Are there any out there besides me?
I don’t just like one or two of his books, I think they are all great.
I tried to read Even Cowgirls get the Blues but I just couldn’t do it. I found by about halfway through that I hated the characters. Maybe I missed the boat totally but I thought it was a horrid piece of mysogyny.
Sorry its not what you wanted… but I hate it when my threads get no responses!
I’m reading Skinny Legs and All at the moment. The first of his novels I’ve attempted to read, and I, like Krisfer, simply cannot stand the characters (the human ones anyway). Simply put , they’re annoying. But I’m not too far into it yet, so that may change. The two guys who set up shop across from the UN (or wherever) seem kinda interesting… Shall see.
(Yeah, I know… Not the direction you wanted this thread to take, but… )
I’ve liked 'em when I’ve read 'em, but I haven’t sought them out, and when I try to remember specific plot points or characters between some of them I can’t. I remember thinking the end of even cowboys get the blues (the different religious figures, the jar of vinegar) was very cool though.
Love him. I think Jitterbug Perfume is my favorite.
Huge fan here, as is Mrs. The Magnificent. I came across Jitterbug Perfume in my teens, and loved it, and immediately devoured every other book available.
I have to go with Still Life with Woodpecker as the favorite, although Jitterbug, Frog Pajamas, and ** Invalids**, are all up there as well.
In fact, TR was in Madison this past summer on a book/speaking tour, and it was an absolute blast. I actually grabbed a few good pics of him, too, and he signed a couple of books for us.
An interesting aside, except for when he was actually speaking or signing books, he wore some very dark, very ‘old person’ style wraparound sunglasses. This was even when he was just standing around talking to various mgt types. When I approached his publicist about getting some shots, the publicist’s first statement was “No flash. Tom can’t handle the lights” or something to that effect. Anybody know what that’s about?
Ah, misread that for Tim Robbins. Oops.
“Those who shun the whimsy of things will experience rigor mortis before death.” - Still Life with Woodpecker
Big, big, big fan here. I scored major points by finding Mr. singular a signed first edition of Jitterbug Perfume for Christmas a few years ago. Having said that, I feel he is losing his touch as he ages. Thankfully, his books are a lot less salacious now, but they also lack a certain “zing” his earlier works had. He just doesn’t seem to dance through the language quite as nimbly any more. But I still pre-order his books as soon as I hear of them. A diluted Tom Robbins is still a great ride. But I feel his mantle has been claimed by the brilliant Christopher Moore.
I absolutley loved “Jitterbug Perfume”. I couldn’t put it down. I read about half of “Still Life with Woodpecker”, got a little bit busy and never finished it. I didn’t love it quite as much as I did JP…it was one of these reading experiences in which I had to sort of force myself to read it, like a chore, because I was already involved and didn’t want to have wasted my time. And, I enjoyed it and was glad I had read it afterwards. But again, I never completed it.
I have Skinny Legs and All and have not read it yet, I refuse to until after I pick up SLwW again. (-:
I love Kurt Vonnetgut and feel that he and Tom Robbins have some similarities in their writer’s voices.
He was in Madison again? I saw him there long ago. He read “the first chapter of my next book” (Still Life With Woodpecker) before it was published.
But then, after he’d read this pithy, hilarious, touching dozen or so pages, he announced that he’d scrapped everything he’d just read us “…It was getting uncomfortably autobiographical.”
And sure enough, when the book came out, the “first chapter” was no where to be found. So I can never reread (or manage to remember) that magical chapter he read.
Still Life With Woodpecker was inspiring to me, personally, as a romantic, redheaded, pyromaniac who feels the pull of the moon quite frequently.
I’d love to hear what fans think I should try next, but even though I’ve got a stick of dynamite, I wouldn’t dream of hijacking this lovely thread until there are at least 50 passengers.
I’ve got my standards, y’know.
Wasn’t he great as Deagol in Return of the King?
I loved Another Roadside Attraction when I read it years ago… Vatican conspiracy stuff (and a whole lot more!) way before Dan Brown! I’m slightly surprised nobody’s registered here as Marx Marvelous. 
Not so keen on his latest couple, though.
I like just about everything he has written. Currently, SLaA is my fave, followed closely by FIHFHC. Great stuff. He and Chris Moore can always be relied on for a laugh and a thought or three.
I just finished Villa Incognito Not bad. The thing I like most about any of his books is I can be laughing out loud, and suddenly realize “Hey! I think that really means something!” (ex) the bit in Even Cowgirls get the Blues about being safe in the center, but the edge is more exciting. (haven’t opened the book for 25 years, so vague is as close as I can get!)
Aside: I met him at a cocktail party in 1978. He wasn’t as clever in person.
Hi Digs
Can’t remember exactly when - but it was towards the end of the summer at the west side Border’s (on University Ave.)
KTM
I love him! Having said that, I think his earlier stuff was much better than the later stuff… oddly enough I’m re-reading Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas right now.
My favorite, I think, would be Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
The only book of his I really liked was “Another Roadside Attraction” but I really really love that book.