Thom Jones - Sonny Liston was a Friend of Mine

Moe.ron where are you? You told me to start a thread on this and now you are nowhere to be found. It is dying here.

sorry, sorry, i was in general discussion wishing you HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

i haven't read it in a long time, so give me the weekend to 1) find it and 2) refresh my memory. i've got the pugilist at rest on the brain as i've been in deep discussion about these stories with a pal who just finished it. kay?

[QUOTE=moe.ron]sorry, sorry, i was in general discussion wishing you HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

i haven't read it in a long time, so give me the weekend to 1) find it and 2) refresh my memory. i've got the pugilist at rest on the brain as i've been in deep discussion about these stories with a pal who just finished it. kay?[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the Birthday wishes. I still haven't read "The Pugilist at Rest" yet. I have to get this John Douglas book read first that somebody told me to read. We can talk about that here too if you want.

which, the douglas book, or the pugilist at rest? which douglas are you reading? (i'll assume you mean the former fbi recruiter)

[QUOTE=moe.ron]which, the douglas book, or the pugilist at rest? which douglas are you reading? (i'll assume you mean the former fbi recruiter)[/QUOTE]

"Anyone you Want me to Be" by John Douglas (the former fbi guy)
I have to finish this and then I can start "Pugilist at Rest."

i just looked up that douglas book...wow, that looks like a great read! how is it so far?

[QUOTE=moe.ron]i just looked up that douglas book...wow, that looks like a great read! how is it so far?[/QUOTE]
Well, I went into it with a closed mind. I was only going to read it because this person told me to and then lent me their copy. So at first it felt like I had to push through it and it sucked. Now I have let myself get into it and it is getting better. It is amazing to me how the guy the book is about has no conscience what-so-ever. He does things for his own benefit, whether it might ruin somebody's life or not. I am not even 100 pages into the book right now, so he hasn't started the internet stuff yet. But the way his mind works and how he thinks is just so fucked up.

Since nobody is responding to this, maybe we could include Thom Jones' other books. Right now I am reading "The Pugilst at Rest" and I am willing to discuss both that and "Sonny Liston was a Friend of Mine."

ok, let's discuss. i saw in the "what are you reading" thread that you don't understand what the big deal is about thom jones. do you not enjoy his writing style? or is it the content you find less than interesting?

[QUOTE=moe.ron]ok, let's discuss. i saw in the "what are you reading" thread that you don't understand what the big deal is about thom jones. do you not enjoy his writing style? or is it the content you find less than interesting?[/QUOTE]
Moe, it seems like we are in this one alone. That's ok though, at least I can get a different perspective from someone.

His stories are good, but I don't see anything special about them. I feel like I am missing something. Like I said I have only read two of the stories in "Pugilst" so I can't really say much about that book (I am on my third right now).

Some of his stories don't seem to have any direction at all - starting at one point and just changing directions a lot. Some stories are better when they do that, but some of his stories could do with out that - they would be shorter, but they would make more sense.

well, i'd agree that some stories are better than others, but maybe you're having a problem with the short story format? maybe give me an example of one of the stories you thought went nowhere, or didn't make sense.

[QUOTE=moe.ron]well, i'd agree that some stories are better than others, but maybe you're having a problem with the short story format? maybe give me an example of one of the stories you thought went nowhere, or didn't make sense.[/QUOTE]
Have you gotten around to reading "Sonny Liston was a Friend of Mine" (the book) yet?

I have to go back and flip through it to find particular examples. I will be sure to do that as soon as I can.

As for the short story format question - I have no problem with that. "The Informers" and "Jesus' Son" are two of my favorite books. I really like to read short stories for a change of pace.

i read sonny liston a while ago, and can remember the general details of the stories, but i've recently re-read pugilist because my friend rob wanted to discuss. i tried to find my copy of sonny liston, but i think it's in a box at my parents' house.

[QUOTE=moe.ron]maybe give me an example of one of the stories you thought went nowhere, or didn't make sense.[/QUOTE]
The story "Sonny Liston," is really good, in fact it is probably one of my favorites, if not my favorite, story in the book. I also liked "40, Still Home," "Tarantula," and "My Heroic Mythic Journey."

I couldn't get into none of the war stories really - especially "The Roadrunner" and "A Run Through The Jungle." "Mouses" just seemed dumb and pointless. I really didn't understand why it was written. "You Cheated, You Lied" could have been half the length. It was just long winded and started to get boring.

Like I said before, I think all his stories are good, I just don't see what's so special about them. They just don't stand out like they are something great that everybody needs to read.

Right now I am reading "The Pugilist at Rest" and the first few stories were OK, but now I just finished Part II and that part was really good. I enjoyed each one of those stories. So maybe it is just subject matter for me.

P.S. - Happy belated Birthday

wow, VERY belated, but thanks!!

you know, i might play along with the "5 books everyone should read" thing, but i don't think there's really any one book EVERYONE should read. i just think everyone should read, period, any/everything that interests them. ya know? i really like TJ's writing style and voice and i find war stories interesting. it's sort of stupid to point out to someone this part, RIGHT HERE, this is what makes this author special! it's like forcing your opinion on someone. it's ok if you didn't like his stuff, but i do give you props for at least trying it

[QUOTE=moe.ron]wow, VERY belated, but thanks!!

you know, i might play along with the "5 books everyone should read" thing, but i don't think there's really any one book EVERYONE should read. i just think everyone should read, period, any/everything that interests them. ya know? i really like TJ's writing style and voice and i find war stories interesting. it's sort of stupid to point out to someone this part, RIGHT HERE, this is what makes this author special! it's like forcing your opinion on someone. it's ok if you didn't like his stuff, but i do give you props for at least trying it :)[/QUOTE]
I don't not like his stuff. Does that make any sense. I just don't see what the big deal is. His writing is good and I really liked some of the stories, but most of them were just like anything else I have read. You like the war stories and I think those are the stories that I like the least. I think that is the major reason that I am liking "The Pugilist at Rest" more, now that I am passed the first part.

I think I would have liked "Sonny Liston" a lot better if I had read "Pugilist" first. There are a lot of things that are consistant through out both books, like families, people, Break on Through, etc., and I am getting into that. I think that is one of the cooler things about him, how he has all these people that are reoccuring through his other stories.

makes total sense. i feel the same way about douglas coupland - what the hell does everyone think is so great about this guy? i mean, i loved girlfriend in a coma, but microserfs was horrible and hey nostradamus was...meh...but everyone LOVES him. oh well.

on an unrelated note, for what are you accepting applications?

[QUOTE=moe.ron]makes total sense. i feel the same way about douglas coupland - what the hell does everyone think is so great about this guy? i mean, i loved girlfriend in a coma, but microserfs was horrible and hey nostradamus was...meh...but everyone LOVES him. oh well.

on an unrelated note, for what are you accepting applications?[/QUOTE]
I edited above right as you posted this.

What do you want to apply for?

you said you didn't like part one, right? that was the part with "break on through" and "blacklights" right?

i don't know what's available to apply for, so how can i have s'more if i haven't had any at all?

Once school starts, I'll have very little free time to read anything non-school related, but I think I'll give Thom Jones a shot. Are the stories all boxing-related? (Sorry, I'd read the thread, but I don't want to spoil anything for myself).

nah, not all of 'em...but most of them have a boxing tie-in. a lot of the stories are about 'nam and the aftermath.

are you a fan of schopenhauer, owen? lots of his philosophical influence in TJ's stories.

Part I consist of The Pugilist at Rest, Break on Through, and The Black Lights.

[QUOTE=PGoutis01]Part I consist of The Pugilist at Rest, Break on Through, and The Black Lights.[/QUOTE]
...stupid boys...

[QUOTE=moe.ron]

are you a fan of schopenhauer, owen? lots of his philosophical influence in TJ's stories.[/QUOTE]

Can't say I've read any Schopenhauer, moe. Is s/he worth reading?

[QUOTE=owenwarland]Can't say I've read any Schopenhauer, moe. Is s/he worth reading?[/QUOTE]
are you into philosophy? the idea that there is no free will, but only an illusion of such guided by one universal source? pessimism? guys who write stuff you think is total and utter bullshit, but can't help reading because it's so fascinating? if you answered yes to these questions, you'll love schopenhauer. see also: immanuel kant.

[QUOTE=moe.ron]...stupid boys...[/QUOTE]
Come on Moe, you know you laughed.

Schopenhauer, is the philosopher that he is always making references to, right? Do you think if you understand Schopenhauer, it will help with Thom Jones?

If I wanted to brush on the subject of philophy, which ones would you suggest to get a little of the basic ideas?

i have to admit, i did chuckle. but you should not sexually harass moderators!!

i'm running out the door right now, but we'll continue this discussion on monday, kay?

Moe, I just finished "The Pugilist at Rest" last night. I did like that one a little better than "Sonny Liston." The stories do seem to get better toward the middle. It was an alright book. I will probably reread it sometime and hopefully get more from it then. Or maybe I reread stories from it off and on. We'll see.

pg, are you interested in reading cold snap? i haven't, yet, but i was thinking maybe we could have a discussion after if you're into it...

[QUOTE=moe.ron]pg, are you interested in reading cold snap? i haven't, yet, but i was thinking maybe we could have a discussion after if you're into it...[/QUOTE]
Sure, but it is going to be a while. I have a ton of books already sitting on my shelf that I have to get to before I will allow myself to buy any more.

alright, fine, joe mcreadstooslow!!

what are you reading now?

[QUOTE=moe.ron]alright, fine, joe mcreadstooslow!!

what are you reading now?[/QUOTE]
Hey! I wouldn't say that to you.
I just started "House of Leaves" actually. I have a bunch of other books after that too. Usually I can read pretty fast, but I don't think I am going to be able to do that with HoL.

Just finished Cold Snap, my first book by Thom Jones. I liked it, especially the story about the drunk monkeys. I don't read a lot of short stories, his seem like they are snapshots. No real resolution to them, pretty entertaining though.

I've read the book a couple more times since opening this thread 5 years ago. lol

I've read Cold Snap. I really liked that one. The drunk monkey story is one of the most memorable stories in the book.