Why did I pick up Running with Scissors? Somebody's reading it – someone in the blogosphere- can’t recall who – and so at work on Saturday, I went downstairs and picked up a copy and took it home.
Dudes – it’s WILDLY entertaining.
Every single time you think it can’t possibly get more outrageous – it does.
It’s twisted and odd and downright insane, but hilarious.
And I cannot for the life of me figure out why anyone believed this was true.
I am sure parts of it are; I am sure much of this stuff happened in some form.
But did Burroughs colorfully embellish and detail and embroider? Oh yeah.
Definitely.
He does it so well, I don’t even care, though.
It’s the most entertaining book I have read in a very long time.
At the other end of the spectrum, I began The Map of Love.
It’s gorgeous – dense, fractured prose; emotionally tormented and heartbroken characters; cross-cultural love affairs, all wrapped up in Middle Eastern mystique.
It’s not the sort of book you sit down with for ten minutes at a clip though – its reading requires some work, some serious concentration. I look forward to next having a chunk of time to keep going with it.
But it won’t be tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to bake a pineapple walnut cake and then take said cake to a Labor Day picnic at which fifty people – almost half of them children – are expected. I am looking forward to the gathering but relaxing it will NOT be. Just keeping The Baby out of the fish pond ought to be an adventure.
7 comments:
Damn you.
Damn you for getting me addicted to coconut cake. Which is ever so easy to obtain, and one can sliver oneself nearly to death by taking just a teeny slice every hour or so.
*sigh*
We were going to have a rather large-ish evening party but the Guest of Honor can only do lunch. So we canceled the Big Party and are now just doing Brunch for 10. POIFECT! Except that I ate the dessert today. All day. A sliver at a time.
*sigh*
Yeah, I have to make potato salad tomorrow for a Labor Day thingie. But my kids are older, so it WILL be relaxing for me, dammit! (neener, neener)
Just finished Lives of the Monster Dogs and liked it very much. Thinking of starting Little Children next. No, I haven't seen the movie. DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING.
I think Suse is reading it. I LOVED it. For all the reasons you detailed.
I liked Running with Scissors too, but for some reason I don't have any desire to read his other books. Maybe it's unfair, but while I was wildy entertained by the story, and while I certainly feel like Burroughs has had a difficult life, I don't find myself wanting to know any more about him.
His newest books keeps looking at me from the display of non-fiction best sellers, and I just don't care.
Weirdly, that makes me feel guilty. WHY?
It was me.
And I'm devastated that you could forget that.
;)
I really wanted to like Running With Scissors but just kept thinking he was just trying to outdo himself with every new chapter. Plus I didn't believe half of it which left me feeling badly for the family he skewers.
I heard Dry was a great book, though so I may try that one.
I liked Scissors, but Dry was better. Have you read Sellovision, his novel? Satire, forgettable, but not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.
Post a Comment