Memoirs of Hecate County - Edmund Wilson
[This collection of novellas focuses on the passing life of the narrator as he cocktails his way through the upper class elite in the beginning of the 20th century. There are two living situations "Greenwich village or the forest." Most characters exist in a class just above the narrator and are therefore subject to the most harsh criticisms. His eye lamentably catches the passing of decades as high life culture gives way to straighter sober times. Supposedly banned for a long time because of its sexual frankness, I found that the sex scenes were pretty tame. Final word: excellent read and some final advice: "Don't pack your bad nights in your luggage". ]
Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac
[I don't know exactly how many times I've read this in the 13 years that I've owned this copy (given to me by a very nice High School advisor upon graduation). I wanted to read it now, not only because it is quick and entertaining, but also because I am getting ready to undertake an adventure in moving spaces and this book provides the right kind of attitude. Just go for it! and always remember the infinite dharma radiating out of the the experience.]
Mani - Patrick Leigh Fermor
[PLF is always an amazing read. This book on the lower Spartan peninsula has one major flaw: a long section toward the end about Greek painting that I found pretty boring. An apogeios to the mpatis of centuries bridged with refreshing waves of information. Fermor is at his best linking the history of a place with its current residents. A minor detail about the daily ambrosia ceremony can launch a fantastical lecture linking the invading Goths with the once turkish overlords and a passage of Homer. Mesmerizing portrayal of a place supposedly composed only of harsh sun and rock. ]
Train Dreams- Denis Johnson
[A small novel with a huge scope tying on hard working man's odyssey through the big events of the west, local and universal. A sober, sweat, and disturbing Forrest Gump tale of years of loneliness and backbreaking labor. Oh…and a misplaced daughter/wolf.
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