Dirty White Boys - Punked or a Bunch of Odells on Here? (spoiler replies?)

[The_Wippuh]

I know, I know, there's a thread for books on here already.  I feel that I have to get this out to the masses so that we can discuss this 'book'.

I cannot decide if I was punked by all of the posters in the book thread telling me how great this book was or if there's nothing more than a bunch of folks on the mental level of Odell that really think it is a great book.  Hell, the Amazon reviews LOVE this book and I just don't get it.

Pros
- Some really strong and dynamic characters.  Lamar, Odell and Richard are pretty much the only reason I finished, that and wanting to see how the crap show would end.
- Nothing else.

Cons
- Stephen Hunter is not a good author.  I remember seeing Shooter on a movie channel with my wife and it was TERRIBLE.  I didn't know it was based on a book, because I thought no one could write that poorly, I just thought it was a terrible director and script.  No sir, after reading DWB, I feel like Shooter was a masterpiece.
- Bud, Holly, their family and everyone else reads flat and stale.  Nothing interesting about them at all.
- The way the author addresses the affairs in the book is just insane.  You've got to be able to suspend belief while reading, but if you can find 10 women that would act like Holly, Jen and the Stepford wife, I would be amazed.  "Sorry".  "It's ok".  Awful.
- The last two scenes in the book may be the most clichéd things I've ever read.  Everyone was talking about how hilarious the book was.  To me, the only things I laughed at, were these two passages. 

If you like violence and want to read an author that can command your imagination, go read Blood Meridian.  Don't waste your time with this soap opera/pulp bullshit.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being CBS' wizard cap and 1 being Jamies Winston's speeches in Communications class, this book gets a solid 3, and only because Lamar figures he's worth 4 or 5 by himself.

[The Tonya Harding of Twitter Users Creep]

maybe put spoilers in the title, cuz theyre comin. im about 40% through the book so far.

[Boom Roasted]

Interesting, i might have to check out this book you say is tons better.  What else would you rate as a 10?  I thought DWB was quite entertaining 

[Pete]

I cannot decide if I was punked by all of the posters in the book thread telling me how great this book was or if there's nothing more than a bunch of folks on the mental level of Odell that really think it is a great book.  Hell, the Amazon reviews LOVE this book and I just don't get it.

What's to rough ridin' "get?"  It's a god damn gun battle romp through white trash america.  You can run off and deconstruct this literature if you want, and maybe figure out how the pistol was a recurring Christ figure, meanwhile I'll be drinking a glass of wine and enjoying crap out of myself as I read this book like everyone else.

Amazon has it at 4.5 out of 5 stars, with Goodreads.com has it rated at 4 out of 5 stars.  Barnes and Noble has it at 4 out of 5 stars.  Entertainment Weekly rates it an "A-", People said "Hunter scores big with this testosterone-laden sixth thriller."  Tony Kornheiser famously told his listening audience that he'd refund them the book price if they read it and didn't like it, you should call him.

It's cool man, you don't like that genre.  I get it.  You know who I don't like?  Danielle Steel, can't stand that crap.  But you know what?  Loads of people made her the 4th best selling non-fiction author of all time, but not my bag.....I don't get it, but there's really nothing "get" except preferences I guess.

[Mr Bread]

Interesting, i might have to check out this book you say is tons better.  What else would you rate as a 10?  I thought DWB was quite entertaining 

I've read Blood Meridian.  I haven't read DWB.  I would like to hear The_Wippuh explain what he likes about Blood Meridian without using generic dumbfuckery such as it "commands your imagination." 

[The_Wippuh]

Interesting, i might have to check out this book you say is tons better.  What else would you rate as a 10?  I thought DWB was quite entertaining 

I've read Blood Meridian.  I haven't read DWB.  I would like to hear The_Wippuh explain what he likes about Blood Meridian without using generic dumbfuckery such as it "commands your imagination."

A bunch of Odells it is then.  I get it, I've gone back to read some stuff I hadn't touched in 20 years, yet remembered fondly and it was garbage. 

As for "commands your imagination", if you've truly read Blood Meridian then you know what an incredible author McCarthy is.  His command of the English language is masterful.  He just doesn't tell a story through words, he evokes emotion and lets your mind interpret.  Hunter's novel comes off as a poor creative writing class exercise.  It's point A, point B, point C, paint by number stuff.  McCarthy is out there painting impressionism masterpieces.  Violent and depraved ones at that.  Lamarr may be a badass, but the Judge in Blood Meridian is much more terrifying to me.

As for other good authors, books I consider 10s...

Martin of course, he's great sci fi/fantasy.  There's a reason his books are having such success on tv while Shooter may go down as one of the worst of all time.

Wheelan, the author of Naked Economics is a great author, without being masterful with words.  The guy can get you excited about economics!?!

The guys that wrote Death to the BCS, great stuff.

Jon Krakauer with Into the Wild and Into Thin Air has written some really great looks into Mount Everest and a kid's life and how he ended up dead in Alaska.

The classics like White Fang by London, The Cantebury Tales, etc...

Pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman.  Adult fairy tales imo.

[The1BigWillie]

Interesting, i might have to check out this book you say is tons better.  What else would you rate as a 10?  I thought DWB was quite entertaining 

I've read Blood Meridian.  I haven't read DWB.  I would like to hear The_Wippuh explain what he likes about Blood Meridian without using generic dumbfuckery such as it "commands your imagination."

A bunch of Odells it is then.  I get it, I've gone back to read some stuff I hadn't touched in 20 years, yet remembered fondly and it was garbage. 

As for "commands your imagination", if you've truly read Blood Meridian then you know what an incredible author McCarthy is.  His command of the English language is masterful.  He just doesn't tell a story through words, he evokes emotion and lets your mind interpret.  Hunter's novel comes off as a poor creative writing class exercise.  It's point A, point B, point C, paint by number stuff.  McCarthy is out there painting impressionism masterpieces.  Violent and depraved ones at that.  Lamarr may be a badass, but the Judge in Blood Meridian is much more terrifying to me.

As for other good authors, books I consider 10s...

Martin of course, he's great sci fi/fantasy.  There's a reason his books are having such success on tv while Shooter may go down as one of the worst of all time.

Wheelan, the author of Naked Economics is a great author, without being masterful with words.  The guy can get you excited about economics!?!

The guys that wrote Death to the BCS, great stuff.

Jon Krakauer with Into the Wild and Into Thin Air has written some really great looks into Mount Everest and a kid's life and how he ended up dead in Alaska.

The classics like White Fang by London, The Cantebury Tales, etc...

Pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman.  Adult fairy tales imo.

The Whippuh and I are on the same page. Obviously on another level.  I loved Into Thin Air and Into the Wild.  Where Men Win Glory was a little slower read.  Didn't care for it as much.  Esquire as an excellent list of books every man should read.  http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/80-books#slide-1

[Pete]

Well, we should definitely consider changing this thread title to "dork egg head books that do not kick any ass at all but make you 'reflect on life' and other horrible crap that I don't want to waste my time on - OFFICIAL THREAD - With spoilers!"

[Mr Bread]

Interesting, i might have to check out this book you say is tons better.  What else would you rate as a 10?  I thought DWB was quite entertaining 

I've read Blood Meridian.  I haven't read DWB.  I would like to hear The_Wippuh explain what he likes about Blood Meridian without using generic dumbfuckery such as it "commands your imagination."

A bunch of Odells it is then.  I get it, I've gone back to read some stuff I hadn't touched in 20 years, yet remembered fondly and it was garbage. 

As for "commands your imagination", if you've truly read Blood Meridian then you know what an incredible author McCarthy is.  His command of the English language is masterful.  He just doesn't tell a story through words, he evokes emotion and lets your mind interpret.  Hunter's novel comes off as a poor creative writing class exercise.  It's point A, point B, point C, paint by number stuff.  McCarthy is out there painting impressionism masterpieces.  Violent and depraved ones at that.  Lamarr may be a badass, but the Judge in Blood Meridian is much more terrifying to me.

As for other good authors, books I consider 10s...

Martin of course, he's great sci fi/fantasy.  There's a reason his books are having such success on tv while Shooter may go down as one of the worst of all time.

Wheelan, the author of Naked Economics is a great author, without being masterful with words.  The guy can get you excited about economics!?!

The guys that wrote Death to the BCS, great stuff.

Jon Krakauer with Into the Wild and Into Thin Air has written some really great looks into Mount Everest and a kid's life and how he ended up dead in Alaska.

The classics like White Fang by London, The Cantebury Tales, etc...

Pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman.  Adult fairy tales imo.

I already said that I haven't read DWB, so the fact that you think it's crap isn't a reason Blood Meridian is good.  You only think Blood Meridian is good because you've seen where an assload of people much smarter than you have proclaimed it an all-time great. 

This is a rough ridin' joke: "He just doesn't tell a story through words, he evokes emotion and lets your mind interpret."  If he's evoking emotions, then he's doing it through words you incredible shitbrained dumbfuck.  It's a rough ridin' book. 

I'll give you that he's a wordsmith.  He writes huge run-on sentences and then sometimes tiny little non-sentences.  Beautiful, biblical type prose.  All very dramatic and grand and profound.  Pseudo-intellectual posers love to slurp his male genitals about it to sound smart. 

There is zero rough ridin' character development in Blood Meridian.  The Judge is essentially a mythical creature, not a man.  Certainly interesting, but not scary, not really.  There isn't a plot to speak of; it's largely disjointed and surreal.    It just sort trips to an ending.  Blood Meridian was a nonstop orgy of violence dressed up as deeper meaning.  I enjoyed it for what it was. 

[Mr Bread]

Oh I also recently read American Gods by Gaimon and it was nothing special.  I wouldn't recommend it. 

[slobber]

It is entertaining when bread decides to set crap straight.


Gonna win 'em all!

[The_Wippuh]

I already said that I haven't read DWB, so the fact that you think it's crap isn't a reason Blood Meridian is good.  You only think Blood Meridian is good because you've seen where an assload of people much smarter than you have proclaimed it an all-time great. 

This is a rough ridin' joke: "He just doesn't tell a story through words, he evokes emotion and lets your mind interpret."  If he's evoking emotions, then he's doing it through words you incredible shitbrained dumbfuck.  It's a rough ridin' book. 

I'll give you that he's a wordsmith.  He writes huge run-on sentences and then sometimes tiny little non-sentences.  Beautiful, biblical type prose.  All very dramatic and grand and profound.  Pseudo-intellectual posers love to slurp his crock about it to sound smart. 

There is zero rough ridin' character development in Blood Meridian.  The Judge is essentially a mythical creature, not a man.  Certainly interesting, but not scary, not really.  There isn't a plot to speak of; it's largely disjointed and surreal.    It just sort trips to an ending.  Blood Meridian was a nonstop orgy of violence dressed up as deeper meaning.  I enjoyed it for what it was.

You have some real anger issues Mr. Bread.  Could you please tell me how I should quantify something as good?  I mean, if I like it and others like it, should I hate it?  Should I just go around on the internet and hate on stuff like Blood Meridian, Kind of Blue and Shawshank Redemption because everyone likes them, so surely they must suck?

I'm sorry I'm in your head so much, I'd advise you to buy some jeans that aren't so skinny and take off those black rimmed glasses, it's affecting the blood flow to your head and you're making yourself look a fool.  It's ok to like stuff that others believe is good. 

[cDubya]

Into the Wild was a rite of passage in my division onboard. Some really cool memories for me when I think of that book.

[pissclams]

reading books.  what is reading books?  a book is nothing more than a collection of words.  well guess what you book worms, i read a dozen books today by reading the internet.  and what a great bunch of books they were too.  data.  formulas.  information.  think about it and get back to me.

/thread

[Sandstone Outcropping]

I already said that I haven't read DWB, so the fact that you think it's crap isn't a reason Blood Meridian is good.  You only think Blood Meridian is good because you've seen where an assload of people much smarter than you have proclaimed it an all-time great. 

This is a rough ridin' joke: "He just doesn't tell a story through words, he evokes emotion and lets your mind interpret."  If he's evoking emotions, then he's doing it through words you incredible shitbrained dumbfuck.  It's a rough ridin' book. 

I'll give you that he's a wordsmith.  He writes huge run-on sentences and then sometimes tiny little non-sentences.  Beautiful, biblical type prose.  All very dramatic and grand and profound.  Pseudo-intellectual posers love to slurp his crock about it to sound smart. 

There is zero rough ridin' character development in Blood Meridian.  The Judge is essentially a mythical creature, not a man.  Certainly interesting, but not scary, not really.  There isn't a plot to speak of; it's largely disjointed and surreal.    It just sort trips to an ending.  Blood Meridian was a nonstop orgy of violence dressed up as deeper meaning.  I enjoyed it for what it was.

You have some real anger issues Mr. Bread.  Could you please tell me how I should quantify something as good?  I mean, if I like it and others like it, should I hate it?  Should I just go around on the internet and hate on stuff like Blood Meridian, Kind of Blue and Shawshank Redemption because everyone likes them, so surely they must suck?

I'm sorry I'm in your head so much, I'd advise you to buy some jeans that aren't so skinny and take off those black rimmed glasses, it's affecting the blood flow to your head and you're making yourself look a fool.  It's ok to like stuff that others believe is good.

More rumblings about a movie adaptation of _Blood Meridian_. I will believe it when I see it.

https://twitter.com/AmericanGwyn/status/1778416302387794261

[star seed 7]

Why even try?

[Rage Against the McKee]

Yeah, books that don't have plots really shouldn't be movies.

[Spracne]

Yeah, books that don't have plots really shouldn't be movies.

I enjoyed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.