After two weeks I have started compiling books I really want to have...

It's a bit of an ecclectic bunch...text lifted from Amazon.com

Out by Natsuo Kirino
A suburban Tokyo woman fed up with her loutish husband kills him in a fit of anger, then confesses her crime to a coworker on the night shift at the boxed-lunch factory. The coworker enlists the help of two other women at the factory to dismember and dispose of the body. Readers beware--Kirino's first mystery to be published in English (it was a best-seller in Japan) involves no madcap female bonding. The tenuous friendship between the four women, all with problems of their own even before becoming accessories to murder, begins to unravel almost immediately. Money changes hands. The body parts are discovered. The police begin asking questions, and a very bad man falsely accused of the crime is determined to find out who really deserves the punishment. The gritty neighborhoods, factories, and warehouses of Tokyo provide a perfect backdrop for this bleak tale of women who are victims of circumstance and intent on self-preservation at all costs.

I love thrillers/mysteries when they follow non traditional forms or styles. This seems to be the one for this year.

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things by J.T. Leroy
LeRoy rose to considerable notoriety as the teenaged author of last year's Sarah, a novel about a gender-confused kid whose mother is a truckers' prostitute. In his latest work, a rawly written, riveting series of 10 interlocked stories that read fluidly as a novel, LeRoy returns to the themes of guilt and sin in the first-person voice of a boy so viciously abused by his caretakers that he is left with barely a sense of his own identity. Jeremiah is a child nobody wants, and he passes swiftly from foster parents to his angry and vindictive teenaged mother, Sarah, to his fanatically Evangelical grandparents. Sarah, herself badly wounded by her punishing, Bible-obsessed parents, gave birth to the boy when she was only 14; she returns at 18 to claim him. "Nobody takes what's mine," spouts the foul-mouthed, pill-popping, paranoid young woman. It's soon clear that Sarah cares nothing for her son, who becomes an unwelcome tagalong on her transient cross-country misadventures in hooking louche sugar daddies, stripping, turning tricks for truckers and cooking up explosive "crystal" in one boyfriend's cellar. The boy, who begins to crave Sarah's punishment as a way of keeping his life in balance, is frequently whipped for bed-wetting and is raped by her unsavory boyfriends; his denial of his sexuality becomes a pathetic attempt to identify with his tormentor. LeRoy depicts his ill-begotten characters as tenderly as Jean Genet, and delineates their acts of sadism and self-mutilation as unsparingly as A.M. Homes. Yet the stories resist spiraling into mere sensationalism. While Sarah becomes almost cartoonish in her savagery, the characters of the trucker child prostitute Milkshake and the lumbering biker Buddy are poignantly understated. Jeremiah, conflicted, emotionally bled but never self-pitying or defeated, elicits a gratifying sympathy. LeRoy's work is a startling achievement in his accelerating mastery of the literary form.

J.T. Leroy has been a writer whoms essays and articles I always enjoyed, as he is always one to seek out so called misfits.

The Coma by Alex Garland, drawings by Nicholas Garland
Proclaimed "a gifted storyteller" by The New Yorker and "a huge literary talent" by Kazuo Ishiguro, Alex Garland, the internationally bestselling author of The Beach, The Tesseract, and writer of the critically acclaimed film 28 Days Later, returns with yet another gripping page-turner that blurs the edges of reality and probes the boundaries of consciousness. A man is attacked on the Underground and awakens to find himself in a hospital, apparently having emerged from a coma. Or has he? Garland's brilliant tale is illustrated with forty haunting woodblock print illustrations by his father, Nicholas Garland, a well-known political cartoonist for the Daily Telegraph (UK) and noted artist.

This book gets alot of bad press, but the book is just a small one and I rather make up my own mind. Again, I like the way he twists the plots in his stories.

The Giving Tree, words and pictures by Shel Silverstein
To say that this particular apple tree is a "giving tree" is an understatement. In Shel Silverstein's popular tale of few words and simple line drawings, a tree starts out as a leafy playground, shade provider, and apple bearer for a rambunctious little boy. Making the boy happy makes the tree happy, but with time it becomes more challenging for the generous tree to meet his needs. When he asks for money, she suggests that he sell her apples. When he asks for a house, she offers her branches for lumber. When the boy is old, too old and sad to play in the tree, he asks the tree for a boat. She suggests that he cut her down to a stump so he can craft a boat out of her trunk. He unthinkingly does it. At this point in the story, the double-page spread shows a pathetic solitary stump, poignantly cut down to the heart the boy once carved into the tree as a child that said "M.E. + T." "And then the tree was happy... but not really." When there's nothing left of her, the boy returns again as an old man, needing a quiet place to sit and rest. The stump offers up her services, and he sits on it. "And the tree was happy." While the message of this book is unclear (Take and take and take? Give and give and give? Complete self-sacrifice is good? Complete self-sacrifice is infinitely sad?), Silverstein has perhaps deliberately left the book open to interpretation.

A small book, as far as I know Silverstein's only one with a colored cover (all his others are in b&w), which drew me to it. As it is a children's book I read it, in like seven minutes and it left me crying. It reminded me of my mother, who passed away earlier this year.



Girl, 15 Charming But Insane by Sue Limb
Life was tragic enough before this spring started. With a distinct lack of boobage and an arse so big that birds of prey could nest within its shadows, Jess Jordan is saddled with the Goddess Flora for a best friend, a Britney Spears look-alike so gorgeous that one grain of her divine dandruff could make the blind see again. Jess knows that her soul mate is Ben Jones, a divine mixture of Leonardo diCaprio, Prince William, and Brad Pitt who oozes mystery and charisma. But the campaign to get Ben to notice her brings on a cavalcade of mortification and disaster, including, but not limited to, a minestrone soup explosion that takes place in her bra and a schoolwide viewing of a videotape that features a topless Jess referring to her breasts as "Bonnie" and "Clyde."

Meanwhile, Jess’s death-obsessed Granny moves into her bedroom, along with her grandfather’s remains; her hypochondriac dad, who sends her daily "horrorscopes" like "You will fall asleep with your mouth open, and a family of earwigs will move in," acts strange about Jess staying with him this summer; and her longtime friend Fred, a television violence addict and closet thumbsucker, has decided that he can’t stand being around her. Jess is determined to make things right . . . but with her offbeat sense of humor and her wildly active imagination, things get complicated along the way.

Just reading the titles of each chapter had me laughing out loud. A hilarious look on teenage obsession. Can't wait to read it.

Checkpoint; A Novel by Nicholson Baker
Checkpoint is a work of fiction by acclaimed author Nicholson Baker, a novella that explores the peculiar angst many Americans are feeling right now about their country and their president. The book is set up as a conversation between two old high school buddies. One of them, in despair about the direction the country is going, is convinced he must kill the president; the other tries to talk him out of it.

Baker wrote Checkpoint in response to the powerless seething fury many Americans felt when President Bush decided to take the nation to war. "How do you react to something that you think is so hideously wrong?" asks Baker. "How do you keep it from driving you nuts? What do you do with your life while this wrong is being carried out? What are the thoughts—the secret thoughts, the unpublishable thoughts, so to speak—that go through your head?"

Some people have rational responses. Others do not. Baker’s book does not suggest violence is ever an appropriate response. But in order to understand the reasons why a violent act is always a mistake, one must first look at the contemplation of such an act.

The dialogue in Checkpoint is angry, funny, pointed and absurd. All of it has relevance to our world. And it is through the conversation in this novel that Baker hopes to raise important questions about how we react to violence—both individually and as a nation.

Working in an American book store that registers the expat voters (and urging all Democrats) has got us stocking up in tie-ins. This one seems the most easy one and the most entertaining.

Mr Paradise by Elmore Leonard
Roommates Kelly and Chloe are enjoying their lives and their downtown Detroit loft just fine. Kelly is a Victoria's Secret catalog model. Chloe is an escort, until she decides to ditch her varied clientele in favor of a steady gig as girlfriend to eighty-four-year-old retired lawyer Tony Paradiso, a.k.a. Mr. Paradise.

Evenings at Mr. Paradise's house, there's always an old Michigan football game on TV. And when Chloe's around, there's a cheerleader, too, complete with pleated skirt and blue-and-gold pompoms. One night Chloe convinces Kelly to join in the fun, along with Montez Taylor, Tony's smooth-talking right-hand man.

But things go awry and before the end of the evening there will be two corpses, two angry hit men, one switch of identity, a safe-deposit box full of loot up for grabs, and, fast on the scene, detective Frank Delsa, who now has a double homicide -- and a beautiful, willful witness -- to add to his already heavy caseload.

With a cool cast, snappy dialogue, and all the twists and turns fans crave, Mr. Paradise is Elmore Leonard at home in Detroit and sharper than ever.

The back flip is already enough of a plotline to have me wanting more.

Aspects Of The Novel by E.M. Forster
Collection of literary lectures by E.M. Forster, published in 1927. For the purposes of his study, Forster defines the novel as "any fictitious prose work over 50,000 words." The seven aspects offered for discussion are the story, people, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. The author compares the form and texture of the novel to those of a symphony. As for subject, he expects the work "to reveal the hidden life at its source." Human nature, he concludes, is the novelist's necessary preoccupation.

Forster's wit and lively, informed originality have made this study of the novel a classic. Avoiding the chronological approach of what he calls "pseudoscholarship," Forster freely examines elements that all English-language novels have in common: story, people, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern and rhythm. The reader comes away with a deeper appreciation for the novel in general, also for Forster, himself a distinguished author (HOWARDS END and A PASSAGE TO INDIA).

Forster's novels were heavily featured on my father's shelves, so I am well known to his work. But not this one. wWorking in a store introduces me to books I never knew excisted, as I normally do not easily venture outside the fiction corner.
I am really curious how someone like Forster tackles his own medium, just like the next book.

Plotting And Writing Suspense Fiction by Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith, author of Strangers On a Train, The Talented Mr.Ripley, Found In The Street, and many other books, is known as one of the finest suspense novelists. In this book, she analyzes the key elements of suspense fiction, drawing upon her own experience in four decades as a working writer. She talks about, among other topics; how to develop a complete story from an idea; what makes a plot gripping; the use (and abuse) of coincidence; characterization and the "likeable criminal"; going from first draft to final draft; and writing the suspense short story.
Throughout the book, Highsmith illustrates her points with plentiful examples from her own work, and by discussing her own inspirations, false starts, dead ends, successes, and failures, she presents a lively and highly readable picture of the novelist at work.

Anyone who wishes to write crime and suspense fiction, or who enjoys reading it, will find this book an insightful guide to the craft and art of a modern master.

Highsmith always was one of my faves in the crime genre. Her stories alwasy sophisticated, she lifted her own books out of it's genre.

Oh, Play That Thing by Roddy Doyle
Oh, Play That Thing is a fast-moving picaresque sequel to Roddy Doyle's novel about the Irish War of Independence and Civil War, A Star Called Henry. On the run from his former commanders, IRA assassin Henry ends up in the USA and copes indifferently with the gang-dominated New York of the early 1920s, and the worlds of Chicago jazz and the migrant workers of the Depression. Henry is a charming chancer, and a survivor, but this does not mean that he has an especially nice time for more than moments--his own ruthless past continually returns to haunt him.
Doyle does a nice line in memorable unpleasant images--a bunch of homing pigeons swollen and dying from bathtub gin; a wooden leg smouldering unnoticed from closeness to a campfire. There's also a strong sense of the changing language of immigrants trying to belong; this is, among other things, the story of how his Irish hero learns to think and speak in the American vein. The vignettes of real people--notably Henry's friend the young Louis Armstrong--are more than just decoration. In the Depression chapters, Doyle writes powerfully about the way folklore grows up. In places, this is a jerkily structured book, but it is always a highly intelligent one.

A new book by one of my favest writers in the world. Without even realising he was the one I wanted to have everything of.
This is the follow up to A Star Called Henry, one of the books I had to get into more than others (his books phonetically transcribe Irish dialect), but I am sure I will find it thriving with direct characters with more humour in their pinky than many in their entire body.


italic edit
[Edited 8/31/04 20:55pm]

i remember the giving tree, that's such a sweet book...i've always loved shel silverstein books. as for books that i want:

--the electric kool-aid acid test (haven't read this since i was in high school)

--jonathan livingston seagull (still hunting hi and lo for a copy of this )


...oh man, i can't even begin to think of what else i want. i'm makin a trip to the bookstore tomorrow anyway.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I know what you mean; working in a book store really gets me going. I did not even talk about the books in the history department, or the Greek philosophy shelves....

Buggerage!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

It's so cool being able to read them for my nephews now... in Dutch!

I love doing voices.

gooeythehamster said:

i'd go over to the bookstore you work at, if i were over in amsterdam...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

You'd love it; quirky people behind the til, shelves and shelves of books waiting to be fungered....
PURRRRR

And as book seller you get to unashamedly flirt with all the cute students that just love Atlas Shrugged By Ayn Rand.

Well, just this ONE cute student. He was like a puppy, wagging his tail about the fact I could name allmy fave characters and why I loved this book so much. Then I had him name his.

ANd then I told him to come back when he finished it....

gooeythehamster said:

That sounds like a wonderfull book, guess it's only in English huh?
I might buy it anyways, Jessica(9) is starting English lessons at school and she might like to read it to Kevin (4)

He loves english words, he keeps on asking me about them. Mama what's that called in english?
He loves the word "blue" for some reason

Anyway, thanks for your great book hit list Keep'm comming.

Enjoying your new job Gooey!?

I just visited a Grand opening Barnes & Nobles BookSellers tonight. I can spend hours, days... just reading. I hope to build my very own library within my home... working on it. (Slowly and surely) ~Smile.

The Giving Tree is an excellent tale, much to reflect on... and an important lesson to learn. I love reading this story (all stories) to the children and having a discussion after. Their responses are so informative to how they understand life's values... as well as the life lessons learned.

Best wishes...

Whateva said:

The book is translated, but I do not know if it is still available. De Boom Die Gaf, heet 'ie geloof ik.

If you ever bump into Ik Val Omhoog (Falling Up) do not hesitate to buy it, as it is out of print for sure, but I think one of his best. Quite properly translated too, which is not always the case.

Freespirit said:

I enjoy my new job very much indeed. WIsh I could beat the cold I am having, so I can concentrate on all that is coming at me (four floors, around 40 colleagues, so many subsections, so many customers).

I have been buying books since very young, but now have come into a time in my life I just buy books that matter. It is easier to shift through the good and bad books this way.

I will always share our bestsellers with you all!

Do you have kids? How many? If you do not wanna share on forum; herman_hagen@yahoo.com

gooeythehamster said:

I will definitely utilize that address... thank you. Although my children experience comes from my 9 years, plus... teaching in Montessori and interning/student teaching years. Also time spent with my nephews/niece... and my close friends children.

I have read endless children literature while teaching within the Montessori setting (9 beautiful years). Storytime... everyday, two... three times a day... at least 2-3 stories per sitting. Now that is storytime overload and I love/loved every minute of it. I am so particular to the stories I read to children (topic, illustrations, etc.)... you can really loose their attention if the story is not read properly and focused to their interests/level.

Bookstores overwhelm me ... if I died right in the middle all that written knowledge... I would be in spiritual heaven instantly to go that way. Does that sound crazy?

Freespirit said:

Yes, but I like crazy and understand huge portions of your addiction.

I am addicted too.

gooeythehamster said:

Will do

Smart girl.

I will probably hit you with another list in three days.

Is anybody tempted to read any of these just because I posted them here? Just curious.

The Giving Tree is a classic-definitely up there with Where The Sidewalk Ends.

Eric Idle from Monty Python wrote a great book called The Road to Mars that's worth checking out.

If you're a fan of comic related graphic novels check out The Sandman. Probably my favorite graphic novel ever made-besides Frank Miller's Batman work.

Anything by David Sedaris is worth checking out.

Nick Hornby as well-I still reread his-especially About a Boy and High Fidelity.

There's also a great Monty Python autobiography out called The Pythons by The Pythons.

I'm sure you've already heard of all these, but if there's a chance maybe not-check them out.

subhuman09 said:

Guess who is doing a reading in Amsterdam this month?

gooeythehamster said:

You lucky bastard!

subhuman09 said:

But I ain't got no ticket!

gooeythehamster said:

Then tell me about the Leonard Cohen book.

Can you steal a ticket from someone?

subhuman09 said:

Amazon says this;

From Library Journal
Dubbed "an unstructured, free-form, irreverent novel" ( LJ 4/1/66) by LJ 's reviewer, Beautiful Losers seemed too strange even for the Sixties. Nevertheless, the book went on to become a cult hit, selling more than 400,000 copies before going out of print. The novel is now being reissued to coincide with the upcoming publication of Cohen's Stranger Music. With its gay relationships, homages to Canadian Native Americans, and search for the meaning of life, this may now find wider acceptance in the mainstream. For public libraries.

Inside Flap Copy
One of the best-known experimental novels of the 1960s, Beautiful Losers is Cohen?s most defiant and uninhibited work. The novel centres upon the hapless members of a love triangle united by their sexual obsessions and by their fascination with Catherine Tekakwitha, the 17th-century Mohawk saint.

By turns vulgar, rhapsodic, and viciously witty, Beautiful Losers explores each character?s attainment of a state of self-abandonment, in which the sensualist cannot be distinguished from the saint.

Book Description
One of the best-known experimental novels of the 1960s, Beautiful Losers is Cohen’s most defiant and uninhibited work. The novel centres upon the hapless members of a love triangle united by their sexual obsessions and by their fascination with Catherine Tekakwitha, the 17th-century Mohawk saint.

By turns vulgar, rhapsodic, and viciously witty, Beautiful Losers explores each character’s attainment of a state of self-abandonment, in which the sensualist cannot be distinguished from the saint.

Reviewer: VoodooLord7 (Oklahoma, USA)

"Beautiful Losers" is the perfect title for this book. Though Cohen, of course, has come to be known foremost as a songwriter and secondly as a poet, this novel, his second, came out in 1966, two years before the release of his first album. As anyone who has read his poetry and prose or listened to his songs knows, Cohen is a very gifted man with words. Not since Oscar Wilde and James Joyce have I seen a man who can manipulate the English language and drop little nuggets of beauty among the vast sea of sorrow as well as he can. Cohen's writing style is very smooth and beautiful, and the images he creates are very evocative. To try to imagine how this book reads, think of Cohen's lyrical or poetic style - and then run it on out to Cloud 9. As I said, this book is perfectly titled - it is beauty - indeed, everything - taken the to extreme. The writing is very beautiful and wondrous to read; the review which states that Cohen's style is like "James Joyce... writing from the point of view of Henry Miller", contrary to its apparent surface of hyperbole, is actually highly accurate. People often cite Miller as the predominant writer of erotic material, but I think that Cohen is the true master of the art: he gets to the very heart of the subject. Consequently, this book is very, very vulgar and quite disturbing at times - if it were not for the monumental court decisions on Ulysses and Tropic of Cancer, this book would, no doubt, have never been published in the United States. This is raw, rugged, beautiful prose. As many other reviewers have pointed out, this is really a poem described as a novel - or prose, at any rate. The actual plot, or, indeed, the meaning of the book is... well, it cannot be explained. It simply must be read. In the end, like Ulysses, this is a book that is more notable for its style, prose, and utter breadth of technique than for its actual content - the old Wildian idea of form over substance. And, though nonsense it may apparently be, oh, what form it is...

Thanks for the info gooey!




I'll have to buy it soon.

subhuman09 said:

It sells well in our store...