To serve as reference book
Just to encourage myself to really "try out" for an MBA degree overseas.
I'm not a big fan of Thomas Pynchon and writers who [inadvertently or intentionally] tire readers. I managed to go through 50 pages of Gravity's Rainbow, and just can proceed any more. That was the very first book that I started, but never finished, a source of un-pride, because even the Clancy novel that I started, I still pushed on to finish.
I like how Salman Rushdie is playful with his writing, how his prose flows (he’s one of my three top writers), but Pynchon in particular is on another level of ultra creative arduous poetic read-to-open-with-a-lock-and-key writing. I have since looked at his short stories in one collection, there is some sharp wit in there indeed, but I still have special regard for Pychon as tiring, unexciting.
So although I saw this book recommended by many blogs, Im a bit apprehensive when I also saw that one review describing it as slow-building and Pychonesque.
But can't resist this bargain.
Also cant resist the cover. Nice cover.
Judy Blume, iconic, but I havent read any by her, so I had to buy this 4 short books for 400.
Except for one short story at New Yorker, I also havent read anything by Zadie Smith, so my hand was forced to buy this:
Although Ive been hearing about how good this book is since last year, it is Michael Chabon's blurb at the back that encourged this purchase.
Ah, this might be another one that I wont be able to read. Another compulsive buy.
Heard a good review from the New York Times Book Podcast, then was surprised to see this freshly published tome here.
Ive read two articles written by Nicholson Baker regarding video games and the Kindle published in the New Yorker, so I know Im buying an obra of an expert.
I hope to finish at least four :-)
There have been better book sales done by National, but this set aint bad.