Currently reading: Fyodor Dostoyevsky's [i]The Brothers Karamazov[/i]. Been meaning to read this for years... & it is certainly living up to its reputation (both as a book - and as a doorstop).
Up next: Alice Oswald's [i]Dart[/i] - fluvial poetry for fluvial conditions.
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Just so much fun!
Love The Brothers Karamazov, The Devils and Crime and Punishment are great as well.
Currently reading Will Self's 'Book of Dave' - Fight Club next.
Just so much fun!
J&W: always a splendid wheeze - carry on CFH. 🙂
Book of Fight Club is great, its odd, all the bits I thought would be from the book weren't, all the bits i thought would have been created for the film, weren't
Call for Dead - John le Carre's first book, and still one of his best.
Call for dead is good, and J&W is fun.
Currently (listening) to Iain M Banks 'Surface Detail' (I have previously read it)
Have this on the way courtesy of eBay.
http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Power_Crime_and_Mystification.html?id=m6pS4k-mWKEC
It's a sociological study of why we think of certain things as "crime" (e.g. theft) and other immoral behaviour (e.g. bank charges, tax avoidance) as "enh, that's life".
Fight Club is awesome - most Chuck Palahniuk books are - but as strange as anything written!
Just finished Skag Boys by Irvine Welsh - very very good
I have a couple of novels on the go but the one which has me beat is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It is harder to finish than Tristram Shandy which took me about 3 years. If you are the type who likes to finish what you started I would say to you "Don't go there".
[i]Fight Club is awesome - most Chuck Palahniuk books are - but as strange as anything written![/i]
Was just about to post something similar! Massive fan of Palhnuik's craziness. Would love any recommendations for other writers with such original styles (if that makes sense!).
Current reading is Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" on Kindle. A lot stranger than I expeected, but riveting stuff.
Recommend Steven Sherrill books (especially Visits from the Drowned Girl), but very annoyingly he doesn't write many.
Just finished David Millar's book, now onto someone who *really* knew how to abuse drugs...
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I am currently on NT's recommendation of "Troubles" by J.G. Farrell, but tbh I haven't picked it up since I got back from holiday 3 weeks ago 😆
In a similar vein to the original post, I have just finished War and Peace (Tolstoy)..much easier to read than I thought it would be and as finely crafted as any book I've ever read - literally flew through it which is not really what I was expecting!
(for the first time ever) didn't like fight club as much as the film, monsters weirded me out big time, might try other stuff.
Tried a will self book can't remember which but I needed a dictionary on hand whilst reading so soon tired of it.
Currently reading count of monte cristo, have been for a few weeks now and ireader says I'm only 57.17% through. phew. Good tho.
I should get some more irvine welsh stuff, like it.
I haven't picked it up since I got back from holiday
Book another holiday... 😀
I bought pale king at the weekend - his unfinished work that was published last year after his death. Also bought Stephenson's reamde so it's a toss-up between which one to start.I have a couple of novels on the go but the one which has me beat is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It is harder to finish than Tristram Shandy which took me about 3 years. If you are the type who likes to finish what you started I would say to you "Don't go there".
I would urge perseverance to anyone taking on Infinite Jest. I just run out of superlatives describing it - used to think it was the best book I'd read by a living author but sadly that's no longer the case.
It can turn into a ballache if you're dipping into it each evening. if you've got a clear run at it, like on a holiday say, then you'll steam through it.
most Chuck Palahniuk books are
Went to a Robert Rankin book signing a while back. Mate of mine had a copy of Fight Club in his pocket, so for a giggle asked RR to sign it.
After a brief conversation about the book, he took it and signed it, "who the f--k is Chuck? - Robert Rankin"
Have to ask... who the hell is Robert Rankin?
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these have been my last 4. My brain is a bit frazzled tbh 🙂
Currently reading this:
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Really, really enjoying it. Recommended.
I would urge perseverance to anyone taking on Infinite Jest. I just run out of superlatives describing it - used to think it was the best book I'd read by a living author but sadly that's no longer the case.
It can turn into a ballache if you're dipping into it each evening. if you've got a clear run at it, like on a holiday say, then you'll steam through it.
Thanks for the wise words, I will try harder.
but the one which has me beat is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It is harder to finish than Tristram Shandy which took me about 3 years. If you are the type who likes to finish what you started I would say to you "Don't go there".
Gah, I finished it earlier this year; it became a source of pride that I was going to finish the damn thing. It wasn't really worth it, tbh - there was no resolution.
In a similar vein, 'Something Happened' by Heller has beaten me. It's just so tedious!
Coyote - I'm a big fan of the Perdido Street world, having started with the Scar (excellent, really fantastic). Iron Council was a bit meh - how's Perdido St Station?
Currently going through a fusion phase ...
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