what are you reading?

[Dalya]

wondering if anyone's read anything good lately.

i'm always in the middle of about 30 books so here are a few:

A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius by Dave Eggers ***highly recommend! extremely funny and the title is pretty true

Intern Blues *recommend if you are into ER and Grey's Anatomy, etc. It's basically the diary of 3 interns during their 1st year.

Death of a Salesman *reading for school right now, but really love it

Planning a Life in Medicine *don't recommend unless you are indeed planning a life in medicine

Have yet to finish: Swann's Way, Running With Scissors, Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Slaughterhouse Five, and A Farewell to Arms.... all of which I was enjoying, got interrupted by school or whatever, and never picked up again.

i'm also reading a lot of shit about MCATs and books about how to be a fucking genius even if you're not one, but i'll spare you the nerdy details.

edit: "i'm always in the middle of about 30 books so here are a few:" sounds like i'm smart and read a lot, but this is really bc even if i am interested i cant read a book for fun and read things for school during the same time period. does not compute. so i forget most of the plot during the semester and start something new.

[Irock]

But you have to read Slaughterhouse Five all the way through!

I'm reading On The Road, at Jason's insistence. So far it's better and more sensical than I thought it would be. I have A Heartbreaking Tale... but I really try and stick to one book at a time sos not to end up with a list like this one. It was a while back but One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is a great book, if you liked the movie you should def read it.
I recently read The Joy Luck Cluck. It wasn't as good as I'd heard / hoped.

You should watch Death of a Salesman though, you can probably find it on Netflix or even YouTube. Why do teachers assign plays as reading material?

[Dalya]

i'm watching it after i read it. i think we're watching parts of it in class today, too. i usually hate plays as reading material, but when there are good stage directions i enjoy them. it has good stage directions. for example, the stage directions will say something like "[Linda pours Willy coffee with eternal patience]". So they give you a really good idea of the characters facial expression and personality instead of leaving it entirely open to interpretation.

I love most of On the Road. There are some really great descriptions in there. That's funny because we're also talking about the Beats today. I had to read Howl.

p.s. anyone who likes alan ginsberg has to see I'm Not There. David Cross plays him and it's soooo funny and dead on.

[katie]

i haven't done much reading since being down here (re: been drinking instead) but here's my contribution.

death of a salesman is pretty darn good. i hope you watch the version with dustin hoffman as willy loman and john malkovich as biff. we watched it in school in the obligatory "you go to theater school, you need to see the classics" class.

i'm reading a book called sophie's world by jostein gaarder, which is a history of philosophy, discovered by a fourteen year old girl as she uncovers a mystery. it's very informative, but also really clever and, at times, baffling. i'll let you know what i think of the end when i finish it.

also re-reading the time traveler's wife by audrey niffenegger. this is a bittersweet love story with one of the most mind-boggling premises i've ever wrapped my head around. usually, i'm a little thumbs-down on love stories, but this one is so strange and creepy and sad and wonderful that it is worth me reading again.

[Jan]

Nikki Sixx: The Heroin Diaries

Great stuff, a typical day for Nikki is wake up, take shit loads of drugs, write a terrible song, go out and have sex with stranger and then end up paranoid in the wardrobe with a gun. Next day: repeat yesterday.

It also includes lyrics to songs that didn't make it as Motley Crue songs, god they are good, no really, they are good, honest.

[Irock]

p.s. anyone who likes alan ginsberg has to see I'm Not There. David Cross plays him and it's soooo funny and dead on.

I watched it on the plane. It was too long.

[squeezle]

right now i am really enjoying Shantaram - one of my geeky anthro friends recommended it

[Phyllis]

prescription pill bottles

[ifihadahifi]

prescription pill bottles

Ditto.

And I'm reading this...

[Dalya]

hahaha kafka nudist perv. that would be one pale ass.

and yes we watched the version with dustin hoffman but i sort of hate dustin hoffman's portrayal of willy loman. not at all how i imagined it. he was too young to play the role, imo, esp when there are/were so many great old and fat actors who wouldnt have to try so hard to look tired and pathetic. but john malkovich was, as usual, incredible. i'll watch the whole thing soon though.

[Dalya]

here's the part w/ alan ginsberg/david cross:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyWgzUGOliw[/youtube]

[jen]

i finally starting hitching rides with buddha by will ferguson on the plane to chicago and instantly loved it. there's something great about a canadian getting drunk and then deciding hitchhike across japan.


btw/he's the same guy who wrote happiness which i also love -- i recommend both to everyone, and i'm not even done with one of them.

[roach]

I recommend the movie happiness. you have to love a movie with the following imdb plot keywords:
* Rape
* Child Magazine
* Taxi
* Vomit
* School Bus
* Restaurant
* Neighbor
* Masturbation
* Multiple Story Line
* Taxi Driver
* Crime Of Passion
* Ensemble Cast
* Break Neck
* Dessert
* Serial Rapist
* Police
* Flower
* Dream
* Dysfunctional
* Episodic
* Neck Breaking Scene
* Flashback Sequence
* Crying
* Ensemble
* Metro
* Hotel Room
* Dog
* Telephone Sex
* Parent
* Guitar
* Pedophilia
* Dysfunctional Family
* Controversial
* Language Teaching
* Father Son Relationship
* Therapy
* Cult Favorite
* Black Comedy
* Therapist
* Mass Murder In Dream
* Unhappiness
* Masturbation Scene
* Sister
* New Jersey
* Child Abuse
* Boy
* Marriage
* Suicide
* Divorce
* Sandwich
* Disturbing
* Ejaculation Scene
* Pedophile
* Semen
* Molestation
* Sexual Abuse
* Obscene Phone Call
* Sleep Over
* Children
* Child Molestation
* Child Molester
* Protest
* Picket Line
* Independent Film
* Title Spoken By Character

[Dalya]

i started reading happiness a couple of years ago and havent finished (typical) but i think i was liking it. isnt phillip seymore hoffman in it?

[roach]

i started reading happiness a couple of years ago and havent finished (typical) but i think i was liking it. isnt phillip seymore hoffman in it?

is the movie the book? i thought the movie was just a todd solondz thing.