Paul Auster

[Darryl]

Has anybody read Paul Auster?
I just finished The Book of Illusions, and I have the urge to read The New York Trilogy again (It's in my queue.).

Anyone?

[mburbank]

Paul Auster rocks. New York Trilogy is disturbing and sticks with you long after you're done reading.

Have you read any Steve Erikson or Jonathan Lethem?

[Darryl]

Yes, disturbing is exactly the right word!
I have not read any Erikson, but have read two Lethem books:
Gun, With Occasional Music
and
Girl in Landscape

Gun is really very good. Girl was just ok. I will get around to reading more of him sometime...

Max, have you read any other Auster books?
I will lend you one/some if you are interested in any title.

[mburbank]

What's the one about the kid that can levitate? Is that Book of Illusions? I forget, I'm pretty sure I have that Bovine Spongiform Encaphalitis thing.

I liked "Girl..." but it's not as great as some of his other stuff. If you want to see him in Phil Dick mode, try Amnesia Moon. If you want him being non fantastical, try Motherless Brooklyn, which is amazing, about a Detective with Turrets Syndrome.

What other Auster books have you read? What do you recommend? I might buy on recomendation, but don't lend me a book, I'm really scatter brained. Ask my local library, they have a hit out on me.

[Darryl]

I have read almost all of Auster's novels, and I own many of them.

The levitation book is Mr. Vertigo. I thought it was pretty good, but if you had to pick one, I would recommend you choose between

Book of Illusions is his brand new one, and it is about a man who loses his wife and kids in a plane crash in the 80s and sinks into an alcohol-soaked depression. One day he had the TV on, and sees a documentary about silent films during the 20s, and a film clip made him laugh for the first time since the crash. He becomes obsessed with the silent film star (Hector Mann), thus his adventures begin.

Timbuktu is a book written from the point of view of a homeless guy's dog. It is a very touching and interesting read. It is only 180 pages or so.

The Music of Chance is about two guys who lose a poker game to two rich guys. This book is very dark and scary, and I loved it. It was made into a movie with Mandy Patinkin and James Spader, which I only saw for a few minutes on Bravo or something.

[pjalne]

Originally Posted by mburbank

I liked "Girl..." but it's not as great as some of his other stuff. If you want to see him in Phil Dick mode, try Amnesia Moon. If you want him being non fantastical, try Motherless Brooklyn, which is amazing, about a Detective with Turrets Syndrome.

Wasn't Ed Norton supposed to play the Tourettes guy? Guess it never left the hangar.

[mburbank]

I think it's still due to leave the hanger.