Hec is good like that.
You guys had a riot? On account of me? A real riot?
Jayne ,'Jaynestown'
We're Literary 2: To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Scrappy - Feb 01, 2005 1:02:52 pm PST #6979 of 10002
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
erikaj - Feb 01, 2005 1:19:48 pm PST #6980 of 10002
Always Anti-fascist!
Yeah, wrod.
flea - Feb 01, 2005 1:22:34 pm PST #6981 of 10002
information libertarian
In yes-we-are-sisters-but-I-am-continually-surprised-and-flattered-that-we-share-a-hivemind, I am Nutty WRT Philip Roth. But my experience is limited to Goodbye Columbus and various bits of nasty knowledge about his personal life gleaned from the NYT book review.
Jim - Feb 01, 2005 11:55:37 pm PST #6982 of 10002
Ficht nicht mit Der Raketemensch!
This is prob'ly the place to ask about John Barth - I'm loving The Floating Opera , so where should I go from here.
I'm not a huge David Mitchell fan, tbh - his first 2 books are shameless Murakami knock-offs, and although the concept of Cloud Atlas is great, he doesn't quite have the chops to pull it off; each section is a pastiche of a different form, and they all feel pastichey.
DavidS - Feb 02, 2005 9:09:49 am PST #6983 of 10002
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
This is prob'ly the place to ask about John Barth - I'm loving The Floating Opera , so where should I go from here.
The Floating Opera is one of his earliest, I think. So if you're liking that you might want to march through him chronologically. I think the consensus pick for his best book might be The Sotweed Factor. I haven't read it, but recall my friend reading it in college and loving it - thought it was very funny. I expect Giles Goat Boy is a bit dated anymore. I loved his short stories in Lost In The Funhouse.
From his later books, I think Chimera was well received, as was Tidwater Tales.
Both reflect his ever-deepening fascination with storytelling itself, particularly the myth of Scheherezade.
Letters is very meta, bringing in characters from various of his books. That would probably be better after you'd read more of him.
Here's the John Barth Information Center - which has a thoughtful, brief critical bibliography.
DavidS - Feb 03, 2005 9:05:07 am PST #6984 of 10002
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Connie Neil - Feb 03, 2005 9:13:28 am PST #6985 of 10002
brillig
Having only seen the movie, I was surprised at how readable The Maltese Falcon was. I haven't gotten on the whole noir-lit thing, but it was a fun read.
erikaj - Feb 03, 2005 10:39:09 am PST #6986 of 10002
Always Anti-fascist!
Chandler's better.
Matt the Bruins fan - Feb 03, 2005 10:51:50 am PST #6987 of 10002
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
I thought this crowd might want to make their opinions known in the Locus All-time Fantasy Story Poll.
Nutty - Feb 03, 2005 12:25:09 pm PST #6988 of 10002
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
Thanks for the link, Hec. I too didn't read Hammett till after I'd seen movies made of his work, and like most awkward post-adolescent dummkopfs I was vaguely convinced that because it was "old" it would not be readable. Rather, I find that Hammett's got that great nasty verve you find in 1910s gossip columns and muckraking reporters -- except more cynical.
I think Chandler is glorious, but occasionally talking out of his glorious hindparts; but Hammett writes like a man who has been offered money to do murder (because he is one).