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Post by riseabovethis on Nov 23, 2005 19:58:59 GMT
I wonder if other people here have read some of the books from the "Recommended Books List" at susanlawly.com. So far I have read Hornbacher's Wasted, Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost and Gourevitch's We Wish To Inform You .... All are indeed recommended, with Hornbacher and Hochschild being very interesting studies of topics that seem to have nothing to do with each other, but are both referenced in Cut Hands Has the Solution. I still have no idea what "Munkisi Munkondi" means, seems to be Bantu Language. Does anyone have some further information?
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Post by luke on Nov 24, 2005 2:54:29 GMT
Whenever I'm looking for a new book to read I always check the recommended books at Susan Lawly. I've read quite a few, with my favourites being Straw Dogs by John Gray, The Encyclopaedia of Psychoactive Substances by Richard Rudgley and Trevor Brown's Li'l Miss Sticky Kiss which is always great to pull out and have a look at.
I did notice the references to Wasted in Cut Hands Has the Solution which are pretty unmistakable, though I didn't notice the references to King Leopold's Ghost. Looking at it now I guess the parts about cutting hands and having no hands and some other bits towards the end are references, so thanks for pointing that out. I also noticed the similarity beween the Bantu languages in Hochschild's and Gourevitch's books and Munkisi Munkondi but further than that I don't know about the title.
I remember reading an interview with William Bennett somewhere where he said the recommended reading list was to let people know about some obscure books. Does anyone know some not-so-obscure books which may also be 'recommended' by Whitehouse, or that you would recommend to a fan of Whitehouse? I guess Sade is one, though I haven't read any of his stuff, and Peter Sotos is another (I have read some of his books and I think they're brilliant). It's just that the list on the website seems to include 'source material' or books that are put there only for the subject matter, rather than because they're good books which are appreciated and genuinely liked by Whitehouse. Andrea Dworkin for example (and maybe even Wasted by Hornbacher), seems to be there because she's a lunatic. Though reading her rants about her retarded worldview (edit for jessefriedman: ok, maybe not retarded, though I'm not sure, I really do think her view of things is impaired. Maybe it's so frantically far-reaching that it's faulty in that respect) can be just as enjoyable and entertaining as reading a book you actually agree with. So there probably isn't any real difference between what you get out of her book and what you get out of a book you can associate with or really like.
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Post by sypha666 on Nov 24, 2005 3:11:36 GMT
I read an old interview once where Bennett said that he liked Bret Easton Ellis. Certainly there were quite a few "American Psycho" references in the "Halogen" and "Never Forget Death" albums, while the song "Lightning Struck My Dick" seems to be a reference to the book "Rules of Attraction".
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Post by sypha666 on Nov 24, 2005 3:13:28 GMT
Wow... Is there a reason why it won't let me use the word "D.I.C.K?" Let me try this: Philip K. Dick...
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Post by Joe Chip on Nov 24, 2005 8:35:28 GMT
I don't know if anyone else has read 'Lila Dit' - I've only read it in translation - that's a really beautiful & moving novel which I picked up after seeing it on the Susan Lawly list - reminiscent of the film 'La Haine' slightly. Andrea Dworkin was not a lunatic, and her worldview is as far from 'retarded' as I can imagine! I would say her worldview was 'distorted' due to pain and the crippling weight of her intellect. I don't agree with most of her conclusions myself, but her writing and vision was breathtaking... First disagreement on this board
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Post by Joe Chip on Nov 24, 2005 11:04:35 GMT
Oh, and here's a book which probably SHOULD be on the recommended list:
Joan Ryan - Little Girls In Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters.
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Post by riseabovethis on Nov 24, 2005 11:08:13 GMT
Oh, and here's a book which probably SHOULD be on the recommended list: Joan Ryan - Little Girls In Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters. ... "Ruthless Babysitting"?
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Post by riseabovethis on Nov 24, 2005 11:09:55 GMT
Thanks for the recommendations of Lila Dit and Straw Dogs. Can't say anything about Dworkin, as I only know her books from second hand knowledge.
I recommend Dennis Cooper's novels. Very explicit descriptions, and in this way comparable to Ellis' American Psycho. However, I think Cooper's and Ellis' writing styles are completely different. My Cooper favourite is Guide, though I'd recommend starting with Closer, since it's the beginning of a five novel cycle (Closer, Frisk, Try, Guide, Period).
A very interesting book, and my discovery of 2005, is Daniel Paul Schreber's Memories of my Nervous Illness (Denkwürdigkeiten eines Nervenkranken). Schreber was diagnosed as paranoid (today one would say highly psychotic) around 1900 and put into an asylum. He was a well educated member of the upper class (he worked as a judge at court), and he wrote his own (semi-scientific) account of his "inner world", in which he describes his communication with god as the last remaining man on earth. This includes communication with god through "divine rays" which are indeed "god's nerves", talking birds (="souls"), fake people, an "upper" and a "lower" gods, etc., etc. and a stunning descriptions of eating your own stomach while having lunch. Excellent material! As Schreber seems to have a better understanding of his condition than all of the doctors that treated him.
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Post by ljp on Nov 24, 2005 15:00:13 GMT
Can't believe no-one mentioned Jean Genet...
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Post by theotherjohn on Nov 26, 2005 18:07:26 GMT
Still got to get around to reading "Our Lady Of The Flowers". Is this the best book to start with or should I try something else?
Currently reading Luis Bunuel's autobiography "My Last Breath". Great read. Peter Sotos is fantastic, anyone manage to grab Predicate from Creation Books while it had the Waitress supplement?
On a completely unrelated note, I also have a soft spot for Woody Allen's "Complete Prose". For more surrealist writings, try Daniil Kharms, pretty much everything he's done is online and translated. Might not be to the tastes of people here, but oh well..
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adam
Cohort
here, now.
Posts: 16
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Post by adam on Nov 27, 2005 4:12:30 GMT
COWS by matthew stokoe is a great read. only book to ever make me gag.
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Post by sypha666 on Nov 27, 2005 4:54:05 GMT
Yeah, I got "Predicate" with the "Waitress" supplement. I actually thought that "Waitress" was more interesting to read then "Predicate" (not that "Predicate" is a bad book by any means). Probably cuz' "Waitress" had "Playground Sex" in it, which I always wanted to read.
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djgyn
Praetorian Guard
Posts: 87
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Post by djgyn on Nov 27, 2005 6:01:40 GMT
I recommend Dennis Cooper's novels. Very explicit descriptions, and in this way comparable to Ellis' American Psycho. However, I think Cooper's and Ellis' writing styles are completely different. My Cooper favourite is Guide, though I'd recommend starting with Closer, since it's the beginning of a five novel cycle ( Closer, Frisk, Try, Guide, Period). I actually started with The Sluts, and I consider it a perfect "extreme" read for Whitehouse fans.
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djgyn
Praetorian Guard
Posts: 87
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Post by djgyn on Nov 27, 2005 6:03:09 GMT
OK, this forum is officially lame as FUCK. The word S_l_u_ts was censored. At least at my livejournal community I can use grown-up words. Christ...
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Post by sypha666 on Nov 27, 2005 6:52:08 GMT
You can't even say "d.i.c.k". Was Susan Lawly aware of this when they chose this as their message board? I agree it's quite silly.
As for Cooper, "The Sluts" was quite good, but "Frisk" is probably my favorite. His latest, "God Jr.", is certainly a departure. Actually, Cooper has his own website now and a really fascinating blog. I highly recommend it. He'll usually answer any question you ask him.
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