Lets talk turkey.
What the fuck does that mean? I mean, I can understand – Let’s get down to business – Let’s chew the fat – Let’s rap, but talk turkey? Who talks turkey?!
Oh well. My life – is goddamn boring right now. Lindsay is working weekends and of course, I have weekends off, this of course leaves for many, many hours of Counterstrike:Source, reading Something Awful, and thinking about things I could, and in most cases, should, be doing. I sit at home and accomplish a whole lot of nothing. I need something else going on I think. My next few posts will cover various things that I’ve been meaning to do.
Part One; Reading
I love to read, I really do – there’s only one problem. I’m so frequently plastered to a computer screen that my reading list boils down to:
SomethingAwful
Slashdot
CNN.com
TheOnion
You get the point, hardly the classics. I need to compile a list of books that I’d like to read – be it again, finish, or something new. Here’s what I have handy that I need to finish up:
Sarah Vowell – The Partly cloudy patriot
This book has been in my bag for ages. At some point I convinced myself at my old house that I would take public transportation to work, and this book would accompany me on my trip. That didn’t last long as I started working from home, and about as long as it lasted, is about as far as I got through the book.
Sarah’s writing is bloody brilliant, she makes an appearance on my top5 list as her wit and intellect are about the sexiest thing ever regardless of her plain appearance.
David Sedaris – Dress your family in Courduroy and Denim
I’ve read a lot of Mr. Sedaris’ writing and love it all. I never started this book – it took was purchased in the event that I finished up The Partly cloudly patriot . As you’ve already learned, this didn’t happen.
Here’s, what I want to read again:
Gabriel García Márquez – One Hundred Years of Solitude
This book, wow, this book – w. o. w. I don’t know that I was ever so enthralled in a single piece of literature as I was in this book. I recall having the most amazing visualizations in my head of Macondo and the Buendía family, and for these reasons I must read this again.
The classics, Catcher in the Rye, To kill a mockingbird, and The Lord of the Flies. All of these books I read in high school and despite being far to cool to admit it then – I loved them. I really would love to revisit all of them.
Something new? I don’t know – anyone have any good suggestions?
As a fellow bookworm, I have found that you have to be in the ‘zone’ for certain books. I have about 10 sitting on my ‘unread’ shelf currently. Sometimes I look at them all and think.. I dont want to read any of those. You just have to be in the mood for whatever the type of book is.
Reading’s a pure personal pleasure – don’t let yourself be dictated to! Sure we’d all love to be just reading the ‘worthy’ books or the ‘classics’ but there’s only so much of that you can do before taking a pen and stabbing your eyes out.
The books I have read this month are:
Jennifer Weiner – In Her Shoes: Chicklit, but not the usual fluffy stuff. I think there was a movie made of it last year actually.
Daphne Du Maurier – Rebecca: A re-read old favourite. A proper ’story’.
Jackie Collins – Lovers and Players: Pure Jackie Collins. Fabulous! I have all her books.
Martha O’Connor- The Bitch Goddess Notebook: Edgy and clever, not at all what I expected.
Joanne Harris – Gentlemen and Players: What a great book. The author also wrote Chocolat, but this is even better.
Anthony Burgess – A Clockwork Orange. Needs little explaination, really.
Still sitting on my shelf is a wad of chicklit, some Anne Rice and The Godfather. 1984 is on there, right next to Memoirs of a Geisha.
I suppose what I’m saying in my random, longwinded way (forgive me, its too hot for real thinking) is that you should figure out what you’re in the mood for and then find something that suits: You’ll enjoy it much more!
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger…my fav book of all time…or at least thus far. Read it…I swear you’ll like it.
Thanks for the suggestions ladies – I’ll be sure to check some of this out and let you know what I think.
My recent favorite book has been House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. It is such a mindfuck. It is fabulous! It is scary, spooky and awesome. I am also a Chuck Palahniuk fan. I’ve only read Choke, Lullaby and Invisible Monsters. All fun times, but Choke is still my favorite.
I have Time Traveler’s Wife (mentioned above), but haven’t read it yet. Since I loved Snowcrash, I’m finally reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Jer has been trying to get me to read the book for years, but it was 900 pages with tiny type so I was afraid!
Now I’m finally reading it. I’m almost halfway through. Good, entertaining stuff.
You’ve told me about house of leaves before, and I meant to read it. I’ll have to make a run to powells and check that out.
Also – if you check back, can you make a Top5 category on vhcorner?
I have a post saved, but no adequate category!