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Pit Book/Discussion Thread

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort is a must read. Becoming a Scorsese/DiCaprio movie this fall.
 
The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort is a must read. Becoming a Scorsese/DiCaprio movie this fall.

I really want to read this since I'm a big fan of Wall Street stuff. It's very poorly reviewed on Amazon though which gives me pause. I'm reading "The Buy Side" right now which is pretty good.
 
Has anyone attempted to read a book in its native language (that isn't your first language), and how did it go for you?

I've been thinking about trying to tackle One Hundred Years of Solitude in Spanish someday as a goal, but as of now I'm just an intermediate reader at best. I can read short stories and short articles with a moderate degree of comfort. I'd definitely like to get back into it and practice more, but I'm probably not ready for something as complex as a novel like that.

Maybe a longshot question, but any recommendations for a less intimidating Spanish-language novel?
 
I really want to read this since I'm a big fan of Wall Street stuff. It's very poorly reviewed on Amazon though which gives me pause. I'm reading "The Buy Side" right now which is pretty good.

My guess is those poor reviews stem from how vulgar and provocative the book is. If you're interested in Wall Street, it's a page turner. 500+ pages, finished in a week.
 
Has anyone attempted to read a book in its native language (that isn't your first language), and how did it go for you?

I've been thinking about trying to tackle One Hundred Years of Solitude in Spanish someday as a goal, but as of now I'm just an intermediate reader at best. I can read short stories and short articles with a moderate degree of comfort. I'd definitely like to get back into it and practice more, but I'm probably not ready for something as complex as a novel like that.

Maybe a longshot question, but any recommendations for a less intimidating Spanish-language novel?

Read a ton in german. Just like English the good literature tends to be tough (and what you read in school learning the language). Typically the same types of books that are easy in English are easy in foreign languages ( mysteries etc).
 
Been on a run of Bukowski lately:

Post Office
Ham on Rye
Hollywood

I think Post Office is my favorite of everything I've read of him. Just absolutely hilarious stuff. Henry Chinaski is a great American hero.

Also Tales of Ordinary Madness is just a wonderfully entertaining shitter read.
 
I really want to read this since I'm a big fan of Wall Street stuff. It's very poorly reviewed on Amazon though which gives me pause. I'm reading "The Buy Side" right now which is pretty good.

Following up since I just finished The Buy Side. The first 1/3 or so is kind of standard foundation with his start on Wall Street. The rest is really, really intense though. Terrific, brutally honest autobiographical story.
 
I recently read The Crying of Lot 49 and am about to get into Gravity's Rainbow. I liked Pynchon's style and the story was pretty interesting for what it was. I'm excited to jump into Rainbow.
 
Numbers you should read Scott Turow's "One L". Really entertaining and a bit dated but still relevant for lawyers-to-be. If you can't find a copy you can borrow mine when I get up there.
 
I recently read The Crying of Lot 49 and am about to get into Gravity's Rainbow. I liked Pynchon's style and the story was pretty interesting for what it was. I'm excited to jump into Rainbow.

Good luck. Take notes.
 
Just finished these two:

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Such amazing prose.

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One of the most unique books I've ever read. Really fast, easy read, and a nice mix of fantasy, technology, politics, culture, religion, and storytelling.

And I'm working on this one:

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Slow to start, but pretty nice read so far.

while I reread this one:

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Absurdism.
 
NW was a really good read. I've definitely got White Teeth on my list of books to read soon.
 
townie, i think you could have good conversations w/ my coworker. zadie smith is her favorite, her book club is doign alif the unseen.
 
by now those books aren't especially new. i borrowed them from my gf, who got them for xmas, but they've been pretty awesome. i work on about an 8-12 month behind loop for most books. i typically buy something if a review catches my eye, and then don't get around to reading it for about 6 months.

but yes, your coworker appears to have impeccable taste :cool:
 
Have any of you read the prequel to Wool or the newly released finale? I read Shift over vacation and it was amazing. Dust came out on the seventeenth and I'm just getting into it.
 
I started Infinite Jest about 2 months ago, got about 75 pages into it, and then decided to take a new job and move...I think I need to start over once I get settled back down again. It definitely requires attentive reading (and reading the subtitles!) or you'll miss something.
 
None of these are especially intellectual literature, but at the beach last week I blew through these four books:

Where'd You Go Bernadette? - My mom recommended this and I enjoyed it. Takes place in Seattle and is a fairly quick, fun read about a daughter trying to figure out how her mother disappeared and where to. I know summer is almost over, but it is a good beach read.

Heads in Beds - I mentioned this in the tipping thread. I would describe it as the Kitchen Confidential of hotels. I thought it would actually get more into the hotel business than it does, but it has some interesting stories about the valet, bellman, housekeeping, and front desk portions of hotels (especially higher end places).

The Dinner - What a weird book. I read it described as "the European Gone Girl," and I can sort of see that comparison. The original is in Dutch and it takes place in Amsterdam. I don't want to get too into it for fear of giving something away, but would be curious if anyone else had read it and what they thought. Sort of disturbing.


Drop Dead Healthy
- Same author as The Year of Living Biblically and The Know It All. I enjoys his writing style and find him pretty funny. This is an interesting look at diets, exercise regimes, and other things people do in the name of "health."
 
Have any of you read the prequel to Wool or the newly released finale? I read Shift over vacation and it was amazing. Dust came out on the seventeenth and I'm just getting into it.

I have read all but the newest one. I think the returns are diminishing but I enjoy them all.
 
I'm about 100 pages into Light in August. It's WAY more accessible than The Sound and the Fury, and especially Absalom. It seems like the one to start with if you want to get into Faulkner but are turned off by his style (I found he's well worth the effort).
 
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