What is PCF reading? (9 Viewers)

[jbutler]

Bumping a semi-dormant thread to say that I've been rereading American Psycho on the occasion of its 25th anniversary and I've found it as hilarious and entertaining as it was the first and second times I read it (circa 1994 and 2003, respectively).

Rolling Stone recently interviewed Bret Easton Ellis and discussed the novel's legacy and Patrick Bateman's opinions of Donald Trumps evolution from 1990 through the current primary races. That interview and the one they did in 1991 are worth rereading as well if anyone else is a fan of the book (2016 interview here and 1991 interview here).

When it was first published in 1991 I was 11 years old so didn't pay any attention to the literary world even if I did read a lot. My mom turned me onto Bret Easton Ellis in 1994 and I was hooked, but still mostly unaware of any controversy surrounding American Psycho. I just thought it was a funny, violent book that was quite obviously completely satirical. Only years later did I realize people were retarded enough to protest it.

Anyway, if you've never read it - and better yet never seen the movie (which I'd be happy to debate the quality of - I hate it - but take any of that criticism over to the movie thread) - definitely pick it up and give it a shot if the above sounds intriguing. I'm about 80% through it for the third time and it is just about perfect.

 

[Chicken Rob]

I'm reading this this weekend.

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Dee-Penguin-Christopher-Baldwin/dp/0803741081

The artist/author is a friend of mine, and it just came out.

He was also the creator of Bruno, which was the second most popular daily web based comic while it ran.

I have not followed Little Dee like I did Bruno, so can't recommend it yet, but I do recommend Bruno to those who like daily strips and missed it. His early Bruno compilations were stunning hand bound editions that were super cool.

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

http://www.justinbieberfanfiction.com

 

[MatB]

Lately just finished the Name of the Wind and Wise Mans Fears. Decent. wasn't blown away but a good read.

Love me some Dystopian science fiction.... Unwind very good teen lit. has some gems in there.

Cormac Mcarthys Blood Meridian if you want to go dark. I mean daaarrk. In fact, anything by him is good. love his style of writing. The Road is another

Another science fiction trilogy i just finished is Golden Son. Its like Harry potter meets Hunger games. Pretty good read lots of twists. And you never know who's going to get offed!!

Greta trilogy to read is Wool from the silo series. Book 1 was fantastic. i made the mistake on my iPad and skipped accidentally to book 3 but it didn't really matter as Book 2 is set in completely different period and didn't effect reading book 3 first much. (much!)

And lets not forget my all time 2 favorite books:

Watershed Down .. read it 4 times as a kid.Fantastic stuff

and

Enders Game.. really liked the rest of the books int he series but the first was great.

 

[jbutler]

Cormac Mcarthys Blood Meridian if you want to go dark. I mean daaarrk. In fact, anything by him is good. love his style of writing. The Road is another

Greta trilogy to read is Wool from the silo series. Book 1 was fantastic. i made the mistake on my iPad and skipped accidentally to book 3 but it didn't really matter as Book 2 is set in completely different period and didn't effect reading book 3 first much. (much!)

I'll second pretty much anything by Cormac McCarthy and I loved the Wool series as well. The series that followed - Shift - wasn't quite as interesting to me.

 

[MatB]

I'll second pretty much anything by Cormac McCarthy and I loved the Wool series as well. The series that followed - Shift - wasn't quite as interesting to me.

Yes i think i only read half of shift. Read book 1. Jumped to 3. Enjoyed that, then started 2.

 

[ohio3302016]

I'll start with a book I always recommend to anyone who will listen: A Fan's Notes by Frederick Exley.

I read this a few years back when I was overweight, battling depression and drinking way too much. I'm not sure how I'd react to reading it now that I am no longer dealing with any of those things. I suspect I'd still enjoy it because I identify with Exley's sense of humor.

Either way, it's a book I think everyone should read at least once.

Books I have cued up:

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Debt by David Graeber

 

[Potsie1]

Currently reading " A Confederacy of Dunces" second time through. Ignatius J. Reilly is an incredible character. I highly recommend the book. Written by John Kennedy Toole.
From wikipedia:
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel by American novelist John Kennedy Toole which appeared in 1980, eleven years after Toole's suicide. Published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy (who also contributed a foreword) and Toole's mother, the book became first a cult classic, then a mainstream success; it earned Toole a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981, and is now considered a canonical work of modern literature of the Southern United States.[2]

The book's title refers to an epigraph from Jonathan Swift's essay Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting: "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." Its central character, Ignatius J. Reilly, is an educated but slothful 30-year-old man living with his mother in the Uptown neighborhood of early-1960s New Orleans who, in his quest for employment, has various adventures with colorful French Quarter characters.

Hilarious excerpt from Chapter 2. Gives you a good idea of the humor in the book and how outrageous it is.


"Oh, Fortuna, blind, heedless goddess, I am strapped to your wheel," Ignatius belched. "Do not crush me beneath your spokes. Raise me on high, divinity."

"What you mumbling about in there, boy?" his mother asked through the closed door.

"I am praying," Ignatius answered angrily.

"Patrolman Mancuso's coming today to see me about the accident. You better say a little Hail Mary for me, honey."

"Oh, my God," Ignatius muttered.

"I think it's wonderful you praying, babe. I been wondering what you do locked up in there all the time."

"Please go away!" Ignatius screamed. "You're shattering my religious ecstasy."

Bouncing up and down on his side vigorously, Ignatius sensed a belch rising in this throat, but when he expectantly opened his mouth he emitted only a small burp. Still, the bouncing had some physiological effect. Ignatius touched the small erection that was pointing downward into the sheet, held it, and lay still trying to decide what to do. In this position, with the red flannel nightshirt around his chest and his massive stomach sagging into the mattress, he thought somewhat sadly that after eighteen years with his hobby it had become merely a mechanical physical act stripped of the flights of fancy and invention that he had once been able to bring to it. At one time he had almost developed it into an art form, practicing the hobby with the skill and fervor of an artist and philosopher, a scholar and gentleman. There were still hidden in his room several accessories which he had once used, a rubber glove, a piece of fabric from a silk umbrella, a jar of Noxema. Putting them away again after it was all over had eventually grown too depressing.

Ignatius manipulated and concentrated. At last a vision appeared, the familiar figure of the large and devoted collie that had been his pet when he was in high school. "Woof!"

Ignatius almost heard Rex say once again. "Woof! Woof!

Arf!" Rex looked so lifelike. One ear drooped. He panted. The apparition jumped over a fence and chased a stick that somehow landed in the middle of Ignatius's quilt. As the tan and white fur grew closer, Ignatius's eyes dilated, crossed, and closed, and he lay wanly back among his four pillows, hoping that he had some Kleenex in his room.

 

[pltrgyst]

Never liked "Dunces" -- I put it right up there with "Lord of the Flies" and anything by James Joyce in the boredom department. I figured Toole was completely justified in offing himself.

e.e. cummings' "The Enormous Room" rescues the Dunces genre for me, but then,being an adolescent gear-head, I've always worshiped cummings:

she being Brand

-new;and you
know consequently a
little stiff I was
careful of her and (having

thoroughly oiled the universal
joint tested my gas felt of
her radiator made sure her springs were O.

K.)i went right to it flooded-the-carburetor cranked her

up,slipped the
clutch (and then somehow got into reverse she
kicked what
the hell) next
minute i was back in neutral tried and

again slo-wly;bare,ly nudg. ing(my

lev-er Right-
oh and her gears being in
A 1 shape passed
from low through
second-in-to-high like
greasedlightning) just as we turned the corner of Divinity

avenue i touched the accelerator and give

her the juice,good

(it
was the first ride and believe I we was
happy to see how nice and acted right up to
the last minute coming back down by the Public
Gardens I slammed on
the

internalexpanding
&
externalcontracting
breaks Bothatonce and

brought allofher tremB
-ling
to a:dead.

stand-
;Still)

 

[Chicken Rob]

Never liked "Dunces" -- I put it right up there with "Lord of the Flies" and anything by James Joyce in the boredom department. I figured Toole was completely justified in offing himself.

e.e. cummings' "The Enormous Room" rescues the Dunces genre for me, but then,being an adolescent gear-head, I've always worshiped cummings:

she being Brand

-new;and you
know consequently a
little stiff I was
careful of her and (having

thoroughly oiled the universal
joint tested my gas felt of
her radiator made sure her springs were O.

K.)i went right to it flooded-the-carburetor cranked her

up,slipped the
clutch (and then somehow got into reverse she
kicked what
the hell) next
minute i was back in neutral tried and

again slo-wly;bare,ly nudg. ing(my

lev-er Right-
oh and her gears being in
A 1 shape passed
from low through
second-in-to-high like
greasedlightning) just as we turned the corner of Divinity

avenue i touched the accelerator and give

her the juice,good

(it
was the first ride and believe I we was
happy to see how nice and acted right up to
the last minute coming back down by the Public
Gardens I slammed on
the

internalexpanding
&
externalcontracting
breaks Bothatonce and

brought allofher tremB
-ling
to a:dead.

stand-
;Still)

Having heard this poem for the first time as a teen, I have always loved it.

As a high school student, I was floored by:

(and then somehow got into reverse she
kicked what
the hell)

It opened myind that poetry wasn't just stuffy old lame shit.

 

[pltrgyst]

An outstanding automotive writer, rally driver, and English teacher named Satch Carlson (currently the editor of BMW's Roundel) wrote a page-long column in Autoweek at least 20 years ago, about discovering this piece as a teen. He read it aloud in his own high school English class, and was shocked when the teacher advised him frostily to see her after class...

 

[jbutler]

Currently reading The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright, certainly one of my favorite living magazine writers. He also wrote the excellent Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief.

The latter is an easier read, but the Looming Tower is more rewarding and informative at least for me as I do not have a deep understanding of the history of Islamism and jihadism. This book takes it back to the beginning of contemporary Islamic extremism and brings us through the War on Terror.

 

[Chicken Rob]

An outstanding automotive writer, rally driver, and English teacher named Satch Carlson (currently the editor of BMW's Roundel) wrote a page-long column in Autoweek at least 20 years ago, about discovering this piece as a teen. He read it aloud in his own high school English class, and was shocked when the teacher advised him frostily to see her after class...

Is he sure he did this, or did he just see Plain Clothes like the rest of us?

 

[ohio3302016]

Anyone read Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Harari?

I have it cued up.

 

[detroitdad]

About halfway through "Molly Bloom". Easy read and entertaining. Its her story on how she got into running an underground high stakes poker game.

 

[ssanel54]

I started City of Mirrors this weekend - the third book in Justin Cronins Passage Trilogy.

Anyone read it yet? I do hate starting a book after a few years have expired since the previous installment and having to remember the backstory of each character.

 

[jbutler]

I started City of Mirrors this weekend - the third book in Justin Cronins Passage Trilogy.

Anyone read it yet? I do hate starting a book after a few years have expired since the previous installment and having to remember the backstory of each character.

Shit, I didn't even know it was out yet. We'll discuss it this weekend if you're at Berg's, Scott. I'm sure I'll have finished it by then. Definitely going to have to read the wiki for the previous two books to remember wtf is going on, though.

 

[ssanel54]

Shit, I didn't even know it was out yet. We'll discuss it this weekend if you're at Berg's, Scott. I'm sure I'll have finished it by then. Definitely going to have to read the wiki for the previous two books to remember wtf is going on, though.

Im about half way through. There is another time jump, so the main characters from the Twelve are much older, and now we are dealing with 2nd generation. Plus we get backstory from Zero, so trying to remember details from the Passage is tough.

 

[jbutler]

Im about half way through. There is another time jump, so the main characters from the Twelve are much older, and now we are dealing with 2nd generation. Plus we get backstory from Zero, so trying to remember details from the Passage is tough.

I thought The Passage was waaaaaaaaaaaay better than The Twelve, but I'll still finish out the trilogy.

Glad to hear of the time jump, though. I thought the weakest elements of The Twelves were those that seemed to overlap with dystopian YA.

 

[bonesnjnts]

I thought The Passage was waaaaaaaaaaaay better than The Twelve, but I'll still finish out the trilogy.

Glad to hear of the time jump, though. I thought the weakest elements of The Twelves were those that seemed to overlap with dystopian YA.

totally enjoyed the entire trilogy--

 

[links_slayer]

@Leonard , I've been meaning to tell you that my mother-in-law loved your wife's book. We gave it to her for Mother's Day and she just finished it tonight and wanted me to let you know

 

[stocky]

Reading The Fireman by Joe Hill. About 1/3 the way through, slow start but it's picking up pace a bit.

 

[jbutler]

Reading The Fireman by Joe Hill. About 1/3 the way through, slow start but it's picking up pace a bit.

Would be interested in your opinion after you finish. I've heard good things.

 

[stocky]

Would be interested in your opinion after you finish. I've heard good things.

Good book. I think I will need to re-read it again soon to exactly understand the deeper meaning. I really think you'd enjoy it and would love to see what you think.

 

[Ghoti]

Not sure why I'm just now finding this thread...

Going to have to check out Seveneves. I bought Anathem and started it, wasn't really feeling it but would have plodded on anyways as I know it takes some time to get into a new book and especially a new author, but right at that time my pre-ordered copy of The Three Body Problem arrived in the mail and I couldn't put that one off (it was fantastic, BTW).

A few days ago I finished the second part of the Three Body trilogy, The Dark Forest. I really enjoyed it, but thought it was poorly written in comparison to the first. I believe it had a different translator, so that might have something to do with it. It did have some really interesting stuff in it, most of all the axioms of cosmic sociology and their implications. Definitely worth a read, and I will be reading the third part once it gets translated.

Saw Alistair Reynolds mentioned in here. Right before starting Anathem I read House of Suns and that was an awesome book--one of my favorite sci-fi books yet. Before that I read Tuf Voyaging and The Forever War, also both incredible, the former being audacious and hilarious, the latter more poetic and beautiful.

Just started getting into sci-fi though, and can't get enough of it yet. Before that I was reading the classics, some more modern fiction and occasionally nonfiction and Fantasy. A few of my favorites of those:

- East of Eden by Steinbeck
- The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami
- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bryson
- Game of Thrones, of course
- anything Vonnegut

Just started reading A Deepness in the Sky right now. On vacation for the next 3 weeks, so should be able to finish it/comment on it in a week or so.

 

[jbutler]

Good book. I think I will need to re-read it again soon to exactly understand the deeper meaning. I really think you'd enjoy it and would love to see what you think.

Thanks, stocky! It's on my list - hope to get to in the not too distant future.

 

[detroitdad]

From Russia With Love. Best one in the series so far

 

[Ghoti]

Just finished A Deepness in the Sky. It was outstanding. Going to order some more stuff from Vinge right now.

 

[MD Mike]

I haven't read through this entire thread (ironically) but I will say that I am a Sci Fi junkie.

Currently finishing the fifth book in the original Dune series by Frank Herbert, Heretics of Dune. It's my second read through of that series.

Read through five Enders Game books prior to that.

Prior to that was reading a bunch of Asimov (Foundation series, robot series, empire series).

Almost everything I read has sequels and prequels. One book is never enough!

 

[bonesnjnts]

I started City of Mirrors this weekend - the third book in Justin Cronins Passage Trilogy.

Anyone read it yet? I do hate starting a book after a few years have expired since the previous installment and having to remember the backstory of each character.

i liked it--not as much as the first book, but still satisfying