LegoHat

I've heard a lot of good things about Tom Wolfe, what would you guys recommend from his work? The Bonfire of the Vanities, The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test or something completely different?

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- Hunter S. Thompson

MJG

Books that I have read, am reading, or have purchased with intention to read this summer ...

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams

Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

I've only finished the last, and I'm currently into the first -- both are excellent. Two of the others are by the same authors, which is why I got them. I picked up Haddon's book on sale after getting it recommended to me by several friends.

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LegoHat

It seems like the books people are reading most at the moment is The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Da Vinci Code and the new Harry Potter. I've never really gotten into Harry Potter, but both The Da Vinci Code and The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy are books I need to read, because that many people can't be wrong.

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"True gonzo reporting needs the talents of a master journalist, the eye of an artist/photographer and the heavy balls of an actor. Because the writer must be a participant in the scene, while he's writing it – or at least taping it, or even sketching it. Or all three. Probably the closest analogy to the ideal would be a film director/producer who writes his own scripts, does his own camera work and somehow manages to film himself in action, as the protagonist or at least a main character."

- Hunter S. Thompson

The Truth

I can't believe someone else on this site has read that book!!!

Undoubtedly my favorite novel of all time.

You don't read that novel, you experience it. The month that I read "Infinite Jest" will always be remembered as a very special time in my life...that book meant that much to me. I can't wait until I have the time to read it again.

I also love Wallace's short stories and essays. His collection of essays "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" is fantastic.

I have to leave right now, but I'll get back on here later to make some more suggestions.

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MJG

I picked up the Hitchhiker collection on a whim because it was 40% off at Borders, and there was a pretty good risk/reward ratio on spending eleven bucks on 800+ pages of something so universally praised. I've never been big into sci-fi or British humor, yet I still loved the thing. The first book is one of my favorite of all time now, and the series as a whole is well worth reading in my opinion.

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Turkish Delight

A couple of books that I'm currently reading from Fyodor Dostoyevsky are Crime And Punishment, and The Brothers Karamazov.

Snuffleupagus

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins

SeaNet

I would recommend the Larisa Volkohnsky (sp?) translations. Much more readable, IMO. Both books are great. The Brothers Karamazo is among the greatest books of all time (IMO, along w/ Infinite Jest). Everything you ever needed to know about the ethical and moral implications and necessities of being human is in that book. Pure genius. If you pick it up, make sure to give yourself at least through the Grand Inquisitor section before you give up on it, if you aren't liking it. Fyodor takes a little while to get into. But its worth the effort.

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SeaNet

Ghoti on the Nets board is reading it right now. It is an absolute Tour de Force. I'm right there w/ you about remembering the time during which I was reading it. It was everything I was looking forward to at that time in my life (things were admittedly a bit stalled, lifewise). I'd go to work/do my schoolwork, but all I wanted to do, was get home and read. Depth, humor, irony, absurdity you name it. Pure genius. The way Wallace sets up his jokes is amazing... I'll never forget... "There was a serious risk of avalanche on Mount Dilaudid into Lake Urine." Or something close to that. Had me rolling. That and the line about the coach's response to Gately running the 40 in HS or Middle School. Priceless stuff.

And that fight scene w/ Gately (the name was Gately, yes? (its been many years since I have read it)) and the French Canadians. It was amazingly well-written. Never seen a fight so well captured in prose.

A supposedly Fun THing that I'll Never do Again, was also amazing. Esp. the article about the cruise and the one about the State Fair in Illinois.

To David Foster Wallace...

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TomBoerwinkle#1

Here is a list of favorite books I've posted several times:

http://www.basketballboards.net/foru...99#post1247399


I'll update if I get a chance.

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tb3214

I'm actually reading "A Short History Of Nearly Everything", it's a really good read. Not boring at all and full of massive amounts of useful and not so useful but really interesting facts.

Some other books to read:
Ishmael - Daniel Quinn
My Ishmael - Daniel Quinn I think these 2 books should be required reading for everone on the planet.

One Hundred Years Of Solitude - Gabriel Marquez Garcia
The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
Freakonomics - I'm spacing right now as to who the author is
1984 - Orwell

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jmk

If you enjoy those Vonnegut books, you must read Cat's Cradle. My single favorite book and, in my opinion, Vonnegut's top masterpiece.

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SeaNet

Just re-read that a month or two ago. Pure Genius (my catchphrase for this thread!!!). It is just so refreshingly bleak and pessimistic wrt/ the nature of the human race.

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The Truth

Seriously, Dude, this is getting a little weird...

I know that saying "The Brothers Karamazov" is a great novel is stating the obvious, but it is incredible. What really surprised me, even in the first pages, was Dostoevsky's humor. And the Grand Inquisitor section is not only an incredible section, but widely regarded as some of the best writing. Ever.

Right now I am engrossed in Gunter Grass's The Tin Drum, which also happens to be an incredibly humorous book (and it's set during freaking WWII).

I'm going to add a comprehensive list later tonight.

I am such a geek.

As to "Infinite Jest," I read it about a year and a half ago, after I finished my internship and before I began my job. I had about 3 months where I did nothting but read, explore Chicago, and hang out with friends...definitely one of the best periods of my life (to this point). My little brother just graduated from high school and is going to major in creative writing at Iowa (one of the best schools for writing). I gave him Infinite Jest for his 18th birthday, and it blew him away as well...it gave both of us a new understanding of what a novel can be and what fiction can accomplish.

Wallace is a genius in the purest sense of the word.

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Kneejoh

I just finished reading The Last Juror by John Grisham, would you guys recommend any of his other books.

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