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how many of you have read these books? https://www.obner.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16843 |
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Author: | Dusty Chalk [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 3:16 pm ] |
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Catch-22, Animal Farm, and 1984 should be on everyone's required reading list. You can't be snarky without knowing what you're stealing from. |
Author: | paladisiac [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 3:42 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: how many of you have read these books? |
Patrick Bateman Wrote: so this is my list of books i have to read, whos read them and are there any clunkers i should avoid at all costs?
1984 Slaughterhouse-Five Catch 22 The Grapes of Wrath Fahrenheit 451 The Catcher in the Rye [started it mid-last year] Stranger in a Strange Land A Tale of Two Cities grapes was a bit slow. i thoroughly-enjoyed all the rest. |
Author: | el_scorcho [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 6:31 pm ] |
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shmoo Wrote: I counted 22 I've read on there. They're all worth it. My least favorite were probably Notes From The Underground and Slaughterhouse Five.
Blasphemer. |
Author: | el_scorcho [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 6:35 pm ] |
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Aimarr Wrote: and add brothers karamazov on there. best book ever. period.
Seconded. You should also read Crime and Punishment, which is probably the second best book ever. |
Author: | splates [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 6:56 pm ] |
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fuse Wrote: Good lord, read Cuckoo's Nest as soon as possible. Amazing book that has been overshadowed by a great movie and locked into Jack Nicholson's image. That book has it all...
would have been cool if they shot the movie from the chief's perspective like the book was written |
Author: | KPH [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 7:11 pm ] |
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Lunar Park - better than most BEE and the Tristram Shandy-esque framing is fun, but for the most part, it's the same characters (literally in parts! ) and I just feel like my time is better spent with less BEE in my life The Informers - yes, but a while ago On The Road - long while ago Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas - must read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - ehh, skimmed through it Naked Lunch - not my thing 1984 - loved it Animal Farm - a bit obvious in parts, but still a must-read Slaughterhouse-Five - a favorite Catch 22 - thought it was simply much too long, but if you get wrapped up in the world he creates, you can't put it down The Metamorphosis - delightful, which is an odd choice of words, but I think this is perhaps the most linear and emotionally expressive (and clear) Kafka The Grapes of Wrath - was once a favorite...not so sure I'd like it as much right now Brave New World - did a whole research paper on this Fahrenheit 451 - same research paper Notes from the Underground - never finished...mostly started it as a companion to Crime & Punishment, which is an all-time favorite A Confederacy of Dunces - absolutely cannot stand this Girlfriend in a Coma - I love Coupland, but let's face it...Gen X is really all ye need (plus his blog/diaries) The Catcher in the Rye - sure High Fidelity - oddly enough, never read this A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - the format tends to obscure the story a bit, but worth reading Me Talk Pretty One Day - yeah...I mean, if you like Sedaris, this is the shit. I tend to tolerate him. To Kill a Mockingbird - must read and of course, must see The Stranger - must read Mein Kampf - read excerpts for various classes...certainly helps to somewhat understand the "thinking" that went into Hitler's aims, but reading the whole thing? A Million Little Pieces - ha, seriously? Beyond Good and Evil - I'd say this is a must-read, but it's not, you know, light reading Being and Nothingness - a few parts Lolita - yeah...I was led to believe this was the greatest thing ever, but I dunno... The Sun Also Rises - yes. Hell yes. Less Than Zero - yes The Rules of Attraction - yes American Psycho - must read Glamorama - first half is a trip and then woah, the dropoff A Tale of Two Cities - must read |
Author: | Postmersh [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:20 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: how many of you have read these books? |
Patrick Bateman Wrote: so this is my list of books i have to read, whos read them and are there any clunkers i should avoid at all costs?
Lunar Park - trying to track this one down still The Informers - my fave B.E. Ellis, probably - a series of short stories that alternately make/don't make much sense... Private Parts - I remember thinking it was pretty good; Then again, I read it in high school, and have never been a HUGE HStern fan... On The Road - Definite Qual Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas - Def. Qual Naked Lunch - OK, if you're up for readin' it... 1984, Animal Farm - Someone didn't go to a public Jr. High School. I'd reccommend "Down and Out in Paris and London" instead... Slaughterhouse-Five - Qual A Clockwork Orange - took me a while to read - invents it's own language, but not as much as "Finnegan's Wake" does... could be worth a read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Probably one of my favorite books ever... Catch 22 - 's ok The Metamorphosis - good to read (for writing's sake), bad to read (for reading's sake) The Grapes of Wrath - It's alright - backto the public school question though... Brave New World - Purty good Fahrenheit 451 - Good stuff Notes from the Underground - OK... just gave a copy of this away to a friend Fight Club Veryvery good - however, if you've seen the movie or are expecting something like it, I'd def. go for another one of Palahniuk's books - prob. Survivor to start. A Confederacy of Dunces - it's ok, but had to start/stop reading it 4 times before I made it through... Jennifer Government - overrated The Motorcycle Diaries - ditto Requiem for a Dream - I'd go for "Waiting Room" or "last exit" by Selby instead... The Catcher in the Rye - Good to buy - probably stands up to casual re-reads better than almost any other novel... Perv: A Love Story - I'd go for perm. midnight first, or even "I, Fatty" High Fidelity - Good book Killing Yourself to Live - Highly overrated, and surprisingly boring. Go with "Sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs" instead A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Great start... You Shall Know Our Velocity - Dissapointing follow-up... Me Talk Pretty One Day - P'shaw... To Kill a Mockingbird - classic novel, worth a plow-through The Stranger - great Mein Kampf - um, sure... A Million Little Pieces - why not just go with "mein kampf"? Running With Scissors - decent story, clunky writing - the Burroughs mark of genius... Beyond Good and Evil - worth a plow Lolita - see above (but not in that way, sicko)... The Sun Also Rises - decent, though I prefer Papa's short stories by far... Last Exit to Brooklyn - see "Requiem" ....and, I'm quitting looking at this list now. Do you really read that much that this is a functional list for you? Seriously... My advice: 1) Pick one book by an author on here (Ellis, Selby, Palahniuk, Kesey, Eggers, Burroughs, Sedaris, et al) - if you're not sure which one to read, pick one at random or ask for advice on a particular author 2) Read that book 3) If you like it, read another one of the author's books. If not, set that author down and back away from their novels. Laundry lists for books are like Netflix Quere's - You'll end up making a massive list of things, once you get so far into it, you have little intention of ever paying any attention to. |
Author: | Promethium [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:52 pm ] |
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Decent to good books On the Road Fear&Loathing Naked Lunch Animal Farm Catcher in the Rye Fight Club Good books, i.e. easy reads and/or worth the time Slaughter House Five A Clockwork Orange Catch 22 Fahrenheit 451 To Kill a Mockingbird Mein Kampf, although it is a shitty read and poorly written The Stranger Bad books or extremely overrated in my opinion 1984 |
Author: | duckyboy [ Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:40 pm ] |
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I don't understand hate towards Notes from Underground. For example, look at the scene where he picks out a whore and says that "if she had smiled, I would have hated her". It's awesome. |
Author: | ayah [ Tue Feb 14, 2006 3:37 am ] |
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harry Wrote: Several dissed Confederacy of Dunces (ayah? whose cool and removed perspective and critical engagement in this cyber fast food board I most admire).
well...if you're going to put it that way. i tried reading it a few times in the mid-80's and just never got hooked. i was reading a bit of the first chapter online and as soon as i finish the book i'm reading now (van gogh blah blah blah) i'll give it another whirl. i'm also wondering if i'm confusing my dislike for this book with walker percy's the moviegoer for some bizarre reason. i. am. so. overworked these days. 12.5 hours again today. if i didn't have kids, i'd deal drugs. i'd get more sleep. |
Author: | harry [ Tue Feb 14, 2006 4:53 am ] |
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ayah Wrote: harry Wrote: Several dissed Confederacy of Dunces (ayah? whose cool and removed perspective and critical engagement in this cyber fast food board I most admire). well...if you're going to put it that way. i tried reading it a few times in the mid-80's and just never got hooked. i was reading a bit of the first chapter online and as soon as i finish the book i'm reading now (van gogh blah blah blah) i'll give it another whirl. i'm also wondering if i'm confusing my dislike for this book with walker percy's the moviegoer for some bizarre reason. i. am. so. overworked these days. 12.5 hours again today. if i didn't have kids, i'd deal drugs. i'd get more sleep. I hated The Moviegoer too There is clearly something poisonous happening in american culture... this inherent drive to produce more...some creepy moral reward for working long hours... I work over 60 hours a week and I keep track.. with a slight dash of self pity and a bathetic cry for help And don't start me on american workforce productivity rates, and the huge and widening gap between the top quintile and the bottom... overworking should at least allow the ill-gotten gains be kept by the over-worker Over-workers of the world unite.... |
Author: | posthumus [ Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:26 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: how many of you have read these books? |
Private Parts (stern i presume, read only if you like him, its extremely self indulgent) On The Road Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Naked Lunch (you should add Burroughs' Junkie to this list, it's much more honest and painful) 1984 Animal Farm (i don't care much for his simplistic writing style but his images of society are noteworthy) Slaughterhouse-Five (this is where i would start, along with Breakfast of Champions, Vonegurt is to writing what Bill Hicks is to comedy) A Clockwork Orange (more fun than the movie but the "hip" Russian dialogue can get annoying) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (somehow less fun than the movie but I like it cause it's Kesey) Kesey's Jail Journal (fun) Catch 22 (I like Gravity's Rainbow more, but Catch 22 is somehow more cohessive) The Grapes of Wrath (is this the one about the retard or is this about the faimily during the depression, doesnt' matter, both are good and telling of a societal issue that hasn't gone away... it just changed colors) Brave New World (i enjoyed the pompous writing style more than the actual statements, was written before he found acid I think, makes you wonder) Exquisite Corpse (don't know how this snuck in, it's fun and her overall most outrageous and solid work but not very good considering what else you have to read) Fahrenheit 451 (extremely simplistic style and i'm not a fan of his work, doesn't really flesh out the images as much as you wish it would) Fight Club (fun, there are better) The Acid House Trainspotting (simplistic style and lack of talent don't mix well, the statements are lame and are poorly referenced) Requiem for a Dream (the movie is much more surreal and harrowing) The Catcher in the Rye (powerful) To Kill a Mockingbird (powerful) The Stranger (simplistic writing style and the theme is overdone, unsympethetic if you like it like that, his Plague is much better) Mein Kampf (a good angry book, shows how powerful the yearning for change can be) Being and Nothingness (bloated and purposely convuluted, it's not fiction but more fictitious, you'd have a better chance understanding Einstein, Newton and Freud) Lolita (I absolutely love this book, Pale Fire is better, but Lolita speaks more to the ills of society than it does the art of literature) Deliverance (the movie has more impact) Steal This Book (terrosim as a tool) Less Than Zero The Rules of Attraction American Psycho (American Psycho is his masterpeice, i like the way he speaks to the reader) A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens? really? good luck, I like the non fufilment of Great Expectations more) |
Author: | gauchebag [ Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:49 pm ] |
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Dr. Nguyen Van Falk Wrote: Bad books or extremely overrated in my opinion
1984 I just don't understand this at all. Winston's paranoia until he actually meets Julia? The descriptions of the linguistics of Newspeak? The absolutely crushing ending? This book is not overrated. |
Author: | splates [ Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:22 pm ] |
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coma Wrote: The Stranger
(simplistic writing style and the theme is overdone, unsympethetic if you like it like that, his Plague is much better) Simplicity is precisely why The Stranger is better than The Plague |
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