Safe As Book

[KENFRM RHYL]

STEPHEN KING - THE SHINING. BLOODY SCARY!

[gillworm]

I've just finished re-reading 'Chasing Che' by Patrick Symme. In 1952 (I think it was), Ernesto Guevara, medical student from Argentina, got on a motorcycle with his friend Alberto Granado and they travelled around South America. Along the way he picked up the nickname 'Che'...Patrick Symme, an American journalist, attempted to make the same journey, using the journals that Ernesto and Alberto wrote about their journey.

It's full of nice details and observations about the people and places he encounters, he's clearly well travelled and good at making connections with strangers. It's also a nice way of putting Guevara's 'Motorcyle Diaries' into context too, Symme gives a more objective view of some of Guevara's romantic embellishments.

Anyway, it's a really good read and of course very moving at the end as he visits Bolivia and the scene of Che's execution. At the time he was writing they were digging madly to try to find his remains and a year later found enough ones, hands severed, to take back to Cuba.

I'd also recommend the 'Motorcycle Diaries' as very readable too. He wasn't a very politicised person at the time, it is generally considered that the journey opened his eyes to the poverty he had not previously experienced.

[John Mc]

"Anyone who doesn't like 'Ob La Di, Ob La Da' is an enemy of pleasure, melody and humanity" - David Quantick.

I think the book about the White Album is very good. Quite a few books about the Beatles that I've read are either overly fawning or a bit dull but this one isn't.

[nathanptm]

Just finished The Complete Short Stories of J G Ballard - eaisly the most impressive 20th century British writer...sentences by turns poetic and prophetic, a haunting vison of a fragmented, paranoid culture unable to separate fantasy from reality and hell bent on destruction. Hmmn, sound familiar...

[che]

i've just read the inlay sleeve to surferosa by the pixies. nobel quality writing.

also so alexander pope, wells (h.g.) + a lttle bit of kerouac, cos i want to be 15 again. or sad. either/or.

[gillworm]

having just offloaded 3 Mishimas via Amazon's wonderful marketplace, I left the post office and headed straight for the Oxfam bookshop and promptly bought 3 more books!!
They are: Douglas Coupland's 'All Families Are Psychotic' (worth it just for the title), Sherman Alexie's short story collection 'Ten Little Indians' and Janet Kaye's 'Trumpet'. I've already started the first book, will report back if anyone's interested.

[John Mc]

I haven't read a novel for ages, I think the last one was Microserfs by Douglas Copeland because my flatmate raved about it. I thought it was OK but it seemed really dated even though it had only been out for a couple of years.

[Tommy BOO]

Someone please suggest something for me to read... Remember that I can't find all those books in the local library (here in Finland), only the most popular ones really, you know.
I've always liked reading a lot and I used to read a lot, but now it's been a couple of months already since I finished "Che" by Jon Lee Anderson. I liked it... a nice biography, it had everything on it: adventure, action, even romance! The end was very touching too - the only time ever I've cried when reading a book.
I don't agree with all his principles, but this book really got me thinking, I liked it!

Please don't suggest me any bullshit where some smart-ass professor talks about the war on Iraq or something like that. Those are just way too boring (not referring to any suggestions above by the way!) I want to read a book with a real plot (fact or fiction, it doesn't really matter), not just some statistics or things like that.

Oh well... Just suggest something. It doesn't really matter what it is... I'll see if I can find it in the library then.
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"Tommy Boo has played a pivotal role in my life. I've looked up to him since I was a kid and he has inspired every note of music I have ever written. The man is a fucking genius" -BC

[Setareh Juventina]

"Doktor Glas", Hjalmar Söderberg, because it's Finland, they might have it at your library, the book was named 7th best Swedish book ever a few years back. Anyway, try it, a really good story, well written and poignant.

Love and Peace
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Man is the only animal clever enough to build The Empire State Building and stupid enough to jump from it.

[Tommy BOO]

[Setareh Juventina]

No, 'normal length', ie 200 something pages. Go for it. L&P
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Man is the only animal clever enough to build The Empire State Building and stupid enough to jump from it.

[Plank]

another vote for 'confederacy of dunces'. i've bought it for six different, disparate people and everyone loves it.

'wind up bird chronicle' by hanufi mukami(?name is wrong, can't remember)- raymond carver writes david lynch. underwater. themes of rebirth and redemption. bob on.

i'm swayze.
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i'll tell you what's wrong with me, i'm looking at your tie you evil little fucker

[John Mc]

After reading the glowing reviews of "Confederacy of Dunces" on here I bought it off Ebay last night. However if its rubbish then I will expect everyone who has recommended it to chip in and refund the money I paid for it (£1.50).

[bravecaptain]

Finished 'You Will Know Our Velocity'. Nearly put it down at one point, it was getting on my nerves for some reason but I'm glad I stuck with it. There are some amazing sequences here and I love the way he reveals things slowly piece by piece (like dylan revealing the narrator to be a female in the third or fourth verse of 'north country blues'). I think that's why I stuck with it.

Funny, graphic and very personal. Maybe too much information, I read too damn fast, I always have to read books again because I miss so much the first time around.

Have started 'Life Of Pi', by Yann Martel loving it so far.



Mx

[John Mc]

The reviews of "..Velocity" were all fairly bad so I didn't bother with it, inspite of having loved AHWOSG. Its out in paperback so I might give it a go.