Steinbeck, bukowiski, murakami, barbarian days, huxley... mm mmm mmm some choice reading going on. I'm finishing up a semester in Grad school, so there isn't too much enjoyment based reading happening right now, but this thread has me thinking.
I don't feel that chuck Bukowski and Murakami are particularly similar. Bukowski does the ground level of living from a male perspective very well. I suppose in that light, Murakami does this also. Perhaps reflective of Japanese culture, Murakami is far, far cleaner than Bukowski, but Murakami may be more adventurous the writer as his words are often akin to reading from a lucid dream.
@RoaryMcTwang I too prefer Bukowski's poetry. I've had a fascination with old post office buildings in the US since I went on a field trip to a depression era WPA post office building at 6 years old, so Post Office was something I found enjoyable and think of whenever I enter a post office. Regarding Murakami, I'll tell everyone that The Windup Bird Chronicle is the book to read if you want to take multiple journeys within a book. The last time I dug into Murakami was driving through 70mph winds in Nebraska and Wyoming. Weather was so cold icicles were growing horizontally against the side of my car as I trudged across I80. I listened to What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and Norwegian Wood that day. Those were good audio books.
Cannery Row is exceptional and incredibly relevant today. Like woody Guthrie sang "California is the garden of Eden, a paradise to live in and see, but believe it or not, you won't find it so hot, if you ain't go the dough re me." Some things rarely change.
Kesey is perhaps best known for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and his bus Further, but
Sometimes A Great Notion is a great American novel. What stands out most for me in this one is how well both male and female characters are written. Both voices are heard and also feel believable. Perhaps it's a relatively relatable or realistic feeling book due to where I live and how I've lived, but it's dank and damp. wet and cold. green with moss. black with fungus. brown with barrels of felled trees.