I'd like to take a moment to thank ...
my friend, Luke, at useless and pointless knowledge for turning me on to a writer I had until recently no direct knowledge of. After perusing a list of books Luke has read, I decided to venture to the local B & N to do some research on the newfound (to me at least) Haruki Murakami. I was not displeased after reading about the author. In fact, two of his novels made the trip back home with me. I decided to begin with "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles," and will eventually meander into "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World." I haven't finished the novel yet, but I am intrigued. I enjoy Murakami's use of prose (albeit I'm sure at least some elements are lost in translation) to direct tension and growing suspense in the early parts of the novel. TWBC is no page-page turner like Palahniuk's novels, but it is interesting, enjoyable, and stimulating. If his other works are anything like this one, I'm almost certain to quickly develop a Murakami collection. Incidentally, how did you find Murakami, Luke?
Other literary endeavors recently have been sparse, but I'm also working my way through a few books I have neglected during law school. Cases on the docket currently include:
V - Pynchon
Gravity's Rainbow - Pynchon (I've really been wanting to finish this one)
Snow Crash - Stephenson
The Ground Beneath Her Feet - Rushdie
Crash - Ballard
Kingdom of Fear - Thompson
The Character of Physical Law - Feynman
You Shall Know Our Velocity - Eggers
Free Culture - Lessig
The Future of Ideas - Lessig
Mein Kampf - Hitler
Mother Night - Vonnegut
Sons and Lovers - Lawrence
Applied Cryptography - Schneier
I've got my work cut out for me...Again, thanks Luke for turning me on to Murakami, it's really turning out to be a breath of fresh air.
posted by Mr. The Buffalo at 1:08 PM
8 Comments:
Scott and I have a common Japanese friend (who Scott introduced me to.) She lives in Portland and recommended Murakami to Scott. Scott then read every one of his books, and eventually shared the magic with me.
I 100% have Scott to thank for that one.
May I recommend that his books be read in publish date order? That's how I've read them and I found it satisfying. Here is the list in order:
Hear the Wind Sing-----1979
Pinball, 1973-----1980
A Wild Sheep Chase-----1982
Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World-----1985
Norwegian Wood-----1987
Dance, Dance, Dance-----1988
South of the Border, West of the Sun-----1992
The Elephant Vanishes-----1993
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle-----1994
Sputnik Sweetheart-----1999
Underground-----2000
After The Quake-----2002
Kafka On The Shore-----2005
The first three books are a trilogy known as "The Rat Trilogy" and kind of should be read in order. Unfortunately the first two have never been printed in America and are difficult to find, though they can be obtained on Ebay, and online in the text files. Dance, Dance, Dance also follows the same narrator of those three books but is not considered part of the "trilogy."
The only books I read out of order were The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore. TWUBC was the first one Scott gave me, and I read Kafka when it was released earlier in the year.
Finally, enjoy! All of the books make for great reads, and I've yet to get to one of Scott's favorites, "Sputnick Sweetheart."
While I've enjoyed reading all of them, I have to admit to being a little bummed out that I only have one novel of his left to read. I wish there were many more.
Coincidentally, I have recently wanted to dive into both Pynchon and Rushdie but haven't as of yet because of my intense Murakami reading. Once I've finished Murakami's works, I guess that's where I'll be heading.
Oh yeah, Don DeLillo too.
Cool deal, you'll be sure to pass on the thank you to Scott as well, for me. I don't have the entire collection of Murakami yet, but if I can, I will try to take your suggestions on order of enjoyment. Although, at this point, I'm pretty wrapped up in TWUBC, so it will be difficult to put it down - hehe.
Have you done any Pynchon previously? He's got a huge following and is one of those reclusive writers of our time. If you can get your hands on any of his novels, Vineland, V, The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity's Rainbow, etc... they're all intriguing to me.
Damn, DeLillo should have been on my list too... Right next to Amis. Sigh, so many books, so little time.
There is actually a book in my list of next-things-to-read titled "So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in the Age of Abundance."
I've got a list a mile long.
What Pynchon would you recommend I start with. He's got a whole bunch of them, and I had no idea where to start.
Hmmm... I started with the Crying of Lot 49. It's thin, but packs a wallup. Anything after that is good. I stayed away from Gravity's Rainbow until I become acquainted with his style though. (It's been equated to Ulysses in scope and difficulty.) And as my post suggests, it remains unconquered territory for me.
Vineland and V are great books in my opinion. The one I haven't read is Mason & Dixon, but I assume that it should be fair game as well.
Have you read any Amis? Dead Babies is one of my favorites. And I quoted from London Fields in my wedding vows =)
I'd love to get together and exchange libraries (at least mentally, if not physicaly). Seems like we hve a lot in common with respect to reading.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles was my favorite out of the bunch....and I was unimpressed with Ballard's Crash. Close, but didn't quite cut it for me.
Hmm... after much consideration, I think I will resume reading TWUBC. But that's disappointing about Crash. I heard good things about Ballard - like he's the other side of Palahniuk - or that they are kind of like kindred spirits in style.
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