Desire Avenue

"The Whalestoe Letters" <--bloody brilliant. an entire book of letters from a schzophrenic (or the like) mother to her son (who is the narrator of The House of Leaves). Alittle depressing, yes, but it makes you want to learn latin fluently.

Kind of a supplement to "The House of Leaves" by the same author, Mark Z. Danielewski. I actually read the Letters before the House. I had to buy it online, it's not around anywhere here in stores. But definitely worth it. If a book sticks in my head for 2 years until i finally buy it, i personally consider it a treasure.

Popco, by Scarlett Thomas. beautiful, natural, uncontrived, engaging, zeigistic. it was kind of fitting that i actually found this in a local library (you have to read it to know why). then i bought it. it was that good. usually this happens to me in the opposite order.

then i find out that the writer actually wrote it in three libraries (scared to go home for some reason)

Scarlett Thomas has her own website : http://www.bookgirl.org

u can read blurbs there. i'm not good at writing book reviews.

Sounds interesting, Coral. I'll have to put it on my list.

I've read House of Leaves, too, Ruth. I thought it was fascinating. Your post made me laugh because I would definitely consider it on of those uber popular books! No matter though, it's totally worthy of its populartity. I was obsessed with the footnotes and determined to read every one. If only I'd been so thorough when I was in college... oh well. [angel]

Currently re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix because I wanted a refresher before reading the new one. I'm so far behind! And then, of course, a NEW LEMONY SNICKET next month! Dave and barrett, have you checked out thenamelessnovel.com? I'm a few days behind on the puzzles and clues, but it's been a lot of fun so far.

Maybe one of these days I'll get back around to reading books written for adults.

Angie wrote: And then, of course, a NEW LEMONY SNICKET next month! Dave and barrett, have you checked out thenamelessnovel.com? I'm a few days behind on the puzzles and clues, but it's been a lot of fun so far.

No,but i noticed my local library have ordered 46(!) copies of Nameless Novel.Must be the surge of popularity after the film.Oddly enough,just been revisiting the film on DVD yesterday and today.Fabulous animations!
Must try the website !

'The Unconsoled' by Kazuo Ishiguro,one of my favourite authors.Haunting and terrifying.
Currently-just started Alan Bennett's latest collection,and 'Birds Brittanica' which is a bird book with a difference-an examination of the culture and human relationship with our feathered friends,none of the scientific stuff you get in every other bird book.Wonderful.
Both were Christmas presents!

I am currently immersed in poetry from the Romantic era, and loathing every minute. I always did hate this stuff at school and I clearly haven't changed at all, I still want to slap the lot of them. The Romantic poets, that is.

Who's that then-Sheats and Kelly? Wordsworth? etc
Surely not Blake?
I love all that stuff.'Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world'.If only...I argued for that as a callow and green youth

Agatha Christie (the hitchcock of books) i can't rememebr the title but it's about a family with a mother that's a supertyrant freakishly so and someone kills her. the ending is a surprise.

ruth1998 wrote: it's about a family with a mother that's a supertyrant freakishly so and someone kills her. the ending is a surprise.

sound world wrote:Who's that then-Sheats and Kelly? Wordsworth? etc
Surely not Blake?
I love all that stuff.'Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world'.If only...I argued for that as a callow and green youth

All of the above, and many lesser ones. I hate them all. So much I want to build a time machine, go back there and kill them all so I won't have to study them in the 21st century.

what about John Donne? You can't hate John Donne! your eye in mine and thine and all that

Donne was a couple of hundred years before the Romantics.He was a 'metaphysical' poet along with George Herbert etc.

Got a wodge of music books to read,starting up with 'Innocent when you dream' a collection of Tom Waits interviews over the years.Because Tom is talking a lot of the time,it's fascinating and sidesplittingly funny.He's very quickwitted and briliant with wordplay
Example-on a talk show early in his career,the host notices that Tom has a bottle of booze:
Host:- Oh I see you've got a bottle in front of you
Waits:- I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy
Also because it's a book of interviews ,there are passages of critical writing,which for the most part is surprisingly perceptive.
Next up-a book about the late Chris McGregor and the Brotherhood of Breath,the wonderful,riotous big band made up of several South African expatriates fleeing apartheid in the early 70s,and the British ringers they ended up among.I've hunted this book,written by Chris's widow,for ten years.

Star Wars, 365 days. A gift from a friend, I'm not a huge star wars fan but the book is very interesting. It's almost only technical stuffs so only for the cinema as an art fans.