FIVEEEEEE (5EEEEE)

[turkishpirate]

so today was my last day of work for the summer, and as some of you know, my job is v. demanding as far as time goes [10.5 hours a day after commuting is figured in], but not at all in any other way. daily routine at work breaks down to about 15% napping, 15% random filing, and 70% reading. As a result, i've read some ridiculous number of books

Comments

[brocklisoup]

I just finished Diary a couple weeks ago and quite liked it.

Ergo, your opinions are wrong.

As for Stella: very very very funny sometimes, very very corny other times. Some of the episodes just seem like they're trying too hard.

On the other hand, it was the first couple I saw that I didn't like, so maybe I just had to get used to it.

[turkishpirate]

oh man. diary was the WORST.

Choke was one of the very few books i actually read during my freshman / sophomore year and i liked it a lot. plus i'd also seen a lot of his short stories around and enjoyed them muchly [esp. Guts]. But then a friend at work lent me those two Palahniuk novels and i couldn't believe how bad they were. Now i'm not sure if i liked the stuff i read a long time ago because i didn't know better or if those two books are just in fact worse than everything else he's done. Either way i'm done with chuckie p for a while.

but diary...come on. If you took out all the little hacky chuck p signature repeated gimmicks from it you'd end up with a book that was like 20 pages. every other setence was a weather report gimmick, a drinking game gimmick, or whatever his other gimmicks in that book were, i don't even remember now. that's why i called it a hack job -- it was nothing buck a mess of gimmicks for 150-200-whatever pages and was such a bore to read.

[squarkz]

blonde redhead! man, they are the sexiest band ever. italian men and a japanese woman? it's like everyone's fetishes are satisfied and we all go home happy.

i have been meaning to read bright lights, big city forever. another book that seems in the vein you might like: everything is illuminated, by jonathan safran foer. it was on my to-read list for ages, and then i finally got around to it because i wanted to buy it before the only copy i could get would be the kind with a movie still on the cover and i hate those, but i am really, really enjoying it so far. maybe you would like it too.

[turkishpirate]

you know, JSF has been on my amazon reccommended list all over for a long time now, but every time i follow them up and read the reviews for his books people are constantly slamming him to the extreme. i mean, every book has it's negative reviews but it always seems like the people who reccommend the sorts of books that i love are talking shit about him. but i was thinking about going for at least one of his novels anyways just to see. I was leaning towards the Rules of Attraction, but just like you said, every time i clicked on it the movie book cover came up and that shit is lame. i'll look into your suggestion though.

[squarkz]

everything is illuminated is really pretty enjoyable, and it's even more fun thinking about the lead singer from gogol bordello as one of the main characters in the movie version. (that's the rumor, anyway.) i didn't like it at first just because i found his style frustrating, but now that i've gotten used to it and can concentrate on letting the story unfold, i like it much better. but since i'm busy with prelim exam stuff, it's slow going for a book i'd normally read in a couple of days or so. i don't know, maybe it'll end up completely sucking.

and most of my friends who recommend good books hate AHWOSG, anyway.

i've heard a lot of people say that JSF's new book (extremely loud and incredibly close, or whatever) is even better than everything is illuminated, so maybe i'll read that next.

[turkishpirate]

AHWOSG is far from being Great Literature, it's just an entertaining read. If you're into the weird sort of humor that McSweeney's + co. is known for, you'd definitely enjoy it. Although I didn't even know that the author was responsible for mcsweeney's until i was partway through the book, when he mentions it [it's an autobiography/memoir-type deal]. And i'm not even THAT big a fan of mcsweeney's. not as big as some other people i know, anyways.

[xamylouisex]

If you think the Stella they put on TV is funny, you should see the shorts. Stella originated as short clips which were to be played before a stand up routine… they were so crass and homoerotic one of the Michaels girlfriends broke up with them :(… but its hilarious. My friend has them on DVD... I just found out you can no longer see Stella shorts anywhere or order them from the internet… which is disappointing.

[turkishpirate]

someone was just telling me about this the other day. apparently he ran into a website where you could watch them...i don't think it was the comedy central website, but some other random one. i'll have to ask him about it again and find out where it was. i'll let you know if i find anything.

david david...the strawberry, it's like nectar, david!
...this melba toast, it's like nectar, david!

[turkishpirate]

well you're in luck, lady.

under "more channels"

Holla!

[autumnjane]

i was published on mcsweenys!

Re: Holla!

[autumnjane]

....which i just spelled wrong.

[turkishpirate]

i think i remember reading it when you posted about it. i will have to look that up again.

i think this is my favorite mcsweeney's bit. that i can remember, anyways.

Re: Holla!

[turkishpirate]

how hard is it to get on there anyways?

five?

[lanouvelle]

1. I love Stella.
2. That must reminds me of movie scores. Like, I'd be reading a book in a chair ( in my trendy little apartment, of course ) with a cup of coffee and once the voice starts, someone else enters and ... so forth.
3. It also reminds me of Bjork; just the voice.
4. I'm going to scope out your book list; I've read the Yawner and the Hack Job and I wasn't too impressed with either, yet I read them anyway.
5. Have the best day ever.

... That's a lot to live up to in number five, eh?

Re: five?

[turkishpirate]

what is it that reminds you of movie scores in no. 2? i am confused.

also, is no. 5 an order, or a personal mission statement?

Re: five?

[lanouvelle]

2. I don't know - I just openned the site and it played music at me.
And five, take it as you please. I used to say it to people at work, like customers. Feels like a lot to live up to, huh?

Re: five?

[turkishpirate]

yeah listening to chillout-y music always makes me feel... metropolitan. like i'm sitting around chilling in my 34th floor penthouse, maybe cooking up dinner waiting for my model girlfriend to come home.

weird to hear something similar from someone else, i always thought it was just me.