Norman > Recent Status Updates

Man after all that build up and unnecessarily graphic reveal, if this guy leaves us hanging, I’m gonna be disappointed

Yeah as I expected this book is at the moment where things will get absurdly graphic. Pretty unnecessary, but it is a Murakami trope after all

Ok it’s pretty fun and entertaining to read even though not much has happened and not much progress has been made… but this guy is super dramatic, and it’s making me lol

So far so good

Man, how can someone make a whole book where basically nothing happens? And also have that same whole book still be so compelling

Seems like torture. I suppose if we read this book, we may be less inclined to complain about our lives.

It really is worse to be taken hostage than to be a prisoner. I imagine the worst situations in life are when expectations aren’t met. Also, how is it possible to do nothing for so long?

I’ve been meaning to read this book for years. Right up my alley. Pages are flying by though. For a 400+ page book, there isn’t a whole lot of content per page… especially considering the dude’s in an empty room lol. Also he’s abducted on my birthday eeeesh

Urrrggghhh this book is frustrating because it’s so good but every story keeps stopping abruptly and then the next story is also good and i know they’re somewhat connected somehow maybe we’ll find out at the end but urrrrgggh right when i’m getting into it it changes

Wut. That space story is crazy.

Still very much wishing this thing could just be bigger. It’s a big strain to read such small print. I guess I could read it with a magnifying glass lol.

This book is pretty simple. Very much a straightforward one where the main character has normal girl woes. Ironic because he also isn’t a very “Murakami” character. Prob bc it is from ‘92

Ok now he’s writing about buying condoms. This one may be the most overtly sexual one he has written. We shall see

Starting to get to the point where this book is a slog — not because it sucks but because the font is so damn small. I’m straining to read it, which is annoying. Still good writing tho

Lol I thought I had read all of Murakami’s “modern” novels, but I guess I missed this one. I thought it was much older because I haven’t read much of his earliest stuff (has a completely different voice), but there’s a lot of mention of breasts and such, so I looked it up and yeah it’s from 1992 hahaha. Of course…

I am unnerved by how much Simon is like me.

Interesting how my opinion of this entire first section changed after five years. Apparently I thought it was tedious in 2016. Now that it’s completed, I’m rereading it all from the start with 0 recollection of what I had previously read. I guess being older does change our perspectives

Man she’s really making me feel old. I’m reading the history of my own teenage life with the dawn of the internet, but it really feels like ancient stuff. Talking about current teenagers. I’m not that old! Sure feel it though 😵

About halfway through. This one is significantly better than her first book. Though, I will say, it’s a pretty different book. Still wordy, but the topic isn’t particularly “personal,” so maybe it comes across as more honest, ironically. Maybe Radtke’s writing style lends itself to this no-nonsense cerebral nonfiction stuff rather than the memoir types.

These friggin facial expressions are killin me man. This is one messed up storyline but the faces are all like 🙂

Forgot i read Kristen Radtke’s first book. Apparently I didn’t like it so much. I am enjoying this one so far for the most part. Lots of side notes and not much of a story, but I seem to be needing this book right now…

Okay so the story has just completely shifted. Flipping through, I’m unsure what the dealio is. Is Rusty Brown growing up? Or is it a completely different story? If the latter I feel a little like I’ve been left hanging.

What was I expecting? Was I expecting this dude to NOT be like R Crumb? No, of course not. I expected the perverse leering and sexual thoughts towards teenagers. I expected it all… I just forgot about it.

Seeing as there are no page numbers, I’m going to guess it’s about 10% in. I’ve never actually read a Chris Ware book — mostly because they are all quite hefty in size and price. But so far I’m loving it. It’s like Daniel Clowes if Daniel Clowes was more neurotic.

Dang. This book is intense. Death is weird

Issue 19: one of my favorite issues ever. I think when the theme of Ice Cream Man takes a back burner, it feels better. “All things are one thin” seems to be a theme in this collection. Death. Suicide. The question of the meaning and point of life. The mundane nonsense we habe to deal with while waiting for death. Though this issue does kind of make me feel like it’s all downhill for me in life...

Issue 18: sad, wistful. Once again, clever writing. But this one is purely for clever writing. Forgetting words, spiraling towards death, what does life even mean? Thought the beer to bourbon switch was smart.

Issue 17: Wha... oh man, i dont even know. Superman parody. But dang clever writing. Everything’s disgusting once you start to pay attention. Well, even Maxwell Prince knew it was a good line bc he repeats it at the end LOL.

Oh, the sad sad thing didn’t fully happen. Can’t say I’m not disappointed... kind of wanted my heart to be ripped out

... oh no. I am so sad because I know what is coming. This story is not going to go so well. Really really exaggerating the ol’ Parker luck here....... oh noooo

You know, I’m really quite enjoying seeing all of these huge Spider-Man stories laid out like this in real time. Like it’s how it should always have been. Brilliant.