Sunday Evening and Sherman Alexie

[nightdog_barks]

Used the leftover roast beef to make enchiladas. Quiet day -- laundry and fic posting. Not much else.

I know some folks out there are fans of the writer Sherman Alexie -- here's a link to a short story that appeared in the August 10th & 17th issue of The New Yorker. It's about a man who thinks he's going deaf, cockroaches, healing blankets, and his dying father. It's an excellent, excellent read.

War Dances

Comments

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

ooooh, thank you! <3 isn't he marvelous?

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

He's wonderful! The first time we'd ever heard of him was from the movie Smoke Signals.

There are so many great characters and turns of phrase in this little tale -- it's just terrific. I'll definitely have to get his new book of short stories.

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

eee, i didn't know he had a new book coming out. i'll have to look for that.
have you read any haruki murakami? they kind of remind me of each other. they're both very good with short stories, better than with longer fiction i think.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

*smiles*

I love Murakami. I adored his Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka On the Shore. I know he's got a new book out about running but I haven't read it.

If you like Murakami, I'll bet you'd like David Mitchell -- especially his Ghostwritten (http://www.amazon.com/Ghostwritten-David-Mitchell/dp/0375724508/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251689365&sr=1-3) and Cloud Atlas (http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Atlas-Novel-David-Mitchell/dp/0375507256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251689365&sr=1-1). The former is especially good!

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

eee, i will look for it. (i was going to put it on reserve at the library but the site is closed this week, augh! i don't quite understand the logic of a website being closed ...)
have you read Annie Proulx and Banana Yoshimoto? they're also good with short stories. <3

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Annie Proulx is a god (or, okay, a goddess). She is a master storyteller.

I've heard of Banana Yoshimoto, but I'm afraid I haven't read anything by her -- I'll have to remedy that! :-)

And how strange that the website is closed! I mean, I know a lot of libraries around the U.S. are cutting back on hours, but closing the website? Hm.

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

You adored Wind-Up Bird Chronicle? You must explain it to me sometime then, because while parts of it were haunting I simply could not understand it (feels dumb).
That short story was so wonderful, I will have to look for more of his work. I have a big backlog of unread books to get through though.

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

Nightdog, it's good to see you. :-) I was at the barn this evening, had a nice time, then went wandering a little bit.

I just finished up some impromptu nachos (mixed yesterday's salsa with some refried beans and white cheddar; heated; snorfed up with good corn chips). Need to get cleaned up and maybe have a glass of wine. I'm very awake and am thinking I'll pull up a fic draft since I got no writing done last night at all.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, that sounds delicious! I was thinking about looking at one of the historical AUs sometime tonight ... the thing with H and W and the duelling pistols was trying to talk to me the other night.

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

It's good, although the beans were soupier than I'd have liked.

Anyway. Going to get cleaned up now, and I'll join you once I'm freshly showered and have a glass of red wine in hand. :-)

ETA that I now have wet hair, a fuzzy robe, and a glass of Merlot. Life is good.

[perspi.livejournal.com]

Hello, Mare and Nightdog!

I am having some tea, and we are watching Lost, and I am saying Hello!

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

Hello Perspi!

I am going downstairs to get showered, which is Very Important after having been at the barn. :-)

Back soonish, though.

[verbal-kint10.livejournal.com]

Hi hi Persp, Mare, Nightdog!

Spent the day backing up my music onto CDs (ugh) and applying to colleges (double ugh). Nut now I'm on my way out to Blockbuster...so all in all, a good day.

How are y'all?

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Hello, Verb!

Hee, I remember applying to colleges. Fairly horrid going, as I really had no idea what the hell I was doing.

[verbal-kint10.livejournal.com]

I really had no idea what the hell I was doing.
Yeah...that's it, purty much.

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

VERB HI!

:-)

Nut now I'm on my way out to Blockbuster

Heh. Your Freudian slip is showing.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Hi, Perspi!

We're still watching the football game (go, Bears!) and I'm having the last of the red wine from dinner.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

I love Sherman Alexie, but will have to grab the story later. I'm currently juggling three books. I already had Anthony Bourdain's "Nasty Bits," and Tobias Wolff's latest book of short stories from the library, then stopped off at the Reuse Center (one of many thrift shops in town) yesterday and picked up four more books for a whole $1.87, and just started in on "How The Irish Saved Civilization."

I need to quit work just to catch up. (Not really.)

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Oh, Tobias Wolff is terrific, even though I haven't read anything of his in much too long. His Our Story Begins is on my to-read list.

Four books for $1.87! Good heavens! Now that is just wonderful.

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

I feel like I've missed the party and wandered in late - I'm working on pounding a couple of cover letters into shape to be sent out before the working week really begins. Maybe I should've had more tea before starting.

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

MOAR TEA YES.

Except, it's kinda late for that, isn't it?

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind I am a grad student. But I'm at the point of "shooting into the dark" with sending out massive amounts of e-mails, so yeah, it's kind of late in the process.

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

I know nothing of the process. I just know what would likely happen to me if I drank (caffeinated) tea this late at night, and it would Not Be Good.

Somehow, your grad-studentdom had escaped me; lots of things do, some of them never to be seen again.

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

I don't need the caffeine for stimulation for writing, is what I'm getting at.

The more I think about where I am and why I'm here, and where I could be, the more I...ah, never mind. It's neither early or late enough for that.

[joe-pike-junior.livejournal.com]

*stumbles in*

'd I miss the party?