I know it's sick of me to be thinking about my next book when I'm not even done with 1Q84, but that's just how I roll, baby. At times it feels like I almost get more enjoyment about of perusing and thinking about books then I do actually reading them!
Anyways, here are the candidates for my next book. It’ll also be my first kindle book, so I’m hopking that it’ll also be memorable. The following are a mixture of books that sound interesting to me or have been recommended by people that I trust. What do you think I should choose first?
- Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
- C - Tom McCarthy
- Aurorama - Jean-Christophe Valat
- Freedom - Jonathan Franzen
- This Boy's Life - Tobias Wolff
- Septuagenarian Stew - Charles Burkowski
- Apples Are from Kazakhstan: The Land that Disappeared - Christopher Robbins
- The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories - Don Delillo
Don DeLillo's The Angel Esmeralda
1Q84: Hardcover
Michiko Kakutani's Top Ten for 2011
National Book Awards: The Finalists
I think that C is a fantastic book. But it is also a big book, full of interconnections, much like 1Q84 (albeit in a very different style). I suspect you'll be up for a change of pace. For me, The Angel Esmeraldahas been a very nice read to follow 1Q84. It's also reasonably priced on the Kindle, at least in comparison to a few of the other titles you noted.
ReplyDeleteSkip Freedom, so terrible.
ReplyDeleteC is great, and under appreciated. It is like a love story to four other books in the subtlest of ways. Track down the KCRW Bookworm interview with him, it is really great.
I loved The Night Circus, but I think if I were choosing I'd go with the DeLillo or the Kazakhstan one, not knowing either.
You're not the first person to say that Freedom sucked. Surprising given how much attention it got. As much as I was ambivalent about The Connections, the story stuck with me and I liked Franzen's writing; disappointed to hear his new effort is so bad.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by C but think i'm going to read some lighter books first. 1Q84 was a monster, and the last third was a slog. Leaning towards the three you mentioned: leaning towards The Night Circus as a palate cleanser before tackling Dellilo and Apples are from Kazakhstan.
i read C, Aurorama, this boy's life and certainly everything buk has written. i will say:
ReplyDelete1. C was a very tough read for me. not sure whether it was a state-of-mind thing or what, but i didn't finish it
2. auroramazzzzzzzz
3. This Boy's Life: everyone should read this book. it's phenomenal... tobias wolfe is a great writer and this story, being true, is all the more great (and REAL) for being so. it's a quick read and might not rivet you, but you should read it at some point
4. Sept. Stew: reading a book of buk's poetry is like spending an entire day going to the bathroom. i would suggest reading this in smaller does... maybe even in tandem with going to the bathroom. if you want to read a good buk novel, try ham on rye or women.
couple of popular titles from recent times you should consider are:
1. let the great world spin: damn i liked this book
2. unbroken: awesome true story with a healthy dose of running, but about SO much more. get's a bit tedious towards the latter parts of the book, but it's incredibly engaging.
3. invisible: a totally twisted book by paul auster, much better than sunset park... i wasn't sure how i felt about it when i read it, but i haven't stopped thinking about it since.