Burning Books

1durphul · Post by **1durphul** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:24 pm

Now that Oprah is going off the air all of us will need a new book club. I'm sure this dilemma has been keeping you up at night for the past year since she made the announcement. I know my sleep patterns have been particularly interrupted by the terrible news.

So this here thread is your new book club. But... this is going to be a burning man book club. Everybody is a god damn individual and nobody is going to read the same god damn thing, unless they god damn well feel like it.

What I'm reading now:
Over a decade ago Fight Club (the movie) came out. It is one of my favorites, and a few days ago I decided to pick up the book just to see how different it is. I'm about 2/3's of the way through, and it is a good read.

Post by **Elderberry** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:29 pm

What the hell is the point of a book club if we don't all choose a book (the same book) and read and discuss it? Otherwise all this thread is is another list of what people here are reading.

1durphul · Post by **1durphul** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:30 pm

jkisha wrote:What the he'll is the point of a book club if we don't all choose a book (the same book) and read and discuss it? Otherwise all this thread is is another list of what people here are reading.

::stare::

MyDearFriend · Post by **MyDearFriend** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 4:52 am

Well if y'all don't mind I will take this opportunity to try to unload a book, free to good home.

It's "The Tribes of Burning Man," by Steven T Jones (aka Scribe, as he notes on the cover). It was recommended by somebody on this board, I can't remember who, so I bought it.

But, I couldn't get past page 29, and I am completely unable to throw away a book, so, I will happily pay postage to anywhere. This guy is just not somebody I want to sit down & spend my time with.

Post by **Elderberry** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:25 am

MyDearFriend wrote:Well if y'all don't mind I will take this opportunity to try to unload a book, free to good home.

It's "The Tribes of Burning Man," by Steven T Jones (aka Scribe, as he notes on the cover). It was recommended by somebody on this board, I can't remember who, so I bought it.

But, I couldn't get past page 29, and I am completely unable to throw away a book, so, I will happily pay postage to anywhere. This guy is just not somebody I want to sit down & spend my time with.

Can you please elaborate further? Perhaps the book could be put to better use for kindling then?

1durphul · Post by **1durphul** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:47 am

jkisha wrote:
MyDearFriend wrote: away a book, so, I will happily pay postage to anywhere. This guy is just not somebody I want to sit down & spend my time with.
Can you please elaborate further? Perhaps the book could be put to better use for kindling then?

I was curious about that line too.

1durphul · Post by **1durphul** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:06 pm

Just finished Fight Club. Good short book. The movie is fairly faithful until the last 1/3 of the book. What was really interesting was the afterword written by the author sometime in the last few years. Apparently Fight Club was his first book, and he is as surprised as anybody by the real world adoption of some of it's philosophies.

delle · Post by **delle** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:18 pm

I really hoped this was about actually burning books, having burned my first one recently enough.

I somehow finished it and then had the dilemma of what to do with it. Normally, I'd send them back to the 2nd hand store or some free-box, but the book was SO bad, and left me with SUCH a horrible feeling, I couldn't do this with any kind of good conscience.

Throwing it away was unthinkable, because I had visions of someone in dire straits finding it -- thinking "OOOOOOOOOOH, a book!!! Thank Gawd!!! Mama's gonna READ tonight!!!" and then getting just destroyed by its content.

So I burned it.

I GLEEFULLY and without the slightest smidgeon of guilt, BURNED IT.

I burned it so bad, that I even burned the title right out of my head - never to pass on again.

If someone else picks up another copy of this book it can't be traced back to me in any way, shape or form!!!!! I'm free!!!!

Meanwhile, I'm reading an old Calvin and Hobbs anthology, given to me on the occasion of the birth of my first-born with the note "a little taste of what you have to look forward to".

1durphul · Post by **1durphul** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:22 pm

delle wrote:I really hoped this was about actually burning books, having burned my first one recently enough.

I somehow finished it and then had the dilemma of what to do with it. Normally, I'd send them back to the 2nd hand store or some free-box, but the book was SO bad, and left me with SUCH a horrible feeling, I couldn't do this with any kind of good conscience.

Throwing it away was unthinkable, because I had visions of someone in dire straits finding it -- thinking "OOOOOOOOOOH, a book!!! Thank Gawd!!! Mama's gonna READ tonight!!!" and then getting just destroyed by its content.

So I burned it.

I GLEEFULLY and without the slightest smidgeon of guilt, BURNED IT.

I burned it so bad, that I even burned the title right out of my head - never to pass on again.

If someone else picks up another copy of this book it can't be traced back to me in any way, shape or form!!!!! I'm free!!!!

Meanwhile, I'm reading an old Calvin and Hobbs anthology, given to me on the occasion of the birth of my first-born with the note "a little taste of what you have to look forward to".

I think the only truly evil act you have committed is piquing my curiosity about what the hell book could have been so bad!

You could always use the title of that book as a weapon to use on enemies you've kept nearby.

MyDearFriend · Post by **MyDearFriend** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:39 pm

jkisha wrote:
MyDearFriend wrote:Well if y'all don't mind I will take this opportunity to try to unload a book, free to good home.

It's "The Tribes of Burning Man," by Steven T Jones (aka Scribe, as he notes on the cover). It was recommended by somebody on this board, I can't remember who, so I bought it.

But, I couldn't get past page 29, and I am completely unable to throw away a book, so, I will happily pay postage to anywhere. This guy is just not somebody I want to sit down & spend my time with.
Can you please elaborate further? Perhaps the book could be put to better use for kindling then?

Well, maybe some of y'all can burn books

but I really can't.

It might not be a bad book, I can't say since I didn't really read it. But the author is kind of a jerk, and the part I read was all about him. He seems to have an inflated impression of his own influence on world events, and at the same time, he thinks he's excused from behaving with restraint or responsibility in his day-to-day dealings with others, so... why would I want to sit and listen to him talk about himself? Life is too short for that.

I would just rather read about people who interest me, that's all. And I am not all that picky; I do read a lot.

Post by **Elderberry** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:39 pm

1durphul wrote:
delle wrote:I really hoped this was about actually burning books, having burned my first one recently enough.

I somehow finished it and then had the dilemma of what to do with it. Normally, I'd send them back to the 2nd hand store or some free-box, but the book was SO bad, and left me with SUCH a horrible feeling, I couldn't do this with any kind of good conscience.

Throwing it away was unthinkable, because I had visions of someone in dire straits finding it -- thinking "OOOOOOOOOOH, a book!!! Thank Gawd!!! Mama's gonna READ tonight!!!" and then getting just destroyed by its content.

So I burned it.

I GLEEFULLY and without the slightest smidgeon of guilt, BURNED IT.

I burned it so bad, that I even burned the title right out of my head - never to pass on again.

If someone else picks up another copy of this book it can't be traced back to me in any way, shape or form!!!!! I'm free!!!!

Meanwhile, I'm reading an old Calvin and Hobbs anthology, given to me on the occasion of the birth of my first-born with the note "a little taste of what you have to look forward to".
I think the only truly evil act you have committed is piquing my curiosity about what the hell book could have been so bad!

You could always use the title of that book as a weapon to use on enemies you've kept nearby.

Mine too!

delle · Post by **delle** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:58 pm

Fortunately for you, I have no recollection whatsoever either of the title or the author.

I think this information got burned from my memory as I sat there, stoking the fire, mumbling something about "good riddance to HORRIBLE" and everyone within earshot suddenly wanted to read the book to come to their own conclusions.

It was really boredom, enveloped in saddness, dripped in angst and then wrapped in a deceivingly benign cover, and it left an ugly black stain on my soul for longer than I care to admit.

Anyway, it was a story about a japanese housewife, and you probably wouldn't have liked it anyway.

tamarakay · Post by **tamarakay** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 6:33 pm

I'm in. Someone pick a book. Nothing about Japanese housewives.

I just started Love in the Time of Cholera. But we don't have to stick with that, though I am enjoying it.

Post by **Elderberry** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 6:59 pm

I think getting people on this site to all agree on the same book would be futile.

tamarakay · Post by **tamarakay** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:07 pm

LOL, we don't need all of them. Just some. Plus it would be fun to read something I wouldn't normally run across.

Post by **Elderberry** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:48 pm

My preferences...anything politics, science or technology. Some history and biography. Don't like fiction of any kind. Probably not the best genres for me being in a book club.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:49 pm

I just finished burning a copy of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Didn't read it, but it burned nice and warm.

C.f.M. · Post by **C.f.M.** » Fri Apr 22, 2011 6:38 am

Just started

Last two books were both Chuck Klosterman. I heart him badddd. And the new Carl Hiassen.

Sic Pup · Post by **Sic Pup** » Fri Apr 22, 2011 8:18 am

C.f.M. wrote:Last two books were both Chuck Klosterman. I heart him badddd.

Yeah, he's got some pretty decent insights into pop culture, I've been reading all his stuff in spurts and I always come away with something new to think about. He definitely has an engaging writing style. After I've completed Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs I'll have only the novel left. I generally only read non-fiction but I think I'll make an exception in this case.

C.f.M. · Post by **C.f.M.** » Fri Apr 22, 2011 8:40 am

Downtown Owl? It's pretty good...a laid-back read.

moonrise · Post by **moonrise** » Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:00 am

This may be more of a book reccomendation/review but here goes; Shibumi by Trevanian is a great book.

It's fiction and about the world's greatest assasin. I didn't think I'd enjoy the book ( yes, I read it but I could be reading it again, right? LOL),

There are some great foot notes. Loosely quoted; 'Trevanian cannot (or will not) go into certain topics in depth, ie naked kill, because after publishing his last book, (I forget that tittle) which decribed an art heist, later readers copied his book's planned art heist and carried out a very similar art heist" (Impressive for an author of fictional books I think)

In Shibumi, Trevanian goes into 'meticulously tuning a Japanese water garden, how and why the English garden is planned and planted, the kama sutra, his love of the world's greatest woman (hehe) and a several other interesting not so well known subjects...in addition to the main character's 'world's greatest assasin lifestyle'. IMHO all great schtuff!

Shimbumi by Tevanian was a fun interesting (old) book for me.
The author, Trevanian, also wrote The Ieger Sanction.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:35 am

jkisha wrote:My preferences...anything politics, science or technology. Some history and biography. Don't like fiction of any kind. Probably not the best genres for me being in a book club.

Depends on the book club...

goathead · Post by **goathead** » Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:56 am

Just because sometimes I need to laugh.
Laugh hell, tear wrenching belly laugh, that wakes my sweetie up
asking "what the fuck am you reading now"

If you grew up in the boondocks, you will be able to relate.
If you grew up in the city, well not to sure.