Good Books Everyone Should Read

[inkling]

My favorite author as of late: Haruki Murakami
Anybody read any of his stuff?? If David Lynch wrote books, I think it’d be somewhat like this. His writing is simple, easy for the average joe to relate to. A mix of mystery, noir, pop culture and sci-fi. Some I definately recommend: Hard-Boiled Underground and The End Of The World, Norwegian Wood, Dance Dance Dance, The Elephant Vanishes, and South Of The Border West Of The Sun. Anyone interested should check out the new Giant Robot magazine: http://www.giantrobot.com It has an interview with this great writer, although I don’t know if it’s posted on the web site. Other books I’ve recently finished:
Amerika by Kafka
Miles Davis autobiography ("A motherfucker!")
Subterraneans by Kerouac

[everyonelovesjaron]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by inkling:
<STRONG>My favorite author as of late: Haruki Murakami
Anybody read any of his stuff?? If David Lynch wrote books, I think it’d be somewhat like this. His writing is simple, easy for the average joe to relate to. A mix of mystery, noir, pop culture and sci-fi. Some I definately recommend: Hard-Boiled Underground and The End Of The World, Norwegian Wood, Dance Dance Dance, The Elephant Vanishes, and South Of The Border West Of The Sun. Anyone interested should check out the new Giant Robot magazine: http://www.giantrobot.com It has an interview with this great writer, although I don’t know if it’s posted on the web site. Other books I’ve recently finished:
Amerika by Kafka
Miles Davis autobiography ("A motherfucker!")
Subterraneans by Kerouac</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I’ve read Norweigan Wood. Pretty good. Amerika by Kafka was very good as well. The particular work of Kerouac you listed I don’t particuarly care for.

[SG]

I never read that Miles Davis book but I heard it`s quite good.Alot of swearing I heard,Miles was one of the 20th century greatest musicians,did`nt care what people thought of him,even if you did`nt like him as a person in music he was one of the coolest.
Today is a signifigant day in jazz,the anniversary of Billie Holliday`s death in 1959 and John Coltrane`s death in 1967.

[Surrealist Girl]

recently i just got through reading a let down of a book. it was by Neil Gaiman called …stardust. i expected more out of the creator of the Sandman (my fav comic). He did such a good job co-writing with Terry Pratchett in Good Omens. (Anyone who likes Douglas Adams will like Pratchett). Anyway just thought i would share. [img]images/smiles/converted/spacecraft.gif[/img]

[dimpfelmoser]

If you enjoyed Terry Pratchet and Douglas Adams you have to read Red Dwarf by Grant Naylor. it´s basically the same style as Douglas Adams, but they manage to get a plot in as well. I guess it´s a bit more like Monty Python, but yeah, just about the funniest book I ever read.
gruss
d

[everyonelovesjaron]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dimpfelmoser:
<STRONG>If you enjoyed Terry Pratchet and Douglas Adams you have to read Red Dwarf by Grant Naylor. it´s basically the same style as Douglas Adams, but they manage to get a plot in as well. I guess it´s a bit more like Monty Python, but yeah, just about the funniest book I ever read.
gruss
d</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Speaking of funny books that remind ones of Monty Python, I read this book called "Official Script of Monty Python’s Quest For The Holy Grail." Dude, it SOOOOO reminded me of the film. It cost me like $42 on ebay but I guess it’s not that rare because it had "3rd version" handwritten on it. I guess if it got to 3 printings, theres got to be a lot of them around.

But anyway, I think they stole some of it from the movie, because it’s just too unlikely that both the author and the filmmaker came up with the thoughts of a shrubbery as a bargaining tool independantly. [img]images/smiles/converted/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Disregard this post.]

[AGAP]

Hey ELJ,

Breaking 500 posts, not bad…looks like I will need to increase my daily posts to keep 2nd place…the race is on [img]images/smiles/converted/biggrin.gif[/img] Just kidding, just wanted to give you some congrats on the big breakthru.

Allison [img]images/smiles/converted/wink.gif[/img]

[Jebus]

Heh….i’m not real sure what to say about this….i’m going to order it and find out if it should be on the list. Heh.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089804801X/qid%3D995776129/sr%3D1-1/ref%3Dsc%5Fb%5F1/102-7417566-7891303

[bob]

I read Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut and it blew me away now I can’t really read anything else except Kerouac and books about indie rock.

[rosa]

I am such a softie when it comes to books I loved as a child– still love:

-Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
-ANYthing by Maurice Sendak…especially In the Night Kitchen & Higgledy Piggledy Pop
-Ronia the Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren
-Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Michael something-or-other

Went through the beat phase in high school; enjoyed On the Road but didn’t care for Kerouac’s poetry. Burroughs was good but a little obtuse for me at 15 or so. Enjoyed Ferlinghetti; thought him to be a little dark at the time, but now I can see bits of humor in his style as well.

Current favorites include:

-When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost, by Joan Morgan….very upfront, ebonic-abundant assessment of the state of black feminism in the U.S.

-Good Faeries/Bad Faeries, by Brian Froud….he designed most of the concepts for Henson movies like Labyrinth & the Dark Crystal….amazing artwork

-Sacred Hoops, by Phil Jackson…autobiography detailing the way he incorporates Zen Buddhism, Native American spirituality, and Christianity in both his personal life and the game of basketball…coached Jordan & the Bulls; now coaches L.A. Lakers

-Notes of a Dirty Old Man, by Charles Bukowski….perfect when you need a chuckle or you can’t sleep at night

…..and speaking of which, it is almost my bedtime

‘night
Rosa

p.s. add me to the list of Vonnegut fans, but cross me off the Dostoevsky

<FONT>[ September 19, 2001 03:24 AM: Message mutated 1 time, lastly by rosa ]</font>

[Thought Police]

Hi everyone !

I really enjoy reading and think I can contribute something here:

Since William S. Burroughs is the best writer of all times I think I can recommend every book he has ver written (probably you should start out with Junkie, then read a biography and then move on to his more advanced novels: Naked Lunch, The Nova Triology, Western Lands, Book Of Dreams,……)

Other good stuff:
– Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho, Glamorama, Informers,…)
– Michelle Houellebecq (I know his books are translated into Englich but don’t know the titles – highly recommended, as well)
– Kafka (like mentioned before)
– Elias Canetti
– Thomas Bernhard
– Thomas Pynchon
– Robert Anton Wilson / Robert Shea (Illuminatus-Triology – paranoia, woohoo)
– Aldous Huxley (e.g. "Doors Of Perception")
– Jeff Noon (cool SF – e.g. "Vurt")
– Daniel Schacter "We are memory" (very well written book about memory – Author is a cognitive psychologist)

So that’s it from me, there were some other good books on your lists, so I won’t post stuff like Salinger, Adams, Orwell, Burgess again.
Well actually I kind of posted it again, d’oh.

Bye,
Stefan

[bob]

Yeah, I forgot about Mrs. Frisby and the rats of nimh. Great book. by C. RObert something or other

[malcom]

Vonegut, Otoole, Pratchett, hmm. . . most of it has been said by now. . . but here’s a few that’ve been missed:

Everything ever written by Jonathan LEthem, especially "Amnesia Moon", and "Guns: With Occasional Music."

Douglas Adams’s "Last Chance to See" as much as I loved the Hitchhikers Guide books (except "Mostly Harmless") I found this book to be a real gem. (BTW, I always sleep with a copy of the guide next to my bed
[img]images/smiles/converted/smile.gif[/img] )

Bill Bryson’s various travelouges- THis man has a pretty unique vision, I especially recommend "The Lost Continent" where he journeys across the United States looking for the perfect small town. Also Check out his books on the English langauge- it’s pretty funny stuff.

[everyonelovesjaron]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Another Girl Another Planet:
<STRONG>Hey ELJ,

Breaking 500 posts, not bad…looks like I will need to increase my daily posts to keep 2nd place…the race is on [img]images/smiles/converted/biggrin.gif[/img] Just kidding, just wanted to give you some congrats on the big breakthru.

Allison [img]images/smiles/converted/wink.gif[/img]</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks, like 3 months to late. Sorry, I never saw this… heh..

[jeremiah]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jaron:
<STRONG>

Thanks, like 3 months to late. Sorry, I never saw this… heh..</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

well then… congrats on breaking 1k to you and Allison! (late too) [img]images/smiles/converted/smile.gif[/img]

[Author]

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