About Me

I'm Phil! American living in Japan. Teacher. Ex-independent professional wrestler. Student of Japanese. Traveler. Article writer for Mythic Scribes. Also written four manga, novels, and various short stories and poems. For my fantasy-related blog, check out http://www.philipoverbyfantasy.blogspot.jp/.

Categories

Drill Bits: random thoughts, bloggy stuff
Japan Hammer: topics about Japan
Story Time: stories I felt like posting

Monday, February 14, 2011

A Bunch of Books in a Bunch of Days-Book 1: Snuff by Chuck Palahnuik

WARNING: If you don't want to read about anything that might offend you, then go watch cat videos on Youtube or update your Facebook page or go play with your pet bird or something.

Did you leave yet? Oh, you're still here. Poor you.

I am doing this new thing where I am trying to read a bunch of books I have been hoarding. I have not read these books primarily because:

a. I am lazy
b. I am too busy doing other shit such as writing my own stuff for my own amusement and trying to produce a manga
c. I play too many video games

So in an effort to stop myself from showing up on the TV show "Hoarders" I have concocted a plan to rid myself of these bothersome books. Fahrenheit 451 style. I'm going to burn them.

But first I guess I'll read them. And memorize them. In case in a future lifetime, some poor soul wants to hear the story of Cassie Wright, who intends to break the record of the world's largest gang bang. "Well, sonny, sit down here by the fire and I will tell you this wondrous tale..."

The first book on my randomly chosen list is a book I just bought a week ago at the local Book Off (discount book chain in Japan). It was only 300 yen, so it was quite a buy! I am a pretty big fan of the author, Chuck Palahnuik, best known for Fight Club and Choke, both of which were made into movies of varying popularity. I have yet to read a book of his I didn't like, so I picked it up.

Snuff. The title itself kind of draws me into the old world of standing next to the dirty curtain of my local video store, peaking through to see if I could catch a glimpse of "something nasty." You know the place. And you know you looked. Maybe you even went in there. You did? Wow, gross. Well, with a world so slathered with death and porn, it is surprising more books like this haven't been written. And this book is literally about death and porn.

I have decided to not really review the books I am reading but just list some stuff that I thought was interesting or cool that happened. So there are mild spoilers ahead.

1. Lots of fake tan
2. Buffet of greasy snacks also caked in fake tan fingerprints
3. Various anecdotes about people throughout history that killed themselves or died in pursuit of some ideal version of themselves. The most interesting was a tale about Messalina, some Roman empress who moonlit as a whore just because she was a whore.
4. Marilyn Monroe liked to use the name Zelda Zonk to try to appear normal. Huh?
5. About everything you could imagine being said about graphic sex is mentioned. "But what about...?" Yes, that is mentioned too. "Even...?" Yep.
6. The phrase "pink ghost."
7. Ever wonder what porn actors and actresses think about? Now is your chance, I guess.

In closing, this normally isn't subject matter I am so much interested in, but Palahniuk weaves together a story that makes you care about even the scummiest of the scum.

I don't see this one getting green-lit anytime soon. A good, fast read. Enjoyed it.

The end.

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