I read 27 books in 2018. Did not hit my goal. I’ll try to step it up for 2019. So many books so little time. Here is my Top 10.
- The Man With The Golden Arm – Nelsen Algren
- The Road to Wigan Pier – George Orwell
- The White Album – Joan Didion
- Never Come Morning – Nelsen Algren
- The Fall – Albert Camus
- The Crossing – Cormac McCarthy
- Paterson – William Carlos Williams
- The Other Shore – Thich Nhat Hanh
- Young Once – Patrick Modiano
- Rabbit At Rest – John Updike
“Got ya for the Greek, Lefthander. Two witnesses.”
“Knew I’d never get t’ be twenty-one anyhow.”
Have you noticed that Amsterdam’s concentric canals resemble the circles of hell? The middle-class hell, of course, peopled with bad dreams. When one comes from the outside, as one gradually goes through those circles, life – and hence its crimes – becomes denser, darker. Here we are in the last circle.
Some cats just swing that way…
“Standing amid the tan, excited post-Christmas crowd at the Southwest Florida Regional Airport, Rabbit Angstrom has a funny sudden feeling that what he has come to meet, what’s floating in unseen about to land, is not his son Nelson and daughter-in-law Pru and their two children but something more ominous and intimately his: his own death, shaped vaguely like an airplane.”
The dome of the moon rose out of the ground white and frat and membranous.
Anyone want to talk about any of these books I would be happy to discuss. Your comments are welcome. Each book was special in its own way and I would be hard pressed to say which one I like the best.
Ghost Dog 
What was the Orwell one about? Also, I started the Rabbit series and got through most of the first two. Never forgot them. Updike is a hell of a writer. Is that Paterson about the bus driver who is a poet that Jim Jarmusch made a movie about?
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Yes, Updike is a hell of a writer. The Orwell book, The Road to Wigan Pier, was a piece of investigative Journalism on Orwell’s part. He was looking into the unemployment situation in Northern England in the 1930’s but also he looked at the coal mining industry while at it and actually went down into the hellish mines He also observed the foul living conditions of the miners and their meager diets. Written in Orwell’s inimitable style it is a real eye opener. In it he makes the case for socialism.
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Paterson is a book of poems by William Carlos Williams about the city of Paterson, New Jersey. The movie Paterson, is about a bus driver named Paterson who drives a bus in Paterson New Jersey and is also a poet. His favorite poet is William Carlos Williams. It all ties together. I love the movie!
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I need to finish that Rabbit series from beginning to end. Orwell is what journalism is all about.
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p.s. still haven’t seen Suspiria. They won’t bring it to any theaters in the area! Very frustrating.
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Evening, Benn. The only one I read is the Updike novel. I liked it.
Have you ever read his novel titled Couples? It seemed terrific when I read it, which was probably 40 or more years ago. Not sure if it would hold up. See ya!
Neil Scheinin
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Yeah I did. I’m a big Updike fan! Have a nice evening!
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Yeah I did. I’m a big Updike fan. I read all the Rabbit books. Rabbit at Rest being the last one. Have a great evening!
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I think Algren was a great writer and his books are worth to read, but later he lacks the intimacy of his earlier works.
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Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
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Lots of great pics, and I love the photo of you with one of your top reads! The Fall by Camus is one that I still haven’t read, so that’s going on my reading list for next month. Have you read The Stranger? I read that probably 12 years ago now but I really enjoyed it.xx
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Yes the Stranger is one of my all time faves!
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That’s actually not me in the picture but I’m glad you like it all the same…
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Benn, I feel totally stupid for writing that – I don’t think my brain was in gear because I know it’s not you, but I think by the time I got to the comments I just remembered a face photo & wrote that. I feel incredibly stupid, sorry!! I do like the photo of YOU in the hood with the snow though =]
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Hey that’s ok. Think nothing of it. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I just wanted to set the record straight. I’ve made similar mistakes myself. No biggie! Proud to have as my friend. Have a great week and stay in touch.
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Cormac McCarthy is hands down my favorite author and I’ve enjoyed all of his works. All the Pretty Horses was my favorite out of the Border Trilogy.
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Yeah he is one of my favorites too…really liked Blood Meridian.
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For a long time there was talk about turning Blood Meridian into a movie. I don’t know how that could’ve been done. Neither did the prospective producers as the idea has been shelved.
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Yeah that would be a hard one to make. Even The Road, which I loved, did not match up to the book.
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