BOOKS THREAD

I liked "A Thousand Splendid Suns" more than "Kite Runner." The story, to me, was more inspiring.

Another very good book is "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. It's the story about an orphan who joins the circus and falls in love with a woman and an elephant. The narrator/main character lives in an old folks' home and reminisces about his experiences. I could not put this book down.

 

Has anyone read Tony Dungy's book yet? I'm sure it's great ... been on the bestseller list for a while now, but I was looking for a personal opinion of it.

 

I chatted with a Division I hoops coach yesterday who is an avid reader. She recently read Dungy's book and said it was incredible. I haven't had the chance to read it yet.

 

Read a positive review about Defending the Damned, by Kevin Davis. The review said it compared closely to David Simon. It's discounted on Amazon; anyone here read it?

 

Formula, I haven't read it, but I have it on reserve at the library. Sounds like an amazing book.

Davis, the author, is an Illinois alum.

 

With no TV or The Internets at home, yet, I'm starting to read again. Picked up two books I put down 18 months ago, finished one last week, Davy Rothbart's "The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas." Good stuff. Lots of assorted stories.

Station break: The funky-ass guitar song "Bueno Funk" is on right now at Panera. Great great great wonderful geetar-pickery. Go to Myspace and type in "Bueno Funk" into the music search. You'll be glad you did.

Anyway, Rothbart's book is humorous and littered with poignancy.

The other day I got back into Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar." Fucked-up write. But enjoyable. In one paragraph she so greatly describes a newspaper that is the exact newspaper I'm working at now. Looking forward to finishing it up in the next few days.

 

With money temporarily in my bank account, I decided to buy it. I'll report back here once I read it.

 

Please resist the urge to stick your head in an oven after finishing, Xan.

BTW, Pope, I'm about three-fourths through "Dark Horse" Excellent suggestion about people who aren't written about enough in U.S. History.

More details when I finish.

 

The thing with The Bell Jar ... sounds like all the girl needed was a really good deep-dicking. A few graphs I read yesterday were funny, when she starts giving names to doctors who swarm near her bed in the funny farm. Doctor Pancreas was especially humorous.

So, our office just got War and Peace, with a new translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. I've always wanted to try to read the book. Soon as I'm done with The Bell Jar, I'm going to dig into War and Peace. Should be a helluva journey.

 

Anybody read or started Halberstam's "The Coldest Winter" yet? I read an excerpt in Vanity Fair and it's on my list to pick up.

 

I think AJ Jacobs' "Year of Living Biblically" is next up for me. Anybody gotten it yet?

 

Just finished Norman Mailer novel "An American Dream." Not sure I'm better for having read it. It's sort of disturbing. Sick fuck, that Mailer.