Must-Miss Books
Crawford Kilian
following...
A friend just faxed me an article by someone named Peter Andrews titled
"The
Art of Instant Rejection." It's about how to tell which books you must
absolutely not waste your time on. His tips:
Any book "destined to become a classic of our time."
Any book with a colon in the title (Bulgaria at the Crossroads: The
Illusion
and the Dilemma)
Any book titled Notes On...
Any book by someone who has personally known Henry Kissinger, Judy Garland,
the Kennedys, the Reagans, the Clintons, or Hugh Hefner
Any book that promises to raise your consciousness or lower your weight
Any book that "reads like a veritable Who's Who of show business."
Any book by an author who has inherited the mantle of either Damon Runyon
or
Macaulay
Any serious book of poetry by a Latin-American author who has won the
National
Book Award in the past five years (seven years for Nobel Prize winners)
Any book by Norman Mailer that purports to be about women
Any book illustrated by tarot cards or signs of the zodiac
Any book by an ex-nun or an ex-prostitute, especially if one has become the
other
Any compilation of the wit or wisdom of anyone
Any book by an author over thirty who has his picture taken wearing jeans
Any book on philosophy by a manual labourer, or any book on manual labour
by a
philosopher
Any book on the funny things kids do, especially Adrian Mole
Any book that is soon to become a major motion picture by Oliver Stone
Any book set in a tumultuous period of American history...or any book that
is
described as being tumultuous anywhere
Any book that quotes a line from either Robert Frost or James Joyce in the
title
Any book of fairy tales for adults
Any searing novel that finally brings homosexuality out of the closet
Any book that promises to fill every moment of your life
Any novel set in a kibbutz
Any novel set in a plane, bus, train, ship or any other conveyance where
people from all walks of life meet and share one climactic moment
Any novel that spans the life of three generations of a mighty family whose
comeplling story is told amid the holocaust of war
...to which I would add--
Any novel describing American armed forces in combat in the near future
Any novel that is "this generation's Catcher in the Rye"
Any science-fiction novel that is part of a series of more than three
titles (I just made it under my own wire...I've written one SF trilogy, but
I didn't really start out to do so.)
Any novel involving elves or dwarves (at least post-Tolkien)
Any book that "shows how parents can take back control of the schools"
Any book with a swastika on the cover
Any book whose cover depicts a shirtless man with a bigger bosom than that
of
the woman he's kissing
Any book whose cover has a hole in it that reveals an image on a second
cover
...any other recommendations?
--
Crawford Kilian Communications Department Capilano College
North Vancouver BC Canada V7J 3H5 Internet: cki...@hubcap.mlnet.com
Lynnette
>Any book by an ex-nun or an ex-prostitute, especially if one has become the
>other
Actually, I read a book by a prostitute that was so gross as to be intriguing. If
you want the title, e-mail me with a gif file of your driver's license.
>Any book by an author over thirty who has his picture taken wearing jeans
>
How about the woman who wrote the "A is for Alibi" series...Sue Grafton ?
She has her pic on the back wearing jeans, and she looks over 30... I
happen to have spent many a happy Friday night in the tub with one of
her books.
>...any other recommendations?
>Crawford Kilian Communications Department Capilano College
Any book that claims to explain women/men. Like "Women are from Venus,
men are from Mars." Psycho-babble. Ridiculous dribble that seeks to
pigeon hole entire personalities....Not that I _read_ it...
Any book that claims to make you rich in a short span of time.
Lynnette Edrington Dallas, Tx
B.C. French
>At the risk of offending people who want to write books like the
>following...
[lots of real goobers deleted]
>....any other recommendations?
- Any with titles stamped on in shiny pink foil.
- Any titles that have the following pattern: _Jane Doe: Her True Story_ or
_Jane Doe: The Story Behind the Story_.
- Any fantasy story that writes _one_ _more_ _take_ on the Arthurian
legends (just MHO)
- Any covers with inanimate humanoid-looking objects (puppets, dolls, etc)
covered in blood or displaying cutlery
- Any books written after "The Last Unicorn" with unicorns on the cover.
- Any books with cover art depicting scantily-clad women holding onto a
musclebound, half-naked barbarian's leg.
...Barb
larry burke-weiner
bastard hyenas have taken over and I'll be damned if I'm going to read
their books.
LB(hyenas - God's way of saying, "Piss off. They preempted Seinfeld
again!")W
Stanley J Shursky
big snip>
: Any book that claims to explain women/men. Like "Women are from Venus,
: men are from Mars." Psycho-babble. Ridiculous dribble that seeks to
: pigeon hole entire personalities....Not that I _read_ it...
: Any book that claims to make you rich in a short span of time.
: Lynnette Edrington Dallas, Tx
Pet Peeve alert!
It's drivel. Not dribble. While drivel (verb meaning #1. drool,
slobber) can be dribbles, dribble (noun meaning #1. drip) can never be
drivel (noun meaning #2. stupid or senseless talk).
Now, we return to our regularly scheduled program already in progress...
Any book that claims to be the secret diaries of Hitler, Stalin, or
anybody else famous and dead.
Stan Shursky
Rheal Nadeau
Crawford Kilian <crawford...@mindlink.bc.ca> wrote:
]
]...any other recommendations?
Let's see:
SF books featuring a dressed man, a nude woman, and a hairy
extraterrestrial on the cover. (I read one like that recently.
Called "Gryphon", by some guy named Crawford Kilian.)
Books that try to tap into the Jean Auel market - like that Margaret
Allan, whoever she is.
Pseudo-information books with titles like "How something or other
happened." Read one of those over the summer too, some fellow named
"Mingo", if you can believe it.
There - is there anyone I haven't insulted yet?
(All very tongue-in-cheek - the point being that it's very easy to
dismiss books people actually enjoy.)
More seriously, I tend to be wary of books claiming to be the "Next
whatever-happens-to-be-popular". On the other hand, as you no doubt
know, Crawford, the author isn't responsible for the stuff on the
cover.
The Rhealist . Rheal Nadeau . nad...@bnr.ca . One reader's opinion
The Great Grendel-Khan
(Crawford Kilian) writes:
First off, this list made me laugh. Second, wish you'd post more.
>Any book whose cover depicts a shirtless man with a bigger bosom than that
>of the woman he's kissing
Look again. The people never kiss on these covers. They are always
just about to. Adds more tension and all that. I figure, someday I'll
write a romance novel, and actually have the cover charachters kiss.
>Any book whose cover has a hole in it that reveals an image on a second
>cover
I hate these! I work in a book store and I've started making a mental
list of things I don't want my book to have (if I ever publish). I
don't have it to a written stage, but no "die-cut" covers, or those
raised 3d lame things, or odd sized paper backs. I'm not talking about
trade paers, but odd sized mass markets. Every so often an book comes
along that it "artsy" and is reall damn thin and tall, something like
the latest Roger Eibert (sp?) book, and they shelve so awkwardly. I
wish there was a standard for both paper backs and hard cover. I hate
"Bridges Of Madison County" just because of the style it's in.
>...any other recommendations?
>--
>Crawford Kilian Communications Department Capilano College
>North Vancouver BC Canada V7J 3H5 Internet: cki...@hubcap.mlnet.com
--
Why would I want to die on a bed of spikes? | arg...@iastate.edu
|<The Great Grendel-Khan>
No News (is NOT good news!) | since '91
Bill Oliver
>following...
>
Oh, I don't know, what about something like this? I thing I'd
buy it....
The Wit and Widsom of the Queen of Cups: Notes on Love, Life and the
Road not Taken by Juanita Lopez Garcia de Alcacion y Chalupas,
with Norman Mailer.
Juanita Chalupas is known internationally for her
autobiography "Finding the Light: An Escape from Bondage," which
details her struggle from poverty through her life as a prostitute
on the streets of Mexico City, her discovery of God and taking of
the vows as a sister in the Order of the Holy Cross, to her
feminist awakening and current life as a pipefitter in Gudalajara.
In this, her third book (her first, "Candles of Flesh" won the National
Book award for multicultural erotic poetry by a day laborer), Ms. Chalupas
explores the lessons learned in her fascinating and exotic life. Her
experiences as a sex worker and nun have led her to interact with many of
the great and near-great of the world today. From her description of
Ted Kennedy vacationing in Mexico City to her account of the
spiritual challenges of her co-workers on the set of "The Condom and
the Crucifix" (an Oliver Stone production based on "Finding the
Light"), Wit and Wisdom reads like a veritable Who's Who of show
business and politics.
Travel with her as she passes through and touches the great, tumultuous moments
of history -- international and personal. It is a journey guaranteed
to raise your consciousness about the plight of the underemployed latin
american sex worker and the challenges of post-coital celibacy -- *the*
sexual dilemma of the 90s. This book will fill every moment of your life
with the panorama of a life fully lived -- from the silly and joyful antics of
childhood, to the true dramas which form the mythic basis for our adult
parables and fairy tales. This book will finally explain the true expression
of meaningful sexuality, both as a spritual sacrement and a great money-making
opportunity. It will finally bring transcendental sexuality
at multiple levels and multiple genders out of the closet.
This book, which describes the thoughts of Ms. Chalupas as she awaits
takeoff after lecturing to a kibbutz on the Western Bank, begins as a
conversation between the author and the other passengers. Much like
Chaucer, she shows how seemingly unrelated lives can be brought
together throgh one orgasmic act of transcendent sprituality. Her
achievement is considered within the contest of the generations
of her family who fought and worked to bring her to this point as
the true prophet of the intelligencia of the end of the 20th century.
The travails of her grandmother, supporting her daughter through the
dangers of the Second World War are especially poignant, and provide a
perfect backdrop as a cautionary tale of American warfare in the near future.
Ms. Chalupas' account of her granmother's adult fairy tale of Nazi's
as swastica-bearing elves and dwarves provide a unique insight
into the perspective of the war from the eyes of an aging exotic dancer.
Ms. Chalupas remembrance of her first encounter with erotic discipline
is a profound allegory of how parents can finally take back control
of the schools.
This book, expected to be one of a series of discourses by Ms Chalupa,
is this generation's "Catcher in the Rye", and is destined to be a
classic in our time.
Allan S. Izen
Jackie J. Maughan
Song, any book from South America which claims magical surrealism for no
good reason, any book with white men posing as Indian wannabes.
But, more constructively, what are some Good books?
My picks: The Beans of Egypt Maine, Young Men & Fire (nonfiction), The
Meadow, Ceremony, Back before the World Turned Nasty, The Man Who Fell in
Love with the Moon, Wide Sargasso Sea, anything by Sara Paretsky.
Any input? Let's start a must read list.
--
Jackie Johnson-Maughan
Pocatello, Idaho
Meg Wilson
>any book from South America which claims magical surrealism for no
>good reason
Discovering magical realism was like a religious experience for me.
I've never had much patience with straight literary realism, but
I also don't care for the various genres that do lack-of-realism.
So my first experiences with magical realism (they were Salman
Rushdie's Midnight's Children, and The Matriarch by a New Zealand
author whose name I forget) made me very happy.
But recently I had a horrifying thought: it is inevitable that
this style will become (already has become?) overdone and second-
rate. So... are there any lit majors/profs out there who can
give us a guided tour of magical realism? How did it start? What
are some examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly? What is it's
current state, and where are things likely to go from here?
-Meg
Allan S. Izen
zdravka petrov
: maug...@cwis.isu.edu (Jackie J. Maughan) writes:
: >any book from South America which claims magical surrealism for no
: >good reason
: Discovering magical realism was like a religious experience for me.
: I've never had much patience with straight literary realism, but
: I also don't care for the various genres that do lack-of-realism.
: So my first experiences with magical realism (they were Salman
: Rushdie's Midnight's Children, and The Matriarch by a New Zealand
: author whose name I forget) made me very happy.
Have you read Gabriel Garcia Marquez? "100 Years of Solitude" is one
of the best magical realism books I've ever read, and one of his
(Marquez') best. Also good: the short stories, I don't remember the
title of the volume.
Ati Petrov
South American "magic" helps with the "reality" here in Canada...
--------------------------------------
Email address: zpe...@ccs.carleton.ca
The Great Grendel-Khan
>In article <60782-7...@mindlink.bc.ca>,
>Crawford Kilian <crawford...@mindlink.bc.ca> wrote:
>]
>]...any other recommendations?
>Let's see:
> SF books featuring a dressed man, a nude woman, and a hairy
> extraterrestrial on the cover. (I read one like that recently.
> Called "Gryphon", by some guy named Crawford Kilian.)
Okay, piss me off. I've looked for ANY book by CK for about two years
now. I work in a book store, so I figure, I should be able to get it
easy, buit no. Even after exchanging email with the author, I get a
"good luck." I want Green Magic and Red Magic.
> Books that try to tap into the Jean Auel market - like that Margaret
> Allan, whoever she is.
:) He/she has sent me the most helpful email I've recieved yet.
> Pseudo-information books with titles like "How something or other
> happened." Read one of those over the summer too, some fellow named
> "Mingo", if you can believe it.
Still looking for "tappity-tap" CAN YOU help me mingo?
>There - is there anyone I haven't insulted yet?
Yeah, you missed the writer of HALO wom used to post here ofeten, and
besides Gibson, writed the best SF book there are. Well, besides
Hielien (whose dead and Spider REobinsonm) an....
>(All very tongue-in-cheek - the point being that it's very easy to
>dismiss books people actually enjoy.)
Grendel "Gob, and Bog, and God, I'm driunk." Khan
M Barnard
[snip]
>But recently I had a horrifying thought: it is inevitable that
>this style will become (already has become?) overdone and second-
>rate. So... are there any lit majors/profs out there who can
>give us a guided tour of magical realism? How did it start? What
>are some examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly? What is it's
>current state, and where are things likely to go from here?
Well, I can't provide a guided tour, but, for 25 cents or pence, I can provide
a quick peek of what I consider good. Gabriel Garcia Marquez qualifies for
magic realism in _100 Years of Solitude_. I've only read one other book of
his, _Love in the Time of Cholera_, and it seemed to lack the qualities I
associate with MR, so I can't say everything he writes is MR. I would have to
say that elements of Robert Kroetsch's _Badlands_ are MR, although others
might call them mere fabulation. I would definitely say that _Like Water for
Chocolate_ by Laura Esquivel (yahoo...I'm finally by my copy when I post
something about it, so I can include the author's name) is definitely MR, and
good enough to eat. The last one that my bookshelf contains that I consider
MR is _The Invention of the World_, by Jack Hodgins, although others might
complain that he is merely playing with mythologizing in a mythless country.
M
bar...@grin.io.org-----------------------------------------------------------
Stonehenge is the interrupted dance of obelisks/moving too slowly for the eyes
of man to register/like the growth of mountains/like the death of stars
The Great Grendel-Khan
(stuff deleted)
>But, more constructively, what are some Good books?
>My picks: The Beans of Egypt Maine, Young Men & Fire (nonfiction), The
>Meadow, Ceremony, Back before the World Turned Nasty, The Man Who Fell in
>Love with the Moon, Wide Sargasso Sea, anything by Sara Paretsky.
>Any input? Let's start a must read list.
Okay, I work in a book store, so ethically I should stay out of this
thread, but as an avid reader, and a wannabe writer, I am going to
contribute. First off, could you say why you like the above? And also
give ISBNs? Authors would help. i buy a lot of books and I am still
looking for good books.
Now, to disregard what I've asked for:
My sueggtions:
1. The pressed Fairys Scrapbook.
This book rips! Get it for your demented art friends.
2. Becoming Human
1st book in years that made me want to cry. I didn't, but I wanted to.
I wanted to hold Alex so bad, that I got upset. Get this book for an
"Bladerunner" fan. This book is the same idea. but I loved it. The
main charachter is so wonderful. It's the debut by a female author by
the name of Valerie J. Freireich. ISBN: 0451453964
3. Okay, I have more, but I'm too driunk to post./ Will follow-up later.
Crawford Kilian
GGK> >]...any other recommendations?
GGK>
GGK> >Let's see:
GGK>
GGK> > SF books featuring a dressed man, a nude woman, and a hairy
GGK> > extraterrestrial on the cover. (I read one like that recently.
GGK> > Called "Gryphon", by some guy named Crawford Kilian.)
GGK>
GGK> Okay, piss me off. I've looked for ANY book by CK for about two years
GGK> now. I work in a book store, so I figure, I should be able to get it
GGK> easy, buit no. Even after exchanging email with the author, I get a
GGK> "good luck." I want Green Magic and Red Magic.
Actually, if the nude had been bigger and nuder, Gryphon might have made
some decent sales and still be in print.
Greenmagic appeared in 92 and is evidently out of print also, but for all I
know Del Rey will bring it back into print next spring when Redmagic is due
out (June).
Still, I take the GGK's point: the dressed man and hairy extraterrestrial
should not have been on the cover at all...
cu...@vms.cis.pitt.edu
> The Great Grendel-Khan writes:
>
> GGK>
> GGK> > extraterrestrial on the cover. (I read one like that recently.
> GGK> > Called "Gryphon", by some guy named Crawford Kilian.)
> GGK>
> GGK> Okay, piss me off. I've looked for ANY book by CK for about two years
> GGK> now. I work in a book store, so I figure, I should be able to get it
> GGK> easy, buit no. Even after exchanging email with the author, I get a
> GGK> "good luck." I want Green Magic and Red Magic.
>
> Actually, if the nude had been bigger and nuder, Gryphon might have made
> some decent sales and still be in print.
>
For some reason, a used bookstore near my home has several CK titles
in its sf section, including two different editions of "Eyas." It
also has a copy of an sf novel by Walter "Chekov" Koenig, with an
enthusiastic cover blurb by that eminent man of letters, Leonard Nimoy.
A mixed selection, needless to say.
Curt Wohleber / cu...@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Communications Specialist / University of Pittsburgh / (412) 624-4790
http://www.pitt.edu/~curtw/welcome.html
Angus Johnston
>"as told to" tomes
Like The Autobiography of Malcom X? I wouldn't have wanted to miss that...
_________________________________________________________________________
Angus Johnston, CUNY Graduate Center, New York (ang...@eworld.com).
The opinions expressed above are my own, and I'd be more than a little
surprised if they were shared by CUNY administration.
_________________________________________________________________________
Sarah E. Bewley
The Second Coming by Walker Percy - a beautiful book, superior to The
Movie Goer, which is better known.
Billiards at Half Past Nine by Heinrich Boll - I loved this book so much
I went on to read everything he'd written. Next best by Boll is a book
of short stories, published in the USA as The Casualty.
Children of Light by Robert Stone - so lovely it makes me ache with envy.
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison - poetic genius in a novel, a rare thing.
Disappearing Acts by Terry McMillan - a book that reads like truth.
I could list more, but I'll stop here. Anyone else?
Eric Adcock DIAL UP1
>The Second Coming by Walker Percy - a beautiful book, superior to The
>Movie Goer, which is better known.
I'd recommend this book in particular, and Walker Percy in general.
Finished "Death Is A Lonely Business" by Ray Bradbury a few weeks ago.
--
Mr. What, aka Eric Adcock * ead...@ns.cencom.net * Springfield, IL, USA
You're probably wondering why I'm here ... and so am I, so am I.
kmd
Italo Calvino -- a fascinating, warped, mysterious book. I would
recommend it. I'd also like anyone who has read the book to e-mail me,
because I'm still not sure what it was about and would like to discuss
it. Help?
Kris (back from Mexico) D.
--
*********************
This is a signature.
kri...@unm.edu
*********************