Book Club Review: Ask The Dust by John Fante

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Jules
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For November, our book club read Ask The Dust by John Fante.

Ask the Dust is a virtuoso performance by an influential master of the twentieth-century American novel. It is the story of Arturo Bandini, a young writer in 1930s Los Angeles who falls hard for the elusive, mocking, unstable Camilla Lopez, a Mexican waitress. Struggling to survive, he perseveres until, at last, his first novel is published. But the bright light of success is extinguished when Camilla has a nervous breakdown and disappears . . . and Bandini forever rejects the writer’s life he fought so hard to attain.

Apparently, there is a movie that none of us have seen yet, starring Colin Ferrell and Salma Hayek, with a plot that appears noticeably different than the novel.

Mostly serious comments about the book:

Ask The Dust by John Fante

Ask The Dust by John Fante

I will say that I completely recognize why this is a good book.

I mostly fantasized about killing Arturo Bandini; I had such rage for him.

It is really well-written. Any book that can make me that angry, not because it’s badly written, has to be good.

I started out thinking I would hate it. I ended up kind of liking it, I had to recognize that it was not just about him.

He was so young, so inexperienced.

The plot was sort of pointless.

The writing was really beautiful, but the character  . . . guys I dated in college. I did not want to revisit.

I liked the description of the creative process. Bit s and pieces, I liked.

I was with this man for 7 years. It was not until I left him I realized what an asshole he was. I alternated hating him and feeling sorry for him. For a moment, I sympathized, then he does something. . .  So autobiographical.

I would not read those other 3 books.

I didn’t hate him as much as the rest of you. I hated him at times, so vile at times.

I really wanted to understand his bizarre, compulsive behavior and why he treated Camilla like that.

It was masterfully written. I just wish he had used his skills for good.

I despised Arturo Bandini. He was an asshole of the very first water. At first, I was giving him slack cause he was 23, then I realized they just get more assholery as they get older.

I really liked the portrait f LA at that time. It was fascinating timeframe.

None of the characters were well-rounded; everyone had just one facet.

He was living the bohemian lifestyle, but judging everyone.

It was all the “Arturo Bandini show” in his head, monotonous.

He felt like a washed-up has-been to me not just starting out.

It felt very much like Jack Kerouac.

And he reminded me of Hemingway.

And this book made me think of East of Eden.

An exaggerated version of the characteristics that we all have. This isn’t like a realistic painting, it’s like an abstract painting.

When I saw that Charles Bukowski like it, I thought–it’ll be all drinking and hating women.

And now some random not-so-much book related comments:

We saw a horse with his schlong on the ground.

She looks like a shrunken kid.
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Posted on December 9, 2011 by meyoung
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mysterious paper sculpture

mysterious paper sculpture

We seem to be on a hiatus, huh? In the meantime, check this out. Absolutely beautiful and magical and happy, not to mention bookish!
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Book Club Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Jules
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In honor of Banned Books Week back in September, for October Book Club read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Mostly serious comments about the book:

I picked this book because it’s an all-time banned book, and it’s one of those classics I’ve always meant to read.

I could tell it was a short story padded out. There were still some questions unanswered.

I opened it and read through the whole thing, I just kept going.  I really liked it a lot. It had a lot of strengths, some weaknesses.

I never read it in school, I was happy to read it. I just couldn’t enjoy it. I was frustrated that there was a lot of “telling.”

I wasn’t in love with it, but there were definitely a lot of things I thought were timely.

The first time I read it, I was 12. If I was going to be a book, this is the one I’d be.

I adore Ray Bradbury.  I love this book.

I enjoyed the allegorical aspect.

As technology progresses, it becomes more true instead of less.

I was so excited to read it; I read it in junior high.  It was so despairing and heavy I thought do I have to read more?

I liked the imagery.

I wanted some parts of it fleshed out.

I was disappointed Millie didn’t remember [spoiler]. She was one-dimensional.

I never read it, wanted to read it.

It was good, well-written, good plot.  I just couldn’t get as connected to it as I would have liked.  I loved the ideas but it didn’t stay with me.

I loved it. Read right through it.  Bought a copy, I want my whole family to read it.  I want to spread it around.

I saw the allegory. I enjoyed it. One thing that bothered me, the 50s attitude as far as women were concerned.  He couldn’t envision a future where women were anything else.

It would have been awesome as a short story or as a novel.

There were beautiful images but no connections.

It didn’t grip me but I loved the conceit.


You may recall that I, Jules, read this book last December during our Book Club layoff. I did re-read it this month and had an interesting experience in that this time, I was aware of its faults as I wasn’t the first time I read it.  I do agree with many of the comments above.  I do believe it’s important, though, to read the Afterward and Coda form later editions.  Many of these issues are addressed there.  And, yes, it was originally a short story, The Fireman.

And, of course, this means that I can once again post one of my (and Tricia’s) fave videos (still hella NSFW):
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Book Club Review: Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Jules
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In September, Book Club read Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Comments related to the semi=serious discussion about the book:

I loved the romance, so sweet.  Lots of barriers, but, at the core, they just get each other.

I really loved it, loved the way the relationship unfolded. It seemed genuine, not just written.

A lot of racism, but it was people with the best intentions, unintentionally. People don’t realize they’re being racist.

The only bit I didn’t like was the property land grab. I felt it didn’t fit. I wanted to focus on the relationship. It didn’t gel, it felt like comedy.

I enjoyed reading it. I looked forward to picking it up. At times, I was annoyed by it and times I decided not to be annoyed and enjoy.

Some characters were not developed enough, like the son. I wanted more complexity not a caricature. Bringing in an American and the lord seemed contrived.

The characters seemed to have growth in spurts.

Roger was so predictably odious and obnoxious. People aren’t 100% anything.

It was a good book. I enjoyed it, didn’t love it. So sweet but not something I’ll always remember. It was fun. I laughed out loud.

I picked it. I was trying to get away–we’ve read so many science fiction, werewolves, ghosts, I wanted something else.

I liked the contrast, with the son and the American girlfriend, and the land grab, contrast old and new.

I picked it up and put it down 20 times. I spent the first 50 pages thinking this is some dry English-everybody’s walking around being hostile. . .  So, I changed tacks, I got the book from the library rather than read the e-book. I read a couple of pages at a time. I didn’t start caring for a while.

I didn’t read it. I set it down at 3%, 7% and 11%, finally I didn’t pick it up again. I just couldn’t care to the extent that it was annoying me.

Everybody’s sitting around having crazy racism tea parties.

The English people were just driving me crazy.

It had some really amazing writing.

I went through-not a love/hate-but I’m very plot-driven and this is character-driven.  Although, I did love some of the characters.

It reminded me of “Waiting for God”, the TV show.

I thought it was cute.

I liked that the author was honest about unintentional racism-not evil but systemic, the way you’re raised.

I was pleased with the ending, but also kinda bummed cause there was no twist.

I really loved it–all the details about the conversation.  I picked up little nuances that what they said didn’t really match who they were.

And now some random not-so-much book related comments:

It’s kind of pigpen-esque but really pretty.
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Book Club Review: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Jules
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Way behind in posting the Book Club Reviews. I haz shame face. So, here we go.  Way back in August, Book Club read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.  It was on many of our TBR lists and we had previously read The Time Traveler’s Wife.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Comments related to the semi-serious discussion about the book:

I liked Time Traveler’s Wife, so I picked the book.

I was annoyed at her. She researched the book and was living in Chicago, and then had Americans using Brit slang.

It was really beautiful, really interesting.

I may be too dumb to understand, it stands for something else, not just a ghost story.

All kinds of 2s.  Everything was in couples. Never a successful group of 3 or 1.

On the whole, I loved the book.

The second half felt more like Stephen King, more gimmicks.

What was the secret?  All of these things were totally telegraphed.

I set it down and walked away when [spoiler]. I disliked most of the characters.

I really felt the teenage aimlessness.

I wanted to know more about the cemetery.  Show us parts of the thesis. I felt there were more parts of the story that could have been told.

I’m usually very forgiving about books but I really hated this book.  This is the hokiest; it annoyed me. I didn’t like any of the characters.

I loved Martin and Marjike.

I don’t understand the twins’ connection.

I was totally buying all the ghost stuff up until [spoiler]. I regret it didn’t get more into the thesis.

It started down a lot of paths it didn’t follow through on.

I loved the way she juxtaposed Martin’s age and experience, in spite of his disability/illness, against Robert.

I liked this book a lot until the end. I like it even though I knew things were going to happen; I said no she won’t, yes she will, no . . . I wanted something more to happen.

I just adored Martin.

I loved the ghost story, how it played out.

I have weird mixed feelings.  I really hated it, was angry, but I would recommend it.  It’s a book that even though by the end, you don’t like anybody, it makes you think.  There’s not a single likable character except maybe Jessica and James and Martin.

I started out enjoying the  book.  I liked the way she wrote about relationships.  I ended up quitting disappointed. Too many gimmicks and each successive one was just told and not developed.

I almost felt like she wrote a great story and then the publisher rushed her at the end. Or that she wrote much more and pared it down.  The first half was literary exposition, the second half, crazy ghost.

–Was this written after Time Traveler’s Wife was made into a movie?
–ooo, it feels like it.

It was a little too V C Andrews for me.

Random, not-so-much book related comments:

–There’s no cake.
–It’s right behind you.
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Banned Books Week!

Posted on September 27, 2011 by meyoung
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Literary Sluts read banned books

I am a big fan of Salman Rushdie and I have Ayatollah Khomeini to thank for my discovery of him. I may have eventually discovered him through another means, but I bought Satanic Verses out of sheer curiosity and I struggled to get through it in part to protest the utter offensiveness of calling for the death of the author, and I’ve been a fan ever since. And I’m not alone. According to Wikipedia:

Although British bookseller W.H Smith sold “a mere hundred copies a week of the book in mid-January 1989″, it “flew off the shelves” following the fatwa. In America it sold an “unprecedented” five times more copies than the number two book, Star by Danielle Steele, selling more than 750,000 copies of the book by May 1989. B. Dalton, a bookstore chain that decided not to stock the book for security reasons, changed its mind when it found the book “was selling so fast that even as we tried to stop it, it was flying off the shelves.” Rushdie earned about $2 million within the first year of the book’s publication, and the book is Viking’s all-time best seller.

You can’t buy that kinda publicity!

Anyway, ironic thanks, AK. Thanks for introducing me to one of my favorite authors and thanks for showing that one of the worst ways to condemn a book is to ban it. And if it works for adults, can you imagine the effect it has on kids? If I had a bookstore I would prominently display the list of books most frequently banned or challenged right on the table with all those books.

The New York Times has more academic suggestions for how to think about the effect of banning books.
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Read it before seeing it?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by meyoung
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My 10-year old is dying to see the Harry Potter movies, and she’s seen the first three, but now that she’s started reading the series, she’s refused to see the others until she reads them first, which killed me this summer because I wanted to take her to see book 7, part 2. But, I totally get it because I used to feel that way, until I rushed to read Bridges of Madison County before I let myself watch Meryl Streep and Clint Eastman, who, as it turned out, did the book a service it didn’t deserve. By a long shot. Now, if it’s a book that I’ve been meaning to read anyway, I’ll hold off on the movie. Otherwise, bring on the popcorn.

The Atlantic lists some of the books-turned-movies due out this fall and lets you know which ones are worth reading first.
Tagged Posted in Book into movie, Bookish Thoughts