Author Topic: Fave Books / Currently Reading  (Read 947143 times)

Steve of Bloomington

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #585 on: January 16, 2009, 08:56:54 PM »
I mostly read graphic novels.  My attention span is all shot from these internets.  Also our library has the best graphic novel section ever.

Recently: Ordinary Victories by a French dude (Manu Larcenet), covers the rise of Facist politicians in France and the story of a successful photographer who decides to quit doing what made him famous and brought in the recognition and money, thumbs up.

Also Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Kim Deitch.  I liked it but on the other hand knowing about the history of animation I wavered between thinking it was cool he'd based a character on Windsor McKay and had references to the 'makin' 'em move' short in there, and wondering why he didn't just do a straight history of Animation type thing.

Ike

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #586 on: January 16, 2009, 09:50:11 PM »
Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. That's some heavy shit.

That book ruined me.  It gave me nightmares for weeks. 

Easily the most disturbing book I've ever read. 

Also one of the best.  I don't go for the gruesome stuff, either. 

Re-reading the Road (teaching it this semester).  Amazing, amazing book. 

I read Clout Atlas recently, by David Mitchell.  Engrossing, tremendous book. 

Hurray BOOKS!
Ike
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Ike

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #587 on: January 16, 2009, 09:52:29 PM »
Yeah, I've read White Noise (loved it), and Falling Man, so I'm very excited to get more into his stuff.

Libra is my favorite.

End Zone is great.  Easily his most accessible, too. 

White Noise is a nearly perfect book, right up until the last 20 pages or so.  Then, well...I'm still not sure, actually. 

I have yet to finish Underworld.  I'm fine with "the tome", but I can't crack the code on that one. 

Ike
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cutout

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #588 on: January 16, 2009, 10:42:32 PM »
Right now I'm in the middle of an article written by Tucker Carlson--who the book refers to as "the whitest man in America". The piece is about going on a piece keeping mission to Liberia with Al Sharpton and Cornel West. It's insane and feels like it would make a great movie: http://tinyurl.com/carlson-sharpton

Thanks for the link. That article is kind of awesome and and succeeded in making me relate to / enjoy the writing of Tucker Carlson. Gonna go scrub my brain with steel wool now.

Keith Whitener

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #589 on: January 16, 2009, 11:07:59 PM »
Right now I'm in the middle of an article written by Tucker Carlson--who the book refers to as "the whitest man in America". The piece is about going on a piece keeping mission to Liberia with Al Sharpton and Cornel West. It's insane and feels like it would make a great movie: http://tinyurl.com/carlson-sharpton

Thanks for the link. That article is kind of awesome and and succeeded in making me relate to / enjoy the writing of Tucker Carlson. Gonna go scrub my brain with steel wool now.

Yeah, it's like he lived his life in a movie for a week. I loved the interactions between Carlson and the Nation of Islam members. All the little details are great, like when he describes the guerrillas as 14 year old transvestites waging war while dressed in women's clothing or that the two guys from the Nation of Islam are both named James Muhammad (and one of them professes a love of photography, claiming that if he had another chance at life he'd love to work at National Geographic.)

cutout

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #590 on: January 16, 2009, 11:59:05 PM »
When I lived in Atlanta, I worked with a Nation of Islam guy also named James Muhammed. He was always trying to sell issues of The Call to co-workers and was probably more full of shit than anyone I've ever met, eventually cheating on his wife and moving up to Virginia. He was nice, though, and never once called me a white devil.

Here's a bit about those cross-dressing rebels -

http://www.slate.com/id/2086490/

A.M. Thomas

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #591 on: January 17, 2009, 03:16:24 AM »
I just finished Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen.  The novel begins, "Last December a woman entered my apartment who looked exactly like my wife."  It kind of putters out at the end, but I liked it.

I'm now on Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations by Chris Fair.  It's part international cookbook, part international travel memoir.  I love reading about North Korea.

I can't believe I haven't participated in this thread until now.

I'm not a chicken,  you're a turkey.

masterofsparks

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #592 on: January 17, 2009, 12:07:52 PM »
Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. That's some heavy shit.

That book ruined me.  It gave me nightmares for weeks. 

Easily the most disturbing book I've ever read. 

Also one of the best.  I don't go for the gruesome stuff, either. 


Yeah, that book was rough stuff. It's a good book, but I'm 100% sure I'll never read it again. Like you say, the most disturbing thing I've ever read.
I'll probably go into the wee hours.

crumbum

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #593 on: January 17, 2009, 12:23:54 PM »
Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. That's some heavy shit.

That book ruined me.  It gave me nightmares for weeks. 

Easily the most disturbing book I've ever read. 

Also one of the best.  I don't go for the gruesome stuff, either. 


Yeah, that book was rough stuff. It's a good book, but I'm 100% sure I'll never read it again. Like you say, the most disturbing thing I've ever read.

I'm at page 200 or so, and every so often I'll find myself flipping to the author photo and staring into his mild, content face, and thinking, who is this maniac?

Ignore Function

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #594 on: January 17, 2009, 05:28:57 PM »
Planet of Slums by Mike Davis. 

Mike Davis is a gifted writer. Agree with his perspectives or not, it's well worth checking out his stuff, especially his books about L.A. The lens through which he sees and analyzes both the world and the world of southern California is fascinating and his writing well worthwhile.
Planet of Slums was pretty mind blowing. :o  City of Quartz is also worthwhile.

Martin

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #595 on: January 17, 2009, 05:42:26 PM »
I just finished a Swedish non-fiction book called "Swedish Mafia". You may laugh, but it's pretty unsettling stuff. The rise of prison gangs, organized crime families, biker gangs, Balkan clans, etc. Very thorough book written by two reporters who've been covering this shit for years. Not alarmist, but with the subject matter you don't really need to be. It's also an indictment against Swedish law enforcement, who's been sleeping on the job for the last 40 years and is now faced with an overwhelming problem.

Anyway, a good read.

Now I'm starting on Let the Right One In, which was given to me as a birthday gift a couple of years ago. I figured I have to read the book before I see the film, because if I do it the other way around, I'll never get to the book.

masterofsparks

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #596 on: January 17, 2009, 11:07:24 PM »
Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. That's some heavy shit.

That book ruined me.  It gave me nightmares for weeks. 

Easily the most disturbing book I've ever read. 

Also one of the best.  I don't go for the gruesome stuff, either. 


Yeah, that book was rough stuff. It's a good book, but I'm 100% sure I'll never read it again. Like you say, the most disturbing thing I've ever read.

I'm at page 200 or so, and every so often I'll find myself flipping to the author photo and staring into his mild, content face, and thinking, who is this maniac?

The only thing I can think of that's comparable in terms of bleakness is The Room by Hubert Selby Jr. Not that his other stuff is a terribly lighthearted, but that's a whole new level of ugly.
I'll probably go into the wee hours.

Fido

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #597 on: January 18, 2009, 02:56:19 AM »
I just finished a Swedish non-fiction book called "Swedish Mafia". You may laugh, but it's pretty unsettling stuff. The rise of prison gangs, organized crime families, biker gangs, Balkan clans, etc. Very thorough book written by two reporters who've been covering this shit for years. Not alarmist, but with the subject matter you don't really need to be. It's also an indictment against Swedish law enforcement, who's been sleeping on the job for the last 40 years and is now faced with an overwhelming problem.

Anyway, a good read.

Now I'm starting on Let the Right One In, which was given to me as a birthday gift a couple of years ago. I figured I have to read the book before I see the film, because if I do it the other way around, I'll never get to the book.

I once wondered if there was a Scandinavian mafia in the U.S. at any point in history. Now I know where to look -- Sweden!

Shaggy 2 Grote

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #598 on: January 30, 2009, 10:04:22 AM »
Just finished The Areas of my Expertise, which is, as you would guess, a laff at minute, and Grant Morrison & Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum, which feels cheesy and dated in that late-80s Vertigo way.  It's a good reminder, though, that Grant Morrison never had an unadulterated genius period - evidently he's done great stuff alongside hack work his whole career.

Currently on Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine which is great - sorry, y/n, not sorry at all, TNR.  The shock therapy metaphor is a little strained - Milton Friedman et. al did indeed use that phrase, but it's more of a cliche in policy circles than an actual doctrine, as far as I can tell - but it's an amazing piece of journalism and actually really suspenseful.  I find myself burning through it and constantly wanting to get back to it, which is not something I could say about most lefty journalism.
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samir

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #599 on: January 30, 2009, 10:41:55 AM »
This follows Jason's post nicely. I am currently reading this, and you won't be amazed to hear that it's pretty ace.



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