Brian's Books 2011

[Brian.]

White Noise by Don DeLillo

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Winner of the National Book Award, White Noise tells the story of Jack Gladney, his fourth wife, Babette, and four ultra­modern offspring as they navigate the rocky passages of family life to the background babble of brand-name consumerism. When an industrial accident unleashes an "airborne toxic event," a lethal black chemical cloud floats over their lives. The menacing cloud is a more urgent and visible version of the "white noise" engulfing the Gladneys-radio transmissions, sirens, microwaves, ultrasonic appliances, and TV murmurings-pulsing with life, yet suggesting something ominous. (Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

 

My Thoughts

I picked this up at a charity shop recently based on the fact that I've seen Don DeLillo mentioned many times in the '1001 Books' list. The synopsis on the back sounded interesting to me and I started with loads of enthusiasm for it. Sadly this was short lived.

 

While I didn't dislike the book I can't say that I get what all the fuss is about really. I found the writing style ok, nothing earth shattering stood out to me. There is also no real plot to speak of and I found the characters very unrealistic. I found myself wondering during some parts of the book where it was going as it seemed to drift here and there at times. I really hope there is more for me in some of DeLillo's other books as he has many more in the '1001 Books' list but this one seems to be widely regarded as his best.

 

 

5/10

[bobblybear]

Oh dear! I haven't read any Don DeLillo, but like you I have seen him on many 'must read' lists. White Noise and Underworld are two I was hoping to read in the near future, but I think I will push them further down my TBR pile.

[frankie]

Brian

Looks great ! Did you notice that all the titless are one-word ones ? Did you choose them on purpose ,or did it just turn out that way ?

Thought maybe you were doing a reading challenge and you had to read one-word title books !

 

If I can recall, the titles were Junkie, Snow, Amsterdam, and Money.

 

I noticed another pattern also: these might be all considered drug-related novels, judging from the titles. Brian, I hope everything is right in your world and you are not slipping onto the dark side!

 

There are books I keep, in fact pretty much all the books I've bought. I've been trying to trim numbers for a while without just giving them away. I had a go at BookMooch the other year but there was little of interest in there. I sent away about 10 books and picked up Robinson Crusoe, The Kite Runner and The Shipping News in return but then ran dry. I ended up closing my account and giving the Mooch points away. I don't re-read books as a general rule so they either take up space or I end up giving them to people. I would much rather swap them for something I havent read than for them to sit looking pretty (and they do look pretty) on my bookcases. There are of course books I wouldnt give away. I have a lovely hardback complete works of Conan Doyle which was bought as a gift that I'll never give away for example.

 

Too bad you ran dry with BookMooch Let's hope more people will start getting into swapping on here. There are some enthusiasts already, but I wouldn't mind having more. Not that I have much to offer yet myself. I'm way too attached to my own books, and the sort of books I read and don't mind discarding aren't necessarily ones that other people would like.

 

 

I only really started to read fiction about 18 months ago, before that I was pretty much a non-fiction only reader. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley changed all that. I bought the 1001 Books book as a way to find new stuff to read so have been dipping in and out of it since. Its certainly made me try stuff I would never had read otherwise.

 

I can't imagine being a non-fiction only reader! Not that there's anything wrong with it, but personally I just enjoy fiction so much. Kudos to Huxley, then! Have fun with 1001 Books, and be sure to update your latest findings on the appropriate thread, if you wish, I'm always keen on seeing what other people have read from the list

 

 

Day 07 – Most underrated book

I'm going to pick a book which is in '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die' by Peter Boxall but I've never seen mentioned outside this list. It may be that I don't frequent the right places to see it mentioned though. The book is Stone Junction by Jim Dodge. I bought it purely because of its cover about 4 or 5 years ago assuming that due to the cover it would be an American western tale or something baes in Vegas. I really should have read the blurb because its anything but this.

The story focuses on Daniel Pearse who's mother is killed and he is taken under the wing of the AMO - Alliance of Magicians and Outlaws. Under their guidance he learns magic, how to play poker, how to make himself invisble and how to crack safes. I think over time it has become a bit of a cult hit but it should have been read by far more people.

 

I recognised the title from 1001 Books, no surprise. Other than that, I've never heard of the author or the book. The storyline seems alright enough, but not something I'd be overly keen on reading, but the fact that you think it's a sort of a cult hit has me intrigued. All cultish books fascinates me, one being John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, have you read it? I think it might be on the list. And if not, then it must be on the Rory List (Rory being the girl on Gilmore Girls, the TV series)

 

Day 11 – A book you hated

Simple, Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. In my English Literature lessons at school I got to read Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream which I enjoyed. Sadly I was forced to read Tess as well and I hated it. Part of me wants to read it again to see if I hate it as much now but I remember it being torture at the time. Forcing school kids to read classics is not a way to encourage an interest in Literature in my opinion.

 

I was in stitches when I read this post I completely agree with you on Tess! What a boring, awful, tedious read! Like you, I had to read it for an English lit course, and as much as I enjoyed reading all the other books and discovered some real gems, I can never fathom why Tess was a mandatory read. Oh goodness, what time wasted! And what's more, I've also considered reading the book again, just to see if it was really that bad, and I've actually started once or twice, reaching the end of page one, but then it just seems to try and suck the life and spirit out of me and I give up

[Brian.]

If I can recall, the titles were Junkie, Snow, Amsterdam, and Money.

 

I noticed another pattern also: these might be all considered drug-related novels, judging from the titles. Brian, I hope everything is right in your world and you are not slipping onto the dark side!

 

We all have our demons but no, there is no need to worry, I just really like reading about the darker parts of the human existence. Excess, drug use, drinking and general debauchery all fall together and make something I can get my teeth into. Its not all I read but it does form a significant part of it

 

Too bad you ran dry with BookMooch Let's hope more people will start getting into swapping on here. There are some enthusiasts already, but I wouldn't mind having more. Not that I have much to offer yet myself. I'm way too attached to my own books, and the sort of books I read and don't mind discarding aren't necessarily ones that other people would like.

 

BookMooch left me very disappointed, it looked like a great system but in practice it just didnt work out too great for me.

 

I can't imagine being a non-fiction only reader! Not that there's anything wrong with it, but personally I just enjoy fiction so much. Kudos to Huxley, then! Have fun with 1001 Books, and be sure to update your latest findings on the appropriate thread, if you wish, I'm always keen on seeing what other people have read from the list

 

People often react with surprise when I tell them that I pretty much only read non-fiction up until a couple of years ago. I wasn't intentional but just happened that way, I'm enjoying fiction far more than I thought I would and wish I had started earlier. I certainly owe a lot to Huxley.

 

 

I recognised the title from 1001 Books, no surprise. Other than that, I've never heard of the author or the book. The storyline seems alright enough, but not something I'd be overly keen on reading, but the fact that you think it's a sort of a cult hit has me intrigued. All cultish books fascinates me, one being John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, have you read it? I think it might be on the list. And if not, then it must be on the Rory List (Rory being the girl on Gilmore Girls, the TV series)

 

I haven't read it, I may have to take a look at it though and see if it piques any interest in me.

[Brian.]

I got slack again, Christmas is my excuse

 

Day 22 – Favourite book you own

If I ignore the content as the sole defining factor then I have to go with Complete Sherlock Holmes (Wordsworth Library Collection). Its a hardback collection of all of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Conan Doyle. It was a Christmas gift last year that was a complete surprise and I love it. The way it looks just fits in with what it contains.

 

Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t

Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I bought it a little while ago but haven't managed to make myself start it yet. I think I must be concerned that I wont like it but feel obliged to finish it off because of the high esteem its held in. I've set myself a target that I must read it this year and decided to read it in conjunction with another book so that I can dip in and out of it over a long period of time if needed.

 

Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read

Again Stone Junction by Jim Dodge.

 

Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most

I can't say I've ever felt that I relate to a character to any great extent, certainly not in any fiction I've read so far.

[Brian.]

Money by Martin Amis

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Time Magazine included the book in its list of the 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005. The story of John Self and his insatiable appetite for money, alcohol, fast food, drugs, porn and more, Money is ceaselessly inventive and thrillingly savage; a tale of life lived without restraint, of money and the disasters it can precipitate. (Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

 

My Thoughts

When I bought Money I thought that it would be the tale of someone who work in the stock markets and that John Self would be the character that Patrick Bateman is in American Psycho. I always try to avoid reading too much into the details of a book before reading it. I find that ruins a lot of the storyline for me and in this case, not knowing much about it was a huge bonus.

 

Unlike a lot of people who have read this, I didnt find it hilarious but there is a lot of dark humor in the writing. The story is like the life of Self, very messy, jumping around and chaotic. There are gaps in the story which only come to life later because Self is often drunk and forgets things easily. This can make it a little sketchy in places but really adds to the character and the narration of the tale.

 

Given the underlying nature of the story it couldn't be more appropriate given the current state of affairs in Europe and America. Excess spending (of money that isnt really there) ties very well into this along with over eating, total consumerism and sexual irresponsibility. I also really liked the brand names that Amis uses, Self's car is a Fiasco in name and deeds for example.

 

I'm looking forward to reading some more by Amis now even though I didnt find the book to be a real page turner. I tend to read in many short burst and every time I finished a mini stint I found myself mulling over what I had read and wondering where everything was heading. It was a steady burner for me, keeping my interest engaged but not to the extent that I couldn't put it down. A decent read.

 

 

8/10

[Brian.]

Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something

I am going to choose another non-fiction book I'm afraid. Robert Enke 'A Life Too Short' by Ronald Reng. Although I am a football fan I find footballers in general to be tedious people with little personality, due in no small part to the extensive media training they get these days. There are a lot of good things that they do, especially charity wise but we tend not to hear too much about it. The biggest thing that is easy to miss is the human element of the players.

 

In Robert Enke 'A Life Too Short' Reng tells the true and tragic story of Robert Enke, a steady player haunted by depression and his eventual suicide. The book covers parts of the professional side of things but mainly the human relationships and everyday trudge of life. The biggest thing that stuck out for me is that Enke battled hard to hide his depression and most people never realised he was suffering as badly as he was. I guess in the end the book changed my thought that ALL players as basically rich, spoilt idiots. On a human level they are as vulnerable as all the rest of us, especially when it comes to mental illness. Its an amazing but ultimately sad book.

[Janet]

Is that why he is your former dentist?

 

Sorry, Brian - I managed to miss this. It was actually because he semi-retired - although at the time it could easily have been because he committed the sacrilegious act of spoiling the ending of my book, yes!