Das Book: the very new reading thread

[rockmeamadeus]

the other thread was getting long in the tooth.

currently reading, for my senior thesis:

Theda Skocpol- States and Social Revolutions

James C. Scott- Weapons of the Weak

Jeffrey Paige- Agrarian Revolution
also Leon Trotsky's 1905 which is out of print and was once illegal! And a bunch of other musty old out-of-print books dealing with the Chinese Revolution.

I am Marxed out, dudes.

Also I am reading this, and can't help but hate the petty bourgeiousie tendencies of the main characters. I dig it, though.

[Lindsay With An A]

I am reading this

which I seem to continuously turn to as my own personal Way of the Pilgrim when I get so fed up with the "godamn English department section men" (or whatever Franny calls them) in my own life. Sometimes Salinger's writing style frustrates me in this book especially, but it's totally the college Catcher in the Rye in terms of "MAN, THAT'S EXACTLY HOW I FEEL RIGHT NOW"-esque catharsis. Or something like that.

Also these

have been my bedtime stories for the past few nights, and the collection as a whole is really pretty great.

[rockmeamadeus]

Oooooo that Othello book looks hot, I got recommended that recently.

I completely agree with your assessment of Franny and Zooey.

[davy]

let me be the first reader in this new thread to say:

CORMAC McMOTHERFUCKINGCARTHY

[andronicus]

the other thread was getting long in the tooth.

currently reading, for my senior thesis:

Theda Skocpol- States and Social Revolutions

Blake go out right now and find yourself a copy of Barrington Moore's (Theda Skocpol's teacher) Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy.  I mean, assuming you haven't already.

[jebreject]

let me be the first reader in this new thread to say:

CORMAC McMOTHERFUCKINGCARTHY

did you start no country, davy?

[rockmeamadeus]

the other thread was getting long in the tooth.

currently reading, for my senior thesis:

Theda Skocpol- States and Social Revolutions

Blake go out right now and find yourself a copy of Barrington Moore's (Theda Skocpol's teacher) Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy.  I mean, assuming you haven't already.

It's next on the list, bro. Thanks, tho. I've been reading so much revolutionary theory for this fucking paper (due in a startlingly short period of time) that I've been having nightmares, wherein I am embroiled in revolutions. marxist, agrarian, zombie, against Skynet... it's really fucking with me.

Skocpol has my heart.

I would put it in her butt.

[rockmeamadeus]

WHOA, ABORT MISSION, ABORT MISSION.

[Lalitree]

I am reading Cloud Atlas. I'm about halfway through it, and loving it.

[Maaik]

hahahahahahahaha oh fuck rockme hahahahahaha


I've been holding onto this borrowed copy of Ishamel for a few weeks now.  I need to get on that.

[milesofsparks]

I am reading Cloud Atlas. I'm about halfway through it, and loving it.

I read that earlier this summer thanks to lptj.  I ended up reading all his books--so awesome.

[melancolley]

Currently in the middle of Dubliners. Eveline absolutely shattered me.

I'm noticing a lot of McCarthy love round these parts. The Road was magnificent, although I'm still not sure about the ending. What should be my next McCarthy?

[Greg Nog]

Christ, I loved Cloud Atlas.  What a great amount of fun and virtuosity in that novel.


rockme, speaking of the Fitzgerald:  have you ever read any Jonathan Ames?  I tend to re-read The Extra Man whenever I'm feeling down, and that's a sort of modern riff on Fitzgerald.

(Or I read his novel Wake Up, Sir!, which is a kind of modern riff on Wodehouse.  Both are appealing.)


melancolley:  Blood Meridian is my favorite of the three McCarthy books I've read.  Easily one of the best novels of the twentieth century.

[rockmeamadeus]

Currently in the middle of Dubliners. Eveline absolutely shattered me.

oh man yeah, that story kills me, the best song I ever wrote is a modern take on that story, set in a small town in South Dakota, and absolute truth.

rockme, speaking of the Fitzgerald:  have you ever read any Jonathan Ames?  I tend to re-read The Extra Man whenever I'm feeling down, and that's a sort of modern riff on Fitzgerald.

(Or I read his novel Wake Up, Sir!, which is a kind of modern riff on Wodehouse.  Both are appealing.)

no, dawg, never read the dude. I will check him out, thanks! Any modern riff on fitzgerald and wodehouse is enough to give THIS guy a boner!

[andronicus]

It's next on the list, bro. Thanks, tho. I've been reading so much revolutionary theory for this fucking paper (due in a startlingly short period of time) that I've been having nightmares, wherein I am embroiled in revolutions. marxist, agrarian, zombie, against Skynet... it's really fucking with me.

Skocpol has my heart.

I would put it in her butt.

I feel kind of nostalgic looking at all this; there were pretty much no social history/labor economics classes this semester, if it keeps up I'm going to end up with a degree pretty much in Qur'anic studies, which, awesome, but still.

[Lucy]

I'm reading Blood Meridian right now and it really is very good. I'm not sure how to articulate what I think of it..."like" it probably isn't quite right, reading it isn't pleasurable in the way I usually want my books to be. It's violent, I expected that, but he talks about it so easily and doesn't linger on it. I'm so nostalgic that this sense of profound detachment is foreign to me, and unsettling in this context. It's extremely compelling though, and the fact that I'm still reading it at all should be seen to a testament of its accessibility.

[Greg Nog]

Oh, man, Ames is hilarious.  The Extra Man is basically "Dude trying to follow in the footsteps of Fitzgerald while hooking up with trannies", and Wake Up Sir! is along the lines of "poor modern-day author emulating Bertie Wooster".  Give 'em a whirl when you get a chance.

And regarding Lucy's post:  Yeah, Blood Meridian is more like a force of nature than a narrative.  Good god, I oughtta re-read that.

[davy]

let me be the first reader in this new thread to say:

CORMAC McMOTHERFUCKINGCARTHY

did you start no country, davy?

i will literally be finishing it in about 15 minutes.

this dude is good. i'm really psyched that i'll be able to see the film adaptation next week. and it being a coen bros. adaptation makes it all the better.

[elpollodiablo]

Re: McCarthy

I barely knew who he was eight months ago, and now he's in my top five American authors of the 20th c., easily. And that's after having read only Blood Meridian, No Country, The Road, and All the Pretty Horses.

[Greg Nog]

How is All The Pretty Horses?  I've only read the other three you've read.  My cousin recently read that one about the necrophiliac, and said it wasn't as good.

[elpollodiablo]

I'm interested to read some of his Appalachian-period stuff. ATPH was alright, but is lacking in the elements which make McCarthy so interesting to me. It's denser, like Blood Meridian, but not as weighty. Overplays the romanticism a bit in my estimation. I still wanta read the rest of the trilogy, tho.

[guanajuato]

Not so hot for the Border Trilogy or Suttree. Orchard Keeper alright.

Outer Dark = GOOD.

[KJ]

Christ, I loved Cloud Atlas.  What a great amount of fun and virtuosity in that novel.

Man, I always got so fatigued around that book. I loved his first two, but picking up Cloud Atlas immediately gave me the overwhelming urge to put it down again, so hardly read any of it. I don't really know why that should be beyond the brute size of the thing.

Although my copy is a signed first edition! Another perk of having worked in that bookstore back in the day.

[davy]

I'm interested to read some of his Appalachian-period stuff. ATPH was alright, but is lacking in the elements which make McCarthy so interesting to me. It's denser, like Blood Meridian, but not as weighty. Overplays the romanticism a bit in my estimation. I still wanta read the rest of the trilogy, tho.

yeah, i was thinking outer dark might be the next one i pick up. if he can do what he does with the west to the appalachians, i'm all in. living in georgia all my life, that landscape is a little closer to home.

[Greg Nog]

Not so hot for the Border Trilogy or Suttree.

Dang, I kept hearing good things about Suttree.

KJ, I'm surprised Cloud Atlas wasn't as gripping for you.  I've never read any of his other books, though, so maybe they're even better?