What are you currently reading?

[Mickey]

Rank the novels

[Mickey]

I included the story collections in their US form, not including Between Parenthesis or the poetry collections:

2666
The Savage Detectives
Amulet
Antwerp
By Night in Chile
Last Evenings on Earth
Distant Star
The Insufferable Gaucho
The Return
Nazi Literature in the Americas
A Little Lumpen Novelita
The Skating Rink

Never read/can't remember:
The Third Reich
Monsieur Pain
Woes of the True Policeman
The Spirit of Science Fiction

[Simple Torture]

Our lists are very similar, but top 2 flipped. I am currently making 2 different types of mac and cheese because my kids refuse to eat the same one, so I'll sit down and make a list later.

[Mickey]

Our lists are very similar, but top 2 flipped. I am currently making 2 different types of mac and cheese because my kids refuse to eat the same one, so I'll sit down and make a list later.

I am going to not try having twins.

[Mickey]

I will say that I think I enjoy reading The Savage Detectives better but 2666 is a better book.

[epilogue]

I've only read a handful of his books. Savage Detectives was great and that's going to be one of my re-reads this year. But I think my favorite (by which I mean I have the greatest residual fondness for and think about the most) is Distant Star. I really loved that little book.

Amulet will be the next of his that I read.

[Simple Torture]

I will say that I think I enjoy reading The Savage Detectives better but 2666 is a better book.

I agree with this but still give it to TSD by a nose.

[Simple Torture]

IBut I think my favorite (by which I mean I have the greatest residual fondness for and think about the most) is Distant Star. I really loved that little book.

You spoiled my surprise #3.

[epilogue]

IBut I think my favorite (by which I mean I have the greatest residual fondness for and think about the most) is Distant Star. I really loved that little book.

You spoiled my surprise #3.

mea culpa

[Mickey]

That's interesting. I re-read Distant Star in 2019 and TA'd a class on it as well. It was better than I remembered (prior to this I would have had it below Nazi Lit), and while 7th best Bolaño book is still rarified air, I wasn't blown away by it. Despite some of the weird digressions I think it has the most traditional (noir) plot structure of any of his novels, so it is vey readable in a way that Antwerp is not, but it just doesn't strike the same chord with me. Whereas with Amulet I can feel the hair on the back of my neck standing on end by about page seven.

[epilogue]

This chat has me amped for Amulet.

[Simple Torture]

One of my favorite types of Bolano scenes is when two people are having a conversation and the one whose POV we have is sure there is someone else hiding somewhere in the same house but they're not sure where.

[Mickey]

I'm thinking immediately of the fifth part of 2666.

[Simple Torture]

Starting the last book on the syllabus tonight; I'll do anything to pass, professor Mickey...anything.

[Mickey]

You can start by ranking the novels

[Mickey]

What we really need though is invention and rafa garcia's rankings. Get the old Bolaño boys back together.

[epilogue]

What we really need though is invention and rafa garcia's rankings. Get the old Bolaño boys back together.

Great, now I'm crying

[Simple Torture]

The Savage Detectives
2666
Distant Star
By Night In Chile
Amulet
The Third Reich
Antwerp
Spirit of Science Fiction
Monsieur Pain / The Skating Rink (need to re-read both of these, haven't since they were released)
Nazi Literature

I know there's a couple I left out, I feel like I haven't spent enough time with them. Short stories are hard to rank, but I think I liked Secret of Evil best.

[Mickey]

I figured having Antwerp that high would be a bone of contention.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay...god i love chabon