pickIt seems either one loves or hates Rushdie, with no grey. This is a contemporary twist on "1,001 Arabian Nights", complete with satirical current-event commentary. An inter-dimensional crack between Earth & the djinns' world leads to war. The prose is variegated, flowing, exquisite, but difficult. Humorous, imaginative, sartorial, indelible, fun! Pair with: Capt. Morgan Black Spiced Rum w/ Coke Vanilla, on the rocks (such a perfect drink combo!).
Candidceillie I couldn't get into this one, but I'm glad you liked it! 8y
Merethebookgal Yeah, I keep hearing very different opinions on this one. Great photo! 8y
Yournewfriendsams I couldn't get down with the book, but would be down with that drank 🙌🏽 8y
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tricours I have to try that drink combo. 8y
Crash This time I'll skip the book and have some Captain... Nice picture. 8y
OSChamberlain Love Rushdie. Gotta read this one. 8y
MrBook @Candidceillie @Yournewfriendsams @Crash Have you, by chance, tried any of his other books? (I haven't yet.) To be honest, I find it head-scratchingly interesting he's so polarizing. It's not just what he writes, but how he writes it too. I've made this a selection at two of my bookclubs, one of 20/30-somethings & the their mostly 50/60-somethings--both times, half loved it, half hated it. Intriguing. Any insights? Love to know your thoughts. 😊 8y
MrBook Their = other 🙄 (silly phone keyboard) 8y
MrBook @Merethebookgal Thank you 😊! This may make for an interesting podcast discussion down the road. I asked the other commenters for their insights. It's an interesting discussion. Rushdie is so prominent on the biblio-stage of contemporary authors, yet he's so dividing, especially with us hardcore readers. 8y
MrBook @Yournewfriendsams @tricours @Crash I hope you enjoy the drink combo! I think it's the mixture of spices and flavorings that makes it a favorite of mine 😊. 8y
aeeklund Rushdie's books are always so interesting to discuss. I absolutely loved this one (and am a Rushdie fan), but often find that my favorites of his books are not the ones usually considered his "best" or "must reads." 8y
MrBook @OSChamberlain This is my first Rushdie foray, so I can't contextualize it with his other works. Sorry 😕. He's on my TBR though....somewhere, lol. 8y
MrBook @aeeklund They have spurred great and lengthy discussions in my bookclubs, which a good book will do, right? 😊👍🏻 8y
OSChamberlain Haroun and the sea of stories was my first. Read it in my children's lit course. It's wonderful.![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png)
Haroun and the Sea of Stories 8y
Haroun and the Sea of StoriesDesha I have Rushdie's Midnight's Children on my TBR... He's a fascinating person. I decided to do some background research before starting it...📚😊📚 8y
Crash @MrBook I have tried reading a few of his books and I can't get into them, maybe it's me because his books are highly rated. I'm more of a Jack Daniels gal but now and then I do like a spicy rum. 8y
katedensen Spot-on re: reader perception of Rushdie. Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with him. Actually saw him speak during my freshman year of college--the "freshman book" wasShalimar the Clown 8y
Shalimar the Clowntricours @MrBook I absolutely hate whiskey & coke, it's an abomination and a good way to ruin perfectly fine whiskey, BUT I think rum (which is already sweeter to begin with) and vanilla combined with the coke might just work! 8y
MrBook @OSChamberlain @Desha Yes! His titles for the younger seem to do much better 😊. @Crash I'm with you on that 😁👍🏻👏🏻! @katedfisher Lucky you 😁👌🏻! So what do you love about him and hate about him (although hate may be too strong of a word, lol)? 8y
MrBook @tricours I concur wholeheartedly 😁! When it comes to the higher-caliber whiskeys and bourbons, I don't even usually add the rocks. Regular Jack is so ubiquitous, I'll mix it with coke (never Pepsi, I've learned). And when it comes to run, while I like it straight, my palate falls more in line with others' in the spirit of experimentation based upon the spice factor 😊. Now, something I can never handle straight: Sambuca. It's the anise, I think. 8y
MrBook @tricours run = rum 8y
Spiderfelt In order to appreciate Rushdie you need to understand his background. He is clearly well-educated and a product of his environment and upbringing. The first third of Joseph Anton, his autobiography, brings this to light. That said, I read 5 of his books before reading JA, and I didn't finish it because ultimately he repelled me as a person. Both Haroun and Luka are brilliant fables, funny, witty and endlessly imaginative. My first, and favorite isEnchantress of Florence 8y
Enchantress of FlorenceSpiderfelt I loved this book, for the same reason I loved Haroun and Luka. It seems he has written an uber-fable, an origin myth that explains the cause for the fractious philosophical disagreement threatening to tear apart our world. I think it is brilliant. 8y
MrBook @Spiderfelt I find his writing brilliant as well. And he's so well-spoken in interviews, his insights and articulations are on a higher plane for me. And, you touch upon another interesting topic: does an author's/artist's/etc. persona proportionally link to his/her works--can one separate and enjoy for itself the created from the creator, or are the two attached for enjoyment purposes? Comes up in a lot of book club discussions 😊. 8y
tricours @MrBook Now I think I must pour myself a whiskey 😋 Vanilla Coke isn't very common here, so fancy drinks will just have to wait until I stumble across it! 8y
MrBook @tricours Bottoms up 😎👍🏻! It's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world 😉👌🏻. 8y
Candidceillie @MrBook - I haven't. I just got bored reading this one when I tried as an ARC . The premise was interesting, it just didn't quite work for me. 8y
ValerieAndBooks Rushdie is one of those authors for which I keep saying "Someday"! Yes, someday I'll read him... 8y
Bookworm-Bobbie I struggled with this and had to bail, as I've done with some of his other works. Never tried adding alcohol to the mix though...maybe you're on to something @MrBook 8y
Laalaleighh @MrBook my copy of this is nothing but dog-ears! There was a part, in the prologue where it talks about Rushdi "taking history with him" when he left Dunia so the story of her life became a "stuttering line, it's letters dissolving into meaningless forms, incapable of revealing how long she lived, or how, or where... or when and how -or if- she died." that really got me.The plot is a little crazy much sometimes, but so much insight in the writing! 8y
MrBook @Candidceillie Boredom set in with @BookBabe too 😊👍🏻. The premise is definitely unique, and I do think he could have made it much more palatable to more people if he had changed some things 😎👌🏻. I like the way you think 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! @ValerieAndBooks 😂👍🏻 At least he's on your TBR 😊👏🏻! @Bookworm-Bobbie 😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻! 8y
MrBook @Laalaleighh 😁👏🏻👍🏻👌🏻! As always, we're on the same page. Good thing I didn't have a highlighter with me, most of the book would have been turned yellow, lol! 8y
Laalaleighh @MrBook Samesies. I actually started dog-earing pages because ain't nobody got time to pull out a highlighter every four paragraphs when there's over 100 books sitting on your physical TBR shelf/floor and over 1000 in your virtual one!! It does still sit by when I read though, just in case something is so so so amazing a dog-ear simply won't do. (Also, I highlight in light blue because yellow still reminds me of textbooks). 8y
LeahBergen I love Rushdie! I saw him on his tour for this book and he is the most incredible speaker. Swoon 😍 8y
katedensen I think love/hate was a hyperbolic assessment that seemed like an easier way of saying "complicated." I remember reading East, West my junior year of high school and feeling very precocious (actuality: pretentious & pompous). I was also disappointed by Shalimar and my classmates' lack of enthusiasm to see and meet Rushdie.East, West: Stories 8y
East, West: StoriesMrBook @Laalaleighh 😂👏🏻 Sounds like me a @BookBabe 's TBR! Oh, we have different colored highlighters for the same reason 😎👍🏻👌🏻. @LeahBergen 😆😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻!!! You never fail to amaze me! #KindredSpiritsRUs @katedfisher You are another #KindredSpiritRUs 😁👍🏻! I always wound up seeing authors all by myself until @BookBabe came along 😁. I get called pretentious and pompous as well with my vocabulary. A strength with words demoralizes others 8y
katedensen Re: pomp and pretension and big words: https://katedfisher.tumblr.com/post/134274155103/people-laugh-at-me-because-i-us... 8y
MrBook 😁😁😁👌🏻👏🏻 nice @katedfisher ! @BookBabe , are you on Tumblr? 8y
GatheringBooks received this book for christmas. look forward to reading it soon. 8y
MrBook @GatheringBooks I hope you like it! Interested to know your thoughts when finished 😊👍🏻. 8y
Lua_azul Oh man! I loved that book 8y
MrBook @Lua_azul 😁👍🏻 8y
SheilaChew Perfect drink combo for that book! Cheers! 8y
MrBook @SheilaChew Thank you 😊! I think deeply about my pairings, and usually conduct trials along the book's length until I come upon one that's juuussst right 👌🏻. 8y