What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (7 Viewers)

[Nate Champion]

Don DeLilo's White Noise is going great. I expect I'll read a whole heap more by him now.
There's a lovely soft-back edition of Americana in Chapters, but I'm conflicted - @Shaney only rates it a 4, while @Nate Champion gave it an 8. Hmmm, I'd be interested in hearing what @washingcattle would give it.

White Noise is a good starting point. It's more comic or conspicuously humane than his normal style... I read Endzone first, then Americana - I think - and maybe part of why I rate them so highly. Endzone is shorter and better controlled. Americana kind of gets away from itself (memory does not serve me well here though) I'm planning to reread both early next year along with the one about the rockstar - Great Jones Street? No-one seems to ever talk about that one.

Basically with DeLillo, I expect some strong philosophical ideas and a strong aesthetic. That style can wear thin though. I'm beginning to think Falling Man is better than I gave it credit for, and Cosmopolis tipped along, but seemed to rely heavily on some Baudrillardian ideas. (DeLillo would probably be the first to concede that he's read and been affected by those post-structuralist theory chaps).

Anyway,
difficult to talk about DeLillo without waffling on (his best or most pungent (ballsy?) patches of writing are probably in White Noise and Libra)...

I just finished Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach and oh my, it was actually quite good. I've always pegged him as a shit Updike [and he does trundle through some drab details in search of metaphysical pungency] and aside from these inadequate Updike stylings and tonal fart notes (jesus, sometimes you want to throttle his gauntily smug, bespectacled face), it is a evocative, crisply structured period narrative.

Just begun Nabokov's The Enchanter.

Also, halfway through The Captive (of 'The Captive and the Fugitive') by Proust. Taking an extended tea-break on that one currently.

 

[Psycho Punk]

Existence by David Brin, 90 pages into it. An alien artefact is discovered in orbit. Just when the planet is going to hell ina bucket: rising seas, natural disasters, nuclear war. Only the farmers are doing well out of it.

Enjoyable so far.

http://www.davidbrin.com/existence.html

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

White Noise is a good starting point. It's more comic or conspicuously humane than his normal style... I read Endzone first, then Americana - I think - and maybe part of why I rate them so highly. Endzone is shorter and better controlled. Americana kind of gets away from itself (memory does not serve me well here though) I'm planning to reread both early next year along with the one about the rockstar - Great Jones Street? No-one seems to ever talk about that one.

Basically with DeLillo, I expect some strong philosophical ideas and a strong aesthetic. That style can wear thin though. I'm beginning to think Falling Man is better than I gave it credit for, and Cosmopolis tipped along, but seemed to rely heavily on some Baudrillardian ideas. (DeLillo would probably be the first to concede that he's read and been affected by those post-structuralist theory chaps).

Anyway,
difficult to talk about DeLillo without waffling on (his best or most pungent (ballsy?) patches of writing are probably in White Noise and Libra)...

I just finished Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach and oh my, it was actually quite good. I've always pegged him as a shit Updike [and he does trundle through some drab details in search of metaphysical pungency] and aside from these inadequate Updike stylings and tonal fart notes (jesus, sometimes you want to throttle his gauntily smug, bespectacled face), it is a evocative, crisply structured period narrative.

Just begun Nabokov's The Enchanter.

Also, halfway through The Captive (of 'The Captive and the Fugitive') by Proust. Taking an extended tea-break on that one currently.

DeLillo always reads like an undergrad creative writing assignment, trying ever so hard to be clever and full of deep meaning but ending up flat and flaccid. I thought Underworld, White Noise and Americana were terrible but Falling Man was a change in that it actually felt like there was substance there. He's definitely completely overhyped.

 

[washingcattle]

DeLillo always reads like an undergrad creative writing assignment, trying ever so hard to be clever and full of deep meaning but ending up flat and flaccid. I thought Underworld, White Noise and Americana were terrible but Falling Man was a change in that it actually felt like there was substance there. He's definitely completely overhyped.

Why on earth did you read four of his novels if you thought that ? Especially Underworld it's 900 pages ?

I wouldn't say he's overhyped as much as his fans are prone to hyperbole. Like David Lynch or Sonic Youth.

I love all of the above but I know people who have seen 4 David Lynch films or own 4 Sonic Youth albums and hate them all but still end up buying/ seeing them because their fans are so persuasive.

That's why I don't listen to Neutral Milk Hotel.

On the other hand

Though I do love trolling, so it makes life that bit harder.

Also I'd say that elusive lack of a "meaning" and substance is exactly what De Lillo writes about, especially in White Noise so in a way you might be looking for something in his work that he isn't ever going to give you.

Basically what I'm saying is, ploughing through 4 of them, I'd stop reading his novels and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Hey look at that turns out I'm on your side. Whoda thunk it ?

 

[Lili Marlene]

Though I do love trolling, so it makes life that bit harder.

well this is it, isn't it? It's the best way of being an insufferable prick about an author: read ALL their books and still hate on them.

Oh him? Yes he's overrated really. It's the only reason anyone reads Proust.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Why on earth did you read four of his novels if you thought that ?

Because I had bought them all secondhand together and I'm determined to get my money's worth.

Hey look at that turns out I'm on your side. Whoda thunk it ?

It was bound to happen someday.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I still buy the odd delillo book even though I've stopped liking him because I liked the first two I read so much that there's always the possibility there might be more good ones. Great Jones Street is probably the next one I'd read too, or whichever one washing said was good. Same with Philip Roth, although I'm fairly confident that I'm through with him for good now.

Last night I finished An Afghanistan Picture Show by William Vollmann, a very entertaining account of his ridiculous trip to Afghanistan in 1982 to help the mujaheddin fight the russians. I read the Rainbow Stories by the same author a few weeks ago, it was very good too. It was mostly set in in the seedier side of San Francisco. I've always thought of San Francisco as a place I loved since I spent a summer there but now, after reading this book, I can't really remember anything nice about it.

Next up it's THE SPANISH INQUISITION by Cecil Roth

 

[Lili Marlene]

The only Philip Roth i've read is The Human Stain and it was just the worst. Is he better than that normally?

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I dunno, I hated the Human Stain too but I thought The Plot Against America and Indignation (I think that was the one) were great. I didn't like anything else

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I still buy the odd delillo book even though I've stopped liking him because I liked the first two I read so much that there's always the possibility there might be more good ones. Great Jones Street is probably the next one I'd read too, or whichever one washing said was good. Same with Philip Roth, although I'm fairly confident that I'm through with him for good now.

Last night I finished An Afghanistan Picture Show by William Vollmann, a very entertaining account of his ridiculous trip to Afghanistan in 1982 to help the mujaheddin fight the russians. I read the Rainbow Stories by the same author a few weeks ago, it was very good too. It was mostly set in in the seedier side of San Francisco. I've always thought of San Francisco as a place I loved since I spent a summer there but now, after reading this book, I can't really remember anything nice about it.

Next up it's THE SPANISH INQUISITION by Cecil Roth

I've read Europe Central and The Royal Family by Vollmann. Europe Central is excellent. The Royal Family is pretty rank.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I've read Europe Central and The Royal Family by Vollmann. Europe Central is excellent. The Royal Family is pretty rank.

Good rank or bad rank? I was thinking of giving the Seven Dreams series a go next, although he seems to have only written vols 1,2,3 and 6 so far

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Good rank or bad rank? I was thinking of giving the Seven Dreams series a go next, although he seems to have only written vols 1,2,3 and 6 so far

Rank as in its mostly just a 700 page catalogue of the bodily functions of crackheads, junkies and hookers. I have the first volume of Seven Dreams at home in my to read pile.

 

[hugh]

Definitely going to have a go at this Vollmann guy. He sounds great.

I second the Indignation and Plot Against America recommendations. Would add American Pastoral and I Married A Communist. I did like Human Stain too but if you didn't like that probably don't go near Sabbath's Theater. I thought Everyman was awful. Basically I like Roth when he is writing expansive novels with history/social context. But I'm not mad about the elderly/embittered/neurotic/sexual disfunction stuff.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Rank as in its mostly just a 700 page catalogue of the bodily functions of crackheads, junkies and hookers. I have the first volume of Seven Dreams at home in my to read pile.

I presume Whore's For Gloria and Butterfly Stories are much the same. I kinda suspect nothing will be as good as Europe Central but that's ok.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Definitely going to have a go at this Vollmann guy. He sounds great.

I second the Indignation and Plot Against America recommendations. Would add American Pastoral and I Married A Communist. I did like Human Stain too but if you didn't like that probably don't go near Sabbath's Theater. I thought Everyman was awful. Basically I like Roth when he is writing expansive novels with history/social context. But I'm not mad about the elderly/embittered/neurotic/sexual disfunction stuff.

Sabbath's Theatre is my favourite Roth. Equal parts hilarious and depressing.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Is anyone excited about this? I am.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Excited about what?

 

[David Kronenbourg]

The new Donna Tartt novel. I loved her first two books and this is getting rave reviews.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Definitely going to have a go at this Vollmann guy. He sounds great.

I second the Indignation and Plot Against America recommendations. Would add American Pastoral and I Married A Communist. I did like Human Stain too but if you didn't like that probably don't go near Sabbath's Theater. I thought Everyman was awful. Basically I like Roth when he is writing expansive novels with history/social context. But I'm not mad about the elderly/embittered/neurotic/sexual disfunction stuff.

that's good to know. I'm willing to give him another shot but I remember reading the Human Stain and all I could see was:

Old man has written a book about an old man who THE WORLD DOESN'T UNDERSTAND with the exception of this youthful, oversexed woman. Not even thinly-veiled, just blatant wish fulfillment on the authors part. The whole 'PC-world gone mad' theme isn't exactly endearing these days either.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I just purchased these titles from the book depository :

A Tomb for Boris Davidovich by Danilo Kis
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
Against Nature: A Rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans (I've since noticed a different edition with a nicer cover - fuck)
The Songs of Maldoror by Comte De Lautreamont