What do you wanna ask another BA?

Oh man, how much time do you have, I can talk about this all day ha. I have a huge book and vinyl collection, which at this point is overflowing and my dog and I just kind of wander around paths in my condo

Favorite author might be a bit impossible to pin down. These would be on the short list, I'm mostly a literary fiction reader:

Salman Rushdie: Combination of magical realism and history, that is subversive and written in these amazing sentences that you never want to end...
Jim Harrison: The manly man, every man, macho man persona, but somehow sensitive and self deprecating at the same time. The master of the novella, and one of the best modern poets.
Cormac McCarthy: Probably the most uniquely stylized writer of the last 50 years or so.
Louise Erdrich: Mixes her two cultures, Native American and German Catholic into an historical fiction narrative in ways that are impossible to describe until you just read her books, like The Last Report of The Miracles of Little No Horse.
Javier Marias: Somehow combines Ian Fleming spy novels, with a Hitchcok noirish bend, and literary meta commentary in sentences that can sometimes run 10-20 pages at a time, and you never want them to end ha.
Malcom Lowery: Only published two novels while he was alive (lots of posthumously released books), but Under The Volcano is so other worldly, but I can't describe it accurately here. Also a fairly accomplished poet.
Mervyn Peake: The first two books of The Gormenghast Trilogy are my favorite fantasy novels, the third is good but written when he was diagnosed with dementia and his wife had to heavily edit it, though still worthy.
Ursula Le Guin: Maybe not as good as Peake for fantasy, though not far behind. Is my favorite for Sci-Fi, and has the ability to convey these incredibly complicated concepts and allegory's beautifully, and in amazingly concrete and relatable terms.

Lots I didn't talk about, but would also have to mention Toni Morrison, Richard Russo, and a lot more...like Clarise Lispector, Hernan Diaz, Louise Gluck...

Thanks for including me in this, and sorry, probably included more than was needed ha.

Same question to @SLeffler27

Favorite writers and why...

and anybody curious check out our What Book Are You Reading Now Thread, in the off topic forum, it has been pretty active so far this year

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/what-book-are-you-reading-now-2024.675682/

 

Exactly the response I was hoping for, maybe even more than I had hope for, thank you for the detailed response.

I'm always curious of your book choices with your beers on NBW. I now have an author, or more , to look for when I need a new book. The descriptions for Salman Rushdie and Louise Erdrich have very much peaked my interest. I used to read a lot, sadly not so much these days, hence the no activity over in the book thread. I will check and pick up a book from one of the above on our next library visit, which I'm sure will be soon.

The last book I read was actually a Cormac McCarthy book, The Sunset Limited... As interesting and unique as the other books of his I have read.

 

My sarcasm is showing....

 

I'd like to ask any BA besides beer what are your hopes and dreams? What would you like to see in your future? You want to take a "hobby" to the next level? Where are you in life?
Start - middle.- semi middle - late middle - early late - new start late?
Anyhow I guess tell us a tiny bit about yourself - good or bad. Cheers!

 

Yikes! This is going to take some serious thought. Like you, there is no single favorite. I’ll get back to you.

I almost wish I had never read this one because it is essentially a recurring nightmare from childhood. It’s so well written that it feels real in the moment. Similarly William Forstchen wrote One Second After; less well written but just as terrifying because it is so close to potential reality.

 

Ok @champ103, thanks for the shout-out and here goes…

In general I tend to value underlying meaning. Sometimes there may be meaning where none was intended. Artistry and craftsmanship get high marks, as does inventiveness, and anything that catches me off guard. Down to earth honesty always beats out pretentiousness regardless of how inventive, intelligent, irreverent the author may be. In a novel the story really needs to be entertaining. I have no problem reading points of view that are irritating, providing they are based on solid argument and not just tossed in or gratuitous (regardless of whether I agree with them). Being funny helps too.

Picking favorites has always been challenging. First off, who comes to mind will always depend on mood of the moment, and life alters one’s perceptions forcing one to plumb the depths of memory. So the following is more who comes to mind now, and in no particular order.

Ursula LeGuin - Style points, purposeful meaning, philosophy.

Christopher Moore - Irreverent and funny

Kazuo Ishiguro - His novels have a dreamy quality, big style points.

Ted Chiang - Just so very unusual and well crafted.

Jorge Luis Borges - Hits all the marks, and often a goto author.

Jim Harrison - Earthy with a raw honesty. Often irreverent. Extreme craftsmanship, more like rough arts and crafts than delicate chippendale. Kinda strange to put both Harrison and Ishiguro on the same list.

Robert Heinlein, Isaac Azimov, - Good stories with purpose.

E.A. Poe - Style and inventive.

Two new ones for me…

John Banville - Story and craftsmanship of each sentence.

Ruddy Doyle - Inventive and funny (read Two Pints and you will understand.)

I could easily continue the list but it will become a ramble pretty quickly. My reading can be fairly eclectic so I kept the above to novelists and except for the last two, all are folks whom I’ve read a bunch. Via the book thread below, I have found many new authors to follow, and am grateful for the input from fellow beer and book enthusiasts.

Here’s another plug for “What Book are You Reading Now.” All are welcome!!!
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/what-book-are-you-reading-now-2024.675682/

 

@HouseofWortship will you ever meet with the Chicago beer cognoscenti? Or will you remain shrouded in the shadows?

 

@GuyFawkes @HouseofWortship aren't the same person!?

 

@GuyFawkes has too much of a garbage palate and posts too frequently after crowlers to have to accounts. -And @HouseofWortship isn't coordinated enough to have 2 accounts simultaneously.

 

Speaking of drinking too much, @Resistance88 do you think there is too much moderation?

 

two accounts*