Literature Fans

[RatushnyFan]

Anybody here enjoy reading - and sharing about it?  There's a book thread on USCHO but I thought I might start one here if anyone is interested.

So do you care?  (Bueller?)

I can post some thoughts on the last few books I read and the next ones I'm intending to read to kick things off, if applicable.  (Bueller?)

I'm personally interested mostly in 20th century fiction (Salinger, Steinbeck, Kesey, Burgess, etc.) but it can be a broader thread.

[Trotsky]

Those who are interested will post or lurk, those who aren't will stay away.

Currently reading Maugham (his ultra-shorts and OHB) and Lawrence after rereading Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.

[RatushnyFan]

Thanks.  I haven't read Fight Club, I take it you like it given you reread it........

I'll write some of my suggestions when I have more time.

[Lauren '06]

I always hear widely polarized reactions to Palahniuk, but I haven't read any of his books... just an article he wrote praising Amy Hempel, whose short stories I sometimes love and sometimes think are overrated.

I just started "Henderson the Rain King" by Saul Bellow.  Because if there's anything I need in my life, it's more Ivy League hand-wringing.

[Trotsky]

There is something about both Fight Club and Princess Bride that makes me stay away from reading any more from the author -- a premonition of a hack happening to hit all the right notes, just once, by luck or grace.

How many people could just go into estate law, after, and be happy?  That could be awful.  Well, other than the feeling of having written one perfect story, which must be like nailing a three and getting high-fived by God.

[Dpperk29]

It's not really literature, but I am currently speeding through (no pun intended) "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and their battle for speed and glory at Le Mans" by A.J. Baime.

pretty good most gear heads would like in my opinion.

[Dpperk29]

I guess this fits in this thread as well as any others.

Anyone have any strong opinions either way on any particular e-readers? I have been looking at getting one, just not sure yet.

[Trotsky]

Bonni loves the Kindle 2.  I asked her what the best and worst thing was.  Best: instant downloads.  Worst: no backlight.

[RatushnyFan]

Does she read newspapers on the K2?  I'm thinking of getting one for the train ride into NYC every day.  I like being able to see the graphics but hate newsprint.

[Josh '99]

Ahh, this is a proper offseason thread.  Well done.  

At the moment I'm reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, but I'm not far enough into  to be able to say whether or not I recommend it yet.

[Trotsky]

Does she read newspapers on the K2?  I'm thinking of getting one for the train ride into NYC every day.  I like being able to see the graphics but hate newsprint.

She hasn't tried newspapers or magazines on it.  It might be difficult to navigate them, but if they do special e-book versions (which they will as soon as they figure out it's the only way for print to stay relevant) I'd think they'd present more aptly for the medium.  Plus, having search and indexing on newspapers would be awesome.

[ugarte]

Ahh, this is a proper offseason thread.  Well done.  

At the moment I'm reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, but I'm not far enough into  to be able to say whether or not I recommend it yet.

Depends which story arc you're on. That book was full of hills and valleys of interest.

[Al DeFlorio]

We're just back from two weeks in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.  Read Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon for background to the trip to understand (or attempt to...no one really can) how Yugoslavia came to be what it was and found the book to be remarkable.  She's an English novelist circa mid-20th century and writes delightful prose, and her insights into Balkan history were remarkable.

[CKinsland]

Ahh, this is a proper offseason thread.  Well done.  

At the moment I'm reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, but I'm not far enough into  to be able to say whether or not I recommend it yet.

Depends which story arc you're on. That book was full of hills and valleys of interest.

Parts of the book took me by surprise.  In the end, I liked it and think back on it often.  How often a book comes to mind in the years after I read it is one of the main ways I judge it.  Fluff, though fun to read, doesn't persist in my psyche.  Other books I find linger with me for years....especially when my own life finds a point of resonance with them (as, for example, "The Good Mother" which I read many years ago, but now has pointed relevance to my life.)

I recently finished "Breaking Her Fall" (Stephen Goodwin) which, though the plot gets a bit busy at times, is a lovely look at a father's relationship with his teenage daughter.  There are some beautiful passages and the dialogue is often dead perfect.  It should resonate (uncomfortably, at times) with any parent, particularly one of a teenager.

I'm currently reading "The Shipping News" (Annie Proulx) but I'm not far enough in to judge.  And, I'm also reading "The Borderlands of Science: Where Sense Meets Nonsense" (Michael Shermer).  I'm only a few chapters into it but I'm going to hate the man if he keeps referencing his other endeavors so often.  

CK

[jtwcornell91]

We're just back from two weeks in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Maybe we should start a travel thread too. :-D

I did the Balkan tour (Slovenia, Hrvatska, BiH, and Crna Gora) a couple of summers ago and loved it.  Were did you go?