sorry i should have added, some of these i've allready read, including a tale of 2 cities and all but 1 of the b.e ellis books, so yes i've read american psycho, which i thought was pretty funny in a lot of places but squirmy in others, so no i am not a poseur!~
Elvis Fu Wrote:
Patrick Bateman Wrote:
A Million Little Pieces
Are you serious? Stephen King--a former addict--wrote a good opinion piece on this book and why it shouldn't be obvious that it's bullshit.
whether its fact or fiction really is irrelevant to me, from what i've read and heard its a great book
bluejayway Wrote:
Hmm, B.E. Ellis was pretty good around Less Than Zero but decided accomplishment wouldn't get him the press that shock would. Subsequent efforts worth no thinking persons time.
did you try glamorama? its my favorite of his books
Radcliffe Wrote:
Harold's End (I'm thinking this is Howard's End?)
harolds end, by jt leroy, which i'm sure is gonna draw some remarks
cemeterypolka Wrote:
I liked Grapes of Wrath from what I read of it. I don't have that much left.How old is he?
25
Senator Top Cat LooGAR Wrote:
Elvis Fu you are an asshat. Seriously. You should subtitle your post as "an illiterate dolt" or "someone who hates literature as an art form."
I know HST is held in high regard by some here, but I doubt anyone but me or Bloor will uphold F&L in LV as a work of art.
The economy of words and the way that he captures his paranoia in words IS literature. The fact that you liked Sun Also Rises, hate Gatsby, and think this is just something tossed off shows you know nothing of writing.
You get a better appreciation for F&L if you can read and really grasp the other two. Thompson retyped passages of these to get the cadence and wordplay of unadulterated masters down.
Oh yeah, and its FUNNY. I don't mean funny like chuckle, I mean belly laugh, possibly the best piece of comedy produced on paper. Just phrases like "He visibly stiffened" and "Not a Major!" can make me double over in laughter. (Then again, I think Goodfellas is one of the top5 funniest movies I've ever seen.
A lot of these other books are sort of hit and miss, but if you can find an author you like, I would encourage you to read all of there works, you get agreat appreciation for what they may have been doing or trying to do.
The second best book on this list is Electric Kool-Aid. Sort of a companion piece, yet alternative way of "reporting" vis-a-vis "New Journalism." Participatory vs. Fly on the Wall, and they both work in their own ways.
And if you read both of these, you should read Cuckoo's Nest, because it'll give you a better historical perspective on the happenings contained within. AND you will never find a better written evocation of what being on A is like, even though its never mentioned anywhere in the book. IT JUST IS.
Catch 22 is the book that got me to start reading books like Catch-22. Pretty good snapshot of the Army (and war in genera)l as an absurd institution.
Confederacy of Dunces is really funny when it isn't what's his names "journal" entries, which basically distract from the plot, and are pretty much about him jacking off into a glove.
On The Road is good, but I liked Dharma Bums better, and Big Sur best. But you have to read them in that order, over a period of years to really experience them that way. And it helps to be so drunk during the times that you are not reading it that you can't remember if what you are thinking is the plot of the book, a dream or what happened at the bar the night before (yes this happened to me.)
I've read more than this, but the last book I'll comment on is Tale of Two cities, which I wholeheartedly endorse, because Sidney Carton is the manifestation of the loser/drunk with a heart of gold that most of us picture ourseleves as.
But what the fuck do WE know? Grab a few of em, read the first 5 or 6 pages and see if you like teh subject matter and the author's style. If not, toss the bugger aside and grab a Penthouse Forum.
that was a lot of good advice, i'm starting off with on the road which i'm loving, totally exciting and captivating read