I liked 100 Years of Solitude quite a bit, although it's been almost that amount of time since I read it. It's a must-read epic. I also recommend, for a feminist version of the same, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.

Seriously, I never thought I'd care so much about bees.


On deck:




In the hole:

I saw Steve Martin on Charlie Rose last week talking about his book. I'd forgotten just how reserved he is when he's being interviewed. Looking forward to your review, Stan.

I loved it. However, other SOMBies didn't agree. Basically, I see Chuck Klosterman as a literary extension of myself.

Finished Xenocide. For Christmas break (1 week) I have plans for 100 Years of Solitude and possibly the rest of the Ender's Saga (but I'm getting kinda burnt out on it- might take a break till Feb. for that).

Is War & Peace doable in 1 week? Is it even worth it? Is any book worth that many pages? I have so many books but such little time.

Hmm.... Well, I enjoyed all of Klosterman's other stuff, so hopefully this falls in line.

A) No it is not doable in one week. War and Peace is the type of novel to be savored, not devoured as fast as you can.
B ) Yes it is worth. Possible the best book ever written. It is by far the best Russian novel that I have read, and one of my favorites. Sure, Tolstoy spends a little too much time writing about the flaws of history, and completely forgoes the narrative for about 30 pages every once and awhile to discuss his historical views, but they are worth reading.

In other words, if you only have one week, pass on War and Peace, but find some time to pick it up.

It's funny after I finished reading my third Klosterman novel I realized that I don't really like him at all. He was incredibly readable, so that is maybe why i read three of his books really fast, but I honestly didn't really care what he had to say and didn't really enjoy the whole process.

Same with Vonnegut. I read four of his books in high school before I really realized that i don't like him at all. It seems sometimes i get stuck in a rut, and just read "easy" reads, rather than finding a book I want to kick back with.

he's just like me except i'm from wisconsin not north dakota. it's like hanging out with a friend who has a lot of opinions.

phil? really? a little over the top on war and peace and a little over the top here.

I'm not sure what is so "over the top" about calling War and Peace one of the best novels ever written. It's not like that isn't common knowledge (or at least held in the highest regard).

and it's not over the top to find Klostermann endlessly readable, but not overly enjoyable.

settle down phil, don't go over the top here too

i'm not sure if you know what the phrase means.

thats the dvd version of my bible

finally finished One Hundred Years of Solitude, 5 months after starting it amid several weeks of neglect. loved it, especially the ending, so appropriate.


read The Facts of Winter in 2 days. a good friend knows the author/translator. it's a quick little read, and the simple yet bizarre way individual dreams progress was a nice follow up to the magical realism of 100 years of solitude. nice afterward by the author discussing his reseach on poissel, and some of his fascinating ideas on the way misunderstandings affected our day to day lives.


started cormac mccarthy's No Country For Old Men this morning, i should finish it tomorrow. It's my first mccarthy book. then it's on to Saramago's Blindness, which has been on my to read list for a year.

Re-reading World War Z. Fuck. What a book.

Just finished this last night, actually. I liked it pretty well -- it was certainly a well-executed concept -- but I totally got bored toward the end. It just kind of fizzled out, and I had to push myself to finish.

I can only vouch for the first one, but it's great. His short story collections are worth spending time with too.

Finished Blood Meridien.


That is quite a fucking thing

Probably my favourite book all year. Like a less raunchy, more thoughtful, but equally hilarious Superbad. In book form.

i read "Love is a Mixtape" in one sitting yesterday. i know it's been built up and built up by numerous people on this board but that really is a great book. probably the first book i've ever read cover to cover immediately.

thx for the recommendation

i need something new to read

is it better to read it w/o knowing anything or would a synopsis help?

its about love, music, and its awesome. thats all you need to know

"It's like a switch....."




I'm about 200 pages into Klostermann's IV and I think Phil has hit it on the head. There are moments when I laugh and really enjoy his writing. The other times, it feels like I'm sitting around with a buddy that I've known for a long time and see a whole lot and we're bullshitting about stuff while watching the Cubs game. It's not the best time ever, but it's comfortable and sorta fun.

I was actually pretty disappointed with "Love is a Mixtape," at least from the music side of things. It's definitely about love, but only marginally touches on music, I felt, despite the title. Maybe I just expected too much.

My favorite music-related book of the year, far and away, was this:

damn fine book. loved it

sheffield pretty much sets the bases in the first chapter, so even knowing the synopsis doesn't ruin it.

cool, thx guys

quick rundown of what i read this year

• Cormac McCarthy - No Country For Old Men
• Michael Lewis - the Blind Side
• Gregg Hurwitz - the Crime Writer
• Dennis Lehane - A Drink Before the War
  Darkness Take My Hand
  Sacred
  Gone Baby Gone
• Tony Dungy - Quiet Strength
• Rob Bell - Velvet Elvis

i'm sure some others, but those are the ones i know i've read in the second half of 2007

My X-Mas Book haul:

The Castle - Franz Kafka
Killing Yourself to Live - Chuck Klosterman
The Onion's Our Dumb World
I Am Legend - Richard Matheson

Finished this the other day and I thought it was good. I really enjoyed the "This Is Not True" section, thought the "True" section had its moments, and loved the short story.

Steve Martin's autobio up next.

Finally getting around to reading this. I'm enjoying it but have to wonder what the fallout has been among all the people whose confidences Buford breached in the telling.

I frickin' LOVED Heat.

And I don't think Buford would have burned many bridges writing this book. Everybody knew he was a journalist.... Besides, nothing too bad was brought up, anyway.

where do you guys find your books, online, newspaper, or do you just browse at bookstores. I like to read but I can't find a good place.

I'm fond of the library. Those people behind the desk always have good recommendations.

Some of each. Mostly, my town has a smaller version of a bookstore I grew up with (Books, Inc.), where I tend to make impulse buys. There's a new library in town that I just discovered, with an inviting cafe & stuff...

I check this thread. SOMB is good at reco's.

great book.

up next:

^^^ One of my all time favorite books and authors. And from that book, my favorite chapter is "How to Tell a True War Story," which I first read in the Norton Anthology of Postmodern Fiction.

Definitely your library. Mine (Schaumburg Township) has a program called Readers' Advisory that organizes book clubs, suggested reading lists, film discussions, writing workshops, guest speakers, etc. I would imagine most libraries have something similar.

Current Reading:

I just finished reading "Self-Portait in a Convex Mirror" by John Ashbery. Difficult and slow reading, but it is worth it for its insights into the problem of representation and its form. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in contemporary poetry.

I'm reading Anna Karenina. I finished part 1. The scene at the Zoological Gardens skating rink and the description of Anna's weird trance on the train back to St. Petersburg are up there with the best writing I've ever read. Some of the chapters don't seem to serve a purpose, but they could be setting up a theme that gets developed later on.

The Coldest Winter - America And The Korean War

I'm about 100 pages in, and it's shaping up to be one of Halberstam's "middle field" books (c.f. The Powers That Be). He was always superb in his research and interviews, but there's something missing from this one, which seems to be passion. (His best work is still The Children, which is a huge work about the Civil Rights leaders.)

it has been mentioned before on the site, but goodreads.com is a good site.

Just read this in one sitting yesterday... So amazing.


probably going to read this today:

me too. these guys got me onto klosterman. then you start just going to book stores and looking around. that works for me too.

has anyone read Lamb by Christopher Moore? worth the time?

Just finished this. This is without a doubt the best book I have read (save for Harry Potter) all year. Absolutely gripping, depressing, and a little heartwarming. Even if you don't dig graphic novels, I think this is a must read.

I've been reading selections from The Best American Non-required Reading (ed. Dave Eggers; introduction by Sufjan Stevens).

The best selections so far have been:

Alison Bechdel "A Happy Death"
Edge Foundation "What's Your Dangerous Idea?"
Miranda July "How to Tell Stories to Children" (a bizarre, tragic, and haunting story)
Conan O'Brien "Stuyvesant High School Commencement Speech"

I finished The Great Gatsby, which was excellent and now my friend is making me read The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I have a feeling I'm going to hate it, but I've never been good at handling peer pressure.

I tend to see myself as a literary extension of myself.

Another addition to the SOMB Short Books Library.

Oh man, I felt the same way. I thought either 1) Buford is untrustworthy because he betrayed those folks' confidences or 2) Buford is a untrustworthy because he's not being honest with the reader regarding how forthcoming his subjects were about those supposed confidences.