http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e?format=rss Tribe.net. Local Connections http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1e32569b-ff7c-45e4-a804-9ba0d743b3ed Still one of my favorites. I re-read it at least once a year. Still Life I attempted to get through. It's slower than JP, so I may resume it. It's been years... I'm willing. Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:51:05 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1e32569b-ff7c-45e4-a804-9ba0d743b3ed *spiritdancer* 2009-12-13T23:51:05Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#e877842d-fc93-43c0-8590-2cba896f8c27 I keep waiting for him to take the next step in the evolution of his thinking. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:20:57 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#e877842d-fc93-43c0-8590-2cba896f8c27 lori 2009-11-30T04:20:57Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#4c5040ac-8863-4c1f-b923-61336f9b82c5 i agree. i still like skinny legs & all, but that was the first of his i read. jitterbug perfume was good too. beyond that, just like you said--the same book over & over. Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:50:04 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#4c5040ac-8863-4c1f-b923-61336f9b82c5 dave 2009-11-29T23:50:04Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#a5216910-af8b-4513-8fc8-121f23387f7c I started Still Life with Woodpecker early in college and may have physically thrown it across the room. Hate, hate, Hated his tone, his style, his flippant attitude toward miscarriage and the like. His whole vibe is certainly phallocentric, quite literally at times... My book club all wanted to read Jitterbug Perfume, and I'm so glad they did. I NEVER would have picked it up otherwise, and I really enjoyed it... I'm sorry it's over. Glad to see some tips about what to read next. As I read, I keep a bookmark that I can write down quotes, or at least page numbers, as I go. This was a book that I also ended up writing down a handful of words I wanted to look up in the dictionary- I love being challenged a little with new vocabulary! Often I'll use a pencil to make a tiny dot in the margin next to the quote I want to be able to find again (and even that still feels sacreligious to me!) Since the copy I just read belongs to the library, I sat down and typed up some quotes to add to my collection. (Page numbers are based on a hardcover from the 80's.) May as well share them here: p. 51 When Christ came along, Christ, who slept with no female, neither two-legged nor four, Christ, who played no musical instrument, recited no poetry, and never kicked up his heels by moonlight, this Christ was the perfect wedge. Christianity is merely a system for turning priestesses into handmaidens, queens into concubines, and goddesses into muses. p.135 Pan had begun to live in his memories, an unhealthy symptom in anyone, suggesting as it does that life has peaked. p.144 Critics must laud polish and restraint, attack what is quirky and disobedient p. 184 Like that rarity, the wise husband, it was strong enough to possess its mate, secure enough to allow her her freedom. [beet pollen with jasmine] p. 210 Your unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up, because that means he has to stop dwellin' on himself and start payin' attention to the universe. Unhappiness is the ultimate form o' self-indulgence. p. 225 It is better to be small, colorful, sexy, careless, and peaceful, like the flowers, than large, conservative, repressed, fearful, and aggressive, like the thunder lizards; a lesson, by the way, that the Earth has yet to learn. p. 319 In the end, politics is always a depressant, and I've preferred to be stimulated. p. 320: Wiggs Dannyboy's letter to Priscilla: As Marcel LeFever suggested in his address to the perfumers' convention, reptile consciousness is cold, aggressive, self-preserving, angry, greedy, and paranoid. 321: When we are in a cold sweat, a blind rage, or simply feeling smugly dispassionate, we may be sure that, for the moment, our reptile brain is in control of our consciousness. ... Characteristics of mammal consciousness are warmth, generosity, loyalty, love (romantic, platonic, and familial), joy, grief, humor, pride, competition, intellectual curiosity, and appreciation of art and music. ... If the reptile brain equates with cold and the mammal brain with warmth, then the neocortex equates with light. 322: The physical frontiers have been conquered. The Industrial Revolution has shot its steely wad. In our age of high technology, the rough and tough manifestations of mammalian sensibility are no longer a help but a hindrance. (And the vestiges of reptilian sensibility, with its emphasis on territory and defense, are dangerous to an insane degree.) We require a less physically aggressive, less rugged human being now. We need a more relaxed, contemplative, gentle, flexible kind of person, for only he or she can survive (and expedite) this very new system that is upon us. Only he or she can participate in the next evolutionary phase. It has definite spiritual overtones, this floral phase of consciousness. p. 325 Beowulf, Siegfried, and the other dragon slayers are aspects of our own unconscious minds. The significance of their heroics should be apparent. We dispatched them with their symbolic swords and lances to slay reptile consciousness. The reptile brain is the dragon within us. Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:47:41 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#a5216910-af8b-4513-8fc8-121f23387f7c fixit fox 2009-09-13T03:47:41Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#cc70caff-5bce-44a5-91c9-ca2c916aad12 Mona, Thank you very much for much for leading me to American Gods. I enjoyed it tremendously and have reread it a couple of times in the past 13 months. I'd read some of his short stories but this novel was outstanding. Thank you again. Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:13:52 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#cc70caff-5bce-44a5-91c9-ca2c916aad12 Andrew 2009-06-27T15:13:52Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#9963772d-dfe9-4426-a812-c3542a27d45f Yeah this was the first Tom Robbins I read as well I read it last Fall and I loved it what a great vast epic, really fun story telling. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:53:30 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#9963772d-dfe9-4426-a812-c3542a27d45f Wildman 2008-06-15T22:53:30Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#a40fd434-0ee2-4c40-8024-d919f939da91 josh- Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, and Anne Rice? Thu, 29 May 2008 01:27:24 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#a40fd434-0ee2-4c40-8024-d919f939da91 nommolucas 2008-05-29T01:27:24Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3eb0e954-4239-4b3d-8a29-163ab9baa430 Skinny Legs and All is one of my all time favorite books. I know some people have issues with the talking inanimate objects, but I loved them. I loved the story of Jezebel and the long ongoing sentences. Funny how now I'm bellydancing and have a shoe fetish. Maybe I am Ellen Cherry Charles. Wed, 28 May 2008 17:26:20 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3eb0e954-4239-4b3d-8a29-163ab9baa430 Victoria 2008-05-28T17:26:20Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#d2fc51d1-80a0-4740-84f5-5e9706740f80 Once i was sick and the only books around were by TR. HATE that dude. his tone is like nails on a chalk board. not sure if i hate him more than KV, SK and AR. Wed, 28 May 2008 00:52:00 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#d2fc51d1-80a0-4740-84f5-5e9706740f80 JOSH 2008-05-28T00:52:00Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#a55cede1-4bf1-48e0-9f06-4357fafad2e3 For those of you who are TR Lovers, there are several "tribes" you can interact with based on TR and his novels. http://tomrobbins.tribe.net/?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5B31ee218e-0637-4cc9-8360-b999d1d7ea5b%5D http://rubberrose.tribe.net/ http://welovetomrobbins.tribe.net/ just thought I would share the Love! Blessings to all and to all a good read! T Tue, 27 May 2008 21:07:44 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#a55cede1-4bf1-48e0-9f06-4357fafad2e3 $item.owner.firstName 2008-05-27T21:07:44Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3de39107-3340-43ac-a0be-91e6a60b2960 Amanda and Sister Hilary have my heart from that book. Two sides of the same coin. Mon, 26 May 2008 13:39:25 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3de39107-3340-43ac-a0be-91e6a60b2960 Matthew 2008-05-26T13:39:25Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#6ae82e19-5952-481e-8871-589270ed58c0 I am a huge Robbins fan and Jitterbug Perfume is my favorite of his. That said, have you read American Gods by Neil Gaiman? He addresses exactly this subject: "what happens to our gods when we stop believing in them." I highly recommend it. Especially if you liked JP. And Douglas Adams. Sun, 25 May 2008 00:32:17 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#6ae82e19-5952-481e-8871-589270ed58c0 Mona 2008-05-25T00:32:17Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#98de85e0-43bc-48ac-86d7-6cc3665cef23 I did love Jitterbug Perfume (probably my favorite), Still Life with Woodpecker, and Skinny Legs and All. Villa Incognito was OK. I didn't like Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. I like to read him for the craziness of language. Not because his plots are all that great. I understand that he writes literally from the beginning to the end, one sentence at a time and never goes back to fix or change anything. So I think that is why his stuff is a bit weird. Fri, 23 May 2008 16:34:19 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#98de85e0-43bc-48ac-86d7-6cc3665cef23 Elizabeth 2008-05-23T16:34:19Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#840be1b4-a519-4dc8-9cee-02a37e699936 >>half asleep is the most irregular of his books. it's a straight forward timeline which is strange. and the main character is an obnoxious chick who is very anti-bohemian.<< i hated that book. first book ever that i had to put down because i disliked it so much. she's like an awful person who won't go away. i've read books where i didn't necessarily like the protagonist, but she was downright annoying and i just didn't want to hear her stupid thoughts any more. i loved *even cowgirls get the blues* sooooooo much that i forced myself to read slowly cuz it was my only book for 6 weeks while working on a cruise ship (i ended up finishing, of course, and moving on to trashy novels left in the public "library" on board). i read a couple of others of his which ere good, but not great, but after half asleep in frog pajamas i've sworn him off. not sure if i'm ready to get into him again. Fri, 23 May 2008 15:45:52 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#840be1b4-a519-4dc8-9cee-02a37e699936 Tri 2008-05-23T15:45:52Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#20d8f848-f4f0-45c9-b032-3a66f85a7ebc Yum. ;) A friend used the "aid and abet" monologue as his wedding vow. Woot! Fri, 23 May 2008 12:18:12 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#20d8f848-f4f0-45c9-b032-3a66f85a7ebc Matthew 2008-05-23T12:18:12Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1a240a9c-d4f4-46c1-a0fd-6e4d257b1086 This book has several fascinating subjects, but the one which grabbed me the most was what happens to our gods when we stop believing in them. Pan always held a certain appeal for me, and seeing him rendered with both a personality and a stench made for a marvelous reading experience. That's what makes Robbins one of my favorite authors and JP one of my favorite books: one doesn't just read a Robbins story, one experiences it. On the subject of gods whose time may have passed, I highly recommend another personal favorite, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams. He does for Thor what Robbins does for Pan. Fri, 23 May 2008 01:07:36 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1a240a9c-d4f4-46c1-a0fd-6e4d257b1086 Andrew 2008-05-23T01:07:36Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#a27b7be8-0a63-4a92-8ec2-85ee8387d114 I was done with him by the time I graduated college...I read pretty much all of his books up until that point (graduated in 1997). I still like Skinny Legs and All (and now I'm a bellydancer; go figure!), but the others...my god. It's pretty much the same story every time...same set up of characters (wide-eyed nubile young woman, older "wise" man, etc)...same flowery overdone language. The man just loves to hear himself talk, except that it's on paper. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:02:56 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#a27b7be8-0a63-4a92-8ec2-85ee8387d114 GibsonPearl 2008-04-18T21:02:56Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#c428e55b-09bf-44bf-87ad-027be26ad74a Sorry, can't agree with that one... Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:58:46 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#c428e55b-09bf-44bf-87ad-027be26ad74a GibsonPearl 2008-04-18T20:58:46Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3ea1d001-0515-4e08-b954-b86f9dcd7fe5 Another Roadside Attraction is my favorite. Then Still Life With Woodpecker and Even Cowgirls Get The Blues. I read Fierce Invalids In Hot Climates last year and it was alright. It wasn't my favorite, but it was good. It's not something I'd reccomend to someone new to Robbins. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:24:29 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3ea1d001-0515-4e08-b954-b86f9dcd7fe5 Raposa 2008-04-18T11:24:29Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#65e7b9fb-1f0f-40a9-92fb-1005c45008ff Nah, I don't really like him either. I can see why he's popular, but he isn't to my taste. I read Skinny Legs and All, didn't like it. The inanimate objects annoyed me as did almost all the other characters. I liked some of the dialog between Spike and Roland, but that was about it. Unless we are both mutants... Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:02:38 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#65e7b9fb-1f0f-40a9-92fb-1005c45008ff Bink 2008-04-18T11:02:38Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#cb4b18a3-382d-4d62-8928-ff6d88c64528 Just read a quote from this book in another tribe :) The highest function of love is that it makes the loved one a unique and irreplaceable being. ~ Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume ~ http://quoteme.tribe.net/thread/e2c99ae1-2880-496a-b264-1c1b74e6c3cd#db014fab-4aab-451d-a1ee-15434663ecf9 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:25:59 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#cb4b18a3-382d-4d62-8928-ff6d88c64528 Bloke. Trivia Pimp 2008-04-18T06:25:59Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#416407ad-9b21-493d-b936-cb207799f324 I just read my first Tom Robbins book. I read "Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas". I loved it, I'm an instant fan, it was so intellectual and FUNNY. I don't think I've ever read a book where I was laughing out loud. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:36:51 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#416407ad-9b21-493d-b936-cb207799f324 Mandy 2008-04-18T03:36:51Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#9992805e-f130-4be9-b9b7-bbc80247ae44 My first TR was Still life... and I read every single one of them, with JP being the last. My favorites were SLAA and JP, but I truly can't think of a bad thing to say about any one of them. I even loved Villa Incognito and Fierce Invalids. My problem is that I read SOO much, that details get a little fuzzy for me. Like you could quote one of them and chances are I will just stare blankly even though the quote comes from one of my favorite books ever. I think maybe highlihghting or underlining would help me with this. I recently heard he has a new hardcover out...anyone tried it yet? I'm not even sure if it's true or what it's called Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:02:28 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#9992805e-f130-4be9-b9b7-bbc80247ae44 Alexis...aka shehoopsalot 2006-01-08T22:02:28Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#d10446a4-909c-4ce3-8203-c70e75ef6511 well... these days, anybody who still has creative and original thoughts and is capable of putting them on paper... they should be allowed a little self-aggrandizement, don't you think? Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:35:03 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#d10446a4-909c-4ce3-8203-c70e75ef6511 Jamey 2006-01-08T20:35:03Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#95a291ca-3b54-46b7-b4f5-014e62eca17b Well, I've decided to ride it out on Fierce Invalids . . .but I have to ask those of you that have read his whole body of work. . . Does the facination with pyramids continue? It seems odd that all three books of his I've read now have a pyramid passage, character, or overall theme. What's with that? ~smile~ Meredith Sun, 08 Jan 2006 18:55:46 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#95a291ca-3b54-46b7-b4f5-014e62eca17b Meredith 2006-01-08T18:55:46Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1d069a3a-dfb8-47e7-83be-939cd7f1be9e but i like his stories. I wish someone else could write them and leave out all the parts where TR digresses into self-agrandisment.. or tirades about his typewriter.. or the other erronious ego-trips. It's too bad.. I really enjoy the creativity, questioning politics, wacky theories etc.. but I don't like him. oh well. Sun, 08 Jan 2006 06:34:47 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1d069a3a-dfb8-47e7-83be-939cd7f1be9e Juniper 2006-01-08T06:34:47Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#09f0551f-a4fd-44ef-8b79-5f71e3f5309e Stephanie, to answer your question about underlining, I've thought about it nearly every time I've read one of Robbins' books (a couple other authors, too, Vonnegut for instance) but have never actually done it. I really wish I had done it with one of the last Vonnegut novels I read. I know there were two or three things in Cat's Cradle in particular that made me think "I really need to remember that". lol. Fri, 06 Jan 2006 13:36:17 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#09f0551f-a4fd-44ef-8b79-5f71e3f5309e Sandy 2006-01-06T13:36:17Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#339c73b5-6b96-46bb-a241-9fc15c3c592f I loved Jitterbug Perfume- like Kundera, only more funny. Haven't read Cowgirls get the blues yet, I'll have to put it on my list Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:08:55 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#339c73b5-6b96-46bb-a241-9fc15c3c592f Sasha 2006-01-06T06:08:55Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1fa29e3c-5d9d-4d4a-b3e7-1e98b4811f4b Even COwgirls Get The Blues! By far my favorite! Fri, 06 Jan 2006 00:32:08 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1fa29e3c-5d9d-4d4a-b3e7-1e98b4811f4b HunnyDu 2006-01-06T00:32:08Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#dff66a62-0c6e-4536-943d-2eeaa2990829 Does anyone else fel the need to "underline" certain pharses, sentences or passages in his books?? Everytime I pick up Skinny Legs, I do it with a pencil in hand...as was said...it is worth it for the little gems of writing that make you think or make you chuckle... "Surely, there were other women in the world who were confused about their feelings for their husbands. Otherwise, there would be no excuse for Burt Reynolds." "She had never paid much attention to the Middle Eastern situation, per se, and now she knew why. It was an overload of craziness. It was a seventy-five piece orchestra rehearsing a funeral dirge and a wedding march simultaneously in a broom closet. It was a firebug convention in a straw hotel." OK, I've just motivated myself to finish it already! Fri, 06 Jan 2006 00:30:24 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#dff66a62-0c6e-4536-943d-2eeaa2990829 Skylarking 2006-01-06T00:30:24Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#4f442058-c057-422e-83d8-a3dce0a6655b well, 24 hours later... it looks like Another Roadside Attraction has received the most votes. I'll look for it next week. Thanks to all who contributed... I'm sure I'll continue to seek out Tom Robbins books! cheers Thu, 05 Jan 2006 19:01:00 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#4f442058-c057-422e-83d8-a3dce0a6655b Jamey 2006-01-05T19:01:00Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#956d6fe5-11de-4bc9-af70-1082c7e58688 Many many many people do not like the movie version of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, but I did. John Hurt as the Duchess is great! :-) And Pat Morita was wonderful too. Not that the rest were bad, but I liked some of the "minor" characters in that book more than I did Sissy. lol. Another Roadside Attraction is my fave of his, though it's a close call. For the person having a tough time with Skinny Legs and All, it is slower than his other books, and more political. I didn't have a hard time with it the first time I read it, but tried to pick it up again a few months ago but found I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time. It is definitely worth the trouble, but his other books move more quickly (to me). Though Cowgirls can get a bit boggy too, as it has more subplots than I can recall in any of his other books. I've not read Fierce Invalids yet, but hope to do so soon. I do adore Jitterbug Perfume. It was one of the last ones of his that I read, before Villa Incognito came out, though it is the first of his I knew about. My husband read it when we first got together, but it was borrowed from a friend who moved before I could borrow it... So six or seven years later I read all of his novels through Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, during a period when I commuted by train and shuttle bus for almost two hours each way. And for the person who said they must be a mutant for not liking Robbins, lol, I think that he's one of those authors that people either love or don't, with little middle ground. Either his language, philosophy, bizaare tangents and humor, or he drives you crazy with all of it. :-) Thu, 05 Jan 2006 17:20:26 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#956d6fe5-11de-4bc9-af70-1082c7e58688 Sandy 2006-01-05T17:20:26Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#f512decd-acb9-4185-b7dc-12c3ecc05378 to each his/her own. but i am deeply sorry for that.. Thu, 05 Jan 2006 16:57:05 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#f512decd-acb9-4185-b7dc-12c3ecc05378 nommolucas 2006-01-05T16:57:05Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1e209ea5-35e6-418f-8c24-366c2e225292 picked the toughest one to start with.... i always suggest, with any author, to start with the beginning; ie another roadside attraction. as john paul says, 'go to the source'. if not accessible then i would read one of earlier (either still life w/ woodpecker or even cowgirls-especially being a girl) villa incognito is not typical robbins either, at least not on the surface. stick through it i'd say but don't get discouraged if not ecstatic about it. it's my least favorite and have been meaning to read it again for that reason. for me it's worth it just for his metaphors... Thu, 05 Jan 2006 16:55:57 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1e209ea5-35e6-418f-8c24-366c2e225292 nommolucas 2006-01-05T16:55:57Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3ce1ab70-f3a1-40eb-ab45-d07cf6e45964 half asleep is the most irregular of his books. it's a straight forward timeline which is strange. and the main character is an obnoxious chick who is very anti-bohemian. it's one of my favorites (look at my screen name) but very irregular style for him. favorite is definitely another roadside attraction. none of his other books, however wonderful, have the depth this one has. curious to see what folks have to say of his latest novel, villa incognito, and his new collection of works is great because w/o it's tom robbins for his own sake. very raw and personal (wild ducks flying backward) also got turned on to other artists/writers from reading this one. Thu, 05 Jan 2006 16:51:24 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3ce1ab70-f3a1-40eb-ab45-d07cf6e45964 nommolucas 2006-01-05T16:51:24Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#aea17a6c-a8b5-43a0-9a28-2c5cc32f763e Gus Van Sant made a version of "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" in the early nineties with a really young Uma Thurman as Sissy Hankshaw. It's definitely worth seeing, but the novel is infinitely superior (as I'm sure you can imagine). Thu, 05 Jan 2006 06:17:31 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#aea17a6c-a8b5-43a0-9a28-2c5cc32f763e $item.owner.firstName 2006-01-05T06:17:31Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#4195da08-2acc-44da-9912-3d4759fcdd11 I love TR and I thought Villa Incognito was weak to say the least. It was like the germ of a TR book that no one bothered to flesh out. Stick with SLAL..TR's style is a bit odd at first...and it's not everyone's cuppa. Thu, 05 Jan 2006 04:44:24 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#4195da08-2acc-44da-9912-3d4759fcdd11 $item.owner.firstName 2006-01-05T04:44:24Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#18813f37-1a7a-4973-b725-65455b106508 Currently reading my first Tom Robbins book, which happens to be Skinny Legs and All...I am enjoying (?) it, but it is slow going. He has a very unique and bizarre writing style that I haven't decided if I like entirely. I would like to finish this and read one more just to make sure...I have Villa Incognito in my possession. Is it worth the read or should I just try JP instead? Thu, 05 Jan 2006 04:23:30 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#18813f37-1a7a-4973-b725-65455b106508 Skylarking 2006-01-05T04:23:30Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#f212db92-eef8-4b1e-ba1c-e96cb4ea82be i loved jitterbug perfume, but my favorite is skinny legs and all. it's a bit more political, but it was my first tom robbins novel and it really affected me. and you should definitely give fierce invalids home from hot climates a chance. it's fantastic. Thu, 05 Jan 2006 03:29:15 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#f212db92-eef8-4b1e-ba1c-e96cb4ea82be katie 2006-01-05T03:29:15Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#247dc359-73d3-4503-94a3-cd78612371e9 Personally, my favorite is Another Roadside Attraction, but that's just because of what Plucky finds in the Vatican basement! Thu, 05 Jan 2006 03:14:55 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#247dc359-73d3-4503-94a3-cd78612371e9 Melissa, Duchess of Pie, Beer Goddess 2006-01-05T03:14:55Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3b312560-3daf-4ecd-b708-ec022f1ac28c oh, any of you think its possible for anyone to ever make a movie out of a robbins novel? sounds preposterous, impossible, but maybe it would spawn the invention of a new medium or the convergence of existing mediums, and that may not be bad (incorporate smell into a movie??)... Thu, 05 Jan 2006 01:07:58 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#3b312560-3daf-4ecd-b708-ec022f1ac28c e's in samoa 2006-01-05T01:07:58Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#bf6c0a6e-2de5-43cf-9792-a1d40b955ea0 JP is my favorite Robbins book, but if i had to recommend what to read next id say another roadside attraction b/c it is his first one and most sums up his worldview, especially on religion. my second fave though would be even cowgirls get the blues (b/c of the character "chink")....but you may like still life with woodpecker for its partial hawaiian (lahaina) setting... Thu, 05 Jan 2006 01:05:22 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#bf6c0a6e-2de5-43cf-9792-a1d40b955ea0 e's in samoa 2006-01-05T01:05:22Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1da49cf2-f131-4d5a-8d8c-c2d866359d2c I cant stand Tom Robbins. I must be a mutant. Wed, 04 Jan 2006 21:21:13 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#1da49cf2-f131-4d5a-8d8c-c2d866359d2c Elaine~ 2006-01-04T21:21:13Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#675c83d3-22f9-4eae-a50b-b5300849694a My fave TR book is Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, which is a siimilar-styled TR book. Lots of wild flights through world history and religion. Second recommendation would be Another Roadside Attraction, for the same reasons. It's very visceral. They are both set primarily in the Seattle/Puget Sound area, which is where TR makes his home and where I've lived on and off, so that may sway my love for them. :) Wed, 04 Jan 2006 20:46:24 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#675c83d3-22f9-4eae-a50b-b5300849694a $item.owner.firstName 2006-01-04T20:46:24Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#bdd8bde5-7464-431a-8adc-5e947a80f610 This is my all time favorite book. My parents read it in the eighties because they were into rebirthing(breathwork, hot tubs). I read it as a teen because I loved the cover, and it made such an impact on me. I read it again as an adult and loved it even more. The smell, yes, the smell. Wed, 04 Jan 2006 20:18:16 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#bdd8bde5-7464-431a-8adc-5e947a80f610 $item.owner.firstName 2006-01-04T20:18:16Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#171290c3-9eff-46f1-a7ff-1f46aee67823 This was my first and only one so far. I loved it also. I bought it because someone in this tribe said it was interesting. Am working on C S Lewis right now, and I have book 11 of Wheel of Time, and Spring (the prelude), so it maybe a while before I go searching again. Wed, 04 Jan 2006 20:08:58 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#171290c3-9eff-46f1-a7ff-1f46aee67823 Patricia 2006-01-04T20:08:58Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#994a8438-574b-4cdd-99d9-acd81db3ca8e Wow, how interesting. I have just started working through Tom Robbins. I started with Still Life with Woodpecker, and enjoyed it once it all came together. I moved on the Jitterbug Perfume and just LOVED it. But. . . I am now reading Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, and I cannot seem to get into it. It's a good thing I read on the train, because honestly, if I had something else on hand to read, I would have already put it down. It gets the train ride home tonight to suck me in, or I'll probably just ditch it. So, Jack - does it pick up? Is it worth reading more into it than 100 pages or so? ~smile~ Meredith Wed, 04 Jan 2006 19:21:34 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#994a8438-574b-4cdd-99d9-acd81db3ca8e Meredith 2006-01-04T19:21:34Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#aed1ecc0-3614-4e59-9a92-167768116f6d Great Huygens quote, by the way. Wed, 04 Jan 2006 19:04:54 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#aed1ecc0-3614-4e59-9a92-167768116f6d $item.owner.firstName 2006-01-04T19:04:54Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#946e8b05-79ef-4a9f-9271-cc3f5cbd4369 I agree completely... I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the book and especially TR; after "JP", my favorite is "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates". Generally speaking, I don't think it's as affecting as "JP", but it's so thoroughgoingly hilarious (more so than "JP") and I think it's more representative of TR's ethos (I don't want to say message... worldview, I guess). The protagonist of that novel, Switters, is one of the great unsung heroes of contemporary literature. Wed, 04 Jan 2006 19:01:39 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#946e8b05-79ef-4a9f-9271-cc3f5cbd4369 $item.owner.firstName 2006-01-04T19:01:39Z http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#856413fa-0b3a-413f-ae00-bb1c3592a625 What can I say, but... Wow. This is the first Robbins book I have read. I was so swept up in his wild ideas, the metaphors, the world travel, the time travel... concepts of immortality... And SMELL! I don't think I've had a book effect me in such a profound way since I read Rudy Rucker's White Light many years ago. This book truly takes you on a journey. Question for Robbins fans: Which one of his should I read next? I need more! ha! The citadel was dark, and the heroes were sleeping... Wed, 04 Jan 2006 18:49:30 GMT http://ijustfinishedreading.tribe.net/thread/4043c929-23f8-4f3e-9d92-97ec19deba7e#856413fa-0b3a-413f-ae00-bb1c3592a625 Jamey 2006-01-04T18:49:30Z