7 posts tagged “books”
Book: Show us a book you started reading but never finished.
I love the stories Gabriel Garcia Marquez paints in his books, but One Hundred Years of Solitude has been a source of frustration to me. The number of characters and their very similar names (not to mention the incestuous relationships) is confusing. I should probably sit down and read in a short period of time some raining week of vacation.
Although I had read great things about Augusten Burroughs' books, the only reason I wanted to read Running with Scissors was because the movie looks excellent (and includes Evan Rachel Wood in the cast). However, the book is brilliant and funny in a dark, tragic and unfortunately relatable way. If you think your familiy is dramatic, wait until you meet the Finch family.
Not for the weak of heart but it is laugh out loud funny.
It only took me a week to digest this book (and I stopped reading everything else in the process) which is good sign that it is brilliant and worthy of your time.
I'm reading Jennifer Egan's Look At Me (which I picked up through PaperBackSwap.com). The central character, Charlotte--the elder, is being pitched an idea called PersonalSpace(TM). Essentially, it is blogging except the smarmy guy is pitching it as a portal for extraordinary people to relate to "ordinary Americans" for a price. Smarmy guy uses a coal miner for an example and the idea that the coal miner will become a consultant on a film, like Rocket Boys, and be famous because everyone aspires to be famous. (Ew.) The book was written in 2001 so personal websites and blogs were live, and the book will probably be a movie in 2008.
I recently feel in love with Egan's stories full of flawed yet sympathetic characters living in worlds that are relatable.
Ted Hughes is my favorite poet which I find somewhat odd. Marilyn Hacker--falling into second--seems a more obvious choice. But it is Hughes' Birthday Letters that always leaves me in awe--longing for something only he can describe.
I actually saw Marilyn Hacker read at Berkley shortly after I moved to San Francisco. It was my first trip to the East Bay.
- I did not pick up this book for the cover art. Horrible. What were they going for with the bad cartoon outline?
- I did not consciously buy the book because I have dreams being a spy.
- I may have purchased the book because I missed watching Alias during the shows long hiatus.
- Reading the book actually reminds me of The Recruit, that mediocre Colin Farrell movie from 2003. Tangent: Why do I remember the release date? I worked at a movie theatre for about a year, and I randomly remember every film I saw during that time. And the year? I worked on the mountain during the day and in the theatre at night. I have a toque with the winter season dates on it--makes it hard to forget.
- The book really isn't that good. I'm more interested in reading the Plame book.
Update:
New York Times reports
that Valerie Wilson received a 2.5 million dollar book deal.
When I went to pick up this book at Modern Times on the day it was released (because I'm a nerd), the guy working--older than your typical hipster, aspiring writer-type that works in most Mission bookstores--was all too excited about helping me find the book. Searching through recently delivered boxes until he found not only a copy, but an autographed copy of Sarah Waters latest. Oooh! He was far more excited than I. (I think he was a little bored on Thursday morning.)
Autographs mean very little to me. Other an excuse to "meet" someone, why do I need a signature in a book or on a poster? A part of me--the part that worked in a rare books library for four years--thinks it is fascinating but only if I'm looking at the signature of the Marquis de Sade from 1773. (And the Marquis de Sade reminds me of another Waters' book, Fingersmith .)
If the signature isn't on a check, does it really matter?
