Books, books, books - Page 2

GarboSpeaks! · #17 09-09-2010, 12:19 AM

Before I left California, I had a really good friend that owns a book store in Palo Alto. Bless his sweet large heart, he loaded me up with SO many books. Which is REALLY great...until you go to move them. LMAO. OMFG, books are heavy! Doesnt help that I have a LOT of Hollywood hardbound books.
I'm a pretty diverse reader that loves to read, but I read anything and everything. Lately i've gone to the silly side and am devouring up (hahahah) Zombie fiction. I read a lot of heavy metaphysical stuff. For realism, I like science & biography's. For fun, I like vintage erotica, and sci-fi/horror. I met one of my favorite authors a few times, Kat Richardson. For fans of X-Files, she does that kind of sublime paranormal a LOT of justice. Check her out...support her <3
For classics, I found I liked Camu, Poe and Huxley.

daniellaaarisen · #18 09-09-2010, 12:21 AM

Anita, what book store? I live 20 minutes from Palo Alto and spend a LOT of time there.

MissLadyLoki · #19 09-09-2010, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayli

Interesting about the Kindle. I didn't know you could zoom in and zoom out and so forth (I mean, that makes sense but I didn't know it, lol). I'm far-sighted, so I know the struggle, however, at a distance

And by distance I mean six feet away!

Just be thankful that anything a foot away from you isn't a blurry mess

TrueFaith77 · #20 09-09-2010, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daniellaaarisen

I LOVE TENDER IS THE NIGHT.

And Kayli, I've been meaning to check out Paint It Black. I actually have a tattoo on my ribcage of a quote from The English Patient in my own handwriting

Tender is the Night is my all-time favorite novel.

I write a bit about its influence on my film/culture criticism in my upcoming book The Community of Desire . . . jus' sayin'

I just finished:
Without Roots

And I just started--and am blown away by:
The Origins of Totalitarianism

Zombie · #21 09-09-2010, 08:46 AM

Totally diggin' all the Cormac McCarthy love up in this thread. McCarthy is one of my all-time favorite writers. The Road is stunning, but as stunning as it is, it's not even his best work (I vote for Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West on that one).

It IS, however, his most accessible, I think. I cracked up when Oprah picked The Road for her book club, because it's so good, I knew people would read it and then want to check out other McCarthy books. Oprah has a wide reach and it's a good thing to bring McCarthy into the spotlight more, but I can just envision some random mild-mannered housewife out there picking up Child of God and going all head a'splodey.

I'm currently re-reading Connie Willis' Dooms Day Book, one of my all-time fav books. Highly recommended.

GypsySorcerer · #22 09-09-2010, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombie

Totally diggin' all the Cormac McCarthy love up in this thread. McCarthy is one of my all-time favorite writers. The Road is stunning, but as stunning as it is, it's not even his best work (I vote for Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West on that one).

It IS, however, his most accessible, I think. I cracked up when Oprah picked The Road for her book club, because it's so good, I knew people would read it and then want to check out other McCarthy books. Oprah has a wide reach and it's a good thing to bring McCarthy into the spotlight more, but I can just envision some random mild-mannered housewife out there picking up Child of God and going all head a'splodey.

Blood Meridian is excellent...and you're right, probably his greatest achievement.

Do you think The Road was his last work?

GypsySorcerer · #23 09-09-2010, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayli

anything Sylvia Plath, especially all of Ariel, is perfect.

I revisited Ariel not that long ago. It was the edition edited by her daughter and featured Plath's original selections and sequencing. LOVE her.

I picked up her collected journals recently, but haven't started it. Might be something I get into during the winter.

belledejour · #24 09-09-2010, 11:34 AM

I love books and people who read/write them. I am reading Gone with the Wind - I have lost track of how many times I have read it - and Cold Mountain.

I just finished a book from the Charlie Parker series called the Lovers - not bad - I like John Connolly's writing a lot - his creepy short stories are great - loved Nocturnes. - love short stories

Zombie · #25 09-09-2010, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsySorcerer

Blood Meridian is excellent...and you're right, probably his greatest achievement.

Do you think The Road was his last work?

Ah, you've read it? Wonderful! I find that most people that I run across that have read McCarthy have only read The Road. Which is fine - it's the most popular right now, due to all that Oprah attention, and at least they've read SOMETHING he's written. Everyone should experience McCarthy at least once.

But man...Blood Meridian. That book is pure poetry - grotesque and gorgeous - definitely McCarthy at his best, in my opinion, and definitely not something anyone other than McCarthy could have pulled off so beautifully. I can't count how many times I've read it now.

I hear they are making a movie, which concerns me greatly. I don't think the film adaptation of The Road came even close to capturing the book, and with The Road being so much more accessible than Blood Meridian is, I just don't think a film is a good idea. For me, McCarthy's brilliance is partly story, but mostly language - the WAY he tells that story. "Your heart's desire is to be told some mystery. The mystery is that there is no mystery."

But yeah - I honestly hope it is not his last book, because I hate the idea of never getting to read something new from him again. But if it is, then I'd have it "just so and no different," like the man in The Road would, because I consider each of his books to be a gift and I'm lucky I got to read what I did.

/end total fangirl

Kayli · #26 09-09-2010, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombie

Totally diggin' all the Cormac McCarthy love up in this thread. McCarthy is one of my all-time favorite writers. The Road is stunning, but as stunning as it is, it's not even his best work (I vote for Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West on that one).

It IS, however, his most accessible, I think. I cracked up when Oprah picked The Road for her book club, because it's so good, I knew people would read it and then want to check out other McCarthy books. Oprah has a wide reach and it's a good thing to bring McCarthy into the spotlight more, but I can just envision some random mild-mannered housewife out there picking up Child of God and going all head a'splodey.

I'm currently re-reading Connie Willis' Dooms Day Book, one of my all-time fav books. Highly recommended.

This was my first McCarthy read. I have no doubt I will love his other books. I might take up your recommendation and have Blood Meridian be my next McCarthy

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsySorcerer

I revisited Ariel not that long ago. It was the edition edited by her daughter and featured Plath's original selections and sequencing. LOVE her.

I picked up her collected journals recently, but haven't started it. Might be something I get into during the winter.

You'll love her journals!

Quote:

Originally Posted by daniellaaarisen

I love your tattoo! I remember that line in the book very well (the simplicity of it is so lovely)! How awesome

Thanks for sharing!

Erin · #27 09-09-2010, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombie

I'm currently re-reading Connie Willis' Dooms Day Book, one of my all-time fav books. Highly recommended.

That book was so depressing, although the premise was great. Have you read To Say Nothing of the Dog? Same time-traveling set-up, but it's the 19th century instead. It's very funny.

GarboSpeaks! · #28 09-10-2010, 02:02 PM

@daniellaaarisen

Know Knew Books on California Ave. (415 S California ave)
Bill is the owner, and he's a wild one. Go visit...and beware. lol. So kidding. There isn't a single thing in the universe to NOT love about that guy!

Zombie · #29 09-10-2010, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayli

This was my first McCarthy read. I have no doubt I will love his other books. I might take up your recommendation and have Blood Meridian be my next McCarthy

Awesome! Let me know what you think. But be aware that it can get gruesome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin

That book was so depressing, although the premise was great. Have you read To Say Nothing of the Dog? Same time-traveling set-up, but it's the 19th century instead. It's very funny.

I haven't read that one, but I will keep an eye out for it. Why depressing, though? It's always been one of my favorites. It's sad, for sure, but I think Willis handled the sadness really well.

Erin · #30 09-11-2010, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombie

.

I haven't read that one, but I will keep an eye out for it. Why depressing, though? It's always been one of my favorites. It's sad, for sure, but I think Willis handled the sadness really well.

I guess I'm just relating the sadness of the story with depression. I certainly wasn't happy after I finished reading it, although it was a good read. I took a class on the history of disease as a grad student, so I think I've spent too much time with the Black Death.