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May 19
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Aloysius
gave
 
to:
After Dark (Vintage International)
by Haruki Murakami
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
Aloysius said:
"Although I adore the topics Murakami tends to tackle along with his tone and style, I always come away from his novels feeling as though plot-wise, something was missing. For example, Hard Boiled Wonderland was a wonderful wild ride until I got to th...more
Although I adore the topics Murakami tends to tackle along with his tone and style, I always come away from his novels feeling as though plot-wise, something was missing. For example, Hard Boiled Wonderland was a wonderful wild ride until I got to the end and said, "That's it? That's how it ends?" Fortunately, After Dark doesn't leave me with that sense of wanting more (even if he doesn't resolve all plot points). I finished this book in a sitting, and came away feeling a bit sad and fortuante. This book focuses on one night and the people whose lives intersect over that period. One could almost imagine this being adapted by the late, great Robert Altman, if he was, you know, Japanese. It was a beautiful and enjoyable read, but didn't necessarily have the epic scope of something like Wind-up Bird Chronicle. In the end, I'd recommend this for people who have read his work and enjoyed it. If you haven't encountered Murakami yet, I'd start with his short-stories (or Wind-up Bird, if you're willing to tackle a book of that length). ...less
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Aloysius
gave
to:
Post Office (Paperback)
by Charles Bukowski
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
Aloysius said:
"Bukowski can be a breath of fresh air, and Post Office reminds me that the best writing results for allowing an individual voice to flow. Often people try to emulate Bukowski in the way they try to emulate someone like Raymond Carver. But it can't ne...more
Bukowski can be a breath of fresh air, and Post Office reminds me that the best writing results for allowing an individual voice to flow. Often people try to emulate Bukowski in the way they try to emulate someone like Raymond Carver. But it can't necessarily be done.
Post Office tells the story of the 12 years he worked for the goverment delivering mail, and it's told with wit and humor, and a touch of the sadness in life. The language is simple and sparse, but effective. And it's a quick read (I read it in three or four hours in the course of an afternoon). Recommended for anyone looking to cut through literary poetic bullshit and get a good slice of life piece. ...less
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May 12
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Aloysius
gave
to:
The Immoralist (Penguin Classics)
by André Gide
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
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May 08
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Aloysius
gave
to:
Walking the Black Cat (Paperback)
by Charles Simic
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
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Aloysius
gave
to:
The Art Of Drowning (Pitt Poetry Series)
by Billy Collins
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
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May 07
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Aloysius
gave
to:
A Boy's Own Story (Vintage International)
by Edmund White
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
Aloysius said:
"This book starts out well, giving an interesting evokation of a gay man's youth in the Midwest, small town America, but when the main character enters boarding school, it veers off course and I lost interest. In the end, White's story supposedly auto...more
This book starts out well, giving an interesting evokation of a gay man's youth in the Midwest, small town America, but when the main character enters boarding school, it veers off course and I lost interest. In the end, White's story supposedly autobiographical comes off as a bit difficult to believe, as though halfway into the composition he decided his goal was not to write a realist rendering of his life, but to shock and be sensationalist. Perhaps in the time it was written, there was some point to this, but reading it in 2008, it has a rather ridiculous effect.
Another problem I had with this was the prose style. For some reason American writers of this period (Philip Roth, John Updike, etc) tend to all sound the same to me, use the same voice, have the same opinions, and stylistically I find it dull. It's almost like they were taught there is only one definitive way to write and that's it. This book reminded me of Goodbye Columbus. If you're into that kind of thing you'll enjoy A Boy's Own Story. If not, it's best to skip it. ...less
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Aloysius
gave
to:
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Hardcover)
by Junot Díaz
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
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May 22
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Aloysius
marked as to-read:
Seeing (Paperback)
by José Saramago
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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February 06
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Aloysius
gave
to:
The Collected Stories of Richard Yates (Paperback)
by Richard Yates
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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January 16
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Aloysius
gave
to:
Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope (Paperback)
by Jonathan Kozol
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2008
Aloysius said:
"This is the first Johnathan Kozol book I've read and it went by very quickly. The man writes with conviction and compassion although it borders on sentimentality at times. That would make sense, of course, given that his subject is the education ineq...more
This is the first Johnathan Kozol book I've read and it went by very quickly. The man writes with conviction and compassion although it borders on sentimentality at times. That would make sense, of course, given that his subject is the education inequalities of children in poor neighborhoods, and while he doesn't get too deeply into the political aspect of these inequalities, he captures well-rounded portraits of the children in the hopes perhaps that his audience will take notice and care for their plight. In this way, it seems (as it says on the cover) to be his most personal book. I look forward to reading others as he has a straightforward and clear style that gets his point across without any unnecessary divergence or wordiness. I would recommend this book for educators and people interested in social justice. ...less
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