What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (11 Viewers)

[Scientician 0.8]

Benedict Kiely did a book that was like a travelogue of Ireland with poems, prose, and poetry. It was pretty good.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Listening to Confederacy of Dunces. So far, its just listening to a complete fucking asshole named Ignacious being a total prick. Nothing much else.

Yep. "Hilarious" book.

 

[Lili Marlene]

wasnt there something like that featured for that one-city,one-book thing last year?

After Dubliners and Ulysses I assumed everyone just thought this shit was covered

 

[hugh]

I'm going to have to re-read COD now to prove you all wrong. I'm going to audio-record myself laughing uproariously and upload that here.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

I need to get rid of this @washingcattle avatar, I'm starting to meh posts.

 

[nooleen]

like homer when he got snake's hair

 

[hugh]

Anyone here read any of those Elena Ferrante novels? Thinking of giving them a go ...

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

The Pashtun Question: The Unresolved Key to the Future of Pakistan and Afghanistan by Abubakar Siddique

This is fascinating. It's all about the pashtuns who live in the border area between pakistan and afghanistan, their tribal customs, divisions between communist and islamist forces operating in afghanistan over the decades, interference and trouble making by pakistan, the rise of al-qaida's and gulf arab islamic fundamentalists in the region, the background to the rise and fall and not-unlikely rise again of the taliban. Pakistan sounds mental.

 

[Lili Marlene]

I'm reading one of the David Foster Wallace journalism collections, to see what the fuss is about and placate friends who have been trying to push Infinite Jest on me for the past decade. S'alright so far. The footnotes within footnotes within footnotes thing gets tiresome quickly but i've laughed out loud several times.

 

[eoinzy2000]

I'm going to have to re-read COD now to prove you all wrong. I'm going to audio-record myself laughing uproariously and upload that here.

Don't waste your time. I really struggled with it, as in forced myself to finish it. I didn't laugh once, I mean not once, not even at the rubber glove wanking scenes which I would usually find quite funny in a childish sort of way. If I hear anyone mention "retarded world view" or "mongoloid" again, I'm going to shoot them.

 

[Jim Daniels]

I'm reading one of the David Foster Wallace journalism collections, to see what the fuss is about and placate friends who have been trying to push Infinite Jest on me for the past decade. S'alright so far. The footnotes within footnotes within footnotes thing gets tiresome quickly but i've laughed out loud several times.

I have similar feelings about David Foster Wallace. Just can't bring myself to reading the humongous Infinite Jest, and have been looking for shorter recommendations. Might try that one.

Lots of footnotes in the Nicholson Baker I'm reading now. Not sure what I really think of this particular style, but it's actually making me wonder now how other writers actually avoid using them.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Anyone here read any of those Elena Ferrante novels? Thinking of giving them a go ...

was reading about her there recently, if you read one let us know how it goes

 

[pete]

finished the last of the game of thrones on monday so moved onto The Martian for a bit of light relief. Great stuff.

Amazon product ASIN 0091956145
Looking forward to the movie now.

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[ilovehoovering]

I read A Game of Thrones on holiday. It was a choice between that and Martin McGuinness: From Guns to Government from the holiday apartment book swap shelf. Having never seen the tv show, I thought it was really good and I'll give the second book a go soon enough.

 

[IFF]

was reading about her there recently, if you read one let us know how it goes

yes, i've seen her novels and i do have her as a writer i'd like to check out but i've not down so either

 

[Jim Daniels]

My third Claire Keegan since May. She's an immaculate writer. That's her lot though, which is a shame.

 

[Jim Daniels]

Before Claire, it was Rachel Cusk. Also fantastic. Lovely long readable sentences. I'm all about the female writers lately.

 

[jonah]

I'm back in the swing of reading every day, but currently its utter trash. I'd really appreciate a recommendation of a great contemporary novel.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

I'm back in the swing of reading every day, but currently its utter trash. I'd really appreciate a recommendation of a great contemporary novel.

The last new book I read which I thought was great was Will Self's Umbrella. It's fairly dense and self-consciously postmodern but he makes it work.

 

[Lili Marlene]

As usual I have half a dozen books on the go, but my main fiction reading at the moment is a slog through Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea quartet (although I see there's since been a 5th one published). It's very, very good but not exactly friendly writing.

Look how cool the artwork to the first edition of the first one is though: