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For lack of a better title, The Book Thread!

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Simulacra:
hm,
- cut my teeth on C.S. lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia
- i am William Gibson's bitch
- David Eddings was fun
- as were Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (dragonlance and deathgate)
- currently on the third book of the Dark Tower
- read all of The Wheel Time except the prequel (it had so much potential to start, but he has invented too many plotlines with all of the characters.  probably because this series is his cash cow.)
- liked Palahniuk's work so far with Fight Club and Invisible Monsters
- Orson Scott Card's crap is made of pure gold
- loved Starship Troopers, got pissed at the movie

and that's all i can think of off the top of my head

Garcin:

--- Quote from: Skibas_clavicle ---The only thing that is really clear about it is the fact that said book scarred me for life.
--- End quote ---


Painted Bird was eye-opening.  Heavily influenced by Voltaire's "Candide", which, by the way, is probably the most accessible and enjoyable "serious" philosophical novel in existence.  I anticipate angry posts referring to Herman Hesse and Ayn Rand, but I don't care.

Apart from Catcher in the Rye being the prototypical adolescent angst book, I've always been confused as to its presence at the top of best-of lists.  Franny & Zooey, I've always found it over-appreciated.  Narcissistic prodigies who drive themselves half-mad questing for spiritual development?  I want  something I can relate to, like God allegories involving orphans and zoo-animals.  :-).

My read-before-you-die list includes these, in random order:

-- Ann Patchett - Bel Canto
Despite the opera theme (the author was apparently inspired by Renee Fleming's performance in Rusalka), the idea of a voice so beautiful it changes lives will probably appeal to some forum-goers;

-- Philip Roth - Portnoy's Complaint
It's angsty like Catcher in the Rye, but Jewish, and less pretentious.  Might put you off liver though.

-- Vladimir Nabakov - Lolita
Even if you despise Humbert Humbert, perhaps almost as much as he despises himself, he is a cultural icon that noone talks about.  Kind of interesting.  

-- Vladimir Nabakov - Pale Fire
You're unlikely to ever read this book.  If you do, it will probably change your life.  The first part of the book is a poem written by a fictitious poet named John Shade; the second is a (supposed) commentary written by his neighbour, fan, and unauthorized biographer Charles Kinbote.  Kinbote perverts the commentary into a personal vindication, and a history of a fantastic kingdom that he claims to be the exiled king of, Zembla.

-- Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
The best thing a genius ever wrote.  Keep in mind, this was the guy who said to his friend Andree Gide as he lay dying, "I have put my genius into my life; all I've put into my works is my talent."

-- Italo Calvino -- If on a winter's night a traveler
Ten incomplete stories by ten fictitious authors interlaced with a completed narrative, narrarated by you, The Reader.  You uncover a plot against the world of literature, and fall in love.  Wish fulfillment?  Why I never . . . .

-- Emily Bronte -- Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff is creepy.  Really, really, really creepy.

. . . . and onward.  Sorry for the long post.  I'm enthusiastic about books.

--Moiche

Xcarissa:
I'm kind of a close-minded reader...I won't read anything unless I've been told by someone over and over what the book is about and what their favorites parts are, etc. Right now I'm kinda just stuck on Stephen King because my dad's a huge fan...I'm currently reading The Dead Zone, in fact.

JP:

--- Quote from: Moiche ---
-- Vladimir Nabakov - Lolita
Even if you despise Humbert Humbert, perhaps almost as much as he despises himself, he is a cultural icon that noone talks about.  Kind of interesting.  

-- Vladimir Nabakov - Pale Fire
You're unlikely to ever read this book.  If you do, it will probably change your life.  The first part of the book is a poem written by a fictitious poet named John Shade; the second is a (supposed) commentary written by his neighbour, fan, and unauthorized biographer Charles Kinbote.  Kinbote perverts the commentary into a personal vindication, and a history of a fantastic kingdom that he claims to be the exiled king of, Zembla.
--Moiche
--- End quote ---


I'm also a big Nabokov fan. I had to read Pale Fire twice to really appreciate it. If you're interested, or maybe you already know, he wrote in Russian under the penname V. Sirin and at least two (Mary and Invitation to a Beheading) have been translated. And if you're interested in Russian Lit in general, he wrote a lot of critical essays (especially on Gogol) and a lot of stuff on what he thinks makes good translation, all pretty interesting stuff.

And I haven't seen anybody mention these two books yet, they're a few years old by now but both very, very good (and funny!):

The Corrections - Johnathan Franzen
The Russian Debutante's Handbook - Gary Shteyngart

MilkmanDan:
Right now I'm reading 'Even Cowirls get the blues' by Tom Robbins. It's fairly sweet.
My favourite author is David Mitchell.
Books, eh?

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