Tintin and the Secret of Literature by Tom McCarthy about 2006
Top 3 favorite books I haven’t read yet/don’t exist:
Claire DeWitt - numero cuatro - by You
The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley about 1978
A Boatload of Louie by Chip Dunham about 2007
A favorite book I need to finish before I perish, or two:
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace about 1996
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon about 1973
3 favorite movies:
Roadside Prophets
Where’s Marlow?
Love and a .45
Relevancy:
I’m about 50.75 years old now, a fella, brown eyes that need glasses, bad. Let’s see, I bought a pack of “library card” bookmarks awhile ago and I like the way they remind me being a kid, running around the library finding new books and getting right into it, when not running around outside. There’s yellow, orange and blue ones. I’m leaning towards the blue ones as my favorite, currently. A yellow one is holding the pause button at about page 30, on “Death in a Darkening Mist” (Hot springs, mid-1940s, snow, unnatural demise, tea…). I like chili rellenos a lot, Levi corduroy pants and the aroma of used books -flip-flip-flip-flip-flip-flip.
Thanks a lot, no rush and thanks again! Jason Miller
Hello Jason! I'm actually going to suggest a book I loved, but haven't finished, becasue it's a thousand+ pages long--The Royal Family by William Vollman.
I have two of your new book signed by you but they are soft covers so I bought a hardcover from Amazon.co.uk because I have a thing for hardcovers. I have every one of your books in signed hardcovers. Love your writing. By the way, I really dig Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill.
Thank you Marc, always a pleasure to hear from you!I am going to recommend ANOTHER book I haven't finished but I think you might find meaningful--Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn.
You mean I have to list books that AREN'T yours? Because my for-real faves list has all 3 of the Claire DeWitt books as well as The Most Precious Substance.
But OK--here are my not-Sara Gran picks:
Top 3 *recently read* books:
Annalee Newitz: "The Future of Another Timeline"
Charlie Jane Anders: "Even Greater Mistakes"
Martha Wells: The Murderbot Diaries (there's 6 of them, I know that's cheating!)
Top 3 re-reads:
-Michelle Tea: "Valencia"
Lynn Breedlove: "Godspeed"
David Mitchell: "Cloud Atlas"
I'm gonna skip the movies and add in a few more books, muahahaha:
Alia Volz: "Homebaked"
N.K. Jemisin: "How Long Till Black Future Month?" and "The Fifth Season"
Elizabeth Hand: "Available Dark" (because if you like Clair DeWitt, you might appreciate Cass Neary...)
Kelly Link: "Get in Trouble"
A little about me: 48 year-old therapist in San Francisco. If it's about queer folks, drugs/psychedelics, sex magic, esoteric spirituality, punks and goths, death and dying, I'll probably read it. I'm getting into magical realism and love short story collections. I just started writing fiction last year, and am halfway through my first novel--which means I'm now learning just how distanced and defended clinical/academic-style writing can be vs. the raw vulnerability that fiction requires.
Thank you so much for doing this! Loving reading other people's responses, too.
I do appreciate Cass Neary and I hope everyone reading this does too! I couldn't read the most recent one because it's kind of in the same universe as my most recent book, and I don't want to see how much better Elizabeth's is. Anyway, your book is Eileen Myles, Chelsea Girls (a direct inspiration for Valencia, which I also love).
It does seem like a similar universe, but I read yours first and favor it more :) (though I know it's not a competition & am glad both exist). Chelsea Girls is a *great* pick--it's been on my list for some time. Thank you so much!
The three books you’ve reread the most (in other words, your REAL favorite books).
Miami Blues - Charles Willeford
Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy
All Souls´Rising - Madison Smartt Bell
Your three favorite movies.
Tigers Are Not Afraid
Paper Moon
Never Cry Wolf
A short statement that contains information you think I should have.
I once owned a really great bookstore in Kentucky, and the one thing also truly miss is hand-selling the right book to the right person. If you haven´t read The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras you really need to. Amnesia, magic, secrets, snakes as furniture, etc...
1. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers/any of her short fiction—Yiyun Li
2. Five Decembers—James Kestrel
3. Blood Meridian—McCarthy
Three I've reread the most:
1. Tales from the Perilous Realm—Tolkien
2. The comic adaptations of the Parker series—Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark
3. His Dark Materials Series—Pullman
Top three movies right now:
1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. Airplane
3. Memories of Murder
I'm early 30s, I just got married, and I have an MFA in creative writing. I've read a lot of the "contemporary classics" by white dudes, would love to move away from that a bit. In the past year I've read a lot of genre stuff by persons of color—Mexican Gothic and The Ballad of Black Tom would be up there for me. Really I'm happy to read any book that moves; recently I've struggled with books that linger too long on a moment without telling me anything new about the plot or characters.
Anyway, I think this is a great idea, and I'm excited to see all your recommendations. You can for sure share this if you'd like. Thanks!
Your three favorite books. Impossible question... 1984 by Orwell? Return of the King by Tolkien? The Stand by King? Lord of the Flies by Golding? Oooh! On the Beach by Shute or Eye of the Needle by Follett? Also loved the Narnia books by Lewis and all the Bond books by Fleming.
The three books you’ve reread the most (in other words, your REAL favorite books). Return of the King? The Stand? I actually re-read Fleming's Bond books quite often (and am reading the latest Bond story by a new author right now).
Your three favorite movies. Wow. Really? Casablanca. Out of Africa. Some Star Wars. Connery as Bond, maybe. Platoon? Man...how can you narrow these things to three favorites?
A short statement that contains information you think I should have. I'm a marine with a sordid background in the miscreant arts (think "special stuff"). I was a sea captain and am still a sailor and lover of the ocean. I really like science fiction, though I mentioned none of it (I enjoy the stuff from Howey from WOOL to the Sand series to Molly Fyde to Beacon 23).
Not sure I adequately answered your very specific questions. Maybe it's a challenge!
Forgot to add, I'm a writer myself; I read mostly on a Kindle (actually a SuperNote with the Kindle app); I'm almost 50(!); and I use a $2 bill as a bookmark in my actual paper books...
I am OVER fifty, I also read on my kindle (what's a supernote?), and I have a BIG thing for 2 dollar bills. I was not a sailor. Check out A Fan's Notes by Frederick Exley. One of my favorites, but a warning that a lot that's offensive in it, by today's and any day's standards. Also I assume you've read Melville/Poe/Hawthorne but if not, might be for you!
Favorites change depending on my mood, but for books I'll go with: The Dispossessed, The Last Good Kiss and Catch-22.
I haven't been much of a re-reader as an adult, something I have been wanting to change. I re-read Harry Potter every time there was a new release as a kid. As an adult, the only book I can remember re-reading is the The Big Sleep.
My 3 favorite movies are: Twin Peaks Fire Walk with Me, Notorious and The Shop Around the Corner.
I am pretty omnivorous when comes to book genres. I probably read mystery type stuff the most, but am open to anything that someone recommends so I can talk about it with them.
Honestly, it’s one of your books I find myself recommending the most! You could say City of the Dead or Come Closer is my True Grit (which is still on my tbr list, so I’m guessing that’ll be my recommendation). But just in case you’re moved otherwise:
3 favorite books:
Tenth of December by George Saunders (specifically, his story Puppy, which moves me to almost tears with each read)
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
The Faster Redder Road by Stephen Graham Jones (or any of his short fiction collections, really)
3 books I read the most:
Mere Christianity and/or The Great Divorce by CS Lewis
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Collected Fiction by Jorges Luis Borges
3 favorite movies:
Spiderman (2002)
Can’t Hardly Wait
Fight Club
I should note it’s been a very long time since I’ve watched any of those movies, and have since gotten married, and had 3 kids. I like short fiction, but don’t necessarily reread the whole collection each time. I’m a Peace Corps and AmeriCorps alum. I read a lot of horror short fiction anthologies lately. I want to write fiction, but am not compelled. In general, I am skeptical of anyone’s self-assessment, especially my own.
Sara! It was Craig Clevenger who introduced me to your writing! I logged in to most of the virtual writers workshops he hosted during the pandemic shutdown era. The advice you gave I remember most? “Write the fun parts first and fill-in the boring stuff later.” Since I’ve already read his books (both great!), I’ll consider your recommendation permission to preorder his forthcoming.
Three favorite books: Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, the crocodile on the sandbank by Elizabeth Peters, and Merrillee by Mary F. Shura. Honorable mentions Claire Dewit and the City of the Dead, Dragonsong by Anne McCaffery.
Three favorite movies: the Princess Bride, How to train your Dragon, 10 things I hate about you.
Three favorite TV shows: Veronica Mars, Firefly, Psych
True Grit is in my goodreads que (which is embarrassingly long), but I’m always on the lookout for another good read.
The first time I met Chuck he was coming back from escape at the state hospital where I worked. It was mid-winter. The frost bite on his feet was so bad that he had to be rushed to the medical wing. The front parts of his feet developed gangrene and were removed.
He would stump around the hospital on his bandaged feet, sometimes falling, sometimes leaning against the walls like a wounded tree, chanting songs from his tribe that his grandfather taught him, songs that echoed echoed through buffalo ages, songs that moved the leaves on trees filled with passenger pigeons, songs that traveled with the ghosts of tribes long dissolved into the Red American Earth. When he was tired he would spin through the dingy green institutional hallways, roll to the end by the window that overlooked the gnarled oak tree on the back lawn and his cries would shatter the white noise of the psych ward for the acutely disturbed. Then he would fall asleep in his wheelchair.
Shoulder length brown hair fell on his face. He constantly brushed it back with his right hand as his left hand flew over the keyboard of the hospital computer. The bugs in our computer system would vanish as his fingers danced on the keyboard. Chuck was a master hacker with a Bachelor of Science Degree that he earned before he reached the age of twenty and the electronic brain would respond to him like a dog to a stern master. After working out a glitch that had stumped us all he would turn to us, grinning the the Cheshire Cat, sweat glistening on his dark forehead and say, “The machines eat our souls. All I have done is learn the pathways of the false mind. I cannot walk that way any longer.”
Then his dark brown eyes would become filled with a dense mist. Lines of tension would arc down his cheeks and the space above his nose would pull together. His hand would firmly grasp the edge of the desk and the sinews on his forearm would ripple and define themselves. He would continue to speak and his voice would echo through the office as if it had the acoustics of an amphitheater.
“This is a troubled time. I am one of the Earth’s pain receptors and there is much wrong with the Spirit during this period when the air has become foul and the waters dark with dirt and melt the icecaps under the eye of an angry sun. I must return to the Spirit because the pain is too great for me. I am not a defective but the pulsing nerve of nature exposed and I must extract myself from it all.”
Then he would turn away from us, push away from the desk and, as if hauling the weight of the Earth on his shoulders, stump laboriously down the hall. The doctors determined that Chuck was schizo-affective and delusional and he was placed on suicide watch. But Chuck had determined that the hospital was a symptom of the disease of the human soul. He instituted legal action to overturn his commitment.
One day, as I escorted him to the whirlpool bath, he and I talked.
“I trust you,”, he told me. “I am going to win this court fight because I know what the judge needs to hear. You know this is true.”
I knew in my heart that he would succeed in his court battle and asked him what he was going to do when was released.
He smiled and his strong teeth seemed to beam in the fluorescent light of the institution.
“The task you and the doctors have undertake is immense. It is your job to convince me not commit suicide. It is my job to ensure I return home. I am convinced that may course of action is correct. You must convince me otherwise before I get out. Time is on my side, no?”
I nodded my head and grinned at him. He shook his head and his nostrils flared as he flipped his long hair with his hand. He grinned back.
“Look Chuck, I know that I am supposed to stay within an arm’s length of you because of the suicide watch but I want to give you privacy in the bath. Are you going to be okay if I leave you alone?”
“You sure you can trust me?” he replied laughing. “I will be if you say I can.”
“You would risk your job to give me privacy?” “Yes” I replied.
“Thank you. You have my word.”
I lifted him out of the chair and lowered him into the swirling water. Then I stepped out of the room and shut the door. Suddenly a chant I had never heard
before made my ears dance. There was splashing and laughter and song and my eyes became wet as I leaned against the wall. It was the first time Chuck had been left alone in a room for at least two weeks.
***********
One week later Chuck successfully fought the order of committal in court.
On his third day of freedom he stripped down to his skin, wrapped himself with a thin layer of sheet metal, stripped a heavy duty extension cord and splayed the conductor metal onto his tin suit, taped it with black electrical tape, placed his half-feet into a large pan of water and then plugged himself into an electrical outlet.
I can still hear the stumping of those half-feet and his chant haunts the corridors of my mind. He was right! Time is on his side.
mix of the silver surfer and dr. strange, an englishman living in sydney australia. i like to read, write and surf. you are more than welcome to visit (key under mat) i have a vast library and enough personal material to keep you stimulated for a few years.
Thanks, I'm on a plane to Australia now! Try Paul Tremblay's new book, The Pallbearer's Club. it really creeps up on you so stay with it, and Paul is one of the nicest guys in the book business.
what an excellent suggestion, i have read three of his books and really enjoyed them, (still pondering 'head full of ghosts.' (it's like my own head is haunted by it) i have heard of 'the pall bearers club' but as yet have not come across it, so i will keep an eye out while perusing the bookshops of sydney, and if he's a nice dude then that makes it even better.
the recommendation is very appreciated, thank you.
Oh, by the way, I have two books up on Amazon and Amazon.co.uk One is called "Heroin's Harbour: Stories and Poems" and the other is "Tales Of The Troll: Junkies, Angels & Demons." Just saying. I also like Alan Moore's Miracleman and Swamp Thing; both graphic novels. Hope to hear from you love.
Well, I may be defeated here, because I have read NONE of these books, know nothing about about fantasy, have never played D&D, and can't add or subtract without using my fingers. That being said--The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (and throw in The Legend of Bagger Vance)
Favorite Movies:
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Great Escape
2001: A Space Odyssey
Three Albums (although you didn't ask)
Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning by Frank Sinatra
Cannons in the Rain by John Stewart
I'm seventy-one, an unpublished writer (aren't most of us?), Californian by birth, Colorado in my soul, but live in The Land, as in Cleveland.
As always, looking for the heart of a Saturday night. . .
Usually read about six books at a time. . .currently, Maggie Haberman, Robert Harris, C.J. Box, Lost Stars by Lisa Selin Davis, The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones, and Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday.
Please, come tear my house apart. . .you will find books, music, tea and wine. . .
It did my heart good to see James Crumley on a couple of lists - especially The Last Good Kiss. . .
Most reread: Those three and Ulysses. And True Grit, including Tartt's fantastic audiobook. And Hemingway, natch.
Favorite Movies?
• The Razor's Edge (1984 version)
• Bottle Rocket
• Unbreakable
Other info: I had a difficult time leaving Hammett, Chandler, Flicker by Theodore Roszak and Ellroy's American Tabloid off the list but you said three. And all of Portis. And I do mean all of it.
Hi Michael! I suggested this to someone a few comments up, but: The Reckless series by Ed Brubaker. He's my friend but I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't the right book.
Top 3 favorite books of all time:
Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar about 1963
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn about 1989
Tintin and the Secret of Literature by Tom McCarthy about 2006
Top 3 favorite books I haven’t read yet/don’t exist:
Claire DeWitt - numero cuatro - by You
The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley about 1978
A Boatload of Louie by Chip Dunham about 2007
A favorite book I need to finish before I perish, or two:
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace about 1996
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon about 1973
3 favorite movies:
Roadside Prophets
Where’s Marlow?
Love and a .45
Relevancy:
I’m about 50.75 years old now, a fella, brown eyes that need glasses, bad. Let’s see, I bought a pack of “library card” bookmarks awhile ago and I like the way they remind me being a kid, running around the library finding new books and getting right into it, when not running around outside. There’s yellow, orange and blue ones. I’m leaning towards the blue ones as my favorite, currently. A yellow one is holding the pause button at about page 30, on “Death in a Darkening Mist” (Hot springs, mid-1940s, snow, unnatural demise, tea…). I like chili rellenos a lot, Levi corduroy pants and the aroma of used books -flip-flip-flip-flip-flip-flip.
Thanks a lot, no rush and thanks again! Jason Miller
Hello Jason! I'm actually going to suggest a book I loved, but haven't finished, becasue it's a thousand+ pages long--The Royal Family by William Vollman.
Thanks so much Sara! I'll start doing push-ups right away, so I can go buy that one and get it home to get started! hahaha! I really appreciate this!
Crumley. All time great.
All James Crumley books are worth your time. A great scamp of a writer!
I have two of your new book signed by you but they are soft covers so I bought a hardcover from Amazon.co.uk because I have a thing for hardcovers. I have every one of your books in signed hardcovers. Love your writing. By the way, I really dig Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill.
Thank you Marc, always a pleasure to hear from you!I am going to recommend ANOTHER book I haven't finished but I think you might find meaningful--Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn.
Read that one. Thanks for the recommendation. Looking forward to getting the UK hardcover of "Most Precious Substance." It's on the way. Thanks Sara.
Oooh, also *love* that Nick Flynn one! Also his most recent, This is the Night Our House Will Catch on Fire.
Wow, what a nice offer! This is making my week.
You mean I have to list books that AREN'T yours? Because my for-real faves list has all 3 of the Claire DeWitt books as well as The Most Precious Substance.
But OK--here are my not-Sara Gran picks:
Top 3 *recently read* books:
Annalee Newitz: "The Future of Another Timeline"
Charlie Jane Anders: "Even Greater Mistakes"
Martha Wells: The Murderbot Diaries (there's 6 of them, I know that's cheating!)
Top 3 re-reads:
-Michelle Tea: "Valencia"
Lynn Breedlove: "Godspeed"
David Mitchell: "Cloud Atlas"
I'm gonna skip the movies and add in a few more books, muahahaha:
Alia Volz: "Homebaked"
N.K. Jemisin: "How Long Till Black Future Month?" and "The Fifth Season"
Elizabeth Hand: "Available Dark" (because if you like Clair DeWitt, you might appreciate Cass Neary...)
Kelly Link: "Get in Trouble"
A little about me: 48 year-old therapist in San Francisco. If it's about queer folks, drugs/psychedelics, sex magic, esoteric spirituality, punks and goths, death and dying, I'll probably read it. I'm getting into magical realism and love short story collections. I just started writing fiction last year, and am halfway through my first novel--which means I'm now learning just how distanced and defended clinical/academic-style writing can be vs. the raw vulnerability that fiction requires.
Thank you so much for doing this! Loving reading other people's responses, too.
I do appreciate Cass Neary and I hope everyone reading this does too! I couldn't read the most recent one because it's kind of in the same universe as my most recent book, and I don't want to see how much better Elizabeth's is. Anyway, your book is Eileen Myles, Chelsea Girls (a direct inspiration for Valencia, which I also love).
It does seem like a similar universe, but I read yours first and favor it more :) (though I know it's not a competition & am glad both exist). Chelsea Girls is a *great* pick--it's been on my list for some time. Thank you so much!
Your three favorite books.
A Children's Bible - Lydia Millet
The Gospel Singer - Harry Crews
The Keep - Jennifer Egan
The three books you’ve reread the most (in other words, your REAL favorite books).
Miami Blues - Charles Willeford
Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy
All Souls´Rising - Madison Smartt Bell
Your three favorite movies.
Tigers Are Not Afraid
Paper Moon
Never Cry Wolf
A short statement that contains information you think I should have.
I once owned a really great bookstore in Kentucky, and the one thing also truly miss is hand-selling the right book to the right person. If you haven´t read The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras you really need to. Amnesia, magic, secrets, snakes as furniture, etc...
We miss the hand-selling but I don't miss carrying boxes of books around, tracking down invoices, etc. Your suggestion: The Fox by D. H. Lawrence.
Hi, Sara. This is a tough one.
Three favorite books right now:
1. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers/any of her short fiction—Yiyun Li
2. Five Decembers—James Kestrel
3. Blood Meridian—McCarthy
Three I've reread the most:
1. Tales from the Perilous Realm—Tolkien
2. The comic adaptations of the Parker series—Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark
3. His Dark Materials Series—Pullman
Top three movies right now:
1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. Airplane
3. Memories of Murder
I'm early 30s, I just got married, and I have an MFA in creative writing. I've read a lot of the "contemporary classics" by white dudes, would love to move away from that a bit. In the past year I've read a lot of genre stuff by persons of color—Mexican Gothic and The Ballad of Black Tom would be up there for me. Really I'm happy to read any book that moves; recently I've struggled with books that linger too long on a moment without telling me anything new about the plot or characters.
Anyway, I think this is a great idea, and I'm excited to see all your recommendations. You can for sure share this if you'd like. Thanks!
What a list! I don't know all of these, so I may be off, but since I know you read comics, try my friend Ed Brubaker's RECKLESS series.
Five Decembers was an unexpected joy. I admit, Everything Everywhere All at Once was one of the only movies in my life I walked out on.
Great post! Let's see...this is tough.
Your three favorite books. Impossible question... 1984 by Orwell? Return of the King by Tolkien? The Stand by King? Lord of the Flies by Golding? Oooh! On the Beach by Shute or Eye of the Needle by Follett? Also loved the Narnia books by Lewis and all the Bond books by Fleming.
The three books you’ve reread the most (in other words, your REAL favorite books). Return of the King? The Stand? I actually re-read Fleming's Bond books quite often (and am reading the latest Bond story by a new author right now).
Your three favorite movies. Wow. Really? Casablanca. Out of Africa. Some Star Wars. Connery as Bond, maybe. Platoon? Man...how can you narrow these things to three favorites?
A short statement that contains information you think I should have. I'm a marine with a sordid background in the miscreant arts (think "special stuff"). I was a sea captain and am still a sailor and lover of the ocean. I really like science fiction, though I mentioned none of it (I enjoy the stuff from Howey from WOOL to the Sand series to Molly Fyde to Beacon 23).
Not sure I adequately answered your very specific questions. Maybe it's a challenge!
Forgot to add, I'm a writer myself; I read mostly on a Kindle (actually a SuperNote with the Kindle app); I'm almost 50(!); and I use a $2 bill as a bookmark in my actual paper books...
I am OVER fifty, I also read on my kindle (what's a supernote?), and I have a BIG thing for 2 dollar bills. I was not a sailor. Check out A Fan's Notes by Frederick Exley. One of my favorites, but a warning that a lot that's offensive in it, by today's and any day's standards. Also I assume you've read Melville/Poe/Hawthorne but if not, might be for you!
Okay: just bought Notes. Will let you know when I’m done with it. Have read Melville and Poe (sounds like a law firm) but not Hawthorne.
Hello!
Favorites change depending on my mood, but for books I'll go with: The Dispossessed, The Last Good Kiss and Catch-22.
I haven't been much of a re-reader as an adult, something I have been wanting to change. I re-read Harry Potter every time there was a new release as a kid. As an adult, the only book I can remember re-reading is the The Big Sleep.
My 3 favorite movies are: Twin Peaks Fire Walk with Me, Notorious and The Shop Around the Corner.
I am pretty omnivorous when comes to book genres. I probably read mystery type stuff the most, but am open to anything that someone recommends so I can talk about it with them.
Well, an obvious choice is Chandler's The Long Goodbye, but you've probably read it, so...Elizabeth Hand's Curious Toys.
I will add that to the top of my Christmas list. Thanks for the rec!
(I have read The Long Goodbye)
Hi Sara!
Honestly, it’s one of your books I find myself recommending the most! You could say City of the Dead or Come Closer is my True Grit (which is still on my tbr list, so I’m guessing that’ll be my recommendation). But just in case you’re moved otherwise:
3 favorite books:
Tenth of December by George Saunders (specifically, his story Puppy, which moves me to almost tears with each read)
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
The Faster Redder Road by Stephen Graham Jones (or any of his short fiction collections, really)
3 books I read the most:
Mere Christianity and/or The Great Divorce by CS Lewis
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Collected Fiction by Jorges Luis Borges
3 favorite movies:
Spiderman (2002)
Can’t Hardly Wait
Fight Club
I should note it’s been a very long time since I’ve watched any of those movies, and have since gotten married, and had 3 kids. I like short fiction, but don’t necessarily reread the whole collection each time. I’m a Peace Corps and AmeriCorps alum. I read a lot of horror short fiction anthologies lately. I want to write fiction, but am not compelled. In general, I am skeptical of anyone’s self-assessment, especially my own.
Thank you Wil! The Conjurer's Handbook and/or Dermaphoria by Craig Clevenger. yes I recommend my friends a lot, but I stay true to quality.
Sara! It was Craig Clevenger who introduced me to your writing! I logged in to most of the virtual writers workshops he hosted during the pandemic shutdown era. The advice you gave I remember most? “Write the fun parts first and fill-in the boring stuff later.” Since I’ve already read his books (both great!), I’ll consider your recommendation permission to preorder his forthcoming.
Ha! The cycle of book recommendations! Have you read BLOOD & GUTS IN HIGH SCHOOL by Kathy Acker? LUNAR PArK by Bret Easton Ellis?
No, I haven’t read either! I’ll check them out. Thanks!
Three favorite books: Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, the crocodile on the sandbank by Elizabeth Peters, and Merrillee by Mary F. Shura. Honorable mentions Claire Dewit and the City of the Dead, Dragonsong by Anne McCaffery.
Three favorite movies: the Princess Bride, How to train your Dragon, 10 things I hate about you.
Three favorite TV shows: Veronica Mars, Firefly, Psych
True Grit is in my goodreads que (which is embarrassingly long), but I’m always on the lookout for another good read.
So long, and thanks for all the fish! This is tough but I'm going to suggest you try...Mr & Mrs Fox by Helen Oyemi.
Shock Treatment
by Marc D. Goldfinger
The first time I met Chuck he was coming back from escape at the state hospital where I worked. It was mid-winter. The frost bite on his feet was so bad that he had to be rushed to the medical wing. The front parts of his feet developed gangrene and were removed.
He would stump around the hospital on his bandaged feet, sometimes falling, sometimes leaning against the walls like a wounded tree, chanting songs from his tribe that his grandfather taught him, songs that echoed echoed through buffalo ages, songs that moved the leaves on trees filled with passenger pigeons, songs that traveled with the ghosts of tribes long dissolved into the Red American Earth. When he was tired he would spin through the dingy green institutional hallways, roll to the end by the window that overlooked the gnarled oak tree on the back lawn and his cries would shatter the white noise of the psych ward for the acutely disturbed. Then he would fall asleep in his wheelchair.
Shoulder length brown hair fell on his face. He constantly brushed it back with his right hand as his left hand flew over the keyboard of the hospital computer. The bugs in our computer system would vanish as his fingers danced on the keyboard. Chuck was a master hacker with a Bachelor of Science Degree that he earned before he reached the age of twenty and the electronic brain would respond to him like a dog to a stern master. After working out a glitch that had stumped us all he would turn to us, grinning the the Cheshire Cat, sweat glistening on his dark forehead and say, “The machines eat our souls. All I have done is learn the pathways of the false mind. I cannot walk that way any longer.”
Then his dark brown eyes would become filled with a dense mist. Lines of tension would arc down his cheeks and the space above his nose would pull together. His hand would firmly grasp the edge of the desk and the sinews on his forearm would ripple and define themselves. He would continue to speak and his voice would echo through the office as if it had the acoustics of an amphitheater.
“This is a troubled time. I am one of the Earth’s pain receptors and there is much wrong with the Spirit during this period when the air has become foul and the waters dark with dirt and melt the icecaps under the eye of an angry sun. I must return to the Spirit because the pain is too great for me. I am not a defective but the pulsing nerve of nature exposed and I must extract myself from it all.”
Then he would turn away from us, push away from the desk and, as if hauling the weight of the Earth on his shoulders, stump laboriously down the hall. The doctors determined that Chuck was schizo-affective and delusional and he was placed on suicide watch. But Chuck had determined that the hospital was a symptom of the disease of the human soul. He instituted legal action to overturn his commitment.
One day, as I escorted him to the whirlpool bath, he and I talked.
“I trust you,”, he told me. “I am going to win this court fight because I know what the judge needs to hear. You know this is true.”
I knew in my heart that he would succeed in his court battle and asked him what he was going to do when was released.
He smiled and his strong teeth seemed to beam in the fluorescent light of the institution.
“The task you and the doctors have undertake is immense. It is your job to convince me not commit suicide. It is my job to ensure I return home. I am convinced that may course of action is correct. You must convince me otherwise before I get out. Time is on my side, no?”
I nodded my head and grinned at him. He shook his head and his nostrils flared as he flipped his long hair with his hand. He grinned back.
“Look Chuck, I know that I am supposed to stay within an arm’s length of you because of the suicide watch but I want to give you privacy in the bath. Are you going to be okay if I leave you alone?”
“You sure you can trust me?” he replied laughing. “I will be if you say I can.”
“You would risk your job to give me privacy?” “Yes” I replied.
“Thank you. You have my word.”
I lifted him out of the chair and lowered him into the swirling water. Then I stepped out of the room and shut the door. Suddenly a chant I had never heard
before made my ears dance. There was splashing and laughter and song and my eyes became wet as I leaned against the wall. It was the first time Chuck had been left alone in a room for at least two weeks.
***********
One week later Chuck successfully fought the order of committal in court.
On his third day of freedom he stripped down to his skin, wrapped himself with a thin layer of sheet metal, stripped a heavy duty extension cord and splayed the conductor metal onto his tin suit, taped it with black electrical tape, placed his half-feet into a large pan of water and then plugged himself into an electrical outlet.
I can still hear the stumping of those half-feet and his chant haunts the corridors of my mind. He was right! Time is on his side.
hi sara,
my 3 fave books are:
moon palace by paul auster
chasm city by alister reynolds
money by martin amis
3 fave re reads are:
1984 by george orwell
psychonaut and liber null by peter j carroll
house of leaves by mark z danielewski
3 fave movies:
dead man
birth
tenet
about moi?
mix of the silver surfer and dr. strange, an englishman living in sydney australia. i like to read, write and surf. you are more than welcome to visit (key under mat) i have a vast library and enough personal material to keep you stimulated for a few years.
Thanks, I'm on a plane to Australia now! Try Paul Tremblay's new book, The Pallbearer's Club. it really creeps up on you so stay with it, and Paul is one of the nicest guys in the book business.
what an excellent suggestion, i have read three of his books and really enjoyed them, (still pondering 'head full of ghosts.' (it's like my own head is haunted by it) i have heard of 'the pall bearers club' but as yet have not come across it, so i will keep an eye out while perusing the bookshops of sydney, and if he's a nice dude then that makes it even better.
the recommendation is very appreciated, thank you.
i'll put the kettle on :)
Oh, by the way, I have two books up on Amazon and Amazon.co.uk One is called "Heroin's Harbour: Stories and Poems" and the other is "Tales Of The Troll: Junkies, Angels & Demons." Just saying. I also like Alan Moore's Miracleman and Swamp Thing; both graphic novels. Hope to hear from you love.
Hey Sara! Here is what I got.
Top 3 Books:
- Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Book 1 in the series: Scythe
- The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik. Book 1 in the series: A Deadly Education
- Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse. Book 1 in the series: Black Sun
Top 3 re-reads:
- The First Law by Joe Abercrombie. Book 1 in the series: The Blade Itself
- Nevernight Chronicle by Jay Kristoff. Book 1 in the series: Nevernight
- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Top 3 movies:
- I Love You Man
- Spy
- Saw
A little about me:
I am a blind mathematician, I love DnD, fantasy books, and watching movies. I look forward to hearing your recommendation!
Well, I may be defeated here, because I have read NONE of these books, know nothing about about fantasy, have never played D&D, and can't add or subtract without using my fingers. That being said--The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon.
Well you should check out those books, since I love them all! And I will check out your recommendation ☺️
Good morning, Sara. . .
Top three favorite books:
Praise the Human Season by Don Robertson
Sophie's Choice by William Styron
The Starless Sea by Erin Morganstern
I don't so much rereading. . .but, when I do. . .
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (and throw in The Legend of Bagger Vance)
Favorite Movies:
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Great Escape
2001: A Space Odyssey
Three Albums (although you didn't ask)
Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning by Frank Sinatra
Cannons in the Rain by John Stewart
I'm seventy-one, an unpublished writer (aren't most of us?), Californian by birth, Colorado in my soul, but live in The Land, as in Cleveland.
As always, looking for the heart of a Saturday night. . .
Usually read about six books at a time. . .currently, Maggie Haberman, Robert Harris, C.J. Box, Lost Stars by Lisa Selin Davis, The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones, and Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday.
Please, come tear my house apart. . .you will find books, music, tea and wine. . .
It did my heart good to see James Crumley on a couple of lists - especially The Last Good Kiss. . .
And I WILL read True Grit. . .
This was fun!
On my way, thanks for the offer! Very psyched to finally have some nonfiction. Literary Outlaw; the life and times of William Burroughs by Ted Morgan.
Sara,
Great entry.
Three favorites?
• The Sound and the Fury (Faulkner)
• The Razor's Edge (Maugham)
• The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien)
Most reread: Those three and Ulysses. And True Grit, including Tartt's fantastic audiobook. And Hemingway, natch.
Favorite Movies?
• The Razor's Edge (1984 version)
• Bottle Rocket
• Unbreakable
Other info: I had a difficult time leaving Hammett, Chandler, Flicker by Theodore Roszak and Ellroy's American Tabloid off the list but you said three. And all of Portis. And I do mean all of it.
Keep 'em coming, please.
The Complete Short Stories of Bernard Malamud (A LOT of you are getting this one!)! Excellent list.
Hi Sara!
Love this! I’m adding True Grit to my TBR. It’s been on the bubble for years, but your rec puts it over the top.
Favorite books:
1. Savages by Don Winslow
2. Inherent Vice by Pynchon
3. Ubik by PKD
Books I read again and again (real favs)
1. Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly
2. Lincoln Lawyer books by MC
3. The Claire DeWitt novels by you!
Hi Michael! I suggested this to someone a few comments up, but: The Reckless series by Ed Brubaker. He's my friend but I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't the right book.