what are you reading today?

[poopslushie]

baey: mao II is the only delillo ive had to put down. i cant even tell you how far i got into it because it was that unmemorable. i LOVE dellilo when hes shining, but i cant recall a single sentence from what i read of mao. i havnt exactly gotten into underworld yet because its so fucking daunting, but mao made me realize there might be a side to DD i cant fuck with. i hope you have better luck than i.

Agreed, again... I read like 270 pages of it and just thought, 'who wrote this?"

Underworld is awesome though. I really liked Point Omega too. Can't say which is my favorite...

[Baeyer-Drewson]

Mao II << White Noise.

Will check Underworld, Libra, and Point Omega in the near future.

[vaughn]

the fountainhead, almost done.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

^I have read Anthem and, whilst it was somewhat enjoyable, I refuse to devote any more of my time to Ayn Rand. I'd read The Fountainhead for the same reasons that I read Mein Kampf as a teenager.

[whizkit]

[NESK]

anyone read an expensive education? its by that kid who wrote twelve. i found it for 6.99 and i think ill run through it while im on vacation next week, unless anyone wants to tlak me out of it.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Mao II << White Noise.

Will check Underworld, Libra, and Point Omega in the near future.

didn't read MAO II but i was kinda underwhelmed by White Noise

it was my first DeLillo, but it felt a bit too... overly clever.

Libra is awesome, though. It took me two tries to get through it (keep a list of characters) though. it is great to read that book in the age of the internet because you can consult youtube or like, google, after each chapter or so, to get a full sensory magic bullet to the dome.

i am reading Count Zero

funny to see how Gibson set the template for his future work in his first couple of novels

[KidSqueaky]

Starting this book soon. It's going to be my last Murakami book for awhile.

I

Has anyone read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell? I just read an article that mentioned it and I'm thinking of picking it up after finishing NW.

[into the rain]

Murakami = Sufu Bible.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

Murakami = Sufu Bible.

BDs law states that, should this thread fail to have a single page without a Murakami book, the internet will self destruct.

[Quiver]

Sqeuaky - I haven't read Outliers but I enjoyed Blink and The Tipping Point. Gladwell explores what I consider really interesting subject matter and his narrative is easy to follow and (mostly) logical. I wouldn't shy away from picking it up after your Murakami.

[NESK]

if by logical you mean completely predicated on anecdotal evidence, and unsubstantiated assumptions, then yeah, hes totally interesting.

gladwell's popularity alone defeats the point of reading him. if hes approachable enough for my aunt hilda to find value in his books, theres probably no real substance to it.

[Goslett]

Second time around.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

ugh, gladwell is awful

[JayDC7]

I can't stand gladwell, I think some of his points are interesting in short articles, but to read a whole book is a bit much...

[Biff15]

[into the rain]

BDs law states that, should this thread fail to have a single page without a Murakami book, the internet will self destruct.

haha cant rep.

started this the other day. fairly short. never read any works by Musil before. his major work is called Man Without Qualities; if anyone has read it let me know if it's any good.

[goodfella]

[Quiver]

if by logical you mean completely predicated on anecdotal evidence, and unsubstantiated assumptions, then yeah, hes totally interesting.

gladwell's popularity alone defeats the point of reading him. if hes approachable enough for my aunt hilda to find value in his books, theres probably no real substance to it.

Elitist much? Just when did a book have to be obscure for it to have value? I'm not looking for some unshakably definitve answer when reading popular science, so it's not hard to appreciate the anecodtes. They are a lot more fun to read about than statistics.

Why the negativity when someone like Gladwell comes along and offers something that can engage people easily and challenge their perceptions a little? Aunt Hilda included.

[NESK]

because in order for him to be engaging on the level of moving the rediculous units he sells, he has to dumb down his approach so far that it becomes like your uncle telling you how he was abducted by a UFO and had a tracking device rectally inserted so they could watch over him.

its cultural anthropology lite. the oprah crowd can now claim they are on the cusp of social science. woot!

[pieiskewl]

just started reading this, about 130 pages in, pretty good so far

[Guest]

Just finished Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre .. not sure whats next

[Baeyer-Drewson]

^That book is hilarious. I loved every minute.

I have since read Ludmilla's Broken English (less good, but readable), and I'm currently reading Lights Out In Wonderland (less good than either, less funny than either). Brilliant author if you judge only by Vernon, but I think he might be the M. Night Shyamalan of the literary world.

[american_hearts]

just started reading this, about 130 pages in, pretty good so far

This was a fantastic, blow-your-hair-back book for me. I hate that cover, though.

[sean_]

didn't read MAO II but i was kinda underwhelmed by White Noise

it was my first DeLillo, but it felt a bit too... overly clever.

Libra is awesome, though. It took me two tries to get through it (keep a list of characters) though. it is great to read that book in the age of the internet because you can consult youtube or like, google, after each chapter or so, to get a full sensory magic bullet to the dome.

i am reading Count Zero

funny to see how Gibson set the template for his future work in his first couple of novels

i'm reading mao ii right now and i think i like it more than white noise. i don't know yet though (valuable insight right)

i also finished you don't love me yet by jonathan lethem earlier today. it's pretty good i guess. really quick read and not as interesting as the other things i've read by him

[NESK]

sean the best think about you dont love me yet were the convos between the young girl and the old guy on the phone. and then how they became the lyrics. other than that, it was pretty average for letham. did you read fortress yet? thats probably my favorite. i couldnt fuck with mao. i think i liked cosmopolis most for delillo, then maybe great jones street. white noise and falling man were too safe in terms of content. i think delillo is sharpest at his edgiest. still waiting til im ready to tackle underworld.

[into the rain]

finished the Musil book. it was a short read, and it kind of sucked

on to this one now. apparently there is a movie for this, but i will wait until im done with the book.

[automaton]

^That book is hilarious. I loved every minute.

I have since read Ludmilla's Broken English (less good, but readable), and I'm currently reading Lights Out In Wonderland (less good than either, less funny than either). Brilliant author if you judge only by Vernon, but I think he might be the M. Night Shyamalan of the literary world.

thx for this review Dr B-D, I read Vernon God Little years ago and loved it and have been wondering whether or not to pick up his other works. The premise for Ludmilla still looks pretty good so I may check that out when I have some more time.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

Perhaps I was a little too harsh on Ludmilla. It's actually a really enjoyable read, and quite funny, just not as brilliant as Vernon. I will let you know if I do a backflip on Lights Out once I'm a little farther in.

[DonGately]

Cathedral, Raymond Carver. After reading law school stuff all day Carver's prose is really refreshing.