View Full Version : The Amazing New Kurt Vonnegut Thread!!.
Seymour_Glass
11-04-2008, 06:32 PM
He's my new favorite writer. My favorite book of his(that I've read) is Breakfast of Champions. So, let's discuss.
John_and_Yoko
11-04-2008, 06:39 PM
I sadly have only read one book of his, Mother Night.
But that's enough to make me like him! :D I credit that book with teaching me how to think.
I'm interested in reading Slaughterhouse-Five at some point, too.
batsker
11-04-2008, 06:47 PM
My collecting is ahead of my reading. I have 10 S/L Easton press books signed by Vonnegut, yet I've only read about 5 of his. The first was Hocus Pocus when it first came out. SH5 was interesting to me, because I am studying German(as well as History and Economics), and some of the events in the book are based on his experiences in WWII.
fernandito
11-04-2008, 06:48 PM
I haven't read any of Vonnegut's books, but I've heard really good things about Slaughterhouse-Five.
the only Vonnegut book I like is Cat's Cradle.
Frunobulax
11-05-2008, 12:44 AM
I've read all of his books, and I have enjoyed, liked, or loved them all.
jayson
11-05-2008, 04:38 AM
I've read all of his books, and I have enjoyed, liked, or loved them all.
Same here. Vonnegut is a very important author for me. I'll be a happy participant in this thread.
flaggwalkstheline
11-05-2008, 09:09 AM
ive read lots of his books, my favorites r player piano, the greatest anti-authoritarian manifesto EVER and Slapstick
HI-HO!
jayson
11-05-2008, 09:48 AM
ive read lots of his books, my favorites r player piano, the greatest anti-authoritarian manifesto EVER and Slapstick
HI-HO!
Hi-Ho indeed!
I LOVE Slapstick. Easily among my top two or three Vonnegut works. One I reread every couple of years.
Daghain
11-05-2008, 11:07 AM
I haven't read much Vonnegut since high school. I loved him then; I think I need to add him to my reading list and see if I still feel the same.
valtr0n
11-05-2008, 11:52 AM
Ting-a-ling, you sons of bitches!
I <3 Vonnegut. I've read every book of his, and he's always been a very influential character in my development throughout life so far.
Seymour_Glass
11-05-2008, 05:19 PM
the only Vonnegut book I like is Cat's Cradle.
What? Why not any of the others?
goncho
11-13-2008, 09:20 AM
where should I start if I never read any of his books but mean to?
jayson
11-13-2008, 09:52 AM
where should I start if I never read any of his books but mean to?
I started with Breakfast of Champions and it hooked me.
the only Vonnegut book I like is Cat's Cradle.
What? Why not any of the others?
I think I got to reread some of those others before I can reply; the only one I have, though (and am going to reread) is just Cat's Cradle, which t/song gave me on my last birthday. I think I had very much the same problems with him as I am having with Palahniuk now: grotesque and hyperbole and extreme satire - by extreme I mean when the author allows himself any means and plays without rules (such as plausibility or coherence or viability of characters) - is something I find ok in a short story, but which annoys and, finally, bores me in a novel.
valtr0n
11-13-2008, 02:00 PM
where should I start if I never read any of his books but mean to?
Slaughterhouse Five for me. Breakfast of Champions is a bit out there, and it makes more sense if you've already read previous works of his... I recommend Slaughterhouse Five, Cat's Cradle, then Breakfast of Champions.
Sirens of Titan is his masterpiece, though. Sirens of Titan is just the best.
Daghain
11-13-2008, 02:01 PM
Damnit, you all are *really* making me want to go back and reread my Vonnegut.
idk, my bff jill?
11-13-2008, 02:15 PM
I've been reading Vonnegut nonstop for the last few weeks, and I'm addicted. xD
I loved Slaughterhouse-Five, Mother Night, and Breakfast of Champions, and my boyfriend just lent me Cat's Cradle which has also been absolutely fantastic so far. =)
I think I'll pick up my own copy of Cat's Cradle and Hocus Pocus on Saturday.
fernandito
11-13-2008, 03:08 PM
Yet another author that I need to get into now.
My wallet is crying.
Daghain
11-13-2008, 04:28 PM
:lol:
jayson
11-13-2008, 04:53 PM
Sirens of Titan is his masterpiece, though. Sirens of Titan is just the best.
Can't argue with that.
Unfound One
11-13-2008, 05:03 PM
I've read Cat's Cradle, and Breakfast of Champions and loved them both.
We did a unit on Cat's Cradle my junior year of high school and it was an excellent time.
We got to demonstrate Boko Maru and such. :)
I've owned Slaughterhouse Five for almost 3 years but haven't gotten around to reading it yet...
Seymour_Glass
11-14-2008, 08:33 PM
I haven't gotten around to reading Sirens of Titan yet. I really want to.
jayson
11-14-2008, 08:38 PM
We did a unit on Cat's Cradle my junior year of high school and it was an excellent time.
We got to demonstrate Boko Maru and such. :)
I read that in 10th grade English class, though we didn't get to put on any demonstrations. I'll bet that was quite funny.
Can I say again that I love Slapstick? Because I do. That and Sirens of Titan are my two favorites.
valtr0n
11-15-2008, 02:39 AM
I haven't gotten around to reading Sirens of Titan yet. I really want to.
Sirens of Titan is, in my opinion, his most overlooked work, and one of the overlooked classics of the last century.
fernandito
11-18-2008, 03:47 PM
I was planning on following up Harry Potter 4 with the next A Song of Ice and Fire book, but I'm thinking that I'm going to have to squeeze Sirens of Titan in there. :cyclops:
Seymour_Glass
11-29-2008, 12:23 PM
I just finished God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Fucking incredible.
bluelph24
12-20-2008, 08:27 PM
i was just looking up literary tattoos and there are a lot of Vonnegut ones, which inspired me to research Vonnegut quotes specifically, but not restricted to, Cats Cradle, my first and favorite Vonnegut book. after reading several quotes i realize how much i already miss the man. his writings are some of the best i've ever read, and he is definitly one of the top writers, imho, ever, and i've only read 5 books (Cats Cradle, Slaughterhouse-5, Slapstick, Deadeye Dick, and Timequake) and i reccomend every last one of them.
RIP Vonnegut, I hopehttp://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/vonnegut2.jpg
Patrick
12-26-2008, 08:11 PM
My collecting is ahead of my reading. I have 10 S/L Easton press books signed by Vonnegut...
I'm jealous. I have do one though! :)
Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors. I've read most of his books. He's fantastic.
BROWNINGS CHILDE
12-26-2008, 08:22 PM
Havent ever read any Vonnegut, though I have meant to. I guess I will start with SH5. This seems to be the one I have heard the most about.
flaggwalkstheline
12-26-2008, 08:39 PM
Player piano is the greatest book about a revolution ever written, even better than fight club
Whitey Appleseed
12-27-2008, 06:26 PM
Vonnegut's stories are great. Read quite a bit of his stuff...Sally in the garden, sifting cinders, lifted up her leg and farted like a man, the bursting of her bloomers broke sixteen winders, the cheeks of her ass went...And yeah, Sirens of Titan, classic...the last one I remember is maybe his last...Galapagos? maybe. Funny, I remember the earlier stuff, read 30 years ago, better than that one.
Seymour_Glass
12-27-2008, 08:13 PM
Yeah, so I just started Slapstick.
jayson
12-28-2008, 01:23 AM
Yeah, so I just started Slapstick.
One of my fav of his. Hope you like it. Hi-ho.
fernandito
12-28-2008, 05:33 AM
I'm just itching to read Sirens of Titan. :beat:
jayson
12-28-2008, 07:08 AM
Well get yourself to a library or bookstore and scratch that itch!
Emily
01-17-2009, 12:33 PM
I read Slaughterhouse-Five in high school and really loved it. I've always meant to read his other stuff but it just hasn't happened. I think I'm going to soon, any suggestions on where I should start?
jayson
01-17-2009, 01:27 PM
You really could start anywhere because it's all quite good.
I've been re-reading much of it so far this year. I forgot how good Hocus Pocus was. I mean, I remembered liking it, but I forgot how much I really liked it.
Seymour_Glass
02-01-2009, 05:13 PM
Slapstick was really good. I think this Vonnegut fellow might just be a damn good writer.
Brice
02-01-2009, 05:17 PM
Slapstick was really good. I think this Vonnegut fellow might just be a damn good writer.
Have no doubt. He is one of the best.
jayson
02-01-2009, 05:34 PM
Slapstick was really good. I think this Vonnegut fellow might just be a damn good writer.
He sure is. Hi ho.
The "why don't you take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut" joke has been a long time favorite of mine.
fernandito
02-09-2009, 06:17 PM
Just finished Sirens of Titan - amazing! Vonnegut has jumped to the top of my list of favorite authors, I'm really looking forward to reading more of his stuff.
Any suggestions on what I should read next?
valtr0n
02-09-2009, 07:18 PM
Anything!
Galapagos, Slaughterhouse Five, Cat's Cradle, Slapstick, Hocus Pocus, Timequake (though I think that one's best saved for last), Breakfast of Champions... pick anywhere, and just start. I'm really glad you enjoyed Sirens of Titan so much. :)
jayson
02-10-2009, 02:58 AM
I had a feeling you would like it Feev. Glad I was right. :)
I agree with valtr0n that you can't really go wrong with Vonnegut. Just pick another one and once you've read about 10 pages, good luck putting it down.
Seymour_Glass
03-28-2009, 06:16 PM
I finally started The Sirens of Titan. I'm enjoying it so far, but not to the extent of his others. Then again, I only just started it. And I'm sure it will pick up.
valtr0n
03-28-2009, 06:45 PM
Sirens of Titan is a slow starter. But once you get about halfway through, it really picks up all the way to the end.
jayson
03-29-2009, 01:54 AM
Doing a re-read of Sirens now. Re-read a lot of Vonnegut so far this year. Some take a bit longer to get going, some hit the ground running. Either way, pretty much all of them pay off in the end.
Seymour_Glass
04-04-2009, 12:48 PM
I just finished The Sirens of Titan. It was such a beautiful book in the end. I love it.
Anybody collecting Vonnegut? I'd like to get a few of his novels in hardcover to start, how expensive are the early books?
Munchausen
04-05-2009, 04:38 PM
Which one's the one where the government mandates absolute equality? Is that in Cat's Cradle? S'been a while. But I remember liking it a lot.
SH5 was always fun to read. I remember the part about the knuckleduster particularly.
Breakfast of Champions made me want to draw.
Munchausen
04-05-2009, 04:39 PM
Which one's the one where the government mandates absolute equality? Is that in Cat's Cradle? S'been a while. But I remember liking it a lot.
SH5 was always fun to read. I remember the part about the knuckleduster particularly.
Breakfast of Champions made me want to draw.
valtr0n
04-05-2009, 05:50 PM
Munchausen, that's Harrison Bergeron, a short story. It appears in one of his many short story collections, but I really think it's Welcome to the Monkey House. But it could be one of his others.
jayson
04-05-2009, 07:15 PM
You're correct Val, it is in Welcome to the Monkey House.
Munchausen
04-06-2009, 07:50 AM
Oh yeah.. I borrowed that from my friend's mother. She didn't strike me as a typical KV fan. More into Agatha Christy, I'm sure. And I don't recall returning it.
Just got a few Vonneget first editions to start my collection:
Hocus Pocus
Timequake
Deadeye Dick
Slaughterhouse-Five (25th Anniversary)
All very cheaply, which was surprising. I guess KV isn't very collectable for some reason.
valtr0n
04-06-2009, 10:08 AM
Try looking for older first editions, like Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat's Cradle. There are two Sirens of Titan 1sts on Ebay right now, for $1250-1500.
Slaughterhouse Five firsts go for up to $700+.
His recent books don't go for much, but his older books are very, very collectable.
Seymour_Glass
04-06-2009, 05:05 PM
I collect crappy paperbacks.:P
I collect crappy paperbacks.:P
:panic:
:rock:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5glQYt4uZ2EgZ2PycytZtlBqtypPwD97FMQR00
NEW YORK (AP) — A posthumous collection of short stories by Kurt Vonnegut will be released this November.
The collection, called "Look at the Birdie," contains 14 stories by the author of "Slaughterhouse-Five" and other works, Delacorte Press announced Friday.
The publisher says it plans to reissue 15 Vonnegut titles including "Mother Night," "The Sirens of Titan," "Galapagos" and "Slaughterhouse-Five." Also due: another collection of his unpublished writings and a book of letters sent to and from the author during his life.
More never-before-seen stories by Vonnegut appeared in the 2008 collection "Armageddon in Retrospect."
Vonnegut died in April 2007 at the age 84. His works contained elements of social commentary, sci-fi and autobiography.
valtr0n
04-12-2009, 03:43 PM
Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of Vonnegut's death.
His work has meant a lot to me over the years, and every year around this time I find myself missing him, even though I never met him.
I read Mother Night beginning to end yesterday evening in tribute.
jayson
04-12-2009, 04:36 PM
Nice tribute Val. :)
I've re-read a lot of his stuff so far this year and will likely get to the rest soon. It only gets better with time.
The actual date for the new Vonnegut book is October 27:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/038534371X/
Munchausen
04-13-2009, 07:08 AM
I'm kinda antsy about posthumous books seeing as what happened to Robert E. Howard's stuff.
Why? It's uncollected stories. Pretty exciting, I think.
Munchausen
04-16-2009, 06:19 AM
What L. Sprague deCamp and Lyn Carter did to Conan should be criminal. Not saying this is the rule but I shudder at the potential. If it's a polished verbatim of a manuscript, no problem.
valtr0n
04-16-2009, 10:55 AM
If anyone were to edit or polish the stories, I'm pretty sure it'd be Vonnegut's son. He's a writer as well. But I doubt there will even be any polish. Maybe intros or forewords and the such, but beyond that, it should remain unchanged.
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