On The Road, too, tbh.

Whether you're in the States or not doesn't matter, as long as your Kindle has power you can read on it wherever you are, as long as your Kindle has power and a wi-fi connection you can download books wherever you are ... you can download pdfs and email them to your Kindle (check your amazon account for the correct email address), you can add 'send to kindle' to Chrome or Firefox and send articles you want to read to your Kindle ... I like doing this with all the interesting articles I see during the day and then reading them at night.

I think you would need to consider the ways in which your proto Mad Max world is dystopic. The reason I say that is, I think that for your idea to work (i.e. the introduction of comic and comedic elements) then I think there will need to be an ironic relationship between the humour and the core elements of the dystopia. If done that way, the absurdism will be grounded and not floating or gratuitous.

One way you might access what I am suggesting is having a look at Dr Strangelove or read Catch 22 and (if my memory serves me correctly) you will see how the humour is directly related to the ironic relationship between the expected tenor of the joke with the surrounding meta-tragedy of the setting.

I hope that makes sense.

Massive Kerouac fan boy here, I got ten minutes into that movie before I binned it, and I watch all kind of crap movies.

My Kindle fire reads Mobi's epubs plus others, dunno if that is relevant. Loads of free legal and questionable libraries out there, on there?

about 1/4 way thru the Martian and really enjoying it.
tho my brain does glaze over a lil when he goes on about technical scientific stuff.

The movie was on last week and I saved it but hadn't got around to watching it. To be honest I couldn't see how it could compare in anyway to the book but I was willing to give it a go.

I finished reading Coetzee's Disgrace last night. A melancholy short novel, though with some real power. It’s mostly been read as about race and race relations in post-Apartheid South Africa, but it also has something to say — though I’m not entirely sure what — about the difficulties and dangers of male-female relationships (including father-daughter).

This is the first Coetzee I’ve read, though he’s been in my sights for a long time. I chose this one because I perceived it to be a novel about an academic. It sort of is, but, the protagonist having been asked to leave the academy within pages of the opening, that has very little to do with the plot.

Perhaps most of all it's about what the title says it's about -- and the related questions of apology, redemption (if any), and finding a state of grace.

Finished Train Dreams by Denis Johnson. It's a well written, excellent novella (what else would you expect from Denis Johnson?) that is separated from greatness by some missing piece of inspiration. The writing is at times lyrical, hypnotic and spare and the story is told with some magical realism woven into it.

It's well worth reading, it comes close to greatness, but falls short. When I finished it, I wished Johnson had sat on it for a few years and made some change(s) that would have given it the missing element to become an American masterpiece.

Started: A Sorrow Beyond Dreams by Peter Handke.

God is rewriting the Bible. Rumor is He is expanding the beginning and changing the ending and upgrading all the filler material. It will all download automatically to your ebook on Christmas day 2015. Merry Christmas.

So God is a cosmic George Lucas?

That's way deeper than I was considering, so I'll think on it. I have another writing project to do first, so I've got 6 weeks to mull it over, but I will definitely be doing that.

I like the suggestion.

I did ask in RGT, in a facetious manner, a while back why god wouldn't do this so we could get away from all those old rules and laws that no longer applied. No one seemed to have an answer that didn't involve various mental gymnastics.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy might count as dystopian slapstick.

You've always had it in for Kerouac, as I remember. I think his brand of American individualism just doesn't click with a Brit like you.

Interesting way to look at it. However, George Lucas is not only smarter than God, he has more money. And with that my shtick is complete.

God writes better dialogue though.

I dunno if there's anything deep and cultural about it, I just found him insufferable. I do keep meaning to read The Dharma Bums, though.

There are some cool, inspiring parts of The Dharma Bums...but don't waste your time, especially if you find him insufferable imho.

The Road audiobook is easily the bleakest, most depressing audiobook I've ever listened to.


related question for everyone. what are some good Buddhist or maybe even contemplative practices related books that you recommend? I've read Siddhartha by Hesse already.

I found Ram Dass interesting. He's more Hindu/yoga orientated though. I can't decide if he's an enlightened genius, or just took way too much acid with Timothy Leary. Possibly both.

I'm in the middle of sportswriter Bob Ryan's memoir Scribe. I'm liking it cause I like Bob Ryan and the NBA so much, but it's really not anything special outside that. There's a lot of Celtics stuff in it obv.

Probably both. In some of the lectures I've listened to he goes out there but it's always very mind expanding and inspiring. watch Fierce Grace doc if you haven't already. I heard there was a doc about him and Leary's relationship coming out soon or already came out. Can't wait.

Well this Brit is/was a big Kerouac fan. Been years since I've read any of his work but that's probably because I went through a lot of it back in the day.

kokiri is a posh landed gentry type, smug and complacent iirc.

Release the hounds!!