I saw some people blogging recently about the books they’ve read (Linka, Brian and especially Marissa who seems to read at a rate of knots) so I decided to try it as well.
Here’s a list of some the books I’ve read in the last few months ranked according to content and readability.
1) Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke
Awesome reading. Clarke’s 19th Century writing style lends the novel such weight and credibility you feel like you’re reading a historical biography of English magic.
2) Imperial Ambitions by Noam Chomsky
Interesting information that you can gobble up in a day or two and impress your witless friends with.
3) The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby by Tom Wolfe
Classic Wolfe as only he can man - mind-blowingly detailed description of the who’s who and what’s what of middle-of-last-century America.
4) The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
Killer Kerouac – drinking, backpacking and philosophising across America’s West Coast in the 50s and 60s.
5) Wilt on High by Tom Sharpe
The follow-up to Wilt, Sharpe is damn funny as always.
6) Coldsleep Lullaby by Andrew Brown
Attorney-turned writer Brown’s attempt at a psycholical whodunit set dually in modern and historical Stellenbosch is good, but I think it lacks impetus.
7) The Triumph of the Sun by Wilbur Smith
Set in 19th Century Khartoum, the novel is good but lacks the cutting edge adventure of, say, Monsoon.
8) The Romantic Movement by Alain de Botton
An interesting attempt at analysing and categorising relationships, but lacks substance and warmth. I think it's too Prousty and would do better in a Philosophy 201 "Deconstruction" class .
Currently reading:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Very interesting personal post 9/11 fictional attempt, but I’m not a big fan of this conscious streaming writing style
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Looks like classic Kesey so far, will have to wait and see…
Here’s a list of some the books I’ve read in the last few months ranked according to content and readability.
1) Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke
Awesome reading. Clarke’s 19th Century writing style lends the novel such weight and credibility you feel like you’re reading a historical biography of English magic.
2) Imperial Ambitions by Noam Chomsky
Interesting information that you can gobble up in a day or two and impress your witless friends with.
3) The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby by Tom Wolfe
Classic Wolfe as only he can man - mind-blowingly detailed description of the who’s who and what’s what of middle-of-last-century America.
4) The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
Killer Kerouac – drinking, backpacking and philosophising across America’s West Coast in the 50s and 60s.
5) Wilt on High by Tom Sharpe
The follow-up to Wilt, Sharpe is damn funny as always.
6) Coldsleep Lullaby by Andrew Brown
Attorney-turned writer Brown’s attempt at a psycholical whodunit set dually in modern and historical Stellenbosch is good, but I think it lacks impetus.
7) The Triumph of the Sun by Wilbur Smith
Set in 19th Century Khartoum, the novel is good but lacks the cutting edge adventure of, say, Monsoon.
8) The Romantic Movement by Alain de Botton
An interesting attempt at analysing and categorising relationships, but lacks substance and warmth. I think it's too Prousty and would do better in a Philosophy 201 "Deconstruction" class .
Currently reading:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Very interesting personal post 9/11 fictional attempt, but I’m not a big fan of this conscious streaming writing style
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Looks like classic Kesey so far, will have to wait and see…
9 comments:
het jy safran foer se 'everything is illuminated' gelees? dis blykbaar heel brilliant.
Nee ek het nie, ek het nooit voor ek die boek in die hande gekry het eers van die dude gehoor nie, maar hy's supposedly 'n huge hit in die VSA, veral New York. As ek reg onthou is Everything is Illuminted 'n holocaust novel - nie exactly my gunstelling nie!
O dankie hiervoor! Dit is voorwaar 'n diens aan jou lesers!
Die beste boek wat ek onlangs gelees het is Perfume deur Patrick Suskend.
Iets anders is The Reader deur Bernard Schlink - regtig 'n boek waarmee jy nie jou tyd mors nie.
Ek het 'n tyd terug 'n kort interview met Coldsleep Lullaby se outeur gehad. Hy het een of ander prys vir die boek gewen. Wou dit nog heeltyd lees, maar as ek die teksflap so kyk, lyk dit maar flou. Nou bevestig jy dit net!
Happy reading!
Cool, sal bietjie daai boeke soek - ek is nou net klaar met die Foer book - dis toe nogals nice (ek skuif hom een op in die rankings!).
Ja, Coldsleep Lullaby is glad nie sleg nie, dis 'n moerse goeie attempt as ek dit so kan stel, maar dit los jou half leeg voel as of iets nog kort...dis nogals weird hoe hy bo "heavyweights" soos Andre P en JM Coetzee vir die Sunday Times Fiction prys gekies is...
Cool...en sal beslis jou lysie deurwerk.
Ek het hoeka op die oomblik niks om te lees nie, en het dus gisteraand met 'n resepteboek in die bed geklim! Was teen middernag rasend honger!
Ek sien julle gesels so lekker oor boeke en wil nie uitmis nie. Iets wat ek kan aanbeveel is The Kite Runner van Khaled Hosseini.
'n Aangrypende roman oor die lewe van 'n Afghan-seuntjie. 'n Mens kan dit nie neersit nie - veral nie as die boek end se kant toe staan nie.
Thanks Louise, sal dit 'n bietjie uitcheck - so many books, so little time!
Okay, sorry, this is a rather late comment. Just wanted to say, I loved "extremely loud and incredibly close". I loved the pictures and the typography and his way of combining the personal with the global. I also have "everything is illuminated" but didnt found it as good as "extreme...". I was glad I read it but it was a bit of a struggle. Some of the "English" in that is hilarious. I havent seen the movie yet.
Yeah Linka, I must admit it took a while getting into for me, but some of that kids thoughts are pretty damn funny when he "invents". I didn't know there was a movie, I'll keep a look out for it!
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