smells like flowers Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Absolutely loving this one! Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 That is a great book. Very Dickensian or whatever the word is. Loved it. Link to post Share on other sites
IATTBYB Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Just finished now reading Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Love Goes To Buildings on Fire by Will Hermes. It is a pretty interesting look at a number of music scenes (punk, jazz, rock, hip hop, salsa, classical) that were going through big changes in New York City between 1973 and 1978. Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Just finished the Ace Frehley book. Haven't been a KISS fan since the early '80s but couldn't resist grabbing this when I saw it at the library. Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 White Bicycles was a good but ultimately unsatisfying book. Not sure why. I have been listening to !Q84. Anyone else read this? I am enjoying it. LouieB Link to post Share on other sites
williamblanda Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 White Bicycles was a good but ultimately unsatisfying book. Not sure why. I have been listening to !Q84. Anyone else read this? I am enjoying it. LouieB My roommate just finished it, and liked it. He speaks highly of everything Murakami and lent me his copy of Kafka on the Shore a couple months ago - good read. Right now I'm reading A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan. Haven't had much free time to really dig in, but I've enjoyed it so far. Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Love Goes To Buildings on Fire by Will Hermes. It is a pretty interesting look at a number of music scenes (punk, jazz, rock, hip hop, salsa, classical) that were going through big changes in New York City between 1973 and 1978. Bought this in December way over due to actually sit down and read it. Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 My roommate just finished it, and liked it. He speaks highly of everything Murakami and lent me his copy of Kafka on the Shore a couple months ago - good read.Will have to check more of his books out. I know 1Q84 got mixed reviews but I dug it alot. LouieB Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I've been wanting to read some Murakami, always heard good things but never found the time. I was going to buy a couple for my Kindle, which leads to another topic. Is anyone else bothered by the fact that e-book prices are higher than paperbacks? Maybe I'm just used to the cheaper prices for digital downloads of music compared to CDs. Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I've been wanting to read some Murakami, always heard good things but never found the time. I was going to buy a couple for my Kindle, which leads to another topic. Is anyone else bothered by the fact that e-book prices are higher than paperbacks? Maybe I'm just used to the cheaper prices for digital downloads of music compared to CDs. Yes - that is why I mostly stick to getting books for my Nook by way of my public library online. Although - that can be a frustrating experience sometimes. Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Yeah, I put myself on the waiting list for a book, but when it came time to rent it, it wasn't a good time for me to be able to sit down and read it in the two-week window. Don't get me wrong, it's great to be able to digitally check out books, it's just a little harder for books that are popular choices. From what I can tell, publishers have changed the price structure for e-books, which is the main reason for the increased prices. It just seems like they cannibalize their own potential sales by doing that. For instance, if I could pay $6 or $7 for an old Murakami book, I would in a heartbeat. But for $12, I can either get it at a used book store or from the library. Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I also recently downloaded and started listening to "Juliet, Naked" by Nick Hornsby. So far so good and tailor made for the viachiago crowd. LouieB Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I finally found a reasonably priced copy of this.Arrived in my mailbox yesterday and I started in on it last night. Link to post Share on other sites
redpillbox Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 White Bicycles was a good but ultimately unsatisfying book. Not sure why. I have been listening to !Q84. Anyone else read this? I am enjoying it. LouieB I'm currently reading 1Q84 and have read all of Murakami's English translations--I'm about half way through and loving it. If you're interested in recommendations I'd say check out "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" or "Norwegian Wood." Interesting story, in Japan prior to "Norwegian Wood" Murakami was consistently ripped by the literary establishment there for his reliance on 'magical realism' and his western pop-culture references. So he wrote "Norwegian Wood" as a "Ok, you want a more traditional narrative structure, try this..." and it exploded him into a nationwide sensation. He hasn't really returned to that form since. He's a unique dude. Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I'm currently reading 1Q84 and have read all of Murakami's English translations--I'm about half way through and loving it. If you're interested in recommendations I'd say check out "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" or "Norwegian Wood." Interesting story, in Japan prior to "Norwegian Wood" Murakami was consistently ripped by the literary establishment there for his reliance on 'magical realism' and his western pop-culture references. So he wrote "Norwegian Wood" as a "Ok, you want a more traditional narrative structure, try this..." and it exploded him into a nationwide sensation. He hasn't really returned to that form since. He's a unique dude.I downloaded an Audible copy of Kafka on the Shore next. Will have to try these out too. thanks for the recommendations. What's wrong with magical realism anyway. Made Gabriel Garcia Marquez a rich man. LouieB Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I finished this one last night: Excellent read. Brutal history. Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Not sure why it took me so long to get to this. I loved Housekeeping. I'm not sure I like Gilead as much as I loved Housekeeping but it is awfully good. Link to post Share on other sites
fif1435 Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Going through this: Before I get into this: Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I want to thank you for bringing this book to my attention, smells like flowers! From the moment I picked it up until I finished it (too soon!) I was completely captivated by the people and events of the book. It was so very human, and yet like reading about humans on a strange new planet where unimaginable things can happen. What an incredible story it is. I recommend it to everybody. Author Timothy Egan is a gifted writer who makes it all seem so immediate that you can practically taste the dirt in your mouth (read it and you'll understand). A very hard book to put down! The fascination has lingered beyond the book, and I've found myself looking up dustbowl towns & photos, as well as modern-day drought statistics in the dustbowl areas. I wonder how Texas will fare in 2012? Next up, some James Ellroy. Another recommendation from this thread, thank you! Link to post Share on other sites
smells like flowers Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 It was so very human, and yet like reading about humans on a strange new planet where unimaginable things can happen. Perfect comparison. I was so incredulous at the people's resiliancy -- especially the ones who stayed. Unimaginable. Hope never to experience the really dramatic natural disasters -- tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc. But somehow the daily hopelessness of drought seems the worst of all. Hope Texas finds some relief soon! Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Started this last night. It's a pretty amazing (and true) story about two oil tankers caught in a storm off of Cape Cod in the early 1950s. They both split in half with the crews still on board. Despite the 70 foot seas, the Coast Guard sent out a 36-foot wooden boat with a crew of four to rescue the crew of one of the tankers. Link to post Share on other sites
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