I just finished And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut a Life by Charles Shields. This could easily be one of the most jilted half-assed biographies I've ever read. Shields opens the book with his desperation to get Vonnegut to allow him to be his biographer and allow him to write his book. Kurt initially refuses the request and then eventually allows it. Shortly after, Kurt Vonnegut passed away.

The major problem in this book though is that Shields appears to hate Kurt Vonnegut. He seems like a man who had only read Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-5 in high school and then had to suffer through the rest of his work after getting the job.

Sourcing is a huge issue in this work. It seems like Shields' main source of quotes seem to come from his ex-wife or his daughter Nannette, who clearly had issues with her father. The effect it creates is Sheilds comes acrossed looking like a jilted lover himself. read more »

Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre.

Also on volume 7/15 of The Arabian Nights and 2/7 of In Search of the Lost Time.

anyone else into this book totally geeky but dam fine for it. I see he's signed it up a movie and has written scripts before so am at least glad he went the way of writing the book first not just pitching a script. anyone else love to spend some time in the OASIS?

Hey everyone,

I need a little bit of help from some of you that know these things much better than I do. I would like to get some first edition, first printings of some of Chuck's novels. I have read about the number line and what not to identify first printings but have a question.

I was just wondering do the ten numbers have to be in order for it to be a first printing (ie. 1234567890)? Or does it just need to have all ten numbers?

Thanks in advance!

For me:

Daniel Fights a Hurricane: A Novel by Shane Jones

The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan read more »

Hey everyone,

I am one of those people that goes in and out of reading phases. I'll go on a reading binge of sorts than not pick up a book for a while. Anyways, I'm looking for some recommendations.

I have read all of Chuck's fiction with the exception of Pygmy & Tell All. My favorites out of those were Survivor, Lullaby, Choke, Diary, Fight Club. The only ones I didn't enjoy all that much were Snuff and Haunted. I've also really enjoyed the Vonnegut I've read which are Mother Night, Sirens of Titan, an Slaughterhouse-Five. Brave New World, The Green Mile, and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest are some of my other favorites.

Hopefully that will give you a general idea of the types of books I enjoy and you can recommend accordingly.

Thanks.

Anyone else feel this book was over-hyped and just not very great? I generally like Murakami, but this book went on for too long and just felt long in that "oh god really again more of this?" type way.