Breakfast of Champions: A Novel | 
pickA funny book whose satire is true to today in so many ways- how Kurt is still relevant after some 40-50 years is the genius behind his words.
so-soI agree with Vonnegut‘s own assessment that this novel gets a grade of C. It reads as his own catharsis or purging of ideas. He writes in the intro, “I think I am trying to make my head as empty as it was when I was born into this damaged planet fifty years ago.” That holds up. If it wasn‘t for the excellent Kilgore Trout appearances and the rather scathing first chapter, I would have panned this. ⬇️
panIs it funny? Yes, I laughed out loud several times. Subversive? Yes, but being post-parody in 2023 soured even the best-placed 1970s arrows. Clever? Somewhat, but its ambition is modest. Self- indulgent? Very. Afterwards? I felt empty. Some ingredient of great satire was missing. Maybe I just like Vonnegut‘s short stories more. You know late-era Stephen King? Fine, but missing the special sauce? This felt like that. I really wanted to love it.
Start your day off strong Team #MischiefandMayhem!
Chomp those Charms!!
@Kimberlone @Allylu @Whollybologna @willaful @ElizaMarie @LocalTXLibrarian @NikkiM5 @sebrittainclark @PuddleJumper
#Scarathlon2023 #BreakfastofKillers #MagicallyMalicious
so-soTransported into a uniqlue, sharp, empathetic mind, but one I can't quite connect to.
Does the passage of fifty years since publication make that inevitable?
I think it's inevitable I'll eventually try his other greatest hits, as I've stumbled through a couple of his less touted works already. 1/?
I am a connoisseur of casual dinosaur drawings and THIS is a superb example. 🦕🦖👍🏻
New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.
so-soRelatable content, especially today. The writing style is not really my preference, but it kept me entertained.
pickThis is the second book I've read by Kurt Vonnegut, the first one was the masterpiece, Slaughterhouse-Five.
Breakfast of Champions is right up there alongside it, another masterpiece.
The only person I can compare this author to is Charles Bukowski, it has that easy-going style to it and it flows so well.
It's a sad, hilarious, and absurd roller coaster of a novel.
Fellow #Vonnegut fans: I know you‘ll appreciate my new sticker. If you know, you know. 😂
pickHappy new year everyone! I started this today for #newyearwhodis & I am enjoying it so far. We went to our friend‘s place who also have kids & we didn‘t hear a peep out of them. Yay! When we go to a party at their place we usually stay the night & most of the next day. My partner always says it‘s so easy when we do & it is because they spoil us rotten. Great cooks. We recovered with a fatty breakfast & a movie plus a few more drinks by the pool.
pickNot my favorite KV, but still a solid pick. Almost all of his books at root seem to be an attempt to process personal trauma and the absurdity of the human condition. This one is no different. Particularly liked the device of inserting himself into the story as "the Creator" and doling out reward and punishment for no other reason than to advance the narrative, with no more wisdom or answers to offer his characters than they themselves possess.
...I had become more and more enraged and mystified by the idiot decisions made by my countrymen. And then I had come suddenly to pity them, for I understood how innocent and natural it was for them to behave so abominably, and with such abominable results: They were doing their best to live like people in story books. This was the reason Americans shot each other so often: It was a convenient literary device for ending short stories and books.
They rode in silence for a while, and then the driver made another good point. He said he knew that his truck was turning the atmosphere into poison gas, and that the planet was being turned into pavement so his truck could go anywhere. "So I'm committing suicide," he said.
"Don't worry about it," said Trout.
Trout was petrified there on Forty-second Street. I had given him a life not worth living, but I had also given him an iron will to live. This was a common combination on the planet Earth.
This is a tale of a meeting of two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast.
Stopped by B&N over the weekend to get rid of a gift card that still had some money on it. Is it just me or has the general fiction section there shrunk a lot over the last few years? I buy online so often that I rarely go into B&N anymore. I swear it used to take up twice as much shelf space. I also went through about a dozen books on my TBR list, and they didn't have a single one. Just went with Vonnegut in the end.
Kristen!!!!! I am literally blown away by your extravagant gifts!!! When I saw the huge box from Out Of Print I was confused because I didn‘t remember buying anything... OMG I love it all! ♥️ Liam loves his lumps of coal. I‘m cleaning out my sock drawer and mug cupboard to make room. Those Swedish fish!!! The ornament! The pencil bag! I can‘t possibly deserve your friendship, but I am so grateful for your kindness and generosity!! #LitsyLove 💙🧡
pick🎄 I finished another book for #DashingDecember !
🥣 Read Breakfast of Champions if you‘re looking for a criticism of America that makes you laugh through the pain. This was unlike anything I‘ve read before, and there are illustrations made by the author. *
🤖🤖🤖🤖
Goal: 2/3
Season‘s greetings @Andrew65 !
😢
Man Cub didn‘t notice it by the plates when he pulled a plate out of the cupboard and knocked it out.
Things happen. It‘s just a mug. It can be replaced.
I think Vonnegut would find some kind of irony in this broken mug lol 😆
pickStanley Tucci read this #audiobook. And it's magical. Kurt Vonnegut was a genius. And in this one he inserts himself into the novel as the narrator so Stanley Tucci is playing the role of Kurt Vonnegut. There is also a bonus at the end, a short interview with Vonnegut himself. 😍😍😍🦄🌈
#BookSpinBingo free square
@TheAromaofBooks
I‘m struggling, my feet are messed up and I cannot run or do pretty much anything that I used to do. It‘s hard and with working from home I rarely go anywhere. Life is hard and I am struggling and it feels good to admit it. Sometimes books help and this book reminds me of that and is making me feel somewhat normal. I‘m just trying to try. Stay safe babies
For my fellow Vonnegut fans! ⛱☀️ Spending a much-needed fall break in the Gulf with my guys.
📸: hubs
Hooray! My replacement mug is here. ☕️ I ordered a couple of other things, too, and got this fab tote for free. 😂 I‘ll share the other stuff when I use/wear them. Love @outofprint !
Oh, sad day. 😔😭 Slipped out of my hand as I was putting it back in the cabinet. Must order a replacement + probably more @outofprint goodies.
🥞🧇Both! I love breakfast food! So much so, that I had a breakfast buffet at my wedding
🍰 Cake all the way!
📖 Hardcover, especially if underneath the dust cover is pretty
🍭Sweet
#thoughtfulthursday
I don‘t usually read reviews on Good Reads but this one jumped out at me. Short & sweet? #reviews
My first time reading #kurtvonnegut & I thought of @britt_brooke but the deciding factor was Stanley Tucci narrating. 🤷♀️at least I‘m honest, right?
Should I be drinking a Negroni while I listen? 😉
If this isn‘t nice - found this postcard while getting tax stuff together. Thank you, Sir.
I bought this audiobook on a whim and the promptly forgot about it. Needed to run some errands and found myself kidless for 3 whole hours. John Malcovich was the perfect choice for the narrator. This is my first Vonnegut and won‘t be the last. Thoughts on what to read next?
so-soI don't know what to say about this... The performance was very good, and there is so much going on which I saw as social and political criticism, and it made me laugh and think. There might be too much going on, though, I wanted just a little more time to think, or rest, before jumping on. And there is a lot of jumping, between characters, realities etc
so-soThis book is April's pick for Roger's Public Library Books and Brews Bookclub. The whole time I was reading it, I was wondering, "What the hell am I reading?!?!" I did throughly enjoyed the little drawings provided by the author through the story.
#rplbooksandbrewsbookclub #arrcreads #bookclub #rogersreads
“Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne.”
#QuotsyFeb20 | 02: #Champion
📷: Made with Typorama
• The results of #WinterGames are in and #TeamFestivus took home the gold!! It was a wonderful, fun event and I'm so glad I was a part of our awesome team!! It took everyone to make this effort a success!! 😁🎉 •
#games #challenges #Christmas2019 #holidays #teamwork #success #yay #friends #LitsyLove
Coffee in my favorite mug before heading to spin class. ☕️☀️🚴🏻♀️ #mondaymorningbeverage
Fun idea @dariazeoli !
I've always wanted to read this book, and my wife got me this shirt for free from her job, so I decided to start reading it now. I'm 30% in, and I'm thinking about bailing on it because it's pointless and stupid. Is there anyone else "brave" enough to not bother pretending that they liked this book? I mean, I know that you're supposed to pretend to like it because it's Vonnegut, but don't worry. I won't tell.
We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane
One of my favorite parts of this book. Talk about a power move. #idowhatiwant #yasqueen
pickThis was my second book by Vonnegut, and I‘m really starting to enjoy his work. It‘s actually really refreshing to read because the content can be so unexpected, compared to what I‘ve been reading recently. 10/10 would recommend.
“I tend To think of human beings as huge, rubbery test tubes...with chemical reactions seething inside.”
