At 10/26/04 02:44 PM, ArtistJ wrote:vampires eh? Never been much a fan of the horror genre, and that realy affects my reading, but hey, At least its not Zombies

At 10/26/04 02:35 PM, ArtistJ wrote:Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories by the infamous Chuck Palahniuk is the book i am curently reading.

Palahniuk takes a break from his pitch-black, apocalyptic fiction and spins a few tales about real people-some not insane or suffering from a debilitating illness. Unlike most of his novels, in which the human race is repeatedly pulverized for its conformity, groupthink, and general blankness, this collection of short nonfictions done for various magazines suggests that Palahniuk actually likes humanity-or at least some parts of it. This doesn't mean he's content with gentle sketches of quiet people who may be extraordinary in some understated, concerned, NPR kind of way. You're more likely to find the author watching the sad spectacle of wannabe screenwriters paying for the privilege of pitching their little hearts out in a hotel ballroom to low-level movie producers, or hanging out reading Tarot cards with Marilyn Manson. There isn't much in the way of transcendent prose here; much of the time Palahniuk produces perfectly serviceable, high-grade magazine pieces, funny recollections of his Fight Club-era stint in Hollywood and so on, which keep readers flipping pages. Still it doesn't disappoint in this collection of imaginative nonfiction. From the opening riff featuring goings-on at the Rock Creek Lodge Testicle Festival in Montana to interviews with modern-day castle builders, these essays and journalistic pieces visit often overlooked people and activities. Palahniuk spends time with amateur wrestlers, pointing out that most can be identified by their proudly obtained cauliflower ears. In another piece, Palahniuk shares his firsthand experience with anabolic steroids, an experiment he likens to jumping off a cliff. Here he captures the self-esteem that comes with having a bulked-up, super-male body. Then there's the time he answers an ad to "take a hospice patient on a date" and finds himself escorting a one-legged man and his mother on a tour of the countryside. Always funny, the essays range from tragic, in the case of his father's murder, to grotesque, in a piece about restaurant workers adding bodily fluids to unsuspecting customers' food.

Its totaly RECOMENDED READING.

At 5/23/25 11:52 PM, bubblemunkee wrote:

At 10/26/04 02:44 PM, ArtistJ wrote:vampires eh? Never been much a fan of the horror genre, and that realy affects my reading, but hey, At least its not Zombies

At 10/26/04 02:35 PM, ArtistJ wrote:Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories by the infamous Chuck Palahniuk is the book i am curently reading.

Palahniuk takes a break from his pitch-black, apocalyptic fiction and spins a few tales about real people-some not insane or suffering from a debilitating illness. Unlike most of his novels, in which the human race is repeatedly pulverized for its conformity, groupthink, and general blankness, this collection of short nonfictions done for various magazines suggests that Palahniuk actually likes humanity-or at least some parts of it. This doesn't mean he's content with gentle sketches of quiet people who may be extraordinary in some understated, concerned, NPR kind of way. You're more likely to find the author watching the sad spectacle of wannabe screenwriters paying for the privilege of pitching their little hearts out in a hotel ballroom to low-level movie producers, or hanging out reading Tarot cards with Marilyn Manson. There isn't much in the way of transcendent prose here; much of the time Palahniuk produces perfectly serviceable, high-grade magazine pieces, funny recollections of his Fight Club-era stint in Hollywood and so on, which keep readers flipping pages. Still it doesn't disappoint in this collection of imaginative nonfiction. From the opening riff featuring goings-on at the Rock Creek Lodge Testicle Festival in Montana to interviews with modern-day castle builders, these essays and journalistic pieces visit often overlooked people and activities. Palahniuk spends time with amateur wrestlers, pointing out that most can be identified by their proudly obtained cauliflower ears. In another piece, Palahniuk shares his firsthand experience with anabolic steroids, an experiment he likens to jumping off a cliff. Here he captures the self-esteem that comes with having a bulked-up, super-male body. Then there's the time he answers an ad to "take a hospice patient on a date" and finds himself escorting a one-legged man and his mother on a tour of the countryside. Always funny, the essays range from tragic, in the case of his father's murder, to grotesque, in a piece about restaurant workers adding bodily fluids to unsuspecting customers' food.

Its totaly RECOMENDED READING.

Started reading the book in the beginning of the year I will totally now go back to it next chance i get because I am interested in palahniuks perspective, but I would also say his non fiction style didnt catch me as much. Thanks for the reminder to finish it. In case you like these kinds of non fiction collections last year I read how to be alone written by Jonathan Franzen there seem to be some parallels in style and outlook in their writing cant quite put my finger on it though.