I've read two of his books recently.. Hocus Pocus and Cat's Cradle. Both of them were really unique from other author's work, and each other.

Anyone else enjoy him?

ooh yeah! I think i might have read all of Vonnegut's books awhile ago...even Jailbird, which was funny too. I went to an all girl boarding school in H.S. (158 in the whole high school) out in the middle of several hundred acres of fields and woodlands in Northwestern Connecticut with people from all over the US and, actually, from all over the world. Anyway, we had to first study "Tragedy", and...um, it was not pleasant at all reading Greek Tragedies! So you can imaginine how I felt the following semester when, deep into a very snowy New England winter, I had Slaughterhouse 5 assigned! Glad you found Vonnegut; he's well written, a fun read, and states his own opinion from the heart as a gracious writer true to his own experiences.

my brother's read a good chunk of his catalog, and he got me to read The Sirens of Titan, which was really good. Slaughterhouse Five is on my list of "to read"s.

I saw him interviewed recently on pbs. good interview, good sense of humor. oh, and he's old.

One of my "favs". He is very witty and has great foresight!

Cat's Cradle is a favorite!

I've heard that Slaughterhouse 5 is one where you should read his other stuff first becuase a lot of it ties into that book.

Anyone read Chuck Palaniuk stuff? I've only read "Invisible Monster". He reminds me of Vonnegut.

I (or rather Jen) has "Haunted." I started reading it but didn't really care for it so she's reading it.

yeah, I wanted to read that but she already started. And she gave gerst "Diary". I need something good to read. hmph.

I have to disagree that one should read Vonnegut's other stuff first. .i read Slaughterhouse 5 first as it was what was assigned for reading and never felt lacking for having not read other writings of his first. (Thought I saw him once in Nantucket, too, when i was 19!)

I've read Slaughterhouse Five and Bluebeard. I liked them both but I actually liked Bluebeard the best.

Read Vonnegut as it crosses you to.

But read lots of him when you get the chance.

Saw him speak at Kent State about 10 years back, the man smokes like a chimney.


Great advice from the man behind Kilgore Trout;
The meaning of life is farting around.

yeah... he'll probably die before I can see him.

I've read about half Vonnegut's catalogue. My first was Siren's of Titan, which I fell in love with and which sent me in search of more.

My all-time favorite is Galapagos, which is brilliant, brilliant, highly comedic commentary on science and spiritualism. The story is told through the eyes of a man who refused to go into the light with his deceased father upon his own death and thus will not be offered the chance again for a million years. His soul must walk and witness the earth without operating in it. The story comes to focus on recent times and an epidemic virus is sweeping all the continents, resulting in sterility. Humankind would have died off had it not been for a haggard old sea captain and his tour boat filled with a coniving widow, a pregnant Japanese woman, the last six members of a certain South American tribe (all girls, pree-teen to young adult) (and maybe a couple more. It's been a while.) who end up marooned on an island of Galpagos, and thus isolated from the virus. Anyway, the gist of the story, without revealing any details, is that he gets to witness, and comment on as the narrator, the effective de-evolution of humans as the characters manage to find ways to survive as a species and succeed. He does this over geologic time, of course, using those ship wrecked characters as a starting point. Note the genetic variety of the characters. It's a twisted book, but in such a good way. I need to read it again.

The first one i read was slaughterhouse 5. i thought it was really well written, but i felt the subject was forced a little, like he HAD to write about war. next i read cats craddle, i love love love that book. after that, i read the sirens of titan, and yes, that was my absolute favorite. after that, i read hocus pocus.

and i love chuck palahniuk. I've read Invisible Monsters, Diary, and Choke.

I'm currently reading Survior but Chuck P., Haunted by Chuck P., and Crank by Ellen Hopkins.

I'm surprised I missed this topic. I'm a huge Vonnegut fan, by far my favorite modern American author.

I read Slaughterhouse 5 first, and I'm not sure I knew who that was about... read it years later and got it. In the interim I read probably half a dozen of his books, and I'm with Anna on Sirens of Titans being lovable. Cats in the Cradle was good, as was BlueBeard. I really liked 'em all.

My biggest attraction to KV is the mix of his world and the fictional world that he brings to each offering, and how he surprises me with sudden doses of harshness in unsuspecting paragraphs. I've never laughed out loud so much with any other writer.

"He had a huge wang. You never know who's gonna get one."

T.

Today I opened my internet browser only to see "Author Kurt Vonnegut Dies at 84". At that age, it's not much of a suprise I suppose, but I'm still sad. I guess he was one of my favorite smart asses of all time.

Article

R.I.P. Kurt Vonnegut.

"Just becuase some of us can read and write and do a little math doesn't mean we deserve to rule the world."

Isn't that weird that Tuesday night I quoted that that?
Only to find out he died the next day.
Man, RIP Kurt.

that is pretty ironic, now that you mention it.