How was Rant?

Pool by Ajay Sahgal is excellent.

I've not been able to get into anything by Palahniuk but his book of essays that was released a few years back. I want to give Fight Club a chance, though.

Palahniuk is a strange author. Survivor was spectacular and continues to be one of my favorite books ever, but since then, he's gone progressively downhill.

 

Rant is written in an interesting style (oral biographical) and has some interesting ideas in it, but frequently runs into the usual Chuck problem of too much over-the-topness. I realize that's why most people read him, but eventually it just becomes tedious. I'd give it a 6/10. It really picks up in the last 150 pages, but it's hell to get through before that.

 

Just my take.

I've not been able to get into anything by Palahniuk but his book of essays that was released a few years back. I want to give Fight Club a chance, though.

 

Fight Club is a nice, quick read. Some parts are tough to get through though because it literally made me nauseus.

I've not been able to get into anything by Palahniuk but his book of essays that was released a few years back. I want to give Fight Club a chance, though.

 

Fight Club is a nice, quick read. Some parts are tough to get through though because it literally made me nauseus.

I loved Invisible Monsters but that's definitely one of those books that I feel wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, just because of the way it jumps around...that's Palahniuk for you. Oddly enough, I haven't read Fight Club (yet).

never really got into fight club

I didn't like Fight Club the novel either.

 

Survivor is amazing and on my own bookshelf.

Just finished Watchmen. I haven't digested it yet; it definitely makes you think and it also has an incredible amount of layers.

I have been reading (on and off because of school/activities) Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach. However, thanks to my current stasis of returning to my Trekkie roots, I started reading Religions of Star Trek by Ross S. Kraemer, William Cassidy, and Susan L. Schwartz.

 

Maybe it's an afterlife/philosophy binge I'm on rather than a Trek one.

I'm now reading The Redneck Manifesto by Jim Goad.

I'm now reading The Redneck Manifesto by Jim Goad.

 

That book is crazy. I read it about 3 years ago.

Ok, I just finished Election as my novel, and The life and times of Robert Kennedy as my non fiction. I'm reading Steal this book next.

 

As for comics, I'm reading Green Arrow, 100 Bullets, Batman: Detective Series, and Hell Blazer over DC. I'm reading all the post civil war/captain america's death stuf over at Marvel. For the indies, I'm reading the new Hellboy.

I believe Bryan (or Buckeye) mentioned how phenomenal Batman: Year One was so I'm going to read that next. Haven't decided on my next book because I'm currently enrolled in summer classes.

I've not been able to get into anything by Palahniuk but his book of essays that was released a few years back. I want to give Fight Club a chance, though.

 

Fight Club is a nice, quick read. Some parts are tough to get through though because it literally made me nauseus.

I loved Invisible Monsters but that's definitely one of those books that I feel wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, just because of the way it jumps around...that's Palahniuk for you. Oddly enough, I haven't read Fight Club (yet).

 

Invisible Monsters is definitely my favorite one of Palahniuk's books although Survivor and Diary were excellent. I'm excited to read Rant although it doesn't look like I'll be able to read it anytime soon. It would take me a bit to think of a list of top novels to list but currently and recently I've been reading:

 

-The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

-Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

-The Complete Stories by Franz Kaufka

-You Will Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers

-A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

After reading people's recommendations for Watchmen in the Chat thread (and being a huge Lost fan), I picked it up before I left home from college to have something to read on the flight home. Just finished it today, and what an amazing novel. I can definitely see the influences it had on two of my favorite TV shows (Lost and Heroes). I'm wondering what those of you who have read it already thought of the story and the connections it has to some of our favorite shows.

 

As for my favorite books, I'd go with:

1) Collected Fictions - Jorge Luis Borges

2) Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce

3) Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco

4) Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

5) The Odyssey - Homer

 

I'm also a big Klosterman fan. I enjoyed "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" and "Killing Yourself to Live" alot more than "Fargo Rock City" but I think that's mainly because those two were far more accessible than the Fargo Rock City.

 

I'm not sure what my next book will be. I thought of looking into Stephen King's Dark Tower series since Carlton Cuse has said it's a HUGE influence on Lost. Either that, or I might read something by Faulkner.

I'm also a big Klosterman fan. I enjoyed "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" and "Killing Yourself to Live" alot more than "Fargo Rock City" but I think that's mainly because those two were far more accessible than the Fargo Rock City.

 

Fargo Rock City is great, but if you aren't a fan of Heavy Metal I can see not enjoying it. But I'm not a HUGE fan (I like GNR and Motley Crue) and I think it's a great book. I love how he managed to intellectually defend something that, for all intents and purposes, is impossible to intellectually defend.

Alright. I zipped through No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. It finishes up even better than it starts, making an excellent commentary on growing old, modern society and the struggle to find ones place in a quickly advancing world. I highly recommend EVERYONE here gives it a look. I absolutely cannot wait for the film version of this to be released in the fall. It should be fantastic.

 

Since I needed some new material, tonight I went and picked up Of Mice and Men (I'm embarrassed I haven't read it already), The Works of Henry David Thoreau and Blood Meridian. I'll report back if anyone is interested.

I hated All the Pretty Horses so I'm a little bit hesitant about reading another Cormac book.

 

I bought Orwell's 1984 today.

I hated All the Pretty Horses so I'm a little bit hesitant about reading another Cormac book.

 

I bought Orwell's 1984 today.

 

I kind of feel the same way about Cormac. I read Blood Meridian and didn't think it was as great as everyone hyped it to be. I can see why people would like him, but I just didn't like the writing style of the book.

I hated All the Pretty Horses so I'm a little bit hesitant about reading another Cormac book.

 

I bought Orwell's 1984 today.

 

I kind of feel the same way about Cormac. I read Blood Meridian and didn't think it was as great as everyone hyped it to be. I can see why people would like him, but I just didn't like the writing style of the book.

 

Blood Meridian and No Country For Old Men appear to be written in almost completely different styles. At least from the quick peak I took at Blood Meridian. I don't know, I'm surprised you guys don't like him. I really enjoyed NCFOM. It's a very quick read as well.

I hated All the Pretty Horses so I'm a little bit hesitant about reading another Cormac book.

 

I bought Orwell's 1984 today.

That's my favorite book, I've probably read it like 6 times at least.

I just started reading The Mickey Mantle Novel........it's great. very honest, he told a reporter to ask him any question and he'd answer it. some things I've learned so far: he was sexually abused by his dad, his dad beat him/mom up occasionally, how much players cheat on their wives, mickey's first kiss was when he was a junior in high school (that shocked me), he used to go on top of hotel roofs with a telescope and look through the women's windows...a lot of personal stuff that he talks about. great book. funny as hell too. all in his words.

 

edit: god dammit I just noticed that it's a fictional book, the stories are all made up.....he didn't really do them.....I'd read 92 pages of the stupid thing before I noticed it. f*ck. I was enjoying it too..

:bump

 

Just picked The Martian Chronicles (which I have high hopes for) and No Country Old Men (because of Bryan's review and because the movie is coming out in a few weeks).

I'm about halfway through The Watchmen.

 

Funny you say that... Im halfway through also, have to read it for class... I actually have to come up with a thesis about the book and then write a paper about it... Been thinking about it for days... cant seem to come up with something I can write a solid 10 pgs about..