Nollaig Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I just read the short story. For about half of it, apart from the superb line about contempt, I was like 'eh, this is standard'. The second half was funky. Loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 I'm glad. He has a twisty little brain, eh? I could sort of feel the same energy as in The Martian. Anna, I've read many parts of Wool, liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 A few additions to the shelves. Killer Angels by Michael Shaara When the Facts Change, Essays 1995-2010 by Tony Judt Death Without Company , A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson I hope you enjoy your new books ! Also, for those of you that are fans of Andy Weir (wrote The Martian), here is a short story of his. This man has a very interesting mind....... http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html Here is a link to the whole site. He does comics too. http://www.galactanet.com/ Thanks so much for this! I read it and enjoyed it . I know it's only short but I wrote a review anyway (to be posted very soon in my thread). I thought it was a good short story. I might have to check out other things on his site . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I'm glad. He has a twisty little brain, eh? I could sort of feel the same energy as in The Martian. Anna, I've read many parts of Wool, liked it. I will get to Wool this year, hopefully as soon as my reading picks up. Otherwise, I am slowly making my way through his canon, which is mainly short stories written as Episodes or Parts (as you know, Wool was written in installments). The two I recommended are short stories, around 15 & 18 pages... kinda interesting what he can do in such few words. I've been reading the rest of the Andy Weir short stories and really am liking them, I've gone through about 4 of them so far, savoring lol I have a few more and then I think I will review them on my thread, like Athena. Thanks for the link and heads up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 I hope you enjoy your new books ! Thanks so much for this! I read it and enjoyed it . I know it's only short but I wrote a review anyway (to be posted very soon in my thread). I thought it was a good short story. I might have to check out other things on his site . I will get to Wool this year, hopefully as soon as my reading picks up. Otherwise, I am slowly making my way through his canon, which is mainly short stories written as Episodes or Parts (as you know, Wool was written in installments). The two I recommended are short stories, around 15 & 18 pages... kinda interesting what he can do in such few words. I've been reading the rest of the Andy Weir short stories and really am liking them, I've gone through about 4 of them so far, savoring lol I have a few more and then I think I will review them on my thread, like Athena. Thanks for the link and heads up!! Thanks, Gaia and Anna. I'm glad y'all enjoyed it! I'll look up Howey's other stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I'm going to start reading Wool this month, as it's the pick for an facebook book club being run by my favourite radio DJ. Was told about it a couple years ago, but never got round to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Oh, that's great Noll! I'll look forward to your impressions of it. : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Just read a short story, Scheherazade by Haruki Murakami. Absolute little gem! http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/13/scheherazade-3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I decided to try that short story, because I've only read one book by him (Norwegian Wood) and I hated it. I just don't get it. People LOVE Murakami. But I just don't get it, and I wish I did. What was the point of that story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I decided to try that short story, because I've only read one book by him (Norwegian Wood) and I hated it. I just don't get it. People LOVE Murakami. But I just don't get it, and I wish I did. What was the point of that story? I wouldn't beat yourself up about it, Murakami seems to be a bit of a marmite writer. People either love him or don't get the fuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melodious Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I love Norwegian Wood and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, his last novel not so much. I can imagine a lot of people wouldn't get into Murakami but that's fine. We don't want everyone to like the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Everyone says that, but nobody who likes him has ever explained to me what the fuss is (in their view). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I'll take a look at the story, thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) I decided to try that short story, because I've only read one book by him (Norwegian Wood) and I hated it. I just don't get it. People LOVE Murakami. But I just don't get it, and I wish I did. What was the point of that story? I suppose there isn't much of a point to the story. Except to profile a lonely man's thoughts. A slice of life. A man that, for whatever reason, is incarcerated in a private home. I can't stop thinking up reasons for his imprisonment, or isolation. Wondering. The bit about lampreys was fascinating to me. Pure escapism. I'm not one that loves Murakami, in fact I've only read a few of his books and consider him, usually, pretty long-winded. But this story is really sticking with me. Making me wonder and think about it. I'll take a look at the story, thanks ! Oh good. Let me know what you think of it. Edited February 4, 2015 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melodious Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Everyone says that, but nobody who likes him has ever explained to me what the fuss is (in their view). You know I'm not sure I can put it in to words. He just seems to hit an unusual spot. His characters tend to have a certain distance and yet an intimacy with each other that seems uniquely Murakami. There's a wide space that weaves between the characters and yet it carries so much weight. His novels are almost philosophical when it comes to analysing human relationships and the grind of daily life for the troubled soul. Add a slight tint of the surreal, jazz, cats and sex with weird women and a dash of mystery and BOOM, there you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 You know I'm not sure I can put it in to words. He just seems to hit an unusual spot. His characters tend to have a certain distance and yet an intimacy with each other that seems uniquely Murakami. There's a wide space that weaves between the characters and yet it carries so much weight. His novels are almost philosophical when it comes to analysing human relationships and the grind of daily life for the troubled soul. Add a slight tint of the surreal, jazz, cats and sex with weird women and a dash of mystery and BOOM, there you go. I didn't like Norwegian Wood because I felt like the characters were so unrealistic and flat. Couldn't relate to anyone or anything in the book. Can't relate to someone who breaks-and-enters and leaves tampons in drawers either. To me, that's just weird for the sake of weird. I still want to read one more full novel by him though, because I want to give him a fair go and I don't think one book and one short story is enough to judge him by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melodious Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I understand your criticism and they are all fair points. I've only read three novels by him and the style and characters are quite similar or posses similar traits. I think he may have a certain archetype and sticks to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I read the short story today and I liked it . Review will be posted in my thread shortly. I can see it's not for everyone but I enjoyed reading the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) Gaia, just saw your review of the Murakami. well done. A few new books have found their way into the house..... Middle C by William H. Gass Ordeal of the Union: Fruits of Manifest Destiny 1947-1852 by Allan Nevins Empty Mansions The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. Four Warned by Jeffery Archer (recommended by Gaia) Edited February 5, 2015 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Gaia, just saw your review of the Murakami. well done. A few new books have found their way into the house..... Middle C by William H. Gass Ordeal of the Union: Fruits of Manifest Destiny 1947-1852 by Allan Nevins Empty Mansions The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. Four Warned by Jeffery Archer (recommended by Gaia) Thanks ! I hope you enjoy your new books ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) I've finished two books, both detective stories of a sort. I'm not doing proper reviews this time. Cypress Grove by James Sallis 4/5 and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. also 4/5, although a more exciting 4/5! The Sallis is a combination of beautiful prose and an interesting detective story. Sallis always has great character development with fascinating back stories. This particular one is the first of a trilogy of the character, so I certainly look forward to the rest.....I actually already have them on the shelf! Hurrah! ******************************************************************************************************************************************* I just finished the Hawkins last night. For some unknown and murky reason, I'd read only 30 or 40 pages to begin with and put it down for two weeks. Yesterday afternoon I picked it up and couldn't put it down, there was no dinner of any substance in this house last night! :readingtwo: The twists and turns the author has the main character go through are simply amazing. Red herrings abound. The book has been compared to Gone Girl, and there are twists as in GG. However!, I don't feel there is a true comparison. In The Girl on the Train, Hawkins give a depth to the characters, and far more rationale to their actions. Edited August 3, 2016 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Cypress Grove by James Sallis 4/5 and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. also 4/5, although a more exciting 4/5! The Sallis is a combination of beautiful prose and an interesting detective story. Sallis always has great character development with fascinating back stories. I'm glad that you enjoyed Cypress Grove, pontalba . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 I'm glad that you enjoyed Cypress Grove, pontalba . Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) We just watched Stories We Tell 2012, a documentary/drama about a family of storytellers, designed to get to the "truth". That's how it's billed on IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2366450/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 It has received rave reviews, some calling it "riveting", and inspiring and genre- twisting. The viewer may take their choice. The story centers around the Mother in the family who has died. The doc was made by her youngest daughter and supplemented by interviews with all the children in the family, and her biological Father. Of course the Mother is no longer there to verify, or defend herself The thrust of the documentary is to show the Mother from the different points of view of the people who knew her. Supposedly with the truth coming out after telling about a number of incidents in their lives. The Mother was a stage actress in Toronto, and met the Father during a play they were both involved with. They fell in love and married. In ten years time she was invited to do a play in Montreal that would take her away from the family for 6 - 8 weeks. Her husband did visit during that time, and their relationship, which had grown cool, was revived. A few months later she realized she was pregnant. All the grownups teased the parents about the baby's flaming red hair which was unlike anyone in the family. When the child was about 13 her siblings now also began to tease her about her Father not being her Father. This seemingly was taken as a running joke in the family. By the end of the movie this question is resolved by a DNA test. At the end of the documentary, the daughter asks, rhetorically, why am I doing this?, why bring all this out into the open?, why expose my family to all this? My answer is revenge. I did not, at any time in the piece, feel any sort of love of the daughter for her Mother. I have to think that this is a hatchet job on her Mother. I was not fully convinced of this until the very end when she asks an interviewee a certain question and his surprising answer comes out. As far as I can see, all this does is blacken her Mother's reputation. I don't think the Mother deserved this, and I don't think any of the people involved were very happy with the outcome. Well, maybe it did come to someone's truth, but I feel it was a harsh judgment of her Mother's life and motivations. My Husband enjoyed it. I saw too much angst and meanness to enjoy it that much. Perhaps it's simply a male vs. female viewpoint. Edited February 8, 2015 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I'm glad you enjoyed the two books you read. That documentary / movie sounds interesting, but it's a shame there was a lot of anger . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.