Topic: What are you reading?

[jam>]

I quit reading Heads sometime around '86 in his chronological timeline. Maybe I will jump back in this weekend.

I did some skimming here and there but overall found it worthwhile.

[ytowndan]

Throwing it back, actually first time reading this:

I don't think I've read that since it was assigned to me in high school.  I should probably go back and read it again, I'm sure I would appreciate it much more than I did at the time. 


As for me, I'm almost done with this:



It's a very moving story that takes place (mostly) in NYC shortly before, during and after WWII.  It's follows two Jewish cousins in Brooklyn, one of whom escaped from Nazi-occupied Prague to get there, who go on to become key players in the golden age of comic books.  I knew next to nothing about that industry before digging into it and, while I can imagine that a comic book nerd would really love the premise, you don't need to know anything about it to enjoy the book, as it's really a story about family and friendship.  There's also a lot of stuff about magic/escapism -- Harry Houdini shit -- so if that also interests you, then this is the book for you.  But, again, those are really just plot devices that are used to tell a much bigger story, so I would still recommend it to anyone really, regardless of your interest (or lack thereof) in comics/magic. 

[Hicks]

Throwing it back, actually first time reading this:

I don't think I've read that since it was assigned to me in high school.  I should probably go back and read it again, I'm sure I would appreciate it much more than I did at the time. 


As for me, I'm almost done with this:



It's a very moving story that takes place (mostly) in NYC shortly before, during and after WWII.  It's follows two Jewish cousins in Brooklyn, one of whom escaped from Nazi-occupied Prague to get there, who go on to become key players in the golden age of comic books.  I knew next to nothing about that industry before digging into it and, while I can imagine that a comic book nerd would really love the premise, you don't need to know anything about it to enjoy the book, as it's really a story about family and friendship.  There's also a lot of stuff about magic/escapism -- Harry Houdini shit -- so if that also interests you, then this is the book for you.  But, again, those are really just plot devices that are used to tell a much bigger story, so I would still recommend it to anyone really, regardless of your interest (or lack thereof) in comics/magic.

Great book, reminds me that I need to read Telegraph Avenue which is about a record store in Berkeley. 

[ytowndan]

I'll have to add Telegraph Avenue to my list.  I had never read anything by Chabon before, and I figured it was time to finally check him out, so I picked up used copies of "Kavalier and Clay" and "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" on the cheap.  Best four dollars I've spent on books in quite a while! 

[Caravan2001]

I'll have to add Telegraph Avenue to my list.  I had never read anything by Chabon before, and I figured it was time to finally check him out, so I picked up used copies of "Kavalier and Clay" and "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" on the cheap.  Best four dollars I've spent on books in quite a while!

Don't know why I never check this thread out.  I read a ton and am always looking for new stuff.  I want to check out Kavalier and Clay.  I have had Telegraph Ave on my Kindle for about a month.  It was on the staff picks shelf of a local bookstore so I threw it on the Kindle but haven't gotten to it yet.  Finished the Owsley bio a few weeks back (highly recommend) and have gotten through about 3/4 of Heads but haven't picked it up in a month.  Kind of lost steam for me but I'll finish it I'm sure.  Have to go back and look at this thread to see what's already been discussed.  Need to check out those Bitches Brew books too.

[VDB]

Just finished:



Fans of violence and whaling will enjoy this one.

[ytowndan]

I'll have to add Telegraph Avenue to my list.  I had never read anything by Chabon before, and I figured it was time to finally check him out, so I picked up used copies of "Kavalier and Clay" and "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" on the cheap.  Best four dollars I've spent on books in quite a while!

After taking a little break, I decided to dive back into Chabon's stuff.  I'm currently a little more than halfway through Telegraph Avenue, and I'm enjoying it just as much as I did Kavalier and Clay and Yiddish Policemen's Union.  I can imagine that you Vinyl Thread regulars will go bonkers over the subject matter (there's also a bunch of goodies for jazz fans and film buffs)!

I have his latest novel (Moonglow) on deck.

[ytowndan]

Just finished:



Fans of violence and whaling will enjoy this one.

I just picked this up at the library, and I'm looking forward to it!


I just finished Ill Will by Dan Chaon.  It's an awesome psychological thriller about two sets of murders that's being billed as a "literary thriller," which I suppose is an appropriate description, because it's very addictive and has the pace of a thriller, but it certainly doesn't spoon-feed you every last detail like most works of popular fiction in that genre.  On the contrary, it makes you work a bit and doesn't answer everything neatly.

The narrative structure is also kind of experimental: It is told through multiple points of view; has several timelines; uses first, second, and third-person narration; jumps from traditional prose to chains of emails and text messages; and it has a funky format that uses empty spaces to simulate broken or abandoned thoughts and will sometimes throw text into several vertical columns per page to simulate multiple tracks of thought. 

Depending on how fast you read and how much time you have, you might just devour this mind fuck of a novel in a night or two. 

[VDB]

Ill Will sounds interesting. Added to the list!

[VDB]

Interesting (and coincidental) timing on me reading this book, what with recent events and all. If you've seen Ken Burns's "The Civil War" (if you haven't, why haven't you?) then you're already a fan of Shelby Foote. Turns out he's just as good on the page as he is on the TV screen.

[mopper_smurf]

Tony Visconti - The Autobiography: Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy

Published in 2007. Fun read. Should be updated to cover the final two Bowie albums he worded on.

[mbw]

Interesting (and coincidental) timing on me reading this book, what with recent events and all. If you've seen Ken Burns's "The Civil War" (if you haven't, why haven't you?) then you're already a fan of Shelby Foote. Turns out he's just as good on the page as he is on the TV screen.

[susep]

[iamhydroJen]

[gah]

^^^ Phenomenal book. I just listened to it on audible, 15 years after initially reading it, and it was just as good and well worth the second go around. Enjoy.