Suggest a Book for the dissensus book club!

you

you

Well-known member
Went back to Waterstones to return a copy "Rings of Saturn" by W G Sebald - that I bought whilst too knackered to think - already have the exact same copy - what planet was I on? ( Don't mix paperback fiction and Ketamine kids* ) - aaanyhow I ended up with "Delta of Venus" by Nin - Have yet to start it as im currently giving Palahnuik a try - namely "Haunted" - certainly vividly visual visceral shit (tm) - but not sure it goes much further than that really - early days though and unfair to make any comments until ive read a few of his......

Jenks, Empty, Tea, Idle and co - what would you guys really like to read and which books of the previous suggestions are you really apprehensive to read and why???






* Insert Huxley Gag
 
L

littlebird

Wild Horses
you said:
aaanyhow I ended up with "Delta of Venus" by Nin - Have yet to start it as im currently giving Palahnuik a try - namely "Haunted" - certainly vividly visual visceral shit (tm) - but not sure it goes much further than that really - early days though and unfair to make any comments until ive read a few of his......
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'Haunted' never goes much further, imo. heavily infused with shock value reminiscent of the gore-fest horror genres of recent years. backstory of one character (you'll know when you get there) has been said to have made people pass out during readings that Palahnuik has given when on book tours.

don't miss the preface in 'DoV', if your copy includes it. the story behind the erotica (esp the mysterious benefactor) is rather interesting.
 
empty mirror

empty mirror

remember the jackalope
the only part of Haunted that struck a cord was Agent Tattletale's bit

anyhoo----maybe something by Carlos Castaneda? i've always meant to....
 
T

trouc

trouc
Nin's diaries (or at least the the one where she meets Miller and the next one before she moves to New York) are excellent. June, the birth scene, living in a barge on the Seine, quite romantic... Once she comes to the states though it's awful, makes you wonder about America in the 40's
 
jenks

jenks

thread death
you said:
Jenks, Empty, Tea, Idle and co - what would you guys really like to read and which books of the previous suggestions are you really apprehensive to read and why???
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As you are aware I am having abash at Bros K.

I think the Nin is a bit thin - decently made smut and not much more - Bijou a fine figure of a woman but ultimately no real depths of pysch insight.

I am easy - I've had a go at all the books - never got to comment on Regeneration but only didn't finish Cyclonopedia - so i suggest nothing like that please.

Would also like to steer clear of LOvecraft inspired work as heresy of heresy, I don't think he's all that much (I'd rather read M R James).

I'd quite like someone to take us in a totally new direction - soemthing un-dissensus like - Barbara Pym or something equally surprising.

Mr T - do your worst!:eek:
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
jenks said:
Mr T - do your worst!:eek:
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OK, so I'm thinking nothing mega-long, nothing mega-hardgoing...something entertaining but with substance to it nonetheless, perhaps? Sounds like a good description of Hangover Square, actually, but we've done that one already. So something else by Hamilton, or do we want to do a different author each time? Guess that'd probably be best.

Weeeell, I read my first Rushdie last year and thought it was the bollocks, easy to read but packed with ideas - or is he a little too mainstream-canon for Dissensus? But then again, maybe we want something un-Dissensian, as you say... how 'bout Chris Ryan's latest? Heh, I making joke, of course. OK, serious suggestion: I read some Atwood for my Eng Lit A-level and really enjoyed it, so how about something recent by her - The Blind Assassin or Oryx and Crake are meant to be good. Dunno how long either book is, though.

Edit: shit, I've just looked them up, they're Booker winner and finalist respectively, how predictable of me! :rolleyes: Oh well, anyone got any better ideas?
 
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T

trouc

trouc
jenks said:
I think the Nin is a bit thin - decently made smut and not much more - Bijou a fine figure of a woman but ultimately no real depths of pysch insight.
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Her fiction is awful in my experience, but like I said the diaries are pretty intense. Strange how that works.

I'll second on Mount Analogue...

And, Cairo Trilogy anyone? I just finished Palace Walk and it was pretty fascinating
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
"don't miss the preface in 'DoV', if your copy includes it. the story behind the erotica (esp the mysterious benefactor) is rather interesting."
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Oh yeah, I remember that, something about a guy who paid her for upmarket grumble and kept insisting she concentrated more and more on the action, sounds like an excuse as to why her stuff was - as Jenks put it - so thin to me.

"honestly book club or not
everyone here should read mount analogue post-haste
you could do it in a sitting"
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Was just toying with ordering that a few hours back strangely enough. Instead I settled for Dhalgren and Under The Volcano

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhalgren

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_volcano

Both sound fun. At the moment I'm reading something called Cancerqueen by Tommaso Landolfi - anyone know anything about this guy? Seems like he was pretty big in the middle of last century and now most of his books are out of print.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommaso_Landolfi

Can't find much about Cancerqueen anywhere... but I'm just rambling now.

I could be up for the MR James stuff, someone loaned me a huge book of his short stories recently and I've dipped into it but that's it.

"Gothic and Sci Fi pre cursor? - check
Household Name? - check
Obscure work? - check
Classic? check

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nar...m_of_Nantucket"
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Hmm, got a feeling I've read that but it was a long time ago.

The Blind Assassin is ace but I've read that as well. Really I'm up for what everyone goes along with but I'd rather it was something I hadn't read.
 
L

littlebird

Wild Horses
trouc said:
Her fiction is awful in my experience, but like I said the diaries are pretty intense. Strange how that works.
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There has been much speculation, and I suppose accusation, that her diaries were fiction. Perhaps not completely, but that she wrote with a reader's intent the entire time.

I'm fond of her letters between Henry Miller through the years.

Her fiction is haphazard, at best. There are a few (very few) novellas that are worth their salt, but mostly they tend to be weak compared to the diaries.

The erotica has its place, of course, but it was definitely written with intent, and not necessarily literary (not to say I have not enjoyed it).
 
L

littlebird

Wild Horses
IdleRich said:
Oh yeah, I remember that, something about a guy who paid her for upmarket grumble and kept insisting she concentrated more and more on the action, sounds like an excuse as to why her stuff was - as Jenks put it - so thin to me.
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He kept insisting it was for someone else, but he became more and more transparent as the transactions went on that it was for himself. But yes, he kept asking for less flowery language, and more action.


IdleRich said:
The Blind Assassin is ace but I've read that as well. Really I'm up for what everyone goes along with but I'd rather it was something I hadn't read.
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It was ace, I agree.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
id like some help with some poetry. the cantos or the anathemata ideally. even maximus. dunno if any of you own those and want to have a bash.
 
empty mirror

empty mirror

remember the jackalope
i am still reading maximus. would gladly either wait for you to catch up or i can go backward if you wanted to talk about a specific poem.

also have read the cantos but yeah i wouldn't mind talking about them with another soul
maybe pick a canto and then go from there?
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
i dont own maximus to be honest.
its past my bedtime but i will get back to you on the cantos for sure.
(i might try to get maximus out the library though.... it was out last time i checked)
 
empty mirror

empty mirror

remember the jackalope
anathemata looks good. will have to pick that up.
that and the oulipo compendium are in my "cart".

resolved to finish maximus before picking up anything else though.
 
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