What should I read now?

I've finally gotten around to reading Chabon's The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, for which there is ample evidence of people's affections. It's great so far: a page-turner from the start, and I'm not even into comics.

200 pgs in, btw.

Non-fiction, tho, what about Exley's A Fan's Notes?

I remember my uncle Bri getting that for his birthday one year, I should ask him about it.

"Adventures..." I mean.

the complete novels of dashiell hammett

Frederick Exley's first novel is basically a memoir with a wink -- a sort of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance for self-loathing depressive alcoholics.

The book sounds interesting though this^^^ bit makes me wonder. It sounds like the comparison is based more on a mentally unstable life narrative than any sort of metaphysical musings (just not up for that right now), so maybe I could get into it.

elmo, who is that?

Um, yeah, Exley's not really into metaphysical musings, so I wouldn't worry. He's just a great writer who sort of went mad in America in the 50s.

Awesome.

I like the oddball/wild/psychedelic nature of some of the books I've been reading lately though I'm up for whatever.

Flann O'Brien in that case

rabies, hammett is kinda my perennial recommendation -- he's the author of the maltese flacon and the thin man; superlative craftsman of the hardboiled detective / noir genre.

These are all sounding really great, thanks fellas.

if you like calvino, murakami and pynchon you should check out this list:

Donald Barthelme's Syllabus

as well as barthelme himself

Great! I've read like two of those!

flann o brien flann o brien flann o brien

So far I'm considering this character^^^ because he sounds amazing, and Hammett because I've never read anything like that before.

Hammett's great, but I'd place Chandler slightly above him in that genre.

AS a Pynchon/Murakami/Calvino guy myself, I guess I better check out this O'Brien character myself.

myself myself myself a few more times myself

I always do that, too :)

hammett : chandler :: craftsman : stylist

Hey didn't what's his face from Echo & the Bunnymen make some sorta comment along those lines about Mark E. Smith? "Poet : Wordsman" or something?

I meant to pick up just one of these so I had something right away during all this time off from work and then order a few more for much cheaper off the internetz--But I am stupid and impulsive so I bought:

Flann O'Brien, At Swim-Two-Birds
Frederick Exley, A Fan's Notes
Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

I refuse to learn.

That Chabon novel seconded. It's down the hall waiting for you, Nate, as is all the Chandler you'll need.

According to Mark E. Smith, in the book "Tape Delay", "Ian out of the Bunnymen" once told him "'You're no poet, I'm the poet', you know, 'You're a wordsman'. And I went 'A wordsman?' you know, what are you talking about, you know?' You see his lyrics written down, and you know, he's doing his thing, you know, and he's succesful at it and it's good, you know, but his lyrics don't hold up when you see them on posters and that. I mean they're a joke, I mean I burst out laughing. I saw one in the train station and it had, 'If all soldiers are going to war', or something, no, 'If my heart is a war, it's soldiers are dead', you know what I mean, what the fuck are you doing, is this like English literature class or what? You know, fucking art class at primary school, you know, 'Write a poem today kids'".

Michel Houellebecq?

For non fiction Joseph Mitchell's "Up In The Old Hotel" is a classic.
It's a gift that keeps on giving. I often give it to people I like.

based on books namechecked in initial post - I recommend Pelevin's "Homo Zapiens" and "Secret Life of Insects" books

Chabon is fucking horrible

god how are you wrong about everything

you could read Murukami's non-fiction book, "Underground" about the gassing in the Tokyo underground.

exley was ok, i didn't dig it as much as some do. Lush Life is fucking fantastic however.

maybe its cuz I actually AM a fan of comics that I found Kavalier and Clay so totally tiresome and irritating

x-post

oh i really want to read that. xp to Ronan
if yer still in the mood for kind of oddball/wild/psychedelic, i'd rec "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me." Richard Farina's only novel.

I second (third?) Chandler ("The Long Goodbye" is best), Chabon, Hammett's "Red Harvest" is my favorite, and once you've read a bunch of hard-boiled stuff Jonathan Lethem's "Motherless Brooklyn" (about a hardboil-wannabe w/tourette's) is an entertaining diversion if a little too up it's own ass to be great.

Also Flannery O'Connor. Cause I recommend her to everyone.

Oh and Denis Johnson's "Jesus' Son" is pretty good.

Chandler Hammett and Lethem are all great (altho I prefer Lethem's sci-fi stuff - his last couple were pretty big disappointments)

Who is Chandler Hammett?

hoos 8080 on the red harvest, right on

eh who needs commas

you should ian, it's really good. he is really human and down to earth in it, and it's just this amazing sort of dossier of a big public act of terrorism, with great conclusions at the end.

Who is Chandler Hammett?

http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/51039231.jpg%3Fv%3D1%26c%3DViewImages%26k%3D2%26d%3D17A4AD9FDB9CF1939847EC77F5F8D1CE5F9A86F9EC8D994BA40A659CEC4C8CB6

Oh awesome, thanks everyone. I'll have to write a lot of these down when I'm not about to leave for work. Lousy overnights. Mini vacation begins tomorrow!

Lurks I'll swap ya for the Chabon/Chandler when I get through those three I just picked up.