: November 24, 2012, 09:26:55 PM »
GARCIA MARQUEZ AND GUNTER GRASS ARE TRIPPY MAN

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1473 on: December 09, 2012, 03:01:02 AM »
i likes skooterboarding.. be lets friends :)

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1474 on: December 09, 2012, 11:43:38 AM »

The Human Condom

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1475 on: December 09, 2012, 08:52:24 PM »


Holy guacamole, that early story about the boy and the pool was nutty.  There's some pretty wild stuff in that book.  Definitely one of the better Palahniuk's, right?

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1476 on: December 10, 2012, 06:43:15 AM »
The author's afterward in the edition i bought is great.  It's a good explanation of why novels can and should be graphic and disturbing.  And apparently lots of people fainted during live readings of the carrot/pearl diving/prolapse story.  Palahniuk has the ability to completely disgust me and make me uncomfortable but unable to stop reading.  I felt physically ill, and enjoyed it.

Merked

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1477 on: December 10, 2012, 07:42:54 AM »
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[close]

Holy guacamole, that early story about the boy and the pool was nutty.  There's some pretty wild stuff in that book.  Definitely one of the better Palahniuk's, right?

For sure one of Chuck's best.  Check out Rant and Survivor.  Two of my favorites.
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Merked

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1478 on: December 10, 2012, 07:45:51 AM »

The Best.
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steve

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1479 on: December 10, 2012, 07:25:56 PM »
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[close]

Holy guacamole, that early story about the boy and the pool was nutty.  There's some pretty wild stuff in that book.  Definitely one of the better Palahniuk's, right?
[close]

For sure one of Chuck's best.  Check out Rant and Survivor.  Two of my favorites.

Haunted is the book that turned me off from Palahniuk. I'd read Rant, Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Choke- digging all of them. Especially Rant with the post apocalyptic thread. The entire premise of Haunted revolves only around being as nutty as possible. It's gets redundant from the get go, becoming almost kitschy.

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1480 on: December 10, 2012, 09:35:12 PM »

about wolves and shit

Ripped Laces

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1481 on: December 11, 2012, 06:55:04 AM »


Overview
"One day in 2009, twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a strange hospital room, strapped to her bed, under guard, and unable to move or speak. A wristband marked her as a ?flight risk,? and her medical records?chronicling a monthlong hospital stay of which she had no memory at all?showed hallucinations, violence, and dangerous instability. Only weeks earlier, Susannah had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: a healthy, ambitious college grad a few months into her first serious relationship and a promising career as a cub reporter at a major New York newspaper. Who was the stranger who had taken over her body? What was happening to her mind?

In this swift and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her inexplicable descent into madness and the brilliant, lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn?t happen. A team of doctors would spend a month?and more than a million dollars?trying desperately to pin down a medical explanation for what had gone wrong. Meanwhile, as the days passed and her family, boyfriend, and friends helplessly stood watch by her bed, she began to move inexorably through psychosis into catatonia and, ultimately, toward death. Yet even as this period nearly tore her family apart, it offered an extraordinary testament to their faith in Susannah and their refusal to let her go.

Then, at the last minute, celebrated neurologist Souhel Najjar joined her team and, with the help of a lucky, ingenious test, saved her life. He recognized the symptoms of a newly discovered autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks the brain, a disease now thought to be tied to both schizophrenia and autism, and perhaps the root of ?demonic possessions? throughout history.

Far more than simply a riveting read and a crackling medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman?s struggle to recapture her identity and to rediscover herself among the fragments left behind. Using all her considerable journalistic skills, and building from hospital records and surveillance video, interviews with family and friends, and excerpts from the deeply moving journal her father kept during her illness, Susannah pieces together the story of her ?lost month? to write an unforgettable memoir about memory and identity, faith and love. It is an important, profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance that is destined to become a classic."

Started reading it and then the wife took over it.
My life in a nutshell  ;D ;D ;)

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1482 on: December 11, 2012, 06:56:17 AM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote

[close]

Holy guacamole, that early story about the boy and the pool was nutty.  There's some pretty wild stuff in that book.  Definitely one of the better Palahniuk's, right?
[close]

For sure one of Chuck's best.  Check out Rant and Survivor.  Two of my favorites.
[close]

Haunted is the book that turned me off from Palahniuk. I'd read Rant, Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Choke- digging all of them. Especially Rant with the post apocalyptic thread. The entire premise of Haunted revolves only around being as nutty as possible. It's gets redundant from the get go, becoming almost kitschy.

I thought it was more about how people choose to narrate their own lives and the desire for something to happen even if it is awful.  And also about the different layers of removal and lenses individuals use to view the world.

Merked

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1483 on: December 11, 2012, 07:10:01 AM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote

[close]

Holy guacamole, that early story about the boy and the pool was nutty.  There's some pretty wild stuff in that book.  Definitely one of the better Palahniuk's, right?
[close]

For sure one of Chuck's best.  Check out Rant and Survivor.  Two of my favorites.
[close]

Haunted is the book that turned me off from Palahniuk. I'd read Rant, Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Choke- digging all of them. Especially Rant with the post apocalyptic thread. The entire premise of Haunted revolves only around being as nutty as possible. It's gets redundant from the get go, becoming almost kitschy.
[close]

I thought it was more about how people choose to narrate their own lives and the desire for something to happen even if it is awful.  And also about the different layers of removal and lenses individuals use to view the world.

^^ This.  I can also see how Haunted could get repetitive though.  Guess it all comes down to taste.  Survivor was one of his best IMO.
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ChronicBluntSlider

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1484 on: December 11, 2012, 02:05:36 PM »


Reading this right now. Really interesting. It talks about the Gnostics believing the resurrection was symbolic, like a person's ability to have a spiritual experience of Jesus, and the orthodox church at the time insisted on the literal translation as a means of establishing the papacy. Her other books sound interesting too. She has one called Origin of Satan where it talks about how Satan was created to persecute Jews and Pagans and scare people into Christianity. She's a professor at Princeton and I guess actually reads the language and has read all the original documents.

steve

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1485 on: December 11, 2012, 02:11:53 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote

[close]

Holy guacamole, that early story about the boy and the pool was nutty.  There's some pretty wild stuff in that book.  Definitely one of the better Palahniuk's, right?
[close]

For sure one of Chuck's best.  Check out Rant and Survivor.  Two of my favorites.
[close]

Haunted is the book that turned me off from Palahniuk. I'd read Rant, Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Choke- digging all of them. Especially Rant with the post apocalyptic thread. The entire premise of Haunted revolves only around being as nutty as possible. It's gets redundant from the get go, becoming almost kitschy.
[close]

I thought it was more about how people choose to narrate their own lives and the desire for something to happen even if it is awful.  And also about the different layers of removal and lenses individuals use to view the world.

I can sort of see that, but it might be going deep for Palahniuk.

penguin meat

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1486 on: December 11, 2012, 05:17:41 PM »

about wolves and shit
I like dogs and wilderness, but I was not into that book.

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1487 on: December 11, 2012, 08:16:16 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote

[close]

Holy guacamole, that early story about the boy and the pool was nutty.  There's some pretty wild stuff in that book.  Definitely one of the better Palahniuk's, right?
[close]

For sure one of Chuck's best.  Check out Rant and Survivor.  Two of my favorites.
[close]

Haunted is the book that turned me off from Palahniuk. I'd read Rant, Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Choke- digging all of them. Especially Rant with the post apocalyptic thread. The entire premise of Haunted revolves only around being as nutty as possible. It's gets redundant from the get go, becoming almost kitschy.
[close]

I thought it was more about how people choose to narrate their own lives and the desire for something to happen even if it is awful.  And also about the different layers of removal and lenses individuals use to view the world.
[close]

I can sort of see that, but it might be going deep for Palahniuk.

Lately I've just been barging straight to the P in the fiction section of my local library trying to read as much Palahniuk as I can.  I think I might be overdoing it; it's sort of all blending together and getting repetitive.  I should be trying to read other stuff in between.

oyolar

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1488 on: December 11, 2012, 08:30:25 PM »
I've heard that his stuff tends to do that even if you spread it out.

kilgore.

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1489 on: December 11, 2012, 09:00:58 PM »
same with DFW, i'm in a huge wallace k-hole. just gotta tire yourself out of it. i read a chapter of a denis johnson novel the other day and just laughed at it in comparison to dfw. i like DJ but you can't go from the greatest most in depth maximalist of our time and jump in to any old thing. you gotta transition with something completely different, non fiction wise or a fucking graphic novel. dig, lazarus, dig.
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oyolar

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1490 on: December 11, 2012, 09:44:13 PM »
I read Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and liked about half of the stories in there and no where near as much as I had expected. I hope his other stuff is better. I have a copy of Infinite Jest (and I'm glad I do), but it's no where near the top of my list. I think I might try The Broom of the System at some point before trying IJ and see if DFW is just not for me.

kilgore.

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1491 on: December 11, 2012, 10:26:37 PM »
my opinion is everyone should start with "a supposedly fun thing i'll never do again". one of my favorite things in existence. it's non-fiction but it's the perfect insight into how he sees the world, which translates into a better interpretation/understanding of his fiction.
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Mundungus

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1492 on: December 12, 2012, 02:12:56 AM »
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about wolves and shit
[close]
I like dogs and wilderness, but I was not into that book.

You're tripping. Love that book, haven't read it in years, might pick it up again

sametelt

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1493 on: December 12, 2012, 06:20:14 AM »
I read Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and liked about half of the stories in there and no where near as much as I had expected. I hope his other stuff is better. I have a copy of Infinite Jest (and I'm glad I do), but it's no where near the top of my list. I think I might try The Broom of the System at some point before trying IJ and see if DFW is just not for me.

Broom isn't really representative of DFW's main body of work. If you don't have the time to read IJ I suggest you check out Oblivion.

UgolinoTheSignificant

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1494 on: December 13, 2012, 08:47:38 PM »
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I read Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and liked about half of the stories in there and no where near as much as I had expected. I hope his other stuff is better. I have a copy of Infinite Jest (and I'm glad I do), but it's no where near the top of my list. I think I might try The Broom of the System at some point before trying IJ and see if DFW is just not for me.
[close]

Broom isn't really representative of DFW's main body of work. If you don't have the time to read IJ I suggest you check out Oblivion.

i support this suggestion, ij is by far his richest and yet most tedious, oblivion or girl with the curious hair would be better to start with. with brief interviews with hideous men, he is working within a pretty narrow conceptual frame
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oyolar

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1495 on: December 13, 2012, 09:15:01 PM »
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I read Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and liked about half of the stories in there and no where near as much as I had expected. I hope his other stuff is better. I have a copy of Infinite Jest (and I'm glad I do), but it's no where near the top of my list. I think I might try The Broom of the System at some point before trying IJ and see if DFW is just not for me.
[close]

Broom isn't really representative of DFW's main body of work. If you don't have the time to read IJ I suggest you check out Oblivion.
[close]

i support this suggestion, ij is by far his richest and yet most tedious, oblivion or girl with the curious hair would be better to start with. with brief interviews with hideous men, he is working within a pretty narrow conceptual frame


Except for the interviews themselves, what was his conceptual frame? Topic wise, it was really no different from what I've been told DFW writes about in his novels and it wasn't much different from his quotes and articles I've read. It really just seemed overly tedious and pretentious and like I've read it all before, both stylistically and subject matter wise. I feel like I was sitting there going, "I see what you're doing, but you could be doing it better." You can tell he was influenced by Joyce and Pynchon and admittedly, it's hard to hold a candle to those guys, while his extensive use of footnotes didn't surprise me since I saw it before with House of Leaves albeit DFW came first. Like I said, some of the stories I really liked, but even those did not leave much of a lasting impression. I seem to be in the minority of this and I'm completely open to the fact that I might not have read the right book and am interested in his other works.

I think too that I might have gone in with too high of expectations since a friend of mine loves DFW and gushes over him.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2012, 09:17:03 PM by oyolar »

Pango

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1496 on: December 13, 2012, 09:22:22 PM »
Yes I'm a loser and a double major at college in history and secondary education....

if you all are into world lit I suggest a series by Amitav Gosh, starting with Sea of Poppies.  Its really deep shit and you learn a lot


sven thorkel

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1497 on: December 13, 2012, 09:51:35 PM »
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I read Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and liked about half of the stories in there and no where near as much as I had expected. I hope his other stuff is better. I have a copy of Infinite Jest (and I'm glad I do), but it's no where near the top of my list. I think I might try The Broom of the System at some point before trying IJ and see if DFW is just not for me.
[close]

Broom isn't really representative of DFW's main body of work. If you don't have the time to read IJ I suggest you check out Oblivion.
[close]

i support this suggestion, ij is by far his richest and yet most tedious, oblivion or girl with the curious hair would be better to start with. with brief interviews with hideous men, he is working within a pretty narrow conceptual frame

[close]

Except for the interviews themselves, what was his conceptual frame? Topic wise, it was really no different from what I've been told DFW writes about in his novels and it wasn't much different from his quotes and articles I've read. It really just seemed overly tedious and pretentious and like I've read it all before, both stylistically and subject matter wise. I feel like I was sitting there going, "I see what you're doing, but you could be doing it better." You can tell he was influenced by Joyce and Pynchon and admittedly, it's hard to hold a candle to those guys, while his extensive use of footnotes didn't surprise me since I saw it before with House of Leaves albeit DFW came first. Like I said, some of the stories I really liked, but even those did not leave much of a lasting impression. I seem to be in the minority of this and I'm completely open to the fact that I might not have read the right book and am interested in his other works.

I think too that I might have gone in with too high of expectations since a friend of mine loves DFW and gushes over him.

from what ive read Infinite Jest is my favorite, and i highly recommend it even though its such a time devotion. if you want something easier to digest i would go with Consider The Lobster, or like kilgore said, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. i wasn't really feeling The Broom Of The System, mind you i read that after Infinite Jest, and i only like a few stories from Girl With Curious Hair ("Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way" is worth the read though).
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Re: books to read
« Reply #1498 on: December 14, 2012, 03:13:13 AM »
if you all are into world lit I suggest a series by Amitav Gosh, starting with Sea of Poppies.

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« Last Edit: December 14, 2012, 03:21:13 AM by sametelt »

Alan

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Re: books to read
« Reply #1499 on: December 14, 2012, 06:03:02 AM »
he he
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