For those of our loyal followers out there, we assure you that we have, in fact, been reading. Reading our collective asses off. As a club, we decided that we could cover more ground by all reading the shit out of a wide range of literature. So. With that being said. We present the first installment of Quick Reviews – this is a summation of the books that we can remember reading since that horrible, horrible, horrible book called The Slide.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole: Fat, disgusting asshole hates modern society. Complains constantly. You kind of start to like him. Book is funny – though not “gut-splittingly hilarious” or whatever the jacket says. I think he wins in the end? 3 Beaver Pelt Hats
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen: Super charming serial killer murders a ton of people in Chicago and elsewhere. Super determined architect builds a marvel. 4 Beaver Pelt Hats
Old School by Tobias Wolff: A lot of kids want to be writers. Ayn Rand is a bitch. 3.5 Beaver Pelt Hats
Everything is Illuminated by Johnathon Safran Foer: A lot of Yiddish. Guy finds out about his family. Gets boring/tedious in the middle. Ending is incredible. 3 Beaver Pelt Hats
White Teeth by Zadie Smith: First two chapters – incredible. Rest of book - meh. 1 Beaver Pelt Hat
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please by Raymond Carver: Short stories by the short story master. Some good. Some really, really good. Some bad. 2 Beaver Pelt Hats
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by David Eggers: Eggers wins. 4 Beaver Pelt Hats
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess: Street toughs terrorize people. Written in a made-up slang language. I approve. (Please note: The version I read had the original ending that was left out of it's American release, I like it better without it.) 3 Beaver Pelt Hats
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon: It's obvious that Thomas Pynchon is a lot smarter than me. 2 Beaver Pelt Hats
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen: An up-close look at a family. Probably some of the best writing/character development this Barrister has ever read. One of those books that is so good it pisses you off. However, I do wish they would've left off the final "wrap-up" chapter, but I'll get over it. 4.5 Beaver Pelt Hats
White Noise by Don Delillo: Any book that coins the phrase "Airborne Toxic Event" is a winner in my book. An interesting look at consumerism, death and Hitler Studies. 4 Beaver Pelt Hats
Please note: I’m reflecting on a lot of these books and time usually mellows out my opinion. I specifically remember not liking White Teeth very much at all when I finished. Also, there may be others but I can’t remember them.
