Palahni-yuk?

So I finished reading my third book of the summer. I don't think I've read three books this quickly since...well, never. Granted, one of them was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (less than 2 days til the movie!!!!) because I needed a refresher, but the other two were both written by Chuck Palahniuk, my new-found favorite author...which is of course a meaningless title because I barely ever read. Nevertheless, I love his books. I love how he writes and I love what he writes about. If you didn't know, Chuck Palahniuk wrote Fight Club (now a movie starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton) and Choke (which also recently became a movie). He's also written 8 or 9 other fiction books, each one more grotesque and slightly disturbing than the next. Maybe it's because I find books and stories so boring that I like his books (even weirder is that I was excited to find out he may write a sequel to Rant. Me excited about a sequel!?). Thus far I've read Choke, about a sex-addict who purposely chokes on food in fancy restaurants for money, Pygmy, Chuck's newest book about a foreign exchange student with plans to destroy America, and Rant, a story about a man ("Rant" Casey) living in the future who is the source of a world-wide, fatal epidemic. His books are exciting, his stories are fun and different (and maybe even a little gross), and his characters develop incredibly well over the course of the book. I'm not really smart enough to give you a whole book review or analyze and critique his writing, but his writing style is definitely really cool (Yep, I described his style as cool. Clearly I read a lot of books and always paid attention in English class...). For instance, Pygmy was written entirely from Pygmy's point of view, so the entire book is written in broken and jumbled English. Rant on the other hand is written as an oral history, so the whole book is a compilation of interviews of his family, friends, and other experts. Each book offers something different and new, and Palahniuk's writing is so versatile that there's a book of his for everyone. And there's always a twist in his books...but obviously I can't tell you cuz that would ruin everything.

Rant was one of the weirdest books I've ever read, but fun nonetheless. Palahniuk's descriptions of people and places (not just in Rant, but in all his books) are so powerful and poignant that the story comes alive in my head. With that in mind, Chuck's books are also seen as disgusting by his detractors and critics. His descriptions of Rant include stories of how he can identify a person by their used condom or tampon, and how he can tell what a girl ate for dinner 2 days ago by...well, it's just not appropriate. But to me, that's what makes his stories fun, different, intriguing, and captivating. Next on my reading list is Invisible Monsters, another one of his books, and then Fight Club, seeing as it's my #1 favorite movie and I've never read the book. So I highly recommend Chuck Palahniuk if you're in the mood for a crazy and slightly disturbing story. They're fun, a pretty easy read, and it'll take you for a wild ride.

PS If you've read his books or read one in the future, let me know what you think!