Comments on: What I’ve read so far. http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/ "Of course it's hot! It's on fire!" Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:41:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0 by: MF http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/#comment-34601 Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:29:25 +0000 http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/#comment-34601 Sorry for the slow reply, Jon and Lindy! I'm always astonished but excited when anybody I don't know read this! Thanks! Indecision seems like a book written by a nice guy -- it's got niceness written all over it. I did enjoy it. But, did I take it all in? I did I get its meaning? I don't think so. That's the problem I'm having with reading lately. Maybe I'm concentrating too much on quantity, rather than emphasizing the quality of my reading. On one hand, it's probably good to see what's out there. But then again, if I read a lot of stuff I don't like, and too fast, that's useless too. I was just reading that Orson Welles said the only way he prepared himself to direct Citizen Kane was to watch John Ford's Stagecoach forty times. Maybe I can learn as much from one really good book as from reading ten so-so ones? Sorry for the slow reply, Jon and Lindy!

I’m always astonished but excited when anybody I don’t know read this! Thanks!

Indecision seems like a book written by a nice guy — it’s got niceness written all over it. I did enjoy it. But, did I take it all in? I did I get its meaning? I don’t think so. That’s the problem I’m having with reading lately. Maybe I’m concentrating too much on quantity, rather than emphasizing the quality of my reading. On one hand, it’s probably good to see what’s out there. But then again, if I read a lot of stuff I don’t like, and too fast, that’s useless too. I was just reading that Orson Welles said the only way he prepared himself to direct Citizen Kane was to watch John Ford’s Stagecoach forty times. Maybe I can learn as much from one really good book as from reading ten so-so ones?

]]> by: Lindy http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/#comment-34069 Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:34:33 +0000 http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/#comment-34069 What did you think of Indecision? I met Ben Kunkel at 192 Books in NYC and was very impressed. He only read excerpts from the book, but they were fascinating enough for me to pick up the book (though I haven't started it yet). Being someone who has cycled through various anti-depressants, I think I might love the book or hate it. btw, I'm Lindy. Been reading your blog for a few months while I travel and I enjoy every bit of it. Thanks for the great reading! What did you think of Indecision? I met Ben Kunkel at 192 Books in NYC and was very impressed. He only read excerpts from the book, but they were fascinating enough for me to pick up the book (though I haven’t started it yet). Being someone who has cycled through various anti-depressants, I think I might love the book or hate it.

btw, I’m Lindy. Been reading your blog for a few months while I travel and I enjoy every bit of it. Thanks for the great reading!

]]> by: Jon http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/#comment-33843 Fri, 27 Oct 2006 19:25:37 +0000 http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/#comment-33843 I really like China Mieville. I'm also a fan of The shipping news. My grandmother was raised in an outport fishing village in Newfoundland, but ended up living in Brooklyn. I still have many distant relatives in tiny towns in Newfoundland. To tell the truth, I thought that the plot was sort of simplistic, but I liked the fact that the place was a character in the book. I'm very interested in novels where place plays a part. You could say that China Mieville is a "place" writer because his fantasies of London play such a big part in his books. If you can find anything by him, Gerald Haslam is a truly great writer of place. He's a local writer here in Northern California, but he writes about the Central Valley. He went to high school with Merle Haggard and he comes from that generation of first generation poor white children of Okie migrants. He didn't write very much fiction, but if you can find a copy of "Okies" it is one of my favorite books. I'm also a huge of fan of a scientist/poet from Arizona, Gary Paul Nabhan. He doesn't write fiction but even his scientific writings are pure poetry. The sonoran desert and the people of the desert are central to almost everything he writes. Try "The Desert Smells Like Rain", if you can find a copy. Finally, theres whats-her-name who wrote "The Land Of Little Rain". She lived in Bishop California, in the rain shadow of the Sierras, and wrote about small town desert life. Well, actually, post finally, there's "O' Pioneers" by Willa Cather. That's about life on the Nebraska prairie in the 19th century. I found that book fascinating because some of the characters were supposedly based on my ancestors on my mother's side. The Newfoundland relatives are on my father's side. Again, the Nebraska landscape figures prominently in the story. O' Pioneers is also one of my favorite books to read out loud. Deceptively simple description take on whole new layers of life when you hear the sound of them. I just woke up and had coffee. You really got me going. I really like China Mieville. I’m also a fan of The shipping news. My grandmother was raised in an outport fishing village in Newfoundland, but ended up living in Brooklyn. I still have many distant relatives in tiny towns in Newfoundland. To tell the truth, I thought that the plot was sort of simplistic, but I liked the fact that the place was a character in the book. I’m very interested in novels where place plays a part. You could say that China Mieville is a “place” writer because his fantasies of London play such a big part in his books. If you can find anything by him, Gerald Haslam is a truly great writer of place. He’s a local writer here in Northern California, but he writes about the Central Valley. He went to high school with Merle Haggard and he comes from that generation of first generation poor white children of Okie migrants. He didn’t write very much fiction, but if you can find a copy of “Okies” it is one of my favorite books. I’m also a huge of fan of a scientist/poet from Arizona, Gary Paul Nabhan. He doesn’t write fiction but even his scientific writings are pure poetry. The sonoran desert and the people of the desert are central to almost everything he writes. Try “The Desert Smells Like Rain”, if you can find a copy. Finally, theres whats-her-name who wrote “The Land Of Little Rain”. She lived in Bishop California, in the rain shadow of the Sierras, and wrote about small town desert life. Well, actually, post finally, there’s “O’ Pioneers” by Willa Cather. That’s about life on the Nebraska prairie in the 19th century. I found that book fascinating because some of the characters were supposedly based on my ancestors on my mother’s side. The Newfoundland relatives are on my father’s side. Again, the Nebraska landscape figures prominently in the story. O’ Pioneers is also one of my favorite books to read out loud. Deceptively simple description take on whole new layers of life when you hear the sound of them. I just woke up and had coffee. You really got me going.

]]> by: Editor B http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/#comment-33830 Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:40:25 +0000 http://mf.rox.com/archives/2006/10/27/what-ive-read-so-far/#comment-33830 Glad you enjoyed The Scar. I found the protagonist oddly compelling, which was odd since she was rather unsympathetically portrayed. I suppose if you want deeply moving books I'd recommend old classics that have stood the test of time. Contemporary literature is such a crapshoot. Glad you enjoyed The Scar. I found the protagonist oddly compelling, which was odd since she was rather unsympathetically portrayed.

I suppose if you want deeply moving books I’d recommend old classics that have stood the test of time. Contemporary literature is such a crapshoot.

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