Search results

Jenem, If you're in the mood for Gabriel and romance, you might give "In the Humdrum" a listen or two. I like the version on the Plays Live disc.

The Realm of Prester John? Is that the one by Robert Silverberg? It's been in my "to read" pile since I bought a year ago. I'm currently reading Out of the Flames, a non fiction account of Servetus and the rarest book in the world, which story served as the basis for Perez-Reverte's The Club...

Boy, those are some tough questions. If I had to be a character out of a book, I suppose being Nero Wolfe would be the easiest choice. He never gets any older, is wonderfully bright, reclusive, eats only the best food, and makes gobs of money. Or his sidekick, Archie Goodwin, who is also...

I'm 37, but have felt like this since I was about 12.

Wabbit, I'll second the recommendation of H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines, but don't forget that he wrote plenty of other books in the adventure genre. They are very much of their time and place (Victorian England) but great fun nonetheless.

I'm glad you asked, Irene. It was all I could do to restrain myself from questioning the Michael Buble version of Moondance. Admittedly, Van's version is overplayed, but jeepers Jenny! Anyway, I much prefer Into the Mystic for Van-inspired romance.

A couple of mine are: I Cover the Waterfront - Billie Holliday Blue Skies - The Allman Brothers Angel Flies from Montgomery - Bonnie Raitt

I honestly don't know. I've only ever read Invisible Cities. But, that book is so nearly impossible to describe to others. I thought the book very forcefully, if nothing else, conveyed a sense of melancholy (you know, "Look on my works, ye mighty etc. . .). Perhaps because there isn't a...

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed The Moviegoer. I was intrigued by Binx' awareness that somehow life is never quite as aesthetically perfect as the movies. I very nearly wrote my honors thesis in college on the way in which certain books dramatize this dichotomy between American myth and...

Jules, It's possible that Martin didn't get the reference. "My Favorite Martian" was on TV here in the states about 100 years ago. Either way, good luck.

Yeah, yeah. Of course, the sound of rain on a late October morning (between 11 pm and 7 am), provided there's company around to hear it, is quite nice. I also like the muffled quality of sounds during a night snowstorm. And, there are some peoples' voices which I find quite mesmerizing and...

Halo, I'm afraid that I can't be of much practical help (I've no idea what a Metro is, or how much 500 pounds amounts to in US $), but I, just this month, had to junk my Ford pick-up for similar reasons (a burned up clutch and/or transmission). I could have had it fixed for $600 +/-, but it...

I am sort-of a paid "gopher" in the world of antiques, which entails doing everything from carrying around cast iron fountains to repairing 150 year old documents with tweezers. I am also a sometime author, currently working (slowly, oh so slowly) on a non-fiction book.

Here's one of the many that stopped me in my tracks (if this works): “A man may destroy everything within himself, love and hate and belief, and even doubt; but as long as he clings to life he cannot destroy fear: the fear, subtle, indestructible, and terrible, that pervades his being; that...

There'd also be absolutely nothing wrong with reading Kerouac's Desolation Angels and Big Sur. I've always thought that those three books captured the arc of his life.

I'll second the recommendations of Calvino (I rather liked Invisible Cities , myself) and Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and virtually anything by Borges. I'd also be interested to hear your reaction to The Moviegoer.

Meep, There is a book called Labyrinths of Iron by Benson Bobrick (I think) which is a history of subways in general, but certainly contains a lot of info on the London version. And, aside from a little ideological axe-grinding, it's quite well written.

True, I can think of two "short" books that you might not otherwise encounter which seem to meet criteria. The Moviegoer by Walker Percy is written in a very easy, flowing style. If I remember correctly, the story is told exclusively from the viewpoint of the main character. At any rate, it...

If it helps, Raven, I have to say that I am definitely in your neck of the woods on this topic. Few things sadden me as much as seeing an otherwise very pretty girl who has turned her face into something resembling the grill of a '57 Buick. But then, I tend to be rather turned off by any woman...

True, As you can see, there are plenty of "modern" writers out there who are worth reading (and there are plenty who aren't). A few that come to mind who haven't yet been mentioned here are: Fred Exley - his book A Fan's Notes is really great Jorge Luis Borges - Labyrinths or one of the...