the quality of writing (loosely coincides with an objective judgement, it is an intuitive, aesthetic evaluation)
the substance
some books i've been reading recently:
a storm of swords - george rr martin
full access to substance because the quality of writing maintains consistency, and does not overextend into literary dimension
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
in many respects, very similar to point on martin. I adore certain aspects of this setting, but want concentration; perhaps a smaller scope...
standard western tropes are uninteresting to me
the elementary particles - michel houellebecq
i am grateful I found this author, though I'm unsure I'll continue reading him. His prose, translated, has proper directness and seems more profound than martin and mcmurtry. His societal standing as "pop-literary" is unsurprising. His use of explicit scientific explanation is very effective; however, his consistent descriptions of the sexual exploits of certain characters becomes depressingly mundane
not that kind of girl - lena dunham
I stopped reading this after 30 pages. Not at all difficult to read; unsurprising content considering her tv show. substance-wise entirely unrewarding
the power of the dog - don winslow
I stopped after several pages. reading < Art thinks,"..." > is like getting poked in the eye
the moviegoer - walker percy
I put this on my toilet; the first few pages are absolute excellence
go tell it on the mountain - james baldwin
the best book here, by several lengths. wonderful prose combined with a genuine, human exploration
I appreciate your comment. Recently I've been writing elsewhere: http://effectivelyclueless.tumblr.com/
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in reading your stuff as well...so post more! (if you're inclined)
Hey Bill, I had a compulsion to see if you'd written anything recently and unfortunately I don't see anything new. Nor anything on your tumblr. Have you been posting elsewhere? -Erik
ReplyDeleteI have two semi-recent posts on http://savagedesire.blogspot.com/. If I post again it'll likely be there.
DeleteMartin is not literary but he manages quality by his noble descriptions of minutiae. The honorable life of toil and boredom. A collection of insignificant figures and the casual moments of everyday life. Is this subtlety? Perhaps it is, in its rightfully valued form, as opposed to the barren banality of Hollywood subtlety. My tank is running out. All I can see is my life and the screen before me. I hate this place--if I leave my work will vanish. The text area is better than the post editor. I suppose now I've re-entered the dream space this blog belongs in. All I can see is I'm back no--I've written right back.
ReplyDeleteI've forgotten the Tumblr. Maybe there's something to wrangle out of that.