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Welcome goonlings to the Awful Book of the Month! In this thread, we choose one work of Resources: Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org - A database of over 17000 books available online. If you can suggest books from here, that'd be the best. SparkNotes - http://www.sparknotes.com/ - A very helpful Cliffnotes-esque site, but much better, in my opinion. If you happen to come in late and need to catch-up, you can get great character/chapter/plot summaries here.  For recommendations on future material, suggestions on how to improve the club, or just a general rant, feel free to PM me. Past Books of the Month [for BOTM before 2014, refer to archives] 2014: January: Ursula K. LeGuin - The Left Hand of Darkness February: Mikhail Bulgalov - Master & Margarita March: Richard P. Feynman -- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! April: James Joyce -- Dubliners May: Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- 100 Years of Solitude June: Howard Zinn -- A People's History of the United States July: Mary Renault -- The Last of the Wine August: Barbara Tuchtman -- The Guns of August September: Jane Austen -- Pride and Prejudice October: Roger Zelazny -- A Night in the Lonesome October November: John Gardner -- Grendel December: Christopher Moore -- The Stupidest Angel 2015: January: Italo Calvino -- Invisible Cities February: Karl Ove Knausgaard -- My Struggle: Book 1. March: Knut Hamsun -- Hunger April: Liu Cixin -- 三体 ( The Three-Body Problem) May: John Steinbeck -- Cannery Row June: Truman Capote -- In Cold Blood (Hiatus) August: Ta-Nehisi Coates -- Between the World and Me September: Wilkie Collins -- The Moonstone October:Seth Dickinson -- The Traitor Baru Cormorant November:Svetlana Alexievich -- Voices from Chernobyl December: Michael Chabon -- Gentlemen of the Road 2016: January: Three Men in a Boat (To say nothing of the Dog!) by Jerome K. Jerome February:The March Up Country (The Anabasis) of Xenophon March: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco April: Plain Tales from the Hills by Rudyard Kipling May: Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima June:The Vegetarian by Han Kang July:Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees August: Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov September:Siddhartha by Herman Hesse October:Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse November:Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain December: It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis Current: Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut Amazon link here: https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Night-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385334141 You can find it for free online with a quick google, but I'm not sure about copyright here so I won't repost the link. (Or, y'know, visit a library, people). There is also apparently a free version on Audible. About the book: quote:Mother Night is a novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1961. The title of the book is taken from Goethe's Faust. Themes and Background Yup, we all know what we're talking about here. So it goes, people, so it goes. Pacing Just read, then post. References and Further Reading As for last month. Final Note: Thanks, and I hope everyone enjoys the book!
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Jan 4, 2017 06:33
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Reading a Vonnegut book at the start of each year has become an accidental tradition for me. Mother Night was gifted to me by The Grey in the Secret Santa this year, so I jumped on it early. I just got to the reveal that Helga is really Reni, and I really love how the idea of Action/Intention and You-Are-Who-You-Say-You-Are plays into everything. So far, this is easily better than Slaughterhouse 5 for me. edit: Look at this awesome book cover! 
Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Jan 4, 2017 |
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Jan 4, 2017 14:19
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Hands down my favorite Vonnegut book and I'm always down for a re-read. Nice choice!
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Jan 4, 2017 17:09
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Agreed that it is my favourite Vonnegut. Probably due for a re-read. I think it was just the superbly weaved metanarrative that sold me.
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Jan 4, 2017 19:31
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Gonna third that motion. Definitely one of the better Vonnegut works. I pretty much know it off by heart now, but I'll never turn down an opportunity to re-read it. The part with Eichmann always gets to me. Two monsters meeting for very different reasons, but probably just as complicit as each other, in their own way.
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Jan 5, 2017 05:42
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Yeah arguably my favorite Vonnegut as well (although I like some of the stories in Welcome to the Monkey House enough to contest it); will also reread as soon as I am done with my current books
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Jan 5, 2017 17:54
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This is a really good book, I almost read the whole thing in one sitting, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. It is only my second Vonnegut book mainly because I read Cat's Cradle and it didn't interest me at all.
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Jan 6, 2017 04:18
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Looking forward to this; Vonnegut was an important influence on me in my formative years (read a ton of his stuff when I was in middle school) but somehow managed to skip this one.
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Jan 6, 2017 06:26
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Just picked this up from the library last night. It's been too long since I read Vonnegut, so I'm kind of excited.
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Jan 6, 2017 16:31
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Just finished it this morning. That was a hell of a book, now solidified as my favorite Vonnegut. I'm post some thoughts on it in the near future.
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Jan 7, 2017 18:32
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This was really a great book, as I said previously. It had a lot of elements of Cat's Cradle which I did not enjoy as much, but seemed to work a lot better here. There is some good moral ambiguity and a great story that unfolds in a really compelling way. If anything, it was too short.
Rusty fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Jan 7, 2017 |
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Jan 7, 2017 21:38
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I have checked this out from the library. Just need to force myself to finish my current book of essays by an insufferable idiot first before starting this. Looking forward to it as I only read Slaughterhouse Five, and that a long time ago.
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Jan 7, 2017 21:47
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Just checked, and yes Mother Night has the highest Goodreads rating of all his books. Good to see the system works.
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Jan 8, 2017 04:46
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Read it in one sitting, I like it better than Slaughter House Five, but I'm glad I read that one first as Campbell's brief appearance stuck in my mind, and Mother Night expanded on it in a way I found really fulfilling. I imagine reading the two books the other way around would alter the reading of his Slaughter House scene. My favourite part is his first reunion with his handler and his meeting with his father in law. Campbell's living paradox is something I don't think I've ever really come across before.
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Jan 9, 2017 02:35
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Halfway through. Died laughing from the scene with the bunch of old Nazis and their equally old and equally racist old black driver/friend. Whoever told you Chinamen were coloured?
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Jan 9, 2017 10:05
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Groke posted:Halfway through. Died laughing from the scene with the bunch of old Nazis and their equally old and equally racist old black driver/friend. Whoever told you Chinamen were coloured? That was great. There's a later scene that plays on this exact dynamic but from the perspective of "the boss" of the group of Americans that ambush Campbell, Resi and the rest of the gang. I love how when confronted by the basic hypocrisy of hating all non-Aryan races with a group of mostly non-Aryan racists, Jones says "We all want the same thing" without being able to define anything further, his logic stuck in a strange loop. Seriously, a character that became a white supremacist from a mix of paranoia and dentistry that only confers with non-whites is hilarious and on-the-nose. The fact that he's one of the most genuine and at-face-value persons Campbell knows was oddly satisfying. The book just manages irony on every level so drat well.
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Jan 9, 2017 14:14
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I think I packed my copy away along with Sirens of Titan. drat. But I'm thinking about that scene where Campbell was dragged to see some Nazi atrocity, and to the disappointment of his captor reacted with complete indifference. That might have been Vonnegut's personal experience speaking, because I was browsing a book about the immediate aftermath of WWII in Germany (Kind, versprich mir, das du dich erschiess by Florian Huber), and that exact same sentiment is described there. When confronted with truth the Holocaust, most Germans tended to be indifferent because they were wrapped up in their own problems after the collapse. BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 12:51 on Jan 10, 2017 |
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Jan 9, 2017 15:55
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Done, was obviously great the whole way through.
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Jan 10, 2017 12:25
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Groke posted:Done, was obviously great the whole way through. Yeah. I just finished this morning as well. I particularly laughed at the "Here was persecution!" to start chapter 39. It just seemed so fitting to everything.
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Jan 10, 2017 16:37
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I think that this is tied with Slaughter-House Five for me. Mother Night is the better-structured narrative, but I think more about things in SH5. That being said, I love-love-love Mother Night. I love the narrative framing, I love the humor, and I love the last third of the book.
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Jan 10, 2017 17:13
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I want to hear thoughts on the book ending with Howard's suicide. I thought it was a major move for the character to finally make a decision about something, to finally take charge of his life and destiny (drenched in irony), but when I explained it to my girlfriend, she seemed horrified by the idea and that I would find poetic justice in it.
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Jan 10, 2017 18:30
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Okay, I'm in for (I think) my first BOTM. I read the first 1/3 of the book last night; loving it so far. Haven't read any Vonnegut in years and even then I've only read maybe 3 of his books (the big ones: SH5, Breakfast of Champions etc.). Really loved the ending to chapter 4: "After we finished hanging Hoess," Mengel said to me, "I packed up my clothes to go home. The catch on my suitcase was broken, so I buckled it shut with a big leather strap. Twice within an hour I did the very same job - once to Hoess and once to my suitcase. Both jobs felt about the same."
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Jan 11, 2017 17:44
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I'm now about 2/3 through. Thought this part was unfortunately relevant in 2017: I had hoped, as a broadcaster, to be merely ludicrous, but this is a hard world to be ludicrous in, with so many human beings so reluctant to laugh, so incapable of thought, so eager to believe and snarl and hate. So many people wanted to believe me!
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Jan 12, 2017 00:41
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Groke posted:Halfway through. Died laughing from the scene with the bunch of old Nazis and their equally old and equally racist old black driver/friend. Whoever told you Chinamen were coloured? Yeah, Vonnegut did a great job exposing the arbitrariness behind most racist ideology in just a few lines of dialogue.
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Jan 12, 2017 07:25
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I am about a quarter of the way through it, and I'm loving it. It's amazing how he can blend humour with really serious and profound passages. I loved the part where he talks about numbness and trauma, and how after awhile a job is just a job - particularly the part with the Polish guard describing how putting a belt around a hated Nazi to hang him and putting a belt around his suitcase later felt exactly the same, just another job.
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Jan 12, 2017 21:08
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I read it in the first week, forgot to post about it here. It is probably one of his best books, but I missed some of the zaniness that's dear to me in drew me to Vonnegut in the first place. This seemed a much more somber book - or maybe it's me who's changed, as re-reading Slaughterhouse-5 nearly two years ago made me notice the sadness permeating the novel much more than the first time(s) around. I think Vonnegut is one of those authors who change a lot, depending on whether you read him in your teens or later in life.
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Jan 17, 2017 08:15
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Burning Rain posted:I read it in the first week, forgot to post about it here. It is probably one of his best books, but I missed some of the zaniness that's dear to me in drew me to Vonnegut in the first place. This seemed a much more somber book - or maybe it's me who's changed, as re-reading Slaughterhouse-5 nearly two years ago made me notice the sadness permeating the novel much more than the first time(s) around. I think Vonnegut is one of those authors who change a lot, depending on whether you read him in your teens or later in life. I dunno, considering this is the third book he released, it fits. Player Piano is pretty somber, and while Sirens of Titan has its moments of zaniness and out-there ideas, I found it incredibly depressing. This is the first that really captures that Vonnegut irony, the snarky matter-of-fact attitude and soft somber indifference. It has way more comedic beats and moments than the other two. That said, I love the tone of this book. Somber but self-aware.
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Jan 17, 2017 14:08
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I meant, compared to his novels that I read first (an omnibus edition of Slaughterhouse 5, Breakfast of Champions and God Bless You, Mr Rosewater).
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Jan 17, 2017 19:21
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Vonnegut is kind of a cultural blind spot for me. I liked this, and whatever ones I read in high school (I know SH5 and BOC for sure, maybe Cat's Cradle) what would you say are his best 3? I'll add them to my pile for this year.
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Jan 18, 2017 03:02
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I read this and liked it, the encounter with the 10-year old Nihilist and father-in-law was my favourite part of the book. I haven't read a lot of Vonnegut but have to say that in the end I liked SH5 a little more for its perfect blend of sadness and absurdity.
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Jan 18, 2017 04:52
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The Berzerker posted:Vonnegut is kind of a cultural blind spot for me. I liked this, and whatever ones I read in high school (I know SH5 and BOC for sure, maybe Cat's Cradle) what would you say are his best 3? I'll add them to my pile for this year. You've already read his strongest novels for the most part, but my favourite Vonnegut is The Sirens of Titan. I've also got a particular soft spot for Bluebeard and Timequake. Galapagos and Jailbird are generally considered to be among his better works, but they seem a little bit lifeless to me. I'm hopelessly biased, but I don't think any of his novels are exactly bad (even Slapstick), though, so just read whatever sounds appealing.
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Jan 18, 2017 07:30
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Old Story posted:I read this and liked it, the encounter with the 10-year old Nihilist and father-in-law was my favourite part of the book. I haven't read a lot of Vonnegut but have to say that in the end I liked SH5 a little more for its perfect blend of sadness and absurdity. That was brutal. Symbolism talk: the dachshund is a the small loyal hunting pup, used to sniff out it's enemy, jump in holes and chase out critters for the hunter to catch. It's name is of German origin, something like "badger hunter". It takes on a bigger enemy without fear, and they're dogs with a strong, playful personality. Resi's pet dachshund is starved, sick, and shaking. It's hair is falling out. Resi is petting her inner child, which has been malnourished from the war. She is shell-shocked, pushed into apathy by cruelty and depression, a hopeless life. When the man she claims to love approaches her, she drops the dog, allowing it to plop to the ground, no longer caring. Howard kills the dog as a "mercy killing", or to prove he can, or because he's afraid of judgement from his peers. It's the only creature he pulls the trigger on, directly kills. The ironic twist: Howard is unwilling to pull the trigger and stand up for something he believes in, which culminates in Resi's wanting a show of Love. By not "pulling the trigger", Resi takes her own life. Howard kills her inner child, she grows to love him anyway, and he kills her again by refusing to stand for anything. Consider that the symbol for this is a "wiener dog", and that Howard's refusal is impotence in action.
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Jan 18, 2017 14:06
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Those are some mighty big thoughts about a little dog. Seems to fit though.
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Jan 18, 2017 16:15
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Ben Nevis posted:Those are some mighty big thoughts about a little dog. Seems to fit though. Scroll up, you'll see that my copy puts the dachshund on the front cover. It's not there by accident.
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Jan 18, 2017 16:18
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Franchescanado posted:Scroll up, you'll see that my copy puts the dachshund on the front cover. It's not there by accident. I'm going to blame my boring library copy with no dust jacket and plain rust red binding for missing that.
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Jan 18, 2017 16:48
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Really enjoyed this. Second Vonnegut, after reading Cat's Cradle last year. I feel pretty similarly about this as I did Cat's Cradle, which is to say it was fantastic. Kind of ashamed to have not read any Vonnegut earlier in my life. Definitely good at having really poignant moments counterbalanced by absurdity and nihilism. Something about his simple writing style really underlines those poignant moments. I've kind of been unconsciously sidestepping reading Slaughterhouse 5 for most of my life, for whatever reason.
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Jan 19, 2017 04:11
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Just read it. It's very good, but I don't think it's his best.
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Jan 19, 2017 04:23
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I forgot what a blisteringly quick read this is. It's hard to stop reading, especially when each chapter goes so quick and is so full of Vonnegut's wit. Still my favorite of his but I have to read (and reread) some of his others.Franchescanado posted:I want to hear thoughts on the book ending with Howard's suicide. It's interesting on several levels: first, it comes right at the moment that he would finally be proven right. It is almost like he preferred being misunderstood and separated from the general public as a martyr, being punished for his crimes and for surviving when so many - including his wife - died. This also allows him to finally be judged on the entirety of his actions, and maybe on some level this scares him. There is a recurring theme about how his actions as a Nazi propagandist did more to help the Nazi cause than anything he could have done to hurt it - his father-in-law outright says it, and at least in my copy the introduction begins with Vonnegut explaining that the moral is "we are what we pretend to be". Maybe even with "Frank"s testimony he will still be found guilty of everything he did, and be seen as this purely evil man. Also I think it ties into some of his romantic writing from his past. He talks about how he missed his heroic chance to die after his wife did, how he likes a beginning, a middle and an end. Maybe he thought the "evil" Howard J. Campbell hanging himself for his crimes was a better ending for him than the alternative. I know these don't necessarily all tie together but they are just some thoughts about the ending. The Berzerker posted:Vonnegut is kind of a cultural blind spot for me. I liked this, and whatever ones I read in high school (I know SH5 and BOC for sure, maybe Cat's Cradle) what would you say are his best 3? I'll add them to my pile for this year. I mentioned above but I really like Welcome to the Monkey House which is a collection of his short stories. I tend to like short story collections from authors when they get to explore a bunch of cool ideas without overstaying their welcome, and someone as imaginative as Vonnegut really compliments the format.
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Jan 20, 2017 00:56
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Guy A. Person posted:I forgot what a blisteringly quick read this is. It's hard to stop reading, especially when each chapter goes so quick and is so full of Vonnegut's wit. Still my favorite of his but I have to read (and reread) some of his others. You made me consider that Howard's freedom would be the same as his inprisonment and his spy work, at the behest of "Frank", essentially making him a puppet even in freedom. He'd be free on someone else's terms. By killing himself, he would finally be taking action over his fate. He won't be free, or alive, but he'd have control on his own terms, which is a lot: he's broken, bereft of emotions and a will to live, he spends the novel going through motions, but finally he has made a decision, a big decision, which no one can take away or be reversed, and he's doing it with confidence, and even finds humor in it.
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Jan 20, 2017 01:08
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I finished the book. It really is hard to put it down when you are reading it. The chapters are short, but I would always just read the first sentence of the next chapter and then be unable to stop because it was so interesting.Franchescanado posted:You made me consider that Howard's freedom would be the same as his inprisonment and his spy work, at the behest of "Frank", essentially making him a puppet even in freedom. He'd be free on someone else's terms. By killing himself, he would finally be taking action over his fate. He won't be free, or alive, but he'd have control on his own terms, which is a lot: he's broken, bereft of emotions and a will to live, he spends the novel going through motions, but finally he has made a decision, a big decision, which no one can take away or be reversed, and he's doing it with confidence, and even finds humor in it. There are those couple of scenes in the book where he finds himself unable to move without someone telling him what to do. The doctor's mother sees in him what she saw in the people at Auschwitz who would be unable to move and were just desperate for someone to tell them to do something. By begging the doctor to call someone so he can stand trial for his crimes, he's finally making some kind of choice. I think you're right that Frank is offering him a return to the prison in which he spent so much of his life, of passively letting others decide his fate. In his final meeting with Frank, Howard asks who knows who he really is, and Frank comments that the three people who know the truth about him know exactly who he is, that he can't separate the "good" Howard from the Nazi propaganda Howard.
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Jan 21, 2017 23:42
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