quick review
Hey, Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
****
You know how Dave Eggers wrote a book called A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius? Well, Eggers should call up Coupland and say, "Hey, here's my book title, I think you should have it."
Because it is.
Also by Coupland, and recommended by me:
Girlfriend in a Coma
Life After God
Microserfs
Generation X
Comments
you didn't like all families are psychotic, or haven't read it?
GIAC is my personal favourite - every time I get myself into a heavy rut, I remind myself of that book, and that people and dreams do and should chance as they age, and that being what you were when you were 17 now that's yr 30 is not the way to work the world out.
Posted by: g | July 2, 2005 08:38 AM
That's my next Coupland book to read. Right now I'm going to read some Sedaris and then get to AFAS. GIAC was definitely my favorite of all. I want to have Coupland's babies.
Posted by: michele | July 2, 2005 08:40 AM
I have read every Coupland Book, and liked everyone except maybe Life After God. Girlfriend in a Coma was kind of strange, but interesting and Hey Nostradamus was excellent.
He has matured a lot since Generation X.
Posted by: Doc | July 2, 2005 12:19 PM
Have you read Polaroids From the Dead yet?
Posted by: mike | July 2, 2005 02:32 PM
I, too, want Coupland's seed. Wanna fight?!?! :)
Posted by: kelley | July 2, 2005 05:07 PM
I'd share with you ;)
Posted by: michele | July 2, 2005 05:08 PM
Mike, haven't read it yet, but it's in my Summer Reading pile.
Posted by: michele | July 2, 2005 05:09 PM
I swear. I didn't think other people have heard of Coupland. Everytime I mention him, I get a blank stare. I loved Hey Nostradamus, Microserfs and Generation X.
Of course I lot of people I talk to are stupid and don't actually know what books are so there is that. I am so glad I know that others like him.
Posted by: Libragirl | July 3, 2005 06:59 AM
Ah dinnae ken aboot 'Polaroids fae the dead.' It wis pure shite compared tae 'Gen X', 'Girlfriend in a cooma' n 'microserfs.' Ah dinnae want tae read aboot people at a Dead concert, Ah kin hardley stand hippies as it is. Th'only thing aboot 'Girlfriend in a cooma' it turned intae pure sci-fi n goat kinda wierd. Ah am intae sci-fi, dinnae git me wrong. It jist goat a little radge, ye ken? Otherwise it wis a good book. GenX wis rad.
Posted by: bborcttocs | July 3, 2005 06:16 PM
Hey Nostradamus! is definately my favorite Coupland book, and I have read all his fiction. Coupland is as close as my generation has come to producing another Kurt Vonnegut... and I'd even sy Coupland is more fun to read because he is able to present the truth-as-he-sees it without all the preachy moralizing that Vonnegut attempts. The moralizing in Coupland's books, to the extent that it exists, is not read as "you should be this way or be ashamed" it is read as "when humans don't act human, tragedy ensues". And he has a lot to say about dealing with tragedy. Call it postmodernism or whatever... to me, it is closer to Aesops Fables.
And the guy is just so damn good at telling stories.
One of my favorite authors. Glad to see there are others!
Posted by: President_Friedman | July 6, 2005 02:42 PM