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Showing results for tags 'Fiction'.
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A light breezy novel chronicling the life and travails of a back waiter at what must be the old Union Square Cafe in New York (which is apparently in the process of moving and reopening on 19th Street). Recommended if you like these type of stories. Favorably reviewed by the New York Times. -
I'm about 25% of the way into "Breakfast of Champions," by Post-Modernist, Counter-Culture grump, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. The only other work I've read by Vonnegut is "Slaughterhouse-Five," and a beginning Vonnegut reader should probably start there, as it's most likely his best novel. "Breakfast of Champions" is a fine book, but "Slaughterhouse-Five" is its equal, and more important historically. It would be pointless, as usual, to summarize the plot in this, or any other, book for you, so instead I seek intelligent discussion about the novel - I would love for this forum to evolve into a gigantic Book Club, where we can all chime in whenever we feel like it, about anything we want to chime in about. My limited experience with Vonnegut is that he is cynical and nihilistic, hates people and what they've done to both the planet and to themselves, and has little or no hope for the future of mankind. And yet, he expresses those sentiments with biting humor, sarcasm, and literary weaponry. He's an important author, not necessarily a great writer, and the world would be a better place if everyone fit one or two of his works into their repertoire while not necessary buying into his entire philosophy. **SPOILERS FOLLOW** As a reader's guide, here are some brief Chapter descriptions: Epilogue: Homage to Phoebe Hurty by the author, nicknamed Philboyd Studge. 1. Introduction to the novel's two main characters, Dwayne Hoover and Killgore Trout. 2. More depth about Hoover and Trout; the tale of Kago and the Zeltoldimarians. 3. Trout gets his first fan letter, and is invited to the Midland City Arts Festival. 4. Hoover briefly descends into madness, and is clearly having some trouble. 5. Trout goes to Manhattan to prepare for the Arts Festival; his novels are detailed. 6. Hoover continues his insanity, with more details given about his escapades. 7. Trout is intrigued with and inspired in a pornographic theater, seeing meaning there. 8. Trout wanders down 42nd Street, and is battered by the Pluto Gang, scaring NYC. 9. Hoover checks in his own Holiday Inn at an odd hour, falling asleep like a lamb. 10. Trout gets picked up by the Lincoln Tunnel; rides in an olive truck through NJ. 11. Hoover gazes across highway; sinks into dimples; Wayne Hoobler is in Fairyland. 12. Trout heading west past Philadelphia in truck; chats with driver; his son is Leo. 13. Pontiac dealership has Hawaiian Day; Sacred Cave owned by Hoover's stepbrothers. 14. Truck in WV; Rosewater's mines; Books used for toilet paper; Hoover's a Hoobler. 15. 38-page chapter; Patty Keene; Bannister memorials; Penis sizes; Hoover and Francine. 16. Truck approaches cave; "Now It Can Be Told"; Adam and Eve; Trout closer to Hoover; 17. Bunny Hoover is a gay pianist; Military school; Bunny's mom expanded on; Skid Row 18. Truck is close, Hoobler misses prison; Author incognito; Keedsler and Kerebekian. 19. Cocktail lounge; Ned Lingamon; Eldon Robbins; Swimmer; Temptation of St. Anthony 20. Maritimo Brothers; Plastic in Sugar Creek; Milo; The Smart Bunny; Trout checks in 21. Lounge; Lynching in Shepardstown; E=MC2; Robo-Magic; Goodbye, Blue Monday 22. Lounge; WO1 Jon Sparks; Crispus Attucks; Bird calls; Hoover confronts Trout at last 23. Y-O-U; Hoover goes on rampage; Hoover attacks Hoobler; Payton Brown; Fairyland 24. Martha; Christmas Cards; Ukwende and Miasma; Eddie Key; Trout's fingertip; ETC. 25. Epilogue; Elgin Washington; Kazak; Trout transported; Weeping for parents; ETC. -
Possibly interesting personal factoid: My great-uncle Sam was president of the Monon Railroad (1847-1971), which features in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. I believe he was the last president, and oversaw the merger of the Monon with the much larger Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1971. --- The Monon Railroad (DonRocks) -
Rediscovering Virginia Woolf. I had forgotten how much I like her. Reading The Voyage Out for the first time. Available on Project Gutenberg. Not everything is. Wonder why? -
Yes, I did read that in the not too distant past. I actually have read most of Shute's novels--because of "A Town Like Alice"--and was quite prepared for the way he saw things by the time that one landed in my hands. Never saw the movie. -
Having just finished Cormac McCarthy's "The Road", I'm once again wondering why I'm attracted to dystopian fiction. Maybe it's because the sense of relief when I finish. No matter how bad things are these days, they're never that bad. Here's a random list of dystopian novels I've enjoyed over the years, in no particular order. The Road is either a reader's dream or nightmare, depending on what you like. I love good writing, no matter the subject, and was instantly fascinated by McCarthy's prose style. The paragraphs are short, the sentences often fragmented, the characters nameless, and the punctuation minimal, all of which leads to a lurching, halting, rambling rhythm, perfectly echoing the journey the characters are taking. Just when I thought I couldn't stand the pace anymore, though, he'd pop in an incredibly lyrical run-on sentence. The subject matter is disturbing. There were times when I had to set it aside for awhile. I thought it the bleakest book ever until near the end. The title "bleakest book ever" for me goes to George Orwell's 1984, because ultimately I was left with no sense of hope that things would ever get better for the human race. Also, there are so many things in that novel that are so close to coming true. It's not too far-fetched. This might lead you to wonder if I've ever read On the Beach, by Nevil Shute. Yes, I have, and I maintain that 1984 is bleaker. Despite the finality of it all - even more so than The Road. Trying to be a little vague here, deliberately... at least humanity never loses its sense of civilization. On the Beach may be the best book that no-one ever reads. Like 1984, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a little too close to home for comfort, a future that's too easy to imagine, which makes it all the more frightening. I think the best speculative fiction is like that: not so far-fetched to be unbelievable. And no one is as good a wordsmith as Atwood; the punning vocabulary she creates for Oryx and Crake will have you laughing until the end... of civilization. If there's a better example of the immorality of unrestrained capitalism I can't think of it. It's been too long since I've read Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) and We (Yevgeny Zamyatin), both as canonical works as can be in an ill-defined canon. But I remember them fondly. Especially the final image in Brave New World. I suppose I can't fail to mention the fantastically popular The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) in this discussion. I'll posit that it's fiction rather than literature. As with so much SF, it's a book of great ideas marred by poor writing. I enjoyed it for the ideas, and the naming conventions were amusing. The other books in the series... engh. Speaking of great ideas/poor writing, Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash is one crazy ride. I laughed out loud through most of the first chapter, and that's not an insult. I thought it brilliant, and I never found a dystopian future so engagingly funny. But then the book fell apart. Too many ideas, too crazy a plot line. Sure did have its moments, though. There's more, but I need to get on with my day. What are your favorites, and why?
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But what a cool-looking cover (I suspect that, along with the title, is why 80% of the people bought the book). Sadly, Oscar Hijuelos passed away just a few months ago. That's how I want to go, man - he collapsed playing tennis, and just didn't regain consciousness.
