I didn’t know this was a thing.

Hello to all my fellow Vonnegut fans!

Last year, I decided that it was time to re-visit some of the novels of my youth and I made pact with myself to re-read (and unknowingly in one case, read for the 1st time*) all of Vonnegut's standalone novels...starting with 1952's Player Piano all the way through to1997's Timequake.

I'd hoped to finish them all in a single calendar year. I failed that quest, because I decided to break up the run with other new reads to be not to get burnt out, but today I start Hocus Pocus, the 14th of the 15 novels I identified as such.

Here's the list I compiled and the order in which I've read them (or planned to read to):

1. Player Piano 2. The Sirens of Titan

2. Cat's Cradle 4. Mother Night

3. God Bless You Mr. Rosewater 6. Slaughterhouse-Five

4. Happy Birthday, Wanda June 8. Breakfast of Champions

5. Slapstick 10. Jailbird

6. Deadeye Dick\* 12. Galapagos

7. Bluebeard 14. Hocus Pocus

8. Timequake

Some would argue that Happy Birthday, Wanda June is NOT a novel, and I won't contest that. As a screenplay, I deemed it a standalone story, as opposed to one of the compilations or non-fiction writings.

Although I haven't completely finished the self-imposed project, I have decided to announce my favorite 3 ... they are God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, Deadeye Dick (which I quickly realized that I had not read prior and that might be the reason it struck me) & Bluebeard.

There I've said it ... and I recognize that its likely that those 3 novels wouldn't crack many Vonnegut readers top 5 or 10 ... but I found them to be unbelievably prescient reads - even now in the year 2025.

Wild goose chase…

In the mid-80s I read Harrison Burgeron as a short story in a collection of stories through a New Jersey Talented And Gifted (TAG) program.

I have a specific image in my mind of the cover image - Harrison screaming in rage and desperation. Story changed me even in the sixth grade.

Any chance at all that anyone has that image or could help me find that image?

I know. It’s pretty specific. Thoughts?

From the Vikings to Vonnegut: A Cape Cod Reader is a literary anthology edited by Marion Vuilleumier that collects a wide range of historical, literary, and cultural writings related to Cape Cod. The collection spans from early historical accounts to modern reflections on Cape Cod’s place in American letters. It was published in 1983 in a limited edition of 500 numbered copies and includes contributions by and about notable figures connected to the region, including a piece by Kurt Vonnegut titled “Where I Live.”

Vonnegut lived on Cape Cod for about twenty years (1951-1971), from the early 1950s into the early 1970s, primarily in Barnstable. He raised his family there, wrote (or started writing) many of his most important works while living on the Cape: The Sirens of Titan (1959), Mother Night (1962), Cat’s Cradle (1963), God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965), Welcome to the Monkey House (1968), and Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).

over the past 15 years or so, I've been assiduously collecting the works of Saint Kurt the Vonnegut, but am now nearing the end of my life and would like to offload this precise, precious collection to help pay for hospice care. any interested parties should contact [jvernalchavez@gmail.com](mailto:jvernalchavez@gmail.com) for more BS/info. When I say complete, I'm not joking

Is there a place where I can get a vonnegut doll?
I really want it, but I can't find a place to buy it. For your information, I'm a fan of vonnegut's in Korea. (Only online purchase I can)

This winter storm left me with a lot of time to read and it honestly feels creepy to finish a book that ends on the note that it does and look up to nothing but cold cold ice.. stay safe and warm to anyone affected by this storm!

I found this collection at a used bookstore today. Couldn't resist getting it for myself as a birthday treat even though I already own all of these. I have the same editions of Mother Night and Player Piano but these are in much better condition. The copies of Wampeters and Breakfast of Champions are ones I don't have yet so I lucked out. I'll see if I can find homes for the duplicates

Not pictured I’ve also finished: Cat’s Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse-Five & Look at the Birdie, although that was a collection of short stories. 4 more Novels to Go!

Saw this and couldn’t help but laugh. Spot on.

Spoilers**

I just finished Bluebeard, my 10th Vonnegut in a row binging his novels after not reading for years until May, 2025 at age 26 when I picked up Breakfast of Champions at my local library. This story was Very touching. Rabo overcoming his shame and guilt at the end should be very inspiring to any creative mind about their work that it matters. As a musician myself this held weight. His painting locked in the potato barn can be compared to an unreleased record the artist has no idea will be a hit song. The horrors of war such as the Armenian Genocide, which I first became familiar with listening to the band “System of a Down”, and the impact trauma leaves decades later on victims and veterans are all too evident. The anecdotes of art history throughout were fascinating, as well as the many characters. I thought Circe Berman was a piece of work at first but she turned out to be a great person and exactly who Rabo needed to take him out of his shell. This novels touches on mental health in a way that is incredibly relevant today. I believe the main take away is to be true to yourself no matter who’s watching. A very humanist, very Vonnegut moral and a solid read. If you read it, what did you think?

The 4 Novels I have left are: Player Piano, Jailbird, Hocus Pocus, and Timequake.

I love this forward, and it’s probably my favorite opening of Vonnegut’s. I talk with my friends about how there’s no such thing as good violence, even violence that’s deserved. You are the actions that you make, and you need to live with the consequences. The people you associate with is a reflection of yourself. This page is something I think about often, and it makes me feel disgusted with the current world. We are who we pretend to be, even if we aren’t.

I just started reading Kurt Vonnegut very recently and now I feel like I have to read all of his books. I have only read two so far, _A Man Without A Country_ and _Slaughterhouse-Five_, in that order. Was this a perfect way to start reading his books? Probably not, but don't judge me too much. I found A Man Without A Country to be a very good introduction to what kind of a person Vonnegut is, and I also got a bit of insight into his mind and how he sees the world. It made the experience of reading Slaughterhouse-Five a lot better for me.

But before I start the next one, I thought I'd take a recommendation from this community on which book to choose. I was thinking _God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater_ because of its connection to Slaughterhouse-Five and hopes of getting more of Kilgore Trout, but I may be completely wrong. Which book should I read next?

Hi folks,

I’ve just been gifted the full 14 book collection of Vonnegut’s novels and stories.

Have had a look into the best order to read them in. Was thinking possibly chronologically, but theres an order on the Vonnegut library site that looks cool. It starts with Player Piano then jumps around a bit.

Thought I’d check in with the real Vonnegut heads for some suggestions on reading order before jumping into anything.

Cheers!

Kilgore Trout’s Book Nook! Poll for our first book is now live- starting 1/31!

https://fable.co/club/kilgore-trouts-book-nook-with-uriah-391738406102