Spiritualized

I thought I’d start a thread to find out what sort of books we all like reading, and talk about them a bit. Who knows, some of us might be reading (or have recently read) the same books, and we could discuss what we thought of them. Or maybe not…

I’ll go first…

I’ve just finished the Complete Short Stories by Saki. They are very mixed, as you might expect, being a collection of collections. The predominant type of story consists of a sketch (more than a story, as such) satirising upper class life at the beginning of the 20th Century, and contains comedy which is half way between Wilde (which personally I find a little too arch), and Wodehouse. There is a magical element to the realism though – including one memorable story where a cat is taught to speak. All in all, there is too much in this book to allow proper digestion – all I know for certain is I enjoyed it, and will be re-reading it in the future.

I am reading Will Self’s latest, the Book of Dave. This book contains two stories, each one told in a non-linear time scale. One is the biography of a London Taxi driver (the eponymous Dave) in the late 20th Century, and the other is an account of a society living on the drowned remnants of England in the distant future – and living their lives in accordance with a religion based on a discovered text – the bitter, misogynist rantings of Dave (which we learn, he had committed to <a style='text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;' href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp ... l%20plates" onmouseover="window.status='metal plates'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">metal plates</a> for burial in the garden of his ex-wife in Hampstead – a contrivance too far, for me…). The story reveals the dire bleakness of living in a godless world (London 2000) where people are treated like shit and are expected to be grateful. The other half of the book seems to be depicting a world where fundamentalist priests control everything, but a renaissance enlightenment (or heresy) seems to be dawning. Like Clockwork Orange, there is a new language to learn – the characters from the future speak in a phonetic language of glottal stops, and strange (yet familiar) words. I haven’t quite finished it yet.

I am also reading Revolution in the Head – about the Beatles – and I recommend it highly.

When I finish the Book of Dave, I have Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard on the shelf, lined up. I loved the film, and liked Cocaine Nights (same author), so I’m looking forward to it.

Word, yes.

Squeaky, eh? I read a Manson biography once... I don't generally like the 'true crime' aisle. It's creepy, people.

I am currently slowly reading through Cyclecraft by John Franklin, in a vague attempt to be safer while cycling to work. Its a little dry, so taking me a while to get though it.

Peviously I read I'm not scared by Niccolo Ammaniti. A great little tale about a kid who finds a kidnapped boy stuck down a hole.

My question to you Will is at what points in the day do you read? There's never seems to be an obvious gap in the day to pick up a book, which is why it takes me weeks to get through anything I do read. I guess this is a feature of having a small child.

I read before going to sleep in the evening, or when there's nothing on the telly... I haven't got a child (small or otherwise) though. It takes me a few weeks to read an average length novel.

i recently read 'book of longing' which is a new collection of leonard cohen's poetry and i'd strongly recomend it if you enjoy his music. before that i read johnny cash's autobiography which gave great depth and insight into the life of one of music's all time great characters.

ps this this a good idea, spread the wealth people!

I just finished reading Là-bas by J.K. Huysmans which was quite good, but I didn't like it as much as À rebours, the other novel of his that I've read. Now I'm re-reading - shock horror - Erik Morse's Spacemen book.
I have to say I can't stand Will Self's fiction, although I enjoy his journalism. He's much too fussy for fiction. Not to mention silly; Cock & Bull was just a 200 page smirk.

baz (mark II) wrote:

will this do? wrote:I don't generally like the 'true crime' aisle.

I don't see Lynette as a criminal. Her incarceration was almost wholly for want of a better way of 'dealing' with her, imo.
Either way, she's always been the one who intrigued me most out of that cast of Manson hangers-on.

My favourite (apart from former Love guitarist Bobby Beausoleil for his rock n roll cred) is Ouisch, aka Ruth Ann Moorehouse, basically because I fancy her, but also for trying to kill Linda Kasabian [edit, I mean Barbara Hoyt] with a burger laced with 10 hits of LSD in Hawaii.

I don't see Lynette as a criminal. Her incarceration was almost wholly for want of a better way of 'dealing' with her, imo.

But then Manson himself, in the eyes of the law at the time, really hadn't done much to get convicted. Also the supremely bad police work was on his side as well. It was only his desire for notoriety, badly planned stunts in court and lack of self-preservation that got him sent down. If he had played his cards right, he could have got off with a minor conspiracy charge at the most and the girls would have got most of the blame and jail time.

Mmm . . . good thread

God Makes the Rivers to Flow: Selections from the Sacred Literature of the World - chosen by Eknarth Easwaran

The Cannabible - Jason King (incredible pics of the best bud he found traveling the world)

Pleiadian Perspectives on Human Evolution - Amorah Quan Yin

Cows by Matthew Stokoe - wish I had NEVER opened it in the first place - the most wretched, stomach turning filth. EVER! I will never be the same. The worst part is I kept turing the page. I am horrid. I had to bathe after each chapter. filthfilthfilth. each word felt like I was hit me in the stomach by a freight train. I called my mother to tell her I loved her after it was over. I felt like burning it so no one would know what I had read.

will this do? wrote:
I am reading Will Self’s latest, the Book of Dave.

When I finish the Book of Dave, I have Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard on the shelf, lined up. I loved the film, and liked Cocaine Nights (same author), so I’m looking forward to it.

I will be starting on the Book of Dave soon.
WTD, I read cocaine nights a while back and for me It didnt live up to the plaudits. I reckon It could have been boiled down into a short story. I dunno. It just didnt hit the spot for me.

If like me your just curious I will be purchasing 'Towers of Deception' about 9/11

I usually have a couple of books on the go at once.

The new Irvine Welsh one - 'Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs' - was finished in four nights. If you like Welsh I think it's one of his best - if you don't...well, there is always Dan Brown.
But seriously funny/twisted novel - a lot of laugh-out-loud scenes for sure! It's ...barry.

After having the book for years I finally started - and finished - 'The Tesseract' by Alex Garland. I enjoyed it although I got the impression it had been edited a bit...but enjoyment is the thing! Stylish.

Paul Auster - 'In the Country Of The Last Things' - probably the most downbeat novel of his i've read - and that's really saying something! I don't think its up to his better ones - 'Leviathan', 'Book of Illusions' - but an interesting, if apocalyptic story.

I've just started 'The Plot Against America' by Philip Roth - and so far its excellent. You know when you anticipate the next page you are onto something good.

Also - 'Bad Spirits - The Life Of Oliver Reed'. Just for the transcripts of some of the later TV appearances...

And I tried to start '1982 - Janine' by Alisdair Gray again but have got no further than the 4th chapter. I need to focus for this one. Foreword by none other than... Will Self.

And personally I think Will is an evil genius!

purespace wrote:
Cows by Matthew Stokoe - wish I had NEVER opened it in the first place - the most wretched, stomach turning filth. EVER! I will never be the same. The worst part is I kept turing the page. I am horrid. I had to bathe after each chapter. filthfilthfilth. each word felt like I was hit me in the stomach by a freight train. I called my mother to tell her I loved her after it was over. I felt like burning it so no one would know what I had read.

It's a repulsive yet curiously powerful book. His next novel 'High Life' is a mile better. It's a rip roaring thriller set in the States. It has several really horrific scenes - I'm talking shit that makes American Psycho seem like a kids book - but the story is really compelling and it's one of the best books I have ever read. I think he's a superb writer. Seems to be a very nice fellow too - I wish he'd get another book sorted.

Just read 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' by Mark Haddon which was completely original and gave me an insight. My eldest daughter is autistic (but way milder than Christopher, the book's narrator/author) and I saw a great many similarities between some of her character and that of the autistic child in the book.

Also read 'The Saga of Hawkwind' - its was interesting but not well written at all. This lot had rows that put Pete and Jason in the shade.

Last mention goes to any 'Spencer' novel by Robert B. Parker. Great detective thrillers with the main man having a direct approach. 'I'm here to investigate a murder - do you know who did it?' Every one I've read is excellent.

That'll do.

GRRRRRRRRR how on earth did i not find out about the irvine welsh book. that'll be the first stop on the way home.

as for what i'm reading-


sex drugs and cocoa puffs - by chuck klosterman (i think) it's basically social commentary for generation x'ers. a friend insisted i read it. it's rather blah so far. i wouldn't really recommend it.


a happy death - albert camus- this one i'm not nearly enjoying as much as i should, but we'll see, he's one of my favourite writers, but this one isn't grabbing me just yet. fantastic hard back though.

ohh ohh and 'wild years' the tom waits biography. just becuase that's good to re-read every few years.

BzaInSpace wrote: And I tried to start '1982 - Janine' by Alisdair Gray again but have got no further than the 4th chapter. I need to focus for this one. Foreword by none other than... Will Self.

And personally I think Will is an evil genius!

Will Self is the king of forwards. See Burroughs etc. He has good taste. Alasdair Gray is one of my favourite modern writers. Poor Things and the "Aiblins" story in The Ends of Our Tethers are two I really love.

a beautiful noise wrote:ohh ohh and 'wild years' the tom waits biography. just becuase that's good to re-read every few years.

(De Niro voice) Are you talking to me?

I have a copy of that new Welsh book on my office desk - wasn't planning on reading it, but after the recommendation I might just give it a try.

Recently finished (in one night, mostly at the pub!) the Vintage Blue reissue of Martin Amis' The Rachel Papers, which would've reminded me what it was like to be a teenage boy in 70s England, if I'd been a teenage boy in 70s England. Still, very good read.

Music bios are always good value - the aforementioned Morse book (I'm sure everyone here has already read it), The Songs That Saved Your Life by Simon Goddard (definitely go for the revised edition with the Johnny Marr interviews), and Pulp: Truth and Beauty by Mark Sturdy.

Also a big heads-up on a UK local who I met out here last year, Stewart Home. Read most of his books earlier on this year, and they're... interesting to say the least.

So I take it everyone has been reading trashy rock and roll bios lately, myself included. John Coltrane: His Life and Music by some prof at Rutgers. Arid, spotty, overly technical, but not bad. (Much better on his early life, curiously - he only starts playing professionally about a hundred pages in.)

Aside from that I've spent whatever free reading time I've had these last few months on ancient Mesopotamian literature - Gilgamesh &c. Which might just be the greatest poetry ever written.

twentysixdollars wrote:So I take it everyone has been reading trashy rock and roll bios lately...

*looks up thread*

Well, no... we've been reading modern English novels... mainly...

BzaInSpace wrote:After having the book for years I finally started - and finished - 'The Tesseract' by Alex Garland. I enjoyed it although I got the impression it had been edited a bit...but enjoyment is the thing! Stylish.

I enjoyed the Tesseract, but it was no way as gripping as the Beach. My memory of the beach is somewhat tainted by the god awful film, but i remember being one of those books you couldn't put down. Great at summing up the atmosphere of bangkok as well. (speaking of Thailand - another coup! Very Odd, although it apparently it is the normal way of chaing government there).

runcible wrote: Just read 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' by Mark Haddon which was completely original and gave me an insight. My eldest daughter is autistic (but way milder than Christopher, the book's narrator/author) and I saw a great many similarities between some of her character and that of the autistic child in the book.

I really enjoyed that book. Would recommend it, thought the author did very well in writing from a completely different perspective.


Another one I read recently is Poppy Shakespear by Clare Allen, about someone who gets duped into being a patient in a mental hospital. Catch 22 vs One flew over the Cookoos nest. Very good read, but the really sad ending stuck with me for a while.

Margrave of The Marshes - John Peel's autobiography.

First part written by Peel himself and very funny. Second part written by his wife following his death. Funny and sad in equal measure.

Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs - Irvine Welsh

Not started it yet and was a little unsure whether it would be any good. But following the previous posts I'm going to start it tonight.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

Bought this purely to get a mail order to qualify for free postage (I think the book was reduced to £2.00). Loved it! Really well written and eye opening.

Naked Lunch - William Burroughs

Still trying to get to the end of this after about 15 attempts in as many years.

Ulysees - James Joyce
I really do intend to start this one day........

[/b]

This is a subject close to my heart, being a librarian and all
Music to my eyes that many here are so bookish - I do like a well-read man. I tend to favour a mixture of contemporary and classic fiction but also read alot of children's books for work. That said, I don't get nearly enough time to indulge in such luxuries - can't do so on the bus as I get travel sick, (very poorly a few months ago after being glued to the Time Traveler's Wife during my journey - go figure!)
Currently re-reading Lord of the Flies and am on the edge of my seat having just got my mitts on A Spot of Bother by the fantastic Mark Haddon - am hoping it will impress me as much as Curious Incident...

ah. you are a librarian, who likes spz? Consider me an addition to your fan club.

I don't know why I find the idea of librarians sexy, but I do. Maybe its all that silence, and the prospect on pent up sexual tension that goes with it. Sorry. I am lowering the tone of this thread.

I went to the Great British library in Kings Cross a little while ago when I had some time to kill. Great place. Really loved it. I remember thinking i wished I worked there at the time.

clewsr wrote:I went to the Great British library in Kings Cross a little while ago when I had some time to kill. Great place. Really loved it. I remember thinking i wished I worked there at the time.

It is a great building - although I haven't been right to the back (as it were)... so I don't know how the reading rooms compare to the old British Museum Library in terms of 'SPACE'... (so really, I mean it's got a nice foyer, gift shop and seminar room).

I'm still not sure about the massive courtyard at the front, either - with our climate I think that's one of those things Modernist Architects convinced themselves was a good idea via the magic of drawing). That building was so long in the planning/construction - it should really be considered a piece of 60s architecture, like a brick verison of the South Bank Centre - contrasting with later waves of Post Modern, High-Tech and 'Lottery Moderne' which came in the 70s 80s and 90s.

will this do? wrote: I'm still not sure about the massive courtyard at the front, either - with our climate I think that's one of those things Modernist Architects convinced themselves was a good idea via the magic of drawing).

Its a good point - if we had a warmer climate then people might use the space as it was originally intended - a space to socially comunicate through the written word. I think it's also a shame it hasn't been adopted by any of the current urban rituals or groups - skateboarders, social groups, freerunners, artists, etc. I think the council is partly to blame though, people just haven't been encouraged to use the space.

will this do? wrote: That building was so long in the planning/construction - it should really be considered a piece of 60s architecture, like a brick verison of the South Bank Centre - contrasting with later waves of Post Modern, High-Tech and 'Lottery Moderne' which came in the 70s 80s and 90s.

It was a stunning piece of design, but in my opinion, it just hasn't aged well. Perhaps its the mass useage of brick or the (as you rightly say) parallels with the SBC - I'm just not sure, its something i can't put my finger on. That said, as usable architecture goes it is very successful. Its a wonderful space to be in and to work in. But I guess that depends on your point of view and how you define the term 'architecture'. It's also worth a comparison between the British Library and the much publicised (but never to be built) plans for Birmingham's new library by Rogers. Total contrast - visually, aesthetically, materiallity, architecturally - yet the space itself somehow manages to produce the same psychological feeling.

Er, but yeah, back to the subject...

The Fall by Albert Camus. Genius.

You know a lot about architecture... are you in 'the game'?

If you view Architcture as a balancing act between 'space' and 'object', I think the philosophy behind the design of the British Library placed the emphasis squarely on the former, with very little consideration of the latter (beyond the palette of materials).

This is especially evident from the rear. Supermarket delivery yard.

Actually, this chimes with the old British Library, which effectively didn't have any elevations - it was built in a courtyard, and all the residual spaces were filled in with storage stacks.

The front courtyard at Euston Road is walled - presumably it is locked when it's closed. I'm not in favour of spaces like this at all, really - you say 'skateboarders, free runners' etc... the little swines would just spend their time writing on everything (cf South Bank Centre) or mugging people (I know... but there's always one who ruins it for everyone).

Another building which is also ALL ABOUT space, and nothing to do with object is the Soane Museum.

baz (mark II) wrote:

Superstar wrote:...being a librarian and all

Awww, cute!

Lord Of The Flies makes me saaaaad. Good book.

Especially the bit where they think Gandalf is dead and they're all sad, and then he's not and they're all happy.

will this do? wrote:Especially the bit where they think Gandalf is dead and they're all sad, and then he's not and they're all happy.

You're getting your Lord of the Flies, Lord of the Rings and (quite possibly) Lord of the Dance mixed up matey

Right so... Lord of the Flies is the one where the guy invents a teleport machine, but an insect gets in one of them and he goes all hairy and super strong. No?

My school did lord of the flies one year. My friend had one line and it was amazing. He had to say, nearly apropo of nothing, "Why?! Why is there a beast?!"

clewsr wrote:ah. you are a librarian, who likes spz? Consider me an addition to your fan club

It's your lucky day, matey - have decided that members of my fan club can have a guided tour of the library any time they like. May even throw in one or two stern looks too

The British Library is fab. Am regular attendee at the Josephine Hart poetry hour which I can highly recommend.

http://www.josephinehart.com/jhpoetry/index.html

dream boogie, by peter guralnick: his sam cooke book (cookbook ha-ha-ha), it's terrific. it paints a lovely picture of the gospel scene of the fourties and fifties, and is probably the most comprehensive record of anything that's ever been written ever ever. it's not uncommon to read sentences that start by detailing the interest rate of the currency or the time at which a building that sam once visited was built. recommended, though.

Paul Auster - 'In the Country Of The Last Things' - probably the most downbeat novel of his i've read - and that's really saying something! I don't think its up to his better ones - 'Leviathan', 'Book of Illusions' - but an interesting, if apocalyptic story.

i'm just about to finish leviathan, having picked it up on a whim from the library, i'm enjoying it a lot. reading paul auster is like watching billy wilder films, it reminds me what a real novel, or a real film is like. good stuff anyway.

on the road with dylan, by larry ratso sloman. which is kind of page turning enough. it's written as a beat novel. you get to hear people like dylan speak, which i guess is the important bit.

some recent favourites include the last joan didion book, the year of magical thinking, and those two malcolm gladwell books.

will this do? wrote:You know a lot about architecture... are you in 'the game'?

yep. Sell my soul daily. I'm an architect. And its either the greatest thing in the world or the most soul destroying thing in the world. Not made my mind up yet.

will this do? wrote:If you view Architcture as a balancing act between 'space' and 'object', I think the philosophy behind the design of the British Library placed the emphasis squarely on the former, with very little consideration of the latter (beyond the palette of materials).

Oh, good call. But if Architecture is a balancing act, and as you rightly say, with the Library emphasising the object, it surely can't be good architecture. As i mentioned, it comes back to the old question which is thrashed into architectural students - what is the definition of architecture?! But where is the balance in the museum? Aesthetically I agree, it is the object. Total disregard for the space externally. Internally I think it works. Perhaps a bit too confusing in parts, but the signage has to be held responsible for that too.

will this do? wrote:Actually, this chimes with the old British Library, which effectively didn't have any elevations - it was built in a courtyard, and all the residual spaces were filled in with storage stacks.

In essence, thats what the majority of the British Library is though. Climate controlled storage facilities which are largely open to the general public. Perhaps thats the problem for me. There is no relation whatsoever between the inside activity and the actual architecture. Looking at the Library's elevations - what is it? Office? Supermarket? Cinema? MI5?! I mean, it isn't hard to compare the Library with many of Wright's houses! Surely that cna't be right, no matter how much you love Wright's work? I just need the useage and user to influence the architecture more than what it does here.

will this do? wrote:The front courtyard at Euston Road is walled - presumably it is locked when it's closed. I'm not in favour of spaces like this at all, really - you say 'skateboarders, free runners' etc... the little swines would just spend their time writing on everything (cf South Bank Centre) or mugging people (I know... but there's always one who ruins it for everyone).

I guess what I meant was any space - no matter how small or large or where it is tends to be used by someone for something. Whether that usage is what it was intended for or not. This isn't - as far as I see whenever I've been around. Apart from people walking across and school kids standing around whilst the teacher does a 'head-count'. Man, you can do that on the pavement! Such a waste of space.

will this do? wrote:Another building which is also ALL ABOUT space, and nothing to do with object is the Soane Museum.

Never seen it in the flesh. Keep meaning to go on a road trip, just as soon as i get my next wage. The list is endless really. I guess thats why there are so few architects at the top of their game.

clewsr wrote:ah. you are a librarian, who likes spz? Consider me an addition to your fan club.

I don't know why I find the idea of librarians sexy, but I do. Maybe its all that silence, and the prospect on pent up sexual tension that goes with it. Sorry. I am lowering the tone of this thread.

I went to the Great British library in Kings Cross a little while ago when I had some time to kill. Great place. Really loved it. I remember thinking i wished I worked there at the time.

Sorry Clewsr, but fuckin hell.......hahaha

by the way i'm reading 'understand power' by chomsky. I have a brown pair of shoes and a black pair of shoes, I like cats but don't have one and my preference is girl on top with a hat on (bowler or steston)

will this do? wrote:Lord of the Flies is the one where the guy invents a teleport machine, but an insect gets in one of them and he goes all hairy and super strong. No?

Hmmm. Sounds like someone has been overdosing on Jeff Goldblum films

mark wrote:I have a brown pair of shoes and a black pair of shoes, I like cats but don't have one and my preference is girl on top with a hat on (bowler or steston)

Am thrown by the change of topic but I appreciate the trivia

[quote="BzaInSpace"]I usually have a couple of books on the go at once.

b]barry[/b].

quote]


slut!

rameses wrote:[

Ulysees - James Joyce
I really do intend to start this one day........

[/b]

i read a third of it but ran out of time, too many other books to read. war and peace, mind you that was a really good book

anorthernsoul wrote:
i'm just about to finish leviathan, having picked it up on a whim from the library, i'm enjoying it a lot. reading paul auster is like watching billy wilder films, it reminds me what a real novel, or a real film is like. good stuff anyway.

on the road with dylan, by larry ratso sloman. which is kind of page turning enough. it's written as a beat novel. you get to hear people like dylan speak, which i guess is the important bit.

.

do you like jack kerouac?

i read somewhere (haha) on the thread about the sam cook novel (had to stay away form that).

anyways, is that the recent one that came out?? i really wanted to get that, i happened to walk into a bookstore in san francisco and they were having a reading of it with bits of his music playing in between chapters. it sounds great if it's the same one.

thanks

m
e

Superstar wrote:

mark wrote:I have a brown pair of shoes and a black pair of shoes, I like cats but don't have one and my preference is girl on top with a hat on (bowler or steston)

Am thrown by the change of topic but I appreciate the trivia

Unlucky Mark, doesn't look like you've got the flirting down to the fine art that Baz & Will obviously have. I'm not even going to try, having taken the piss out of them constantly recently. Have to agree with Clewsr on the librarian fetish though!

As for books, recently finished Capote (didn't get round to seeing the film) and am currently reading "Carter Beats The Devil" by Glen David Gold. Got it for my birthday and its very good, though I am one of those people who take forever to read a book, just a few pages before bed for me.

Ads wrote:Have to agree with Clewsr on the librarian fetish

Why thank you Ads - I am rather fond of a man in a hard hat

the film of capote was great, just in case you still fancy seeing it.

the only kerouac i've read is on the road, which i did like. somewhat grudgingly, because i found it pretty laborious but absolutely loved the last chapter or two, and then i felt as if i'd read a book i hadn't enjoyed, but then been tricked into loving it by the last page (particularly the last page). i started reading a two-in-one of his novels a while ago, maybe 'the subterraneans'?, and something called j or k or s or something.

and the sam cooke book's really beautiful. i'd always kind of dismissed the forties as a pretty drab era for music, at least compared to the twenties and thirties, but what i've read of it so far has been pretty illuminating as regards the jazz and gospel that happened in the forties.

by the way-
thanks to whoever mentioned his paul auster tips. i finished leviathan yesterday and, on your recommendation, went and picked up the book of illusions from the library, which i'm half way through and enjoying ... what's next?

Ads , don't you start too man.....

Going to my morning jacket tmrw in london, lets hope its on

anorthernsoul wrote:
by the way-
thanks to whoever mentioned his paul auster tips. i finished leviathan yesterday and, on your recommendation, went and picked up the book of illusions from the library, which i'm half way through and enjoying ... what's next?

You must read 'The New York Trilogy' if you have not already. A real headfuck of a novel, but it'll take you somewhere else.

Book of Illusions is great! I think that may be his best so far.

Coincidentally he has a new one out 'The Brooklyn Follies' which i just got on knockdown paperback and the first 20 pages...well, you get right into it - I missed my stop on the bus!

'Mr Vertigo' isn't bad either - its just a bit different - 'Timbuktu' is pretty entertaining too - from the perspective of a dog[!] *

And a really different one is the book he edited 'True Tales Of American Life' - Auster-esque coincidences sent in by the US public - its not a novel, more like a series of short stories but there is some real heartbreaking tales there, as well as some spine-chilling stuff too. I really rate that...

* sorry its late ~ those descriptions are hardly gonna have you running to the bookshop
I'll try again...later

ha ha, no, they're great, thanks for that ...
i've read the new york trilogy and have the most scattered memory of what happened in it, so perhaps i can give it another go. it knocked me out when i read it, anyway ... i enjoyed book of illusions, too. he's quite courageous in sticking with similar slightly reluctant narrators. i'll investigate the brooklyn follies, next, i think, that and timbuktu might come to me through the library.
mr vertigo was quite enjoyable, yeh. and, true tales of american life was really wonderful. it's like the ultimate bathroom book.

Superstar wrote:Why thank you Ads - I am rather fond of a man in a hard hat

Blimey! Now I can see how Will and Baz fell for her! Library tour tomorrow then?

Ads wrote:Library tour tomorrow then?

Certainly. If you play your cards right, I may even show you the costume room

The costume room!!!! Sounds fantastic. Lucky for you I'm off work this week. Checking train times now. Don't worry, will bring my hard-hat & tool belt if that really is your thing!





(apologies now for everyone else on the board for this sorry attempt at flirting, but feel I need to do it in Baz's absence!!)

Ads wrote:apologies for this sorry attempt at flirting but feel I need to do it in Baz's absence!!

Well there will only ever be one Baz - his boyish charm and winning love sonnets will stay with me always. Still, there is no time like the present to recruit new members to my special circle

The Baz is dead....long live the Ads!!!!!

Right....what happens now. Do I have to chin Willthisdo? or something?!

Superstar wrote:

Ads wrote:apologies for this sorry attempt at flirting but feel I need to do it in Baz's absence!!

Well there will only ever be one Baz - his boyish charm and winning love sonnets will stay with me always. Still, there is no time like the present to recruit new members to my special circle

alright alright count me in, i've thought about and they're right, theres just something about librarians. i give up/in.


do i have to dob some silly dance now? i mean i will.

ABN stepping into Baz's shoes? Now that really would be rubbing salt into the wound!

Ads wrote:ABN stepping into Baz's shoes? Now that really would be rubbing salt into the wound!

HA! why i'd never, the lady made a request, i merely used my dashing good looks and perfect timing to (hopefully) slide right into her heart and make her forgot about those silly poems.

a beautiful noise wrote:HA! why i'd never, the lady made a request, i merely used my dashing good looks and perfect timing to (hopefully) slide right into her heart and make her forgot about those silly poems.

Oh the cheek of the man, has he no moral code?!

none when i'm vying for the heart of a (hopefully) young librarian!

mark wrote:Ads , don't you start too man.....

Going to my morning jacket tmrw in london, lets hope its on

What were My Morning Jacket like Mark? Off to see Peter, Bjorn and John in Brighton on Weds plus got tickets for Mojave 3 at the Pressure Point at the start of November. You going to either of those? Oh and I nearly forgot, seeing Prinzhorn up the Albert tomorrow night as part of Brighton Live.

Destroy All Monsters by Ken Hollings
http://www.kenhollings.com/destroyallmonsters.htm
http://www.kenhollings.com/destroyallmo ... erview.htm

bought for the Savage Pencil cover.

Ads wrote:Do I have to chin Willthisdo? or something?!

I don't think that will be necessary. Although he has yet to submit his official letter of resignation from the club, am led to believe that dearest Will has decided he has bigger fish to fry

a beautiful noise wrote:alright alright count me in

You will never worm your way into my good books. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not EVER!

(...unless you are prepared to offer a giant bribe - the gift of some of my favourite US imports may suffice )

Sounds like foreigners are in with a chance, then!

Did I mention I work next door to a library...?

ash wrote:Did I mention I work next door to a library...?

I don't recall that you did. And did I mention that Brother Superstar the Younger lives in Melbourne?

Sorry chaps - if you knew me personally, in real life, you'd know I abhor violence with every fibre of my being. But you are going to have to fight me. Ok?

Superstar wrote:I don't recall that you did. And did I mention that Brother Superstar the Younger lives in Melbourne?

Top town, this one. He's chosen well.

Think I'm going to have to hone my pugilistic skills if Will the peacenik has anything to say on the matter...

will this do? wrote:you are going to have to fight me

Please accept my deepest apologies, monsieur. I wrongly sensed that your former ardour had cooled lately - perhaps due to your no show at the last Meet and Greet?

ash wrote:Top town, this one. He's chosen well

But I have visited! Why, we could have been simultaneously promenading by the Yarra River without even realising it...

Superstar wrote:But I have visited! Why, we could have been simultaneously promenading by the Yarra River without even realising it...

You never know! It's a popular one, our upside-down river. Although I would probably have been sauntering rather than promenading. Depends on the weather, really.

How long ago were you here?

ash wrote:How long ago were you here?

January 2004, when I was bridesmaid at Brother S's wedding. I want to visit again but alas my meagre librarian's salary prohibits such extravagances.

PS Ads - clear some of your messages. I am trying to send you some important documentation

Superstar wrote:January 2004, when I was bridesmaid at Brother S's wedding. I want to visit again but alas my meagre librarian's salary prohibits such extravagances.

Aah, a good time, January 2004. A lot of sauntering went on that month. And a lot of beer. But that's no different to any other summer month down this way...


BOOKS!

Lady Chatterly's Lover - DH Lawrence
Six - Jim Crace
Roman Sex - John R. Clarke

All in the past week or so, and all a bit of a hoot (well... except maybe that Lawrence fellow, who is a bit stuffy at times).