Eca de Queiroz' Cousin Bazillo is almost as good as his The Relic, James Wood's How Fiction Works was interesting for a handful of chapters, but then even he lost his thesis, or simply could not adequately defend it, Crowley's Little, Big still amazes after a third read, Naipaul's A Writer's People bored me, Yates' Young Hearts Crying is pretty good but I'm only half way in, I still can't stop thinking about Indignation, which might be the book of the year, Chesterton's The Napoleon of Notting Hill is a riot, like laugh outloud (he makes fun of west coast hippies--this is in 1904; that my friends is foresight), I've stalled in my quest to read through Anthony Powell's cycle as it makes me sleepy, I enjoyed McEwan's Atonement while reading it but like it less the more I think on it which means I'll have to revisit it soon.
In other news, in case you haven't used Google Books you need to get on it. A ton of public domain works scanned into .pdf and available for naught. Not that I'd ever pay for a digital book, but I do enjoy stealing; plus I really need 6 versions of The Moon and Sixpence. David Thomson knows more about film than I do and he has a new book out, a companion to his NBDOF. This one is about individual movies, more in depth than Kael's 5001 Nights. I'm not paying $40 for a book, but I will steal it when available.
7 comments:
Roth's Operation Shylock is hilarious and wise and filled with every hateful idea you ever had about the state of Israel- Stone's Damascus Gate is a 500 page slog that never catches fire as a thriller about the state of Israel in the early 90's-Robinson's Gilead is a wonderfully affecting human drama about fathers and sons and believers and the faithless- O' Connor's Wise Blood can't match her more mature stories. How Fiction Works bored me after awhile- did you catch that dude's hatchet job on it in the NYT? Peckish.
"but I will steal it when available"- why won't you support the scene, man?
Will try Crowley soon, but can't quite stop myself from picking up God novels. Would heartily recommend Gilead, though- be patient, as it picks up and the cumulative weight of the slower early material lands heavily near the end. She has a sequel of sorts out now, so steal that for me, will ya?
Shylock is a great read; loved all of it, all the characters (fake and real), and the guy lurking in the hotel hallway; "can i blow you? both of you?" ha!
I swore off Robinson but will try her again. Try the library for free books :)
Forgot to mention Dawkins' The God Delusion; boyoboy what a weird book. Starts out good laying out how he's gonna go about his arguments, but all the chapters are filled with dim anecdotes (some relevant, some just stupid), and this painfully yelping glee he ejaculates every time he points out the absurdity of faith/belief. (See?! See that I'm right, and they're wrong!!). Got really boring after a while. People need to get through life however they want, just mind how you go and have some manners; that'll be my book.
yea, The God Delusion was my least favorite of the God is Bad For You And You Are An Idiot for believing in Him books. He is the one Tony speaks of when talks about condescending and smug atheists. Plus, intellectual proofs of the non-existence of God are worthless. Show the harm belief does, but you ain't gonna convince anybody with abstract logic.
Italy's famously impolitic Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday as "young, handsome and even tanned."
and clean!
never gets old
http://content.imagesocket.com/images/palinpussyf7e.gif
now that obama won, is it safe to publicly declare my desire to have sarah palin dress up in nothing but those black high heeled boots and ravenously fuck her in all beckoning orifices over the course of a long weekend? no? okay, then i wont mention it...
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