BOOK THREAD

Clif

Science Fiction Summer!

So far since school got out I have read Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert, and am currently re-reading Nueromancer by William Gibson.

Quick Takes: Snow Crash was amazing. pretty sure it coined the term meta verse. I had read Cryptonomicon before and this is just as good. A tad more straight forward. still a super quick ending. seems to be a Stephenson staple?

Dune Messiah is a bridge book. Paul mainly just laments his slide into apathy and his unwillingness to change his destiny. Clone Duncan Idaho and crazy dwarfs abound

I just feel like I want to re-read Nueromancer. Don't remember a ton of it because I read it when I was 18. I am old now.

BARELY HUMAN

got a bit uninspired with reading the last month or so, so just been picking through Philip K Dick books i've never read that are lying around the house... read A Maze of Death which was so sick, real eery, almost reminded me of Solaris a bit (ironic because of their hilarious feud). then i just finished Clans of the Alphane Moon the other day and that wasn't good... only partly hilarious because among this absurd space opera type thing crossing planets and whatnot, the main character's entire motivation is just like, "i hate my wife".

Lincoln

BARELY HUMAN I swear, I love PKD, but half that man's output was just him processing his feelings about whatever partner he had at the time. The sci-fi king of divorce novels aspect of his work doesn't age well.

BARELY HUMAN

Lincoln haha 100%, it's like bad 1950s stand up sometimes..

have the sci-fi heads in here got any tips on diving into Sam Delaney btw? I read Babel-17 and thought it was sick.. also enjoyed Trouble on Triton a lot but holy shit was it dense (lots of skipping through mathematical equations that outlined the rules to some kind of board game). not sure where to go next, and i sense he's got a pretty big cult following, but i like his approach in everything i've read about him

Lincoln

BARELY HUMAN Dhalgren is probably the Delany classic. It's his most punk novel too IMO. I read it years ago, and ideas from it still come back to me from time to time.

Tales of Neveryon was the first book I read by Delany. I loved it, and the whole Neveryon series. Definitely not your average fantasy novel though 🦄

BARELY HUMAN

Lincoln ah sick! i'll see if i can track dhalgren down.. thanks for the rec. i think i've seen it around before but got intimidated by its length, tho i've been a bit less freaked out by long books lately so should toughen up a bit

dr_chile

My buddy in Albuquerque has an awesome book store called Alarum Books. He specializes in esoteric literature. From the description: "Alarum Books is a rare book firm based in Albuquerque, New Mexico established in 2023 by Ryan O'Connor. Our goal is to spread the word about the strange, esoteric, and challenging literature that lives below the surface of our increasingly homogenized reality. We simply want to put books with a real sense of aura into your hands, so that you too may be inspired to create something new.

Our specialties include counter culture; occult; esoteric; modern poetry; modern horror; sleaze; music and private press materials, though we have items in our inventory ranging the spectrum from "relatively normal" to "why does this book exist?" Please feel free to contact us if you're interested in recommendations, or are seeking out a particular item."

https://alarumbooks.com/

Afteryourbrain

Two books I am anticipating are the new Scott McClanahan and the new Tom Scharpling book

Randall

Afteryourbrain there's a new Tom Scharpling book coming out?

Afteryourbrain

Randall yeah! It’s called WE GET IT, THEY DONT! Sounds like it’s all about music. He posted the info on his instagram. Comes out next year

problemface

anyone familiar with the Midnight Classics imprint from the 90s? they reprinted lost underground noir from the 30s and 40s and also some psychedelic/counterculture novels from the 60s/70s. I found a copy of ‘They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?’ many years ago that they put out and kinda forgot about it. anyway, I was at an antique mall recently and noticed the Midnight Classics logo on the spine of a book and instantly got excited. it was ‘Quake’ by Rudolph Wurlitzer, who I had never heard of, but it said that he wrote the screenplay for Two Lane Blacktop, which is one of my favorite movies but I never paid attention to who wrote it. I guess he was a counterculture figure of the time who wrote a few novels. I really enjoyed the book. it’s about a major earthquake that hits LA during the hippie days. the tone is dark, cynical and nihilistic but also humorous. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the chaos unfolding in the book and the recent LA wildfires. I want to read his book NOG too, and might try to collect the rest of the Midnight Classics releases.

Lincoln

problemface check out Wulitzer's Drop Edge of Yonder. Absolute gonzo masterpiece.

Al Dorado

Recent music books read: Redd Kross, Neko Case.
Currently into Will York's 'Who Cares Anyway' (SF punk)

New arrival: 'Someday All the Adults Will Die!: The Birth of Texas Punk' by Pat Blashill
https://utpress.utexas.edu/9781477332474/

Al Dorado

Al Dorado
Finished the Will York book. One of the best scene/city specific books I've read. Well researched, extensive footnotes. Focuses more on post-punk and experimental bands from SF. Budget Rock and the East Bay scene barely receive a mention. Any quibbles I have on who was included or not included are overcome by the quality of the writing.

Dodge

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough.

Best forbidden love in the Australian outback ever.

Ruby

I read 'Our Share of Night' by Mariana Enriquez as recommended by this thread and absolutely loved it. I'm now seriously considering fatherhood, although preferably without the involvement of any secret societies of dark eternal forces.

Randall

Ruby such a fantastic book. I read it over a year ago but still think about it regularly and can't wait for her next novel

Dodge

Avengers West Coast ‘Vision Quest’ Epic Collection
The good years.

falloutlee

i'm currently reading "the broken earth" trilogy books by N.K Jemisin, though i'm reading the first book as of now, but it's pretty good from what i read 🙂

Lammie

I read Waiter in Paris by Edward Chisholm and B. Traven's Death Ship, which someone on here recommended to me. I can't recall nor find who, but either way, thanks for the recommendation. I loved it and will read more by the man.

Sukebe_GG

Lammie Maybe it was me on the "old" board - yeah, the other stuff is great. Well, I think I only read Bridge in the Jungle and the Cotton Pickers...Love how his identity is an enigma, and how he is part of a long line of foreign authors living and writing in Mexico - the Beats were the most famous but not limited to them - there's Malcolm Lowry, DH Lawrence, Ambrose Pierce, etc., and Jodorowsky and Bunuel in film. Trotsky in politics - lulz.

Speaking of which, I recently read Jessica Abel's "La Perdida", a graphic novel. Really enjoyed and although my experiences there a few years before this story takes place were quite different, her depictions really struck a chord.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3525721

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