what a great book..
I have been on winter break from college and told myself that I wanted to accomplish something, I was going to read 2 Palahniuk books. I first read Survivor and loved it. The next Chuck book I read was Choke. My initial reaction was this is just an unoriginal recycled version of his other material, but then it got better and better as the pages went along. Lately I havn't had anything going on in my life and feel pretty empty but these two books have restored a bit of purpose, just anything. I guess what I took away most was to keep a positive attitude and try to create rather than destroy. Others on the boards mentioned enjoy the journey rather than the reward at the end. Anyways, I have Lullaby and Diary which I have not read yet but just wanted some feedback on which you guys recommend next, even out of his others such as Invisible Monsters and Rant.
thanks
You should check out Fight Club or Haunted next, they're my two favorite Palahniuk books; both are great in their own way.
While I respect this opinion, I must step in a warn Eneyman. If you are new to Palahniuk (as you are) I would stay far away from Haunted. Some like it (Turtle for example), but most would agree that it is by far his worst book. I would hate for you to be put off by his other stuff because of Haunted.
Fight Club, though, is a great choice. I really like Lullaby and Diary as well, so either of those three can be my suggestions.
See, i always thought Diary was his worst. It's at least his "safe, by-the-numbers" book. Haunted was great for the short stories but just misfired on the connecting material.
all these vet opinions. i have my own, no doubt. but a lot of new members site haunted as their personal fav. i remember when lullaby came out a lot of members complained about it. when diary came out, i read a whole lot of complaints. members hated it by the droves. there's not a chuck book i havent loved yet. haunted bothered me the first time through--at first, anyway--but it is a great book. i've always championed diary. not my fav, but a great book nonetheless, and my woman's personal fav chuck book.
also, critically, choke was the first chuck book to receive scathing reviews and fans have loved it forever. in fact, chuck mentions some good dope on particularly that in this month's writing essay.
oh. and im is my personal fav. like rant, it takes a bit of faith in chuck to plow through to the ending chapters, but man is the outcome worth it!
-kabol
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
oh, and giving your post above, eneyman, both of those books are excellent choices for the pure existential characters involved--streator is nasty and has half given up on life but finds a new outlook in a sardonically humorous way in lullaby and misty is jaded as fuck and drinks too much and pops too many pills in order to cope with her burdened life of simplicity and normality in an inventive renewal of her life in diary. a buddy of mine laughed for the full five hours straight reading lullaby. my woman cried laughing--and, honestly, matched shots with misty--while reading diary for the first time. i say read lullaby first, then diary. but really either before the other. both are wonderful reads.
-kabol
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
Choke was definitely awesome.
My favorite so far.
Choke had such an impact on me because of the differences between the protagonist and myself. Victor is shameless and vocal about his irreverence toward anything and everything; I am quiet about my resignation from human decency (plus, he acts on it, while I sit around and ponder).
Before reading Choke, I had never read a critique of human sexuality and addiction from the perspective of its greatest perpetrator. I don't condemn promiscuity or sexual ventures, but I have a laughably neurotic aversion to them. Thus, the book's voice was, in a word, unprecedented.
" . . . waiting for the other shoe to fall."
Nice, bro.
So, uh, wanna hang out sometime?
Play some gamecube? Drink Natty ice? You like Dave Matthews right?
Don't worry, bro. Thats not a big black dildo...
Step back. Evaluate. Recognize.
Choke is truly a great book. One of Chucks absolute best.
I'd recommend Invisible Monsters next. Although its the first book he wrote, I think its best appreciated after reading some of his other earlier books, like Survivor and Choke. Invisible Monsters is my favorite Chuck book.
Yeah dude, Choke is really great once you get a few chapters in. You should check out Fight Club or Haunted next, they're my two favorite Palahniuk books; both are great in their own way.