tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post3111402500241773502..comments2024-02-22T07:47:22.661-05:00Comments on The Bathroom Monologues: Fifteen Novels That Stick With MeJohn Wiswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-3143702552102711002012-06-03T12:20:01.361-04:002012-06-03T12:20:01.361-04:00Infinity Gauntlet. The odd description of the MC a...Infinity Gauntlet. The odd description of the MC as a romantic, mad-scientist god. Also, the Hamlet-esque quality intrigues me. :)Cat Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160039271069426174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-1786332043372204852012-05-28T14:18:16.046-04:002012-05-28T14:18:16.046-04:00Great list of books, John, I'm glad you took t...Great list of books, John, I'm glad you took the time to add a few sentences about why these books stuck around :) I need to go read some of these now.Estrella Azulhttp://estrella05azul.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-89767642935951768792012-05-28T12:20:41.968-04:002012-05-28T12:20:41.968-04:00Forgot a little Like at the beginning of that sent...Forgot a little Like at the beginning of that sentence: Like nothing else I've read in the past few years...robert bucchianerihttp://www.robertbucchianeri.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-66535622976650244032012-05-28T12:18:54.772-04:002012-05-28T12:18:54.772-04:00Nothing else I've read in the past few years a...Nothing else I've read in the past few years and as much as any novel I've ever read.robert bucchianerihttp://www.robertbucchianeri.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-7237320637054164102012-05-27T21:58:14.465-04:002012-05-27T21:58:14.465-04:00Excellent list, John, and I especially liked your ...Excellent list, John, and I especially liked your reasoning with each. I've never read that Shirley Jackson book, but I think I need to pick it up. I've always enjoyed her work. Not to say that I've read much of her work, but what I have, I've enjoyed.Eric J. Krausehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05774468607814244185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-33679912373312549632012-05-27T16:59:30.164-04:002012-05-27T16:59:30.164-04:00Characters can stick with you. Smaug and Thanos do...Characters can stick with you. Smaug and Thanos do for me. But are there really no books you identify as having lasting effects? Especially if the characters within don't go on for a series.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-24499207917905911232012-05-27T16:56:24.573-04:002012-05-27T16:56:24.573-04:00Curious - which of the two comics did you intend t...Curious - which of the two comics did you intend to pick? I'm guessing Simone's Deadpool since my description was wackier, but it could go either way.<br /><br />Some books have very wide appeal that I subscribe to. I suspect a lot of what I love in The Hobbit is what most readers love. But especially as the list went on, I doubted what moved me was quite the same as my peers, and there are folks who simply don't know what Needful Things or One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich are.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-51150389220366244152012-05-27T16:50:52.505-04:002012-05-27T16:50:52.505-04:00You know, I haven't seen any adaptation of Den...You know, I haven't seen any adaptation of Denisovich. Every time I am inclined for more, I either re-read my copy or look up other Solzhenitsyn works. The Gulag Archipelago is so intimidating.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-22546675998937677202012-05-27T16:49:57.295-04:002012-05-27T16:49:57.295-04:00Thanks for being so appreciative, Danni! I feel li...Thanks for being so appreciative, Danni! I feel like some of my explanations were pretty inarticulate, though I wrote most of them after midnight. I'm sure you'll do fine explaining why you love the books you love.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-55221334325643310912012-05-27T16:47:05.959-04:002012-05-27T16:47:05.959-04:00You have high praise for it - would you say it'...You have high praise for it - would you say it's stuck to you like nothing else has, Robert?John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-14060181913811706252012-05-27T16:45:48.104-04:002012-05-27T16:45:48.104-04:00But if the books you consider the highest quality ...But if the books you consider the highest quality aren't what stick with you, isn't it relevant to point that out? I'm sure my college Lit professors would prefer that Moby Dick or Kafka had stuck with me more than Deadpool, yet if we're charting influences, it's better to expose things that do or don't connect.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-21955445574586704422012-05-27T16:44:36.968-04:002012-05-27T16:44:36.968-04:00Are you considering writing one, Virginia?Are you considering writing one, Virginia?John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-91371718418996747722012-05-27T16:26:55.081-04:002012-05-27T16:26:55.081-04:00I would say if the influence is persistent then yo...I would say if the influence is persistent then you could count a book as sticking with you, since that influence is the aspect of if that remains with yourself. If you can trace something in your writing back to another work of fiction, then it's all the stronger.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-52021097614513014032012-05-27T16:09:02.528-04:002012-05-27T16:09:02.528-04:00Oh I love this list - I've read 7 of them whic...Oh I love this list - I've read 7 of them which ain't bad, and The Hobbit & Cry the Beloved Country might make my 15... <br /><br />I also love the Book of Job's inclusion & your reasons are spot on.<br /><br />Brilliant.Virginia Moffatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12071059148315715405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-134152259796375412012-05-27T15:57:05.550-04:002012-05-27T15:57:05.550-04:00I love numbers 2 & 3. Haven't read the re...I love numbers 2 & 3. Haven't read the rest, apart from Homer. Is there a difference between books that stay with you and books that influence you as a writer? I'm asking because I don't know. <br /><br />Marc NashSulci Collectivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03293833259808943096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-45882948276142203632012-05-27T12:53:21.384-04:002012-05-27T12:53:21.384-04:00I'm intrigued by the Shirley Jackson now, sinc...I'm intrigued by the Shirley Jackson now, since you give it such high marks on dialogue. Several of these are on my to read list, and I think I'll add Twain's Adam & Eve book too. <br /><br />I agree with you on Job. It's not only one of my favorite parts of the Bible, but one of my favorite books period.<br /><br />Haven't read the Solzhenitsyn; if it's even half as good as the film, then it must be an incredible book.Mark Kerstetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13307987573435067415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-13745700304280826322012-05-27T11:33:41.155-04:002012-05-27T11:33:41.155-04:00I love that you did this. I've actually never ...I love that you did this. I've actually never read any of these books (well, pieces of Job of course), but I love getting the background into why you chose each one. Books mean so many things to so many people and it's nice to get a peak at what stood out for you with each of these. I'll have to try to put my list together with explanations, although I'm sure they won't be nearly as articulate as yours. Thanks for sharing your list.Danielle La Pagliahttp://www.daniellelapaglia.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-91306527632344128202012-05-27T11:31:04.955-04:002012-05-27T11:31:04.955-04:00I like your eclectic list. Maybe I'll do a per...I like your eclectic list. Maybe I'll do a personal list on my blog soon. For now, I'd mention The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M. T. Anderson. This one won the Newberry Award as the best young adult novel a couple of years back but there is nothing 'young adult' about it. It is a historical novel about a slave during the American revolution. A masterpiece. Lyrical, thematically rich, suspenseful, heartbreaking. One of the best novels I've ever read and, despite the awards, hasn't received its due.robert bucchianerihttp://www.robertbucchianeri.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-42120932188981560072012-05-27T11:15:19.767-04:002012-05-27T11:15:19.767-04:00I'm always stumped when asked to list my favor...I'm always stumped when asked to list my favorite anything. I don't think the best books stick in my head so much as they stick in my life, if that makes sense. Some great pics here, John. I especially like <em>We Have Always Lived In the Castle</em>.Lauritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03688820247531607677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-47939874567685670452012-05-27T11:10:18.136-04:002012-05-27T11:10:18.136-04:00What I find interesting when I try to think of boo...What I find interesting when I try to think of books for a list like this, what comes to my mind readily mostly aren't books, but characters from series. (Discworld's Vimes, for example.)Anke Wehnerhttp://ankewehner.denoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-16886272232595023122012-05-27T09:58:57.165-04:002012-05-27T09:58:57.165-04:00Interesting choices, John! I'm interested espe...Interesting choices, John! I'm interested especially in some of the ones that I hadn't heard before, like the comic - which sounds awesome btw. I was never a big comic person, with the exception of reprints of some of the 50's Horror comics (Tales from the Crypt?). They read like horror flash, no series or cliffhanger endings, like episodes of The Twilight Zone. I loved them. And later, of course, I read the graphic novel of The Watchmen. <br /><br />I really like that you explained your choices. I honestly didn't think to do that because so many of them are so well known that I just didn't think they needed an explanation, but I guess that was just lazy thinking on my part. I might steal... uh, BORROW your idea to explain them for a post or a podcast. ;) Plus, there were several that I just didnt' think of off the top of my head, but given a few extra minutes I was kicking myself for not listing them because they were so OBVIOUSLY books I refer to on a daily basis!<br /><br />Thank you for sharing your choices. I'm going to be looking for that comic! And I love that you listed Mark Twain. He's one of my favorite authors as well.Cat Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160039271069426174noreply@blogger.com