What Are You Reading??

Finally embarked into a book by my favorite author I've been wanting to read for many years: The Satanic Verses  by Salman Rushdie. The man is far and away the most amazing writer I've ever witnessed.
So far Midnight's Children  is a better book...but I'm still very early in Verses...

For those of you reading HST: God luv ya.

Even though I think it's great that TSV wound up the islamic extremists so much, it's also said to be a very pretentious, near-unreadable work...

Currently reading Obama's Audacity of Hope. Its his perspective (realist as opposed to cynic) on modern politics, what's wrong with them, the joys of local politics (as opposed to national), etc. A bit like preaching to the choir much of the time but a lot of political stories which are new to me, as I normally don't follow politics on such a closer level.

Even though I think it's great that TSV wound up the islamic extremists so much, it's also said to be a very pretentious, near-unreadable work...

It's not unreadable. It's very confusing, true. Lots of symbolism which will be lost on a lot of Western readers. I was lucky enough to have a Rushdie expert explain a lot of it during a lecture on post-colonial literature. Compared to Ulysses, it's neither unreadable or pretensious. I must admit I liked "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" way more than TSV.

TSV is proving challenging going but not unreadable. I'm hanging in there so far.
As Eric points out, it helps to know at least a bit about India...true of many if not all of Rushdie's books.

I found "Ruled Britannia" by whatsisface Turtledove, in Non-Daves cupboard, and I've just finished it. I previously read another of his books, which I found in Con's cupboard, and I pinched a third one from Non-Dave as well. Good shit, alternate history!

I read 85 percent of an Iris Murdoch novel at the Bookworm; got in yesterday, and they'd shuffled the shelves! 

Tokyo by Mo Hayder, an interesting look at the Nanking Massacre. Have really enjoyed it so far. 

I read 85 percent of an Iris Murdoch novel at the Bookworm; got in yesterday, and they'd shuffled the shelves! 

Yeah. Apparently they hired Jason to do that. THAT  Jason...

Meanwhile...starting to really get into TSV. The second section, entitled 'Mahound', is an absolutely breathtaking piece of writing. It elicited an audible 6am "Wow" when I turned the last page.

Also pretty sure this is the section that got Rushdie the fatwa issued on his ass. There are some things the Islamic orthodoxy do not like seeing written about...

 Reading East of Eden by Steinbeck. I loved his stuff when I was younger, but East of Eden was one I never got around to reading. For the last 7 years I've mostly only read non-fiction, but I have to say I'm enjoying this one a great deal. Steinbeck is one of the greatest story tellers of all time.

Quote from: Con ate dog on February 14, 2008, 09:38:43 PM

I read 85 percent of an Iris Murdoch novel at the Bookworm; got in yesterday, and they'd shuffled the shelves! 

Yeah. Apparently they hired Jason to do that. THAT  Jason...

They didn't hire ME?    They hired that piece of soylent green to touch those books?    I oughta...

I'm reading "Blind Ambition" by John Dean, one of the guys who went to prison following the Watergate Scandal.  I'm really glued: the parallels with every place I've ever worked, especially in China are amazing... and pathetic and squalid.  Corruption, in the end, is a dreary, childish and in every sense of the word COMMON thing.

When are you going to bring Bookworm to Xi'an?

I'm just a humble customer, but I'll put in a word.

How many foreigners does Xi-an have?

It would make me sound gay.