Dance, Dance, Dance was weird, I really hated it at first, but the more I read I more I enjoyed.

I haven't read Sheep Chase yet

Well, that might be why you were OK with it. Having read Sheep Chase first, I thought it was wonderfully self-contained (apart from the girlfriend, which is a necessary loose end), and didn't see the need for continuing the story and the characters in that way. I saw Dance as a book that took a story I quite liked and which resonated with me, and beat it into a greasy spot.

Dylan wrote:

the Classical wrote:

Mr. Chimp wrote:Recently I've been fascinated with the works of Haruki Murakami - so far have read "A Wild Sheep Chase", "Dance, Dance, Dance" and "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World." He is a writer of superb quality and infinite subtlety.

agreed, tho murakami sinks or swims on the strength of his translators, jay rubin is the man in my opinion

Just finished "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles" (translated by Jay Rubin, natch) - I'm going to try another one by Murakami, but I did not love this book. I get a little turned off by quasi-supernatural fiction. Great style, though.

That's pretty funny, I just finished reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle myself. I found his writing to be consistently more enjoyable than, say, the themes of David Lynch films - and I admire David Lynch. But they're both run in parallel. My guess would be if Lynch were Japanese and a writer, he would write close to Murakami.

They're next on my list, but I would say to try "After the Quake" or "Underqround" - two works steeped more in reality - the first about the life after a massive earthquake in Kobe, the second about the victims and the attackers of the Sarin gas subway bombing.

I believe I will next read one of those myself.

Mr. Chimp wrote:That's pretty funny, I just finished reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle myself. I found his writing to be consistently more enjoyable than, say, the themes of David Lynch films - and I admire David Lynch. But they're both run in parallel. My guess would be if Lynch were Japanese and a writer, he would write close to Murakami.

They're next on my list, but I would say to try "After the Quake" or "Underqround" - two works steeped more in reality - the first about the life after a massive earthquake in Kobe, the second about the victims and the attackers of the Sarin gas subway bombing.

I believe I will next read one of those myself.

Good call on the Lynch-ian quality. I realized after I wrote that critique-ette that I sounded like one of those readers who needs everything to be grounded in reality. I'm not, really. I like some unreality in my fiction, but sometimes I get tired of it. Wind Up Bird ended up with this sort-of "religious" vibe to it that turned me off a bit. The mark/stigmata, the atonement, the metaphysical evil. I looked at the back of "Hard-Boiled Wonderland" and thought that might be more interesting, but maybe I'm wrong.

Dylan wrote:

Mr. Chimp wrote:That's pretty funny, I just finished reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle myself. I found his writing to be consistently more enjoyable than, say, the themes of David Lynch films - and I admire David Lynch. But they're both run in parallel. My guess would be if Lynch were Japanese and a writer, he would write close to Murakami.

They're next on my list, but I would say to try "After the Quake" or "Underqround" - two works steeped more in reality - the first about the life after a massive earthquake in Kobe, the second about the victims and the attackers of the Sarin gas subway bombing.

I believe I will next read one of those myself.

Good call on the Lynch-ian quality. I realized after I wrote that critique-ette that I sounded like one of those readers who needs everything to be grounded in reality. I'm not, really. I like some unreality in my fiction, but sometimes I get tired of it. Wind Up Bird ended up with this sort-of "religious" vibe to it that turned me off a bit. The mark/stigmata, the atonement, the metaphysical evil. I looked at the back of "Hard-Boiled Wonderland" and thought that might be more interesting, but maybe I'm wrong.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland is a wonderful novel in split-screen. I would stand to say that if you enjoy Murakami's style, don't give up on him before reading HBW &TEOTW.

Mr. Chimp wrote:
Also read Nabokov's "Pale Fire" for the first time. Input on this, if you like, I know it is some work of "genius" but it's the first thing I've read since "Lolita" and only the second book of his ever. Recommendations for another?

Check out Transparent Things and Pnin. They're very different from one another (Pnin is hilarious, TT more contemplative) and since they're also shorter books, you can dip your furry toes in various eddies in the Nabokov pool. Kind of like Taste portions at the Taste of Chicago. Without the creepy Taste of Chicago part.

Holy Christ, did I just come up with some golem Nabokov Taste Portion?

Also read Nabokov's "Pale Fire" for the first time. Input on this, if you like, I know it is some work of "genius" but it's the first thing I've read since "Lolita" and only the second book of his ever. Recommendations for another?

my favorite book!

_pnin_, i have started twice and never finished, somehow. dunno how that happened.

_bend sinister_ is an incredible, creepy book that explores totalitarianism and social submissiveness

_despair_ is an ingenious book about a narcissist who knocks his doppelganger, who might not have been such a doppelganger after all

_laughter in the dark_ is a funny, brutal book that steve martin ripped off for his novel _shopgirl_

_the enchanter_ is basically an early warmup for _lolita_. not as good (_lolita_ is an amazing book), but still, you know, really good.

_ada_, i have never finished it. i would like it whilst reading it, but then i'd put it down for a week, and, baffled, i would have to start over when i picked it back up.

but _pale fire_ is his peak. it's such a sweeping thematic, stylistic, and architectural achievement. there are a handful of books that i have read that are in this class-- _ulysses_, _gravity's rainbow_, _cities of the red night_--but somehow _pale fire_, by virtue of its brevity and accessibility, seems more accomplished than any of them.

tmidgett wrote:
_the enchanter_ is basically an early warmup for _lolita_. not as good (_lolita_ is an amazing book), but still, you know, really good.

Aw hell yeah, I don't know anyone else who read this one!

Nabokov said something such that he normally destroys his first drafts/preliminary sketches for books, but that this one was misplaced. When he came upon it decades later, he was struck that while clearly a draft fleshing out ideas that would become Lolita, it was still a good story on its own. When I read it, it was pretty illuminating about Humbert Humbert's character (and especially the early scenes when HH tries to sedate Lolita). I had trouble experiencing it as its own story sometimes, but really enjoyed it all around.

I gave a pal my copy of Pale Fire as his first Nabokov book, but I think I should have given him something more structurally traditional first. It took him some time to orient himself, but he ultimately loved it. One of my favorite things with Nabokov is how he plays with identity - is it Shade or the insane Kinbote writing, and what parts?*, Humbert's shadow Quilty. It's something I think Amis in London Fields picked up from Nabokov.

*oh, and the King of Zembla || his assasin. Not touching the Kinbote-King thing. So many damn levels.

/logorrhea, dorking out over Nabokov. apologies abound, best to all.

Per several recommendations, I picked up Crytonomicon and I am really loving it. I'm only a few chapters in but I think this will soon become one of my favourite books and authors.

I finished Cryptonomicon and all I have to say is I'm stunned. An incredible experience. I'm sorry it's over and I'm a little dazed in the light of day now. I may re-read it right away, to catch everything I know I missed.

Fuck.