I'm currently reading The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Being prone to pretension, I sometimes find myself slogging through literary fiction I have no business reading, but this is both very readable and quite moving, so yay.
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
Thomas Pynchon's BLEEDING EDGE, a fascinating and funny look at life in NYC in the months before, during and after 9/11.
"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." Thomas Pynchon, GRAVITY'S RAINBOW
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Philip K. Dick
My blog: http://www.roscoewrites.blogspot.com/
I don't have much free reading time when I'm teaching, as most of it is taken up with re-reading the texts I've assigned or reading student writing. But I did burn through BLEEDING EDGE pretty quickly when it came out and found it to be Pynchon's best work since MASON AND DIXON, if still not entirely satisfying. I'm teaching both GRAVITY'S RAINBOW and THE CRYING OF LOT 49 this semester, so I'm kind of all-Pynchon all the time, and I felt the need to put other things on hold to give it a read.
I did by THE LOWLAND and I'm going to read it this weekend on a flight.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
AC -- I'm a big fan of MASON & DIXON myself, I'm feeling like it is time for another go-round. I liked good old INHERENT VICE a good deal, much more than that AGAINST THE DAY thing which is the one Pynchon that I've just got no interest in re-reading.
"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." Thomas Pynchon, GRAVITY'S RAINBOW
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Philip K. Dick
My blog: http://www.roscoewrites.blogspot.com/
I barely finished AGAINST THE DAY once, so I doubt I'll ever tackle it again, and while I enjoyed INHERENT VICE, it doesn't warrant a re-read in my book. BLEEDING EDGE has been on my mind since I finished it, so I'm definitely going to re-read it when I have a little more time to really devote to it.
I love MASON & DIXON and haven't read it in close to a decade. I should definitely make some time to revisit it soon.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
I've read INHERENT VICE three times already. Great fun, for my money Pynchon's most entertaining and accessible work since CRYING OF LOT 49.
I'm dreading the upcoming film.
"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." Thomas Pynchon, GRAVITY'S RAINBOW
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Philip K. Dick
My blog: http://www.roscoewrites.blogspot.com/
I will note that Chapter 37 of BLEEDING EDGE contains the most gloriously awful pun I've come across in a while -- involving the gang from Scooby Doo and assorted Colombian drug cartels.
"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." Thomas Pynchon, GRAVITY'S RAINBOW
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Philip K. Dick
My blog: http://www.roscoewrites.blogspot.com/
I actually worked on "Mason & Dixon" years ago. I think I still have an advance reader's copy somewhere.
I just finished Rachel Joyce's "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry." I liked the writing, but I found the rather slender story to be too drawn out, and the big surprise to be not so much of one. But I did enjoy it.
I started "Doctor Sleep" a few days ago; so far it's a perfect October read. (Now if only the weather would cool down again . . . )
I'm almost through CHRISTIAN NATION by Fred Rich. It's a historical fiction work that posits the question what would have happened had McCain won the election...and then died shortly thereafter. The dialogue is a little...unrealistic. But the unfolding political events are expertly captured. It's terrifying and fascinating. I highly recommend, even though there are flaws.
I'm reading 11/22/63, which I'm enjoying, but am looking forward to Doctor Sleep and may break two rules of mine. Don't read the same author in a row and dont pay full price. I heard it is on sale somewhere, so may pick it up when I'm finished. I'm also jonesing for the new Amy Tan book.
Good to see Spidey on here!
The Alienist is one of my favorite reads of all time! Enjoy Sally!
"Carson has combined his passion for helping children with his love for one of Cincinnati's favorite past times - cornhole - to create a unique and exciting event perfect for a corporate outing, entertaining clients or family fun."
^^ 11/22/63 is truly an all-time favorite. I'm not much of a Steven King fan (horror isn't my thing), but the book isn't really all that horror-y, and it moved me to no end.
Next on my list is Seven For a Secret by Lyndsay Faye. I met her at a party once and was smitten with her. I decided to pick up her books The Gods of Gotham and Dust and Shadow because I liked her so much. I really, really enjoyed them...so I'm looking forward to Seven.
I'm almost done with Lionel's Shriver's So Much for That. This book is almost as depressing as We Need to Talk About Kevin. Maybe even more so. Me thinks Lionel Shriver needs some anti-depressants.
11/22/63 is King at his story-telling best. And because it's not really horror, it would probably translate beautifully to film with the right (Ang Lee) director.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
So did y'all get any nice reading material over the holidays?
I just finished Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis, needless to say a hoot - why did I wait so long to read it?
Just started The Letter For The King, a 1962 book by Dutch writer Tonke Dragt, available only recently for the first time in English. It's lazily described as a Tolkien-esque adventure. Recommended!
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$