One Hundred Books
12.22.2006
Bonjour!
The One Hundred Books project is over, but the fun has just begun. Stay tuned for statistics, superlatives, honorary diplomas, handshakes, and medals of valor.
¶ 00:06 6 comments 
12.21.2006
One Hundredth Book
Women As Lovers : Elfriede Jelinek
Serpent's Tail : 1995
Bought at Mercer Street Books for $6.50+
Started 12.12.06
Finished 12.20.06
The Line: "all that matters is that love has come at last, and that it hasn't come to an ugly, worn out, drunken, exhausted, vulgar, common woodcutter and her, but to a handsome, wornout, drunken, strong, vulgar, common woodcutter and her. that makes the whole thing special" (42).
Missed my goal date by
eight days. And I'm fine with that!
This book was worth it. ¶ 23:49 0 comments
Women As Lovers : Elfriede JelinekSerpent's Tail : 1995
Bought at Mercer Street Books for $6.50+
Started 12.12.06
Finished 12.20.06
The Line: "all that matters is that love has come at last, and that it hasn't come to an ugly, worn out, drunken, exhausted, vulgar, common woodcutter and her, but to a handsome, wornout, drunken, strong, vulgar, common woodcutter and her. that makes the whole thing special" (42).
Missed my goal date by
eight days. And I'm fine with that!
This book was worth it. ¶ 23:49 0 comments
Ninety-Ninth Book
Nothing Serious : Justine Lévy
Melville House : 2006
Bought at Housing Works Used Book Cafe for $7.00+
Started 12.10.06
Finished 12.11.06
The Line: "What counts is the race, that's what he always says: What poisons existence is thinking too much about the finish line, you'll have lots of time to think about it afterwards, when you've lost, or when you can't run anymore" (177).
She almost lost me
in the beginning, but then
came through in the clutch. ¶ 18:20 0 comments
Nothing Serious : Justine LévyMelville House : 2006
Bought at Housing Works Used Book Cafe for $7.00+
Started 12.10.06
Finished 12.11.06
The Line: "What counts is the race, that's what he always says: What poisons existence is thinking too much about the finish line, you'll have lots of time to think about it afterwards, when you've lost, or when you can't run anymore" (177).
She almost lost me
in the beginning, but then
came through in the clutch. ¶ 18:20 0 comments
12.09.2006
Ninety-Eighth Book
A Complicated Kindness : Miriam Toews
Counterpoint : 2004
Bought at Dawn Treader Book Shop for $5.50+
Recommended by Kevin Sampsell
Started 12.03.06
Finished 12.09.06
The Line: "Main Street is as dead as ever. There's a blinding white light at the water-tower end of it and Jesus standing in the centre of it in a pale blue robe with his arms out, palms up, like he's saying how the hell would I know? I'm just a carpenter" (47).
If someone wrote my
biography, it would be
nothing like this. Phew!
¶ 21:44 1 comments
A Complicated Kindness : Miriam ToewsCounterpoint : 2004
Bought at Dawn Treader Book Shop for $5.50+
Recommended by Kevin Sampsell
Started 12.03.06
Finished 12.09.06
The Line: "Main Street is as dead as ever. There's a blinding white light at the water-tower end of it and Jesus standing in the centre of it in a pale blue robe with his arms out, palms up, like he's saying how the hell would I know? I'm just a carpenter" (47).
If someone wrote my
biography, it would be
nothing like this. Phew!
¶ 21:44 1 comments
Ninety-Seventh Book
This Is About The Body, The Mind, The Soul, The World, Time, And Fate : Diane Williams
Grove : 1990
Bought at Book Traders for $4.50+
Started 12.02.06
Finished 12.02.06
The Line: "I have work to do which I love to do, but women are what I prefer to anything, to lie down with them, the turning to touch the woman and knowing I will be received for sex as soon as I wish to be welcome" (80).
Stuck on an island,
I would scan the horizon
wishing she'd save me.
¶ 21:30 4 comments
Grove : 1990
Bought at Book Traders for $4.50+
Started 12.02.06
Finished 12.02.06
The Line: "I have work to do which I love to do, but women are what I prefer to anything, to lie down with them, the turning to touch the woman and knowing I will be received for sex as soon as I wish to be welcome" (80).
Stuck on an island,
I would scan the horizon
wishing she'd save me.
¶ 21:30 4 comments
12.02.2006
Ninety-Sixth Book
All The Anxious Girls On Earth : Zsuzsi Gartner
Anchor : 2000
Donated by London
Started 11.29.06
Finished 12.01.06
The Line: "I could smell his wet rot. Creosote flesh. Gave me flash headaches, like being trapped in abandoned cabins while shifting timbers sweated sap. Like pressing my nose to a telephone pole. I had to stand upwind of him just to have a conversation" (96).
A razor blade for
the thinking class. Weetzie Bat
with less forgiveness. ¶ 12:54 2 comments
All The Anxious Girls On Earth : Zsuzsi GartnerAnchor : 2000
Donated by London
Started 11.29.06
Finished 12.01.06
The Line: "I could smell his wet rot. Creosote flesh. Gave me flash headaches, like being trapped in abandoned cabins while shifting timbers sweated sap. Like pressing my nose to a telephone pole. I had to stand upwind of him just to have a conversation" (96).
A razor blade for
the thinking class. Weetzie Bat
with less forgiveness. ¶ 12:54 2 comments
Ninety-Fifth Book
Great Expectations : Kathy Acker
Grove : 1989
Bought at Dawn Treader Book Shop for $5.50+
Started 11.26.06
Finished 11.28.06
The Line: "As a result of his own barrenness, he develops a capacity to absorb the fertility of others. Of the real self. The only way you can get the real self is to rip someone off. The only way you can get love. Humans need love. You're a con man" (98).
It's no Tao Te Ching,
but I found strange comfort in
her plush pipebomb prose. ¶ 12:45 0 comments
Great Expectations : Kathy AckerGrove : 1989
Bought at Dawn Treader Book Shop for $5.50+
Started 11.26.06
Finished 11.28.06
The Line: "As a result of his own barrenness, he develops a capacity to absorb the fertility of others. Of the real self. The only way you can get the real self is to rip someone off. The only way you can get love. Humans need love. You're a con man" (98).
It's no Tao Te Ching,
but I found strange comfort in
her plush pipebomb prose. ¶ 12:45 0 comments
Ninety-Fourth Book
Absence Makes The Heart : Lynne Tillman
Serpent's Tail : 1991
Bought at Dawn Treader Book Shop for $3.95+
Started 11.20.06
Finished 11.25.06
The Line: "When I was fourteen I discovered that boys would fall in love with me if I listened to everything they said. A strong sense of integrity prohibited me from continuing that form of seduction. And, in addition to integrity, there was the problem of having to continue to listen to them" (40).
Had I agency,
I'd have changed the title to
Awesome Makes The Heart. ¶ 12:33 0 comments
Absence Makes The Heart : Lynne TillmanSerpent's Tail : 1991
Bought at Dawn Treader Book Shop for $3.95+
Started 11.20.06
Finished 11.25.06
The Line: "When I was fourteen I discovered that boys would fall in love with me if I listened to everything they said. A strong sense of integrity prohibited me from continuing that form of seduction. And, in addition to integrity, there was the problem of having to continue to listen to them" (40).
Had I agency,
I'd have changed the title to
Awesome Makes The Heart. ¶ 12:33 0 comments
11.14.2006
Ninety-Third Book
Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World : Haruki Murakami
Knopf : 1993
Bought from Symposia Books for $8.23
Started 11.9.06
Finished 11.14.06
The Line: "Now for a good twelve-hour sleep, I told myself. Twelve solid hours. Let birds sing, let people go to work. Somewhere out there, a volcano might blow, Israeli commandos might decimate a Palestinian village. I couldn't stop it. I was going to sleep" (126).
The guilt of liking
sci-fi is outweighed by the
joy of chubby girls. ¶ 19:19 1 comments
Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World : Haruki MurakamiKnopf : 1993
Bought from Symposia Books for $8.23
Started 11.9.06
Finished 11.14.06
The Line: "Now for a good twelve-hour sleep, I told myself. Twelve solid hours. Let birds sing, let people go to work. Somewhere out there, a volcano might blow, Israeli commandos might decimate a Palestinian village. I couldn't stop it. I was going to sleep" (126).
The guilt of liking
sci-fi is outweighed by the
joy of chubby girls. ¶ 19:19 1 comments
Ninety-Second Book
Believe Them : Mary Robison
Collier : 1998
Bought at Casco Bay Books for $4.00+
Started 11.6.06
Finished 11.8.06
The Line: "Wendy Vicker is just some poor thing from down the street. I moved a piece of furniture for her. She's as friendly as a retriever dog, and built like a goddam Turkish wrestler" (80).
A totally good
book, but I can't think of a
haiku today. Oops! ¶ 19:13 0 comments
Collier : 1998
Bought at Casco Bay Books for $4.00+
Started 11.6.06
Finished 11.8.06
The Line: "Wendy Vicker is just some poor thing from down the street. I moved a piece of furniture for her. She's as friendly as a retriever dog, and built like a goddam Turkish wrestler" (80).
A totally good
book, but I can't think of a
haiku today. Oops! ¶ 19:13 0 comments
Ninety-First Book
Another Birth : Forough Farrokhzad
Zabankadeh : 2002
Bought from Jacaranda Online for $8.44
Started 11.3.06
Finished 11.6.06
The Line: "When they blindfolded my love's childish eyes / With the black kerchief of law / And jets of blood spurted out / From the agitated temples of my desire / When my life was nothing / But the tic tacks of a clock / I realized that I must, I must, and I must / Love madly" (122).
Another badass
dead poet. Car wreck. At age
thirty-two. Bummer. ¶ 18:56 0 comments
Another Birth : Forough FarrokhzadZabankadeh : 2002
Bought from Jacaranda Online for $8.44
Started 11.3.06
Finished 11.6.06
The Line: "When they blindfolded my love's childish eyes / With the black kerchief of law / And jets of blood spurted out / From the agitated temples of my desire / When my life was nothing / But the tic tacks of a clock / I realized that I must, I must, and I must / Love madly" (122).
Another badass
dead poet. Car wreck. At age
thirty-two. Bummer. ¶ 18:56 0 comments
Ninetieth Book
Insel : Mina Loy
Black Sparrow : 1991
Bought at 7th Avenue Books for $6.00+
Started 10.26.06
Finished 10.30.06
The Line: "This station, as he entered it, became the anteroom of dissolution, where the only constructions left of a real world were avalanches of newspapers, and even these aligned in a dusty perspective like ghosts of overgrown toys" (88).
How do you give thanks
to the dead? Turn on a light
(she was a lampshade).
¶ 18:35 0 comments
Black Sparrow : 1991
Bought at 7th Avenue Books for $6.00+
Started 10.26.06
Finished 10.30.06
The Line: "This station, as he entered it, became the anteroom of dissolution, where the only constructions left of a real world were avalanches of newspapers, and even these aligned in a dusty perspective like ghosts of overgrown toys" (88).
How do you give thanks
to the dead? Turn on a light
(she was a lampshade).
¶ 18:35 0 comments
10.25.2006
Eighty-Ninth Book
When The Emperor Was Divine : Julie Otsuka
Anchor : 2002
Borrowed from Lori Saginaw
Started 10.23.06
Finished 10.25.06
The Line: "I stole your last bag of sugar. I took a swig from your best bottle of brandy. I pulled out the nails from your white picket fence and sold them to the enemy to melt down and make into bullets" (141).
It's strange how foolish
we are. Maybe it's justice.
Maybe it's just us. ¶ 14:14 0 comments
When The Emperor Was Divine : Julie OtsukaAnchor : 2002
Borrowed from Lori Saginaw
Started 10.23.06
Finished 10.25.06
The Line: "I stole your last bag of sugar. I took a swig from your best bottle of brandy. I pulled out the nails from your white picket fence and sold them to the enemy to melt down and make into bullets" (141).
It's strange how foolish
we are. Maybe it's justice.
Maybe it's just us. ¶ 14:14 0 comments
10.23.2006
Eighty-Eighth Book
Florida : Christine Schutt
Harcourt : 2004
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Started 10.18.06
Finished 10.22.06
The Line: "I drove on through the spattered light of fall, the warm, monied promise of it, the light's saying, Yes, it is possible: Purpose might find me and success might follow. My father could have been a poet; it is not absurd" (76).
Another reason
why I miss New York City
(it's my Florida). ¶ 20:32 2 comments
Florida : Christine SchuttHarcourt : 2004
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Started 10.18.06
Finished 10.22.06
The Line: "I drove on through the spattered light of fall, the warm, monied promise of it, the light's saying, Yes, it is possible: Purpose might find me and success might follow. My father could have been a poet; it is not absurd" (76).
Another reason
why I miss New York City
(it's my Florida). ¶ 20:32 2 comments
10.22.2006
Eighty-Seventh Book
Ticknor : Sheila Heti
FSG : 2005
Bought at 7th Ave Books for $6.00+
Started 10.15.06
Finished 10.17.06
The Line: "I often go to the mirror when crying, to se how I might look. I wonder whether I'd have any sympathy for a man such as myself. Sometimes I feel I would, and it makes me cry even harder; other times I do not and it fills me with despair--well, then I weep more pitifully than before" (61).
Watched The Machinist
tonight and thought how Ticknor
could have played that part. ¶ 00:42 0 comments
Ticknor : Sheila HetiFSG : 2005
Bought at 7th Ave Books for $6.00+
Started 10.15.06
Finished 10.17.06
The Line: "I often go to the mirror when crying, to se how I might look. I wonder whether I'd have any sympathy for a man such as myself. Sometimes I feel I would, and it makes me cry even harder; other times I do not and it fills me with despair--well, then I weep more pitifully than before" (61).
Watched The Machinist
tonight and thought how Ticknor
could have played that part. ¶ 00:42 0 comments
10.15.2006
Eighty-Sixth Book
You're A Bad Man, Aren't You? : Susannah Breslin
Future Tense : 2003
Bought at Powell's for $4.95+
Started 10.13.06
Finished 10.14.06
The Line: "She had envisioned something more like a dark car's quiet glide across the black ice of a nighttime street, the slow fall of a supine body into a hospital bed, the poetic righteousness of a personal eclipse among concentric circles of family members" (48).
I wish I could say
"midget porn" in twenty-one
different languages. ¶ 11:27 0 comments
You're A Bad Man, Aren't You? : Susannah Breslin
Future Tense : 2003
Bought at Powell's for $4.95+
Started 10.13.06
Finished 10.14.06
The Line: "She had envisioned something more like a dark car's quiet glide across the black ice of a nighttime street, the slow fall of a supine body into a hospital bed, the poetic righteousness of a personal eclipse among concentric circles of family members" (48).
I wish I could say
"midget porn" in twenty-one
different languages. ¶ 11:27 0 comments
Eighty-Fifth Book
SCUM Manifesto : Valerie Solanas
AK Press : 1996
Bought at Mercer Books for $2.95+
Started 10.12.06
Finished 10.12.06
The Line: "Eliminate men and women will shape up. Women are improvable; men are not, although their behavior is. When SCUM gets hot on their asses it'll shape up fast" (44).
Dear Santa, All I
want this year is to not love
crazy dead women. ¶ 11:15 0 comments
SCUM Manifesto : Valerie Solanas
AK Press : 1996
Bought at Mercer Books for $2.95+
Started 10.12.06
Finished 10.12.06
The Line: "Eliminate men and women will shape up. Women are improvable; men are not, although their behavior is. When SCUM gets hot on their asses it'll shape up fast" (44).
Dear Santa, All I
want this year is to not love
crazy dead women. ¶ 11:15 0 comments
Welcome Back
Thank you, it's good to be here. Two months, sixteen books, game on.
¶ 11:09 0 comments
5.08.2006
I put the bad in sabbatical.
Dear Lixxx and Erin, who regularly attend to this project:
As I will be quite busy quite soon, I must once again default on my loans, entering into a two-month sabbatical. You can expect me back here on July 5th, when I will promptly devour my remaining sixteen books.
Thank you dearly for your attentions. ¶ 01:43 2 comments
As I will be quite busy quite soon, I must once again default on my loans, entering into a two-month sabbatical. You can expect me back here on July 5th, when I will promptly devour my remaining sixteen books.
Thank you dearly for your attentions. ¶ 01:43 2 comments
5.02.2006
Eighty-Fourth Book
What Begins With Bird : Noy Holland
FC2 : 2005
Bought at Park Slope Books for $6.00+
Started 4.30.06
Finished 5.2.06
The Line: "Papa, I am four almost. And after this I will be six and after that I will be ten and when I become fifteen I'll drive and I will drive so fast and then I will be twenty. Then I will have one leg. Old people only have one leg and then I will be dead, Papa, and you will come and save me. I will be in a pond" (69-70).
In one story, the
narrator gets covered in
horse blood. My fave, natch! ¶ 16:43 3 comments
What Begins With Bird : Noy HollandFC2 : 2005
Bought at Park Slope Books for $6.00+
Started 4.30.06
Finished 5.2.06
The Line: "Papa, I am four almost. And after this I will be six and after that I will be ten and when I become fifteen I'll drive and I will drive so fast and then I will be twenty. Then I will have one leg. Old people only have one leg and then I will be dead, Papa, and you will come and save me. I will be in a pond" (69-70).
In one story, the
narrator gets covered in
horse blood. My fave, natch! ¶ 16:43 3 comments
5.01.2006
Eighty-Third Book
The Bell Jar : Sylvia Plath
Faber and Faber : 1996
Bought from Mercer Books for $3.50+
Started 4.27.06
Finished 4.29.06
The Line: "I hadn't, at the last moment, felt like washing off the two diagonal lines of dried blood that marked my cheeks. They seemed touching, and rather spectacular, and I thought I would carry them around with me, like the relic of a dead lover, till they wore off of their own accord" (108).
Sylvia Plath is
officially the coolest
dead woman ever. ¶ 21:08 2 comments
The Bell Jar : Sylvia PlathFaber and Faber : 1996
Bought from Mercer Books for $3.50+
Started 4.27.06
Finished 4.29.06
The Line: "I hadn't, at the last moment, felt like washing off the two diagonal lines of dried blood that marked my cheeks. They seemed touching, and rather spectacular, and I thought I would carry them around with me, like the relic of a dead lover, till they wore off of their own accord" (108).
Sylvia Plath is
officially the coolest
dead woman ever. ¶ 21:08 2 comments
4.27.2006
Eighty-Second Book
The Activist : Renee Gladman
Krupskaya : 2003
Bought from Small Press Distribution for $11.00+
Started 4.27.06
Finished 4.27.06
The Line: "Paranoia cousins you in every encounter, every look given. Your mail comes and you must receive it with an extraordinary nonchalance, almost tossing it back at the carrier from lack of concern. Strangers ask you for the time and you are compelled to express your patriotism" (94).
This is fabulous,
like a new gown, Calvino,
like a dreamtiger. ¶ 14:46 0 comments
The Activist : Renee GladmanKrupskaya : 2003
Bought from Small Press Distribution for $11.00+
Started 4.27.06
Finished 4.27.06
The Line: "Paranoia cousins you in every encounter, every look given. Your mail comes and you must receive it with an extraordinary nonchalance, almost tossing it back at the carrier from lack of concern. Strangers ask you for the time and you are compelled to express your patriotism" (94).
This is fabulous,
like a new gown, Calvino,
like a dreamtiger. ¶ 14:46 0 comments
4.26.2006
Eighty-First Book
A Season In Hell & The Drunken Boat : Arthur Rimbaud
New Directions : 1961
Donated by someone a long time ago
Started 4.25.06
Finished 4.25.06
The Line: "I called to the executioners that I might gnaw their rifle-butts while dying. I called to the plagues to smother me in blood, in sand. Misfortune was my God. I laid myself down in the mud. I dried myself in the air of crime. I played sly tricks on madness" (3).
The introduction
states that Rimbaud dealt in arms.
And he lost a leg. ¶ 15:20 0 comments
A Season In Hell & The Drunken Boat : Arthur RimbaudNew Directions : 1961
Donated by someone a long time ago
Started 4.25.06
Finished 4.25.06
The Line: "I called to the executioners that I might gnaw their rifle-butts while dying. I called to the plagues to smother me in blood, in sand. Misfortune was my God. I laid myself down in the mud. I dried myself in the air of crime. I played sly tricks on madness" (3).
The introduction
states that Rimbaud dealt in arms.
And he lost a leg. ¶ 15:20 0 comments
Eightieth Book
Story Of O : Pauline Reage
Book-of-the-Month Club : 1993
Bought at Park Slope Books for $5.00+
Started 4.23.06
Finished 4.25.06
The Line: " ' . . . the fact is,' said the other voice, 'that if you do tie her up, or whip her a little, and if she begins to like it--then that's no good either. We've got to move beyond the pleasure stage. We must make the tears flow' " (10).
Caught a few strong looks
when I read this on the train.
No come-hithers though.
¶ 15:03 0 comments
Story Of O : Pauline ReageBook-of-the-Month Club : 1993
Bought at Park Slope Books for $5.00+
Started 4.23.06
Finished 4.25.06
The Line: " ' . . . the fact is,' said the other voice, 'that if you do tie her up, or whip her a little, and if she begins to like it--then that's no good either. We've got to move beyond the pleasure stage. We must make the tears flow' " (10).
Caught a few strong looks
when I read this on the train.
No come-hithers though.
¶ 15:03 0 comments
4.23.2006
Seventy-Ninth Book
The Cement Garden : Ian McEwan
Anchor : 2003
Donated by Davy Rothbart
Recommended by Davy Rothbart
Started 4.21.06
Finished 4.23.06
The Line: "I had climbed over the mattress and was balancing on a ridge of broken wall, thinking about this, when I saw the handle of the sledgehammer in the grass. I jumped down and siezed it. Gray wood lice had been living under the massive iron head and now they ran backward and forward in blind confusion across the little patch of earth. I swung the hammer down on them and felt the ground shake beneath my feet" (48).
I once baked cement
brownies. I wanted them to
never come apart. ¶ 13:51 0 comments
The Cement Garden : Ian McEwanAnchor : 2003
Donated by Davy Rothbart
Recommended by Davy Rothbart
Started 4.21.06
Finished 4.23.06
The Line: "I had climbed over the mattress and was balancing on a ridge of broken wall, thinking about this, when I saw the handle of the sledgehammer in the grass. I jumped down and siezed it. Gray wood lice had been living under the massive iron head and now they ran backward and forward in blind confusion across the little patch of earth. I swung the hammer down on them and felt the ground shake beneath my feet" (48).
I once baked cement
brownies. I wanted them to
never come apart. ¶ 13:51 0 comments
4.21.2006
Seventy-Eighth Book
Pornocracy : Catherine Breillat
Jovian : 2006
Bought from Half.com for $12.56
Started 4.12.06
Finished 4.12.06
The Line: "Didn't you understand that it was nothing, that we had to free ourselves from the arrogance of the erect member, even if we are to like its initial and dazzling necessity; that the act which gives you such great importance and self-esteem is nothing but the clash of corruptible flesh" (102).
A man, a woman,
an exploratory romp
inside the vagi- ¶ 19:44 0 comments
Pornocracy : Catherine BreillatJovian : 2006
Bought from Half.com for $12.56
Started 4.12.06
Finished 4.12.06
The Line: "Didn't you understand that it was nothing, that we had to free ourselves from the arrogance of the erect member, even if we are to like its initial and dazzling necessity; that the act which gives you such great importance and self-esteem is nothing but the clash of corruptible flesh" (102).
A man, a woman,
an exploratory romp
inside the vagi- ¶ 19:44 0 comments
4.19.2006
Seventy-Seventh Book
Damned If I Do : Percival Everett
Graywolf : 2004
Bought at Park Slope Books for $5.00+
Started 4.18.06
Finished 4.19.06
The Line: "He will not tell anyone that a fish has spoken to him. He will keep it inside his head. He will keep it next to the fact that lately he has not enjoyed sex with his wife. He will keep it next to his fear of escalators. He will keep it next to the fact that he hated the way his uncle hugged him just a little too long" (154).
I almost passed out
on the train while reading this
book, it's just that good. ¶ 16:04 0 comments
Damned If I Do : Percival EverettGraywolf : 2004
Bought at Park Slope Books for $5.00+
Started 4.18.06
Finished 4.19.06
The Line: "He will not tell anyone that a fish has spoken to him. He will keep it inside his head. He will keep it next to the fact that lately he has not enjoyed sex with his wife. He will keep it next to his fear of escalators. He will keep it next to the fact that he hated the way his uncle hugged him just a little too long" (154).
I almost passed out
on the train while reading this
book, it's just that good. ¶ 16:04 0 comments
4.18.2006
Seventy-Sixth Book
Inside : Hélène Cixous
Schocken : 1986
Bought at Housing Works Used Book Cafe for $7.50+
Started 4.16.06
Finished 4.17.06
The Line: "Hurt? Nono, you know me, it doesn't hurt, here, you see my little finger all by itself on the sheet, swimming around in the blood like a tadpole, far away from my hand, well I think it's cute, look, you see, almost like a white tadpole in a red canal, hurt? it's far away, and yet my hand doesn't miss it" (125).
Add her to the list
of magical creatures, like
unicorns and dwarves. ¶ 15:24 0 comments
Inside : Hélène CixousSchocken : 1986
Bought at Housing Works Used Book Cafe for $7.50+
Started 4.16.06
Finished 4.17.06
The Line: "Hurt? Nono, you know me, it doesn't hurt, here, you see my little finger all by itself on the sheet, swimming around in the blood like a tadpole, far away from my hand, well I think it's cute, look, you see, almost like a white tadpole in a red canal, hurt? it's far away, and yet my hand doesn't miss it" (125).
Add her to the list
of magical creatures, like
unicorns and dwarves. ¶ 15:24 0 comments
4.16.2006
Seventy-Fifth Book
The Suitors : Ben Ehrenreich
Counterpoint : 2006
Bought at Strand Book Store for $11.50+
Started 4.12.06
Finished 4.15.06
The Line: "Everyone's got a hustle, and takes what they can get. His old girl keeps her cloudy claws afloat around his heart. She slips beneath his eyelids each time he blinks. She sings in his ear when he's not listening. She dances round his bed when he's asleep" (154).
I love the part with
Jesus on the cross and a
vulture on his dick. ¶ 14:30 0 comments
The Suitors : Ben EhrenreichCounterpoint : 2006
Bought at Strand Book Store for $11.50+
Started 4.12.06
Finished 4.15.06
The Line: "Everyone's got a hustle, and takes what they can get. His old girl keeps her cloudy claws afloat around his heart. She slips beneath his eyelids each time he blinks. She sings in his ear when he's not listening. She dances round his bed when he's asleep" (154).
I love the part with
Jesus on the cross and a
vulture on his dick. ¶ 14:30 0 comments
4.13.2006
Seventy-Fourth Book
Morvern Callar : Alan Warner
Anchor : 1997
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Started 4.6.06
Finished 4.11.06
The Line: "Bare, sitting on a beach with bluey sea so lovely like in brochures, the horse heads came out of the water but fixed to men bodies. All the bare bodies had a hand missing. The menhorses walked up and surrounded me. Blood came from the missing hands when they turned me over to attack" (45).
Jealous the whole time.
I too want a lover to
hack into pieces. ¶ 16:51 5 comments
Morvern Callar : Alan WarnerAnchor : 1997
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Started 4.6.06
Finished 4.11.06
The Line: "Bare, sitting on a beach with bluey sea so lovely like in brochures, the horse heads came out of the water but fixed to men bodies. All the bare bodies had a hand missing. The menhorses walked up and surrounded me. Blood came from the missing hands when they turned me over to attack" (45).
Jealous the whole time.
I too want a lover to
hack into pieces. ¶ 16:51 5 comments
4.05.2006
Seventy-Third Book
The Tombs Of Atuan : Ursula K. Le Guin
Simon Pulse : 2003
Bought at Housing Works Used Book Cafe for $2.00+
Recommended by Peter Rothbart
Started 4.2.06
Finished 4.5.06
The Line: "Full of vision, his eyes gazed through the black paintings on the walls, through the walls and the earth and the darkness, seeing the open sea stretch unbroken to the sunset, the golden dragons on the golden wind" (104).
I still get chills when
I read about dragons. What
can I say? They're hot. ¶ 14:08 8 comments
The Tombs Of Atuan : Ursula K. Le GuinSimon Pulse : 2003
Bought at Housing Works Used Book Cafe for $2.00+
Recommended by Peter Rothbart
Started 4.2.06
Finished 4.5.06
The Line: "Full of vision, his eyes gazed through the black paintings on the walls, through the walls and the earth and the darkness, seeing the open sea stretch unbroken to the sunset, the golden dragons on the golden wind" (104).
I still get chills when
I read about dragons. What
can I say? They're hot. ¶ 14:08 8 comments
4.03.2006
Seventy-Second Book
Lenny Bruce Is Dead : Jonathan Goldstein
Counterpoint : 2006
Bought at Mercer Books for $3.95
Started 3.29.06
Finished 3.31.06
The Line: "Sex at eighteen had been like eating saltines over the sink in the middle of the night, petting a dog to make someone happy, saying hello over and over, faster and faster, eating a sandwich with tiny bites until you reach a point where you think you're never going to finish" (127).
I can't think of a
haiku that doesn't mention
sex or yogurt. See?! ¶ 14:20 3 comments
Lenny Bruce Is Dead : Jonathan GoldsteinCounterpoint : 2006
Bought at Mercer Books for $3.95
Started 3.29.06
Finished 3.31.06
The Line: "Sex at eighteen had been like eating saltines over the sink in the middle of the night, petting a dog to make someone happy, saying hello over and over, faster and faster, eating a sandwich with tiny bites until you reach a point where you think you're never going to finish" (127).
I can't think of a
haiku that doesn't mention
sex or yogurt. See?! ¶ 14:20 3 comments
3.29.2006
Seventy-First Book
On Walking In Ice : Werner Herzog
Jonathan Cape : 1991
Bought from Rogue Books for $38.25
Started 3.28.06
Finished 3.29.06
The Line: "The soles burn from the red-hot core in the earth's interior. The loneliness is deeper than usual today. I'm developing a dialogical rapport with myself. Rain can leave a person blind" (65).
Werner just made my
list of people I'll mourn when
they die. If he dies. ¶ 16:36 0 comments
On Walking In Ice : Werner HerzogJonathan Cape : 1991
Bought from Rogue Books for $38.25
Started 3.28.06
Finished 3.29.06
The Line: "The soles burn from the red-hot core in the earth's interior. The loneliness is deeper than usual today. I'm developing a dialogical rapport with myself. Rain can leave a person blind" (65).
Werner just made my
list of people I'll mourn when
they die. If he dies. ¶ 16:36 0 comments
Seventieth Book
The Melancholy Of Anatomy : Shelley Jackson
Anchor : 2002
Bought at Strand Book Store for $6.00
Started 3.24.06
Finished 3.27.06
The Line: "When she got home, she started a letter to her girlfriend. An old-fashioned letter, on paper. She signed her name at the bottom. But when she lifted her pen, she pulled her signature straight. Then all her words unraveled. The letters lost their loops and slithered right off the page" (126).
New content added
to the image lexicon:
blood-filled skyscraper. ¶ 15:15 1 comments
The Melancholy Of Anatomy : Shelley JacksonAnchor : 2002
Bought at Strand Book Store for $6.00
Started 3.24.06
Finished 3.27.06
The Line: "When she got home, she started a letter to her girlfriend. An old-fashioned letter, on paper. She signed her name at the bottom. But when she lifted her pen, she pulled her signature straight. Then all her words unraveled. The letters lost their loops and slithered right off the page" (126).
New content added
to the image lexicon:
blood-filled skyscraper. ¶ 15:15 1 comments
3.27.2006
Sixty-Ninth Book
As She Climbed Across The Table : Jonathan Lethem
Vintage : 1997
Bought at Strand Book Store for $6.00+
Recommended by Crystal Hernandez
Started 3.22.06
Finished 3.23.06
The Line: "Cynthia, can't you see I'm operating at a disadvantage? Everyone around has a theory or an obsession. I'm making it up as I go along" (116).
I empathized with
the blind pair: one black, one white,
but not knowing which. ¶ 13:31 2 comments
As She Climbed Across The Table : Jonathan LethemVintage : 1997
Bought at Strand Book Store for $6.00+
Recommended by Crystal Hernandez
Started 3.22.06
Finished 3.23.06
The Line: "Cynthia, can't you see I'm operating at a disadvantage? Everyone around has a theory or an obsession. I'm making it up as I go along" (116).
I empathized with
the blind pair: one black, one white,
but not knowing which. ¶ 13:31 2 comments
3.22.2006
Sixty-Eighth Book
Take The Cannoli : Sarah Vowell
Simon & Schuster : 2000
Bought at Strand Book Store for $4.95+
Recommended by Jackie O
Started 3.18.06
Finished 3.21.06
The Line: "Once a family member hits puberty, odds are that everybody is not going to have the same ideals. Unless everybody gets together and agrees that the new ideals involve turning the front yard into a skate ramp and officially changing Dad's name to Fuckhead" (120).
I want to see some
pictures of Sarah Vowell
at a goth nightclub. ¶ 10:21 0 comments
Take The Cannoli : Sarah VowellSimon & Schuster : 2000
Bought at Strand Book Store for $4.95+
Recommended by Jackie O
Started 3.18.06
Finished 3.21.06
The Line: "Once a family member hits puberty, odds are that everybody is not going to have the same ideals. Unless everybody gets together and agrees that the new ideals involve turning the front yard into a skate ramp and officially changing Dad's name to Fuckhead" (120).
I want to see some
pictures of Sarah Vowell
at a goth nightclub. ¶ 10:21 0 comments
3.18.2006
Sixty-Seventh Book
A Clockwork Orange : Anthony Burgess
Ballantine : 1980
Bought at 7th Avenue Books for $2.50+
Started 3.11.06
Finished 3.17.06
The Line: "And I was given a nice warm dressing-gown too and lovely toofles to put my bare nogas in, and I thought: 'Well, Alex boy, little 6655321 as was, you have copped it lucky and no mistake. You are really going to enjoy it here'" (97).
I first heard the term
"ultra-violence" from a
Canadian band. ¶ 16:15 4 comments
A Clockwork Orange : Anthony BurgessBallantine : 1980
Bought at 7th Avenue Books for $2.50+
Started 3.11.06
Finished 3.17.06
The Line: "And I was given a nice warm dressing-gown too and lovely toofles to put my bare nogas in, and I thought: 'Well, Alex boy, little 6655321 as was, you have copped it lucky and no mistake. You are really going to enjoy it here'" (97).
I first heard the term
"ultra-violence" from a
Canadian band. ¶ 16:15 4 comments
3.11.2006
Sixty-Sixth Book
Nine Stories : J.D. Salinger
Little, Brown : 1991
Bought at Seventh Avenue Books for $2.50+
Recommended by Hillary Dickerson
Started 3.9.06
Finished 3.10.06
The Line: "All the same, though, I whereever I happen to be I don't think I'm the type that doesn't even lift a finger to prevent a wetting from flatting. Accordingly, I've gone ahead and jotted down a few revealing notes on the bride as I knew her almost six years ago. If my notes should cause the groom, whom I haven't met, an uneasy moment or two, so much the better" (87).
Oh Teddy. I can't
stop thinking about you. This
promise is for keeps.
¶ 00:58 3 comments
Nine Stories : J.D. SalingerLittle, Brown : 1991
Bought at Seventh Avenue Books for $2.50+
Recommended by Hillary Dickerson
Started 3.9.06
Finished 3.10.06
The Line: "All the same, though, I whereever I happen to be I don't think I'm the type that doesn't even lift a finger to prevent a wetting from flatting. Accordingly, I've gone ahead and jotted down a few revealing notes on the bride as I knew her almost six years ago. If my notes should cause the groom, whom I haven't met, an uneasy moment or two, so much the better" (87).
Oh Teddy. I can't
stop thinking about you. This
promise is for keeps.
¶ 00:58 3 comments
3.07.2006
Sixty-Fifth Book
The Story Of The Eye : Georges Bataille
Penguin : 1982
Bought at Seventh Avenue Books for $4.00+
Started 3.5.06
Finished 3.6.06
The Line: "But as of then, no doubt existed for me: I did not care for what is known as 'pleasures of the flesh' because they really are insipid; I cared only for what is classified as 'dirty'."
I'll never look at
a bull the same after this.
Or a church. Or eggs. ¶ 14:56 0 comments
The Story Of The Eye : Georges BataillePenguin : 1982
Bought at Seventh Avenue Books for $4.00+
Started 3.5.06
Finished 3.6.06
The Line: "But as of then, no doubt existed for me: I did not care for what is known as 'pleasures of the flesh' because they really are insipid; I cared only for what is classified as 'dirty'."
I'll never look at
a bull the same after this.
Or a church. Or eggs. ¶ 14:56 0 comments
3.04.2006
Sixty-Fourth Book
The Rendezvous : Justine Lévy
Scribner : 1999
Bought at Strand Book Store for $5.50+
Started 3.3.06
Finished 3.4.06
The Line: "I've done some stupid things, but I've calmed down, I've thought a lot about it, you have to come back, you're my child, my little girl, I love you, come on, we'll play jokes on the telephone the way we used to. Come on, my dear, my little tiny child, come on. Let's try it. Give me a week, just one week. We'll make up for lost time, all those years of craziness. Come on, come on" (45).
Lydia Davis.
The translator of this was
Lydia Davis.
¶ 21:54 0 comments
The Rendezvous : Justine LévyScribner : 1999
Bought at Strand Book Store for $5.50+
Started 3.3.06
Finished 3.4.06
The Line: "I've done some stupid things, but I've calmed down, I've thought a lot about it, you have to come back, you're my child, my little girl, I love you, come on, we'll play jokes on the telephone the way we used to. Come on, my dear, my little tiny child, come on. Let's try it. Give me a week, just one week. We'll make up for lost time, all those years of craziness. Come on, come on" (45).
Lydia Davis.
The translator of this was
Lydia Davis.
¶ 21:54 0 comments
3.02.2006
Sixty-Third Book
Taking Care : Joy Williams
Vintage : 1985
Bought at Strand Book Store for $5.50+
Recommended by Liz Woodbury
Started 2.23.06
Finished 3.2.06
The Line: "There are three things that Kathering feels are very nice about the turkey. One is the way sunlight falls through his red wattles, making them almost transparent. Two are the sounds he makes which are a cross between an electronic game and a mourning dove. And the third is that Katherine likes his feet very much" (161).
Lizzie: which story
did you once tell me was loved
by your dear Scott Heim? ¶ 14:37 7 comments
Taking Care : Joy WilliamsVintage : 1985
Bought at Strand Book Store for $5.50+
Recommended by Liz Woodbury
Started 2.23.06
Finished 3.2.06
The Line: "There are three things that Kathering feels are very nice about the turkey. One is the way sunlight falls through his red wattles, making them almost transparent. Two are the sounds he makes which are a cross between an electronic game and a mourning dove. And the third is that Katherine likes his feet very much" (161).
Lizzie: which story
did you once tell me was loved
by your dear Scott Heim? ¶ 14:37 7 comments
2.23.2006
Sixty-Second Book
The Colossus Of New York : Colson Whitehead
Anchor : 2003
Borrowed from Sarra Alpert
Started 2.21.06
Finished 2.23.06
The Line: "Wow, this crappy performance art is really making me feel not so terrible about my various emotional issues. He has to duck out early to get back to his bad art. Three cheers for your rich interior life, may it serve you well come rent day" (128).
Is this a good book.
Do you need question marks when
you know the answer. ¶ 15:58 0 comments
The Colossus Of New York : Colson WhiteheadAnchor : 2003
Borrowed from Sarra Alpert
Started 2.21.06
Finished 2.23.06
The Line: "Wow, this crappy performance art is really making me feel not so terrible about my various emotional issues. He has to duck out early to get back to his bad art. Three cheers for your rich interior life, may it serve you well come rent day" (128).
Is this a good book.
Do you need question marks when
you know the answer. ¶ 15:58 0 comments
2.21.2006
Sixty-First Book
The Wavering Knife : Brian Evenson
FC2 : 2004
Bought at Seventh Street Books for $5.00+
Started 2.17.06
Finished 2.21.06
The Line: "She had not managed to cut the head all the way off but had gotten pretty far, and the oldest girl had gone to Church herself for enough years to know that nobody who wanted to cut their head off as bad as that was going anywhere near heaven" (22).
If Matthew Barney
makes Bjork's dreams, then Evenson
must make her nightmares. ¶ 14:56 0 comments
The Wavering Knife : Brian EvensonFC2 : 2004
Bought at Seventh Street Books for $5.00+
Started 2.17.06
Finished 2.21.06
The Line: "She had not managed to cut the head all the way off but had gotten pretty far, and the oldest girl had gone to Church herself for enough years to know that nobody who wanted to cut their head off as bad as that was going anywhere near heaven" (22).
If Matthew Barney
makes Bjork's dreams, then Evenson
must make her nightmares. ¶ 14:56 0 comments
2.17.2006
Sixtieth Book
A Small Place : Jamaica Kincaid
FSG : 2000
Borrowed from Sarra Alpert
Started 2.16.06
Finished 2.16.06
The Line: "Do you ever wonder why some people blow things up? I can imagine that if my life had taken a certain turn, there would be the Barclays Bank, and there I would be, both of us in ashes" (26).
And for my next trick
I will fail to relieve my
great white guilt. Stunning!
¶ 00:34 1 comments
A Small Place : Jamaica KincaidFSG : 2000
Borrowed from Sarra Alpert
Started 2.16.06
Finished 2.16.06
The Line: "Do you ever wonder why some people blow things up? I can imagine that if my life had taken a certain turn, there would be the Barclays Bank, and there I would be, both of us in ashes" (26).
And for my next trick
I will fail to relieve my
great white guilt. Stunning!
¶ 00:34 1 comments
2.16.2006
Fifty-Ninth Book
Lust : Elfriede Jelinek
Serpent's Tail : 1992
Bought at Seventh Ave Books for $6.00+
Started 2.5.06
Finished 2.14.06
The Line: "The fist knocks the woman senseless against the railing. She has left the last of the cottages far behind now. The children's babble told clearly of how wonderful life is if you let circumstances pull the wool over your eyes" (72).
The end of this book
is nearly as frightening
as the rest of it. ¶ 15:55 0 comments
Lust : Elfriede JelinekSerpent's Tail : 1992
Bought at Seventh Ave Books for $6.00+
Started 2.5.06
Finished 2.14.06
The Line: "The fist knocks the woman senseless against the railing. She has left the last of the cottages far behind now. The children's babble told clearly of how wonderful life is if you let circumstances pull the wool over your eyes" (72).
The end of this book
is nearly as frightening
as the rest of it. ¶ 15:55 0 comments
2.05.2006
Fifty-Eighth Book
The Middle Stories : Sheila Heti
McSweeney's : 2002
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Started 2.3.06
Finished 2.4.06
The Line: "What right had he to kill himself when there were stars in the sky, twinkling all innocent and not noticing him and noticing nothing. They were suspended so far and so beautifully and here he was putting himself on the road to get run over when he didn't even mean it" (14).
You don't need to give
me another reason to
move to Toronto.
¶ 17:55 0 comments
The Middle Stories : Sheila HetiMcSweeney's : 2002
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Started 2.3.06
Finished 2.4.06
The Line: "What right had he to kill himself when there were stars in the sky, twinkling all innocent and not noticing him and noticing nothing. They were suspended so far and so beautifully and here he was putting himself on the road to get run over when he didn't even mean it" (14).
You don't need to give
me another reason to
move to Toronto.
¶ 17:55 0 comments
2.04.2006
Fifty-Seventh Book
A Room Of One's Own : Virginia Woolf
Harcourt : 1957
Bought at Housing Works Used Book Cafe for $1.00+
Started 2.1.06
Finished 2.3.06
The Line: "I need hardly multiply instances of the undeniable, if very unfortunate, fact that it is the nature of the artist to mind excessively what is said about him. Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others" (58).
I am three hundred
forty pounds shy of having
my own room. Hooray!
¶ 12:33 0 comments
A Room Of One's Own : Virginia WoolfHarcourt : 1957
Bought at Housing Works Used Book Cafe for $1.00+
Started 2.1.06
Finished 2.3.06
The Line: "I need hardly multiply instances of the undeniable, if very unfortunate, fact that it is the nature of the artist to mind excessively what is said about him. Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others" (58).
I am three hundred
forty pounds shy of having
my own room. Hooray!
¶ 12:33 0 comments
1.31.2006
Fifty-Sixth Book
Whatever : Michel Houellebecq
Serpent's Tail : 1998
Bought at Park Slope Books for $6.00+
Started 1.28.06
Finished 1.31.06
The Line: "The next morning I got up early, I arrived in good time for the first train; I bought a ticket, waited, and didn't get on it; and I can't for the life of me think why. It's all very unpleasant" (71).
I can't fit the word
"psychoanalysis" on
any other line.
¶ 17:48 0 comments
Whatever : Michel HouellebecqSerpent's Tail : 1998
Bought at Park Slope Books for $6.00+
Started 1.28.06
Finished 1.31.06
The Line: "The next morning I got up early, I arrived in good time for the first train; I bought a ticket, waited, and didn't get on it; and I can't for the life of me think why. It's all very unpleasant" (71).
I can't fit the word
"psychoanalysis" on
any other line.
¶ 17:48 0 comments
1.28.2006
Fifty-Fifth Book
Murderers I Have Known : Marina Warner
Vintage UK : 2003
Bought at Strand Book Store for $3.50+
Started 1.26.05
Finished 1.28.05
The Line: "He has a kind of fresh briny smell as if he had been swiming in some sea before the motor car was invented, before the industrial revolution, when the word pollution merely meant ritual defilement, menstruating girls in temples, not soapy poisons frothing on the tideline and the river banks" (39).
A bowl of ice cubes
flipped upside down put the peace
in Medusa's laugh.
¶ 17:53 0 comments
Murderers I Have Known : Marina WarnerVintage UK : 2003
Bought at Strand Book Store for $3.50+
Started 1.26.05
Finished 1.28.05
The Line: "He has a kind of fresh briny smell as if he had been swiming in some sea before the motor car was invented, before the industrial revolution, when the word pollution merely meant ritual defilement, menstruating girls in temples, not soapy poisons frothing on the tideline and the river banks" (39).
A bowl of ice cubes
flipped upside down put the peace
in Medusa's laugh.
¶ 17:53 0 comments
1.26.2006
Fifty-Fourth Book
Herzog : Saul Bellow
Penguin : 1976
Bought at Twelfth Street Books for $3.00+
Recommended by Michael Powell
Started 1.11.06
Finished 1.26.06
The Line: "The only truly interesting side of the matter was the intimate design of the injury, the fact that it was so penetrating, custom-made exactly to your measure. It's fascinating that hatred should be so personal as to be almost loving. The knife and the wound aching for each other" (189).
Should I feel guilty
for loving the ol' canon
as much as I do? ¶ 14:21 0 comments
Herzog : Saul BellowPenguin : 1976
Bought at Twelfth Street Books for $3.00+
Recommended by Michael Powell
Started 1.11.06
Finished 1.26.06
The Line: "The only truly interesting side of the matter was the intimate design of the injury, the fact that it was so penetrating, custom-made exactly to your measure. It's fascinating that hatred should be so personal as to be almost loving. The knife and the wound aching for each other" (189).
Should I feel guilty
for loving the ol' canon
as much as I do? ¶ 14:21 0 comments
1.12.2006
Fifty-Third Book
Riddley Walker : Russell Hoban
Summit : 1980
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Recommended by Ben Ehrenreich
Started 1.4.06
Finished 1.11.06
The Line: "Then thay dogs begun tu tel uv tym tu cum. Thay sed, The lan wil dy & thay peapl wil eat 1 a nuther. The water wil be poysen & the peapl wil drink blud" (32).
A world where trees write
dictionaries, where stone smiles.
Get the idea? ¶ 13:18 0 comments
Riddley Walker : Russell HobanSummit : 1980
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Recommended by Ben Ehrenreich
Started 1.4.06
Finished 1.11.06
The Line: "Then thay dogs begun tu tel uv tym tu cum. Thay sed, The lan wil dy & thay peapl wil eat 1 a nuther. The water wil be poysen & the peapl wil drink blud" (32).
A world where trees write
dictionaries, where stone smiles.
Get the idea? ¶ 13:18 0 comments
1.04.2006
Fifty-Second Book
Child Of God : Cormac McCarthy
Vintage : 1993
Bought at Twelfth Street Books for $4.00+
Recommended by Scott Heim
Started 1.2.06
Finished 1.4.06
The Line: "A crazed gymnast laboring over a cold corpse. He poured into that waxen ear everything he'd ever thought of saying to a woman. Who could say she did not hear him?" (89).
Thank you for this, Scott:
The living loving the dead
(Might have warned me though). ¶ 16:31 0 comments
Child Of God : Cormac McCarthyVintage : 1993
Bought at Twelfth Street Books for $4.00+
Recommended by Scott Heim
Started 1.2.06
Finished 1.4.06
The Line: "A crazed gymnast laboring over a cold corpse. He poured into that waxen ear everything he'd ever thought of saying to a woman. Who could say she did not hear him?" (89).
Thank you for this, Scott:
The living loving the dead
(Might have warned me though). ¶ 16:31 0 comments
1.03.2006
Fifty-First Book
Clumsy : Jeffrey Brown
2002
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Recommended by Amanda Patten
Started 1.2.06
Finished 1.2.06
The Line:
It's a love story
told by an armadillo
who has lost its shell. ¶ 11:44 0 comments
Clumsy : Jeffrey Brown2002
Bought at Strand Book Store for $1.00+
Recommended by Amanda Patten
Started 1.2.06
Finished 1.2.06
The Line:
It's a love story
told by an armadillo
who has lost its shell. ¶ 11:44 0 comments
1.01.2006
Chapter Two
The second chapter of the One Hundred Books project begins today with a quote from Franz Kafka: "A book should be an axe to shatter the frozen sea inside us."
Joining the project is Erin Dowding, who has pledged to read fifty books by June 30th, 2006. Looking forward to the new year, new books, new haiku, new readers, and the new you.
Affectionately yours, ¶ 12:21 0 comments
Joining the project is Erin Dowding, who has pledged to read fifty books by June 30th, 2006. Looking forward to the new year, new books, new haiku, new readers, and the new you.
Affectionately yours, ¶ 12:21 0 comments
7.06.2005
Sabbatical
Due to foreseen circumstances, One Hundred Books now enters a six-month sabbatical, wherein I will participate in a few other relevant projects. Much gratitude to those who have participated in One Hundred Books through donations and support, and big love to the readers who recommended books for the project. Please leave comments, book suggestions, and the PINs to your debit cards. We will reconvene right here in January 2006.
Thank you for your attention. ¶ 12:12 85 comments
Thank you for your attention. ¶ 12:12 85 comments
Fiftieth Book
My Date With Satan : Stacey Richter
Scribner : 1999
Donated by Elisa Albert
Started 7.1.05
Finished 7.1.05
The Line: "There's something oddly beautiful about the way he can't sit still and can't complete a thought and can't finish exhaling before he inhales, and even though it's likely he'll spend most of his life in jail, and fucking deserves it, at this point in his development it seems entirely obvious that he's a wonder of creation anyway -- graceful and predatory, like a shark" (93).
"Goal 666" made
me laugh so hard I forgot
how sad it made me. ¶ 09:42 0 comments
My Date With Satan : Stacey RichterScribner : 1999
Donated by Elisa Albert
Started 7.1.05
Finished 7.1.05
The Line: "There's something oddly beautiful about the way he can't sit still and can't complete a thought and can't finish exhaling before he inhales, and even though it's likely he'll spend most of his life in jail, and fucking deserves it, at this point in his development it seems entirely obvious that he's a wonder of creation anyway -- graceful and predatory, like a shark" (93).
"Goal 666" made
me laugh so hard I forgot
how sad it made me. ¶ 09:42 0 comments
7.05.2005
Forty-Ninth Book
Automated Alice : Jeff Noon
Corgi : 1997
Bought at Strand Book Store for $3.50+
Started 6.30.05
Finished 7.1.05
The Line: "The first victim was a young Spiderboy, name of Quentin Tarantula. He was a Chimera artiste, famous for his violent, celebratory portrayal of the criminal life. I must admit that I won't be shedding any tears at his demise. That kind of Chimera show shouldn't be allowed" (108).
On a scale from one
to ten, is "cyberpunk" a
dirty word? Check one. ¶ 09:26 0 comments
Automated Alice : Jeff NoonCorgi : 1997
Bought at Strand Book Store for $3.50+
Started 6.30.05
Finished 7.1.05
The Line: "The first victim was a young Spiderboy, name of Quentin Tarantula. He was a Chimera artiste, famous for his violent, celebratory portrayal of the criminal life. I must admit that I won't be shedding any tears at his demise. That kind of Chimera show shouldn't be allowed" (108).
On a scale from one
to ten, is "cyberpunk" a
dirty word? Check one. ¶ 09:26 0 comments
