tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post7740542166573008475..comments2023-09-26T09:49:02.290-04:00Comments on Revenge of the nerd: FANTASTIC BOOKS and EVEN MORE FANTASTIC READERSSabilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-51688750213844132162007-08-13T07:04:00.000-04:002007-08-13T07:04:00.000-04:00Don't get much time to read fiction anymore, so li...Don't get much time to read fiction anymore, so like you I only want to read the really excellent stuff... but I'm also several years behind on it.<BR/><BR/>May I thoroughly and unreservedly recommend American Gods by Neil Gaiman, although perhaps you've already read it.Mairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06110865608550754101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-48584646369959373542007-08-12T21:21:00.000-04:002007-08-12T21:21:00.000-04:00Which book is adrift in the "miso" of your room? ...Which book is adrift in the "miso" of your room? I just re-read Almost transparent blue in Japanese. It was a means of testing my own ability to comprehend complex adult situations, and the use of advanced literary concepts. Previously I was relying heavily on Hayakawa SF and a stack of Manga. Please let me know how you found it, I am very interested in knowing.Cyberfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008145321668056288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-76293127681317302092007-08-12T12:48:00.000-04:002007-08-12T12:48:00.000-04:00I've just finished reading New Bedlam by Bill Flan...I've just finished reading New Bedlam by Bill Flanagan, which was immensely enjoyable. It's a movie waiting to happen, folks. I'm now diving right into Carole Cadwalladr's The Family Tree.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-62377934453671795172007-08-12T12:46:00.001-04:002007-08-12T12:46:00.001-04:00Cyberfish: I may just like Ryu's stuff, actually. ...Cyberfish: I may just like Ryu's stuff, actually. I'm not squeamish at all. Now I'm intrigued. I have In the Miso Soup somwhere in this library I call my bedroom. Must find it and read it now.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-62918623968832145222007-08-12T12:46:00.000-04:002007-08-12T12:46:00.000-04:00Shirley, baby!: How's the other bird treating you,...Shirley, baby!: How's the other bird treating you, anyway...the GERMAN BIRD. And, for real, I'm thinking of jumping right into McCarthy's Border Trilogy in Maine. <BR/><BR/>Is it too soon to request books? :PSabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-54845578012421855552007-08-12T12:45:00.000-04:002007-08-12T12:45:00.000-04:00Anonymous: I'm hoping to get my hands on the His D...Anonymous: I'm hoping to get my hands on the His Dark Materials series! Sounds fantastic!SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-79167480448736866752007-08-12T12:09:00.000-04:002007-08-12T12:09:00.000-04:00If you like the scenery in Potterland, then try Ph...If you like the scenery in Potterland, then try Philip Pullman's Dark Materials series, or Le Guin's Wizard of Earthsea. And continuing on the Japanese theme: Spring Snow by Mishima, or a book that reminds me of it somewhat, This Earth of Mankind (by Pramoedya Ananta Toer). Of course, you may have already read everything on my list...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-11551715850223282082007-08-11T22:23:00.000-04:002007-08-11T22:23:00.000-04:00(squeak) I don't think I'm smart enough for this c...(squeak) I don't think I'm smart enough for this comment section! Here are some oldies but greaties:<BR/><BR/>Yellow by Don Lee<BR/>Haroun and the Sea of Stories<BR/>The Remains of the Day<BR/>All the Pretty Horses<BR/>The Talented Mr. Ripley<BR/><BR/>I swear, I'm not picking books based on a Matt Damon movie tie-in fetish... now I'm off to see the Bourne Ultimatum!girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07800442499502913996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-49196114259182789772007-08-11T20:56:00.000-04:002007-08-11T20:56:00.000-04:00Sorry, that was the Akutagawa award...Sorry, that was the Akutagawa award...Cyberfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008145321668056288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-42109846457363902082007-08-11T20:51:00.000-04:002007-08-11T20:51:00.000-04:00SabilaK, when I was in japan in the spring I went ...SabilaK, when I was in japan in the spring I went to a place that he frequently dj's at. Got my copy of Almost transparent blue autographed (when it comes to books and ONLY books I am an autograph whore). I am not entirely convinced you would like Ryu's stuff, judging by the volumes you have referred to in the past on this blog. Almost transparent left even me with a hollowed out feeling in my gut. In my estimation it was (stylistically) on of the best things he's written (won the Kubota award at age 19 for it). But his depictions of excessive drug use, bisexual orgies, and violence against women was a bit heavyhanded. In his defense he didn't glorify ANY of it. Coinlocker Babies, I felt, didn't establish enough of a tempo early on and therefore the book in its entirety ended up being obvious and clumsy. <BR/><BR/>p.s. before anyone calls me a homophobe or a bisexualaphobe, (well I might be by someones standard but I dont consider myself one.) please note that I did not indicate that I was offended by the depiction. It was intended to simply critique the overuse of certain imagery (sex, violence, and drugs) in the conveyance of a story.Cyberfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008145321668056288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-4425716179340301132007-08-11T19:19:00.000-04:002007-08-11T19:19:00.000-04:00SIGH.SIGH.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-16827589076557438422007-08-11T19:17:00.000-04:002007-08-11T19:17:00.000-04:00MP: But how will I know it's you and not an impost...MP: <BR/>But how will I know it's you and not an imposter? Who's to say that, after saying hello and smiling briefly, I won't return to reading my New Yorker? Is this doomed? <BR/>Sigh.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-65495810006574613992007-08-11T19:13:00.000-04:002007-08-11T19:13:00.000-04:00Cyberfish: you've met Ryu? We publish him in Engli...Cyberfish: you've met Ryu? We publish him in English but I blush to admit that I haven't read him yet. I can believe him being less than normal...SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-82297462581451698982007-08-11T19:09:00.000-04:002007-08-11T19:09:00.000-04:00Cyberfish, MG, Anonymous: thanks for your recommen...Cyberfish, MG, Anonymous: thanks for your recommendations! I wonder if I have enough time to order the titles that strike my fancy on Amazon...or call in favors w/ colleagues @ other houses. Thank you. You're all lovely.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-91176402654663324602007-08-11T15:50:00.000-04:002007-08-11T15:50:00.000-04:001.) The Uncanny Xmen Graphic Novel #1 (1986):Stan ...1.) The Uncanny Xmen Graphic Novel #1 (1986):Stan Lee and Walt Simonson <BR/><BR/>2.)Voice of the Whirlwind <BR/> by Walter John Williams<BR/>3.)Operation Manual For Spaceship Earth by R. Buckminster Fuller<BR/><BR/>4)Fudochishinmyoroku (Unfettered Mind)<BR/>by Takuan Soho<BR/><BR/>5.)Transit Lounge (anthology of essays....incredible)<BR/><BR/>No. 3 and 4 are not fiction but are really short (65 pages I think).Cyberfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008145321668056288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-54629382741273609642007-08-11T12:03:00.000-04:002007-08-11T12:03:00.000-04:00Most humbling ... perhaps we're destined to random...Most humbling ... perhaps we're destined to randomly meet on a train after I recognize you reading through the New Yorker, minding your own business. If that happens, I promise to start creatively madlibbin' while giving you more book recommendations. In the meanwhile, God is Dead is now on my top 5 "to read" list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-74624626719498532962007-08-11T11:33:00.000-04:002007-08-11T11:33:00.000-04:00I thought so. Didn't sound like something Ryu wou...I thought so. Didn't sound like something Ryu would write. I had the chance to meet Murakami Ryu when I was in Japan. Let's just say, sometimes it's better to know someone through their writing...Cyberfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008145321668056288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-48796712439945295272007-08-11T08:51:00.000-04:002007-08-11T08:51:00.000-04:00Haruki.Haruki.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-7405385391967929342007-08-11T00:50:00.000-04:002007-08-11T00:50:00.000-04:00Im curious Haruki or Ryu?Im curious Haruki or Ryu?Cyberfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008145321668056288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-14214614093752052152007-08-10T22:43:00.000-04:002007-08-10T22:43:00.000-04:00Mary Doria Russell: The Sparrow. Jesuits in space....Mary Doria Russell: The Sparrow. Jesuits in space.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-33473594548067555972007-08-10T20:07:00.000-04:002007-08-10T20:07:00.000-04:00I've read a couple of essays and short stories by ...I've read a couple of essays and short stories by Barnes in the New Yorker (I remember enjoying what I read immensely) and I love me some Murakami (who doesn't is my question...someone I hate, being the answer to the question).<BR/><BR/>That being said, I do believe I'm crushing on you, which happens to be a curious first for this blog.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-6510935867707306072007-08-10T19:44:00.000-04:002007-08-10T19:44:00.000-04:00Clearly, my dear, I should send you lists of fanta...Clearly, my dear, I should send you lists of fantastic books more often. <BR/><BR/>(I suspect your love for me is merely a placeholder for the love you will eventually feel for Murakami, Bulgakov, Machado de Assis, Kundera and Barnes, whose prose will transport you beyond mere delight. I hope you enjoy!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-11686454980680388852007-08-10T16:18:00.000-04:002007-08-10T16:18:00.000-04:00Seriously. I love you. That list of books sends me...Seriously. I love you. That list of books sends me into transports of delight.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-46848204471989185012007-08-10T16:02:00.000-04:002007-08-10T16:02:00.000-04:00Madlibbin' Parasailer: I love you.Madlibbin' Parasailer: <BR/><BR/>I love you.SabilaKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019901539131880750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17424537.post-2762068990114364152007-08-10T15:58:00.000-04:002007-08-10T15:58:00.000-04:00Here is an off-the-top-of-my-head list of my favor...Here is an off-the-top-of-my-head list of my favorite books over the past few years:<BR/><BR/>1. Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Murakami<BR/>2. Master and Margarita, Bulgakov<BR/>3. Dom Casmurro, Machado de Assis<BR/>4. Immortality, Kundera<BR/>5. Flaubert's Parrot, BarnesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com