Please submit your entry for the character contest today! Today is the last day! I'll announce the winners on Monday.
Didn't read very much this month again! I'm falling behind on my 100 books in a year goal...
The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen
I read Freedom a couple months ago. It's amazing how this guy can say so much about the American way of family life and society while focusing only on one family and their struggles. Both of those books are like that, but they are drastically different at the same time. He's a great writer. I'll definitely have to read his other stuff some time.
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
I read this because (cough, cough) I saw the movie, and it reminded a bit about my current WIP. Plus it's a classic, and Oscar Wilde is awesome. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is one of the funniest things I've ever read. But this book was really good. It said lots of interesting things about art and karma and stuff. I would totally recommend it if you haven't read it yet.
Night Train - Martin Amis
Martin Amis is my new favorite author. I think this guy is a genius. I read Time's Arrow a while back, and I think it made me tack a #9 onto my top 8 favorite books. Night Train was a good book, easier to read than Time's Arrow, but it is about suicide, so...
Mangrove Squeeze - Laurence Shames
Personally, it wasn't for me. I felt like the Russian mafia thing had been done before. But there were some funny bits in there that made me laugh. And there were these two homeless guys that I think made the story. I'd recommend it if you want a funny detective story rather than a serious one.
The Information - Martin Amis
Another Martin Amis. Be prepared for more Martin Amis because I went to Borders the other day and bought some Martin Amis. He's cool. And really smart. And English. This book, The Information, proved to me even more how awesome this guy is. He's an amazing writer who can take the most complex human emotions, splatter them on the page, and create this epic monster of a story to explain the root of human behavior. (Both Night Train and Time's Arrow are novellas, less than 200 pages, but they are epic monsters, I'm telling you.) So yeah.
Peace, Aimee
Books I Read This Month - March 2011
Hello there! How was your spring break? Mine was just fine, thanks.
I did not read very much this month. I was busy. You know how it goes. But here is what I did read.
Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
Eh, too weird for me. I can see why it's a classic, but tiny people and giants and magic horses just aren't my thing.
Horse Soldiers - Doug Stanton
Speaking of magic horses... No, I'm just kidding. :) Now there is an interesting story behind this book. Part of it is that the author, Doug Stanton, lives in the same town as me. I went to high school with his kids. He and Michael Moore (yeah, the guy who made those documentaries) founded all sorts of cool stuff for my city. My itty-bitty city is going to be famous one day, perhaps a miniature (and I mean miniature) NYC or LA. I have a love/hate relationship with this town. It's so small and cold, but the culture is amazing. But now to the book... It's a non-fiction New York Times best seller about soldiers in Afghanistan who rode horses when fighting against the Taliban. I'm not a fan of non-fiction, and I mostly read this book because of the author... But it was well written, you know, and the subject was pretty interesting. I have strong views about war, which I will not get into right now besides to say war is bad, but I thought the message of this book was good despite the fact that it takes place in a war zone. In the book, the soldiers are supporting each other and trying to stay alive and keep the US free, as they say. Even though I think war is unjust, I was in agreement with many of the things written in this book.
The Stand - Stephen King
Epic, duh. I read the, uh, new and improved version, and I really liked it. It took me about two weeks to read mostly because I was really busy and sick and etc., but also because it was over 1000 pages long. But yeah, it was awesome. Good versus evil, the circle of live, all that good stuff.
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
I'm not into fantasy so much, but this was pretty good. The tone of the writing was ominous, which really added to the story. It was cool.
Glue - Irvine Welsh
I've read other Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting (the one about drugs) and Marabou Stork Nightmares (the one about the guy in a coma). This author is kind of weird and writes about controversial stuff. This one has a little bit of everything: sex, drugs, blood and guts. It is also written in a Scottish accent. Weird, I know. It's hard to get used to at first, but once you get going it's kind of fun, and you end up thinking in a Scottish accent for about an hour after stop reading. But yeah, this was a good book. It's about these fours guys growing up in the slums. It's about loyalty and friendship and perhaps a bit of family too.
Peace, Aimee
I did not read very much this month. I was busy. You know how it goes. But here is what I did read.
Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
Eh, too weird for me. I can see why it's a classic, but tiny people and giants and magic horses just aren't my thing.
Horse Soldiers - Doug Stanton
Speaking of magic horses... No, I'm just kidding. :) Now there is an interesting story behind this book. Part of it is that the author, Doug Stanton, lives in the same town as me. I went to high school with his kids. He and Michael Moore (yeah, the guy who made those documentaries) founded all sorts of cool stuff for my city. My itty-bitty city is going to be famous one day, perhaps a miniature (and I mean miniature) NYC or LA. I have a love/hate relationship with this town. It's so small and cold, but the culture is amazing. But now to the book... It's a non-fiction New York Times best seller about soldiers in Afghanistan who rode horses when fighting against the Taliban. I'm not a fan of non-fiction, and I mostly read this book because of the author... But it was well written, you know, and the subject was pretty interesting. I have strong views about war, which I will not get into right now besides to say war is bad, but I thought the message of this book was good despite the fact that it takes place in a war zone. In the book, the soldiers are supporting each other and trying to stay alive and keep the US free, as they say. Even though I think war is unjust, I was in agreement with many of the things written in this book.
The Stand - Stephen King
Epic, duh. I read the, uh, new and improved version, and I really liked it. It took me about two weeks to read mostly because I was really busy and sick and etc., but also because it was over 1000 pages long. But yeah, it was awesome. Good versus evil, the circle of live, all that good stuff.
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
I'm not into fantasy so much, but this was pretty good. The tone of the writing was ominous, which really added to the story. It was cool.
Glue - Irvine Welsh
I've read other Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting (the one about drugs) and Marabou Stork Nightmares (the one about the guy in a coma). This author is kind of weird and writes about controversial stuff. This one has a little bit of everything: sex, drugs, blood and guts. It is also written in a Scottish accent. Weird, I know. It's hard to get used to at first, but once you get going it's kind of fun, and you end up thinking in a Scottish accent for about an hour after stop reading. But yeah, this was a good book. It's about these fours guys growing up in the slums. It's about loyalty and friendship and perhaps a bit of family too.
Peace, Aimee
Books I Read This Month - February 2011
Hey there. Anybody watch the Oscars last night? I did. Pretty sweet, eh? Anyways, here are the books I read this month!
Impact - Douglas Preston
I don't really like science fiction, but this book was pretty good. I'm not sure what else to say about it. Yup. It was good and I liked it, but I didn't like it enough to read it a second time. You know the deal.
When You Are Engulfed In Flames - David Sedaris
I wasn't quite sure what this was about at first. All there was on the back cover was quotes about how awesome it is, which bothers me because how am I going to know if I like it if I don't even know what it's about? But anyway, it turned out that I did like it. Each chapter was a kind of short story that could stand alone, but they were all told in first person by the same guy. I love it when I read a book and it reminds me of my own writing, and tons of ideas rush through my head; the downside to this is that I can't decide whether or not to keep reading since the book is so good or to stop and write the stuff that's plowing through my brain. Then I end up having some existential crisis and have to take a nap. So this book reminded me of my short story The Wayfarer that I have been thinking about turning into an entire novel. It's about this guy telling his life story. But it's way cooler than it sounds. When You Are Engulfed In Flames is about some guy telling his life story, so there. And it's funny.
Against The Day - Thomas Pynchon
I usually don't do this, but in this case, I had to stop in the middle of the book and move on to something else. First of all, the book is about a thousand pages long, and second of all, I honestly had no idea what the heck was going on. It's about some people on a boat, I think? But never mind my complete obliviousness to the plot, I kind of enjoyed the book. There were some funny parts and the writing was interesting.
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
This is one of those classic books that everyone says you have to read. Yup, it was a good book, and I, like those other people, recommend you read it too. It was about freedom of speech and stuff like that. And well-written also.
Booky Wook 2 - Russell Brand
The second installment of Russell Brand's life. Not as funny or moving as the first, but still intriguing. It's interesting to see the parallels in his addiction, and his motivation for fame. It's lovely how his love for Katy Perry changed him so much. The book not only says a lot about how fame and sex can manipulate a person, but it also says quite a bit about how love can change a person for the better. Can't wait until he writes a third one; it will probably be about his married life and be more spiritual.
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
I had read this before two or three times, but I wanted to read it again because it is one of my favorite books. Sal Paradise (Jack Kerouac) begins his journey admiring Dean Moriarty's (Neal Cassady) zeal and lust for life. It is a spiritual journey for Sal/Jack in that he is shedding all material possessions and societal rules to become somewhat of a hobo, traveling across the country in search of the meaning of life. Over the course of his adventure, Sal/Jack changes as he sees new parts of the world and the rude and wild, unchanging nature of Dean/Neal. This book really changes my life. Literally. I'm not just saying that because it was awesome. It actually changed my outlook on life. You should read it if you haven't.
Buffalo Lockjaw - Greg Ames
This book was so depressing. The author was trying to be funny, but the situation in which the characters were was a difficult thing to make humorous. But for a debut novel, it was alright.
Time's Arrow - Martin Amis
Now this is a good book. It's told from the point of view of this entity living in this doctor's head experiencing his life backwards from death to birth. It was awesome. You should read it.
The Keep - F. Paul Wilson
My parents have been urging me to read this for a while now, since the whole Repairman Jack series starts with this book, they say. I was wary at first because I don't quite like my mother's taste in books, but I rather liked it. It was a thriller set in World War Two. I think I might read the first Repairman Jack book by F. Paul Wilson, though it kind of depends on how I like that one on whether I will read the rest of the series or not. There are seriously like twenty books in the series. I don't know if I could be that committed...
The Art of Fiction - Ayn Rand
I posted about this here, here, and here. It is a great resource for writers. Take a look at it!
Peace, Aimee
Impact - Douglas Preston
I don't really like science fiction, but this book was pretty good. I'm not sure what else to say about it. Yup. It was good and I liked it, but I didn't like it enough to read it a second time. You know the deal.
When You Are Engulfed In Flames - David Sedaris
I wasn't quite sure what this was about at first. All there was on the back cover was quotes about how awesome it is, which bothers me because how am I going to know if I like it if I don't even know what it's about? But anyway, it turned out that I did like it. Each chapter was a kind of short story that could stand alone, but they were all told in first person by the same guy. I love it when I read a book and it reminds me of my own writing, and tons of ideas rush through my head; the downside to this is that I can't decide whether or not to keep reading since the book is so good or to stop and write the stuff that's plowing through my brain. Then I end up having some existential crisis and have to take a nap. So this book reminded me of my short story The Wayfarer that I have been thinking about turning into an entire novel. It's about this guy telling his life story. But it's way cooler than it sounds. When You Are Engulfed In Flames is about some guy telling his life story, so there. And it's funny.
Against The Day - Thomas Pynchon
I usually don't do this, but in this case, I had to stop in the middle of the book and move on to something else. First of all, the book is about a thousand pages long, and second of all, I honestly had no idea what the heck was going on. It's about some people on a boat, I think? But never mind my complete obliviousness to the plot, I kind of enjoyed the book. There were some funny parts and the writing was interesting.
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
This is one of those classic books that everyone says you have to read. Yup, it was a good book, and I, like those other people, recommend you read it too. It was about freedom of speech and stuff like that. And well-written also.
Booky Wook 2 - Russell Brand
The second installment of Russell Brand's life. Not as funny or moving as the first, but still intriguing. It's interesting to see the parallels in his addiction, and his motivation for fame. It's lovely how his love for Katy Perry changed him so much. The book not only says a lot about how fame and sex can manipulate a person, but it also says quite a bit about how love can change a person for the better. Can't wait until he writes a third one; it will probably be about his married life and be more spiritual.
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
I had read this before two or three times, but I wanted to read it again because it is one of my favorite books. Sal Paradise (Jack Kerouac) begins his journey admiring Dean Moriarty's (Neal Cassady) zeal and lust for life. It is a spiritual journey for Sal/Jack in that he is shedding all material possessions and societal rules to become somewhat of a hobo, traveling across the country in search of the meaning of life. Over the course of his adventure, Sal/Jack changes as he sees new parts of the world and the rude and wild, unchanging nature of Dean/Neal. This book really changes my life. Literally. I'm not just saying that because it was awesome. It actually changed my outlook on life. You should read it if you haven't.
Buffalo Lockjaw - Greg Ames
This book was so depressing. The author was trying to be funny, but the situation in which the characters were was a difficult thing to make humorous. But for a debut novel, it was alright.
Time's Arrow - Martin Amis
Now this is a good book. It's told from the point of view of this entity living in this doctor's head experiencing his life backwards from death to birth. It was awesome. You should read it.
The Keep - F. Paul Wilson
My parents have been urging me to read this for a while now, since the whole Repairman Jack series starts with this book, they say. I was wary at first because I don't quite like my mother's taste in books, but I rather liked it. It was a thriller set in World War Two. I think I might read the first Repairman Jack book by F. Paul Wilson, though it kind of depends on how I like that one on whether I will read the rest of the series or not. There are seriously like twenty books in the series. I don't know if I could be that committed...
The Art of Fiction - Ayn Rand
I posted about this here, here, and here. It is a great resource for writers. Take a look at it!
Peace, Aimee
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)