Still Life With Woodpecker

Subject: Still Life With Woodpecker Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:53 pm

Okay, so we slacked off a month, but I think in view of all the months we've read more than one book it's okay. I'm actually reading quite a lot, but sadly nothing on our book club docket. Tomorrow I plan on getting this book. So without further ado, the book for September, as picked by Mandy, is Still Life With Woodpecker by Tim Robbins. Here's a quick synopsis I stole off Wiki:

Quote :

Still Life With Woodpecker (1980) is the third novel by Tom Robbins, concerning the love affair between an environmentalist princess and an outlaw. As with most of Robbins' books, it encompasses a broad range of topics, from aliens and redheads to consumerism, the building of bombs, romance, royalty, the moon, and a pack of Camels.

Okay, book club members, get reading!!!

Subject: Re: Still Life With Woodpecker Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:53 pm

Okay, since getting back from vacation and quitting my 2nd job, moolah has been a little tight. So I didn't want to spend the money on this book since I'm not sure I'll like it... so I downloaded it off of pirate bay... I'd feel more guilty, but I couldn't find a copy at the library or on Bookswim so... lol. I'll probably buy a copy someday at the used bookstore, but I didn't want to wait 8 years for a used copy from Amazon.

Subject: Re: Still Life With Woodpecker Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:12 am

Okay, this was a strange book, made all the more strange by the fact that I read it on the computer in simple text form that had weird spaces and on occasion, strange bursts of nonsense keys...

Still Life With Woodpecker reminded me, at least style wise, of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. It was strange and at times also reminded me of our Lux the Poet writer Martin Millar. The characters were over the top, the situations soap opera-ish, but entertaining.

There were lots of wonderful sentences in the book that tickled me and caught my attention. Woodpecker's Yum mantra reminded be of the popular Web slang trend going on with the word Nom (the sound you make when eating something delicious like Cookie Monster scarfing down a plate of particularly tasty cookies, it especially is used to apply towards hotties like Alexander Skarsgard- he is totally nom nom). I liked that even though Woodpecker was an outlaw, he wasn't necessarily a criminal- and our society loves a bad boy in the ultimate service of good. I like mine in pairs- like in Book Dock Saints, but I digress.

Reading this book felt like reading a series of contradictions, because it was so random, yet made sense... it kept me reading once I got into the book- which was fairly early on. I'm definitely going to buy this book when I get my Kindle someday. While I enjoyed the book, it doesn't rate space on my over crowded book shelves. It won't be immediately, but I'll eventually read another book by Robbins- most likely Even Cowgirls Get The Blues.

Thanks, Mandy, for this quirky book selection!

Midnighter Posts : 101 Join date : 2008-07-14

Agree on the Skarsgard. There's a great facebook group that follows him, and even has contact with him. I am semi seriously considering a trip to Louisiana where he's filming a movie now. The Yum thing has stuck with me too. It took me a while to get into the book, but overall, I think I liked it. It was definitely different. It's so funny that you mentioned BoonDock Saints, since I watched it for the 1st time 2 days ago. I liked it more than I thought, I don't always like Tarrantino movies. Here's a link for an awesome pulp fiction shirt (a movie I have a hard time watching due to a particular Ving Rhames scene)

shirt

» The Secret Life Of Bees