This seems reasonable to me, but what do I know, I'd never heard of Pale Fire. I just reserved a copy at the public library. I'm hoping it's good because I like narrative poetry, but what I'm really hoping for is that, like Lolita, it was written on index cards.

the new adam carolla book

Forward Collection - Six short sci-fi stories, by some top authors, focussing on humanity's future.

Randomize - Andy Weir
Summer Frost - Blake Crouch
Ark - Veronica Roth
You Have Arrived at Your Destination - Amor Towles
Emergency Skin - N.K. Jemisin
The Last Conversation - Paul Tremblay

re-reading Straight Man by Russo. I usually don't read academia books for the the reason best summarized by a riddle John Cole told 20 years ago:

Why are academic disputes so vicious?



I am really enjoying Straight Man however. And I think I am unfair in dismissing academia books. I think Get Shorty is a masterpiece of 20th Century satire, and really, what's at stake there? Filming Mr. Lovejoy? It's all about character, isn't it? Maybe I shouldn't be so prejudiced in my reading.

btw, I am not an academic, but I could play one.

I played at being an academic for a few years. Then I wisely gave it up and got a real job. One of the best moves I ever made.

Straight Man is going to be a TV series starring Bob Odenkirk.

I have played the straight man often in academia. Usually to good effect. Sometimes my colleagues agree.

And had it really been twenty years?

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I used to play pool on Tuesday nights w 3 chaired and tenured professors. When I told them your joke they almost had to quit for the night. The last time we all played together was 2003. So, at least 20.

"But a man like me, who’s easily confused by women, prefers signposts with large lettering."

Posted so that men who are not easily confused by women can tell their life stories.

Out West by Dayton Duncan, and On the Plain of Snakes by Paul Theroux.

Both travel books, but different.

The former was written in the mid 80s. It's the story of the author traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail in his VW campervan. Reminds me of Blue Highways, writing about the people he meets along the way, but the journey is the primary element.

The latter is about travels in Mexico. A different tone to it, seems more about the social aspect of the people he meets, rather than the trip. A story that needs to be told, but doesn't interest me quite as much. He mentions some of his other travel books, will have to check them out.

I don't think that Duncan is (quite as?) a professional writer compared to Theroux. His book is more easy-reading, maybe that's some of the appeal.

Buy checked Pale Fire out of the library. So far it's quite charming. 999 line poem, written on index cards.

"The article they’ve been working on all year, I recall, is on clitoral imagery in Emily Dickinson."

"Somehow, Blair and others like her have concluded that what’s most important in all educational settings is to avoid the ridicule of the less gifted."

Because there are no gifted. John Cole said so.

Regarding long books, Middlemarch and Pendennis were both rubbish.

This is a completely true story:

I was on the NYC subway, the 6 train, reading Middlemarch this one time.

There was this late 20s, nicely-dressed, cute girl across from me. I see her, she's looking at me. It's a Sunday so it's not busy.

She starts crying. Loudly crying. I'm worried about her, so being a kind Manhattanite I went over to her, 'What's wrong? Are you ok? Did you lose your wallet or did someone you know die recently?'

"No," she replied, "you've almost finished Middlemarch..." /cue sobbing

The greatest epic poem ever written, followed by the most amazing commentary one could ever imagine.

/thread

The effort Nabokov must have expended on it is astonishing. More on it later.

Lolita is the famousest one, Pale Fire is the bestest one.

I've given out like 3 copies to people, they're always like, "I've never heard of this book," and then they're blown away.

I also recommend people read 'The [Luzhin] Defense' so they get one written in Russian, one in English and PF in French.

What a completely astonishing achievement he could write so.....perfectly in 3 different languages.

'...genius is hitting a target no one else can see,' and all that.

I read Bend Sinister but I didn't get along with it. Probably going to try Pale Fire, though.

If you want to read a good book, read Hangover Square.

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, the second book of the Farseer Trilogy was very good. I really enjoy her character development. She really likes to break the "show, don't tell" rule, but it's impossible not to with all of the intrigue going on and the amount of plot packed into these books. Excited for the third book. Pretty wild how much GRRM has borrowed from this.

First new Saunders short story collection in 10 years. I am very excited.

He started writing Game of Thrones 5 years before that book came out, and they came out within a couple months of each other.

The fantasy themes are all pretty generic: sword and sorcery, political intrigue, dragons, war, unseen evil horrible monsters, et al. It's the rich creation of his colorful characters and a well-written, sweeping complex plot that made it so famous. He nailed the macro themes and the micro-personal ones [Jamie's love for Cersei, Jon Snow's alienation, Tyrion's combination of ambition & helplessness]

As George has said, and is somewhat apparent, he was inspired by the War of the Roses.

GRRM:

Yeah I wrote a review on The Sunne in Splendor years ago, which clearly inspired GRRM. Two scenes in particular were very similar, but the entire book read like an out order outline for ASOIAF.

The similarities to this book are regarding events which haven't been covered in the ASOIAF books yet, not the general plot. Tt would be a pretty wild coincidence if they both thought them up around the same time although I suppose it's possible. Even if that is the case though, I'm sure Hobb's version will color GRRM's when he's finally able to write it.

Would be ideal if one was always in a state of "almost-finishing-Middlemarch." The only other state with the potential for matching this ideal is "having-finished-Middlemarch." All in all, you might call that a win-win period of your life.