Category: reading

I seem to be revisiting my late teens, at least in terms of my reading. I’ve just re-read Vonnegut’s Gallapagos (a fantastic book, in the literal and the vernacular sense) and I’m also getting through Gogol’s Dead Souls and have a few more of Nabakov’s novels lined up. I think I might draw the line at Anthony Burgess, though.

Nostalgic re-visits aside, I’ve just been through a copulation-laden and genitally-focussed trinity of books: two by Will Self (Cock and Bull, and Naked Ape) and Charles’s Bukowski’s “Women”). All very good reads — funny, sharp, thought-provoking and titillating. Even the chimps’ incessant mating ends up titillating a little which is, perhaps, worrying. I’ve never read Self’s stuff, though often seen him expostulating on BBC arts programmes and thought him interesting and entertaining.

Recently finished Nabakov’s King, Queen, Knave, which he wrote when he was in his late twenties (IIRC). It’s a remarkable book, propelled convincingly by the lust of it’s young protagonist and, latterly, by the madness of his adulterous lover. Or something like that; preferably something less lame, less pretentious, and more accurate. Anyway, it’s an exciting, hard-to-put-down read, which is slightly contrary to what you might think as you read the descriptive opening passages: something at the back of your mind is saying, “put it down! It’s going to be boring” and then you realise you’re 14 pages in and irrevocably caught up. Diabolically clever prose.

This is the third Nabakov I’ve read recently (I read him quite a lot when in my late teens), the other two being Pale Fire and The Luzhin Defense. Excellent, both. He wireevocablyent to Trinity, doncha know.

Also just read “Nudges”, a book about choice architecture, its effect on Humans, its use and abuse by government and private enterprise, and the potential for good, particularly as embodied in the concept of “Nudges”: non-obligatory hints that conform to a philosophy of “libertarian paternalism”.

Now reading Will Self’s Cock & Bull. “Pure delight to verbal perverts everywhere,” said the Sunday TImes. Seems a pretty accurate assessment so far. Good fun.

Just finished “The braindead megaphone” by George Saunders and am just popping in to tell you that you have to read this collection of essays. Very funny, very “yes, that’s EXACTLY how it is” commentary on modern life, literature, and random stuff.