It's been a while since I've read them, but my all-time favorites include:
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (it starts out awfully depressing, but I absolutely loved it)
Spartina by John Casey
The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon's pulitzer prize winner about two immigrants who work in the comic book industry during its golden age)
Straight Man by Richard Russo
Also recently read iCon, which if you're interested in a brief history of Jobs and Apple, is pretty interesting.
All my friends seem to love Krakauer, though Under the Banner of Heaven was a bit of a disappointment.
And if your family is filled with poor white protestant appalachians, as is mine, I'd strongly recommend Born Fighting, a history of the immigration of Scotts-Irish.
Slewis: It's been a fun read, especially since Woz himself helped write it; you can hear his voice all through it. He's such a laid back, kind hearted guy.
Slewis: It's been a fun read, especially since Woz himself helped write it; you can hear his voice all through it. He's such a laid back, kind hearted guy.
It's been a while since I've read them, but my all-time favorites include:
The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon's pulitzer prize winner about two immigrants who work in the comic book industry during its golden age)
I loved that book. I would recommend Men of Tomorrow. It chronicle's the originators of Superman, but also the history of comic book publishing and the underworld that ran the publishing business then. I read it right after The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and noticed how much Chabon had really studied the business and history so well for his book.
I'm almost finished with "The Historian" and I don't know if I would recommend it. Though well written, it just didn't return the promise of being an exciting horror, suspense novel.
What I need now is just an over the top Sci-Fi book or short story anthology. The pulpier the better.
God's Secretaries (on the production of the King James bible.) And a real good one, The Battle That Stopped Rome (about the annihilation of three Roman legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.)
We presume you've read all of Philip K Dick's work, right?
It's heavier than pure pulp, but a non-stop exciting read:
David Mitchell - Number9Dream
Yeah, I did read "A Scanner Darkly". And the movie was rather close to the book too.
I'm going to try out "Telzey Amberdon" by James H. Schmitz. Kind of retro, but it looks like an interesting character. If I like it I might try the other books in the series.
But I have noticed that the trend now with science fiction and fantasy are books that continue on and on as a series. I don't know if I would want to commit to reading a series. I'd like to read complete books myself.
But I'll give James H. Schmitz a try. At least I can download it for free.
I've read Cloud Atlas, and I loved it. Very different than Number9Dream.
I recommend both.
Number9Dream, however, is much more of a no-brain page turner (if you want it to be).
I've also read Mitchell's latest, "Black Swan Green" and I liked it, but didn't love it.
My problem with Cloud Atlas (which I'm teaching next semester) is that I'm not entirely sure there's a there, there, if you know what I mean. Structurally it was very clever, but I'm not sure if it went much beyond that.
That's a great sugggestion. In fact any poetry should be savored out loud.
I taught poetry reading, including Keats, briefly, for a speech festival, and it was an awesome experience. Enough so that I'd love to do it full-time.
The only other part-time job I got as much out of emotionally was being Santa Claus.
Keats, especially, should be read out loud. It's his vowel combinations. They feel good to say.
Comments
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (it starts out awfully depressing, but I absolutely loved it)
Spartina by John Casey
The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon's pulitzer prize winner about two immigrants who work in the comic book industry during its golden age)
Straight Man by Richard Russo
Also recently read iCon, which if you're interested in a brief history of Jobs and Apple, is pretty interesting.
All my friends seem to love Krakauer, though Under the Banner of Heaven was a bit of a disappointment.
And if your family is filled with poor white protestant appalachians, as is mine, I'd strongly recommend Born Fighting, a history of the immigration of Scotts-Irish.
All my friends seem to love Krakauer, though Under the Banner of Heaven was a bit of a disappointment.
That one just about requires living in Utah to really, really get.
Perfume by Patrick Süskind
So far so good. ;]
Slewis: It's been a fun read, especially since Woz himself helped write it; you can hear his voice all through it. He's such a laid back, kind hearted guy.
All the more reason to pick it up then. Thanks
Sebastian
It's been a while since I've read them, but my all-time favorites include:
The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon's pulitzer prize winner about two immigrants who work in the comic book industry during its golden age)
I loved that book. I would recommend Men of Tomorrow. It chronicle's the originators of Superman, but also the history of comic book publishing and the underworld that ran the publishing business then. I read it right after The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and noticed how much Chabon had really studied the business and history so well for his book.
I'm almost finished with "The Historian" and I don't know if I would recommend it. Though well written, it just didn't return the promise of being an exciting horror, suspense novel.
What I need now is just an over the top Sci-Fi book or short story anthology. The pulpier the better.
Great stuff.
David Mitchell - Number9Dream
Have you read his Cloud Atlas? Is Number9Dream better?
I'm gonna read some Keats over break.
Great stuff.
You must read Keats out loud. Seriously.
And I think I'm going to read some Browning.
WHEN I have fears that I may cease to be\t
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,\t
Before high pil`d books, in charact'ry,\t
Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;\t
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,\t 5
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,\t
And feel that I may never live to trace\t
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;\t
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!\t
That I shall never look upon thee more,\t 10
Never have relish in the faery power\t
Of unreflecting love;?then on the shore\t
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think,\t
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.
God's Secretaries (on the production of the King James bible.) And a real good one, The Battle That Stopped Rome (about the annihilation of three Roman legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.)
We presume you've read all of Philip K Dick's work, right?
It's heavier than pure pulp, but a non-stop exciting read:
David Mitchell - Number9Dream
Yeah, I did read "A Scanner Darkly". And the movie was rather close to the book too.
I'm going to try out "Telzey Amberdon" by James H. Schmitz. Kind of retro, but it looks like an interesting character. If I like it I might try the other books in the series.
But I have noticed that the trend now with science fiction and fantasy are books that continue on and on as a series. I don't know if I would want to commit to reading a series. I'd like to read complete books myself.
But I'll give James H. Schmitz a try. At least I can download it for free.
Thanks for the recommendations tonton.
The only other part-time job I got as much out of emotionally was being Santa Claus.
The position of Santa Claus is a part-time job? I would have thought that having to live so far up north for the whole year it would be full-time....
I've read Cloud Atlas, and I loved it. Very different than Number9Dream.
I recommend both.
Number9Dream, however, is much more of a no-brain page turner (if you want it to be).
I've also read Mitchell's latest, "Black Swan Green" and I liked it, but didn't love it.
My problem with Cloud Atlas (which I'm teaching next semester) is that I'm not entirely sure there's a there, there, if you know what I mean. Structurally it was very clever, but I'm not sure if it went much beyond that.
That's a great sugggestion. In fact any poetry should be savored out loud.
I taught poetry reading, including Keats, briefly, for a speech festival, and it was an awesome experience. Enough so that I'd love to do it full-time.
The only other part-time job I got as much out of emotionally was being Santa Claus.
Keats, especially, should be read out loud. It's his vowel combinations. They feel good to say.