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Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (2 Viewers)

Started "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" per a high recommendation... hasn't grabbed me yet, but also haven't settled in to read it for more than a few minutes at a time.

anybody read it that can say yes or no to continuing?

 
Been trying to keep up with my son over the summer with reading.  Read a couple that didn't do much for me, but I really liked A Head Full of Ghosts.  A nice, quick summer read.  We are told about a family who starred in a reality show called Possessed.  It's years later and we are told what went on through the eyes of one of the girls in the house when she was 8.  Some genuinely creepy moments mixed with a lot of smiles because of the way she thought and did things.  Found it randomly on some list, and I think people will like it for a summer read. 

Started to read Judd Apatow's Sick in the Head today, and will read that at the same time as whatever novel I decide to go on to.  Pretty good so far, but I am sure my interest will ebb and flow based on whichever comic he is interviewing. 

 
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Swing 51 said:
I got a little over $50 from Amazon. Got something coming from Barnes & Noble as well. Bought The Border Trilogy and Before the Fall.
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Got $30 from B & N this week, used on Dr. Strangelove Blu-ray coming out Tuesday, didn't even have to use a gift cert. code, it was already there in my account for checkout.

 
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El Floppo said:
Started "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" per a high recommendation... hasn't grabbed me yet, but also haven't settled in to read it for more than a few minutes at a time.

anybody read it that can say yes or no to continuing?
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Stay with it.  It was worth the slow start.

 
11.  Very surprised at myself.  I didn't even count the ones where I've just watched the movie.

 
Finished reading Sick in the Head.  Was worth it for sure, some interviews were more engaging than others, but I am sure a big part of that was how interested I was in the person he was interviewing. 

I am 1/2 way through Dark Places, and am really liking it so far.

 
Don Quixote said:
Downloaded Barkskins last night.  New Annie Proulx (Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain).  
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Finished Barkskins. My favorite book of the year so far. Proulx's writing is fantastic. I wasn't expecting 700 pages on the timber industry and deforestation to appeal to me as much as it did, but such a great read.

Emma Cline's "The Girls" up next (refers to "girls" in Manson's cult).

 
badmojo1006 said:
I am putting this aside for right now and I am going to read "Night" by Elie Wiesel. Been sitting on my bookshelf forever and need to read it.
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Must read and about as quick of a read as you will ever come across. I had to read it in 10th grade when I was too cool for school and wasn't trying to read anything. I started that book and couldn't put it down. It was so powerful. As deeply affecting as any book I've ever read.

 
Read thought the Wool Omnibus in under a week. Then read Warship by Joshua Dalzelle in a day as I was stuck helping the wife watch four kids Friday. Now about 1/3rd of the way through Constitution by Nick Webb. Forgot how much I like a good post-apocalyptic or sci-fi story.

 
The Fireman by Joe Hill.  Not quite as good as his dad was in his prime, but there are certainly similarities.  And way better than his dad now.

 
Don Quixote said:
Emma Cline's "The Girls" up next (refers to "girls" in Manson's cult).
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Thought The Girls was mediocre, and not up to the hype that it has received.  There is not much substance to it, and the writing is only so-so.

I've been reading a lot of new releases lately (2016 has been a pretty great year for books), but taking a break to read a classic that I've never read -- Toni Morrison's Beloved.

 
Just finished reading the Chathrand Voyage series.  Just phenomenal.

It's an epic fantasy/heroic fantasy genre that's extremely well-written and has incredible depth.  It's a story about how a litany of hodgepodge characters became involved in saving the destruction of a fictional world.  The story has so many twists and turns that my mind is still trying to make sense of it all.  Additionally, there's so much more meaning to the plot and subplots than what's presented in the book, so there is plenty of value in anothern (several) read throughs.

I highly recommend for any epic fantasy fiction readers.

 
Next up is another thriller: Before the Fall by Noah Hawley.

From the Emmy, PEN, Peabody, Critics' Choice, and Golden Globe Award-winning creator of the TV show Fargo comes the thriller of the year.

On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs--the painter--and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family.

With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members--including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot--the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage.

Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.
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Swing 51 said:
Finished up Hostile Takeover by Derek Blount aka @Captain Fantastic

A very enjoyable thriller, well worth the time and price ($4). Nice job Derek! If I wasn't such a lazy ### I would leave a nice review on Amazon...

REMEMBER
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Thanks for the read, Swing 51!  :thanks:   :thumbup:   :bow:   :thanks:

Very glad you enjoyed Hostile Takeover. The follow up (Second Son) is nearing completion. Will keep the crew posted on availability (because I'm sure everyone here is just dying to know).

And don't worry about a review on Amazon. If you just recommend the book to your family, your friends, your coworkers, any local book clubs and at least one random stranger, that will do just fine instead.  :hifive:

(Seriously, thanks for purchasing and reading. Much appreciated.)

 
Captain Fantastic said:
Thanks for the read, Swing 51!  :thanks:   :thumbup:   :bow:   :thanks:

Very glad you enjoyed Hostile Takeover. The follow up (Second Son) is nearing completion. Will keep the crew posted on availability (because I'm sure everyone here is just dying to know).

And don't worry about a review on Amazon. If you just recommend the book to your family, your friends, your coworkers, any local book clubs and at least one random stranger, that will do just fine instead.  :hifive:

(Seriously, thanks for purchasing and reading. Much appreciated.)
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Derek, how many books will be in the series when it's done? After 15 years waiting for The Dark Tower and A Song Of Ice And Fire (actually, 16 & counting on this one), I'm skittish to start an open-ended series.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
Derek, how many books will be in the series when it's done? After 15 years waiting for The Dark Tower and A Song Of Ice And Fire (actually, 16 & counting on this one), I'm skittish to start an open-ended series.
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Totally understand, Uruk-Hai.

Two points of good news:

1. It's only a trilogy (with the third/final book to be released next year).

2. It's a "loose" trilogy at that, meaning there are some characters that cross over through the books but each is a self-contained story (so not necessarily a hardcore "series" but there will hopefully be some rewards in Book Three for readers who have also read Hostile Takeover and Second Son...if that makes sense).

Swing 51 (or anyone else who has read it) may be a more reliable source, but when you finish Hostile Takeover, you should feel satisfied with a complete story and not go to bed feeling like you just watched Empire Strikes Back without knowing how long until the next installment resolves the cliffhanger.

Or so the plan goes.  :)

 
Captain Fantastic said:
Totally understand, Uruk-Hai.

Two points of good news:

1. It's only a trilogy (with the third/final book to be released next year).

2. It's a "loose" trilogy at that, meaning there are some characters that cross over through the books but each is a self-contained story (so not necessarily a hardcore "series" but there will hopefully be some rewards in Book Three for readers who have also read Hostile Takeover and Second Son...if that makes sense).

Swing 51 (or anyone else who has read it) may be a more reliable source, but when you finish Hostile Takeover, you should feel satisfied with a complete story and not go to bed feeling like you just watched Empire Strikes Back without knowing how long until the next installment resolves the cliffhanger.

Or so the plan goes.  :)
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Sweet. Thanks for the clarifications. Also - thanks for writing fast  :D

 
badmojo1006 said:
I am putting this aside for right now and I am going to read "Night" by Elie Wiesel. Been sitting on my bookshelf forever and need to read it.
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Well, I read it. Very powerful and moving in spots. Worth reading. However I can only give it 3.5 out of 5 stars because it was so choppy. I read the original version was over 800 pages, whereas the American version I read was only 106 pages. Just felt like there was a whole lot that was missing. 

 
Just finished David Moody's Hater trilogy (Hater, Dog Blood, Them or Us).  First one was unique, second one was good, third one seemed to drag forever.  This guy is more of a storyteller than a writer.  Not sure I'd recommend this. 

Started Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey.  After Moody, Howey reads like Cormac McCarthy.

 
Don Quixote said:
How is it so far? Saw that it is a Kindle Daily Deal today -- not really the thriller type, but thinking about for $3.99.
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I'm really liking it so far. Easy "beach" kind of read.

 
Finishing Dark Places last week.  I was 1/2 and 1/2 on the ending, but still glad I read it. If anybody read Flynn's books - is Sharp Objects worth a read?  I am now about 1/2 way through Brimstone.  Maybe not quite as instantly hooked as I was with others in the series like Still Life with Crows, but so far any of the Pendergast books I have read have been well worth the time.  Such a great character. 

 
Swing 51 said:
I'm really liking it so far. Easy "beach" kind of read.
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Alright, cool.  I ended up purchasing last night, since it was a one-day deal. Although it's not the type of book that I usually go for, I enjoy FX's Fargo and figured it's at worst $3.99 down the drain. 

 
streamkeeper said:
El Floppo said:
Started "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" per a high recommendation... hasn't grabbed me yet, but also haven't settled in to read it for more than a few minutes at a time.

anybody read it that can say yes or no to continuing?
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Stay with it.  It was worth the slow start.
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finally finished it (tough to do books with two younger kids- can only find 10 minute chunks of time here or there).

loved the prose, the characters, learning more about Chechnya, the dips into magical realism. pretty brutal, which wasn't what I was ultimately in the mood for, I think. was surprised to feel a little disappointed by the end, even if I appreciated most of what was going on there- but I think more a reflection of my emotional state than the quality of the book, which was very high.

on to Delilo's "White Noise" next...

Oh! Highly recommend the young adult (for girls, mostly) book Risuko... written by a relative.

 
Swing 51 said:
Next up is another thriller: Before the Fall by Noah Hawley.
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I liked this quite a bit. Nothing profound or groundbreaking but a nice fast read with a little bit of a #### you to the current media/social zoolike environment.

Next I'm going with All the Pretty Horses by McCarthy.

 
Don Quixote said:
I've been reading a lot of new releases lately (2016 has been a pretty great year for books), but taking a break to read a classic that I've never read -- Toni Morrison's Beloved.
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Finished this, and I don't care how many awards it has won, "Beloved" is a steaming pile of excrement.  I have no idea why people consider it one of the best American novels in my lifetime. 

Recently started Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  Good mix of humor and insight into RBG.

 
I FINALLY got through The Drawing of the Three.  Really wasn't on board for a lot of the book, but for me it got a lot better toward the end when he goes through the 3rd door.  Still going to go with the plan of following along with the podcast I am listening to and reading along for the series, but I am pretty hesitant when I didn't love this book and I seem to get a lot of opinions that this one was the cream of the crop. 

Just started The Passage this morning. 

 
KarmaPolice said:
I FINALLY got through The Drawing of the Three.  Really wasn't on board for a lot of the book, but for me it got a lot better toward the end when he goes through the 3rd door.  Still going to go with the plan of following along with the podcast I am listening to and reading along for the series, but I am pretty hesitant when I didn't love this book and I seem to get a lot of opinions that this one was the cream of the crop. 

Just started The Passage this morning. 
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What podcast? I am a huge fan of the dark tower series.

 
prosopis said:
What podcast? I am a huge fan of the dark tower series.
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The one I stumbled on awhile ago is called Unspoiled.  They did Song of Ice and Fire too along with other shows and books.  Not the greatest thing, but I liked the format of one person reading for the first time and the other knowing the material.   I did stumble on other ones that went almost chapter by chapter as well, but this one stuck for whatever reason.   

 
-fish- said:
37, but any list where Ayn Rand has 2 of the most influential books and Faulkner has none is a crappy list.
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:goodposting:

no Kesey either. 

and it's 3 Rands. (anthem, fountain, atlas) I enjoyed her novels just fine- pulpy beach reads more than anything else. still head-scratching that they're anywhere near this list.

eta: oops... was scanning it for Sometimes a Great Notion instead of the obvious one. 

 
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El Floppo said:
:goodposting:

no Kesey either. 

and it's 3 Rands. (anthem, fountain, atlas) I enjoyed her novels just fine- pulpy beach reads more than anything else. still head-scratching that they're anywhere near this list.

eta: oops... was scanning it for Sometimes a Great Notion instead of the obvious one. 
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ack.  that just make it all the worse. 

 
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