Man vs. TBR #1/12
While I don't anticipate any further bending of the rules from here on out, I've already "revisited" my ridiculous, self-imposed Man vs. TBR book-buying reduction pledge from last month and am now shooting for a grand total of no more than twelve book purchases for the entire year. OK, so I'm obviously willing to cheat to succeed--but what was the first book purchased? NYU history professor Karen Ordahl Kupperman's The Jamestown Project in e-book format, a New Year's Day transaction I practically "had" to make to test drive a certain shiny new gadget that found its way into the house earlier in the day. In non-cheating news, I also wanted to remind everybody that the group read of Roberto Bolaño's The Savage Detectives that many of us have been looking forward to for quite some time now is finally due to take place during the last weekend of the month. For more details and/or a look at the list of others who'll be participating, you can check out group read co-host Rise's post here or my post here. Hope you're able to join in on the fun!
Thanks to Jenny Volvoski for allowing us to borrow her cool cover design for The Savage Detectives group read (use of this image as a badge has been approved by the artist). Other rad covers as imagined by Jenny can be found at her art blog From Cover to Cover.
Cheater!
ResponderBorrarI came up with no more than 12 book orders but 1-2 in book shops/month. If I stick to it it would already be a huge improvement.
Same shiny gadget found it's way into my home but I only dowloaded three free classics. That is NOT cheating!
I forgot to say I'm still in for the group read but have a feeling I won't be able to finish it. I wills still post something and particicpate. Since I try to move away from classic "reviews" it will not matter.
ResponderBorrarOh my, a new gadget you say? How exciting. What do you think of it thus far?
ResponderBorrarI guess I'm officially joining The Savage Detectives readalong since I couldn't resist getting a copy of the book with Christmas money...! Should be a very interesting discussion. Can't wait!
I think 12 books a year is much more reasonable and doable though cheating is a slippery slope ;) The Jamestown Project looks really goos so I can see why you had to get it to try out that new gadget.
ResponderBorrarHmmm, am considering the book for your group read. However, I'm sure I'd have to buy it. ;)
ResponderBorrar*Caroline: I was a cheater but only on the first day of the year, so I'm going to just pretend that I took advantage of a beginning of the year "holiday exemption" from here on out! Of course, your buying plan still sounds a lot more sensible than mine, though. No worries about the group read, by the way--I'm super glad that you'll be participating, but it's designed to be a stress-free affair for one and all whether everybody finishes or not. P.S. Did you get an e-reader or an iPad? Inquiring minds want to know!
ResponderBorrar*Sarah: Awesome--glad to have you joining us for the Savage Detectives party in an official capacity now! As for my new toy (hint: rhymes with "Kindle Fire"), it's been a delight so far although the discovery that the e-book I ordered lacks the images/artwork from the original hard copy might explain why e-books are so heavily discounted. In any event, I'm quite sure that the video and web capabilities of this gizmo will allow me to procrastinate far more effectively going forward!
*Stefanie: Ha, "much more reasonable and doable" was the whole reason behing the change--although I hear you about the whole "slippery slope" thing as well! Hopefully, the longed-for excellence of that Jamestown book will help ease my troubled conscience before too long as well...
*Bellezza: I saw elsewhere that you've decided to give the Bolaño book a try with us after all, which is wonderful even though I got a big laugh about you maybe not participating should you have to buy the work. An entirely unassailable argument, my friend! :D
As I already have a MacBook basically the big IPad version, I got a kindle ... Yours is an IPad?
ResponderBorrarA possible approach to the daunting length of TSD is to skip the chunky second part. Then go back to that part and read leisurely. That's what I'm doing. I'm rereading it so I figure I can hopscotch. :p
ResponderBorrar*Caroline: I wish! I "only" got a Kindle Fire, but I'm very happy with it so far. Hope you're enjoying your new toy as well. :D
ResponderBorrar*Rise: I think Bolaño, that big Cortázar fan, would approve of hopscotching the second time around, but I'm always surprised when I see people complaining about the length of The Savage Detectives' middle part since so much of the novel's soul is contained in that section. I also think all three parts read quickly despite their length, but there's certainly no harm in reading them slowly and savoring them either.
I loved The Savage Detectives. It actually ties into 2666 but I won't spoil it.
ResponderBorrar*E.L. Fay: Many of the readers--including Rise and me--will be reading this novel for the second time around, so I'm sure some Savage Detectives/2666 overlap will take place in the coming discussions. Interested in hearing which of the two books is preferred and why. Do you have a favorite of the two?
ResponderBorrarI'm enjoying TSD just as it comes (although initially dismayed by both the format and length of the second section) However, I remember that on completing 2666 my first thought was that if I ever read it again I would totally rearrange the order.
ResponderBorrarI am making vague connections with 2666 but my memory isn't quite up to the job. Looking forward very much to that part of the discussion.
Sorry for the delay in responding to your comment, Sarah, although I'm glad to hear you're enjoying The Savage Detectives so far despite your initial concerns over the middle section of the novel. Like Tom below, though, I find the multiplicity of voices in the middle section so exciting that I'm always surprised to see people having issues with it. In any event, looking forward to the discussions as well. Cheers!
BorrarHow funny. I was relieved to get to Part 2, and away from that all-too-believable beatnik kid. We go from one voice to an explosion of voices, one perspective to many - how exciting!
ResponderBorrarWhat could the complaint about the length be? "Less good writing, please!"
I was wondering what a chronological re-ordering might reveal. I have not read Hopscotch, but the alternative paths available in Pale Fire, for example, really do lead to new and revealing combinations of information.
Tom, perfect: "Less good writing, please!" What kind of complaint is that? I've kind of just started rereading the book today, but I'll try and pay attention to what kind of Nabokovian info combinations might come with an altered chronological sequence. In the meantime, all the French writers mentioned in the narrator's intro to the visceral realist/book-stealing pantheon are making me long for another round of Weird France posts from you someday if at all possible. Cheers!
ResponderBorrar