Kind of beyond The Pale King: newest book thread

[JamesSchneider]

For me, happily, it is finally Reamde time. I am a total Neal Stephenson nerd and I'm so excited already.

[G.C.R]

Whooo pollo that list looks tremendous. Sister Carrie, aw yeah! I was just upstairs in the library at school, and its a sunny day and I'd just had a great meeting with my supervisor so of course i should get a good book and an iceblock and go and sit in the park and read for fun, and I was just thinking on both Norris (Stoptime is all i've read, so good) and re-reading some Flannery O'Connor. And i should do both these things, but I just came away with 2 more Chaucer Tales (Wife of Bath, and the Man of Law) and Play it as it lays. Nice.

edit: Bah, I confused Frank Conroy and Frank Norris. this is why I shouldn't talk in the books thread, I just end up sounding like someone who doesn't know a thing about the thing I'm talking about!

[peacocks]

I just finished A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore. I couldn't stop reading it once I started but it wasn't fast paced or riveting exactly. It was just incredibly enjoyable. Well, certain parts were riveting exactly but in a relaxed way I think. There is a lot of space*.

I finished A Book of Common Prayer over the weekend, Overall it was a difficult story for me but I needed that kind of thing, I think. I thought the end was kind of rushed- I remember someone upthread saying something about not liking the turn it took towards the end and I agree. Not with the plot, the end you know from the beginning- but the language. It is still sinking sinking in. I'll definitely have to give Play It As It Lays a shot so we can then all be on the same Didion page, or close enough.

I also finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson over the weekend. I want more, it was so fun and horrifying. I couldn't get the song "Merricat, Merricat! Would you like a cup of tea? Oh no! said Merricat. You'll poison me!" out of my head for a whole day. These three books seem to be all about forgetting and remembering, and moving on.

So now I'm going to read from the first boy I've read in a while and see how I like it, Middlesex.


*gosh, when I say space I don't mean emptiness or useless. I mean she takes her time in telling you the story so you can really get to know Tassie and everything is carefully introduced and formed.

[peacocks]

Pollo, your reading list makes me painfully aware of how ill read I am, and would like to remedy this! So, I will. Although my step dad just gave me about 9 Philip K. Dick books and I might jump in there after Middlesex. There is so much to read and only so much time!

[Greg Nog]

Was going to pick up Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site for my truck-loving niece today, but all the anthropomorphized trucks in the book are male, which, what the fuck.  There's like five trucks in that book, you couldn't make one of them female?  Reluctant to buy her a book that reinforces the idea that Cool-Ass Trucks cannot fall under the purview of her gender.

Also I'm reading The Last Werewolf which is hella fun so far

[peacocks]

write and draw your own truck filled children's book! We can do the thing Bernard did one time where she wanted people to draw coloring pages, remember that? All the trucks can be girls! With a few boys, fine.

[Black Amnesia of Heaven]

i have really conflicted feelings about a gate at the stairs because it's written like a hyperliterary livejournal entry. also i feel like there are so many pacing problems, it being a hyperliterary livejournal entry.

anyway my friend gave me the third reich ('only read books about nazis in 2011' - miles klee) so i'm going to start reading that now

[Nick Ink]

write and draw your own truck filled children's book! We can do the thing Bernard did one time where she wanted people to draw coloring pages, remember that? All the trucks can be girls! With a few boys, fine.

This is exactly how Andy Stantom came to write his first Mr.Gum book. He was skint and disorganised and needed a present for his brilliant favourite niece, so he sat up all night on Christmas Eve, and wrote "You're A Bad Man, Mr.Gum",

[cold before sunrise]

assistance, please? let's have four thumbs up for the last four posts.

[G.C.R]

24 pages! cont'd here
http://www.lastplanetojakarta.com/forums/index.php/topic,13315.new.html#new