June

[QUOTE=Parkaboy]I like Ellis, but I think he needs to try new territory and something other than the affective flatline he is accustomed to.[/QUOTE]
I hear that his new book, Lunar Park, should be different.

Speaking of which - I finished The Rules of Attraction and thought it was awesome. I think it sort of did the same thing that the Tesseract was trying to do... but better?

Anyways, I'm sort of on a BEE kick right now so I started Glamorama. Everybody talks bad about this one, but I paid 5 bucks for a hardcover in the bargain section and I'm going to give it a shot. So far I like it though.

[QUOTE=Parkaboy]Reading:

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana-by Umberto Eco

[/QUOTE]

Hey Parkaboy, how is that new Eco?

[QUOTE=PGoutis01]I hear that his new book, Lunar Park, should be different.[/QUOTE]
It's based on him and hi friendship with Jay Mcinerney... and doing blow. So, I don't know if it's going to be different.

[QUOTE=PGoutis01]Speaking of which - I finished The Rules of Attraction and thought it was awesome. I think it sort of did the same thing that the Tesseract was trying to do... but better?

Anyways, I'm sort of on a BEE kick right now so I started Glamorama. Everybody talks bad about this one, but I paid 5 bucks for a hardcover in the bargain section and I'm going to give it a shot. So far I like it though.[/QUOTE]
I think The Tesseract was trying to show that interconnectivity produces a meaning that we cannot understand while Ellis was showing that being connected only isolates one further from genuine affect.

[QUOTE=Jane Jones]Hey Parkaboy, how is that new Eco?[/QUOTE]
It's good. I enjoy the whole premise, but Eco does get on to listing books, and books, and more books that he knew throughout his life and so that becomes a bit redundant. He breaks it up with full color pictures of old nostalgia which is nice. I'll finish it and most likely decide it was well worth my time, but this is one where 450+ pages, is perhaps not necessary to convey his tale.

[QUOTE=PGoutis01]Speaking of which - I finished The Rules of Attraction and thought it was awesome. I think it sort of did the same thing that the Tesseract was trying to do... but better?

Anyways, I'm sort of on a BEE kick right now so I started Glamorama. Everybody talks bad about this one, but I paid 5 bucks for a hardcover in the bargain section and I'm going to give it a shot. So far I like it though.[/QUOTE]
I'l finish it someday, but that vapid celebrity commentary didn't seem to be leading anywhere but into further entropy in the first 100 or so pages.

[QUOTE=Parkaboy]I'l finish it someday, but that vapid celebrity commentary didn't seem to be leading anywhere but into further entropy in the first 100 or so pages.[/QUOTE]

oh it leads somewhere...after the first 300 pages or so. and where it does lead, it's very blah i felt.

[QUOTE=JustinHolt]oh it leads somewhere...after the first 300 pages or so. and where it does lead, it's very blah i felt.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I read the flaps and I thought it might be allright, but then I read some reviews and they said it took so long to develop... I don't know, there is something to be said for being concise, or at least not being desultory for 300 or so pages.

[QUOTE=Parkaboy]Yeah, I read the flaps and I thought it might be allright, but then I read some reviews and they said it took so long to develop... I don't know, there is something to be said for being concise, or at least not being desultory for 300 or so pages.[/QUOTE]

The thing I always liked about Ellis as a writer was his ability to never seem drab and repetative even though his characters were that way--at least their actions. But I definetely felt that way with Glamaroma. The four page expositions on what celebrities were attending parties, and who was being vain at that particular moment in time--which would last for ten pages--felt the total opposite of concise. I did enjoy certain moments of that book, but overall, man, it was a killer.

[QUOTE=JustinHolt]The thing I always liked about Ellis as a writer was his ability to never seem drab and repetative even though his characters were that way--at least their actions. But I definetely felt that way with Glamaroma. The four page expositions on what celebrities were attending parties, and who was being vain at that particular moment in time--which would last for ten pages--felt the total opposite of concise. I did enjoy certain moments of that book, but overall, man, it was a killer.[/QUOTE]
For me it was the syndrome by which a writer becomes the thing he is satirizing. The character, Victor, didn't seem to be trying to escape vapidity but instead plunged headlong into it. Recitations of party lists and celebrity gossip would be fine if it was sparse and made a point, but here I felt the reader was merely being dragged into the morass of that curiously depthless world.

I think I may have been wrong about the new Eco novel. I'm 200 pages in, almost half-way, and nothing has happened. The narrator gets to his old home, goes in the attic and reminisces about everything he finds there. EVERYTHING. All of it connected by no plot or significant themes, at least to my American ears. It's nostalhia for a time and place I have no knowledge of and I can't imagine that would be enough for the bulk of his audience. It well written certaily, but the possibilities implied by the inciting incedent do not seem to be being utilized but instead used as an inventory of Eco's expertise in literature via quoted passages and the detritus of his boyhood in Italy during the fascist regime.

I'll give it a little bit longer, but if there isn't something teneable soon, I'm going to quit.

[QUOTE=JustinHolt]oh it leads somewhere...after the first 300 pages or so. and where it does lead, it's very blah i felt.[/QUOTE]

I felt the same way after finishing the book. I'd heard about how it gets really fucked up at the end, and I didn't think it was that messed up. I know a lot of things didn't make sense, but Ellis had that intention while writing the book and actually made a tree-type diagram of the plot and its "branches" and drew a circle on it, and whatever fell in that circle, both partial and complete ideas, were put in the book.

For one thing, it sort of seemed like a 90s version of American Psycho, and it was just too long. If it were half as long, I might've liked it a bit more, assuming it would've been a bit more concise, but after reading it I thought, "I went through 500 pages for this?"

[QUOTE=Undertow]I felt the same way after finishing the book. I'd heard about how it gets really fucked up at the end, and I didn't think it was that messed up. I know a lot of things didn't make sense, but Ellis had that intention while writing the book and actually made a tree-type diagram of the plot and its "branches" and drew a circle on it, and whatever fell in that circle, both partial and complete ideas, were put in the book.

For one thing, it sort of seemed like a 90s version of American Psycho, and it was just too long. If it were half as long, I might've liked it a bit more, assuming it would've been a bit more concise, but after reading it I thought, "I went through 500 pages for this?"[/QUOTE]

Exactly!

All far as characters being vapid, I think his characters have always been vapid. He claims to write about the type of people he hates. His characters never experience catharsis or reach any personal growth. The whole thing with lists was also done with American Psycho to the point where everything became a list. He writes to make a point, not always to enteratain. In AP you have pages about Genesis and Huey Lewis. If you just read these and take them only for reviews of these shitty bands it will bore the fuck out of you real quick. But if you read it remembering that the story is told in the first person seen through the narrator (not the author) and start asking yourself why is he going on and on about Genesis and you come to the conclusion that the narrator has no real opinion of his own and he probably got these pages of description about Huey Lewis's breakthrough aolbum from some other reviewer and adopted the reviewer's ideas as his own. And another thing to think about is what the narrator is not talkking about--such as not connecting on any type of emotional level with anyone else.

Back to Glamorama, Victor Ward does go on about what celebs are where because this is his world, this is what's important to him. Just watch the E! channel for a day straight and you will see how many people are totally obsessed with celebrity and fame.
And the whole thing with the camera crew is fucking awesome. Vitctor can't think for himself so everytime he is under real stress he asks for his lines.

Yeah, OK. Ellis is my favorite writer. The point is that don't just read the words but think why are they there.
To better understand Ellis in general I recommend:
Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho: A Reader's Guide (Continuum Contemporaries)
ISBN: 0826452450
[url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826452450/qid=1119137499/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-2253567-9112833[/url]

-K

[QUOTE=JustinHolt]The thing I always liked about Ellis as a writer was his ability to never seem drab and repetative even though his characters were that way--at least their actions. But I definetely felt that way with Glamaroma. The four page expositions on what celebrities were attending parties, and who was being vain at that particular moment in time--which would last for ten pages--felt the total opposite of concise. I did enjoy certain moments of that book, but overall, man, it was a killer.[/QUOTE]

It is not a summary, it is a novel--so it doesn't really have to be concise.

-K

[QUOTE=ketamineman]All far as characters being vapid, I think his characters have always been vapid. He claims to write about the type of people he hates. His characters never experience catharsis or reach any personal growth. The whole thing with lists was also done with American Psycho to the point where everything became a list. He writes to make a point, not always to enteratain. In AP you have pages about Genesis and Huey Lewis. If you just read these and take them only for reviews of these shitty bands it will bore the fuck out of you real quick. But if you read it remembering that the story is told in the first person seen through the narrator (not the author) and start asking yourself why is he going on and on about Genesis and you come to the conclusion that the narrator has no real opinion of his own and he probably got these pages of description about Huey Lewis's breakthrough aolbum from some other reviewer and adopted the reviewer's ideas as his own. And another thing to think about is what the narrator is not talkking about--such as not connecting on any type of emotional level with anyone else.

Back to Glamorama, Victor Ward does go on about what celebs are where because this is his world, this is what's important to him. Just watch the E! channel for a day straight and you will see how many people are totally obsessed with celebrity and fame.
And the whole thing with the camera crew is fucking awesome. Vitctor can't think for himself so everytime he is under real stress he asks for his lines.

Yeah, OK. Ellis is my favorite writer. The point is that don't just read the words but think why are they there.
To better understand Ellis in general I recommend:
Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho: A Reader's Guide (Continuum Contemporaries)
ISBN: 0826452450
[url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826452450/qid=1119137499/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-2253567-9112833[/url]

-K[/QUOTE]

I've gotten that from Ellis even when all I knew about him was the movie American Psycho was based off his book. I like it; it's definitely a "love or hate" thing with readers, from what I've noticed. All I'm saying is Glamorama didn't quite hit the big payoff in the end like his other books did for me.

[QUOTE=ketamineman]All far as characters being vapid, I think his characters have always been vapid. He claims to write about the type of people he hates. His characters never experience catharsis or reach any personal growth. The whole thing with lists was also done with American Psycho to the point where everything became a list. He writes to make a point, not always to enteratain. In AP you have pages about Genesis and Huey Lewis. If you just read these and take them only for reviews of these shitty bands it will bore the fuck out of you real quick. But if you read it remembering that the story is told in the first person seen through the narrator (not the author) and start asking yourself why is he going on and on about Genesis and you come to the conclusion that the narrator has no real opinion of his own and he probably got these pages of description about Huey Lewis's breakthrough aolbum from some other reviewer and adopted the reviewer's ideas as his own. And another thing to think about is what the narrator is not talkking about--such as not connecting on any type of emotional level with anyone else.

Back to Glamorama, Victor Ward does go on about what celebs are where because this is his world, this is what's important to him. Just watch the E! channel for a day straight and you will see how many people are totally obsessed with celebrity and fame.
And the whole thing with the camera crew is fucking awesome. Vitctor can't think for himself so everytime he is under real stress he asks for his lines.

Yeah, OK. Ellis is my favorite writer. The point is that don't just read the words but think why are they there.
To better understand Ellis in general I recommend:
Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho: A Reader's Guide (Continuum Contemporaries)
ISBN: 0826452450
[url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826452450/qid=1119137499/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-2253567-9112833[/url]

-K[/QUOTE]

Oh...I got all of what you are saying, and I got the point of what he does with his characters. But I still didn't like the book. Less Than Zero and Rules of Attraction I thought were fine. I enjoyed them. Glamorama was just too mundane for me. There was no payoff, there was no connection, there was no anything other than 'Why the hell did I just waste my time on this?' feeling for me.

I'm looking forward to reading more Lunar Park though now that I've read a bit of it. I think this one will be a lot better.

[QUOTE=ketamineman]All far as characters being vapid, I think his characters have always been vapid. He claims to write about the type of people he hates. His characters never experience catharsis or reach any personal growth. The whole thing with lists was also done with American Psycho to the point where everything became a list. He writes to make a point, not always to enteratain. In AP you have pages about Genesis and Huey Lewis. If you just read these and take them only for reviews of these shitty bands it will bore the fuck out of you real quick. But if you read it remembering that the story is told in the first person seen through the narrator (not the author) and start asking yourself why is he going on and on about Genesis and you come to the conclusion that the narrator has no real opinion of his own and he probably got these pages of description about Huey Lewis's breakthrough aolbum from some other reviewer and adopted the reviewer's ideas as his own. And another thing to think about is what the narrator is not talkking about--such as not connecting on any type of emotional level with anyone else.

Back to Glamorama, Victor Ward does go on about what celebs are where because this is his world, this is what's important to him. Just watch the E! channel for a day straight and you will see how many people are totally obsessed with celebrity and fame.
And the whole thing with the camera crew is fucking awesome. Vitctor can't think for himself so everytime he is under real stress he asks for his lines.

Yeah, OK. Ellis is my favorite writer. The point is that don't just read the words but think why are they there.
To better understand Ellis in general I recommend:
Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho: A Reader's Guide (Continuum Contemporaries)
ISBN: 0826452450
[url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826452450/qid=1119137499/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-2253567-9112833[/url]

-K[/QUOTE]
I like Ellis, I get Ellis, I write about some of the same things Ellis does. It's just that, for me, ny the time he got to Galmorama he was already in territory he had covered himself. yes, deconstructing celebrity was new for him after a fashion, butI thought he crossed the edge between a vapid caharacter and a vapid text simply by relentlessly putting us in Victor's worldfor too many pages.> With AP, he was picking it apart every time you were in Bateman's world and Bateman himself, seemed to be screaming from behgind his walls of carefully manicured affect, to get out of said world. having found the only sublimation he was afforded was that of mutilation and murder as if to remind himself that behind the facade of his world , blood did still flow.

Maybe I'll go pick up Glamorama for 5 dollars at the overstock store. I haven't treid to crack it for awhile.

[QUOTE=Jane Jones]I read The Informers last summer. Ellis is awesome.

I just finished Haunted the other day. I'll probably go back and finish Island of the Day Before next. If I ever get enough time. I have seven hundred things I've been commissioned to do this summer.[/QUOTE]
Join the book club to discuss Haunted no one did their fucking homework.

[QUOTE=HepaticFermentation]Bram Stoker - Dracula
Jean-Paul Sartre - No Exit and 3 other plays[/QUOTE]
No Exit was all right, his philosophy is much stronger in my opinion.

I was in a book store yesterday with no intention to buy anything, and I saw a copy of [I]The World According to Garp[/I] and thought that I ought to re-read it because I don't remember it at all except the whole "my mother was a lone wolf" bit. And then I saw some poster that said that John Irving was going to do a reading in Vancouver in August to promote his new book (which comes out in July). So I put both [I]Garp[/I] and the new book on hold at the library. I had no idea he had a new book coming out, though. Didn't like [/I]The Fourth Hand[I], though. After a certain point I just kept thinking "why is this book still not over?"

I also put [I]Glue[/I] by Irvine Welsh on hold at the library.

Am currently reading Miss Wyoming[I] by Douglas Coupland because I've got a copy out from the library and I'm gonna be really bored waiting for the other holds to come through. And I'm far too lazy to get my ass over to the library and look for the books myself.

[QUOTE=Ballerina]I was in a book store yesterday with no intention to buy anything, and I saw a copy of [I]The World According to Garp[/I] and thought that I ought to re-read it because I don't remember it at all except the whole "my mother was a lone wolf" bit. And then I saw some poster that said that John Irving was going to do a reading in Vancouver in August to promote his new book (which comes out in July). So I put both [I]Garp[/I] and the new book on hold at the library. I had no idea he had a new book coming out, though. Didn't like [/I]The Fourth Hand[I], though. After a certain point I just kept thinking "why is this book still not over?"

I also put [I]Glue[/I] by Irvine Welsh on hold at the library.

Am currently reading Miss Wyoming[I] by Douglas Coupland because I've got a copy out from the library and I'm gonna be really bored waiting for the other holds to come through. And I'm far too lazy to get my ass over to the library and look for the books myself.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, his book was supposed to come out awhile ago but he decided to rewrite the whole thing from ist person to third. All 800 pages.

[QUOTE=Parkaboy]Yeah, his book was supposed to come out awhile ago but he decided to rewrite the whole thing from ist person to third. All 800 pages.[/QUOTE]
Oh god. Really? Not surprised about the length, though. Not surprised at all.

[QUOTE=Parkaboy]Join the book club to discuss Haunted no one did their fucking homework.[/QUOTE]
Eh? Homework? Was I here for that homework?

[QUOTE=Jane Jones]Eh? Homework? Was I here for that homework?[/QUOTE]
"Because I was absent," is not an excuse.

In the last week I have read-

Charles Bukowski - Women
Don DeLillo - Cosmopolis
Alex Garland - The Coma
Nick Walker - Blackbox

That's also descending order of quality. Bukowski is an excellent writer and I'm definately going to get more of his stuff. Don DeLillo is great, I've got Underworld which I'll read once I've finished with my other library books. Coma is okay but fairly straightforward, there's nothing really challenging about it.

Blackbox...what a piece of shit! There is absolutely nothing to it, it's entirely based around a gimmick which seems cool at first but if you've ever tried to write anything like that you'll know that it's the easiest thing in the world. He doesn't bother with writing style, character development, realism or logic and the snippets of real world knowledge are so well known you wonder why he even bothered including them.

One of the central themes is that each person is supposed to be "on the edge" but his approximation of this is so weak that you can't help but feel like the guy has never experienced any sort of turmoil in his entire life. Something about the author just reeks of a teenage goth wishing he was more troubled than he actually is, cursing his parents for still being happily married. I could have written this book after studying psychology at A-level for two years and reading that issue of bizaar magazine with the photo of the frozen corpse of a stowaway that was dropped out of a plane. The only thing is, I have self respect.

I am so dissappointed that this is recommended by the cult.

why didn't you post that in the book club?

[QUOTE=mikandrewz]In the last week I have read-

Charles Bukowski - Women
Don DeLillo - Cosmopolis
Alex Garland - The Coma
Nick Walker - Blackbox

That's also descending order of quality. Bukowski is an excellent writer and I'm definately going to get more of his stuff. Don DeLillo is great, I've got Underworld which I'll read once I've finished with my other library books. Coma is okay but fairly straightforward, there's nothing really challenging about it.

Blackbox...what a piece of shit! There is absolutely nothing to it, it's entirely based around a gimmick which seems cool at first but if you've ever tried to write anything like that you'll know that it's the easiest thing in the world. He doesn't bother with writing style, character development, realism or logic and the snippets of real world knowledge are so well known you wonder why he even bothered including them.

One of the central themes is that each person is supposed to be "on the edge" but his approximation of this is so weak that you can't help but feel like the guy has never experienced any sort of turmoil in his entire life. Something about the author just reeks of a teenage goth wishing he was more troubled than he actually is, cursing his parents for still being happily married. I could have written this book after studying psychology at A-level for two years and reading that issue of bizaar magazine with the photo of the frozen corpse of a stowaway that was dropped out of a plane. The only thing is, I have self respect.

I am so dissappointed that this is recommended by the cult.[/QUOTE]
The Coma depicted a dream state very well I thought. I put down Black Box about 80 pages in.

last night i finished eleanor rigby by douglas coupland. good, fast moving, enjoyable stuff.

[QUOTE=mikandrewz]Don DeLillo - Cosmopolis

That's also descending order of quality. Bukowski is an excellent writer and I'm definately going to get more of his stuff. Don DeLillo is great, I've got Underworld which I'll read once I've finished with my other library books. [/QUOTE]

COSMOPOLIS feels like a 20 min film compared to the 300 min piece that UNDERWORLD is. COSMOPOLIS is good, but UNDERWORLD is a monster. It will make you a better person.

Too bad that P.T. Anderson has optioned the rights to make a film about it. He's gonna rape it.

[QUOTE=moe.ron]why didn't you post that in the book club?[/QUOTE]

Is there a thread for it? I thought there would be but I had a search and couldn't see it, I'm not actually a member of the main book club so I haven't got the password, I would post it in there if I did have.

[QUOTE=mikandrewz]Is there a thread for it? I thought there would be but I had a search and couldn't see it, I'm not actually a member of the main book club so I haven't got the password, I would post it in there if I did have.[/QUOTE]
well, the path is clear!! thou shalt join the Official Cult Book Club and discuss books!!

[I]You Have to Be Careful in the Land of the Free [/I] by James Kelman. A lot of Scottish dialect in this novel with a weird plot about some sci fi dystopia about an immigrant whose “red card” identifies him as the lowest class of immigrant allowed in America.

So I shouldn't read Black Box then, huh.

[QUOTE=moe.ron]well, the path is clear!! thou shalt join the Official Cult Book Club and discuss books!![/QUOTE]

Should I expect a PM?

first, you should [URL=http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/community/showpost.php?p=591256&postcount=25]follow these instructions[/URL] , THEN you should expect a PM. which i know you'll hang in a frame

[QUOTE=fortune_wookie]So I shouldn't read Black Box then, huh.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't bother. If you really want it, try the library. It's not all that well crafted in my opinion. It's pretty desultory and the characters didn't get to me, pull me in.

In the Cult Reccomends section, I'd definitely check out Coupland first if you haven't. Ellis is a must too.

I can't remember what else is in there, but I didn't think Walker's book held up to the others.

[QUOTE=moe.ron]well, the path is clear!! thou shalt join the Official Cult Book Club and discuss books!![/QUOTE]
Thy request admission to OCBC as of today.
# # #
I've been in a non-fiction buzz;
1. [B]Stiff[/B] - Mary Roach
2. [B]Eisner/Miller[/B] - Frank Miller and Will Eisner, Diana Schutz and Charles Brownstein (editors)
3. [B]Where You're At[/B] - Patrick Neate
4. [B]Freakonomics[/B] - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
5. [B]Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs[/B] - Chuck Klosterman

1. Still reading
2. A series of conversations between two of the most popular comic creators; Very insightful and revealing perspectives on the world of comics, Miller's points are just as bad ass as his works, Eisner (rip) was the OG, but his points are still worth noting. Quick read.
3. A British journalist travels the world in search of the meaning of hip-hop; Neate didn't really have anything to say, then again it could be my interest in hip-hop that blinded my reading. Stopped at chapter 3, skimmed the rest.
4. Book's subtitle: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything; It covers quite a bit of topics, such as drug dealers, teachers, parents, etc., but no where near "Everthing," since the book clocks in at 207 pages. I'll just blame the publishers at William Morrow via the publishers at HarperCollins for being misleading. As for the content, [I]Freakonomics[/I] takes a fresh look at some of America's problems, and comes up with radical conclusions. Thanks to abortion, crime rate is down! The results weren't too shocking to me, but several times I did go "hmm..I wonder?"
5. Journalist Klosterman takes a stab at pop culture; Most of the book was a hoot. I didn't agree with some of his ramblings like his praise for Billy Joel or his disapproval for soccer, but overall it was humorous.
# # #
Next readings;

[B]Haunted[/B] - Chuck Palahniuk
[B]Tokyo Cancelled[/B] - Rana Dasgupta; (even before reading Parkaboy's [URL=http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/community/showthread.php?t=21322]recommendation[/URL], this book was staring at me in the bookstore)
[B]Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion[/B] - Jenniger Saginor
[B]Killing Yourself to Live : 85% of a True Story[/B] - Chuck Klosterman

Have finished reading [I]Miss Wyoming[/I]. I like it.

My library holds on [I]Filth[/I] and [I]The World According to Garp[/I] came through a couple of days ago and I picked up the books on my way home today. I have yet to decide which to read first.

Still reading [I]The World According to Garp[/I], and it's still great, but I've since started to leaf through [I]Freud for beginners[/I].

Nothing at the moment, still waiting patiently for Contortionist's Handbook to show up.

Also, I've been peeking at an on-computer copy of Anarchists Cookbook of a friend of mine.

[QUOTE=Popcultjunkie]Next readings;

[B]Haunted[/B] - Chuck Palahniuk
[B]Tokyo Cancelled[/B] - Rana Dasgupta; (even before reading Parkaboy's [URL=http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/community/showthread.php?t=21322]recommendation[/URL], this book was staring at me in the bookstore)
[B]Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion[/B] - Jenniger Saginor
[B]Killing Yourself to Live : 85% of a True Story[/B] - Chuck Klosterman[/QUOTE]
I like Klosterman and I finished Tokyo Cancelled it's brilliant.

[QUOTE=Mr. Brown]COSMOPOLIS feels like a 20 min film compared to the 300 min piece that UNDERWORLD is. COSMOPOLIS is good, but UNDERWORLD is a monster. It will make you a better person.

Too bad that P.T. Anderson has optioned the rights to make a film about it. He's gonna rape it.[/QUOTE]
i picked up hardback copies of underworld and the satanic verses at HPB the other day for like 3 bucks a piece !

also finsihed reading The Descent by Jeff Long the other day very Critchon-esque but i dug it had a lot of ideas and theories about the origins of language but he didnt really go into them enough for my taste
reminded me a lot of Snow Crash in that respect both good books but should have been more to them

[QUOTE=Parkaboy]I'l finish it someday, but that vapid celebrity commentary didn't seem to be leading anywhere but into further entropy in the first 100 or so pages.[/QUOTE]
Parka, you gotta push on in this book man. It's slow going, but towards the end of the first section it really pics up. At the opening of the club everything starts falling apart and it just started flowing really fast. It took me a while to get to the opening of the club, but since then I've read a lot faster.

Finished Glamorama. I loved the book. It was a lot like American Psycho - with it's boring parts. But everything in the book is there for a reason. Things that happen in that first 100 page stretch of boredom are brought back up in the fast paced last hundred pages. I recommend that anybody who likes Ellis pus through this book.

Started reading Hell's Half Acre last night. So far I like.

READ-

Time of the new weather
the finished man by sean murphy
---TOTNW was the better of the 2, but both were good

Another Bullshit night in suck city by nick flynn
--- I read it over night... fan-tastic

Eden Express by mark vonnegut
--- I've just had a thing for memoirs lately, another great read though