Sonic Youth wrote:1. Pearl Abraham - The Seventh Beggar
2. John Barth - Giles Goat Boy
3. Saul Bellow - Mr. Sammler's Planet 4. Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
5. E.L. Doctorow - Ragtime
6. John Gregory Dunne - True Confessions
7. Jonathan Franzen - The Corrections
8. Henry James - The Portrait of a Lady
9. Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
10. V.S. Naipaul - A House for Mr. Biswas
11. Philip Roth - The Human Stain
12, 13. John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath; Travels With Charlie (I know, it's not a novel)
14. Thornton Wilder - The Eighth Day
And a 2006 new release of my choosing.
Whew!
One down.
Bleah! Leave it to me to start with the second longest novel on this list, the 635 page The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I'm going to have to pick up the pace if I intend to finish this list. (SPOILERS FOLLOW)
And in this age of Brokeback, leave it to me to pick a novel about (among other things) a closeted homosexual passing himself as a married man. That was purely coincidental. I had no idea that was in the book. Nor did I realize that this was essentially Jewish-American literature. I didn't even know Chabon WAS Jewish. The list is already slightly weighed with Jewish literature, but I can't help it. I'm drawn to it because it's a part of who I am. In my spare time, in college, I attempted to read all of Saul Bellow's and Philip Roth's and Bernard Malamud's novels (no, not Bukowski or On the Road), because these were the books that covered the walls of my parent's library at home, and they formed the basis of what I chose to read. And there's that uniquely Jewish regard for history, spiritual mythology and humor. And it's a very American novel, with that uniquely American regard for history, pop-culture mythology, humor and adventure. It celebrates the vaunted American values of hard work and achievement while simultaneously showing the downside of such values as attained in America. There is much optimism and light-heartedness and joy in this book as well as tragedy and horror despair and grotesquerie and painful compromise. But for once, the light wins out over the dark, as the novel argues positivity in compromise. And in this period of character essay-heavy novels like Empire Falls, it's a relief to read a plot-heavy novel like 'Kavalier and Clay', even if some of the characters are thinly drawn, and even if inspiration does peter out at the end and the passages in the last 15% or so are drawn out much longer than they needed to be. Not quite the monument of literature I was hoping for, but I loved it, especially Chabon's unfaked affection for all the characters.
If I could compare the Italo Svevo book to anything else I would have to say it reminds me of Therese Raquin by Emile Zola. I love E.M. Forsters novels and I liked As A Man Grows Older in the same way.
Good luck finding it. The only book of his that I ever see is Confessions Of Zeno, which I have not read.
I'm in the middle of Stevenson's "Cataclysm", Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina", Reeves' "President Reagan", Judt's "Postwar: Europe After 1945", and Milton's "Paradise Lost" (for school).
Some books I recently purchased and am eager to read are Wilnetz's "The Rise of American Democracy" and Goodman's "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln". But my recommendation for everyone to try out is:
Jose Saramago's "Blindness". Anyone who's read Garcia Marquez or Rushdie will love this book, a stunning, stunning read.
I'm afraid that I've not heard of Italo Svevo, abcinvyr. But I'm always on the lookout for a new author to discover, and if he comes with your blessing (as well as Joyce's), then I'll definitely look him up!
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
Penelope, I will look into this author, sounds interesting.
Just wondering if you have ever read anything by Italo Svevo (1861 - 1928). He was a favourite of James Joyce. I've only read As A Man Grows Older (aka Senilita) and it begs to be made into a movie. Your comments made me think of him.
Do we have any other William Dean Howells fans on the board? Howells (1837-1920) wrote four of my all-time favorite novels--A Modern Instance (1881), The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885), Indian Summer (1886) and A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890)--and during his life was ranked alongside his close friends Mark Twain and Henry James as one of America's finest writers; unfortunately, he's not as well known these days, though the four books mentioned above are still in print (and, obviously, I HIGHLY recommend them)--perhaps because none of his works has been adapted for film--something I hope to correct someday!
Anyway, I just discovered that a new novel, to be published in February, uses Howells for inspiration. The book in question is Lapham Rising by Roger Rosenblatt, an award-winning Time essayist and playwright whose first novel this is. After a quick perusal of the plot, it's clear Rosenblatt is using The Rise of Silas Lapham for inspiration, with a satiric edge (though Howells was also a bit satirical in his novel, refuting the Horatio Alger tales) and from a reverse position; another nod to Howells is the fact that the main character's name is Harry March--the March family were autobiographical figures in three of Howells' novels, including A Hazard of New Fortunes. I would imagine there are more Howells references in the novel; an advance review of the novel can be found here.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
I hope it wasn't the Proulx, because I just removed it. I thought I'd read The Shipping News in honor of her Brokeback success. The truth is, when I made my first attempt last year, I couldn't stand it.
Sonic, one of the books on your list is among my top 5 novels of all time. I won't tell you which one until the end of the year because I don't want to raise expectations.
One of my New Year's resolutions is to set aside more time for reading, and so far it's going pretty well.
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
I'm making a resolution to read fifteen novels this year. I have all these (mostly used) books I've bought over the years, and I end up putting them aside and never reading them. This year, I'm gonna bear down.
Fifteen may not sound like a lot, but I have very little time to myself to sit and read. Maybe it will end up being more than fifteen. But hopefully not less.
1. Pearl Abraham - The Seventh Beggar
2. John Barth - Giles Goat Boy
3. Saul Bellow - Mr. Sammler's Planet
4. Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
5. E.L. Doctorow - Ragtime
6. John Gregory Dunne - True Confessions
7. Jonathan Franzen - The Corrections
8. Henry James - The Portrait of a Lady
9. Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
10. V.S. Naipaul - A House for Mr. Biswas
11. Philip Roth - The Human Stain
12, 13. John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath; Travels With Charlie (I know, it's not a novel)
14. Thornton Wilder - The Eighth Day
And a 2006 new release of my choosing.
Whew!
Okay, once I submit this, I'm bound to it. Here we go...
kaytodd wrote:I just finished Ishiguro's latest "Never Let Me Go" and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a strange and heartbreaking story. Almost all of the book is a young woman's memories of the boarding school school she attended and the relationships she developed with her fellow students and faculty. I don't want to say anything else about the story. As you are getting into the story, you notice there is something a little unusual or "off" about these children and their school. When you find out who these children are, it is a stunning moment that enriches the rest of the story and makes the story up to that point very moving and meaningful.
I just finished Never Let Me Go and wow, what an interesting and involving read. I highly recommend it as well.
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
Lahiri's "The Interpreter of Maladies" is one of my favorite books of all time. Amazing detail. Wonderful stories. Intriguing characters. A great read.
Has anyone read the new Nick Hornby book? I just finished reading his "How to Be Good", which was absolutely horrible. What a stupid story. It will go down on his resume as his "what what he thinking?" piece of work. Unbelievable crap.
Also, can anyone recommend any beginner Buddhism books? I'm reading "Awakening the Buddha Within". Any other books worth reading? Any suggestions on beginning the process of becoming a Buddhist? Thanks.
Edited By filmgabber on 1125456876
"Winners make the rules. Losers live by them" - the only good line from a horrible movie
MCAR wrote:An Artist Of The Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Interpreter Of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
The Professor And The Madman - Simon Winchester
I looked up the books on your list and these three will be going on my list of books to read (along with Skinny Dip). The Professor And The Madman was recommeded to me two years ago and I'm still planning on getting to it. Simon Winchester has three books I want to read. Have you heard anything about 'The Map That Changed The World'? (I think that is it's title)
I've only read 'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro. Loved it. (Seeing as this is technically a Movie site I was thinking we should have a thread about recommended books that were made into movies, like 'The Remains...' or books that should be)
This post mentioned two books by Kazuo Ishiguro. The only one I read was "Remains", which I also enjoyed. I found it much darker and funnier than the film.
I just finished Ishiguro's latest "Never Let Me Go" and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a strange and heartbreaking story. Almost all of the book is a young woman's memories of the boarding school school she attended and the relationships she developed with her fellow students and faculty. I don't want to say anything else about the story. As you are getting into the story, you notice there is something a little unusual or "off" about these children and their school. When you find out who these children are, it is a stunning moment that enriches the rest of the story and makes the story up to that point very moving and meaningful.
The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living. Oliver Wendell Holmes
I recommend The Raising of a President by David Wead. It's about the parents and ancesters of several American Presidents, including Washington, the Adamses, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, the Kennedys and the Bushes. Fascinating stuff.
"Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand." -- President Joe Biden, 01/20/2021
