What book(s) are you currently reading?

[reno cool]

Remember in Back To School, when Rodney Dangerfield hired Vonnegut to do a book report on Vonnegut, got an F and had to fire him? 😆

 

[Mudcat]

 

[Mudcat]

Roses are red
And ready for plucking
You're sixteen
And ready for high school

 

[Mudcat]

Next I am going with Richard Brautigan's Willard and His Bowling Trophies.

 

[reno cool]

sounds whimsical, can we get more information on this? Who's Brautigan anyway?

 

[Mudcat]

Richard Brautigan was an American humorist who wrote novels, poetry and short stories. His prime writing years were the 1960's and 70's.

He had a very funny, gentle, but astute satirical style. Some of his stuff is realistic but some is very abstract and surreal.

He is best known for the novel Trout Fishing in America.

Along with Vonnegut, he is my personal co-favorite. There is so much I could say. I'm sure there will be thoughts and quotes in this thread as I go along.

He died by suicide in 1984.

Being so peaceful and gentle, he was often associated with the hippies of the Woodstock era but he didn't really see himself that way. He looked like he should have lived about a hundred years before that.

 

[Mudcat]

So this is what I will be (re)starting into today.

 

[Mudcat]

I don't generally like poetry - but I enjoy some Richard Brautigan poetry

Here's one:

I feel horrible. She doesn't
love me and I wander around
like a sewing machine
that's just finished sewing
a turd to a garbage can lid

 

[Mudcat]

A couple of immediate observations about Willard and His Bowling Trophies.

1) It has a Mississsauga Public Libary stamp in it. I stole it from the library. Well, no, I didn't exactly steal it. I signed it out and then later told them I lost it and paid whatever fine. Richard Brautigan has been going out of print for awhile. I believe you can still get the two main 3-book collections but other stuff such as this, no. I wanted it so that's how I got it.

2) It's short. Sometimes I fret because the book I'm writing seems like it's going to be on the short side, possibly too short. But it will probably end up at least twice as long as Willard and His Bowling Trophies.

 

[reno cool]

sounds not bad. I'll look for him at the library.

 

[Mudcat]

Willard and his Bowling Trophies would not be my top recommendation.

For realism - Trout Fishing in America

Surrealism - In Watermelon Sugar

Short stories - The Tokyo-Montana Express


At least that's how I remember it. As I mentioned before, I haven't done any reading for a good 15+ years.

All his stuff is pretty quick readin'. I said before my book will be twice as long as Willard. That's probably true in terms of number of pages but if you look at number of words, prolly more like 4x.

 

[Mudcat]

Hmmm, what next? What next?

Thing is, when I did my massive housecleaning a few years back - the Grand Chucking of 201? - I tossed almost all of my books. I kept all the Richard Brautigan - and some comics (like Bloom County, The Far Side, Dilbert, The Neighborhood etc.) - but for the most part, I got nothing.

I have no problem reading another Brautigan. I think that's a plan. So the Wind Won't Blow it all Away, I'm thinking.

But at some point soon, I will need to get into the world of ebooks and see how that all works. I'm hankering for some Steinbeck.

 

[roguejuror]

going to buy tomorrow Permanent Record by eddy snow

God willing the proceeds of this sale will reach this true American patriot

 

[Mudcat]

Next up: