Books

bandini

In Response to Books:

I've realised that good poker players can range from the near illiterate to the Harvard taught. Which is irrelevant to this thread. Does anyone here like books? I'm not hugely geeky but have always read a lot. Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" is the best IMO. John Fante (Google bandini), is my hero. Grew up with Bukowski. Kafka's cool. Murakami's my fav newbie. Anyone else read a book now and then? Harrington and Brunson's all I've read of late but it used to be different.
Posted by bandini

Steinbeck. There is a plethora of American authors. Then that life is too short.
Impossble.
I guess then you may enjoy this song, happy christmas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYJf4J7VBaY

bandini

I've realised that good poker players can range from the near illiterate to the Harvard taught.

Which is irrelevant to this thread.

Does anyone here like books?

I'm not hugely geeky but have always read a lot.

Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" is the best IMO.

John Fante (Google Arturo Bandini), is my hero.

Grew up with Bukowski. Kafka's cool. Murakami's my fav newbie.

Anyone else read a book now and then? Harrington and Brunson's all I've read of late but it used to be different.

DOHHHHHHH

TV ftw.

shelski

Kafka is not cool lol for real

shelski

Many people comment on the fact that Bukowski was a Hemmingway impersonator but less smart. I agree fwiw.
When i got older my views on literature changed.
I don't read anymore
Steinbeck was the cooolest imo even more than Kerouac which is nigh on impossible.
Keep reading man.
American literature can lose a person forever. Melville ahhhh.
Life is too short.

bandini

In Response to Re: Books:

Many people comment on the fact that Bukowski was a Hemmingway impersonator but less smart. I agree fwiw. When i got older my views on literature changed. I don't read anymore Steinbeck was the cooolest imo even more than Kerouac which is nigh on impossible. Keep reading man. American literature can lose a person forever. Melville ahhhh. Life is too short.
Posted by shelski

Buke himself knew that Hem was something he struggled to shake. I think he did though. Hem was some writer but Buke was entirely less (The word I used is banned even though I didn't mean it in that context. A n a l.) I've shook my Bukowski obsession but it took my nearly 15 years.

I like some classic American suff too, but don't consider Kerouac in that bracket. On the Road was just about readable but I'm wholly unimpressed by the rest of his hippy sh@@. Steinbeck certainly is, East of Eden's one of my favourite books. Sherwood Anderson is up there too, Winesburg, Ohio is class. "Jurgen", by James Branch Cabell is one of the funniest things I've ever read. Pretty hard to get a hold of now I think.

But John Fante is quite simply the greatest writer that America has produced. "The Brotherhood of the Grape" is sublime and if you can read "The Road to Los Angeles" without crying with laughter at Arturo Bandini's antics then you just don't have a soul.

J-Hartigan

I love James Ellroy, particularly the LA crime quartet and 'American Tabloid'.

Recently, I've been working my way through the works of William Boyd - and strongly recommend 'The New Confessions', 'Any Human Heart' and 'Ordinary Thunderstorms'.

Classic fiction?  Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad and James Joyce ftw!

Like bandini, I admire Dostoevsky (favourite = 'Crime and Punishment') and Kafka ('The Trial' and 'Metamorphosis' are both awesome) and I agree with shelski about Steinbeck: 'The Grapes of Wrath' is one of the best novels I've ever read.

Greatest book of all time?  Tough to argue against Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22'.

bandini

In Response to Re: Books:

I love James Ellroy, particularly the LA crime quartet and 'American Tabloid'. Recently, I've been working my way through the works of William Boyd - and strongly recommend 'The New Confessions', 'Any Human Heart' and 'Ordinary Thunderstorms'. Classic fiction?  Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad and James Joyce ftw! Like bandini, I admire Dostoevsky (favourite = 'Crime and Punishment') and Kafka ('The Trial' and 'Metamorphosis' are both awesome) and I agree with shelski about Steinbeck: 'The Grapes of Wrath' is one of the best novels I've ever read. Greatest book of all time?  Tough to argue against Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22'.
Posted by J-Hartigan

It's not enough you out-geek me in film terms Hartigan but you try to out-do it in the realm of literature also. Pffft. ;-)

Went through a "crime" period and have to agree that Ellroy was probably the best. Some of his autobiographical stuff was a bit creepy but also very self-depreciatingly honest. Which is the mark of any good writing IMHO. His novels were ingenius though. I'd guess you'd like, the entirely different, Elmore Leonard in the field also? Another favourite of mine in the genre was Ed Bunker though, whose prison lierature was superb. And I doubt I need to tell you who he is either. Despite your performance in Disastermind.

Have never heard of Boyd before a quick amazon check but I love London so would imagine it would be well readable to me and I'm tiring of poker books.

Haven't read Hardy but should. Likewise Joyce. Curse my self-education. Read one of Conrad's. "Heart of Darkness". You're not even getting half a disastermind point for telling me which film was based on that JimmyH.

You got Kafka's best two easily.

Catch 22 was alright but hardly best book ever, again IMHO. No, that was "The Brothers Karamazov". 1-0 bandini.

You read Murakami? Superb and a film of one his books is out next year. Norwegian Wood I think it is.

JockBMW

"Janet and John"  1 to 3 were great but then they kind of lost the plot