what books did you just buy?

[QUOTE=Unhygenix]Slaughter House 5 by kurt vonnegut. Can anyone give me an idea of how good or bad this book is?[/QUOTE]

Everyone loves it, I loved it. He does an incredibly impressive job jumping through time. In fact, I think he comes about as close as you can get to his own description of seeing things in the 4th dimension, meaning, rather than time being sequential...eh, just read it, you already know you'll love it.

Just ordered: V: by Thomas Pynchon and Thucydides' "History" Jesus, someone buy me a tweed jacket.

[U]Women[/U]- Charles Bukowski
[U]The Alchemist[/U]- Paulo Coelho

I am a big fan of Bukowski so I am looking forward to reading anything by him.

A few years back I had read [U]La Quinta Montana [/U] by Paulo Coelho in a Spanish Class in college and really liked the way he wrote. I had heard great things about [U]The Alchemist[/U] from different people so I read it the day I bought it and loved it. It's such a simple book about following your dreams, something that has been done countless times yet I was never bored and I felt as if I was reading something unique and something with perspective. A very good read.

Anyway, those were the last two I bought...this was on Monday.

I just read Hempel for the first time. The Dog Of The Marriage is a collection of short stories and the only Hempel book I've found in the library or bookstore. I can see how Chuck's work is influenced from her. There were some parts as I was reading this that I felt she was the female Chuck. I thought there was amazing description and I don't think that was her most popular book either. In other words, I'd like to read her other works to have an even better understanding.

As for Ballard, I have just started to read Super-Cannes. It's a bit slower then what I like but it has some interesting thoughts so far. I can tell that J.G. Ballard is a highly educated man, so it seems I need to drink some Scotch while I read Ballard.

Anyways, I'll let you know more about Ballard as time goes by and I actually finish the story. Anyone with more input on Ballard especially this story?

Neanderthal - Darton

Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus

[ATTACH]6527[/ATTACH]

The full title is "CHICKEN FOOT SOUP AND OTHER RECIPES FROM THE PINE BARRENS" edited by Arlene Martin Ridgway, illustrated by Jim Bernard, pub by Rutgers University Press, NJ.

From the Pine Barrens, rich in seafood, berries, vegetables and game, comes this collection of unusual recipes. There is duck soup and huckleberry dumplings. Use cranberries in hot cranberry tea or cranberry wine. Put clams into a scouse or on a shingle. Serve fiddleheads or squash flowers with fried snapping turtle or muskrat.

[QUOTE=tyler branson][U]Women[/U]- Charles Bukowski.[/QUOTE]

This book is pretty cool, I haven't read so much of his stuff yet but I preferred Ham On Rye and Post Office to this. I've got Factotum sitting around here, I should really get round to reading it, the film is awesome.

Yeah she has several other collections of short stories out, one including a novella but no actual novels yet. If I was you I would hold off trying to track any of them down until May, because then there's a 'Collected Works' coming out. I love her stuff and the only book of hers I haven't been able to read is At The Gates Of The Animal Kingdom because it's so rare, cheapest copies I've seen on Amazon were about seventy quid. I'm pretty sure it's going to be included in the collected works so I'm definately getting it.

I haven't read this one, I've read a couple of his books. Cocaine Nights and Millenium People. I thought he seemed like a more mature version of Palahniuk. He seems to have good ideas for stories and concepts but I don't think he's as good a story teller as Palahniuk so they don't seem quite as convincing.

I've read The Outsider, The Fall and The Plague and I thought they were all great, I've never read these two though so you'll have to tell us how they compare.

[B]Kurt Vonnegut[/B] - [I]Man Without A Country[/I]
Been wanting to get my hands on this book. Loved his interview on the Daily Show last year and i'm a fan of his fiction, I'm curious how he goes about things in this book.

[B]Alfred Bester[/B] - [I]The Stars My Destination[/I]
A personal favorite author of mine, friend of mine got me into him after he noticed my fascination with Philip K. Dick novels. This one reads out like a sci-fi version of Edmond Dantes.

[B]Alex Garland[/B] - [I]The Coma[/I]
Always look at this book but never consider buying until today when I saw the hardcover for 5 bucks, so I said what the hell.

[QUOTE=UbikRex]
[B]Alex Garland[/B] - [I]The Coma[/I]
Always look at this book but never consider buying until today when I saw the hardcover for 5 bucks, so I said what the hell.[/QUOTE]

I liked The Coma. It got ripped in reviews a bit (mainly about the ending) but I thought, well do better yourselves then! (If I haven't written it, I couldn't think of another way to end it.)

I just bought The Little Friend by Donna Tartt and the Amy Hempel Collected Stories (of course!).

Philip K. Dick - [I]Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?[/I]
Nick Hornby - [I]A Long Way Down
How to speak Portuguese in 10 minutes a Day[/I]

[QUOTE=Federov]
Nick Hornby - A Long Way Down[/QUOTE]

i finished reading that one last week. i laughed out loud at least three times.

George Orwell - Animal Farm

Are there any good mangas for a noob?

I bought Donna Tartt - The Secret History on Harriet's advice. I can't wait to throw myself into it after exams are done.

If anyone gets that new Coupland book, let me know if it's any good.

[QUOTE=188416]I bought Donna Tartt - The Secret History on Harriet's advice. I can't wait to throw myself into it after exams are done.[/QUOTE]
Tell me what you think of [I]secret history[/I]. Personally I loved it but I'm bias cause I know the area she writes about well. I was the narrator when she starts describing the COLD! Anyway she's quite the wordsmith...writes a sentence a day, expect her new one in eight years.
Ordered....
[IMG]http://demontheory.net/wp-admin/images/bird-flash222.gif[/IMG]
A couple days past. Looking forward to reading his stuff. From what I hear he writes wonderful surreal prose, plus he's native American, doesn't get much better than that!

AM Homes 'This Book Will Save Your Life' (very good, just finished it)
Paul Neilman 'Apathy and Other Small Victories' (just starting)

tom spanbauer's new one "now is the hour" ive had it for a couple weeks, even though its just released nationwide today

THANKS TOM!

I finally bought a fiction book. School and other things have kept me from buying anything but nonfiction.

Today I bought Company and Syrup by Max Barry.

I've been meaning to pick these up because I really like Jennifer Government.

freakonomics - steven d. levitt, stephen j. dubner

Douglas Coupland - JPod

Henry's List of Wrongs by John Scott Shepherd.

[b]Dermaphoria[/b]- Craig Clevenger
[b]nimrod flip out[/b]- Etgar Keret

Went up to Portland and bought way too much at Powell's: Amy Hempel's Collected Stories, AEIOU by Jeffrey Brown, Banana Sunday by Colleen Coover, Yeti 3 and bunch of other lit mags and a handful of zines.

[QUOTE=Atomos]tom spanbauer's new one "now is the hour" ive had it for a couple weeks, even though its just released nationwide today

THANKS TOM![/QUOTE]
Are you taking classes with Tom? How is his new book?

I finally have my own copy of C.S. Lewis' [I]Mere Christianity[/I].
I can't really afford to buy books lately and have been raiding the public library, but I've been waiting
for months for this book and am still waiting.. so I figured I'd just go for it.
I'm so happy!

clan of the cave bear

[QUOTE=mary]Are you taking classes with Tom? How is his new book?[/QUOTE]
yes and no. i havent been in a whole because in my situation i need a ride and all my friends work thursday nights. i have a friend who is a former student who has offered to shre what hes learned from tom. but currently i havent been able to go to more than one meeting of DW. although it was a phenominal experience. and if i only ever go to that one, it was worth it.

Modern Control Systems (10th Edition)

Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Highly Recommend, great book, interesting useless information (kinda sounds like a Chuck book), easy fun read.

The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving

Oh fuck aload of books in one go: Vurt and Automated Alice by Jeff Noon, Vellum by Hal Duncan, Glitorama (old but heard alot of hype about it) by Bret Easton Ellis and aload of other stuff.

i'm cracking down and not buying anything new until i thin out my "to read" pile

[B]Philip K. Dick[/B] - [I]The Cosmic Puppets[/I]
[B]Leonard Cohen[/B] - [I]The Favorite Game[/I]

Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra
and
Virginia Woolf - the Waves

Suvivor. Third time for that one.

Joyce's "Ulysses"... I've heard it's very 'ambitious' -- if this is good or bad, I don't know...

[QUOTE=UbikRex]
[B]Leonard Cohen[/B] - [I]The Favorite Game[/I][/QUOTE]
have you seen the documentary about him coming out ?
I'm Your Man i think its called

[QUOTE=karbunkle]have you seen the documentary about him coming out ?
I'm Your Man i think its called[/QUOTE]

No, but i'll look into it.

[QUOTE=UbikRex]No, but i'll look into it.[/QUOTE]
half the things ive seen looks like its coming out on DVD
the other half looks like its coming to theaters
so i got no idea

house of leaves, and something by don delillo

I just scored the whole Hot Blood series of 'erotic horror' short stories for $15 (including shipping) on ebay.

Horror,sex and gore just go so well together.

I went shopping yesterday because I am going on vacation in September. Needed books to occupy my free time:

Purchased:

Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking
Jonathan Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Carl Hiassen's Basket Case (I lent this book out and it was never returned)
Melvin Burgess' Smack
Ian McEwan Saturday

I might have to go back later for more...I don'tthink 5 is going to do the trick. Any recommendations for vacation reading. I have 2 weeks.

Stephen Graham Jones - Demon Theory
Stephen Graham Jones - Bleed Into Me

Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita

Stephen Ambrose : [B]Band of Brothers[/B]

[QUOTE=franc tireur]Stephen Ambrose : [B]Band of Brothers[/B][/QUOTE]
Stephen Ambrose is one of my favorite historians of all time. The HBO mini-series was remarkably true to Ambrose's account, (I think he was actually involved in the script-writing an all that) so be sure to check that out, too. Also, his books about Lewis & Clark were great...not sure if you're just into WWII though. Are you reading this in English, btw?

In fact I bought the book (in french) after buying the miniseries in DVD. To my knowledge Ambrose was consulted during the scriptwriting process, but did not write directly. On the other hand, before passing away, he did not revise the (minor) mistakes he had made in BoB and that had been signalled from different sources, for example the fact that the french troops were first to reach the Eagle's Nest.

Are you just into WWII, then?

from time to time.

This isn't a 'buy,' but I just got Peter Hedges' "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" from the library, via interlibrary loan from gawd knows where.

It was such a good movie, it's got to me a monster book, being a debut novel and all, right?