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MARK TWAIN - The Prince and The Pauper

Not the best of his work. But still, for a 'saga', quite a daring take on the injustices of the class system. Turns out Mr. Twain (Clemens for you anoraks) was quite the revolutionary - one more thing they don't teach you in school.

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kmb117:

We don't have a cure for cancer but we've got 16 million different versions of the Lord of the Rings. What. The. Fuck.

Philip K. Dick In Milton Lumky Teritory.

 I just started it, so It might not count but there it is.

Science fiction genius's fifties serious novels that

couldn't get published are now being released for the first time, mostly.

 

 

 

Stephen Booth 'Blind To The Bones'. I've been reading all of this guy's books in sequence recently. They're pretty good detective novels set in the Derbyshire Peak District where I used to live. Not quite the sort of thing I'd normally read but entertaining none the less.

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'I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out.' Bill Hicks (R.I.P.)

GÖRAN THERBORN - What Does The Ruling Class Do When It Rules, State Apparatus and State Power Under Feudalism, Capitalism and Socialism

and...

HARRIET JACOBS - Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl

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The first of these two was interesting, yes. But if you don't enjoy headaches (which I apparently do!), you might wanna skip it. The language also made me reach for the dictionary every third minute, plus I sometimes had to read each page four times to grasp what he was trying to get across. If dear Göran would have had an editor worth the name, the language would have been more accessible - and the book would have been a delight to read (dusty old professors need to get out more). Anyway, he made some really interesting points, but only read if you're not allergic to paracetamol.

The second book is a must. I am not joking, this is mandatory reading for each and every one of you out there. Possibly the best book written about slavery in the U.S.A. Forget Roots by Alex Haley, it wasn't a good book - and half of it is false. This is the real deal (Harriet Jacobs was an actual slave), and if it doesn't hit you like a punch in the stomach you are probably both desentized and have a problem with empathy. It is my wish that Shakespeare is thrown out of schools in favour of this (I kinda like Shakespare, but he seems - in comparison - less important than Harriet Jacobs). Get yourself a copy of this, it doesn't cost much and it is well invested money.

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kmb117:

We don't have a cure for cancer but we've got 16 million different versions of the Lord of the Rings. What. The. Fuck.

Re-reading Cormac McCarthy's 'The Crossing' which is as good as I remember. Looking forward to reading Daniel Woodrell's 'Winter's Bone' on holiday next week.

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'I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out.' Bill Hicks (R.I.P.)

Just finishing up a biography of Allen Ginsberg.

By Barry Miles.  Not exactly light summer reading, but fun - a real history of the beat/hippie era, taken from Ginsberg's journals.

Amazing how many folks he encountered in his life- Kerouc, Kesey, Burroughs, Gary Snyder, Dylan, the Beatles, various gurus - while  writing.  His story is a road map through those eras.  A bit before my time, but I can relate.  We thought we were wild, and we were, but those guys were something else.

Told a friend from the hometown about this choice of reading, he replied, "Sounds like a cry for help." 

 

Simply an amazing book. I have a hard time believe that it is 100 percent true, but it's engrossing nonetheless. Totally a book for Magnus.

 

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"Think for yourself. Question authority." - Timothy Leary

well, i'm starting my annual summer project, trying to actually finish 'War and Peace."  i've done better this summer, up to the 4th chapter now and that's about 3 chapters longer than i ever made it before...maybe it's reading sober finally, i can understand a lot more...ha!

joanna, clean and sober for 9 months

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But nothing is something that there's plenty of
In time we'll all get our share

I guess I am a visual learner because I am digging the covers of these books a lot!  :)  I'm reading a lot of books right now and I am not good at putting pictures on the forum (as you may have noticed!)  so unfortunately I can't visually delight any of you in the same way that you have me...

My three favorites of the week are:

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs  

When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone

Uncoiling the Snake: Ancient Patterns in Contemporary Women's Lives, ed. Vicki Noble 

I think that the Bio. of Allen Ginsberg sounds intriguing...haha..."A cry for help!"  That is funny!  A Long Way Gone also sounds like a good book!  I wish I could read faster.  There ain't enough hours in the day!

PS. Joanna ~ You are doing SO great!  Keep up the good work!  :)  DS.

 

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A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us ~ Franz Kafka (1883-1924)

kmb117:

Simply an amazing book. I have a hard time believe that it is 100 percent true, but it's engrossing nonetheless. Totally a book for Magnus.

 

Thanks for the tip Kyle, will check it out! 

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kmb117:

We don't have a cure for cancer but we've got 16 million different versions of the Lord of the Rings. What. The. Fuck.

WILLIAM KENNEDY - Ironweed

 

One of the best novels I have read in a long, long time. Plenty has been written about this book already, and I am not a literary critic - I shall spare you all my ramblings. Let me just say that it is not often I read a book about so called "lowlifes" or "bums", written with such compassion and empathy. It is really sad, but heartwarming at the same time. A real gem for me, which I stumbled upon in a used book store a couple of weeks ago. It must have been fate, Iris.

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kmb117:

We don't have a cure for cancer but we've got 16 million different versions of the Lord of the Rings. What. The. Fuck.

You took the words right out of my mouth Mr. Bloodaxe!  I was totally thinking that!  

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A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us ~ Franz Kafka (1883-1924)

the last few weeks: Yiddish Policeman's Union- Michael Chabon very good, as usual. the Monsters of Templeton- Lauren Groff big surprise..new author for me, first novel my turn out to be an all-time favorite, Lush Life- Richard Price somewhat an extension on some of the themes from his previous novels and his work on 'the Wire' written from the street. the Outlander- Gil Adamson poetic and decent but not a favorite. Cormac McCarthy crossed Jane Austen?!...at least in attempt. currently reading Chuck Palahniuk's Snuff..as w/ much of his work...enjoying it as a diversion/sorbet but not sure how I feel about it in the long haul/pantheon of novels read.

Bloodaxe -

You may enjoy "Legs," and "Billy Phelan's Greatest Game," also by William Kennedy.  Legs, about gangster Legs Diamond, is my favorite.

I grew up in the Hudson Valley, in and around those river towns, they are as beautiful and sad as portrayed in his novels.

The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals,” by Jane Mayer.

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“I believe in compulsory cannibalism. If people were forced to eat what they killed there would be no more war” - - Abbie Hoffman

Peace!!! JohnFromBama