I've had a lot more reading time in January than I expected. Just finished The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, which was thoroughly excellent.
Going to give this a shot this year, need to get better at this: January: 1. The Martian by Andy Weir 2. Star Wars - Paradise Snare (Han Solo trilogy) by AC Crispin 3. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 4. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell February: 5. No-Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson 6. Invisible Monsters Remix by Chuck Palahniuk Currently Reading: 1. Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggers 2. Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon
Aiming for 12 this year 1. Cloud Atlas OK, let's get this out of the way... no, the stories aren't that cleverly connected to one another from a story perspective (e.g. Frobisher finding the second half of the Ewing book under the bed, etc.)... also the whole comet birthmark thing is a cheap device... all of this unnecessary and superficial... also, the author seems to be aware that the structure of the novel is gimmicky or at least that it might be accused of being so (check out the Forbisher letter from 21st - X - 1931), BUT, even if such devices and mechanisms are a bit of a bummer (because they were unnecessary), the stories DO fit conceptually into a sort of grand spiritual narrative, and that is no small feat. Additionally (most of) the stories are exciting and maintain a good pace, and Mitchell's ability to paint so many different pictures in such a clear manner and in such few pages is rather impressive. Also, I've read some reviews calling it complicated, or a chore. It is neither of them, just give yrslf time to adjust to each story's world/language/characters (you'll get it eventually) and plow through the first chapter and you'll be fine. Ranking of the stories (enjoyment wise) because why not: 1. Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After 2. Letters from Zedelghem 3. An Orison of Sonmi~451 4. Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery 5. The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish 6. The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing but all were p cool (except maybe Ewing's, which could get a bit arid, but I get it, it's the style of the Epoch he was trying to emulate) I give it a 3/4
While I disagree with your spoilered points (I think the structure of the novel works wonderfully well and adds to the experience, etc.), I'm glad you enjoyed the book! It's easily in my top-ten favorite books of all time, so it's cool to see other people checking it out.
don't get me wrong, it is a fucking good book, and the dude's talented AF - I just think some of those elements were meh (not even bad)
Yeah, I hear you. I can see why people wouldn't enjoy some of those aspects of his books, even though I do quite a bit. And, like you said, they don't detract from the overall experience, which is good.
1. Breakfast of Champions 2. The Royal Tenenbaums 3. Elements of Style 4. On Writing 5. A Farewell to Arms 6. To Have and Have Not 7. Joyland 8. All Quiet on the Western Front
Books: 1) Lock & Key: The Gadwall Incident by Ridley Pearson Audiobooks: 1) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 2) Armada by Ernest Cline 3) Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 4) Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan 5) Bones In Her Pocket by Kathy Reichs Comics/Graphic Novels: 1) Invader Zim Vol 2 2) Gotham Academy Vol 3 3) DC Universe: Rebirth Deluxe Edition 4) Southern Bastards Vol 1 5) Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Katana
Aiming for 45 this year after falling just short of 60 last year. Goodreads Currently Reading: Submission by Michel Houellebecq Up Next: The Visiting Privilege by Joy Williams The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford The Lichtenberg Figures by Ben Lerner Best American Sports Writing 2016 Anchor Book of New American Short Stories Lincoln on the Bardo by George Saunders Swing Time by Zadie Smith
Hm, good question. I think Sloosha's was the best written and the most compelling overall. Sonmi-451 was probably my favorite story to read for the sheer enjoyment/imagination part of it. And, frankly, I really liked Ewing's story. Like a classic adventure that framed the whole book for me. But yeah, either Sloosha's or Sonmi-451. They were all different enough to be fascinating in their own ways.
Overall, yes. I'm at the point where the last few months have been hard and I've been questioning a lot of things. I liked the way it's written - there's more reflective bits and then she weaves her story in. The American religious experience is very different to the UK though. But it was helpful and interesting for me. Have you read it or were you just interested?
I'm sorry the last few months have been hard. I definitely understand the questioning phase. I've read her first book, Evolving In Monkey Town (recently re-published as Faith Unraveled). Her father was also one of my favorite college professors/mentors. She and I went to the same college and both worked on the school newspaper a few years apart. I've got this and Year of Biblical Womanhood, just haven't read them yet.
Updated. Currently listening to Trevor Noah's "Born A Crime" and currently reading Gregory MacGuire's "Wicked."
Pretty good first month. Little Heaven was fucking amazing. Adored Silence. Both Kingdom Come versions were great and I was really surprised how good the novelization was, like it was a legit philosophical fantasy novel.
Have you read any of the Saxon series? I read "The Last Kingdom" a while back and I'm unsure if I liked it enough to continue on with it