Finally.

Alright. OK. I haven't blogged in awhile, that is true. I'm not sure why it has become increasingly difficult for me to write about all the myriad things floating about my cerebellum. However, since I am awake at 1:37am the morning before Father's Day my brain has decided that it needs to expel some of its junk in order for me to get some R&R.

I recently went on a literary tirade exploring the works of Vonnegut, Tim Burton, Edward Gorey, and Paulo Coelho. Why I didn't take the time to blog about each of them, I shall never understand. I suppose now is the best time to explore what I gathered from these marvels of literature.

1. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut:

I read Breakfast of Champions awhile back when Julie and I had one of our very first (if not the first) adventures at Bookman's. I purchased the aforementioned books and read Breakfast of Champions shortly after. I loved it. I can't remember how the timeline went but Julie read Cat's Cradle before I did and loved it as well. I had then much more recently been told by someone else that Cat's Cradle is the best Vonnegut book out there. I finally decided to read it and was not disappointed.

Although I am more inclined to regard Breakfast of Champions as my favorite Vonnegut book thus far, Cat's Cradle was also very entertaining. The story confused me at the very beginning for some reason. After about 20 or so pages I wasn't really sure of what I was reading. I started getting into it soon after that, though, and loved every word to the very end. I loved the fake religion of Bokonon! So hilarious! In fact, pictured to the left is an example of a common practice in Bokononism: boko-maru.




Vonnegut's writing style is witty, sarcastic, and straightforward. His characters are well-formed which makes it easy to picture each one in detail. They are also each very unique and have their own little quirks. For example, in one moment in the book Angela Hoenikker, a seemingly simple woman with not much depth or beauty, plays the clarinet along with a jazz record and everyone is completely taken aback at how beautifully she can play. Similarly, Newt Hoenikker, Angela's younger brother (who also happens to be a midget) loves to paint and Frank, the eldest Hoenniker sibling, loves to build miniature towns.

Oh, and I loved this quote: "So, some people got free furniture, and some people got bubonic plague."

Overall, a great read.

(Alright, kind of a side note but still related: I wanted to read my old blog post about Breakfast of Champions from last summer so I just clicked on it a moment ago and started reading. One of the first things I said was something I just said: "Kurt Vonnegut's writing style is so witty, sarcastic, and to-the-point" Almost word for word. I am consistent at least...)


Alright, now that I have typed my eyeballs and my brain into a paste I think I should probably retire for the night. It only took me an hour and a half to write this... I hope people actually read this crap.

Happy Father's Day!