RVCA

Finished Storm of Swords. Seriously, what is the point of developing characters so much if you make a business of offing them all? It tired me out and I think I'll take a break from the series for a bit to read something more constructive.



In essence, the author analyzes how western civilization evolved from monarchy to democracy and argues that a monarchy is actually the lesser of two evils. Given the dismal state of American politics at the moment... I'm really interested to see what he has to say. This book has been heralded as "one of the most important works of the 20th century".

Scarlett O'Hara

I haven't read it yet, but mom just bought me the Marilyn Monroe book called Fragments. It's got letters, poems and note created by her.

__________________

TheBig3

I was on a plane to England last week and I had to watch that "One week with Marilyn" movie...I wanted to punch half the cast of that film in the face.

Yuck. Please let me know how that goes. Anyone who says something as dumb as "look at how politics are...Lets have a KING!" should be barred from publishing.



I finished this and threw up my 2 cents on Good Reads...My review:

I didn't know what I expected reading this, but I didn't expect what I got. Ape House reads like a trashy romance novel based on a half-baked pop political philosophy. The cover says something to the effect of "How different are we from animals?" To give you an idea of what to expect, thats the least subtle correlation in the text. prepare to have this hackneyed connection shoved in your face, mixed in with your dinner, and beat over your head.

While the idea could have had stronger legs, it reads as if the concept was half-written, found to be bankrupt, and completed by filler, but with overly sexualized details or what I can't help but feel was an after thought - the opposite of primitive. L.A. in the book is depicted as a dehumanized wasteland of classless Stepford wives who are forced to abide by a cultural demand that everyone should look similar, and not like themselves. To use a line from the book as summary: "there are no ugly people, just lazy people."

The same could be said for authors.

Like most things the book becomes more offensive the more you realize how good it could have been. The case and the arc of the narrative seem to be a post-reality show Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas if Hunter S. Thompson had created a love child with Jane Goodall and Joan Rivers. And while there are strong moments where Gruen seems to capture the human reaction to real events, all too often there is a stronger demand (on her part) to keep the drama going and not the story. All in all it won't be the worst book you've ever read (far from it) but its not something you're going to remember a year from now unless you're asked about it. It will keep you entertained, like a car crash on the side of the highway, and going in if you know that, you might actually enjoy it more than I did. Just remember: there aren't any bad authors...just lazy ones.

WWWP

I've been meaning to read this for the longest time. Is this also for your bookclub? Is it enjoyable?

Edit:
Excellent review by the way.

__________________

#DEMODFROWNLAND
#TERMLIMITSFORMODERATORS

TheBig3

It is for the book club, and it is enjoyable. I don't know to what degree thats because it was preceded by an absolute crap book, but I'm enjoying it so far.

And thats for the feedback. i appreciate it.

James

I have my acting exam in a few days so I am rereading the texts I am studying. Any one informed about Scottish theatre? Tally's Blood, Men Should Weep and Passing Places. A ****load of The Crucible as well, on the other side of things.

bob.

starting The Girl Who Played With Fire today.....and very much looking forward to it

NSW

Started reading this for book club:

First few pages were pretty meh, but it's picking up slowly. It's good, but a little too wordy, which I realize now might sound strange when describing a book.

__________________
Hi.

bob.

what did you think of the last book club book?

NSW

I personally loved it. I think everyone in the book club loved it for all kinds of reasons. Despite your warning, I went ahead and saw the movie, and now I wish I hadn't only because I can't help comparing the two when I think of the book. The only way I can describe it is to say the book was so...full. It was gripping, emotional. The quirkiness of the characters was intriguing, and obviously, so was the writing style and the format of the book. There were parts when it seemed like you could dive straight into what the character was feeling, like when Oskar said the unthinkable to his mom and you could feel her crushing disappointment and pain, or when the Grandfather was describing his regrets when he was "reading" his wife's life story, or so many other instances. Honestly, I thought it was beautiful. One of those books that gets to you even more after you've been thinking about it a day or two later. I can't wait to read more of Foer's work.

Whoever made the film did a poor job of translating all this to the big screen. The film seemed confusing, and lacked the charm and quirkiness of the book, especially when it came to the grandparents. I know it's hard to condense some books enough to make a film with the story, but in that case I'm pretty sure this is one book that would have been better left alone and in print only.

__________________
Hi.