Dan’s Comments (group member since Mar 02, 2009)

Dan’s comments from the fiction files redux group.

I think this thread got a little more bellicose than intended. I didn't mean for this to be about people who are not interested in reading but rather about a reader of non-fiction, who doesn't see the point of fiction and willing to read a book you suggested to see if it changes is/her mind.

What book(s) would hook a person, or show a person the value of fiction? This is less about convincing a person to do anything and more about what book encapsulates what you love about fiction.

Yeah! That's the BookStop. They're a used bookstore. If I remember correctly I found them to be a little expensive at least when compared to Bookman's.

I did once buy a book called Books from the Book Stop and found that McMurtry dedicated Books in part, to the very same Book Stop. Pretty odd.

On a side note, McMurtry is a grumpy old bastard so don't waste an hour standing in line for a chat and a signature if presented with the opportunity (at the Tucson Festival of Books).

@Natalie - I was just in Antigone Books on 4th on Saturday. They had a pretty decent selection and good prices on their remainders.

So, the first thing I noticed about the Amazon purchase:

Accidentally typing the URL incorrectly as goodredas.com rerouted me directly to amazon.com's homepage (though I don't know if that happened prior to the purchase or not, because it could have).

I forgot to mention it above, but it was Elizabeth's genius idea for me to look for the streaming version of the program.

It was quite an interesting show. I've not really heard Roth talk about his career (or anything for that matter) prior to this show.

I can't imagine reading Portnoy as a twelve year old boy, let alone as a twelve year old girl. There's plenty there to scar a kid.

So yeah, fuck Amazon and all. But here are a few thoughts I’ve had while reading and thinking about this the past couple of days. First, it was sold for something like 150 million dollars. Which is a good deal of money considering Goodreads raised less than 2.5 million on its own. If I created something and the devil himself offered me 150 million for I’d hardly hesitate. Luckily, literature has never given us any compelling reasons to not deal with the devil. Apparently, Otis is still going to be running the show and could earn quite a bit more if he hits certain milestones or metrics. What those are no one knows, but they’re certain to be nefarious.

Secondly, when this deal was announced and the founder (Otis) and an Amazon representative were doing press it was a Kindle person. This I believe to be somewhat telling. The move was likely an effort to bring a social community to the Kindle platform and more broadly Amazon. In the past Amazon’s efforts to do this have been unsuccessful. And just to state the obvious it’s also a move to sell more ebooks (and other stuff to a somewhat captive audience).

The question to me is whether or not, we will be able to handle the changes or persist in spite of them, and use Goodreads the way we always have. We can as always (I think and if you prefer) to continue to not shop there.

So our buddy Phil was featured on PBS' American Master's. Here is a link to the show: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmaste...

I've not yet watched it but am planning to do so immediately.

You've got to be fucking kidding me. I look away for a few days and miss this news.

I am not an Amazon fan. I do wonder if the changes Amazon makes will be that far out of line with the way facebook handles our data?

That was Chris' post, I've not yet read Neuromancer.

Well that's the thing, this scenario (at this time) is hypothetical. But I couldn't help but wonder what everyone thinks would hook a person who doesn't read fiction

I've not read any of Ian Fleming, have you read any of his others?

Sandra - I've been sitting on The Terror for sometime, another of our group members sent it to me and I haven't had a chance to get to it yet. What is it that you like the most about it or better yet, why is it your type of book?

I am sure that many of you discuss books on a daily basis with the people around you, even if they are not necessarily interested. What happens when you come across a person who doesn't read fiction, and says something like "I don't know why you'd want to read a made up story"?

Perhaps more importantly than your immediate response to that silly stance what book would you recommend to that person that would change their mind?

figured it was worth a shot...

I was once flying in an 8 seater with just the pilot and myself. It was quite an experience to be in a rainstorm, not being able to see out the front window at all. And until that day I never knew what turbulence could really feel like. Somehow I still managed to read a good deal on that short flight in spite of these conditions.

I hadn't really thought about what kind. I am interested in what you guys think are the best regardless of kind.

I might pick up Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem soon which will also go along with my wanting to read more female writers this year.

Hello smart folks, I am looking for your opinion. What is/are the best book(s) of essays you've read? The funniest? The most odd? The most entertaining?

I'm looking for a little help separating the wheat from the chaff.

Yeah Patty, you're right. Subway rides are only traveling in the most literal sense. I feel like I'd either miss my stop while subway reading or not be able to focus enough from fear that I would miss my stop. It seems like that is an art form that you develop since there are whole blogs of people reading on the NYC Subways.

Oh yeah, there is always that little bit of physics to block out too. I'd be interested to hear what our subway riders have to say about reading in motion.

I feel that when I am reading while traveling, often by plane, that it is a different experience. I find that I love being physically disconnected from the rest of the world, and since I usually travel alone the only danger is an annoying passenger.

I also feel like I am able to make progress in books I wouldn't be able to while at home since I have so many other books to start reading. Also, the white noise of the airplane is usually something that helps me focus and dive into the narrative.

How do you feel that your reading differs when on the road? Is it easier or more difficult? How do your surroundings affect the way you read?

As I was thinking about this this morning E-Monk's travel writings popped into my head. We need to get him in here to start sharing them again or at least get him a publisher so we can all read them.

That really is quite funny. You'd be pretty hard pressed to find photos of me, on land, without my shirt on. Lord knows that's not a sight that needs preservation.