Book Club

[Dutch]

[Doctor Radium]

Back from the dead and reeking of formaldehyde! While I've been away I've read the following:

The Iron Council - China Meiville
More steampunki-ish political SF from one of the more interesting fantasy writers today. Set in his brilliantly realized New Corbuzon, The Iron Council is a tale of political and social upheaval, full of Meivilles trademark literary flourish and black humour. Very much worth a read - especially if you've read his previous books or are interested in popularist or revolutionary politics from a "street" level. Plus it has the Torque! Great stuff.

River of Gods - Ian MacDonald
Indian SF from a Brit author...set in India in 2047, this truly ambitious novels pits mathematicians, houswives, surgically nuetered folks (nutes) with radical body adaptations, elite anti-AI investigators (Krishna Cops), semi-successful comedians and poltical advisors into the (to western eyes) bizarre world of a economically powerful yet still religion dominated India. At times brilliant, this is a patchy work that could have been the best novel of the last 2 years, barring the ending which feels at best tacked on. Still very worth reading for the culture shock amd some intriguing perspectives on one of the most interesting cultures on earth.

[Christian]

Hey Doc... They still can't kill you.

Loved, loved, lovedy loved Iron Council. Go read Etched City by K.J Bishop. Sexy, hallucinatory fantasy for grown ups.

I assume you've read Kavalier and Clay. Also, go check out the Burke novels by Andrew Vachss. A man so given to the cruel and perverse as yourself may enoy a break from the elfs and shit and dig some low down hardcore.

Read the earlier ones. Hard Candy is my fave.

[DBlumenstein]

Lately:
Without Fear or Favour - Bob Bottom (account of the author's involvement in The Age Tapes case -- a true story of corrupt NSW cops, magistrates, union bosses etc)
Excelsior! (yes -- Stan Lee's "bio-autography". That's his word for when you let somebody else write your book, then add amusing interjections to it. Hang Loose!)
A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Castle - Mark Twain
Right now: The Swiss Family Perelman - S.J. Perelman

[Anomic]

I???m in the middle of Charles Bukowski???s Tales of Ordinary Madness
I know some hate him because he???s a drunken misogynist but?? when a guy wears a tie to a wedding just to cover ???the stink hairs above my cock??? then trys to punch out the priest?? just beautiful.

[Caleb]

hey speaking of Bukowski how great is the Modest Mouse song called that?

"and yeah i know he's a pretty good read but god who'd wanna be, god who'd wanna be such an asshole?"

[jpaulos]

Has anybody seen 'Bukowski - live through this?' It's an awesome documentary featuring Hank in all his alcoholic, mysoginistic, poetic glory ... it also details the horrific physical abuse he suffered as a child by his 'nazi' dad. Anybody will even a passing interest in the art of writing should see it ... be warned though, it's pretty harrowing stuff!

[Anomic]

[jpaulos]

[David Bird]

Hey Anomic,

There is a film adaptation of "Tales oF Ordinary Madness", made in 1981, directed by Marco Ferreri, with Ben Gazzara in the lead role. I saw it about a thousand years ago (or so it feels to me) at the old Valhalla in Richmond. It was my first exposure to anything Bukowski, and wasn't too bad.

Cheers

[Anomic]

jpaulos my feeling is that Bukowski would have been unhappy if God stepped up to play him in a movie let alone anyone else -the guys such a crank but that???s what I like about his writing

David I???ll try and get a copy although I???m not hopeful as alternative means VHS or DVD where I live.

[Anomic]

Been researching for the Ma B script and found this gem TERROR COMES CREEPING, 1959 by Australian author Carter Brown

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/cbrown.htm

all I can say is its an absolute hoot, the puns are so bad they???re good in a strange way, the hero is a narcissist, the women ridiculous and the plot unbelievable ??. but the sheer joy just bounces off the page. I???m not usually into pulp detective novels but based on this example I highly recommend this guy. Plus his novels have the most lurid covers?? http://members.fortunecity.com/graemeflanagan/cbt.htm

Cover image of Terror Comes Creeping
http://members.fortunecity.com/graemeflanagan/ie14.htm

As for the DVD of Tales of ordinary madness it hasn't come out yet according to my video shop and if it aint on DVD it don???t exist in this town.

[David Bird]

Anomic

If you go to the DVD section of Amazon.com and do a search for: Tales Of Ordinary Madness, you will see that it is available on DVD.

Cheers

[Anomic]

[Kamu]

Seeing a lot of my fave reads above me on this list

The World According To Garp, one of my all time favourite novels. His Dark Materials also a favourite, possible the best series ever.

I feel I should chime in on the Palahnuik conversation too... I've read and loved a few of his books (Fight Club, Survivor, Lullaby are the best in my opinion), but I've found over the last few he seems to be going soley for the gross out shock factor leaving the finer points of the story (narrative, characterisation etc etc) dangling. I'm thinking mainly of Haunted and Rant. Anyone else find this?

So, on my reading shelf now.....
Neil Gaiman's Sandman #3 (the newest volumes, I believe they've been recoloured) - can't believe it's taken me so long to read this. Utterly amazing!
Patricia Briggs - gieven to me by a friend who said it has the best take on werewolves. I'll reserve comment until I finish.
The Collected Works of T.S Spivet - A thoroughly enjoyable novel, more of an illustrated novel really. Check out a copy to see what I mean. I'm reading this slowly because I'm loving it so much I don't want it to end!

I've got a whole bunch of Haruki Murakami novels and short story colletions lined up too. After I read his Kafka on the Shore last year, I needed to read absolutely every word the man has ever published. Phenomenal writer with a very special knack for magical realism, If you have to put him in a genre at all.