BootsnAll Travel Community

Please allow me to start a topic that expands on the last. I want more!

I've already bought the Rule of Four because of the last topic.

What I would love is if you see here a book that you've read in this list- please
give comments. A review would be nice- but don't feel pressured. I just want to learn what I can.

Please give personal comments if you've read the following:

The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri

Poetry Books by Dean young

Einstein's Dreams Alan Lightman

Slowness by Milan Kundera

Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg (people tend to disagree on this one)

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
(also very mixed reviews on this one)


Life of Pi Yann Martel

Magic Seeds by V.S. Naipaul

Robertson Davies sounds like a really interesting writer, and there may be a bulk purchase in my near future.


And what does anyone here think of Douglas Coupland, if anything?

Also add other works by same authors that you may have read. Pick one and talk to me!

I'm not going to review Milan Kundera"s Slowness, nor most of the oeuvre of Robertson Davies, because it is too demanding and I don't have the time, but I will say a few things about both authors.
Milan Kundera has been a favourite of mine since the '80s. His mix of hedonism, philosophy, and humanity couched in an accessible style is the hallmark of all his great work. Slowness is not by any means his best book; I think his writing since the Iron Curtain was dismantled has lost its edge. I'm not sure that his decision to switch from writing in Czech to writing in French was a wise one, because his style seems to have lost something, though how much of that is due to the English translation, I don't know. However, it is the mature work of a great writer, and Slowness, like all his books, deals with the theme of the title in surprising ways.
Robertson Davies enjoyed a huge vogue in the '80s, too, because he also is a very good read. His work concentrates mostly on the Canada of his childhood and adulthood, and laces dark humour with great old-fashioned storytelling in a modern style. He is perhaps too theatrical for some people, but he is entertaining and writes marvellously, while also offering insights into people and places.
Highly recommended: the Cornish Trilogy.

We're also always looking for reviews for our Travel Book Review section...

It´s not surprising that Smilla´s Sense of Snow inspires different reactions; it´s not your "usual" sort of novel. Of course, in the US it gets marketed as a mystery/thriller, and that´s not necessarily the case. My reaction fell somewhere in the middle of the scale: I can see why other people raved about it, but I didn´t, while at the same time not disliking it as much as I know other people did. Which won´t help you in the least - sorry! I´d say that it depends on your attitude and/or mood when you try the book (which is also true for many books, imho). It´s dark, both in the figurative sense and, at times, the literal sense as well. It´s also cold, both emotionally and in terms of setting and atmosphere. Beyond that, I don´t remember much, given the time it´s been since I´ve read it - I´d be interested in your opinion.

The Eyre Affair, given that it´s humor, definitely appeals to some tastes more than others. I loved it, and the sequels as well. It gets some comparisons to Hitchhiker´s Guide to the Galaxy, in terms of humor, which is fair, but only in some respects. You don´t have to have read (or love to read) classic literature in order to appreciate some of the humor, but the more you have read the funnier Fforde´s stuff gets. (The comparison here is with the movie Galaxy Quest - funny on its own, but much funnier if you´re at all familiar with Star Trek.) The only real problem that I have with the whole series is that the love interest (Landon?) of our heroine, Thursday Next, seems like such a wimpy, uninteresting guy (no doubt why I´m having trouble with his name). I can think of several males from other stories that I´d love to have cross her path instead ...

Now that you´ve started this thread, I hope you´ll post what you do end up reading, and what you think - KML

All absolutely wonderful, thought-provoking, not deep per se, but have depth:
Namesake, Smilla's, and Pi.

However!
You will be completely amiss to not read everything by Coupland. He is one of my fave authors. Hell, he coined the term Generation X with his book of the same name. His earlier books are cheekier (Shampoo Planet is my fave, Microsurfs is terrific), while his later works are more serious: Hey Nostradamus!, for example (but read Girlfriend in a Coma for a nice transitional piece). He was the master of the pop culture reference long before Will&Grace. With GfinaC, he introduces some elements along the lines of magical realism. His special talent is for examining the everyday insanity of people living in suburbia (read All Families are Psychotic), and other unexpected elements of our lives.

Check him out here: www.coupland.com

or here: wikipedia

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Douglas Coupland is MY FAVORITE author EVER!!!!

I love, love love him, and love each and every book he wrote. I have every book by him (multiple copies, even--the British edition, Canadian, etc).

All of his books are fantastic. "Life After God" is a wonderful, wonderful book, full of many of the same thought-provoking questions peppered throughout "Generation X" and "shampoo planet" and many of his other books. I think my fave is probably "Girlfriend in a Coma" which really gets you thinking. Pay attention when you read these books--the message might not be obvious.

I met him in Jan when he did a reading here in NYC. I was so excited. He was super nice and my friend and I constantly debate if he's gay--we both have some sort of weird adolescent-type crush on him.

He's great!

heeheehee: Sweet!!
Oh, btw, he is gay. He recently came out in an interview w/ The Advocate. Altho, not too surprising...My link to the wikipedia article has lots of very recent info about The Doug.

I'm soo jealous that you met him!! I also have a pseudo-mini-crush: so is he as good lookin as the book jacket?

Yeah we had to read Shampoo Planet for college English, and it was our final exam to do an essay on whatever.

The teacher said I was the only one who really got that book.

I think Souvenier of Canada is great.
Microsurfs- disappointing but still affecting.

I'm sad that he's gay. He's so dang smart. My new crush tho is Jonathan Safran Foer. I would like the Kavalier and Clay author, but he's way too brilliant, I am completely intimidated. His book so far is my favorite discovery from this web site.

Boo Boo. I think you will like the Deptford Trilogy from Roberston Davies. It's a good choice and well worth it. Reading Kavalier and CLay now. Seems everyone goes into paroxysms of praise whenever this book is mentioned.

D

quote:

Originally posted by jedimasterbooboo:
I would like the Kavalier and Clay author, but he's way too brilliant, I am completely intimidated. His book so far is my favorite discovery from this web site.

Chabon's married. With kids. And he enjoys sex with his wife.

quote:

Originally posted by Piecar:
Seems everyone goes into paroxysms of praise whenever this book is mentioned

Kavalier and Clay?! OMG THIS BOOK IS AMAZING SO GOOD YOU MUST READ IT CHANGED MY LIFE!!!11

PIECAR: I got the Depford Trilogies. Looks good, I'm reading the begninging. (Doesn't hold a candle to Kav and Clay)

Taylor, I know he's married.

I don't care to hear about his private life. "crushing" as the kids say nowadays...is just crush. I'd have to say this is the first post ever by you that I've been annoyed by

But then, I read your signature that I love so much.

And,you are ranting again about this book: your rantings over this book is what made me get it. That's why I originally gave you credit for the interest.

So... do you have any disgusting facts to share about Jonathan Safran Foer?

quote:

Originally posted by jedimasterbooboo:
Taylor, I know he's married.

I don't care to hear about his private life. "crushing" as the kids say nowadays...is just crush. I'd have to say this is the first post ever by you that I've been annoyed by

But then, I read your signature that I love so much.

And,you are ranting again about this book: your rantings over this book is what made me get it. That's why I originally gave you credit for the interest.

So... do you have any disgusting facts to share about Jonathan Safran Foer?

Sorry bout that Jedi, guess I have a different view point of what's funny. I guess, having read everything the man's touched (including articles and such...he's a huge baseball fan), and considering how often in his books the protagonist deals with some sort of homosexual curiosity, it's ironic that he should be so secure with his personal life.

And unfortunately, JSF has only recently become the darling of the book world, not much dirt showing up on him as of yet