I am a big beat fan and have been since my ninth grade lit teacher read excerpts of HOWL in class (kind of a risky move, really). I've read everything I've been able to get my hands on. Ginsberg has always been my favorite, but I'm with you on Dharma Bums and OTR.

Have you read Go by John Clellon Holmes? If not, you should check it out.

Oyasumi Punpun. A story of a certain guy's life and it starts off when he's young like First grade or somethin' and progresses. 110 Chapters in, he is now 20 years old. Basically fell in love and never really fell out and the person keeps coming in and out of his life.


Yeah...depression and life happens and shit, I'm really hooked. Inio Asano's manga's are not goofy(not really) or anything but just have the sad, happy, funny, and angry parts of life. Every release of his has actually made me feel. I acutally get a bit depressed after reading a voume of this specific manga.

I finally got around to buying a copy of this:

 

I began reading this about ten years ago, but it kept me awake at night, so I stopped. I am now resolved to face my terror.

Pincher Martin. Wm Golding. So/so. It has a pretty nice hallucinatory intro, but now appears to be into a more standard castaway story...

Months now of pretty consistent steampunk immersion. Read some GREAT stuff (The Difference Engine), some so-so stuff (Infernal Devices) and some utter crap (Boneshaker, Chronological Man). No expert yet, but I expect this book to be a game-changer and a soon-to-be classic.

Just a first impression, though.

'jesus son', 'angels' and just about any other denis johnson book deals with roadtrips across america though they aren't happy reads.

Jesus Son, seconded.

TAZ is a classic. i should read it again. however i think that Bey's problem is if i remember correctly is that he puts too much emphasis on these pockets of autonomy that can found within dominant society rather than trying to break down said oppressive society.

I got talked into reading Flannery O'Conner by an acquaintance. Got one with 3 short novels in it, started with Wise Blood, it's pretty good. She's got a nice terse descriptive style...

Started reading Goodbye 20th century the other week.
It's great....well what else, heh :)

Absolutely nothing. I can't decide what to read. Too many choices.

I just finished The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Aside from a classic, this really is an epic novel! I loved it! So funny and yet so well crafted! Such depth of imagery and casual insertion of mythic symbolism. The dialogue was superb, the narration insightful without being dry or invasive. The plot incredible.

I love the combination of Church and gangster scandals, which is why one of my favorite contemporary authors is Arturo Perez-Reverte!

I especially enjoyed how all the characters and events were interconnected, sometimes obviously, sometimes loosely, and how there was a syncretic blend of sociopolitical commentary merged with the sheer audacious fun of the Roman Noir era of French literature
The ending was perfectly tragic as well. While I usually read novels too deeply like an English Lit teacher, I just enjoyed this one for what it was. Maybe after a second read I will reflect better on what the novel means to me and what the symbolism expresses, but for now, reading was just fun enough


of course, I love the disillusionment reflected so much in the greats Hugo and Dumas, I think their post-Revolution world was just as spiteful and jaded to politics and societal norms as we are in the post-punk/post-modern world ;)

I just remembered! The last book I read was 50 Shades of Grey. The story was compelling, it was a light read. The author could definitely have used a thesaurus. The sex scenes were mostly pretty boring, and I wanted it a lot kinkier. It seems Christian Grey goes even more vanilla in the other two books, which is a shame. Liking bdsm doesn't mean you've been abused or you're damaged.

Excellent. Full of great Factory stories from someone very much in the thick of it all. Especially good on Paul Morrissey.

DRACULA!

House of Sand and Fog. picked it up for a couple $ used since it was such a great performance by Ben Kingsley. That guy is just so good in whatever he does.........book is pretty well Ok, shows you some really interesting cultural differences from the Iranian semi-Savak side to the US semi-cokehead scumbag side....maybe 7/10 imo.....

The Ronin- Pretty good so far.

Snow Crash.

The beginning is hilarious. Has an interestingly breakneck feel compared to the last book I read ('The Great Hunt' of the Wheel of Time series). I'm enjoying it so far.

The Canterbury Tales- Chaucer

I just bought this one, and another of Stephenson's books. Gonna start it soon.

Finishing off Ballard's 'Drowned World' in the meantime.

Just read The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke. I didn't like it as it mostly centred around the tedious, petty, inane and selfish personal politics of the dull characters on a settled alien world, just as dull, one can only liken to the kind of holiday resort atoll favoured by wealthy, odious, self-absorbed cunts.

Yiddishkeit, Jewish Vernacular in the New Land.
an amazing graphic novel edited by Harvey Pekar Z"L about Yiddish culture, especially in the US.

The Wind Up Bird Chronicles

very good. It slowed down a fair bit in the middle (which kind of fits with the atmosphere of the story) but i'd definitley recomend it

I've read Clarke twice. 2001 and Childhood's End. 2001 I really liked, but that might've been from viewing the book through the lens of the movie that I immensely enjoyed. Childhood's End I didn't really like at all. But I read it when I was a junior. Might be able to appreciate it more by now. I admit the ideas were sort of hard for me to swallow. I still want to read a few of his books, like Rendezvous With Rama.



Was this good? I've wanted to read it ever since I saw this video of Harlan Ellison on Sci-Fi Vortex back in the 90's talking about this book.


Been reading this:



My initial conclusions so far is that Ignatius is a huge dickhead. But I'm only 40 pages in.

Worth a read despite the many many typos and repetition.

I love the way the author makes it absolutely clear that Poison Girls were a far better band.

This now:

 

Oh, how is the Joe Sacco book? i always look at his books when i am in stores but i have never read anything by him.

I've only just started this one but I've also read another of his books: Palestine. They're really good comic journalism and although I would recommend some knowledge of the issues outside of the books (which I'm sure you have!), do contain a lot of detail and the personal accounts are particularly fascinating.

But they're also about Joe Sacco himself, specifically the processes he had to go through as a western journalist to get the trust of the people he interviewed.

I'd definitely recommend his stuff.

Wind-Up Bird Chronicles

just finished a collection of Tolstoy's short stories

just finished the Anvil autobiography last week
and started Ozzy's autobiography for the second time, which i'm on the last 2 chapters
after that, it's a Ramones Tour Book written by the tour manager
i think it's called On The Road With The Ramones

Currently reading Thomas Carlyle about the French Revolution (1837 - the book)
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1301/1301-h/1301-h.htm

Weird style, really interesting read so far (the kingdom is looking for money and can't get the richest to help it...)
It comes as a relief in a way, as the author ain't French at all.
I do not trust French accounts on French history, and I needed a global view with traces of fiction.

I don't seem to have any recollection at all of my country's history prior to WW1 and bits of things scattered here and there.

I shall move on to:
Frederick Exley - A Fans' Notes
Jean-Luc Benoziglio - Beno s'en va-t-en guerre
Steve Tesich - Karoo

On The Road With The Ramones really questions me being a fan now. its quite the disturbing read if you want to find out about all the backstabbing that went on off the stage. and yeah sure, Johnny Ramone may have been the hardcore asshole of the band, but someone had to be to keep all that shit together. but holy fuck, that guy sure seems like a real prick.

now reading DRY by Augusten Burroughs

He certainly has his own style, I know him best from his comments on Oliver Cromwell's letters and speeches.

I am reading "Here and There in the War Area" (1916) by Right Rev. Herbert Bury.

oh, cool. i should see if there are any copies of his books in jerusalem...

i just finnished assata shakur's autobiography. it was really great and interesting.


and i am now going to read

Starting to read The Tempest; seems like pretty good stuff so far.

awesome. so much amazing info, Buries the goddamn patriarchal religious machine of the last 2000 years. Fuck I hate religion.