Brain Pain 2015 Proposed Reading Schedule choices

[Jim]

Johanna wrote: "Loved 'If on a Winter's Night a Traveler' when I read it many years ago & would enjoy reading it again.

I also would like to bring 'A Brief History of Seven Killings' by Marlon James to the group'..."

It sounds a lot like a BP book. I'll be interested to read your review when you finish.

[Russell]

Hey Jim,
Just alluding back to the Vollmann talk (without trying to hijack the thread) - we seem to have something that resembles a release date for The Dying Grass.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dying-Grass...

Just thought I'd throw out a heads up.

[Jim]

Russell wrote: "Hey Jim,
Just alluding back to the Vollmann talk (without trying to hijack the thread) - we seem to have something that resembles a release date for The Dying Grass.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dy..."

Thanks Russell! 864 pages - looks like they reached an agreement. Showing end of July, so we could plan to read around September or so.

[Jim]

Juan wrote: "How about The Atlas or ybara for Vollman?"

The Atlas and You Bright and Risen Angels are two possibilities if The Dying Grass doesn't get released in 2015. If it does release, then we'll read The Rifles and TDG in 2015 and move on to other Vollmann in 2016.

[Jim]

Juan wrote: "Sounds good! 2015 might turn out to be a very exciting year"

Oui, je pense...

[Rambling Reader]

Oh wow, such fun books to read for 2015.

[Jim]

Cphe wrote: "Would Kōbō Abe fit the criteria forBrain Pain?"

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure I can clearly state the "criteria" for Brain Pain anymore, given the territory we've covered, so I'd say, "yes, he probably would".

[Amy]

Jim wrote: "Cphe wrote: "Would Kōbō Abe fit the criteria forBrain Pain?"

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure I can clearly state the "criteria" for Brain Pain anymore, given the territory we've covered, so I'd say, "yes, ..."

I love Kobo Abe!

[Sosen]

A ton of us will be reading The Dying Grass anyway, Jim, so you might as well add it to the list!

I've always been interested in The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick, and I think it would be a good fit for this group. I'm sure we already have enough books at this point, so maybe save it for 2016?

[Jim]

Sosen wrote: "A ton of us will be reading The Dying Grass anyway, Jim, so you might as well add it to the list!

I've always been interested in The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick, and I think it woul..."

Yes, it's already penciled in for September, so barring the unforeseen, it's a go.

How familiar with Dick's novels would a person need to be to appreciate The Exegesis? I've only read 3 1/2 so far...

[Matthew]

I've been pretty bad about being current with BP, but I'm just breezing through Woolf's Orlando and really enjoying it, (although Pynchon's Inherent Vice is also competing for my time). Here were things that stood out to me that I would possibly read.

The Plague
Op Oloop
Desperate Characters
The Uncanny
Lime Twig
Tomcat Murr (highly recommeneded)
Lispector books
At Swim Two Birds
Book of Disquiet
Tristram Shandy
Maldoror (another blast from the past for me)

I also vote for Mason & Dixon in terms of Pynchon. Maybe that's supposed to go somewhere else besides this post.

Also since someone mentioned Kobo Abe, The Box Man would be a good choice for BP.

Concerning Dick's Exegesis, it would be helpful to have some PK Dick preliminary reads. Certainly the Valis Trilogy, and maybe Man in the High Castle, and Ubik was a lot of fun when I read it. The Exegesis is pretty thick with Dick's other works, so some familiarity would be helpful. But the Valis Trilogy is central in the Exegesis, (what little I remember diving into it years ago), and would probably be good to have handy while reading the Exegesis.

[Zadignose]

Seven of the items on the list are works I've previously read, but in commenting I mainly focused on the one's I'd readily reread or new works to me... i.e., I was thinking of my own reading enjoyment.

However, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler may not have gotten enough of a boost in this discussion. I neglected it only because I personally want to read other Calvino books, but for anyone who hasn't yet read it, it's virtually a MUST READ BOOK. So... unless everyone's already read it, maybe that should go on the list and I'll be willing to do a reread too.

[Jim]

Zadignose wrote: "Seven of the items on the list are works I've previously read, but in commenting I mainly focused on the one's I'd readily reread or new works to me... i.e., I was thinking of my own reading enjoym..."

I'm almost finished with the list for 2015. Pretty much everything made it except for Brautigan, Hawkes, Markson, and Vila-Matas.

Mason & Dixon won the Pynchon poll and there was ample support for Infinite Jest.

Will try to post the results by the end of the week...

[Zadignose]

cool.

[Zadignose]

I'm replying here to continue discussion, but not as a recommendation for the group:

Henry wrote: "Zadignose wrote: "Seven of the items on the list are works I've previously read, but in commenting I mainly focused on the one's I'd readily reread or new works to me... i.e., I was thinking of my ..."

That's true, I've read those too, and I'm bonkers for the Baron. Any would be a good reread for me, but I've hesitated to reread them until getting a more complete experience of Calvino, e.g. I've got Difficult Loves lurking unread on my shelf and I haven't read Mr. Palomar... and probably heaps of others. Calvino's become something like my treasure in reserve in case all other reading fails me.

[Jim]

Cphe wrote: "Are we still on track to read Infinite Jest next year?

If so which month were you considering?"

We are. Hamlet will begin March 2, and IJ will begin March 16.

[Cleo]

Jim, have you decided the length for the Infinite Jest read? Hopefully reasonably looong ....... ????? ;-)

ETA: Forget my question ...... I actually figured out how to get into the bookshelf and educated myself. Thanks for giving us a couple of months for it. I'll certainly need it!

[Jim]

Cleo wrote: "Jim, have you decided the length for the Infinite Jest read? Hopefully reasonably looong ....... ????? ;-)

ETA: Forget my question ...... I actually figured out how to get into the b..."

I try to limit weekly discussions to 100 pages, where possible - or about 15 pages per day. Also, even though there is a schedule for books, it is not strict and is mostly a means for dividing up books into reasonably-sized chunks for discussion.

Also, also, will try and post the schedule by Monday morning.