What are you reading?

Synthestesia · Post by **Synthestesia** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:34 am

fujee wrote:dude I really want to read that book, after infinite jest i need another post modern epic

funny i was thinking of reading infinite jest after this.

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:41 am

Synthestesia wrote:
fujee wrote:dude I really want to read that book, after infinite jest i need another post modern epic
funny i was thinking of reading infinite jest after this.

All I can say is, absolutely do it, best book I have ever read. If House of Leaves is too mentally exhausting though, maybe go for something lighter in between. I've heard it's quite a taxing book once you finish it, and Infinite Jest isn't any easier. More like a massive maze in word form. Still awesome though.

bearhead · Post by **bearhead** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:08 am

A friend of mine recently sent me out a copy of this book called Hope and Help for Your Nerves by Claire Weekes. It deals with anxiety-related phobias, etc. But it's an amazing book! I've only gotten three chapters read so far, but it's pretty fucking spot on about this stuff.

I haven't read enough of it to recommend it, though.

Treefingers · Post by **Treefingers** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:14 pm

Thomas Pynchon's Vineland.

More small-scale than V. and Gravity's Rainbow, but with some really funny moments, and it seems to be developing into something more interesting to read.

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 9:24 pm

louise · Post by **louise** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 1:28 am

im sure ive seen that ^ knocking around my folks' house

Synthestesia · Post by **Synthestesia** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 1:36 am

Jitterbug Perfume. I'm not too far in to it, but far enough so that it has an incessant grasp on me. Fantastic so far. Very excited to see how this epic unfolds

Cupz · Post by **Cupz** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 1:04 pm

I've never laughed so hard reading a book.

TaoTapeTao · Post by **TaoTapeTao** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:45 am

Ustillhavefriends wrote:

Incredible so far. just over halfway through. Loved the movie but the book is even better imo.

ER MER GERD CORMAC MCCARTHY!!! one of my favorite writers ever. He does a lot of impressive stuff with syntax. Check out the sunset limited if you're looking for a quick but very insightful read

Treefingers · Post by **Treefingers** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:16 pm

Still on Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

Dunno what I'm going to on to after that. I'm thinking of reading a bunch of short stories and then starting on the Sandman volume I got for Christmas.

Speaking of which - any fans of Sandman here? I've not read them before, though I really enjoyed American Gods.

lightsoutnepal · Post by **lightsoutnepal** » Wed Mar 13, 2013 3:21 pm

Ustillhavefriends wrote:

Incredible so far. just over halfway through. Loved the movie but the book is even better imo.

I just finished this too. I loved it. Im currently reading All the Pretty Horses by him (have finished Blood Meridian and Suttree).

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:49 pm

louise wrote:im sure ive seen that ^ knocking around my folks' house

You have cool parents then

Magrathea · Post by **Magrathea** » Wed Mar 13, 2013 6:04 pm

Reading a few alongside one another:

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
Pars vite et reviens tard - Fred Vargas
Anathem - Neal Stephenson (third and final try, I know it starts slow but this shit is slower than glass melting at room temp. Man it's dull.)

saturdayindex · Post by **saturdayindex** » Wed Mar 13, 2013 8:54 pm

Magrathea wrote: Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

A good book.

Cupz wrote:

I've never laughed so hard reading a book.

The reviews on Amazon of this book had me glued to the screen. That's it, Hendrik. Thank you for alerting me to the presence of this book, I'm ordering it off Amazon now.

Beavercanoe · Post by **Beavercanoe** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 10:25 pm

Just finished Infinite Jest today. I was too relieved not to post this somewhere, as this book took me way too long to get through. Almost five months, I think. Jesus.

I'm officially going on a DFW (RIP) lit binge. I will recommend Infinite Jest to anyone willing to read it until I die.

READ IT

Treefingers · Post by **Treefingers** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:49 pm

fujee wrote:dude I really want to read that book, after infinite jest i need another post modern epic

Have you ever read any Pynchon? V. would be a good place to start (though other people tend to say The Crying of Lot 49) if you want a sort of smaller scale post-modern epic to precede Gravity's Rainbow - which is pretty much a post-modern masterpiece (almost even post-post-modern in its somewhat implicit criticism / parody of post-modern thought, notions of history).

Mason and Dixon and Against the Day seem to be in a similar sprawling, post-modern vein, too. But I've not read them yet, and I think I'm going to read some slightly more light stuff before I get started.

Now reading: The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman.
First graphic novel / comic book I've read in quite a while, and it's rather compelling, even though this first volume is apparently the series in its noticeable (yet promising) infancy, as even the introduction says.

Treefingers · Post by **Treefingers** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:51 pm

Beavercanoe wrote:Just finished Infinite Jest today. I was too relieved not to post this somewhere, as this book took me way too long to get through. Almost five months, I think. Jesus.

I'm officially going on a DFW (RIP) lit binge. I will recommend Infinite Jest to anyone willing to read it until I die.

READ IT

I want to read this at some point, too.

I have a collection of his short stories that I've read some of (Brief Interviews With Hideous Men). What I've read seemed really interesting ('The Depressed Person' was great, if extremely bleak). I can imagine him reading better in novel form, though.

Julian Candy · Post by **Julian Candy** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:48 pm

I have to read "Parrot in the Oven" for class. I don't get how this book won awards, it's relatively plotless and I don't get any sort of feel for the characters, half the time I don't even know who's who.

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:59 pm

Treefingers wrote:
fujee wrote:dude I really want to read that book, after infinite jest i need another post modern epic
Have you ever read any Pynchon? V. would be a good place to start (though other people tend to say The Crying of Lot 49) if you want a sort of smaller scale post-modern epic to precede Gravity's Rainbow - which is pretty much a post-modern masterpiece (almost even post-post-modern in its somewhat implicit criticism / parody of post-modern thought, notions of history).

Mason and Dixon and Against the Day seem to be in a similar sprawling, post-modern vein, too. But I've not read them yet, and I think I'm going to read some slightly more light stuff before I get started.

Now reading: The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman.
First graphic novel / comic book I've read in quite a while, and it's rather compelling, even though this first volume is apparently the series in its noticeable (yet promising) infancy, as even the introduction says.

Yeah Pynchon is great man, I've read Gravity's Rainbow and Against the Day, both were hard work but really awesome, I like books that make you work for it. Probably why I loved Infinite Jest so much. Need to check out Crying lot of 49 - I also attempted Vineland but didnt really dig it that much. Might have to try again.

Im currently reading Herzog.

Treefingers · Post by **Treefingers** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 10:09 pm

Vineland's definitely a grower -- more depth becomes apparent as you go through it, even though it initially seems to be a more simple, small-scale, flippant novel. Makes some really interesting points about the illusory nature of freedom in (mainly American, but I think that message is sadly becoming increasingly relevant to the UK, too, now) societies that pride themselves on being free.

I need to re-read Crying...: it's short, but I'd still say it's quite difficult and cryptic. It's basically condensed insanity, and I admittedly can sort of see where Pynchon's coming from when he criticises it for seeming rushed.

I'd love to read Against the Day. It looks like I'd need to get in the same zone as I was in reading Gravity's Rainbow (I wrote my undergrad dissertation on it and have still got a massive list of notes stored, unacademically enough, in the 'memos' section of my phone), which could be quite fun, I admit.

--

As for now reading, got started on The Sandman. I'm liking it a lot, even if some of the DC references can be kind of jarring -- but it's got a lot of what I liked about American Gods (and what I imagine becomes more present as the series gains its confidence): the imagination, the rich allusions, and the humour, etc.