GFY Book Club - Place your votes - GoFuckYourself.com

Libertine · 08-26-2004, 06:55 AM

Let's hope that the worrying trend of diminishing interest doesn't continue in this thread

Here are the selected books, please vote for one of them by posting it's name in this thread. Please, only vote if you plan on participating in the book club thing.

Platform by Michel Houellebecq
A rather bleak love story about an emotionally empty man whose main - only? - interest is sex, this books features an excellent critique of modern society, western sexuality and the economic and cultural dichotomy between the western world and third world countries. Very controversial because of the sexual content and the way Islam is portrayed (Houellebecq actually got sued for insulting Islam).

The Plague by Albert Camus
An absolute masterpiece by a Nobel prize winning author, this story about a city which is struck by the plague is one of the main landmarks of French existentialism. It explores themes such as freedom, responsibility, human relations, death, love and religion, as well as the human condition as a whole.

Blindness by Jose Saramago.
- A disturbing story about an inexplicable plague of blindness striking a society and how those who are not yet effected deal with those who are and how those who are blinded and quarantined get along. Blindness is very intense and very interesting.

Positively Fifth Street by James McManus.
- A narrative by a reporter sent to Las Vegas by Harpers Magazine to cover the 2000 World Series of Poker and the trial of Sandra Murphy and Rick Tabish, accused of murdering (in a very twisted way) Ted Binion, owner of Binion's Horseshoe Casino. This story has weird sex, violence, gambling, buried silver bullion and more.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
- The story of Yossarian, soldier in a World War II bomber group, and his superiors, inferiors and peers, every last one of whom is crazy as a loon.

Watership Down by Richard Adams
- The story of a group of rabbits who strike out on a grand adventure.

The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick et al.
A book about social engineering and the security holes it can create.

Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami
A surreal coming-of-age tale.
Abandoned at birth in adjacent train station lockers, two troubled boys spend their youth in an orphanage and with foster parents on a semi-deserted island before finally setting off for the city to find and destroy the women who first rejected them. Both are drawn to an area of freaks and hustlers called Toxitown. One becomes a bisexual rock singer, star of this exotic demimonde, while the other, a pole vaulter, seeks his revenge in the company of his girlfriend, Anemone, a model who has converted her condominium into a tropical swamp for her pet crocodile.

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
In this, Thoreau explained his reasons for having refused to pay his taxes as an act of protest against slavery and against the Mexican War. The driving idea behind the essay was that of self-reliance, and how one is in morally good standing as long as they "get off another man's back"; so you don't have to physically fight the government, but you must not support it or have it support you (if you are against it). This essay has had a wide influence on many later practitioners of civil disobedience.

Wicked by Gregory MaGuire
A book which at first glance appears to be a simple Wizard of Oz story and is in reality a complex discussion of the deepest meanings of life.

Atlas Shrugged
Amazon: With this acclaimed work and its immortal query, "Who is John Galt?", Ayn Rand found the perfect artistic form to express her vision of existence. Atlas Shrugged made Rand not only one of the most popular novelists of the century, but one of its most influential thinkers.
Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world--and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged stretches the boundaries further than any book you have ever read. It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder--and rebirth--of man's spirit.
* Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides:
"In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls' school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry blond clasmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them--along with Callie's failure to develop--leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all."

The Known World by Edward P. Jones
"Henry Townsend, a black farmer, bootmaker, and former slave, has a fondness for Paradise Lost and an unusual mentor -- William Robbins, perhaps the most powerful man in antebellum Virginia's Manchester County. Under Robbins's tutelage, Henry becomes proprietor of his own plantation -- as well as of his own slaves."

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
"Traveling from India to New England and back again, the stories in this extraordinary debut collection unerringly chart the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers of nations and generations. Imbued with the sensual details of Indian culture"

Of Mice And Men - John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men is a novel by John Steinbeck written in 1937 which tells the story of George and Lennie, two of many men displaced by the Great Depression. Lennie is a large man with the mind of a child, and George is a small man with a quick wit. The title of the story refers to a line in "To a Mouse" by the Scottish poet Robert Burns.

kent_braincash · 08-26-2004, 07:58 AM

Platform

Never got round to it before, so it would be a good excuse

candyflip · 08-26-2004, 08:07 AM

I choose:

Porno - by Irvine Welsh

It's the sequel to Trainspotting. Good read.

Libertine · 08-26-2004, 08:30 AM

Oh, yeah, my vote goes to Platform.

nofx · 08-26-2004, 08:34 AM

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
- The story of Yossarian, soldier in a World War II bomber group, and his superiors, inferiors and peers, every last one of whom is crazy as a loon.

and

The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick et al.
A book about social engineering and the security holes it can create.

both catch my interest, cannot decide between the two.

KCat · 08-26-2004, 11:29 AM

In order of preference:

Positively Fifth Street by James McManus

The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick et al.

The Plague by Albert Camus

Libertine · 08-26-2004, 05:00 PM

Bump.

Oh, and please, only vote for 1 book. Only 1 vote will be counted.

Downtime · 08-26-2004, 05:07 PM

Didn't everyone have to read Of Mice and Men in high school? It's pretty good, but my vote goes to:

The Art of Decepetion - Kevin Mitnick

MissEve · 08-26-2004, 05:18 PM

Positively Fifth Street is really good and fun but definitely geared towards poker fans. Jim McManus ends up doing very well in the World Series of Poker and does a great job making poker hands funny and exciting. "Holy Shit, I peek down and see two black Queens, I look over at Jesus and he's raised the pot to $5,000" etc. It's not really the kind of book you want to discuss in a book club.

Middlesex is really good too but maybe not a lot to discuss .

Trixie · 08-26-2004, 05:52 PM

My vote's for Platform since it sounds the most relevant.

Libertine · 08-27-2004, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Trixie
My vote's for Platform since it sounds the most relevant.

It's a pretty good book and fairly suited for the industry. It might even give some of the people here some original new business plans

Libertine · 08-27-2004, 06:54 PM

Bump.

exposed · 08-27-2004, 08:12 PM

I don't know how to read?

exposed · 08-27-2004, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nofx
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
- The story of Yossarian, soldier in a World War II bomber group, and his superiors, inferiors and peers, every last one of whom is crazy as a loon.

and

The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick et al.
A book about social engineering and the security holes it can create.

both catch my interest, cannot decide between the two.

Mitnick

He is pretty cool I met him at Hope this year.

Libertine · 08-28-2004, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by exposed
I don't know how to read?

http://www.hop.com/

BT · 08-28-2004, 06:52 AM

Wicked by Gregory MaGuire
A book which at first glance appears to be a simple Wizard of Oz story and is in reality a complex discussion of the deepest meanings of life.

Libertine · 08-28-2004, 07:00 AM

Oh, yeah, any new suggestions will be used as suggestions for next time (if there is a next time).

Sarah_Jayne · 08-28-2004, 07:34 AM

great idea..I am in the middle of two books at the moment but if there is a next time I will jump in.

phogirl69 · 08-28-2004, 07:38 AM

Haven't read any of those books. When I used to read books many many years ago I loved reading Sydney Sheldon.

That's some good stuff!

Libertine · 09-02-2004, 03:54 PM

Bump.

MikeVega · 09-02-2004, 04:52 PM

B40 · 09-02-2004, 05:09 PM

I'll put in a vote for Positively Fifth Street by James McManus.

Trixie · 09-02-2004, 05:11 PM

I can't wait!

Libertine · 09-02-2004, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Trixie
I can't wait!

Well, interest has dropped quite a bit since the first thread, so it's kinda doubtful if the book club will actually come into existence.

08-26-2004, 06:55 AM	#1
Libertine sex dwarf Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 17,860	GFY Book Club - Place your votes Let's hope that the worrying trend of diminishing interest doesn't continue in this thread Here are the selected books, please vote for one of them by posting it's name in this thread. Please, only vote if you plan on participating in the book club thing. Platform by Michel Houellebecq A rather bleak love story about an emotionally empty man whose main - only? - interest is sex, this books features an excellent critique of modern society, western sexuality and the economic and cultural dichotomy between the western world and third world countries. Very controversial because of the sexual content and the way Islam is portrayed (Houellebecq actually got sued for insulting Islam). The Plague by Albert Camus An absolute masterpiece by a Nobel prize winning author, this story about a city which is struck by the plague is one of the main landmarks of French existentialism. It explores themes such as freedom, responsibility, human relations, death, love and religion, as well as the human condition as a whole. Blindness by Jose Saramago. - A disturbing story about an inexplicable plague of blindness striking a society and how those who are not yet effected deal with those who are and how those who are blinded and quarantined get along. Blindness is very intense and very interesting. Positively Fifth Street by James McManus. - A narrative by a reporter sent to Las Vegas by Harpers Magazine to cover the 2000 World Series of Poker and the trial of Sandra Murphy and Rick Tabish, accused of murdering (in a very twisted way) Ted Binion, owner of Binion's Horseshoe Casino. This story has weird sex, violence, gambling, buried silver bullion and more. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller - The story of Yossarian, soldier in a World War II bomber group, and his superiors, inferiors and peers, every last one of whom is crazy as a loon. Watership Down by Richard Adams - The story of a group of rabbits who strike out on a grand adventure. The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick et al. A book about social engineering and the security holes it can create. Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami A surreal coming-of-age tale. Abandoned at birth in adjacent train station lockers, two troubled boys spend their youth in an orphanage and with foster parents on a semi-deserted island before finally setting off for the city to find and destroy the women who first rejected them. Both are drawn to an area of freaks and hustlers called Toxitown. One becomes a bisexual rock singer, star of this exotic demimonde, while the other, a pole vaulter, seeks his revenge in the company of his girlfriend, Anemone, a model who has converted her condominium into a tropical swamp for her pet crocodile. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau In this, Thoreau explained his reasons for having refused to pay his taxes as an act of protest against slavery and against the Mexican War. The driving idea behind the essay was that of self-reliance, and how one is in morally good standing as long as they "get off another man's back"; so you don't have to physically fight the government, but you must not support it or have it support you (if you are against it). This essay has had a wide influence on many later practitioners of civil disobedience. Wicked by Gregory MaGuire A book which at first glance appears to be a simple Wizard of Oz story and is in reality a complex discussion of the deepest meanings of life. Atlas Shrugged Amazon: With this acclaimed work and its immortal query, "Who is John Galt?", Ayn Rand found the perfect artistic form to express her vision of existence. Atlas Shrugged made Rand not only one of the most popular novelists of the century, but one of its most influential thinkers. Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world--and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged stretches the boundaries further than any book you have ever read. It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder--and rebirth--of man's spirit. * Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: "In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls' school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry blond clasmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them--along with Callie's failure to develop--leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all." The Known World by Edward P. Jones "Henry Townsend, a black farmer, bootmaker, and former slave, has a fondness for Paradise Lost and an unusual mentor -- William Robbins, perhaps the most powerful man in antebellum Virginia's Manchester County. Under Robbins's tutelage, Henry becomes proprietor of his own plantation -- as well as of his own slaves." Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri "Traveling from India to New England and back again, the stories in this extraordinary debut collection unerringly chart the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers of nations and generations. Imbued with the sensual details of Indian culture" Of Mice And Men - John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men is a novel by John Steinbeck written in 1937 which tells the story of George and Lennie, two of many men displaced by the Great Depression. Lennie is a large man with the mind of a child, and George is a small man with a quick wit. The title of the story refers to a line in "To a Mouse" by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. __________________ /(bb\|[^b]{2})/

08-26-2004, 07:58 AM	#2
kent_braincash Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Montreal Posts: 15	Platform Never got round to it before, so it would be a good excuse __________________ kent - project manager - braincash [email protected] \| icq 274137356

08-26-2004, 08:07 AM	#3
candyflip Carpe Visio Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: New York Posts: 43,064	I choose: Porno - by Irvine Welsh It's the sequel to Trainspotting. Good read. __________________ Spend you some brain. Email Me

08-26-2004, 08:30 AM	#4
Libertine sex dwarf Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 17,860	Oh, yeah, my vote goes to Platform. __________________ /(bb\|[^b]{2})/

08-26-2004, 08:34 AM	#5
nofx Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Virgin Mary's womb Posts: 16,826	Catch 22 by Joseph Heller - The story of Yossarian, soldier in a World War II bomber group, and his superiors, inferiors and peers, every last one of whom is crazy as a loon. and The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick et al. A book about social engineering and the security holes it can create. both catch my interest, cannot decide between the two. __________________ Often times I wonder why There's love and hate, theres live or die. When sickness comes I must decide: When feelings go, theres suicide.

08-26-2004, 11:29 AM	#6
KCat Confirmed User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: PNW Posts: 2,204	In order of preference: Positively Fifth Street by James McManus The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick et al. The Plague by Albert Camus __________________ ~ 300+ FHGs, 100,000 pics to use plus a rockin' Video of the Day download! ~

08-26-2004, 05:00 PM	#7
Libertine sex dwarf Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 17,860	Bump. Oh, and please, only vote for 1 book. Only 1 vote will be counted. __________________ /(bb\|[^b]{2})/

08-26-2004, 05:07 PM	#8
Downtime Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: May 2004 Location: America. Posts: 7,320	Didn't everyone have to read Of Mice and Men in high school? It's pretty good, but my vote goes to: The Art of Decepetion - Kevin Mitnick __________________ #27024067

08-26-2004, 05:18 PM	#9
MissEve Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Anchorage, AK Posts: 583	Positively Fifth Street is really good and fun but definitely geared towards poker fans. Jim McManus ends up doing very well in the World Series of Poker and does a great job making poker hands funny and exciting. "Holy Shit, I peek down and see two black Queens, I look over at Jesus and he's raised the pot to $5,000" etc. It's not really the kind of book you want to discuss in a book club. Middlesex is really good too but maybe not a lot to discuss .

08-26-2004, 05:52 PM	#10
Trixie Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: near Seattle, WA Posts: 1,850	My vote's for Platform since it sounds the most relevant. __________________ WebWhoreBucks: Girls, a guy and a tranny -- unique indie porn!

08-27-2004, 06:54 PM	#12
Libertine sex dwarf Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 17,860	Bump. __________________ /(bb\|[^b]{2})/

08-27-2004, 08:12 PM	#13
exposed Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: unknown Posts: 1,449	I don't know how to read? __________________ "I felt victimized by the Ian Eisenbergs of the world" - Mary Burger

08-28-2004, 06:52 AM	#16
BT Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Ft liquordale FL Posts: 6,481	Wicked by Gregory MaGuire A book which at first glance appears to be a simple Wizard of Oz story and is in reality a complex discussion of the deepest meanings of life. __________________ IS Prime Hosting Bald Head Shine "BT" The American Dream, baby! " THE HOST WITH THE MOST!" My ICQ 122994792

08-28-2004, 07:00 AM	#17
Libertine sex dwarf Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 17,860	Oh, yeah, any new suggestions will be used as suggestions for next time (if there is a next time). __________________ /(bb\|[^b]{2})/

08-28-2004, 07:34 AM	#18
Sarah_Jayne Now with more Jayne Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 40,077	great idea..I am in the middle of two books at the moment but if there is a next time I will jump in.

08-28-2004, 07:38 AM	#19
phogirl69 Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 3,330	Haven't read any of those books. When I used to read books many many years ago I loved reading Sydney Sheldon. That's some good stuff!

09-02-2004, 03:54 PM	#20
Libertine sex dwarf Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 17,860	Bump. __________________ /(bb\|[^b]{2})/

09-02-2004, 04:52 PM	#21
MikeVega Porntrepreneur Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: New York Posts: 12,788	__________________ Mike Vega-ICQ:253868499-AIM:mikeydicevega

09-02-2004, 05:09 PM	#22
B40 Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 7,020	I'll put in a vote for Positively Fifth Street by James McManus. __________________

09-02-2004, 05:11 PM	#23
Trixie Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: near Seattle, WA Posts: 1,850	I can't wait! __________________ WebWhoreBucks: Girls, a guy and a tranny -- unique indie porn!