Books

[otterjb]

Two questions. What book have you read recently? What book would you recommend in general?

[BudGirl]

I doubt you'd want to read any of the books I've read lately. 

[JaneDoe]

I doubt you'd want to read any of the books I've read lately. 

Just how many Brad Ausmus biographies are there?

[BudGirl]

Just how many Brad Ausmus biographies are there?

HAHAHA  I have no Ausmus biographies.  But I have some that could be him.

[otterjb]

I wasn't necessarily looking for a book I would like to read, just wondering what people are reading and what they like.

But yeah, chick porn ain't my bag. For the cover art, did you tape Ausmus' head onto Fabio's body?

[juliogotay]

Two questions. What book have you read recently? What book would you recommend in general?

Am currently finishing up Gods and Generals, the first part of a Civil War trilogy in which the middle tome is the Pulitzer Prize winning The Killer Angels. I will read them in order as I travel through the South next month.

[Dobro]

Atlas Shrugged

[Andyzipp]

Tipping Point

Naked

[tophfar]

Atlas Shrugged

I feel for you.

[JimR]

Passionate Nation by James L. Haley

[subnuclear]

About half way through Wiser in Battle by Ricardo Sanchez.    Iraq-War Military commander tell-all.     Very interesting.

[hillbillyken]

The Crossing.  It's my favorite of McCarthy's border trilogy. 

After watching Into The Wild, I'm reading that one again, the movie just doesn't quite cut it.

[MikeyBoy]

John Adams by David McCullough

[matadorph]

A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr. Great read, highly recommended.

[juliogotay]

Passionate Nation by James L. Haley

Good? I've had my eye on it.

[matadorph]

 I'm currently reading Clockers by Richard Price. I started it shortly after The Wire finale and put it down for the internet and TV. I really need to finish it this week.

[matadorph]

The Crossing.  It's my favorite of McCarthy's border trilogy. 

After watching Into The Wild, I'm reading that one again, the movie just doesn't quite cut it.

Yeah, I enjoyed that book. The movie was very meh. The cinematography was solid, but the film would've been greatly improved just by deleting the cheesy Eddie Vedder soundtrack.

[HudsonHawk]

A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr. Great read, highly recommended.

Remind me one day to tell you my Civil Action stories.  I worked with most of the participants on the scientific side of the story.

[TheWizard]

Angela's Ashes.  A memoir, so not action packed, but it was a good read.

[JimR]

Good? I've had my eye on it.

excellent

[Noe]

"Heaven" - Randy Alcorn

[UpTooLate]

About half way through Wiser in Battle by Ricardo Sanchez.    Iraq-War Military commander tell-all.     Very interesting.

Watched the movie Lions for Lambs recently.  Prior to watching the movie I pretty much thought I was going to hate it due to expected liberal garbage from Cruise and Redford (wife wanted to see it, etc.).  I was blown away by the movie.  Not the highest quality movie sets and scenes, but a surprisingly equal handed view of the current war on terror from both sides of the political argument.  It caused me to think about things that I had not previously given consideration, so I guess that made it a good movie.

All which leads me to my point.  I checked out the reviews on the above mentioned book on Amazon and have decided I need to read it.

[drew corleone]

Just finished "Night of the Avenging Blowfish," by John Welter. Kind of literary fast food, about a pathetic secret service agent that plays an accomplice to a presidential Spam scandal when he isn't helping organize a covert baseball game with the CIA or pining over a married woman, but funny, and a fairly quick read.

Before that I re-read To Kill a Mockingbird, and at the request of a friend, read Nicholas Sparks' memoir, Two Weeks with my Brother. Next up is The Sound and the Fury, as I suddenly feel as though I should experience Faulkner.

[Clark in Denver]

Atlas Shrugged

I just finished this recently as well.  Took me months of on and off again reading to finish it.

[pravata]

Bitter Lemons, Lawrence Durrell

[Taras Bulba]

Am currently finishing up Gods and Generals, the first part of a Civil War trilogy in which the middle tome is the Pulitzer Prize winning The Killer Angels. I will read them in order as I travel through the South next month.

"Killer Angels" is a classic.  If you ever get a chance, read "Co. Aytch" by Sam Watkins.  He was a private in the 1st Tennessee Infantry and his memoir may just be the definitive book of the War (Margaret Mitchell thought it was).

For something completely different, read "The Black Dahlia" by James Ellroy.  One helluva writer.

T.R. Fehrenbach is a wonderful historian.  While he is known most for "Lone Star," my favorite of his is "Comanches."  Also, his work on the Korean War, "This Kind of War" has many parallels to current events.

All of that said, the greatest work in the annals of Western literature is without a doubt "The Mind Roasting Summer of O.C. and Stiggs" circa mid 70's National Lampoon.  Greatness.

[headhunter]

The Crossing.  It's my favorite of McCarthy's border trilogy. 

After watching Into The Wild, I'm reading that one again, the movie just doesn't quite cut it.

Have you read Blood Meridian? I've read most of his books and its my favorite. I read it often.

[headhunter]

Two questions. What book have you read recently? What book would you recommend in general?

I'm reading Stendhal's The Red and the Black--very good novel set in France right after Napoleon. Also reading Identity and Violence, a nice explanation of why us v. them isn't a useful way of approaching the world--excluding of course nourishing an irrational hatred of the cardinals.

In general, I recommend Cormac McCarthy, especially Blood Meridian.

[Taras Bulba]

I'm reading Stendhal's The Red and the Black--very good novel set in France right after Napoleon. Also reading Identity and Violence, a nice explanation of why us v. them isn't a useful way of approaching the world--excluding of course nourishing an irrational hatred of the cardinals.

In general, I recommend Cormac McCarthy, especially Blood Meridian.

I thought "Blood Meridian" was the most overrated pile of wretchedness since/before Cormac's butt buddy Larry M.'s "Streets of Laredo."  In fact, I think that McCarthy is the literary version of the Segway.  Bud Shrake said it all the more better in "Borderland."

The above proves only that I have an opinion and an asshole.

[strosrays]

Just finished a five novella compilation of some of The Saint stories by Leslie Charteris I picked up at a church used book sale last week.  Light reading, but fun.

Also, Going to Extremes by Joe McGinniss.  I had read the book - about Alaska just as it was being opened up for construction of the pipeline - twenty-five years ago; with all the Alaska shows currently on the various Discovery channels, I decided to read it again.  Terrific book.

[Limey]

For light (but plentiful) reading, I recommend the "Prey" series by John Sandford.  Excellent crime novels (usually involving a deranged, psycho-killer) with great characters.  You don't have to read them in order, but it is better to do so to follow the character development.  Also, a couple of the villains come back around.

If you like sci-fi/fantasy (which in book form I typically do not), then go for Dan Simmons' classic, sweeping "Hyperion" cantos.  Four novels, written in two pairs really (as is his custom) dealing with time, religion and humanity.  The are Hyperion; The Fall of Hyperion; Endymion; and The Rise of Endymion.

Also by Dan Simmons, I highly recommend "Ilium" and "Olympos", another sweeping pair of novels (his stories are vast but he writes so skillfully so as to never leave the reader behind).  This one involves Proust and Shakespeare spouting, man-made creatures from Io that get caught up in a battle between a race of super-beings who are re-running the Siege of Troy for study by human historians they've resurrected, and the Greeks and Trojans they are using to do so.  One of the historians ends up banging Helen, and sending the whole thing spiraling out of control.

[Ebby Calvin]

If you like sci-fi/fantasy (which in book form I typically do not), then go for Dan Simmons' classic, sweeping "Hyperion" cantos. 

I feel the same about sci-fi/fantasy books, but I'll have to check out the Hyperion series.  I finished off Asimov's "Foundation" Trilogy a few months ago and really, really enjoyed it.  Quick reads but very clever and well written.

Also, for a long read, check out "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett.  The premise sounds boring as hell (16th century French cathedrals) but it's fascinating fiction.

[Limey]

I feel the same about sci-fi/fantasy books, but I'll have to check out the Hyperion series.  I finished off Asimov's "Foundation" Trilogy a few months ago and really, really enjoyed it.  Quick reads but very clever and well written.

Also, for a long read, check out "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett.  The premise sounds boring as hell (16th century French cathedrals) but it's fascinating fiction.

I was probably poisoned towards sci-fi in novel form at an early(ish) age, when I was given some L. Ron Hubbard to read.  What utter tosh!

Simmons is excellent in that his books are never linear, but he always makes sure to give you enough prompts, elegantly worked into the prose, so that you know exactly where (and when) you are at all times.  For example, Hyperion - which itself is really a series of flashbacks of the 7 main characters who are travelling to their likely deaths - ends in a cliff-hanger.  But The Fall of Hyperion starts off 200-odd years later with all new characters (obviously).  But just wait, as the second book unfolds, the first book is explained and completed...sort of.

He also writes the science elements very well, because he doesn't bother trying to explain the physics of it.  If, in a contemporary crime novel, a cop gets into a car, chases a bad guy and shoots him with a pistol, we don't need to be told how those things work.  Simmons follows the same principle with sci-fi, so he spends his time on plot and character, and not on endless techno-babble (see Hubbard, L. Ron).

[rifraft]

  I finished off Asimov's "Foundation" Trilogy a few months ago and really, really enjoyed it. 

My absolute favorite books while in highschool.  I quoted Asimov in my senior year book, is that dorky enough for everyone?

[Nate in IA]

Kingdom, Grace, Judgment -- Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus for a class I'm taking this summer.  It is excellent though.  I am currently waiting for the 3rd book in Stephen R. Lawhead's Robin Hood trilogy.  Incidently, I highly recommend everything by Stephen R. Lawhead (well, except for his children's books which are good in their own right but not for adults) though much of it falls in the historical novel/fantasy genres.  Very enjoyable reads.   I also recently finished Seeds of Wealth which is a plan to give your kids a great financial life by starting them early on investing.

[Bench]

The Girl With Curious Hair - a collection of short stories by David Foster Wallace. I cautiously love Wallace's writing, though often technique will supplant substance. His short stories give the best of both worlds.

[Duman]

Just read "Shoeless Joe"

For those who have kids who like to read: Let me highly recommend the Percy Jackson & the Olympian series.  The newest came out this week. It is on its way from Amazon to the house.  My 5th grader can't wait for it to arrive.  Great writing, good characters, funny funny stuff too.  Good action and you learn Greek & Roman Mythology along the way.

[Taras Bulba]

Forrester's "Hornblower" series is outstanding.  I read them as an adult and loved them, although they would be great for young readers, too.  Hemingway thought Forrester to be the best storyteller he knew.

[MusicMan]

"The Post-American World", by Fareed Zakaria. The guy is more insightful on current world affairs than anyone else out there I've found.

[Limey]

Forrester's "Hornblower" series is outstanding.  I read them as an adult and loved them, although they would be great for young readers, too.  Hemingway thought Forrester to be the best storyteller he knew.

Forester was educated at Alleyn's School...

Hmmmm.  Trying to think of another old boy of that illustrious academic establishment...

[pravata]

Forrester's "Hornblower" series is outstanding.  I read them as an adult and loved them, although they would be great for young readers, too.  Hemingway thought Forrester to be the best storyteller he knew.

Until recently I thought these were juvenalia.  I picked up one recently and proceeded to devour the series, in one gulp.  Then I got the PBS series.  However, I can't imagine a teenager today having the patience, or the reading skills to get through these books.

[VirtualBob]

Forrester's "Hornblower" series is outstanding.  I read them as an adult and loved them, although they would be great for young readers, too.  Hemingway thought Forrester to be the best storyteller he knew.

If you liked Hornblower, you will love Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey & Maturin series.  21 books featuring Captain Jack Aubrey as he rises through the ranks of the British navy during the Napoleonic period; brilliant at see and less so on land, he never fails to delight.  Characters are rich; battle scenes are excellent and realistic (as are the storm sequences). 

Much of the material came directly from actual naval logs, and many of the exploits were taken from the true-life expereinces of Captain Thomas Cochrane.  This series combines historical accuracy, enagaging and fast-moving plots, and well-developed characters.  The first in the series (Master & Commander, which, by the way, is nothing like the movie of the same name) is a little slower-paced than the others, but it is worth the effort to get introduced to the characters. 

I read these as an adult and introduced them to my then-8th grader, who also liked them.  There are a few scenes in some of the books (including the first one) that may require some father-son discussions, however.  We are talking about a young naval officer posted far from home, here.

[Limey]

I read these as an adult and introduced them to my then-8th grader, who also liked them.  There are a few scenes in some of the books (including the first one) that may require some father-son discussions, however.  We are talking about a young naval officer posted far from home, here.

Sailors playing tummy-sticks?

[VirtualBob]

However, I can't imagine a teenager today having the patience, or the reading skills to get through these books.

Not given the way education is dumbed down in our government school system.  If you read to them from "real" books (including the classics of both youth and adult literature) they will develop both the appetite and aptitude for this kind of reading.  The original Pooh stories (before Disney got hold of them and squashed the life out) are great.  I read my son Beowulf in 3rd grade, and it was his favorite for a long time.  (He was already reading things more on his level, but well above the prescribed level for his age.)  The list of good writers for pre-teens and early teens is long (Rosemary Sutcliffe, Brian Jacques, CS Lewis - Narnia, some of Tolkien, etc.)  This prepares them for the rest of Lewis & Tolkien as well as for Asimov, Heinlein, Forrester, O'Brien, Dunnett and many others mentioned (or not) below.

(And one not mentioned was Dorothy Dunnett ... King Hereafter is a great novel based on the historical MacBeth and she also has a couple of very nice series set in the 1400's or 1500's.)

[Bench]

If you liked Hornblower, you will love Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey & Maturin series.  21 books featuring Captain Jack Aubrey as he rises through the ranks of the British navy during the Napoleonic period; brilliant at see and less so on land, he never fails to delight.  Characters are rich; battle scenes are excellent and realistic (as are the storm sequences). 

Much of the material came directly from actual naval logs, and many of the exploits were taken from the true-life expereinces of Captain Thomas Cochrane.  This series combines historical accuracy, enagaging and fast-moving plots, and well-developed characters.  The first in the series (Master & Commander, which, by the way, is nothing like the movie of the same name) is a little slower-paced than the others, but it is worth the effort to get introduced to the characters. 

I read these as an adult and introduced them to my then-8th grader, who also liked them.  There are a few scenes in some of the books (including the first one) that may require some father-son discussions, however.  We are talking about a young naval officer posted far from home, here.

The virtues of the Aubrey/Maturin series are well-known here, (insert comparitively obligatory plug for Flashman series here), but I recently just read a biography of Joseph Banks by Patrick O'Brien and found it fascinating.

[Duman]

Not given the way education is dumbed down in our government school system. 

So you are saying my 5th grader taking Great Expectations with her to the baby sitters today is a little odd? 

[Taras Bulba]

The virtues of the Aubrey/Maturin series are well-known here, (insert comparitively obligatory plug for Flashman series here), but I recently just read a biography of Joseph Banks by Patrick O'Brien and found it fascinating.

The Flashman series will never be topped.  To those interested, like the Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin series, read them in order.  

[pravata]

So you are saying my 5th grader taking Great Expectations with her to the baby sitters today is a little odd? 

Odd, and exceptional.

[Kent's Moustache]

Tipping Point

Naked

If you liked "The Tipping Point," then you should also check out Gladwell's "Blink."

I'm finishing "The Judas Field," a historical fiction Civil War novel by Howard Bahr, and I'm about to start "Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife," a military strategy commentary by Army counterinsurgency expert Colonel John Nagl.

I don't know about y'all, but I typically like to alternate between fiction and non-fiction to keep things fresh.

[MusicMan]

If you liked "The Tipping Point," then you should also check out Gladwell's "Blink."

Excellent book.

[Andyzipp]

If you liked "The Tipping Point," then you should also check out Gladwell's "Blink."

I'm finishing "The Judas Field," a historical fiction Civil War novel by Howard Bahr, and I'm about to start "Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife," a military strategy commentary by Army counterinsurgency expert Colonel John Nagl.

I don't know about y'all, but I typically like to alternate between fiction and non-fiction to keep things fresh.

Blink was purchased for me this past Christmas, but I haven't got around to reading it yet.

Next, perhaps.

[subnuclear]

Blink was purchased for me this past Christmas, but I haven't got around to reading it yet.

Next, perhaps.

I read both of these books and I don't know what I learned from them.   Things that change rapidly aren't always irreversible.   Experts aren't always right.   How do you know when they apply?  Also, I question whether Fred Durst is an expert on music. 

[drew corleone]

I don't know about y'all, but I typically like to alternate between fiction and non-fiction to keep things fresh.

Definitely.

[VirtualBob]

Anyone else reading Truman?  McCullough's new bio is terrific.

[juliogotay]

Anyone else reading Truman?  McCullough's new bio is terrific.

Haven't read it but isn't that like 15 years old?  Gary Sinise played Truman in the series.

[Taras Bulba]

Anyone else reading Truman?  McCullough's new bio is terrific.

A different Truman, but "In Cold Blood" is a great read.  Thompson's "Blood and Money" is outstanding, too.

[JimR]

Anyone else reading Truman?  McCullough's new bio is terrific.

man, that is not new, but it is great. Pulitzer Prize great, i think.

[VirtualBob]

Haven't read it but isn't that like 15 years old?  Gary Sinise played Truman in the series.

Maybe so ... recently released in paperback and splashed as "new" in one of the bookstores I frequent.  Anyway, it is great ... especially in conjunction with The Coldest Winter (on the Korean War).

[hostros7]

I've been on a memoir kick of late and really enjoyed all three of these in the following order:

The Tender Bar - JR Moehringer
This Boy's Life - Tobias Wolff
Another Bullshit Night in Suck City - Nick Flynn

Think I'm going to read Rick Perlstein's new Nixon biography after having read the review in the Economist.

[Limey]

The Tender Bar - JR Moehringer
This Boy's Life - Tobias Wolff
Another Bullshit Night in Suck City - Nick Flynn

One of these things is not like the others...

[Gizzmonic]

I just read:

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris

The Yiddish Police Officer's Union by Michael Chabon

I highly recommend all of them.  Both of the Morris books are in my top ten of favorite nonfiction books.

[Taras Bulba]

Some others:
Non-fiction--
"With the Old Breed" by E.B.Sledge.  Pretty gritty stuff.
"Quartered Safe Out Here" by Fraser.  When a great writer takes on his own wartime experience.
"American Caesar" by Manchester.  One of the best bios I ever read.

Fiction--
"Dead Solid Perfect" by Dan Jenkins.  Funny stuff.
"The Glory Game at Goat Hills" by Jenkins (a story originally published in SI and contained in a compilation of his articles).  Hilarious.
"Lord Jim" by Amis.  The "monkey" comment remains as about the funniest thing ever said about a hangover.
 
"The Source" by Michener--great story.

[VirtualBob]

 
"The Source" by Michener--great story.

All of Michener's books are great stories (and well worth reading) ... the problem is that they are all pretty much the same story.  Young man grows up and is "wise" enough to throw off the yoke of oppression created by the superstitions/religion of his culture. Usually gets the girl en route (but not always) and usually includes a token negative caricature of a Christian missionary.

He used to be a neighbor, and his reminiscences were quite interesting and engaging.  Even at an advanced age, though, he seemed to be carrying a grudge of some kind that found its way into most all of his work.

FWIW, my favorite was Covenant (about South Africa), though Congo was also good.

[Taras Bulba]

I think that I pretty much know what his grudge was.  You're right about his formula.

I've had occasion to meet some authors that I like and was universally impressed by their lack of charm.

[MusicMan]

I've had occasion to meet some authors that I like and was universally impressed by their lack of charm.

True... I loved "Friday Night Lights".

[pravata]

I think that I pretty much know what his grudge was.  You're right about his formula.

I've had occasion to meet some authors that I like and was universally impressed by their lack of charm.

Harlan Ellison.  He invites, almost demands, a punch in the nose.

[juliogotay]

I think that I pretty much know what his grudge was.  You're right about his formula.

I've had occasion to meet some authors that I like and was universally impressed by their lack of charm.

I met James Clavell at a book-signing brunch many years ago and he was actually very charming. He was very surprised when I asked him to autograph King Rat when everybody else had Shogun, Nobel House or one of the later works. King Rat was actually my favorite of his novels and semi-autobiographical.

[jonbloozy]

I deal with authors on a daily basis . . . meeting that rare writer that is personable and not entirely self-absorbed is a luxury

[VirtualBob]

I met James Clavell at a book-signing brunch many years ago and he was actually very charming. He was very surprised when I asked him to autograph King Rat when everybody else had Shogun, Nobel House or one of the later works. King Rat was actually my favorite of his novels and semi-autobiographical.

He was all class.  And I agree that King Rat was the best, though the richness of his later stories in terms of cultural context was an improvement.  Even Whirlwind, which some have panned, was a good read.

And as an aside, Michener's Stories from the South Pacific, which was also autobiographical, shared with King Rat a sort of immediacy and inherent credibility that the rest of Michener's work lacked.  Michener continually wrote 20th century concerns and issues back into his purportedly historical novels, while Clavell managed to make his historical novels as real and true to their settings as the original offering.

[pravata]

I deal with authors on a daily basis . . . meeting that rare writer that is personable and not entirely self-absorbed is a luxury

David Sedaris is a nice person.  Worst teeth ever though.

[Taras Bulba]

I met James Clavell at a book-signing brunch many years ago and he was actually very charming. He was very surprised when I asked him to autograph King Rat when everybody else had Shogun, Nobel House or one of the later works. King Rat was actually my favorite of his novels and semi-autobiographical.

Forgot about him.  Great books.  "Tai-Pei" is a winner, too.  It's interesting how a guy who was a POW of the Japanese turned that awful experience into some ripping yarns and cold cash.  Not to compare him to Clavell, but my old man also fought against the Japanese but never had a problem afterwards with them or their automobiles.

[Andyzipp]

David Sedaris is a nice person.  Worst teeth ever though.

I've been working backwards through his books.  Just started Barrel Fever, and hopefully I'll like it as much as the others.

[Ty in Tampa]

I've been working backwards through his books.  Just started Barrel Fever, and hopefully I'll like it as much as the others.

I once disturbed many on a flight while reading "Me Talk Pretty One Day."

[jwhudson]

I recently read the "Twelve Mighty Orphans" by Jim Dent.  It seems a little disjointed, but the story is very interesting.  If you have any interest in Texas Football, you would probably enjoy this book.

[JimR]

I deal with authors on a daily basis . . . meeting that rare writer that is personable and not entirely self-absorbed is a luxury

nice to meet you

[Andyzipp]

nice to meet you

On the other hand, he described me to a tee.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Man, I can't read anything 'till I read Blood's a Rover by James Ellroy but it ain't out yet.

[strosrays]

Just picked up Gravity's Rainbow.  I won't be posting much for awhile.

[Guinness]

I highly recommend everything by Stephen R. Lawhead

Lawhead is great at everything he writes.  His Arthur series is incredible, and his book Byzantium is fantastic.  I can't believe I didn't know about this Robin Hood series!  I'll have to check it out.

To the poster that wanted to get into Faulkner (it's a long thread, I forget who it was, sorry!), I would highly recomment Light in August, a superply surreal, almost Joycean novel of the South.

I'm currently reading Exit Music, the last John Rebus novel by Ian Rankin (I'm kind of a sucker for British detective novels).  I'm also into the last volume of Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy, reading a Star Trek series, and since we just spent a week in Ireland, I'll probably be picking up a James Joyce book at the library today, not sure which one though!

[VirtualBob]

To the poster that wanted to get into Faulkner (it's a long thread, I forget who it was, sorry!), I would highly recomment Light in August, a superply surreal, almost Joycean novel of the South.

I read a couple of Faulkner novels a long time ago out of obligation, and really just couldn't "get" them.  I began reading Flannery O'Connor a few years ago, though, and something "clicked" for me.  I went back to Faulkner, and with some of Flannery's themes and characers in mind, Faulkner made more sense, too.  I'm slowly working my way through the corpus.

[MusicMan]

Just picked up Gravity's Rainbow.  I won't be posting much for awhile.

Did you pull a muscle?

[otterjb]

Anyone read any Tom Robbins? I'm thinking of diving into one of 'em, but am not sure which one to pick.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Robbins

[headhunter]

I read a couple of Faulkner novels a long time ago out of obligation, and really just couldn't "get" them.  I began reading Flannery O'Connor a few years ago, though, and something "clicked" for me.  I went back to Faulkner, and with some of Flannery's themes and characers in mind, Faulkner made more sense, too.  I'm slowly working my way through the corpus.

I have read a lot his novels (still have a few to go) but my favorites so far have been The Hamlet, The Town, and The Mansion. You can read them as a trilogy, or not. I read all three of them out loud to my wife one summer and they were wonderful. Thankfully, a bit less experimental than some works but all of the great language and characters are there.

Regarding Flannery--I have read all of her stuff and highly recommend a collection of her letters, The Habit of Being, if you enjoy her work. I usually don't get into author bios and that sort of thing but this collection is pretty special.

[tophfar]

Anyone read any Tom Robbins? I'm thinking of diving into one of 'em, but am not sure which one to pick.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Robbins

Still Life with Woodpecker is great.  I'm kinda partial to Invalids From Hot Climates, as it was the first one I read.

[headhunter]

"Lord Jim" by Amis.  The "monkey" comment remains as about the funniest thing ever said about a hangover.
 

I think you mean Lucky Jim--I don't remember laughing often while reading Conrad. What was the quote--I read it when the first Bush was president.

Also, did you really dislike/hate Blood Meridian that much--I mean, is it a terrible book, or just not deserving of the high praise that many (like me) heap upon it? My wife hates it, but she is generally turned off by fiction that includes a branch of bloated infant corpses contemplating the sun.

[Taras Bulba]

I think you mean Lucky Jim--I don't remember laughing often while reading Conrad. What was the quote--I read it when the first Bush was president.

Also, did you really dislike/hate Blood Meridian that much--I mean, is it a terrible book, or just not deserving of the high praise that many (like me) heap upon it? My wife hates it, but she is generally turned off by fiction that includes a branch of bloated infant corpses contemplating the sun.

Yes, "Lucky Jim" by Amis.

I think that a lot of critics liked "Blood Meridian" because of its aggressive revisionist take on the West and revelled in its pervasive tone of wretchedness.  The loft and turtleneck crowd enjoy that kind of stuff.

[headhunter]

Yes, "Lucky Jim" by Amis.

I think that a lot of critics liked "Blood Meridian" because of its aggressive revisionist take on the West and revelled in its pervasive tone of wretchedness.  The loft and turtleneck crowd enjoy that kind of stuff.

Maybe the loft and turtleneck crowd digs it, maybe not--but we're talking about the beer and queso crowd, no?
I missed the pervasive tone of wretchedness all three or 5 times that I read it. Also, the book is mostly set in Mexico--and the histories that I've read about post US invasion in Northern Mexico don't paint a rosy picture. I don't know why you but this in the agressive revisionist bucket, whatever that means. I didn't know that most people in the US  knew much Mexican history or cared to know any.

[Taras Bulba]

Maybe the loft and turtleneck crowd digs it, maybe not--but we're talking about the beer and queso crowd, no?
I missed the pervasive tone of wretchedness all three or 5 times that I read it. Also, the book is mostly set in Mexico--and the histories that I've read about post US invasion in Northern Mexico don't paint a rosy picture. I don't know why you but this in the agressive revisionist bucket, whatever that means. I didn't know that most people in the US  knew much Mexican history or cared to know any.

Man, you must really go for some of that Blood Meridian stuff.  Your copy must have included a a nice, wet vagina.

[headhunter]

Man, you must really go for some of that Blood Meridian stuff.  Your copy must have included a a nice, wet vagina.

no. that was my copy of videodrome.

[Bench]

Yes, "Lucky Jim" by Amis.

I think that a lot of critics liked "Blood Meridian" because of its aggressive revisionist take on the West and revelled in its pervasive tone of wretchedness.  The loft and turtleneck crowd enjoy that kind of stuff.

I liked Blood Meridian because the language mesmerized me. It was so visceral and raw. Really a beautiful abuse of the english language that was on par with the images described.

The first line of the book still puts me on edge.

[drew corleone]

I have read a lot his novels (still have a few to go) but my favorites so far have been The Hamlet, The Town, and The Mansion. You can read them as a trilogy, or not. I read all three of them out loud to my wife one summer and they were wonderful. Thankfully, a bit less experimental than some works but all of the great language and characters are there.

Regarding Flannery--I have read all of her stuff and highly recommend a collection of her letters, The Habit of Being, if you enjoy her work. I usually don't get into author bios and that sort of thing but this collection is pretty special.

I'm maybe 30 pages into The Sound and the Fury, and I'm wondering if I chose the wrong introduction to Faulkner. It's not making much sense yet. I get that Benji is a grown, mentally challenged, man, but the rest isn't clicking. Are they on a golf course? A few days before Christmas? Why are they splashing around in the water if it's freezing outside?

Maybe I was just distracted by the background noise from my girlfriend's reality shows.

[tophfar]

and I'm wondering if I chose the wrong introduction to Faulkner. It's not making much sense yet. I get that Benji is a grown, mentally challenged, man, but the rest isn't clicking. Are they on a golf course? A few days before Christmas? Why are they splashing around in the water if it's freezing outside?

I dont think that theres any "good" introduction to Faulkner.  You just have to grab tight and hold on.  But just to help maybe some.  Not only is it a stream of consciousness, but it is also not told in a linear fashion in time.  Which is where much of your confusion is coming from.  It gets worse in the next section.  have fun.

[VirtualBob]

I'm maybe 30 pages into The Sound and the Fury, and I'm wondering if I chose the wrong introduction to Faulkner. It's not making much sense yet. I get that Benji is a grown, mentally challenged, man, but the rest isn't clicking. Are they on a golf course? A few days before Christmas? Why are they splashing around in the water if it's freezing outside?

That was where I started, too.  With similar frustration.  I finished it (mostly out of stubbornness) and then tried another one before giving up.  Flannery O'Connor seems to present the same intriguingly grotesque (and fundamentally unlaveable) characters, but in a way that is more gripping.  Maybe it's the shorter stories?  In any case, when I returned to Faulkner with a head full of O'Connor characters as a backdrop, it seemed to be easier going.  I actually ended up with some important things to think about rather than just a confused sense of having missed something important.

I dont think that theres any "good" introduction to Faulkner.  You just have to grab tight and hold on.  But just to help maybe some.  Not only is it a stream of consciousness, but it is also not told in a linear fashion in time.  Which is where much of your confusion is coming from.  It gets worse in the next section.  have fun.

Very well said.  Think of it as a sort of verbal jig-saw puzzle told by an aging relative.  You think you know how it is supposed to fit together, but the reality that begins to emerge doesn't really match the picture on the box cover very well.  And then suddenly it all does come together in a way that is disturbing (but somehow good).

[strosrays]

I dont think that theres any "good" introduction to Faulkner.  You just have to grab tight and hold on.  But just to help maybe some.  Not only is it a stream of consciousness, but it is also not told in a linear fashion in time.  Which is where much of your confusion is coming from.  It gets worse in the next section.  have fun.

I started with Sanctuary - 30 years ago - and it still kind of haunts me to this day.  For me, everything else by him is secondary.

[MikeyBoy]

Anyone else reading Truman?  McCullough's new bio is terrific.

Truman is the book that turned me on to McCullough and it's truly a great read. Since I've read The Jamestown Flood, 1776, and I'm currently reading John Adams for the second time (the HBO special made me pick it up again). Speaking of HBO, there was a biography about McCullough on today. I recommend it, if your a fan of McCullough.

[chuck]

I vote for As I Lay Dying as a good Faulkner introduction. You get plenty of the essence of Faulkner, and you can more or less make out what the hell's going on. Yeah, if you start with the Sound and the Fury you're fucked.

[headhunter]

I'm maybe 30 pages into The Sound and the Fury, and I'm wondering if I chose the wrong introduction to Faulkner. It's not making much sense yet. I get that Benji is a grown, mentally challenged, man, but the rest isn't clicking. Are they on a golf course? A few days before Christmas? Why are they splashing around in the water if it's freezing outside?

Maybe I was just distracted by the background noise from my girlfriend's reality shows.

Keep an eye out for The Hamlet when you're in Half-price books. Some of his novels are experimental in that they're trying to capture the consciousness of different persons in the story. I think the language is challenging enough without trying to add narrative experimentation on top. The Hamlet is a novel of  somewhat interlocking stories that stand alone but strengthen each other when read together.

And for me its the language that really makes Faulkner amazing. I lived in Mississippi for four years when I was a kid so I got a taste of the language and culture that Faulkner uses in his novels. But the power of his descriptions and deep characterization have wide appeal--at least the Swedes grocked him.