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The Neil Peart Reading List - 2012 Article


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I've only read a dozen or of those, and bits of others. Hemingway, Steinbeck, McCarthy, Irving, Dostoyevsky (and the Duncan adaptation), Conrad, London, Twain. I'm surprised that Dos Passos isn't on the list, as he's been a major influence on Neil's late-era lyrics.
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Still working my way through some of these.

I like many of John Irving's books. I wish he had reviewed A Prayer For Owen Meany, probably my fave of his books.

 

And he reminded me of The Grapes Of Wrath, (Steinbeck), and last summer during our first lock down(s) I was reading so much, I read it twice! It felt like I needed to be reminded that life has been much worse.

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Still working my way through some of these.

I like many of John Irving's books. I wish he had reviewed A Prayer For Owen Meany, probably my fave of his books.

 

And he reminded me of The Grapes Of Wrath, (Steinbeck), and last summer during our first lock down(s) I was reading so much, I read it twice! It felt like I needed to be reminded that life has been much worse.

I was just thinking of re-visiting both Steinbeck and Hemingway, maybe Tortilla Flat and The Sun Also Rises.
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Just starting The Border Trilogy, Cormac McCarthy. I'm a sucker for good, slow westerns.

I looked over the list RushFanForever posted above, looks like I have read fourteen and maybe 5 that I can't really say I remember or know them, but have read in the past.

 

For lighter reading, French Revolutions, Tim Moore, is about "cheating" in the Tour de France modern style, pretty fun. I looked it up after reading in Neil's books about it, I think it was a gift from his brother in law? I continued reading more of his books, like following the historical Italian road race Giro d'Italia on a replica period bike with wooden rims and cork brakes. Funny, scary, always self-deprecating like the other adventures.

Seriously, he wrote a book The Cyclist Who Went Out Into The Cold, about tracing the old route of the Iron Curtain on an old "folding shopping bike" - 6,000 miles!

 

The books on the list missing authors are by Tim O'Brien, with the fourth by Jonathan Evison (I think).

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Yes brilliant writing, and clearly his love of horses is noteworthy (not saying that lightly, I appreciate that) and many passages needing a pause to contemplate (also what I like) but...my goodness he gets wordy. McMurtry is wordy, Irving is wordy, Kingsolver is wordy, but McCarthy takes it to another level!

 

I honestly think I am good with All The Pretty Horses and might move on down the reading list.

Tell me I am missing out and I might continue with the trilogy.

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Yes brilliant writing, and clearly his love of horses is noteworthy (not saying that lightly, I appreciate that) and many passages needing a pause to contemplate (also what I like) but...my goodness he gets wordy. McMurtry is wordy, Irving is wordy, Kingsolver is wordy, but McCarthy takes it to another level!

 

I honestly think I am good with All The Pretty Horses and might move on down the reading list.

Tell me I am missing out and I might continue with the trilogy.

From the trilogy, I really liked The Crossing. The Road, a post-apocalyptic father-son tale, is a good, quick read as well.
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Yes brilliant writing, and clearly his love of horses is noteworthy (not saying that lightly, I appreciate that) and many passages needing a pause to contemplate (also what I like) but...my goodness he gets wordy. McMurtry is wordy, Irving is wordy, Kingsolver is wordy, but McCarthy takes it to another level!

 

I honestly think I am good with All The Pretty Horses and might move on down the reading list.

Tell me I am missing out and I might continue with the trilogy.

 

The Orchard Keeper -- one of his early ones -- is quite brief and interesting. His early novels were set in Tennessee, before he upped and moved west. I would recommend Suttree, although it's a bit longer.

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I will look at that, thank you Nova Carmina.

And I don't have any personal problems with his writing, I am just coming off of some very wordy authors the last year or so.

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I constanty am amazed at how much reading Neil Peart managed to cram into his lifetime. I'll never be able to read everything he recommended on this list.

 

It really is incredible. I consider it an achievement if I make it through a couple of books lounging in the sun on holiday for a week.

 

Such a great mind, what a loss to the world :(

 

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