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My next book?

True@1stLight

True@1stLight

New Member
As a come to the last few hundred pages of War and Peace I'm beginning to contemplate what my next book should be. I'm planning on taking a break from my Russian authors and try something short but rich. I'm open for suggesgtions at this point my top two options look like Vonnegut or Faulker. Feel free to interpose any ideas you might have, but please give a short description of the writing and why you think I might like it.
 
If you go for Faulkner, I suggest As I lay Dying. Switches viewpoint frequently between a family escorting a body to its final resting place. Very odd and keeps you on your toes.
 
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 is a marvelous contemplation on the extent to which our lives may be hollow, even though we would seem to have everything. If you like that, you might also want to read Wright Morris' The Field of Vision. It is a little more "sophisticated" stylistically, but deals with some of the same themes (i.e. that "life imitating art" is a double-edged sword).
 
Think if i choose him I'm going with the Sound and the Fury....but i'll keep that one in mind, because I need to read him sooner or later.
 
Truthfully, I haven't read more of him because he's still under copyright and his books are expensive. Guess I need to pick them up at the library.
 
funes said:
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 is a marvelous contemplation on the extent to which our lives may be hollow, even though we would seem to have everything. If you like that, you might also want to read Wright Morris' The Field of Vision. It is a little more "sophisticated" stylistically, but deals with some of the same themes (i.e. that "life imitating art" is a double-edged sword).
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Sounds extremely intriguing :) , and perhaps up my alley! Thank you very much, I'll be sure to check them out.
 
If it's short you are after then I, and I'm sure a few others, would recommend William Weaver's translation of if on a winter's night a traveller by Italo Calvino.

If you haven't read this great book already then click here to read the first few paragraphs and see if it grabs you. ;)
 
Abulafia said:
If it's short you are after then I, and I'm sure a few others, would recommend William Weaver's translation of if on a winter's night a traveller by Italo Calvino.

If you haven't read this great book already then click here to read the first few paragraphs and see if it grabs you. ;)
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Now i'm talkin short compared with the last few books I've read. War and Peace, Crime and Punishment , and Foucault's Pendulum.

So short can be up to and around 500 pages, I just mean I need a break from 1000+ page books.
 
[off topic]

I've got Calvino's Cosmicomics on my shelf, and I can't wait to start reading it. I'm absolutely sure that If On A Winter's Night A Traveler will follow soon!

[/off topic]

Cheers, Martin
 
Martin, does your avatar have strong pelvic muscles? It seems that he must from the way he thrusts along without arms. It's actually quite hypnotic............ :eek:
 
You know, I've never really considered the pelvic muscles of my green, armless, animated avatar.

Silly me.

Cheers, Martin
 
If you want a real break from length, why not try a book of short stories? Two of my personal favourite collections of such works are Asimov's Robot stories (try the Complete Robot) and Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious and macabre tales (umpteen different selections to choose from).
 
The Magician said:
My next books are going to be Dale Browns Flight of the old dog and Sky Master.
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No offence but look at the books he's read and then look at Dale Brown. ;)
 
Themistocles said:
If you want a real break from length, why not try a book of short stories? Two of my personal favourite collections of such works are Asimov's Robot stories (try the Complete Robot) and Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious and macabre tales (umpteen different selections to choose from).
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Or Jorge Luis Borges' Labyrinths - an influence for Eco and many other postmodernists.
 
Abulafia said:
No offence but look at the books he's read and then look at Dale Brown. ;)
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Haha, thx for saving me the time ;)

And in Labryinths have you read the labryinth library one? I love that story by Borges! :)
 
Abulafia said:
Or Jorge Luis Borges' Labyrinths - an influence for Eco and many other postmodernists.
Click to expand...

Uuuurrgh, just spent too long writing about postmodernism and its impact upon the study of history (if indeed there is such a thing) in my AEA history exam. Now my hand hurts.
 
Just for an update, I have finished War & Peace and just purchased The Moviegoer as my next book. Thank you for the tips, and please don't think this means you can't give more, I am more than intrigued to read Calvino in the near future.
 
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