books: what are you currently reading?

Started by Caleb, June 21, 2006, 11:58:08 PM

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Quote from: magnummic on December 24, 2006, 09:51:43 PM
Jeremy3220, Sorry I did not get back to you. I am a literature teacher and have enjoyed the list of books that you have been citing. I also thought As I Lay Dying was a bit difficult to follow, but I think that was Faulkner's vibe. You need to check out The Sound and the Fury. It is told from four different points of view and one of them is of a mentally challenged child. I still haven't figured out much of the plot. Thanks for the interesting list, though. I'm going to be off to the library soon. Have a good holiday.

no problem, I know I forget to check back through threads I've posted in sometimes. I was fascinated by the ornate writing style juxtaposed against the characters spoken vocabularies(in As I Lay Dying). Faulkner let them be masters of language in their points of view, but when they spoke they 'was regular ol' sharecroppers just as sho as yo're born'

Back to Maugham; They just released a movie of the last one of his I read, the Painted Veil. I was excited to see the trailer, then ticked when I found out they aren't releasing it in my state. I guess that's TN for you. They are also the ones who released "the Science of Sleep" that I wanted to go see, no dice there either. But you can check the trailer out here
http://wip.warnerbros.com/paintedveil/
It has Naomi Watts and Edward Norton in the leading roles.

Faulkner definitely was a ble to master the vernacular of his characters. Not many people can do that these days. Tom Wolfe comes close though I have not read his latest. Thanks for the info on Maugham; I'll have to read him as I am not too familiar with his work. Thanks.
Larrivee O-01MH 2000
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Martin Backpacker 2003

Tuesdays with Morey, and the 5 people you meet in heaven,
good heart warming stuff.
David

Well, now I know what I will be reading! "The Mayor of MacDougal Street - A Memoir" by Dave Van Ronk with Elijah Wald. Got the companion CD, too. A very nice Christmas gift indeed.

-- Ol Achey

Quote from: DaveyO on December 25, 2006, 10:55:10 AM
Tuesdays with Morey, and the 5 people you meet in heaven,
good heart warming stuff.
David
I thought "Tuesdays..." was pretty good, but didn't care for "The 5 People...." at all. 

I've decided to start rereading Franklin's autobiography.  I can't seem to get enough of his wisdom.  I plan on reading quite a bit of Jefferson this year as well. Any lovers of Jefferson's writing here, or Franklin's for that matter?

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Alchemist
The Risk Pool by Richard Russo

Just finished: The Sun Also Rises - E Hemingway

Just started: The Light of Day - G Swift

Next in line: The Razor's Edge - S Maugham (spelling? )

course, there's always a copy of Guitar Player on the go - I only buy it for the pictures :bgrin:

:donut :donut2 :coffee
'05 L-03
various electrics
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Quote from: jmb27 on January 26, 2007, 04:47:53 PM
Just finished: The Sun Also Rises - E Hemingway

Just started: The Light of Day - G Swift

Next in line: The Razor's Edge - S Maugham (spelling? )

course, there's always a copy of Guitar Player on the go - I only buy it for the pictures :bgrin:

:donut :donut2 :coffee

Alright, someone else has great taste in literature  :wink:
"The Sun Also Rises" is on my list to read, but I think I'm going for "The Green Hills of Africa" first.
Maugham is one of my favorite writers, "Razor" and "Of Human Bondage" are his two best I've read so far. Have you read any of his books yet?

I'm about halfway through "On the Road" - Kerouac. I thought since everyone else has read it, I should. It seems good so far, but I'm not sure if it will live up to its reputation.

Jeremy3220

I'm curious to find out what you think of "On The Road" after you finish it.   I've read it several times now along with all his other books.  I re-read On the Road every couple of years just to get my batteries charged for some offbeat adventure.   If you find that you liked it after all, I would suggest you check out a couple of Dave Eggers books:    "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius"  and "You Shall Know Our Velocity" are both very remeniscent of Kerouc's "stream-of-consciousness" style of writing and they also include incredible travel adventures.   
Also...............are there any Elmore Leonard fans out there.    I've read all his stuff too and I think he is one of the best writers when it comes to vernacular and dialog;  he nails it every time.

Carl Hiasson is also a great pleasure to read.

Hey Jeremy 3220 and tuffythepug, yes I have read both Razor and Of Human Bondage ... it seems they both rotate thru every few years. 
And, I have gone On the Road with Kerouac. Also enjoyed Dharma Bums.

cheers

:coffee :donut
'05 L-03
various electrics
Dr Z amps

Quote from: jmb27 on January 28, 2007, 11:45:54 AM
Hey Jeremy 3220 and tuffythepug, yes I have read both Razor and Of Human Bondage ... it seems they both rotate thru every few years. 
And, I have gone On the Road with Kerouac. Also enjoyed Dharma Bums.

cheers

:coffee :donut

I liked Dharma Bums as well.  But On The Road, well, that's one I've read several times.  There should be an unedited version about to hit the shelves soon, isn't there?

Quote from: dberch on June 22, 2006, 09:02:46 AM
Hey Andrew, if you like Hunter S., you might enjoy "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" by Ken Kesey.  Very entertaining, though I would not recommend it as a life-style!

Long live the Merry Pranksters!
"Are you ON the BUS?"



Please correct me if I'm wrong but I thought that book was written by Tom Wolf about Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.   I don't have the book in front of me and me memory could be fading:  I read it a lifetime ago.


The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test was by Tom Wolfe. Kesey wrote the One Flew... and then tuned out, dropped in or whatever. I thought he had some real talent, but it was a shame that he got embroiled in the lifestyle. Same for a lot of those beats. On the Road was important because of the emotion, and it made you feel what it was like to be there...pure genius. As with a lot of literature, the greatness is in the emotion. Someone mentioned The Sun Also Rises, which is one of my favorite books. When I first read that, I was 18 and it changed my life more than anything had, my wife and child notwithstanding. I have read it several times. Right now, I'm revisiting Gatsby, another flawless piece of literature, because I am teaching it to my eleventh graders. I am reminded of something Emerson said: "When I read a good book I wish I would live a thousand years."
Larrivee O-01MH 2000
Larrivee P-09 EIR 2006
Larrivee P-09 BZ 2006
Martin Backpacker 2003

Not sure if Tuffy's question was completely answered, but Yes, Tom Wolfe's 'Kool-Aid Acid Test' WAS indeed written as a chronicle about Kesey and his Merry Pranksters.

My current books (since Christmas)...
Chronicles  Bob Dylan
Always Fresh (biography of Tim Hortons CEO Ron Joyce)
The Kite Runner (presently)
The Emperor's Children (next up)

Guy
2000 Larrivee L-02
2005 Larrivee OM-03R-SH (custom)
2002 Ibanez Artcore AG75
2005 Ibanez AEG10NE-NT
2002 Fender Telecaster Standard
1970 Fender Malibu
1988 Yamaha FG-350
2001 Yamaha AEX-500N
1970 Aria nylon (original owner)
1964 Stella (original owner)
... and a few more.

 Guy
Thanks for validatiing my memory on the author of "Acid Test".     I see you are currently reading the Kite Runner.   How are you liking it so far ?  I would put in the top 5 of the books I've read in the last several years.
The classic tale of betrayal and redemption told beautifully, if painfully, in some instances.  I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good, believable story about people and places most of us will never experience.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Just finished ... American Gods and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman.

Think of a dark Douglas Adams ...
oldWithoutMoney.com

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plus a few other treasures

Quote from: tuffythepug on January 28, 2007, 09:55:43 PM
Guy
Thanks for validatiing my memory on the author of "Acid Test".     I see you are currently reading the Kite Runner.   How are you liking it so far ?  I would put in the top 5 of the books I've read in the last several years.
The classic tale of betrayal and redemption told beautifully, if painfully, in some instances.  I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good, believable story about people and places most of us will never experience.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



Indeed, The Kite Runner is a great read, and highly recommended.  The first 100 or so pages allow the reader to see the world through the eyes of a 12 year old similar to Sallinger's "Catcher in the Rye" through the eyes of a 16 yr old.  I have 20 pages left to read, and I wish there was more.
2000 Larrivee L-02
2005 Larrivee OM-03R-SH (custom)
2002 Ibanez Artcore AG75
2005 Ibanez AEG10NE-NT
2002 Fender Telecaster Standard
1970 Fender Malibu
1988 Yamaha FG-350
2001 Yamaha AEX-500N
1970 Aria nylon (original owner)
1964 Stella (original owner)
... and a few more.

Anyone read Goethe's 'Faust'? There seems to be a crazy amount of translations. which is the best?

Just finished "The War Journal of Major Rocky Gause".  It's a true story of an american escapee in WWII.  Fascinating reading.
"Running with Scissors"  by Augusten Burroughs which was a strange read, but entertaining.
"Cell" by Stephen King.
I've just started reading "The Cases that Haunt Us" by retired FBI profiler John Douglas and novelist  Mark Olshaker.

Old Folky
'74 Martin D35S
Larrivee SD 50 TSB
Unplayed Vega and Harmony banjos

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