Morgan BellMy Winter Reading List
May 1st 2009 08:01
As the weather cools off I head to the bookstore.
I love buying books, however I very rarely finish them.
Ive been reading "Madame Bovary" (1857) for about 6 years, its a bit dull, I love the idea of the story but the way it is written is a little too verbose for me to concentrate on.
Ive had Angela Carter's "Nights At The Circus" (1984) on the go for about 4 years, it is an amazing novel, but I get this crazy instinct to save it for later, I dont want it to end, I want to savour every morsel and reflect on it. Her observations about gender and sexual relations are truly humbling, the lady is a master.
Ive also been reading DBC Pierre's "Vernon God Little" (2003) for the last year. My dad collects first editions of all the Booker and Pulitzaer prize winning books. He also reads most of the ones he purchases, even though i know he prefers his plot-driven espionage novels. He told me he could only read 30 pages of "Vernon God Little" and he just didnt get it. My father and I are polar opposite in taste, so I took his dislike for the book as a sign I would adore it, and I do. It is written from the perspective of a young man in the wake of a mass school shooting, but it is written as an absurd black comedy. My slow progress on this novel can also be attributed to wanting to "save some for later".
So, back to the book store to purchase more novels I wont finish.
This is what I hope to read this winter:
Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex" (2002)
As recommended by Orble's CherylJ, this is a coming of age story of an intersex person. I have seen it described as a "tale of incest, of a family torn by death and rage, of a man living as a girl" . . . right up my alley!
Ian McDonald's "River Of Gods" (2004)
This is a sci-fi book set in India, the following description really piqued my interest:
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's "Venus In Furs" (1870)
The writer who brought Masochism to the world - the sexual desire to have pain inflicted on oneself. It is the story of Severin and Wanda. The story that inspired Lou Reed's song "Venus In Furs" - severin, severin, ... shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather. The song was used in Gus Van Sant's film "Last Days", and the name Severin was referenced in John Cameron Mitchell's film "Shortbus".
Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" (1957)
Ayn Rand was an outspoken Atheist. This novel is her fourth, longest, and last - she considered it her fiction writing magnum opus. It is a dystopian sci-fi mystery. I actually became interested in reading this novel after seeing a scathing comment from Christopher Hitchens about her work:
John Boyne's "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas" (2006)
As recommended by Orble's Jason King, this was actually purchased by a friend of mine in Tasmania who also reads Jason's Salty Popcorn blog, she read it and posted it on to me. It has recently been made into a motion picture. It is the story of a childhood friendship during the Holocaust.
What books are you reading?
What books have you never finished?
I love buying books, however I very rarely finish them.
Ive been reading "Madame Bovary" (1857) for about 6 years, its a bit dull, I love the idea of the story but the way it is written is a little too verbose for me to concentrate on.
Ive had Angela Carter's "Nights At The Circus" (1984) on the go for about 4 years, it is an amazing novel, but I get this crazy instinct to save it for later, I dont want it to end, I want to savour every morsel and reflect on it. Her observations about gender and sexual relations are truly humbling, the lady is a master.
Ive also been reading DBC Pierre's "Vernon God Little" (2003) for the last year. My dad collects first editions of all the Booker and Pulitzaer prize winning books. He also reads most of the ones he purchases, even though i know he prefers his plot-driven espionage novels. He told me he could only read 30 pages of "Vernon God Little" and he just didnt get it. My father and I are polar opposite in taste, so I took his dislike for the book as a sign I would adore it, and I do. It is written from the perspective of a young man in the wake of a mass school shooting, but it is written as an absurd black comedy. My slow progress on this novel can also be attributed to wanting to "save some for later".
So, back to the book store to purchase more novels I wont finish.
This is what I hope to read this winter:
Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex" (2002)
As recommended by Orble's CherylJ, this is a coming of age story of an intersex person. I have seen it described as a "tale of incest, of a family torn by death and rage, of a man living as a girl" . . . right up my alley!
Ian McDonald's "River Of Gods" (2004)
This is a sci-fi book set in India, the following description really piqued my interest:
Tal is a beautiful nute (neutral gender) involved in the designing team of Town & Country, who falls prey to a conspiracy that compromises the career of Shaheen Badoor Khan, Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Sajida Rana, leading to her assassination and fall of the government. All this is leading to riots and fury against Muslims and transsexuals across Varanasi.
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's "Venus In Furs" (1870)
The writer who brought Masochism to the world - the sexual desire to have pain inflicted on oneself. It is the story of Severin and Wanda. The story that inspired Lou Reed's song "Venus In Furs" - severin, severin, ... shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather. The song was used in Gus Van Sant's film "Last Days", and the name Severin was referenced in John Cameron Mitchell's film "Shortbus".
Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" (1957)
Ayn Rand was an outspoken Atheist. This novel is her fourth, longest, and last - she considered it her fiction writing magnum opus. It is a dystopian sci-fi mystery. I actually became interested in reading this novel after seeing a scathing comment from Christopher Hitchens about her work:
... there's more morality in a novel by George Elliot ...
I care very much about literature as the place where real dilemmas, ethical dilemmas, are met and dealt with. So to have novels as transcendently awful as Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead, sort of undermines my project.
I care very much about literature as the place where real dilemmas, ethical dilemmas, are met and dealt with. So to have novels as transcendently awful as Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead, sort of undermines my project.
John Boyne's "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas" (2006)
As recommended by Orble's Jason King, this was actually purchased by a friend of mine in Tasmania who also reads Jason's Salty Popcorn blog, she read it and posted it on to me. It has recently been made into a motion picture. It is the story of a childhood friendship during the Holocaust.
What books are you reading?
What books have you never finished?
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Comment by RubySoho
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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haha glad to know im not the only one!
i loved the recent movie adaption of Madam Bovary starring Frances O'Connor so i thought i would enjoy the book, but its a really hard read
Vernon God Little has been excellent!
Comment by Mau-Medellin
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Comment by Jason King
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Did u ever read Lost Souls that I sent you - I seriously think you are a recent Poppy Z Brite - and I want to know what you thought of it!! If you haven't read it - BAD MORGAN
I am also reading Let the Right One In at the morment - it's the one about the vampire film out at the moment (see Salty Popcorn for review) - Cheryl gets to read it next. It is AWESOME!!!!
Good to see no threats of murder on this post yet
Comment by Morgan Bell
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books have a lovely feel and aroma
i should be the owner of a paper-mill or printing press, id be in my element sniffing everything, getting high off the ink
thanks for the comment
Comment by Morgan Bell
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you know i nearly finished Lost Souls haha
thanks so much for sending it to me!
it was a very sensuous and seductive novel . . . very very descriptive and raw . . . and i guess for its time it was pretty open about homosexuality too, hey?
Cheryl is probably more into vampires than me, but i will pop over and read your review
i had no idea Dante was so dear - over $100? thats outrageous!
thanks for the comment
Comment by Janet Collins
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I always made myself finish every book until a few years ago. Then I thought, well if I am just not enjoying it why put myself through it? There's just too much good stuff out there to read. If I am not enjoying a book nowadays I just put it down.
I have just started reading "The Gathering" by Ann Enright and not long ago read "Brick Lane" which they not long ago made into a movie. I loved that book but I am not far enough into The Gathering yet to have an opinion.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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i wonder if my dad owns "The Gathering", i will have to ask him
i wish i read more, but i have to be in a certain frame of mind to read, and sometimes i find it hard to relax
i read both "The Hours" and "The Devil Wears Prada" all the way to the end last year and i was very proud of myself!
Comment by Norm
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Fascinating people.
Thoroughly good read.
If it's fiction, my mind starts wandering after about a paragraph.
Inferno is great. Dante's one of me faves.
I'm feeling a bit listess, this mornin.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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ahh you like the history books, thats very inquisitive of you!
as a kid reading John Marsden's "Tomorrow When The War Began" i always thought the unnamed invaders were Indonesians, i thought this because my whole life my parents have warned of the imminent Indonesian invasion . . . i wonder who many other people think that?
maybe my parents are just isolationist kooks? haha
Jack (singing): Touch me in the morning ...
Karen: Honey, im busy. Touch tyourself.
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maybe they meant "really really loosely based on a true story"? haha
people get so insane when literature is labelled "memoirs" or "based on a true story" . . . i always expect any retelling of a story to have and element of fiction in it, afterall no two interpretations of an experience are the same, and we all fill memory gaps with something a bit more colourful than it really was . . . we all lean towards fantasy in times of hardship
i remember everyone going crazy at James Frey for his book "A Million Little Pieces" because it wasnt accurate to the word . . . he was a junkie for f*%ks sake, of course the way he remembers it is going to be different to the police report
Comment by Norm
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I was told the same thing about the threat from our neighbours.
I'm no expert, but I think it's got something to do with race, religion and reinforced stereotypes.
It's a joke, really.
I'm sitting here with 500 rupiah and I don't even know how much that is.
It's so light.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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500 rupiah? turning tricks in foreign currencies now are you?
Comment by RubySoho
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The writer tried to backtrack and say the girl was never meant to be real but a figment of the boy's imagination. Or vice versa. Anyway, I think the issue is with the writers and publishers who try to brand particular stories as been based on real events when they are not. Personally, if I see "based on a true story" written on a book cover then I expect at least some, if not most, of it to be so. Otherwise I'm quite happy to read a spot of fiction.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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yeah i can see what you mean
i just always take the claim of "based on a true story" with a pinch of salt, i know its usually a marketing ploy and i expect most stories to be more allegorical
that being said, i guess not everyone is so laid back about being lied to, or so cynical as to expect it, some people are probably expecting a factually acurate history lesson
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well i havent started reading it yet and i havent seen the film, so im not even sure which camp they are in, or what kind of camp . . . i know there were different types of camps with different purposes at different stages of the Holocaust
maybe it all is bolony?
Jason, do you know any of the details and how accurate they are?
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I'm reading The Quicksilver Pool by Phyllis A. Whitney. It's taking me forever to finish, as I homeschool my daughter and most of the books I read I read to her.
I want to get the new book by Candy Spelling. It looks juicy.
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ive enjoyed Steven King in the past, but i recently bought "Cell" (2006) and i put it down because it was absolutely dreadful
you know, i dont think ive ever read a Dean Koontz novel, perhaps it would be something i would enjoy?
i think i enjoyed reading more as a teenager, as books aimed at teens are usually more imaginative
i dont know if the Candy Spelling tell-all would be my cup of tea, but i having been eyeing off some bios by Dawn French, Michelle Obama, and Russell Brand . . . the last bio i read was an unauthorised one on Germaine Greer called "The Untamed Shrew" and that was fantastic
thanks for the great comment!
Comment by Cheryl J
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You'll love Middlesex. It's right up your alley!
I just finished the whole Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris (the books the show True Blood is based on). They were a fabulous birthday present from my best friend and I loved them! I've just started on another of her series.
I also recently read Death's Acre and Beyond the Body Farm. The books were written by the guy that started what is now known as 'The Body Farm' but is actually an anthropology research centre connected to the University of Tennessee. Thanks to the wonderful Dr Bill Bass and his graduates, most of what we know about forensics is due to the studies they have done on donated corpses. Many people are brought to justice and many people get closure because of this visionary. The science is astounding. It's so NOT the CSI you see on TV.
If you like science and death doesn't make you squeamish I would also recommend 'Stiff' by Mary Roach. The book tells of all the things that happen to bodies after you die and donate your body to science. It's fabulous reading and so very bloody funny and amazingly gross! Love it!
PS: I didn't much like Vernon God Little. It just felt like it was trying to be too clever.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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thanks so much for the great comment!
the thing i like about Vernon is how brutally honest it is, and how successfully the writer has penetrated the mind of the central character/narrator
a thousand thanks for telling me about Middlesex, as soon as you described it to me i rushed out and bought it . . . im really looking forward to getting into that one!
you are quite a little reader, i never realised . . . i would love to see you blog on some of your favourite books, it seems like you enjoy a variety of themes and topics
Comment by Cheryl J
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I am such a book nerd! I read the seven Sookie Stackhouse novels in under two weeks. I'm a bookworm and a bit of a speed reader. Although I've been reading The Illiad for around four years hahahaha.
Have you ever read Jodi Picoult? I avoided them for years because I thought they were chick lit (which I hate) but some of them are truly brilliant. She touches on subjects a lot of people shy away from and the characterisations are very well done. One of my favourites was 'My Sister's Keeper' written about a child who was conceived to be able to donate blood/ organs etc for a dying sibling. It has the points of view of each parent, the dying child, the forgotten healthy sibling, the donor child and a lawyer. Truly absorbing.
I'm hanging out for the book Jason is loaning me!
Comment by Morgan Bell
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i good someone else has been reading a classic for several years - im glad im not alone!
i have never read Jodi Picoult, but i know what you mean about avoiding "chick-lit", ive had Maeve Binchy recommended to me many times but i have this preconceived idea that it will be too girly for me haha
"My Sisters Keeper" sounds interesting, a real ehical dilemma . . . very meaty!
id still love to see a post of yours, but by the sounds of it you could have quite a tak ahead of you short-listing your faves
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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another rave review!
the anticipation is killing me, i should really get started on it, sounds like its gunna be a wonderful experience!