Latest Gene Wolfe book you read (1-10 scale)

[EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO]

Prisoners of Freedom: Human Rights and the African Poor 8/10

It's pretty dryly written, but very clearly argued critique of neoliberal definitions of human rights, especially as practiced by NGOs in Africa.

[ibn Horowitz]

Child of God - C. McCarthy - 7.5
Better than Outer Dark, but not as good as Blood Meridian or No Country...

What would you have given Outer Dark?
While I realize that Blood Meridian is his best book, Outer Dark is my favorite. I find both Child of God and No Country have this genre-book kind of vibe that slightly detracts. I'd still give the least of them an 8, though.

[12 Months of Mao]

Outer Dark I'd probably give a 7. It's not that the story is that much better in Child of God, but McCarthy's use of language had definitely improved by that point. There's a definite youth to Outer Dark and sometimes he trips over his own words or rambles more than necessary. Stylistically it's a little young as well, what with the simple back and forth between the brother's story and the sister's. However, I will say that the ending was uncommonly funny, self-aware and self-mocking for McCarthy. I do plan on re-reading both books. I want to focus more on the three strangers next time through Outer Dark.

I can see what you're saying about the genre feel of some of his other works, they just happen to be some genres that I really like. Blood Meridian's apocalyptic western smear is definitely in my top five fiction books ever. I'd hand it a 9 easy. No Country really reminds me of Jim Thompson or, film-wise, Peckinpah's The Getaway. That one would get an 8.

No Country question: could Sheriff Bell and Anton Chigurh be the same person?
Blood Meridian question: is The Judge a pedophile?

[danox3]

The Complete Guide to Home Brewing - Charlie Papazian

Changed my life

Just started "Counting Up, Counting Down" - Harry Turtledove, a collection of his SCi Fi Short Stories.

[Admiral Dick Fart]

Wild Boys - William Burroughs - 7/10 - some great individual sections of prose and the last couple of chapters really tie the work together. I have a good tolerance towards his gibberish, but some of the material in this book is pretty nonsensical at times. However, with Burroughs sense isn't always necessary, sometimes you just wanna hang in there and enjoy the ride.

[Comrade Slinky]

Choke - 6/10

[Dr Yail Bloor]

The Road : 8/10, read it in 3 hours o so, couldn't put it down.

[Caverjection]

Story of the Eye - Georges Bataille - 10

[CHUFFED beyond necropsy]

"The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester - 9/10

Just as good as "The Stars My Destination", but with a smaller scope.

[ibn Horowitz]

Blood Meridian question: is The Judge a pedophile?

The judge has been a pedophile, just like he's been everything else.

[bloodybloodlicker]

I read a really great graphic novel last night! It was so cool... a very sweet memoir of a kid growing up, first love, siblings, etc.

[father of lies]

Confederacy of Dunces - 10

I actually listened to the audiobook while at work, and my maniacal laughter got me lots of strange looks. I bet I'd be an especially terrifying negro, too. Probably the funniest thing I've ever read.

[Admiral Dick Fart]

David Lynch - Catching the Big Fish - 7/10 - would have been less of a rating if I'd paid full price for it, but got it on clearance at Borders for 6 bucks. The chapters are very short and simple and give a very basic outline of Lynch's creative process as well as some interesting personal information I'd never heard before. Good bathroom reading.

[Philipp]

Steven D. Levitt - Freakonomics 8/10

Worth for the chapter about the relationship/crime, but I have to admit that the single chapters showed a lot of volatility in terms of how interesting they are.

[riley-o]

The Man in the High Castle - 9/10

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

If this was any other author I'd be gushing and 10/10ing all over it for sure, but it has to go on the PKD scale, and I'd probably rank VALIS and Flow My Tears and Radio Free Albemuth and Dr. Futurity and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The Divine Invasion and A Scanner Darkly and maybe one or two others ahead of it. It actually feels unfinished in a lot of ways and while that seems intentional given the ending and extensive use/reference to the I Ching, it still felt unfinished. I liked that the characters discovered that they were actually living in a false reality, but to just leave it at that felt like a cheater ending. I loved that the new American jewelery gave everyone a sense of discomfort and thought that maybe since no one was creating anything new in the US there was a connection to their all living in a false reality according to the I Ching, and the pieces of jewelery are actually pieces from true reality which make people feel their inherent falseness, like a black metal warrior in Florida trying on sunglasses. I don't have much to base this on.

hahaha ok I just did a little research on this book and it turns out Dick actually used the I Ching to write the book, and the I Ching decided the book ended there. Explains a lot actually.

[Liam Spengler]

Daumal - A Night of Serious Drinking 9

[father of lies]

The Man in the High Castle - 9/10

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

If this was any other author I'd be gushing and 10/10ing all over it for sure, but it has to go on the PKD scale, and I'd probably rank VALIS and Flow My Tears and Radio Free Albemuth and Dr. Futurity and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The Divine Invasion and A Scanner Darkly and maybe one or two others ahead of it. It actually feels unfinished in a lot of ways and while that seems intentional given the ending and extensive use/reference to the I Ching, it still felt unfinished. I liked that the characters discovered that they were actually living in a false reality, but to just leave it at that felt like a cheater ending. I loved that the new American jewelery gave everyone a sense of discomfort and thought that maybe since no one was creating anything new in the US there was a connection to their all living in a false reality according to the I Ching, and the pieces of jewelery are actually pieces from true reality which make people feel their inherent falseness, like a black metal warrior in Florida trying on sunglasses. I don't have much to base this on.

hahaha ok I just did a little research on this book and it turns out Dick actually used the I Ching to write the book, and the I Ching decided the book ended there. Explains a lot actually.

I liked A Scanner Darkly, Valis, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, and Three Stigmata better. I thought it was better than DADoES, but that's probably my least favorite of what I've read.

[12 Months of Mao]

The Man in the High Castle - 9/10

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

If this was any other author I'd be gushing and 10/10ing all over it for sure, but it has to go on the PKD scale, and I'd probably rank VALIS and Flow My Tears and Radio Free Albemuth and Dr. Futurity and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The Divine Invasion and A Scanner Darkly and maybe one or two others ahead of it. It actually feels unfinished in a lot of ways and while that seems intentional given the ending and extensive use/reference to the I Ching, it still felt unfinished. I liked that the characters discovered that they were actually living in a false reality, but to just leave it at that felt like a cheater ending. I loved that the new American jewelery gave everyone a sense of discomfort and thought that maybe since no one was creating anything new in the US there was a connection to their all living in a false reality according to the I Ching, and the pieces of jewelery are actually pieces from true reality which make people feel their inherent falseness, like a black metal warrior in Florida trying on sunglasses. I don't have much to base this on.

hahaha ok I just did a little research on this book and it turns out Dick actually used the I Ching to write the book, and the I Ching decided the book ended there. Explains a lot actually.

This is one I'd really like to see made in to a movie. I feel like it could come off really well if you got the right group of actors. In regards to your spoiler, I've thought about it a lot and there's literally no reasonable steps that any of the characters could have taken to change that situation. Ending it with that situation might seem a little like cheating, but I feel like any steps to change it would have seemed even more so, I Ching or no.

Finished Barabbas and it was excellent. An excellent critique of Christianity and Christ, even if Lagerkvist does seem to see a lot of worth in some of the teachings of Jesus. My roommate tells me he has another book to lend me by this guy that's even better, so I'm looking forward to that. 8.5/10

[father of lies]

The Jungle - 1000000

Mona Lisa Overdrive - William Gibson - 8.25
I liked it more than Count Zero. I almost pooped at the very end...

[EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO]

Fredrick Cooper - Africa Since 1940: The Past of the Present 7/10

Fredrick Cooper is pretty cool. I have some complaints about this book, but I think he did a really good job considering writing such a broad survey is a huge challenge.

[The Schwartz]

finished The Raw Shark Texts - 8.5/10

this book went off and on from amazing me to pissing me off
the first part of the book was kinda like The Matrix and full of awesome which would get a 9/10
then the middle of the book turned into this cheesy Nick Cage adventure movie that would get a 6/10
but then the end turns into this fucking epic Jaws rendition that would get another 9/10

the creativitiy is beyond me though and the clever idea of all the concepts were what made the book
plus a twist at the end that is very bleak
I would reccomend for a very fun read, but don' really expect a whole like more

[EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO]

Sally Falk Moore - Social Facts and Fabrications: "Customary" Law on Kilimanjaro, 1880-1980 6.5/10

Very cool theoretically, and I like what she's going for, but ultimately not very well written imo.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Running Mate Joe Klein, author of Primary Colors, not as good but fairly entertaining political drama about a lady's man, Vietnam veteran democrat 4-5 term senator running against a Bauresque family values republican after a failed presidential bid (he lost in the primary to Clinton stand-in Jack Stanton from PC). Liked the continuity, and early emphasis on small town politicking in a national spotlight, but though the climactic conflict is decent, whether an honorable man should sacrifice his honor to defeat a dishonorable opponent, the endgame is just not believable enough in terms of how it concludes. 6/10

Turning Point Jimmy Carter - Again very interesting story about overcoming massive voter fraud in the civil rights era south but doesn't really wrap up satisfactorily with Carter actually struggling to tie his story into the larger Civil Rights narrative even with so much historical context he could have provided to do so and then lamely plugging his foundation, which actually does great work, but the pitch comes off tasteless given the lack of literary effort. The anecdotal history is interesting for those who study the era, but the book as a whole feels really sloppy. 4/10

These were my two secret santa gifts from work by the way.

[EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO]

Running Mate Joe Klein, author of Primary Colors, not as good but fairly entertaining political drama about a lady's man, Vietnam veteran democrat 4-5 term senator running against a Bauresque family values republican after a failed presidential bid (he lost in the primary to Clinton stand-in Jack Stanton from PC). Liked the continuity, and early emphasis on small town politicking in a national spotlight, but though the climactic conflict is decent, whether an honorable man should sacrifice his honor to defeat a dishonorable opponent, the endgame is just not believable enough in terms of how it concludes. 6/10

Have you read Klein's biography of Woody Guthrie? It's excellent.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Have you read Klein's biography of Woody Guthrie? It's excellent.

Have not, its odd I really enjoyed Primary Colors, but have never been into his editorial writing/reporting/punditing. I might give this a shot though, thanks for the rec.