LOL NERDZ: A Reading Fanpost
by jcb9 on Jun 22, 2010 5:23 AM PDT
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PrintI'm presently reading one of MCC's favorite books - Catch-22. I have about 90-100 pages left, I think, and I'm hoping to finish it today. Actually, after I'm done writing this I'm going to go read a little. I'm really enjoying it - it's one of those books that manages to be hilarious and horrific all at once. I've always liked that style.
After that, I'm reading The Souls of Black Folks by W.E.B. du Bois, which I've been meaning to read for a while. And then, on Monday, I'm starting TA training for the PhD program I'm starting in the fall, so I probably won't have much time to read.
What are y'all reading?
This FanPost is reader-generated, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of McCovey Chronicles. If the author uses filler to achieve the minimum word requirement, a moderator may edit the FanPost for his or her own amusement.
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I’m still reading the same stuff as the last time we posted about books. Work has become increasingly busy and our weekends have been booked = no time for reading.
I’m waiting to read Ball Four by Jim Bouton, I’m pretty excited about that.
Ask me about my blog.
That’ll be me soon. Whenever I’m in class, I have no time for my own reading. If I get through a book a semester, it’s an accomplishment.
I’m a nerd and I like school (only at the post-high school level, though), so that’s the one thing I really dislike about being in school.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
That’s where I’m at. At this point, whenever I pick up a book I doze off & have to start the chapter over the next attempt. LOL OLD.
I still have some 20 books sitting there ready to read. I can’t even go to a book store with that many in queue. Notables: Willie Mays book, End Game – Beckett, 2666-Bolano.
The Magic is inside all of us.
Proud father of the man taking your hard-earned money.
I want to read the Mays book. I got my dad a copy and I flipped through it briefly. It looks pretty good.
Ask me about my blog.
It is pretty good. I don’t always love his writing style, but it’s probably typical for biographies – it’s not a genre I read much.
And you’ll probably be annoyed by his use of RIB EYEZ, batting average, and small sample sizes.
But it’s quite good anyway and definitely worth reading.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
I want to read that book soon as well
Proud father of Mike Krukow (who is more than 3 times my age)
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Still cheering for Kevin Frandsen
John Bowker: One of the 3 best OF's on the Giants roster
I just finished Micheal Lewis’s book about the financial crisis: The Big Short. Before that I read Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State which is about American voting patterns. Both were really good books, and I’d recommend them to any one.
I’m not sure what I’ll read next, other than some more academic papers. :(
Just get the damn surgery, Mark DeRosa.
I want to read that Lewis book, I hear it’s good. I think he’s a pretty excellent writer.
Ask me about my blog.
I really enjoyed the Big Short. Lewis and Malcolm Gladwell are probably my two favorite writers. Yes, I’m a nerd. Yes, I’m comfortable with that.
Proud parent of the new dominant pitching sensation out of San Diego State University.
Refocused on baseball. Sharks hockey: torture.
I recently finished Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen about the formation of the U.S. Constitution. A great book that shows our founding fathers had plenty of disagreements, but were capable of talking them out and some even changed their minds without being accused of flip-flopping. Just started The Federalist, which for you non-history folks is the collection of essays by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay promoting the ratification of the Constitution. Also reading Terrorist by John Updike for a change of pace.
changed their minds without being accused of flip-flopping
I always found this accusation to be quite comical. Isn’t the point of congress to debate and isn’t the point of debating to convince others to change their minds?
Matt Graham is an anagram for .... why don't you ask the scrabble expert!
by say hey nation on Jun 22, 2010 7:38 AM PDT up reply actions
WHOOHOO Career change at 25!
So I am taking my pre req engineering courses so I reading a calc refresher so I am not blind sinded when I start my first calc course in 5 years in the fall.
Matt Graham is an anagram for .... why don't you ask the scrabble expert!
I just finished reading a MMP easy-reader by James Rollins, called The Judas Strain. It’s basically Da Vinci Code Lite, and delivered as advertised. Not my usual fare by far, but sometimes it’s nice to MMP it up. Some things really bothered me, but, I mean, it’s Da Vinci Code Lite. Gave me the diversion I needed.
I recently finished The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and I really loved that. I couldn’t understand why Scorsese attached himself to the movie project until I actually read it, but now it makes perfect sense. Doing it in 3D? That confuses me again, but I guess it’s the thing right now. Anyway, really good book, especially for younger readers. Lots to do with early French cinema, and it does some really interesting things on the graphic side.
I’m starting Draining the Sea by Micheline Marcom. She’ll be teaching me how to write this fall, so I figured I should take a look. The book looks like it’s going to be challenging and rewarding, so I’m pleased about that. Even so, I’m only JUST starting, so we’ll see.
After that, I’m probably reading one of these three: Domino Men (Jonathan Barnes), Blackout (Connie Willis), or The Surrendered (Chang-Rae Lee).
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
I had to look up MMP. There were a few other good options besides mass market paperback:
- Manitoba Marijuana Party, now Freedom Party of Manitoba, a Canadian political party
- Metal Mind Productions, a Polish music label
- Methuselah Mouse Prize, for research into slowing cellular ageing
- Minute Maid Park, a ballpark in Houston, Texas, United States
- Miss Moneypenny, secretary to James Bond’s boss
- Tokyo Mew Mew, also known as Mew Mew Power, a Japanese cartoon
- Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (Todd Linden’s company)
The Giants don’t fare well against pitchers.
Hell yeah, Catch-22
I’ve actually read more books already this year than I did all of last year, which I’m happy about. I just finished both Numbers Game by Alan Schwarz and Cairo: The City Victorious by Max Rodenbeck. Both of them were interesting, especially the Cairo book.
At the moment, I’m theoretically reading My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk, which is absolutely fantastic but I don’t know where my copy of it is. The book, however, is an amazing exploration of the role of art in Muslim culture, set against the backdrop of a murder mystery and other intrigue. It’s got a ton of different narrators, including a coin, a dog and Satan. I’d highly recommend it.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
And yeah, I probably won’t have a ton of time to read for fun anymore, but I would like to finish that book.
And I plan to read Ulysses sometime in the next two years.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
And yay Ulysses! Have you read it before? I’ve read it twice now. It really is true what they say about how you can’t really read that book – you can only reread it. On the first read, it really makes your head hurt.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
I haven’t, but I’m hoping to be completely confused and bewildered by it.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
Oxen of the Sun will fuck you up.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 8:22 AM PDT up reply actions
Proteus was tough for me as well. And…which is the one where they debate Shakespeare? Scylla and Charybdis, now that I look it up.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
If you do get to it, I’d be interested to hear which parts really fuck with you – it seems to be different for everyone. I was worried about Circe (aka Nighttown) going in, but it turned out to be okay, whereas Oxen of the Sun almost killed me. The first time, anyway. The second time, I was shocked by how easy it was to get through.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Definitely read it with a companion book. The New Bloomsday Book is a decent one if you just want to get through it more easily. The Ulysses Annotated is probably as good as it gets if you want to get the most out of it.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 8:27 AM PDT up reply actions
I’ve used The New Bloomsday Book. I really like it.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
It makes things so much less intimidating. Really helpful.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 8:35 AM PDT up reply actions
So, howie: favorite episode?
I’d probably have to go with Penelope. I also really love Nestor, Calypso, and Wandering Rocks, though. Among others.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
It would probably change if I read it again, but Circe was easily my favorite the last time I read it. I also like Cyclops and Lestrygonians, and I have a soft spot for Nausicaa and Ithaca.
Yeah, I’m a Bloom guy.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 8:45 AM PDT up reply actions
I like Bloom too, but some of my favorite bits in the book are Stephen-related. Like one bit in Nestor where one of his students calls a pier “a disappointed bridge.” And, elsewhere in Nestor is my favorite line in the whole book:
Like him was I, these sloping shoulders, this gracelessness. My childhood bends beside me.
Also, the Stephen Dedalus/Buck Mulligan stuff.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Me, too. I can get a little impatient through Nestor and Proteus waiting for Leopold to come on and start eating the inner organs of fowl with relish. Although the scenes at his mother’s death bed do really affect me, in part because of my own relationship with my mother regarding religion, and in part because I love Who Goes with Fergus so much.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
I want to read it without one first. I don’t know, I’ve heard the whole experience of being completely befuddled by it is exhilarating.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
Good to see there are plenty of literary masochists in the house. If you really want to self-flagellate jump between Ulysses and Invisible Man like I had to for concurrent classes in college.
But seriously, and I know this is kind of obvious, but I suggest reading the Odyssey before diving in.
by BestHyperboleEver on Jun 22, 2010 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Invisible Man is incredible.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions
The semester I was reading Ulysses, I was also taking a class in African Literature. Imagine reading Ulysses AND a 500-page Nigerian magical realism epic about the spirit world (The Famished Road by Ben Okri).
And yes, Invisible Man is an amazing book.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
I loved the Famished Road. It goes really well with some Wole Soyinka’s early plays.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
Have you read any other Pamuk? I read Snow a few years ago, and it was extremely engrossing. I’ve been meaning to get some of his other books, incluidng My Name Is Red and Istanbul, for a while.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
No, this is my first – a friend recommended it to me and I’m really glad he did!
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
Aha. Well, when you’re not knee-deep in schoolwork, I highly recommend Snow. It’s about a Turkish village that gets hit by a blizzard and is cut off from the outside world while its most famous son, a poet, is visiting on the pretext of writing an article for a magazine, but actually he’s trying to reunite with a woman he had a crush on in his youth. It deals with the Turkish conflict between religious conservatives and secularists, as an attempt is made to ban women from wearing headscarves in public buildings, including schools; perhaps surprisingly, since Pamuk is a secular intellectual, the secularists come off at least as badly as the religious conservatives.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Just finished Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood… about to start Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norell. If it sucks I’m going to blame Howie.
Utter frustration and futility.
Adopted 'nephew' to the ever avuncular and always awesome Jon Miller
by Johnny Disaster on Jun 22, 2010 7:58 AM PDT reply actions
It won’t suck.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 8:02 AM PDT up reply actions
How was Oryx and Crake? Atwood’s one of my favorite writers, but I haven’t read that one.
Atwood I have read:
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Blind Assassin
Payback (nonfiction)
Alias Grace
The Penelopiad
They’re all good, but The Blind Assassin is definitely my favorite. It’s one of my favorite novels ever. Alias Grace was pretty amazing, too, although the ending didn’t quite work for me.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
My $0.02
I really liked Oryx and Crake and I read it for a class, which usually ruins books for me. However, that’s the only Atwood I’ve read, so I don’t know how it compares to her other works.
"Pablo Sandoval, coming around third like a runaway beer truck." - Kruk
First thing of hers I've read.
I enjoyed it… post-apocalyptic future dystopia. I wanted to strangle several of the characters, so that’s a good sign..
Utter frustration and futility.
Adopted 'nephew' to the ever avuncular and always awesome Jon Miller
by Johnny Disaster on Jun 22, 2010 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions
I enjoyed Oryx & Crake also.
Strange & Norrell, I got maybe 50 pages into before abandoning it. I found the style overly precious and the endless footnotes pointless and distracting.
"I never think I’m a good player or a bad player. This is what I’m thinking: I can play. And I want to play." - Juan Uribe
My grad school advisor recommended it to me
Loved it. The Year of the Flood has been on my wishlist for awhile.
by Murray, Present on Jun 22, 2010 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions
I went to see Atwood doa reading from the book that came after Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood. I’d really like to read both.
co-dad w/AfDC of
Ishikawa, the Topps Rookie All Star Team's First baseman. Does he get a chance in 2010?
"Because I don’t know what it means anymore, in the PCL. It’s almost like years ago."
Reading Book 3 of the Millennium series..
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. This trilogy is quite suspenseful.
Also, have you guys seen the price drops in the Nook and Kindle? I’m kind of leaning towards getting a Nook now. $150 for the WiFi version sounds like a good deal to me. Can anyone recommend which e-reader is better?
Aw Yeah
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Now: Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself
Recent: Oryx & Crake and Year of the Flood
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
It's summer time so I'm actually reading again
I find it hard to read during the school year (I’m hoping that will change soon…although I’m planning on trying to go back to school to get a masters in 2011, so…maybe that won’t happen.)
Anyway, I’m reading 1491. It’s about how we have discovered a bunch of new things about the Americas and the people who lived there before Columbus arrived. I’m enjoying it.
The baseball Satanist
I promise that my adopted Giant, one Zach Wheeler, will not shoot anybody.
"I told the family lovingly slide"
Hey, something on here I’ve read! I enjoyed 1491 a lot. No history class I took ever talked about the Americas outside the context of colonization and its aftermath, which is a shame.
Currently I’m reading Anathem, by Neal Stephenson. It’s okay so far. After Cryptonomicon, all of his books I’ve read have been interesting, but too long and serious for my tastes.
Osiris, Lord of the Dead, and relief pitcher for the Fresno Grizzlies.
I’ve only read Anathem, but I really, really, really liked it.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
It was certainly both long and serious, though.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
You should check out Cryptonomicon… it’s got a lot of interesting conceptual stuff (like Anathem seems to so far), but is written in a very funny and entertaining way.
Osiris, Lord of the Dead, and relief pitcher for the Fresno Grizzlies.
fuck that book
should’ve been 600 pages shorter. Stephenson needs an editor like no one has ever needed an editor before.
And I loved Snowcrash, like, top 10 book of all times.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
Like I said, I haven’t read Cryptonomicon, but I didn’t really feel that in Anathem, which is also long as fuck.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
i haven't read Anathem
but i really thought Crypt. was the most self-indulgent thing ever. I’ve got nothing at all against the magnum opus — Infinite Jest and Underworld both rule — but this was just super, suuuuuuuuuuper self indulgent.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
I’m always somewhat skeptical of the tern “self indulgent.” It seems to me that any novel is, almost by definition, self indulgent. It’s only a problem to me if it’s self indulgent in a sloppy or uninteresting way.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
it was nothing if not uninteresting.
believe me, i’m not one to pull the “self-indulgent” card lightly — i mean, come on, IJ was self-indulgent as fuck, but it was also compelling, moving, awesome, funny, dark, etc
Crypto was none of those things, except long.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
I too agreee
I went into Crypt with high hopes and stopped at about 400 pages. It seems like all the important action was happening off the page, and when you came back to one of the three stories things had happened since the last interval and the characters were just sort of slacking and riffing about it. As a narrative strategy, it’s totally ass-backwards.
by Duelling Brandos on Jun 23, 2010 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
No history class I took ever talked about the Americas outside the context of colonization and its aftermath, which is a shame
That’s because we don’t actually know that much about the Americas prior to European contact.
The baseball Satanist
I promise that my adopted Giant, one Zach Wheeler, will not shoot anybody.
"I told the family lovingly slide"
Well, there are some books written about it (see 1491).
Osiris, Lord of the Dead, and relief pitcher for the Fresno Grizzlies.
But we still don't know that much about the subject
We know way more than before, but we don’t actually know that much. I’m not sure there’s enough to fill a class. The reason why is even mentioned in 1491 (the Imperialist nations who colonized the Americas worked very hard to erase most of the history and culture of those people who were already here).
My last semester as an undergrad, I took the history of Latin America (and a pro-seminar about explorations in the new world). I would imagine that the professor who was in charge of both of those classes would love to teach a class about the Americas before Columbus.
The baseball Satanist
I promise that my adopted Giant, one Zach Wheeler, will not shoot anybody.
"I told the family lovingly slide"
How about Snow Crash? It seemed a reasonable length to me...
Also, it has one of the best lines I’ve read in the last couple years:
Until a man is twenty-five, he still thinks, every so often, that under the right circumstances he could be the baddest motherfucker in the world. If I moved to a martial-arts monastery in China and studied real hard for ten years. If my family was wiped out by Colombian drug dealers and I swore myself to revenge. If I got a fatal disease, had one year to live, and devoted it to wiping out street crime. If I just dropped out and devoted my life to being bad.
Hiro used to feel this way, too, but then he ran into Raven. In a way, this was liberating. He no longer has to worry about being the baddest motherfucker in the world. The position is taken.
Also, I have a weakness for Cyberpunk (any non-Gibson recommendations would be very appreciated)
Proud of both my adopted son, Baggs, and my ward, Ryan LOLlis.
I gave up on Matterhorn and am taking a break from The Passage. I’m starting on The Lonely Polygamist which is definitely more of a summer book, although I feel like I’m reading the equivalent of an entire season of “Big Love”.
They could be Giants...but not really.
Yeah, this is my second time through and I’m enjoying it even more than the first. Absolutely hilarious and the guy is just a fantastic writer.
by Into the Void on Jun 22, 2010 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Underworld
by Don DeLilo. He’s kind of like the Yngwie Malmsteen of prose — dude, I get it, you’re good — so it’s always been tough for me to read him.
I have that on my shelves. Haven’t tackled it yet, though.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
I didn’t get that impression from White Noise.
by Into the Void on Jun 22, 2010 9:24 AM PDT up reply actions
That’s exactly the book that made me put down DeLillo for a decade. I’ll try it again soon.
by Grant Brisbee on Jun 22, 2010 9:55 AM PDT up reply actions
Oh, I’m glad this is a shared experience. I really disliked White Noise.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
After I was done with that book, I really wished I’d just stopped with the Prologue, which I’d already read as a novella in the Atlantic called Pafko at the Wall, and which I though was way better than the rest of the book.
On the other hand, I can’t read Libra enough times.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
The Prologue makes me want to stop writing fiction. It’s so good.
by Grant Brisbee on Jun 22, 2010 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions
I read White Noise, and I did not enjoy the experience. And then some crappy band named after a reference to that book came out and I felt like, “oh, this is the kind of book crappy bands name themselves after.”
I’ve always meant to go back to DeLilo, but I haven’t yet. I’ve heard Underworld is where the good stuff’s at.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
Libra.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
White Noise can go jump off a cliff
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all
McFAQ for all you newcomers out there.
Yes, Libra
I’ve read most of them and that’s the masterpiece, and one of the greatest examples of imaginative historical fiction ever written.
by Duelling Brandos on Jun 23, 2010 11:00 AM PDT up reply actions
best book
seriously, it’s up there with Infinite Jest for me. So amazing.
Mao II is what put me off DeLillo for a long time. Re-read WHite Noise again recently, and I think it’s really a book of a certain time — it’s not again all that well.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
I’m on a bit of an art kick these days, so I’ve been reading “Rape of Europa” along with occasional dips into “Let’s See” which is collected essays by Peter Schjeldahl and “Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees” which is a series of conversations with Robert Irwin and is really kind of a stunning piece of work. Kind of like the Hitchcock/Truffaut book.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
I’m working up the energy to tackle 2066 sometime this year I hope.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
Wow, nice picks
I just bought “The Monuments Men” which is the same subject matter as Rape of Europa. Let me know how you like it and I’ll give you my two cents on TMM when it comes.
I’m also thinking of jumping back into 2666. Dropped it like 200 pages in, but I really enjoyed those 200 pages.
Proud of both my adopted son, Baggs, and my ward, Ryan LOLlis.
Yarg, me too.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions
PULP FICTION
CLINT EASTWOOD
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all
McFAQ for all you newcomers out there.
With vacation next week I'm in hiking mode
Yosemite and Big Sur trail guides and Walden, which has been on the list for years but I finally picked up a copy.
Adopted brother of Jason Jarvis.
I had a great experience once reading Desolation Angels while camping in Yosemite.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
Nice
I was reading The Dharma Bums the last time I was in Big Sur, Kerouac and the wilderness is a great combination.
Adopted brother of Jason Jarvis.
Leaves of Grass is pretty great in that setting. Or any setting really.
by BestHyperboleEver on Jun 22, 2010 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm reading Willie's biography.
450 pages in. It’s really good.
Proud parent of the new dominant pitching sensation out of San Diego State University.
Refocused on baseball. Sharks hockey: torture.
For summer reading
I have to read Gone with the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, and Greek Mythology.
I haven’t started yet.
Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens!
Better than you! Mejor que tú! Beter dan jij! 良い場合も! Mehor than abo!
"The trouble with baseball is that it is not played the year round." - Gaylord Perry
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jun 22, 2010 10:20 AM PDT reply actions
I didn’t really like Grapes of Wrath as much as most. It’s good, but kind of boring at times.
I was promised lasagna.
I read it a couple years ago. I pretty much agree.
Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens!
Better than you! Mejor que tú! Beter dan jij! 良い場合も! Mehor than abo!
"The trouble with baseball is that it is not played the year round." - Gaylord Perry
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jun 22, 2010 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions
One of Steinbeck’s greatest strengths is his ability to dictate the pace of the reader. It does lead to some valleys but those are generally intentional. He depends a great deal on the reader’s perseverance.
That said, I’ll take East of Eden over Grapes anyday.
by BestHyperboleEver on Jun 22, 2010 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions
what have you been reading?
co-dad w/AfDC of
Ishikawa, the Topps Rookie All Star Team's First baseman. Does he get a chance in 2010?
"Because I don’t know what it means anymore, in the PCL. It’s almost like years ago."
I'm kind of/supposed to be reading Pioneer Urbanites by Douglas Henry Daniels
It’s a social and cultural history of the black experience in San Francisco (and also some of the East Bay). But I’m lagging a lot with it right now.
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all
McFAQ for all you newcomers out there.
I’m reading The Bullpen Gospels right now.
"IT'S POSEY, YOU IDIOT." - Jon Miller
Clayton Tanner, the Flying Squirrel!
by walkoff baltimore chop on Jun 22, 2010 10:49 AM PDT reply actions
and after that The Basketball Diaries?
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
The Football Files.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Sure, why not.
"IT'S POSEY, YOU IDIOT." - Jon Miller
Clayton Tanner, the Flying Squirrel!
by walkoff baltimore chop on Jun 22, 2010 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions
Did you read My Dark Places? I was already a huge Ellroy fan when it came out, but that book still blew me away.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
Actually, I’ve only read the American Tabloid trilogy, though I have a few others lying around waiting their turn.
My Dark Places is incredible. Blood on the Moon is also worth checking out.
by Into the Void on Jun 22, 2010 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh, wow, you stepped into the stream at the wrong place. The Big Nowhere and then White Jazz — you can almost see him perfecting his voice and coming into full control of his themes. Both are amazing. LA Confidential is pretty great, too, though it runs on a little bit long. And then My Dark Places which is about as self-lacerating a confessional as you’re likely to come across.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
I’m part-way through The Complete Calvin & Hobbes. Haven’t read any for a while, though.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
…and I’m done with Catch-22. The last few chapters were pretty horrifying. But incredible.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Snowden had a secret!
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
Heh. Since I finished Catch-22 this afternoon, I’m hoping to finish two more before Monday. So maybe!
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Also, I was just reading some of the old discussions of Catch-22 in the MCC archives. I was about to reply to something to make a slight correction to something Cookyman said. But there’s no reply button. Duh, this thread was like two years ago!
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
It was very, very minor. I only noticed because I JUST read the passage in question.
He said that Milo indirectly killed Snowden by replacing the morphine in the plane with cotton balls. Actually, he replaced the morphine with a note that said, “What’s Good For M&M Enterprises Is Good For America.”
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
And realistically, this action had no bearing on Snowden living or dying, but rather on the level of pain and misery he had to experience while dying.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
I looked it up
The exact quote is “I think he replaced the first aid kit with a bunch of cotton balls, or something like that”.
Congratulations on the most nitpicky comment in the history of the Internet!
I was promised lasagna.
I ONLY NOTICED BECAUSE I READ THE THREAT TEN MINUTES AFTER I READ THE SCENE!
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
THE THREAD
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
IS THAT A THREAT?
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions
But I didn’t say that it’s what happened, like you claimed I did. I only said it’s what I think happened, or “something like that”. What actually happened qualifies as “something like that”. Therefore, I was correct.
CHECKMATE
I was promised lasagna.
A NOTE is not “something like” a cotton ball. That’s like saying that a shoe is “something like” a dandelion!
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
And the cotton balls, incidentally, were sold to the government. Or they were going to be; I don’t think the novel actually follows up on that. Although some are used for chocolate covered cotton balls for the mess hall.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
I give up. How is a shoe something like a dandelion?
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
Grammar fail!
"I think he replaced the first aid kit with a bunch of cotton balls, or something like that".
The “that” doesn’t refer to “cotton balls”, but rather to the entire clause that precedes the comma (“he replaced the first aid kit with a bunch of cotton balls”).
Cotton balls may not be that similar to notes, but replacing the morphine in a first aid kit with cotton balls is pretty damn similar to replacing the morphine in a first aid kit with notes.
I was promised lasagna.
Oh, fine.
Your sentence is ambiguous enough that I will not pursue you further on this one.
This conversation is sort of like something from the book, actually. Except with much less death.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
So you’re saying that it’s like something from the book, or something like that?
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions
I find this subthread to be impossibly weird.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions
This might be the most pointless subthread ever on the MCC
And that is an accomplishment.
The baseball Satanist
I promise that my adopted Giant, one Zach Wheeler, will not shoot anybody.
"I told the family lovingly slide"
man, milo is a dick
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
And Aarfy.
Which you and Cookyman discussed in those old threads I was looking up.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Aarfy might be my least favorite literary character of ALL TIME.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
As a person, you mean?
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Yeah, that’s what i meant. He’s a great character! But I hate him so much oh my god.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
Now I’m wondering who my most hated figure in a novel would be. Humbert Humbert would have to be up there, although he’s also one of the best characters of any novel I’ve read.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
I think Aarfy is more foul than Humbert Humbert. HH at least has the excuse of probably being mentally ill.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
I suspect Aarfy was mentally ill in another way – being a sociopath. His utter confusion at the idea that he had done a bad thing or could get in trouble for the maid seemed pretty clearly sociopathic to me.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
lol he just seemed like a really, really privileged rich white straight guy to me. :\
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
Heh. Having gone to high school in Orinda, I guess there’s a fine line between the two.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Or Mister from The Color Purple.
Sexual predators/abusers: not sympathetic characters.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Yeah the last couple of chapters in Catch-22 are a pretty huge turnaround from the beginning of the book, but I think that makes them more effective. The “Eternal City” chapter is one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever read, probably because the rest of the book is so comparatively light-hearted.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
The walk through the city is strangely over-the-top, imo. It’s probably meant to be that way, but I still found it a bit weird. The scene with Aarfy back in the apartment is brilliant, though.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
What really got me was the never ending list of deaths of Yossarian’s freinds. Even though you start expecting it after a while, and even though most of the dead aren’t even particularly likable, some of them really affected me. The whole scene where McWatt kills Kid Sampson and then flies his plain into a mountain, for example: Kid Sampson is barely a character, and McWatt is just a decent guy, nothing special, but the somehow I still really cared when they died. Heller made the deaths grotesque and insane, and yet somehow logical, many times predictable – at some point you realize what McWatt is going to do, and you kind of get nervous, hoping it doesn’t happen, and then you also realize exactly what he’s going to say (“oh well, what the hell?”, like always) – the whole thing is just really powerful, even though its descried in a humoristic way.
I was promised lasagna.
I definitely read that passage as deliberately over-the-top. I found it sort of lulled me into a false sense of security – it was so flagrantly melodramatic that it seemed almost like a return to the humor of most of the book – and then it beats you over the head with Aarfy and the maid.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Yeah, definitely, I agree with all this. It’s what makes the book so incredible to me.
I actually haven’t read it straight through in a long time (I usually just open it up to a random page and reread scenes). I ought to do that soon.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
Sure, it’s a Dante-esque journey through hell, the real hell, the one we create. The Eternal City isn’t just a nickname for Rome, after all, it’s the infinite persistence of our own evil nature.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
If you want to continue on the fighter pilot vein
Give “The Hunters” a read. It’s a mirror image of Catch-22, and pretty darn affecting.
I’d give a couple toes to be able to write with the economy of Salter.
Proud of both my adopted son, Baggs, and my ward, Ryan LOLlis.
Beware Fantasy Nerd:
Farseer Trilogy: Widely been disappointed. All i heard was omg robin hobb best writer ever but I’m not impressed so far. Hopefully the third book is amazing.
Rereading Ice and fire just in case dance with dragons ever actually gets released
Has anyone read “And another thing…” the 6th hitchhikers book that just got released. the one not written by douglas adams.
"Life is like a grapefruit. Well, it's sort of orangy-yellow and dimpled on the outside, wet and squidgy in the middle. It's got pips inside, too. Oh, and some people have a half a one for breakfast."
by operation carrot on Jun 22, 2010 11:26 AM PDT reply actions
I have not read And Another Thing, but the reviews I’ve perused have all been fairly positive.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions
It really does seem like George R. R. Martin has lost interest
This whole thing with Dance of Dragons is worse than anything that happened with The Wheel of Time.
The baseball Satanist
I promise that my adopted Giant, one Zach Wheeler, will not shoot anybody.
"I told the family lovingly slide"
ever read Melanie Rawn?
She wrote the first two books of a trilogy back in 1994 and 1997. Then I think she had health problems or something. When she was back to writing, she said she wasn’t going to finish the trilogy, because she couldn’t remember it well enough, and she didn’t like to read her own work. Back in 2003, she said she had started writing it after all, but it’s still not out and nobody seems to know if it ever will be.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
No, I've never heard of her
The baseball Satanist
I promise that my adopted Giant, one Zach Wheeler, will not shoot anybody.
"I told the family lovingly slide"
Ah. She’s best known for the Dragon Prince series in the late 80s/early 90s.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
I'm still irritated about that trilogy not being finished
I keep seeing people randomly post that they’re going to write fanfic for that trilogy, but they never finish the fics either. There must be something about it.
Unfortunately yes. The fourth book sort of meandered around and not much happened, and who knows when the fifth will come out. I think it’s intended to be seven books total, and I’m pretty sure he’s not going to finish them.
Osiris, Lord of the Dead, and relief pitcher for the Fresno Grizzlies.
thankfully brandon sanderson is amazing. Gathering storm was epic. But yeah george r r martin isnt going to finish and i doubt he took the time to plan the whole ending in a super detailed way or tell somebody the whole thing like Jordan did.
"Life is like a grapefruit. Well, it's sort of orangy-yellow and dimpled on the outside, wet and squidgy in the middle. It's got pips inside, too. Oh, and some people have a half a one for breakfast."
by operation carrot on Jun 23, 2010 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Someone wrote another Hitchhikers? I think Adams made it pretty clear with the 5th that there shouldn’t be another one.
I was promised lasagna.
Eoin Colfer.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions
I just finished re-reading the series, minus the Time Traveler since I don’t own it.
Somewhere in the minor leagues, Joe Paterson is pitching.
by imovermyhead on Jun 22, 2010 4:15 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm reading those right now
since my kids have been. Based on the first two books I would never let the guy anywhere near writing a Hitchhiker book, but my wife says they do improve some as the series goes on.
"I never think I’m a good player or a bad player. This is what I’m thinking: I can play. And I want to play." - Juan Uribe
woops, sorry, I was pushing Farseer
trilogy a year or two ago. By Robert J Sawyer is the one I mean.
proud, yes I said proud, adoptive papa of "Geno" Eugenio Velez
by foothillsfan on Jun 23, 2010 12:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Next up on my reading queue
is something that I’ve been meaning to read for a long time: Ghandi’s autobiography.
The baseball Satanist
I promise that my adopted Giant, one Zach Wheeler, will not shoot anybody.
"I told the family lovingly slide"
Ghandi helped B.A. Baracus learn how to kill again.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions
An excellent read. It bogs down a bit in parts (especially if you don’t know that much about India at that time), but the beginning especially is quite interesting. I’ve read that and his translation/commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, and they’ve both had quite an impact on me.
Osiris, Lord of the Dead, and relief pitcher for the Fresno Grizzlies.
My list for the next couple weeks (unempLOLyment!)
Just finished:
Chronic City – Lethem
This Blinding Absence of Light – Jelloun
Homelessness in California – Quigley
On the Docket:
Hopscotch – Cortazar (a re-read)
The Elementary Particles – Hollubecq
Sleepless – Huston
Proud of both my adopted son, Baggs, and my ward, Ryan LOLlis.
I loved The Elementary Particles. Get ready for a very depressing and nihilstic read.
by Into the Void on Jun 22, 2010 2:13 PM PDT up reply actions
I just read a book on people stuck in Moroccan prisons for 20 years
So, I’m definitely on a downer kick at the moment.
Proud of both my adopted son, Baggs, and my ward, Ryan LOLlis.
You know what’s kinda dispiriting? Being 600 pages into a book and being less than halfway done.
In conclusion, I’m reading War And Peace.
GROUGTHINK ALERT
The first Chester Arthur fanboy ever.
That’s sort of how I feel about Against the Day. Although it would help if I read that book at all. Being on page 150 for three years is counterproductive. Well, not counterproductive. Just non-productive.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions
I got bogged down about 300 pages into Against the Day as well. Every time I thought I was seeing a shape to it all it got yanked away from me.
I have made it all the way through War and Peace, though I was in a non-voluntary lack of activities kind of situation at the time.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
The Crying of Lot 49 is all the Pynchon I’ve read. I do have Gravity’s Rainbow and Mason & Dixon sitting around, though.
Making calculations based upon statiscal histori-garbage rather than situation reality since 1980
Adopted Giant: Kaohi Downing. Because all 50th Round picks go to heaven (or at least extended spring training).
Enjoy your free Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
never made it through GR
tried 3x, once with a reader’s guide/companion deal. too postmodern for this simpleton, i guess.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
I’m one of the few people I know who doesn’t like Crying of Lot 49. And it’s a good thing it wasn’t the first Pynchon I read, because I probably never would have gone back. Believe it or not, Mason & Dixon was my Pynchtroduction, and I loooove that book.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions
The first time I read Crying of Lot 49 I was reading at the same time Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory, and I think the connection of the old war myth about rendering dead soldiers into soap (which also figures prominently in Lot 49) had such a huge impact on me that me memory of that book got totally skewed (like it’s some kind of time traveling California in the 70s/WWI extravaganza) and consequently the second time I read it it was a completely new experience for me. I did love it both times, though. I’ve also read Gravity’s Rainbow several times, but in part that’s because I used to teach it occasionally.
Ironically, the first Pynchon I read was V, and I didn’t much like it, as the chapters just seemed redundant to me, rather than amplifying.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
I remember Crying seeming like one big (well, one tiny) practice novel to me. Like Pynchon had all these clever and sometimes brilliant things that he could do, but he was just trying them out to see if he liked them. It’s similar to the way I feel about a lot of Nabokov’s earlier books. It’s maybe not the best reason to not like a book, but it bothered me.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions
That’s how I felt about V, but Crying actually seemed to have themes and points and whatnot to me. Admittedly, a lot of it is a satire of Californian culture in the 70s, and being a part of California in the 70s made that more relevant to me than it might to you, but it seemed like a satire with a humanistic heart to me.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
My $0.02
I’ve tried Gravity’s Rainbow a couple times and never made it past 150. But Mason and Dixon is flippin’ great—one of my favorite novels, rich and funny. I have never been so sad to finish a book.
by Duelling Brandos on Jun 23, 2010 11:04 AM PDT up reply actions
I’m reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the early ’60’s. As a lover of the history of the Civil Rights Movement, I’m quite enjoying it.
And, as I said above, I’m about to start reading the Larssen Millennium trilogy. It can’t possibly be as good as everyone says, can it?
It's pretty damn entertaining read.
I don’t think it’s possible to really love the books, but it’s some solid entertainment.
Proud of both my adopted son, Baggs, and my ward, Ryan LOLlis.
I have 2 books I'm about to start reading
Mays’ biography and The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst
Proud father of Mike Krukow (who is more than 3 times my age)
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Still cheering for Kevin Frandsen
John Bowker: One of the 3 best OF's on the Giants roster
I’m reading The Bullpen Gospels right now and it’s pretty damn good.
"IT'S POSEY, YOU IDIOT." - Jon Miller
Clayton Tanner, the Flying Squirrel!
by walkoff baltimore chop on Jun 22, 2010 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, I heard it's amazing
I ordered it from Barnes & Noble yesterday so I’m just waiting for it to arrive.
Proud father of Mike Krukow (who is more than 3 times my age)
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Still cheering for Kevin Frandsen
John Bowker: One of the 3 best OF's on the Giants roster
hey i have that too!
anniversary present from the wife <3
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
agreed!
i think she’s a keeper.
we just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. we’re gonna give it another 20 and then re-evaluate to make sure it’s working out for all parties.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
Does that include lemon parties?
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 22, 2010 9:44 PM PDT up reply actions
ain’t no party like a Lemon party
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Adopting Denny Bautista until someone tells me he's already spoken for.
it ain’t a Lemon party without old Dick
by Murray, Present on Jun 23, 2010 9:37 PM PDT up reply actions
At the moment?
The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov
Let the Great World Spin by McCann
The Sunset Western Garden Book
Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller
What to Expect When You’re Expecting (1000 pages of gripping suspense and abject horror)
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Silverstein
by BestHyperboleEver on Jun 22, 2010 4:12 PM PDT reply actions
I'm reading Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne
Yes, it was made into a Michael Cera movie. But it’s pretty good.
I’m going to a reading by Sloane Crosley tomorrow night. She has a new book out.
by Murray, Present on Jun 22, 2010 8:12 PM PDT reply actions
I actually liked the movie
I thought I would hate it. Maybe I’ll check the book out.
Proud father of Mike Krukow (who is more than 3 times my age)
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Still cheering for Kevin Frandsen
John Bowker: One of the 3 best OF's on the Giants roster
What I'm reading
The best books I’ve read recently:
“Netherland” by Joseph O’Neill. Really rich, Bellow-like evocation of an expat in post 9/11 New York. Lots of discussion of cricket. Great book, deep and evocative.
“Black Swan Green” by David Mitchell. I much prefer this to Cloud Atlas; note-perfect re-creation of early ’80s adolescence in rural England.
“Revolutionary Road” by Richard Yates. As brutal as a book can be.
I’m currently reading a book by Bryan Burrough on the Texas oil industry called “The Big Rich.” Pretty easy to digest. I’ve lived in Texas for two years and figured I really need to devote some time this summer learning about its history.
by Duelling Brandos on Jun 23, 2010 11:08 AM PDT reply actions
This is the first I’ve heard of the new one—to be published in the U.S. next week, it looks like. Been to the UK lately?
by Duelling Brandos on Jun 23, 2010 12:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Word Freak
about Scrabble maniacs—Matt Graham, the scrabble expert, is featured.
pretty compelling esp. if you like scrabble. I will look for the “Word Wars” film.
Don’t remember if I already posted “Strong Motion” by Franzen here, believable quirky characters and amazing serious debates among them.
Will pick up “The Help” soon, it’s been recommended a lot. And thanks for reminders on Atwood and Pamuk. Will add them to the pile here which includes Naipul, Updike, RJ Sawyer, “The Corrections” and Bulgarian language CDs.
proud, yes I said proud, adoptive papa of "Geno" Eugenio Velez
Stephan Dedalus’ favorite book as a young boy (he used to act out scenes in his bedroom), bringing the post back around in ouroborus style.
(and, as a literary bonus, its also the play that Eugene O’Neill’s father toured the country acting in for years, frequently referred to with great bitterness in Long Day’s Journey Into Night).
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
I’ve thought about reading that, but I’m pretty sure it would just make me hungry.
"I just struck out looking three times, but in any other ballpark those would have been home runs." - Aubrey Huff
by howtheyscored on Jun 24, 2010 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
I hope it's the unabridged
God, I love that book. I think I’ve read it at least twice since I turned 18.
Proud of both my adopted son, Baggs, and my ward, Ryan LOLlis.
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