murakami Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 its "best beach books" - so that kinda changes things. i dont usually wake up and think "hmm, i am going to go to the beach and read Atlas Shrugged" - i would rather have something that is a little more fun and less heavy handed either way, still agree its a list driven more by women. edit - i like to see Dune on the list. nothing like going to a place full of sand to read about a planet covered in sand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 It's best beach books ever. Makes a difference. They're going for light, summer reading. Hence Harry Potter being #1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 It's best beach books ever. Makes a difference. They're going for light, summer reading. Hence Harry Potter being #1. Just saw that. Why then is Anna Karenina on there at all, let alone so high? An 800+ page epic is hardly light, summer reading unless you're a professor of english or something. Same could be said of Pride and Predjudice, really. The Old Man and The Sea is extremely light and quick and ties in with the beach quite nicely given the ocean imagery, yet it's near the bottom of the barrel. This list is just all wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murakami Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 i sent the list to my [female] employee who had read 24 of the 100 books and had the nerve to get offended when i said "that proves it is a chick list" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 I've read 26 of the 100, but I'm pretty sure they aren't the same 24 selections, with maybe a few exceptions. 2,3,5,8,14,15,18,21,25,32,35,42,43,47,54,56,57,59,66,68,69,71,72,74,84,89. I've never seen a single moment nor read a single word of anything to do with Harry Potter. This is going to be my epitaph, now that I think of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattstrike Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Uh-oh. Drabley - your book made it to Philadelphia's 100% reliable USPS main, and I apparently forgot the zip code, so it came back to me today. Sending it back out tomorrow AM. Shit, sorry!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Uh-oh.Drabley - your book made it to Philadelphia's 100% reliable USPS main, and I apparently forgot the zip code, so it came back to me today. Sending it back out tomorrow AM. Shit, sorry!! No worries. I read fairly fast, so I'm not concerned. Tom -- you get yours yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I got mine. And Matt got his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Tom Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Uh-oh.Drabley - your book made it to Philadelphia's 100% reliable USPS main, and I apparently forgot the zip code, so it came back to me today. Sending it back out tomorrow AM. Shit, sorry!! No worries. I read fairly fast, so I'm not concerned. Tom -- you get yours yet? No, not yet dude. I am waiting on a few records also so it's probably just the UK post office being a bit rubbish, i will drop a post when i get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murakami Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 got my book from whateverrr (hot water music) started this weekend. three short stories in and have to say its highly enjoyable so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickheitman Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 i'm shooting for a major in english. any books/authors that are a must read for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski are must read. Pick up any and everything by them. I'm not into "classic' literature, ie: Emily Bronte, Mark Twain, Proust, etc. , but books that I would deem (and are generally regarded as) classics, written in the last 1/2 century are John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces Don Delillo's White Noise and Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Anyone who wants to be well-read would be doing themselves a huge service by reading those three books. EDIT: Also, anything by John Irving, esp. A Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According to Garp, and The Hotel New Hampshire. Nick, if you want any more recommendations, feel free to pm me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickheitman Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski are must read. Pick up any and everything by them. I'm not into "classic' literature, ie: Emily Bronte, Mark Twain, Proust, etc. , but books that I would deem (and are generally regarded as) classics, written in the last 1/2 century are John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces Don Delillo's White Noise and Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Anyone who wants to be well-read would be doing themselves a huge service by reading those three books. EDIT: Also, anything by John Irving, esp. A Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According to Garp, and The Hotel New Hampshire. Nick, if you want any more recommendations, feel free to pm me. definitely. i love bukowski, and plan on reading a lot of hunter s. thompson. and i will read the other books for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 I think that everyone should read Herman Hesse. Siddhartha, The Glass Bead Game, Steppenwolf, etc. Also, The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinsky (sp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmonaut Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski are must read. Pick up any and everything by them. Hunter S. Thompson used to guest-teach English and literature classes at my high school. I have some funny stories about that guy. I don't think he ever showed up sober. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmonaut Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I think that everyone should read Herman Hesse. Siddhartha, The Glass Bead Game, Steppenwolf, etc. Also, The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinsky (sp). Good suggestions. My favorite Hesse book is Narcissus and Goldmund. I haven't read The Painted Bird, but I remember liking The Devil Tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski are must read. Pick up any and everything by them. Hunter S. Thompson used to guest-teach English and literature classes at my high school. I have some funny stories about that guy. I don't think he ever showed up sober. That's really fucking cool. As far as Hesse goes, I've only ever read Demian, but I enjoyed it. I have a lot of his books; need to give them a shot sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski are must read. Pick up any and everything by them. Hunter S. Thompson used to guest-teach English and literature classes at my high school. I have some funny stories about that guy. I don't think he ever showed up sober. Reminds me of some Dylan Thomas quotes: I've just had eighteen straight whiskies. I think that's the record. An alcoholic is someone you don't like who drinks as much as you do. Also reminds me of some Bukowski stories. I think I need a Vodka-7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Tom Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 My book still hasn't shown up! UK postal service is shit. I have read Steppenwolf, it was ok, but i found it quite difficult to get in to. I am currently reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland again, its just as good as i remember. I have Rant by Chuck Palahniuk in my to read pile, just can't motivate myself to start it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickheitman Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 can't stand chuck p. i got more than half way through fight club and gave up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Tom Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 can't stand chuck p. i got more than half way through fight club and gave up. He is ok. I loved fight club and choke. Lullaby was ok. Didn't really get survivor and can never work out why a lot of people say its their favourite. still have diary and rant on my shelf waiting to be read. I really like the short stories in Haunted, but thought the narrative bit was odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm1610 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Rant is a good one, it's a slooooww start but when it picks up, it picks up. I finished Murakami's The Wild Sheep Chase which was my first suggested read sent through this group (am I the winner for first done?) When I read the back cover, I was like "mythology and mystery? This is NOT my style..." and thought I'd hate it. It started off unfocused and jumped around, but when the story settled in on the main plot, it was pretty tough to put down. I was at work with 15 middle-school aged kids screaming all around me and I still sat there reading. Very pleasant surprise.. makes me want to pick up his first two, since the internet tells me this is sort of the third in a trilogy. I'm kind of angry that the note from Vince says that's what would happen. I don't like being told I'm going to like something and then actually like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murakami Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 glad you enjoyed it! Dance, Dance, Dance is the next book in the "Rat Trilogy" that i is worth a read. i have not been able to get my hands on the first book, however. i think you might be the first one done, so just talk to the person you ship to and see when they are ready for the second volume. i am about 15-20% done with my book, but will be sure to kill a couple of pages tonight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murakami Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 and for anyone who has never read murakami, check out this short story - "On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning" http://www.mat.upm.es/~jcm/murakami-perfect.html its my favorite, possibly because of how i can relate to the main dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Tom Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Rant is a good one, it's a slooooww start but when it picks up, it picks up.I finished Murakami's The Wild Sheep Chase which was my first suggested read sent through this group (am I the winner for first done?) When I read the back cover, I was like "mythology and mystery? This is NOT my style..." and thought I'd hate it. It started off unfocused and jumped around, but when the story settled in on the main plot, it was pretty tough to put down. I was at work with 15 middle-school aged kids screaming all around me and I still sat there reading. Very pleasant surprise.. makes me want to pick up his first two, since the internet tells me this is sort of the third in a trilogy. I'm kind of angry that the note from Vince says that's what would happen. I don't like being told I'm going to like something and then actually like it! I can't believe you have finished your book already, mine is still in the post somewhere! Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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