The Implications of FEED

As we (by we I mean I) rush into Fall and struggle to meet all of our self-imposed deadlines, I was struck by the similarities between the MT Anderson's characters' urges and my own. I'm definitely not far enough into the book to write anything too in depth, but I thought that his description of the characters hunger for shopping and consumption were frighteningly close to our own current reality. I recently heard the term 'affluenza' for the first time, which is defined as a need to 'keep up with the Joneses' or make your life appear great to your neighbors through by purchasing the latest, hippest items. In Feed, Anderson's characters are literally stimulated by sales and their own buying-power. I wondered how soon the gap will be bridged, or even if it has already been, between identifying yourself with possessions (which currently exists) to being tittillated by the opportunity to do so. I guess to bring another thread into this thought, in China, with only public housing and a publicly assigned job, retail possessions were literally the only form of self-expression. Needless to say, people went to extraordinary lengths to appear a certain way and own certain items. As I begin to ramble, I just wonder how far the internet, our sense of self, and consumerism will continue to be intertwined in the future.

Because I am so behind, I not only have yet to comment of our last novel, Galapagos, but also never said anything about Alias Grace.

I realize that I have already said this to several of you in conversation, but I loved getting lost in time while reading Alias Grace. While the novel itself was set in the 1800s, the psychology and analysis was fairly modern. When I finally checked the publication date, I was shocked to see that it was written in 1996. Margaret Atwood's portrayal of the character was so perfectly placed in the period, yet completely complex. While slow and descriptive in parts, Atwood definitely inserted plenty of suspense and I didn't know how the novel would end until the very last page.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on November 9th. Send me suggestions of where we should meet. Hope everyone is well and coping with this abrupt shift to Portland Fall.

Ups and downs, but never bad

I know that by the time we met this month, many, in fact I think everyone that read, was still working on the marvelous "White Teeth". With everyone diving into summer headfirst, I think that it may have been difficult for anyone to find time to sit and enjoy a book.

When I did have time to read Zadie Smith's novel, I was instantly drawn into the community she creates. Regardless, of whether I had time to read this book for an hour or five minutes, I was always instantly there. Train rides flew and mornings whizzed by as I spent my time in England with a very interesting cast of characters. If I could describe the book with one word, it would likely be absorbing.

That said, every moment of the novel was good, but it wasn't always linguistically great. At no point did I wish she would just get on with it or attempt to skip pages without feeling guilty, rather, there were moments when I was blown away by Smith's descriptions and overwhelmed by the depth and humor of her characters. Unfortunately, these moments were sporadic, sometimes lasting for pages and other times just a sentence.

The story itself is very interesting and I think that Smith's knack for storytelling from a plethora of perspectives is phenomenal. Her ability to move seamlessly from one brain to another was amazing to witness.

In the end, I would recommend White Teeth with ease to anyone looking for an interesting and unique book. On the other hand, it will never make it to my list of favorites, but then again I can't just give those spots away.

So we're on to Alias Grace by: Margaret Atwood. This novel is based on the facts surrounding a 19th century murder investigation. I was tempted to read about the case online, but decided to wait until after I've read the book to learn more about it. Hope everyone enjoys this sunshiney book!

On a scale of one to ten: 3.

Needless to say Snuff was not a group favorite. Indeed, I believe it has stolen Middlesex's crown as the Stacks BC least favorite book to date. The group's preferences for Palahniuk ranged from those that consider themselves his biggest fans and others who have read several of his books and never understood his unique style. That being said, the opinion of SNUFF was pretty much unanimous. Those that have previously enjoyed Palahniuk's raw grit were disappointed by what felt like a lack of effort on his part. Those that have never appreciated his unromantic sexual images and unflattering realism sited the book as yet another example of Palahniuk getting caught up in trying to disgust readers, rather than presenting them with new and interesting ideas. The book did receive the three because many members enjoyed his historical references, true or not, to why certain innovations came about the way that they did. Hitler and the blow-up dolls, Marilyn Monroe eating eggshells, etc. Those small joys were not enough to save the work from its repeated use of the term "pudpullers", which I, personally, could not stand reading over and over again. No one uses that term and stop using it ever other line! All and all the book was very unsatisfying.

This meeting brought a few new concepts to the meeting that I would love to hear feedback on. First, rather than meet at someone's home we met at a bar. I, personally, really enjoyed being out with everybody especially sitting out in the wonderful summer air. I recognize that it is a little bit more expensive, but I was thinking that it may be fun to alternate month to month between house and public venue.

Also, I really liked rating the book numerically. I realize the shortcomings of a rating system as it does not allow for a full evaluation into the complexity of a book. On the other hand, I think that rating novels and being able to post a comment to explain the rating satisfies this pitfall. If there are disagreements about the rating (obviously not everyone in the group often agrees completely on a book - see Mailer's American Dream) I am more than happy to post the variations and let disagreers explain.

So it is on the Zadie Smith, whose novel I think will offer much more insight and creativity than Palaniuk's, dare I say, ridiculous day at a porn warehouse.

I may not be the super reader I thought I was, but at least I know what I like

Needless to say, Infinite Jest was daunting. Every time I picked it up I felt like I was dumping a glass of water into a river. Some of the pages literally took me 10 or 15 minutes to read. When you look up and you have been reading for over an hour and you have only read 7 pages, you may begin to feel like life has passed you by in your attempt to read this book. That being said and having read the novel's cautionary forward, I would like to read it at some point. Moments of it had me cracking up, while others left me simultaneously intrigued and bewildered-a sensation that I definitely have an urge to satisfy. Infinite Jest just wasn't the recreational read I needed as this quarter came to a close. That in no way discounts it from being a book I run to in the future, just not right now.

The next novel we face is Snuff by our beloved Portland neighbor, Chuck Palahniuk. I think that we all have read at least one or more of his novels and have some idea of what to expect. That said, and maybe it was because I put down Infinite Words and turned to Snuff, my initial reaction is that it is no where near as complex and clever as some of CP's previous works. As prior novels offered insight and, to some extent, revelations, Snuff offers a lot of creative porn titles and euphemisms for penises and masturbation. While funny, you will likely read this book quickly and feel like he is trying to use sex in a shocking way that seems like a stretch. I've said too much! Don't let my opinion sway you at all! I would love to hear what others think. Enjoy.

I know it's controversial but.....

So now that we are all experts on both Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Blade Runner, I think I can go out on a limb and say that the two have little to nothing in common with one another. I say this with such caution only because in discussing Blade Runner with people, some seem outright shocked that I didn't think it was the greatest movie of all time. In fact, I thought the film was odd, disjointed, and having nothing to do with the novel it was supposedly based on. My shock that so many people consider the film to be one of the best of all time, is probably about equal to theirs.

Perhaps my dislike for the movie had some relationship to my absolute love of Phillip K. Dick's novel. Both his creativity and philosophical depth took me on a ride I in no way was expecting. At first, I had thought because of the title that the fundamental question of the novel was whether or not machines should be treated the same way as human beings. As the novel unraveled, I began to realize that the point was more what the difference between humans and androids is, rather than similarities. Mr. Dick offers empathy. While the main character eventually develops emphatic feelings towards androids, the feelings are never returned.

The real adventure was the thought process and gathering of data in order to make a final judgement. There are a couple of themes of the book I am still sorting through and would love to get opinions on such as: Mercerism (Wilbur, stones, etc.), the last chapter with the toad, Buster Friendly, and anything else anyone would like to add. I'm certain that Dick thought every element of the novel through very carefully and I would love to hear opinions about why these parts were included, other than for obvious entertainment value.

On to Infinite Jest....I hope we're all ready for this!

Who knew I would like adventure books?

So, as a quick review of my many blog posts would easily show, I have always tended to avoid books centered around stories that follows characters as a witness to their lives. For some reason these books (see Middlesex) often seem superfluous and excessive, as if the author is just writing without clear purpose or direction. I mean really, why did the kid in Middlesex start doing a tranny show in San Francisco? It just began to seem like too much.
I have often preferred books where the story is secondary to the thought process of the author (or narrator). As in the American Dream or the Corrections, the events of the characters lives existed merely to uncover the truth of their personalities and character traits. We weren't waiting to see what event would happen next, but rather how that event would affect the inner dialogue and future actions of the author.
This being said, the last two books have been stories that are truly adventures novels, taking readers from one interesting encounter to the next. I have not been able to put them down, not because of the level of thought, but because the sheer excitement of the account of what is going on. Not that the thought isn't also there. In fact, in Dorian Gray and Kavalier and Clay the balance of introspection and narrative has been so perfect that it is often difficult to tell the two apart. The stories are the thought process and vice versa.
In Dorian, the little action that occurred between the fascinating conversations, reinforced whatever had been being debated. These illustrations seemed to further emphasize the various points Wilde was trying to make. It is only as Dorian begins to care about the way people interpret his actions, unlike Lord Henry, that his actions begin to affect his appearance. The action is a perfect supplement to their lengthy discussions.
Kavalier and Clay is much less a discussion than just an adventure, pure and simple (hence the title). As the two traverse 1930's New York in search of the American dream, they are blind-sided by the simple task of becoming adults. Not only do we see them working to build a comic book empire, but they are working to figure out how to make the leap from boys to men. Chabon is careful to include all of the questions that we ask as we make this transition, without forcing them on the reader. Joe's first flirtation is offset with the near drowning of Salvador Dali. The combination of contemplation and story-telling is of course bettered by humor.
In short, I feel like I have newly discovered a whole genre of books I had previously assumed I wouldn't enjoy and can't wait to read more of books of this style.
Now let's see how I do with science fiction as we take on Philip K. Dick.....

A Tree Grows in /Dorian / Getaway weekend

It pains me that I have not taken the time to pay proper homage to A Tree Grows. It was a book that I adored and now that is has been three weeks since I finished it, I miss. Betty Smith's autobiographical novel is easy to fall into, but in my case it was the sense the book gave me that I was traveling back in time that lured me in. Many of you know that I am semi-obsessed with the idea of time travel, which I think is the foundation for my love of reading in general. A Tree Grows was, as few books have been able to completely, an opportunity to be the fly on the wall in a small home in early-20th century Brooklyn. From the richness of the author's descriptions to the catalogue of sensations she was able to convey in her writing, it would be short-sided to describe Smith's book as one of mere sensory details.
Further, she takes you beyond the starving streets to the place where Brooklyn lives in her memory. She gives small moments meaning and slight interactions a lifetime of significance. The reader is simultaneously a child curious and observing and an adult attempting to derive meaning from the whirlwind of moments stuck in her head.
Not to go to far off on a tangent, but this was a great book and story. One that I highly recommend and will keep bringing up in conversation.

I'm not sure how many people are reading the Dorian Gray this month, but so far it is yet another book that I am pleasantly surprised by. I've read a few Wilde short stories, but had forgotten how effortlessly insight appears in both his dialogues and his descriptions. I am anxious to see where this twisted tale ends up.

Finally, this coming weekend is the cabin weekend. Please let me know if you intend to go so that we can plan rides, etc. More details to follow! Have a pleasant week!