What Books Have You Read Recently?

[J.Brown]

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i have read a ton of roth. i really really like him.

i am just finishing "Plot Against America"

i read "Everyman" before it in one sitting and obv. really liked it, even recommended it to several people.

not loving "Plot" quite as much, but it is quite thought provoking. do you have a favorite roth book?

cheers. J.

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I've read almost all of his stuff and what amazes me is that he seems to get better and better.

I guess I'd have to say 'I Married a Communist' is probably my favourite, but only because my it is loosely based on the war/political experiences of my grandfather.

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Dude,

i have almost all of his stuff and have read, uh, maybe half or so......

if you don't mind give my your roth list of faves from top to bottom

i married a communist down to........well that is the tough part, this will be a really cool list for me. i will post one if my contrasts greatly.

thanks. J.

[TheDudeAbides]

I'd say my top 5 are:

1) Communist
2) Portnoy's Complaint (first I ever read - I read it as a 16 year old Jewish kid...so it hit home)
3) Everyman
4) American Pastoral
5) Goodbye Columbus

The only one I really didn't enjoy at all was The Human Stain.

[Paluka]

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Catch-22 was a slow start for me, and I know someone else who found it really hard to get into for the same reason, but I wound up really loving it. Well worth the plow.

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It took me about 4 tries to read Catch 22, and it is now my favorite book. It is one of the few books I actually re-read periodically. The others are the the GRRM Song of Ice and Fire books.

[J.Brown]

good list.

i loved american pastoral and everyman for sure.
i really liked i married a communist, but didn't have a personal connection like you did.

i liked the human stain, suprised you didn't if you like his writing that much. what didn't you like?

my other faves are the great american novel, pure genius.
and operation shylock, which i couldn't put down.

i haven't read portnoy's complaint and i have never been a 16 year old jewish kid, but i don't think it will stop me from enjoying it. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

cool, thanks dude. J.

[TheDudeAbides]

I forgot about The Great American Novel - but I haven't read it in a while.

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i haven't read portnoy's complaint and i have never been a 16 year old jewish kid, but i don't think it will stop me from enjoying it.


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LOL. Don't worry - you'll still enjoy it. Greatest punchline of any book I've ever read.

[fyodor]

I think I mentioned in another thread that I was recently rereading Crime and Punishment. Finished it about a week ago. I also remember saying something about my copy being the Jesse Coulson translation. I have been wanting to get the new (relatively new anyhow) Pevear/Volokhonsky trasnslation.

Well today I received a gift card in the mail for a local book store from one of my nieces so I went down and ordered it. Once I have it I will read immediately and then let you know what I think.

I'm pretty excited about this. How geeky is that?

[renodoc]

Just read McCullough's Truman. excellent.

Reading Power of Now on a friend's rec.

[Blarg]

Crime and Punishment was a great read.

P.S. Portnoy's Complaint was gut-bustingly funny. I wonder how well it has aged, though, because at the time it was extremely sexually daring and outrageous. Most of the shock value is probably long gone by now.

[DeuceKicker]

Recently finished The Kite Runner. Interesting and pretty touching.

Currently struggling through Battle Royale, by Koushun Takami. It's supposed to be the 21st Century's answer to The Lord of the Flies.

I guess I've discovered the issue with reading a translation. You're not going to be blown away by great prose, so the actual storyline has to be able to stand on its own, since it's almost going to seem like it was written by an 8th grader. The problem with Battle Royale is that the story has been done before (Flies) so you're left with a Junior High rewrite. (Actually, that's not even correct. LOTF chronicled the descent of the children into barbarity. Battle Royale puts them right into a game they're forced to play, so it's really just about who dies and how.)

[TheDudeAbides]

Hoping someone can recommend a new book for me. I'm looking for something like Palahniuk, Coupland, etc. Something with a Gen-X, angsty slant with a healthy dose of humour. Any suggestions?