Kim in Appalachia Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 by Mark Danielewski? I thinking of diving into it for my next book read. I probably should have posted this under the book thread, but I thought it would get lost. :tongue_smilie: Anyone read it? I was going to read another Murakami book next, but I saw this book and I'm intriqued. I know it's a thriller, which is fine. I'm more interested in it for it's literary quality. Is this a must read book? Will I be pondering it a year later like 1Q84 or American Gods? I'm such a book snob and addict; I crave good books. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I know a few people on this board have mentioned it - and recommended it as one of the most, uh, freaky? books they'd ever read. I'd like to read it too, if my library would get a copy already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 It's trippy. I liked it. I didn't love it, but I still remember some key parts of it, even though I read it years & years ago. Fun fact: the author's sister is 90s female rocker Poe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I tried reading it twice. Both times it creeped me out so much that I ended up stopping pretty soon after starting. I can't read it -- I'm afraid I'll be too terrified to stay in my house after reading it & too terrified to go out. :tongue_smilie: :lol: My impression from the few pages I've read is that it is nothing like 1Q84 or American Gods. It's an entirely different entity. A friend of mine read it & hated it. He's an author & he thought it was too gimmick-y. I know others who have loved it. Otoh, I did read Danielewski's The Fifty Year Sword & enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 I wander if I'd find it too scary. I just read The Shining Girls: A Novel. It was a thriller. I grew up reading Stephen King. I haven't touched one of his books in a long time, but I did love them as a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Eh. There's an interesting story within a story within a story construct, but if you don't like one of the stories then it can be difficult to wade through. I liked the center story but the 2nd/middle story was killing me. Some of the themes reminded me of Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. There's a sense of how a myth unfolds. How important it is that some things remain hidden. The power of what isn't said that has power over people. Poe made an album to play along with the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Fun fact: the author's sister is 90s female rocker Poe. Poe made an album to play along with the book. Hey, that's pretty cool. Did either of you listen to the album while reading the book? Based on seeing House of Leaves (how it looks visually -- which I liked but found the text too creepy), Only Revolutions (another one I tried reading but couldn't get into, but liked the visual layout of it), and The Fifty Year Sword (which is not only text, but an artistic experience as far as layout & design), plus hearing about the album w/ Poe, reading an article about The Fifty Year Sword being read/performed, etc..., it makes me think of Danielewski as more of a multi-media performance artist rather than just an author. Perhaps that is a way to approach his work...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I'd finished the book by the time my husband brought it home, but I did read some of my favorite house passages while listening to it. He does seem to be a performance artist/multi-media artist (based on House and Fifty Year Sword). He must belong to an interesting artistic community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I read it, because the concept of it was so awesome and intriguing. I didn't think it fulfilled it's potential of such a cool story idea. I didn't even find it particularly frightening, although it was a little creepy at times. It got an "ok" rating from me. My two favorite "odd/unusual/intriguing" books are Gargoyle and The Dogs of Babel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 My two favorite "odd/unusual/intriguing" books are Gargoyle and The Dogs of Babel. I had The Gargoyle recommended to me a couple of years ago. I haven't read it yet, but want to. It sounds really intriguing. Will have to look up The Dogs of Babel.... The title sounds familiar. I love odd/unusual/intriguing books too (but not usually in the 'horror'/scary genre). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 hmm, I'm torn about reading it. I may go with Murakami, or even check out some of the other books mentioned. The size of the book gave me pause. I may still try to get it (used) and look it over. I really am fasinated by the idea of the book. Thanks, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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