Books

[gbougard]

I love to read every night and lately I've come across two really nice books and I thought we could have a thread about the books we enjoy and dislike.

I just finished "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen. I had read the Time magazine article and thought I'd give it a shot. And I thoroughly enjoyed reading this love story. I felt it could have been my life story, almost.

Before that I had read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. This one was so fucking heavy and intense. A real page turner but in a way I was relieved when the book ended, because it is such a sad story, pure hopelessness and even if the end seems a little more positive it is like saying being 99% desperate is better than 100% desperate…

Great English on both books, man. Those two guys have it locked.

[hectic]

Good thread. I read like a librarian on meth.

Charles Stross is a favourite.

[gbougard]

Yes I got myself a book by Chuck Palahniuk. Its on my pile. Its going to have to wait a bit because I've just started 1026 page "The Border Trilogy" by Cormac McCarthy and it reads more slowly than I thought. Nice prose tho

[Seul]

Some of my fav authors: Fante, Miller, Céline, Bukowski, London,…

I'm more into movies nowadays, but used to read about 2-3 books/ week...

[that_was_easy]

Currently:

Next:

[gbougard]

@simon626:

you should read his book if you're looking for something fast and exciting that'll keep you turning pagesss.

OK, thats my type of read!
If people read French around here, Dantec is baaaad. Fucked up, violent, sci-fi, war, despair,some philosophy on top…

Actually if people on this thread can recommend drugged up fuck ups stories, preferably violent, in the middle on nowhere in America in the middle of the 22d century... I'm all ears.

[Giles]

@gbougard:

Fucked up, violent, sci-fi, war, despair,some philosophy on top…

Try this dude for fucked up and violent:  Andrew Vachss

[hectic]

Actually if people on this thread can recommend drugged up fuck ups stories, preferably violent, in the middle on nowhere in America in the middle of the 22d century… I'm all ears.

Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling fits the brief quite well.

[hectic]

Also Richard Morgan (esp. Black Man)

[hectic]

Giles, whats Andrew Vachss all about? Seems very prolific.

[Giles]

I have loads here.  All sent to me by a mate in Kentucky.  The first one was so dark, I haven't plucked up the courage to open any of the others.  Pussy - I know…..G

[hectic]

Ha LOL, pls loan me one

[Giles]

Next shipment, I'll pop one in….

[hectic]

Cool, thanks.

[sergedenimes]

Bill Bryson, namely A short history of nearly everything.

[riffblaster general]

i always recommend these two…

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

[stever]

@gbougard:

Actually if people on this thread can recommend fuck ups stories, preferably violent, in the middle on nowhere in America in the middle of the 19th century… I'm all ears.

[riffblaster general]

@stever:

@gbougard:

Actually if people on this thread can recommend fuck ups stories, preferably violent, in the middle on nowhere in America in the middle of the 19th century… I'm all ears.

great book.

anything by Jim Thomson also.

[that_was_easy]

@riffblaster:

The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

Hell. Yes. This is possibly the most epic story I've ever read.  Totally a book worth marathoning.  Don't stop reading until it's finished, which isn't all that difficult.  Just…wow.  I was reading "The Gulag Archipelago" by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn at the same time...fucked up in a pretty viceral way.  Great tandem read.

[riffblaster general]

the gulag archipelago is great.    not quite as much of an easy read as the long walk but i loved it.  have you read Kolmya Stories?  another great one about the gulag.