The New York Nexus Cafe 

read any good books recently???

I have been reading "A Widow for One Year" by John Irving in my car - I don't know that I would recommend it - he has some interesting ideas there though, and it's a big fat book that definitely helps in stop-and-don't-even-budge traffic.

I think the last whole books besides that[I read poems here and there online and in print, used to read some short stories more] that I read were the first 3 Harry Potter ones, I liked especially the first one

It's not as good as I remember The World According to Garp or Hotel New Hampshire or Cider House Rules, I didn't finish A Prayer for Owen Meany and can't really remember the 100something pound marriage though I don't remember being impressed.

Currently reading the first book of the Foundation series. It's pretty good so far.

-Mike

Actually I try not to read because it makes me squint, hurts my head and I just dont have the time. So what I
tend to do is just ask people (whom I trust of course) about a book that I'd like to read and if the reply\feed back sounds good well then I just ask them to read it to me or ask if they'll tell me the entire story.

My recent reads so far.

Shopgirl by Steve Martin was pretty good.
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham was good that I bought it for about 10 of my friends as a Christmas gift.
Bourne Identity (book came before the movie), I like it but it was very hard to follow. And the book is so different from the movie it is hard to say if the book was better than the movie.

How does the saying go "One person's garbage is another's treasure"? Something like that. I loved John Irving's A Widow for a Year.
I heard Irving speak, by chance, in a Boston book store several years ago when the book came out. He said there were only two themes in this book: Adultry and Masturbation. He was right, but an understatement. I felt an affinity for the characters and appreciated their development (or lack of development). I would recommend this book, especially for a good summer read. At the reading, Irving took a few questions from the audience and one I remember is someone asking him which of his characters he felt was the most autobiographical. He said the Doctor from Cider House Rules because he was the most reprehensible of all his characters. That's saying alot when you consider some of his other charaters, including the Mother from A Widow For a Year.

Anyone read Beach Music by Pat Conroy?

Hey, hey, I never called the book garbage but I like that saying too and I actually really like John Irving's books. It's just that there are some books I read that I stand back and say "wow, this is really good writing" and this one works and keeps me reading and has lots of wacky John-Irvinglike details, maybe I don't remember my more favorite ones like and they were like that too, who knows

I wouldn't have guessed that the doctor would get the most reprehensible title or most autobiographical title [I, without knowing what John Irving was like was guessing the more obvious-seeming Ted from A Widow for a Year was maybe somewhat based on him]

I guess those were the themes that would get people to take a look at it, besides the characters there was also other interesting themes

I haven't read Beach Music.

Ok so like I said earlier: Who's a good story teller?? But I'm not sure on the masterbation book but does that mean you'll give me an example????? huh huh

Masterbation book?