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

[Todd Andrews]

Reading the Jo Nesbo series of Norwegian noir crime thrillers. For those who liked Larssen this is good light entertainment.

 

[netnalp]

I'm 25% into The Fellowship of the Ring, and it's just a lot of eating, sleeping and walking around, oh, and being spooked by a black cloaked rider. I'm glad I saw the movies first.

It moving so slow is why I hate Tom Bombadil. He's a side story and just adds length to the book. I didn't care for how they break into song at inappropriate times. The ranger can't track an army through long grass at night. Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara I liked much more even though it's pretty much a rip-off of LotR.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I need a good recommendation for my next bookclub book. My last turn bombed so I really need to redeem myself in a big way. Needs to be nonfiction this time. Biography is fine but I am hoping to find something about an event or phenomenon - perhaps like Blood Germs Steel but not quite that dense. Something light and funny would be great but I want it to be compelling and enlightening. I am thinking perhaps a recent book about sports or entertainment. Would like to avoid politics. This is a smart group. We drink fine fine whisky, smoke huge cigars and like to argue late into the night at our meetings. TIA will answer yours.

 

[oso diablo]

I need a good recommendation for my next bookclub book. My last turn bombed so I really need to redeem myself in a big way. Needs to be nonfiction this time. Biography is fine but I am hoping to find something about an event or phenomenon - perhaps like Blood Germs Steel but not quite that dense. Something light and funny would be great but I want it to be compelling and enlightening. I am thinking perhaps a recent book about sports or entertainment. Would like to avoid politics. This is a smart group. We drink fine fine whisky, smoke huge cigars and like to argue late into the night at our meetings. TIA will answer yours.

something by Malcolm Gladwell perhapsin a similar vein, but not by Gladwell, i liked Predictably Irrational

 

[Maelstrom]

I'm currently reading Zero Day, a thriller about a cyber attack on the US. Only about a quarter of the way into it so far. Review I swiped from Amazon:

Microsoft computer guru Russinovich's first novel, a cautionary tale about the imminence of the great cyber attack to wipe out the Internet, works pretty well as a thriller, though it takes a while to boot up and for the bodies to begin to fall. Arab terrorists, with the collusion of Osama bin Laden, are behind the attack, which is supposed to destroy Western civilization. A New York City law firm enlists cyber expert Jeff Aiken to track down a virus that has knocked out the company's computer network. While working on this problem, Jeff uncovers the larger threat. With the help of "stunningly attractive" Daryl Haugen, an old friend who becomes his love interest, Jeff attempts to warn the authorities, but to little avail. The author effectively employs the usual genre types—government traitors, amoral hackers, professional assassins—but his main characters spend too much time at the keyboard to build up much heat.

 

[Todd Andrews]

I need a good recommendation for my next bookclub book. My last turn bombed so I really need to redeem myself in a big way. Needs to be nonfiction this time. Biography is fine but I am hoping to find something about an event or phenomenon - perhaps like Blood Germs Steel but not quite that dense. Something light and funny would be great but I want it to be compelling and enlightening. I am thinking perhaps a recent book about sports or entertainment. Would like to avoid politics. This is a smart group. We drink fine fine whisky, smoke huge cigars and like to argue late into the night at our meetings. TIA will answer yours.

I highly recommend The Fourth Part of the World. It is entertaining, accessible, smart, very well written and gives you real historical insight into an untold story about how the New World was both discovered and more importantly, conceptualized.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I stumbled onto something called The Hater Trilogy by David Moody. I'm about half way through the 2nd book and it's been one wild ride so far. Booklist's review:

*Starred Review* One day Danny McCoyne’s life tends toward the humdrum: job, family, the usual. The next day, suddenly, without warning or explanation, people are turning into killers, murdering their loved ones, attacking perfect strangers. Soon Danny is trying desperately to keep his family safe, while all around him society seems to be self-destructing, as ordinary men and women turn into animals, filled with hate and violence. This is a truly frightening book because, like Danny, we’re constantly scrambling to process what’s going on. Moody, who self-published the novel in 2006, writes as though his novel were a zombie movie, and readers familiar with the genre will have no difficulty seeing, in their mind’s eye, the rapid dissolution of society played out in front of them. (Is it purely a coincidence that the protagonist has the same first name as Danny Boyle, director of the movie 28 Days Later, whose zombielike creatures were infected with something that filled them with uncontrollable rage?) It’s a risky undertaking, giving literary form to a type of story that is traditionally told in pictures, but Moody completely pulls it off. The movie rights to the book have been sold, and it’ll be interesting to see if the film is as good as the novel. It’s hard to imagine how it could be. --David Pitt

I'm also getting a lot of recommendations lately for Joe R Landsdale. Anyone read him?

 

[Socrates11]

I stumbled onto something called The Hater Trilogy by David Moody. I'm about half way through the 2nd book and it's been one wild ride so far. Booklist's review:

*Starred Review* One day Danny McCoyne’s life tends toward the humdrum: job, family, the usual. The next day, suddenly, without warning or explanation, people are turning into killers, murdering their loved ones, attacking perfect strangers. Soon Danny is trying desperately to keep his family safe, while all around him society seems to be self-destructing, as ordinary men and women turn into animals, filled with hate and violence. This is a truly frightening book because, like Danny, we’re constantly scrambling to process what’s going on. Moody, who self-published the novel in 2006, writes as though his novel were a zombie movie, and readers familiar with the genre will have no difficulty seeing, in their mind’s eye, the rapid dissolution of society played out in front of them. (Is it purely a coincidence that the protagonist has the same first name as Danny Boyle, director of the movie 28 Days Later, whose zombielike creatures were infected with something that filled them with uncontrollable rage?) It’s a risky undertaking, giving literary form to a type of story that is traditionally told in pictures, but Moody completely pulls it off. The movie rights to the book have been sold, and it’ll be interesting to see if the film is as good as the novel. It’s hard to imagine how it could be. --David Pitt

I'm also getting a lot of recommendations lately for Joe R Landsdale. Anyone read him?

Sounds a lot like the 'Crossed' comic series (not for the faint of heart, very messed up).

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Thanks for the non-fiction recommendations everyone. All of them look great. I'm looking into all of them and would appreciate more.

 

[pantagrapher]

One Hundred Years of Solitude was so bad I couldn't finish it. Halfway through I gave up, which I rarely do.

Started "Satantango" by László Krasznahorkai.

A friend of mine whose judgment I trust recommended it. Pretty damn good so far. Like a wonderful mixture of Kafka and Gogol.

Finished this book and highly recommend it. Here's a review.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I'm also getting a lot of recommendations lately for Joe R Landsdale. Anyone read him?

I know Shuke is a big Lansdale fan. I've read several of the Hap Collins/Leonard Pines books - all very good. I started the Drive-In years ago but was interrupted and never got back to it.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I'm also getting a lot of recommendations lately for Joe R Landsdale. Anyone read him?

I know Shuke is a big Lansdale fan. I've read several of the Hap Collins/Leonard Pines books - all very good. I started the Drive-In years ago but was interrupted and never got back to it.

Going through his stuff on Amazon is very confusing - he's written a ton of short stories and novellas. Some are sold singly, some as part of collections but there seems to be quite a bit of redundancy. The Hap/Leonard stories look good, but I think I'll start with his latest - Edge Of Dark Water (a novel) - and see where that leads. Based on his reviews, he seems to be a cross between Cormac McCarthy, Richard Bachman, and Neil Gaiman.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I'm also getting a lot of recommendations lately for Joe R Landsdale. Anyone read him?

I know Shuke is a big Lansdale fan. I've read several of the Hap Collins/Leonard Pines books - all very good. I started the Drive-In years ago but was interrupted and never got back to it.

Going through his stuff on Amazon is very confusing - he's written a ton of short stories and novellas. Some are sold singly, some as part of collections but there seems to be quite a bit of redundancy. The Hap/Leonard stories look good, but I think I'll start with his latest - Edge Of Dark Water (a novel) - and see where that leads. Based on his reviews, he seems to be a cross between Cormac McCarthy, Richard Bachman, and Neil Gaiman.

The Hap/Leonard books are essentially well-written pulp. Sex, violence, good characters and good dialog.

 

[Don Quixote]

I need a good recommendation for my next bookclub book. My last turn bombed so I really need to redeem myself in a big way. Needs to be nonfiction this time. Biography is fine but I am hoping to find something about an event or phenomenon - perhaps like Blood Germs Steel but not quite that dense. Something light and funny would be great but I want it to be compelling and enlightening. I am thinking perhaps a recent book about sports or entertainment. Would like to avoid politics. This is a smart group. We drink fine fine whisky, smoke huge cigars and like to argue late into the night at our meetings. TIA will answer yours.

I read a lot of non-fiction, but mostly biographies or longer works. A couple of my "lighter" non-fiction reads that have come out in the past year or so that I'd recommend are Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard on the assassination of President Garfield and The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football by John Miller.

 

[shuke]

I'm also getting a lot of recommendations lately for Joe R Landsdale. Anyone read him?

I know Shuke is a big Lansdale fan. I've read several of the Hap Collins/Leonard Pines books - all very good. I started the Drive-In years ago but was interrupted and never got back to it.

Going through his stuff on Amazon is very confusing - he's written a ton of short stories and novellas. Some are sold singly, some as part of collections but there seems to be quite a bit of redundancy. The Hap/Leonard stories look good, but I think I'll start with his latest - Edge Of Dark Water (a novel) - and see where that leads. Based on his reviews, he seems to be a cross between Cormac McCarthy, Richard Bachman, and Neil Gaiman.

He can be hit and miss. I'm probably not as big a fan as I once was. His short stories are great. As Cletius said, the Hap/Leonard novels are basically well written pulp. As for his other novels, The Drive In is still one of my favorites and I thought The Bottoms and A Fine Dark Line were very good. But Lost Echoes was pretty forgettable. I actually just started Edge of Dark Water.I actually just started reading

 

[Tremendous Upside]

I read Savages and really enjoyed it. I then read the subsequent prequel The Kings of Cool, which I also really enjoyed.

Both do a fantastic job of describing SoCal life and culture, and Winslow's writing style is pretty frenetic and stylized

Just starting Michael Chabon's new novel, Telegraph Avenue

Looking forward to it

 

[krista4]

I recently read 1999 Man Booker award winner Disgrace, by JM Coetzee. I'd previously read Waiting for the Barbarians by the same author, and I have come away duly impressed with this South African writer's work. He seems like a throwback. He tackles "big topics" in the context of his stories, which often focus and very small casts of characters. He's definitely a cynic, and Disgrace paints a pretty bleak picture of post-apartheid South Africa in which the fall of the protagonist (a privileged white professor) mirrors that of the ruling class of the country. This book merits multiple reads, it's the kind of work that would be great for a book club or a literature class. Highly recommended.

Need to get to this one finally.

I just finished One Second Later......I need to buy some guns.....

Is that the one set near Ashville? I read it awhile back. The author did a good job with the nuts-and-bolts of the disaster (at least, I thought so not knowing a damned thing about it beforehand). Characters and dialogue left something to be desired IMO, though I don't think he intended the book to be character-driven.I finished Skippy Dies a week or so ago and, man, is that a good book. It's fairly long - 600+ pages - but reads easily. It took me a few dozen pages to get used to the unique (for me) writing style, but once I did I flew through it. The writing is beautiful and the characters are memorable (one or two are pretty rote, but not terribly so).

I don't remember all the stuff I've read since I last posted in this thread, but Skippy Dies was one of them. Took me a while to get into it, but once I was I thought it really was fantastic, for the reasons you mention.The other notable that is standing out in my mind is that I finally read Matterhorn. One of the best pieces of modern fiction I've ever read. And knowing the backstory of the writer and his quest to get it written and published makes it even better.

 

[krista4]

Next up: The Cypress House by Michael Koryta

This was okay. Characters seemed pretty forumulaic and for a large portion of the book there wasn't much building of suspense. Climax was pretty good, and there was some interesting supernatural stuff sprinkled in to what would have been a typical crime/suspense novel. I'll reluctantly give it a 6/10. Next up: The Night Country by Stewart O'Nan

This looks interesting. Have you read anything else by him, shuke?

No. Grabbed this out of a stack my buddy was getting rid of because it looked interested. Just a little into it so far, it's told from the perspective of the dead kids. Definitely unique.

I love Stewart O'Nan.

 

[krista4]

Right now, I am halfway through a truly fantastic book called "Gone Girl" about a husband who falls under suspicion following his wife's disappearance. It's like Tim O'Brien's "In the Lake of the Woods" - another great book - but take out all the Vietnam stuff and replace it with astute and darkly funny pop culture observations. I'm sitting there thinking about getting out of work early so I can keep reading it. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint in the second half.

How did it turn out? This sounds great, if you thought it was worth reading.

 

[krista4]

One Hundred Years of Solitude was so bad I couldn't finish it. Halfway through I gave up, which I rarely do.

Started "Satantango" by László Krasznahorkai.

A friend of mine whose judgment I trust recommended it. Pretty damn good so far. Like a wonderful mixture of Kafka and Gogol.

Finished this book and highly recommend it. Here's a review.

Thanks for this.

I read Savages and really enjoyed it. I then read the subsequent prequel The Kings of Cool, which I also really enjoyed.

Both do a fantastic job of describing SoCal life and culture, and Winslow's writing style is pretty frenetic and stylized

Just starting Michael Chabon's new novel, Telegraph Avenue

Looking forward to it

I pre-ordered this based on the NY Times review. Can't wait to get to it!

 

[The_Man]

Right now, I am halfway through a truly fantastic book called "Gone Girl" about a husband who falls under suspicion following his wife's disappearance. It's like Tim O'Brien's "In the Lake of the Woods" - another great book - but take out all the Vietnam stuff and replace it with astute and darkly funny pop culture observations. I'm sitting there thinking about getting out of work early so I can keep reading it. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint in the second half.

How did it turn out? This sounds great, if you thought it was worth reading.

It's really good. The first 90 percent of the book is really taut, funny and dark - it falls off a little at the end with the resolution, but still a really good book. It got me interested enough to go back and read her previous book, "Dark Places," which was also really good. I know you're a David Foster Wallace fan - reading the new bio right now. It's making me happy and sad and I know it's setting me up to reread a bunch of his stuff.

 

[krista4]

Right now, I am halfway through a truly fantastic book called "Gone Girl" about a husband who falls under suspicion following his wife's disappearance. It's like Tim O'Brien's "In the Lake of the Woods" - another great book - but take out all the Vietnam stuff and replace it with astute and darkly funny pop culture observations. I'm sitting there thinking about getting out of work early so I can keep reading it. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint in the second half.

How did it turn out? This sounds great, if you thought it was worth reading.

It's really good. The first 90 percent of the book is really taut, funny and dark - it falls off a little at the end with the resolution, but still a really good book. It got me interested enough to go back and read her previous book, "Dark Places," which was also really good. I know you're a David Foster Wallace fan - reading the new bio right now. It's making me happy and sad and I know it's setting me up to reread a bunch of his stuff.

Thanks--just bought it!I think I'm too emotional for a DFW bio right now.

 

[Sand]

I need a good recommendation for my next bookclub book. My last turn bombed so I really need to redeem myself in a big way. Needs to be nonfiction this time. Biography is fine but I am hoping to find something about an event or phenomenon - perhaps like Blood Germs Steel but not quite that dense. Something light and funny would be great but I want it to be compelling and enlightening. I am thinking perhaps a recent book about sports or entertainment. Would like to avoid politics. This is a smart group. We drink fine fine whisky, smoke huge cigars and like to argue late into the night at our meetings. TIA will answer yours.

We're currently readingNothing to Envy - Ordinary lives in North Korea. A fascinating look at a complete of a country. Guaranteed fodder for great discussion.

 

[shuke]

I actually just started reading

Not sure why I didn't finish this. I'm reading Edge of Dark Water by Lansdale. So far, so good. Typical Lansdale east Texas coming of age story.

 

[shuke]

Next up: The Night Country by Stewart O'Nan

Thought this was pretty good, despite kind of dragging on near the end despite it not being that long of a book.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Nice to see some first-class Krippling in here

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I actually just started reading

Not sure why I didn't finish this. I'm reading Edge of Dark Water by Lansdale. So far, so good. Typical Lansdale east Texas coming of age story.

Shuke, can you give me some kind of guide on reading Lansdale? As I said, I'm completely....well, shuked on trying to figure out how to proceed.

 

[shuke]

I actually just started reading

Not sure why I didn't finish this. I'm reading Edge of Dark Water by Lansdale. So far, so good. Typical Lansdale east Texas coming of age story.

Shuke, can you give me some kind of guide on reading Lansdale? As I said, I'm completely....well, shuked on trying to figure out how to proceed.

Just about anything he's done is an easy read. I'd start with one of his short story collections to see if you like his style.Be aware that he's written a number of westerns and done a lot of graphic novels, so be careful about picking something random on Amazon.

I didn't really like his real early stuff like Act of Love and The Nightrunners, was just too raw.

The Hap and Leonard novels are good mysteries with plenty of humor.

For just good weird stories, try Drive In or Freezer Burn.

Or I'd recommend The Bottoms if none of the above excites you.

 

[krista4]

Nice to see some first-class Krippling in here

I tried to limit myself.

 

[timschochet]

Very excited by two books coming out this fall. The first is Winter of the World by Ken Follett. Follett was at one time a thriller writer, but he expanded into writing epics starting with The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and Fall of Giants. For my money he has become the best popular epic writer since James Clavell. And I love these kind of novels- 1,000 page dramas with multiple characters and earth-shattering events. Winter of the World, which arrives in 2 days from now, is the sequal to Fall of Giants. The first novel followed 5 families through World War I; this one covers World War II. Shades of Herman Wouk and Leon Uris! I hope for the best, and frankly, expect it.

The other book, which comes out in November, is The Last Lion III: Defender of the Realm by the late William Manchester, completed by his friend Paul Reid. This is the third and final volume of Manchester's biography of Winston Churchill, which is for me the best bio I have ever read. It remains to be seen if Reid can capture Manchester's majesterial prose style which made his works so wonderful- I'm really hoping he can.

 

[pantagrapher]

Panicked this morning when I realized I hadn't picked my next book yet and had to leave for work. Grabbed Thomas Pynchon's "V" off the shelf. Ten pages in. Seems OK. I read The Crying of Lot 49 a long time ago and wasn't particularly thrilled by it, but chalked that up to youth. But there is something about Pynchon's writing style that doesn't work for me. I'm going to forge ahead and see what happens.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I need something new to read. I've been addicted to A song of ice and fire, but that next volume is a ways away. I just read my first Star Wars book in 6 years (Darth Plagueous).

What should I do next? cloud Atlas? Lord of the rings ( never read them or saw the movies ... Do I start with the hobbit?)? Some other sci-fi or fantasy type series that I don't know about? A classic I never read like the count of monte cristo or the art of war? Something good about Lincoln or Jefferson to recommend?

 

[Brady Marino]

I need something new to read. I've been addicted to A song of ice and fire, but that next volume is a ways away. I just read my first Star Wars book in 6 years (Darth Plagueous). What should I do next? cloud Atlas? Lord of the rings ( never read them or saw the movies ... Do I start with the hobbit?)? Some other sci-fi or fantasy type series that I don't know about? A classic I never read like the count of monte cristo or the art of war?

DO NOT read Lord of the Rings. I know I'll get flamed for this, but compared to Song of Ice and Fire, LOTR is a snoozefest.I thought Hunger Games was a good, albeit not overly deep, book. Otherwise, Jack Reacher series is good (except for the 3rd and 4th books).

 

[Socrates11]

I need something new to read. I've been addicted to A song of ice and fire, but that next volume is a ways away. I just read my first Star Wars book in 6 years (Darth Plagueous). What should I do next? cloud Atlas? Lord of the rings ( never read them or saw the movies ... Do I start with the hobbit?)? Some other sci-fi or fantasy type series that I don't know about? A classic I never read like the count of monte cristo or the art of war? Something good about Lincoln or Jefferson to recommend?

Yes, read the Hobbit first. Nice easy read to lead you into the trilogy.

 

[Maelstrom]

Now reading EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey. About how Dave Ramsey runs his business, and develops leaders within it. He runs a fairly unique, debt-free, business, and so far it is an interesting read.

 

[sports_fan]

Metamorphosis - Kafka

My first encounter with Kafka. I won't pretend to be knowledgeable of writing styles, but this seemed to me to be very well constructed. Deserving of it's many accolades. Damn, it's heartwrenching though. On the surface it's one of the more depressing things I've read. I can see how it's open to many different interpretations however.

It's not particularly heavy, and at only 40-50 pages, I'd recommend picking up a copy.

 

[prosopis]

Life after death by Damien Echols

This was the supposed "ringleader" of the Memphis three. I am only in about 50 pages but man I feel bad for this guy. I saw paradise lost and I did not think they were guilty. At the same time I dont think Damien did anything to help his cause. A real shame because the guy has been through hell for something he did not do.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I need something new to read. I've been addicted to A song of ice and fire, but that next volume is a ways away. I just read my first Star Wars book in 6 years (Darth Plagueous). What should I do next? cloud Atlas? Lord of the rings ( never read them or saw the movies ... Do I start with the hobbit?)? Some other sci-fi or fantasy type series that I don't know about? A classic I never read like the count of monte cristo or the art of war? Something good about Lincoln or Jefferson to recommend?

Yes, read the Hobbit first. Nice easy read to lead you into the trilogy.

So that's what I should read next?What about this Dark Tower Series I see people reading or Wheel of Time? What are those?

 

[pantagrapher]

Rereading Pnin. I forgot just how alternately hilarious and sad the early parts are. Great novel, really one of my favorites.

 

[General Malaise]

Financial Lives of Poets - Jess Walter

Feel like it was written by me.

 

[The_Man]

Financial Lives of Poets - Jess Walter

Feel like it was written by me.

Great, great book. I am a huge fan of Jess Walter - he's kind of like an American Nick Hornby to me. Youngish, smart, contemporary, not afraid to write books that actually entertain readers while also challenging them a bit. Come to think of it, I first found him by reading Nick Hornby's collection of book reviews in The Believer. Jess was a fan of the column, and so sent Hornby a copy of his book "Citizen Vince" in the hopes Horny would like it and write about it, and he did.Walter's "The Zero" is a piece of 9/11 noir that I thought was great. And his new book "Beautiful Ruins" is kind of like Richard Russo meets "A Visit from the Goon Squad."

Speaking of Hornby, I just got his most recent collection of Believer columns from the library. I really, really like those. I think he might be a better reader than writer. In a very casual, stream of consciousness manner, he writes about the books he's read that month - classics, new releases, rereads of old favorites - interweaving his criticism with events from his current life and his literary history.

 

[General Malaise]

Financial Lives of Poets - Jess Walter

Feel like it was written by me.

Great, great book. I am a huge fan of Jess Walter - he's kind of like an American Nick Hornby to me. Youngish, smart, contemporary, not afraid to write books that actually entertain readers while also challenging them a bit. Come to think of it, I first found him by reading Nick Hornby's collection of book reviews in The Believer. Jess was a fan of the column, and so sent Hornby a copy of his book "Citizen Vince" in the hopes Horny would like it and write about it, and he did.Walter's "The Zero" is a piece of 9/11 noir that I thought was great. And his new book "Beautiful Ruins" is kind of like Richard Russo meets "A Visit from the Goon Squad."

Speaking of Hornby, I just got his most recent collection of Believer columns from the library. I really, really like those. I think he might be a better reader than writer. In a very casual, stream of consciousness manner, he writes about the books he's read that month - classics, new releases, rereads of old favorites - interweaving his criticism with events from his current life and his literary history.

High Fidelity one of my all time favorite books.

 

[Maelstrom]

I need something new to read. I've been addicted to A song of ice and fire, but that next volume is a ways away. I just read my first Star Wars book in 6 years (Darth Plagueous). What should I do next? cloud Atlas? Lord of the rings ( never read them or saw the movies ... Do I start with the hobbit?)? Some other sci-fi or fantasy type series that I don't know about? A classic I never read like the count of monte cristo or the art of war? Something good about Lincoln or Jefferson to recommend?

Yes, read the Hobbit first. Nice easy read to lead you into the trilogy.

So that's what I should read next?What about this Dark Tower Series I see people reading or Wheel of Time? What are those?

Dark Tower is pretty typical of King's work, expect it spans 7 books. If you have read and enjoyed his other work, you'll likely enjoy the Dark Tower. Wheel of Time is pretty much full on fantasy. It is my favorite book series. It's not nearly as dark or political as Song of Fire and Ice, and not as high literature as Lord of the Rings. It drags a bit in books 6 through about 9 or 10, but picks up again after that. Those books aren't nearly so bad when you don't have to wait a year or 2 between books, I've found. The storyline is pretty basic, but there are some mysteries and play twists to keep things interesting. Also, the last book of the WoT comes out in January so now is a great time to be reading the series.

 

[krista4]

Financial Lives of Poets - Jess Walter

Feel like it was written by me.

Great, great book. I am a huge fan of Jess Walter - he's kind of like an American Nick Hornby to me. Youngish, smart, contemporary, not afraid to write books that actually entertain readers while also challenging them a bit. Come to think of it, I first found him by reading Nick Hornby's collection of book reviews in The Believer. Jess was a fan of the column, and so sent Hornby a copy of his book "Citizen Vince" in the hopes Horny would like it and write about it, and he did.Walter's "The Zero" is a piece of 9/11 noir that I thought was great. And his new book "Beautiful Ruins" is kind of like Richard Russo meets "A Visit from the Goon Squad."

Speaking of Hornby, I just got his most recent collection of Believer columns from the library. I really, really like those. I think he might be a better reader than writer. In a very casual, stream of consciousness manner, he writes about the books he's read that month - classics, new releases, rereads of old favorites - interweaving his criticism with events from his current life and his literary history.

High Fidelity one of my all time favorite books.

Me too. Good stuff here.

 

[Swing 51]

I recently read 1999 Man Booker award winner Disgrace, by JM Coetzee. I'd previously read Waiting for the Barbarians by the same author, and I have come away duly impressed with this South African writer's work. He seems like a throwback. He tackles "big topics" in the context of his stories, which often focus and very small casts of characters. He's definitely a cynic, and Disgrace paints a pretty bleak picture of post-apartheid South Africa in which the fall of the protagonist (a privileged white professor) mirrors that of the ruling class of the country. This book merits multiple reads, it's the kind of work that would be great for a book club or a literature class. Highly recommended.

Need to get to this one finally.

I just finished One Second Later......I need to buy some guns.....

Is that the one set near Ashville? I read it awhile back. The author did a good job with the nuts-and-bolts of the disaster (at least, I thought so not knowing a damned thing about it beforehand). Characters and dialogue left something to be desired IMO, though I don't think he intended the book to be character-driven.I finished Skippy Dies a week or so ago and, man, is that a good book. It's fairly long - 600+ pages - but reads easily. It took me a few dozen pages to get used to the unique (for me) writing style, but once I did I flew through it. The writing is beautiful and the characters are memorable (one or two are pretty rote, but not terribly so).

The other notable that is standing out in my mind is that I finally read Matterhorn. One of the best pieces of modern fiction I've ever read. And knowing the backstory of the writer and his quest to get it written and published makes it even better.

I can't recall any book that made me more squeamish than that first chapter of Matterhorn. Really good book. What It Is Like To Go To War also by Marlantes is on my To Read list - non fiction.Has anyone read anything by Daniel Woodrell? Probably best known for writing the book Winter's Bone which was turned in to a movie that came out a few years back with Jennifer Lawrence. Woodrell has written a bunch of books that take place in the Ozarks.

 

[mightyeskimo]

Huge Neal Stephenson fan! Currently reading Anathem. I highly recommend Cryptonomicon. That book is unbelievable!

 

[facook]

Huge Neal Stephenson fan! Currently reading Anathem. I highly recommend Cryptonomicon. That book is unbelievable!

How are you liking Anathem? I loved Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle, and I'll be finishing Reamde this evening (highly recommended btw). But the first time I tried Anathem I gave up 50 pages in cause I got tired of looking up every other "word" in the glossary. After enjoying Reamde so much, I've been considering giving Anathem another shot. Your thoughts?

 

[Sand]

Huge Neal Stephenson fan! Currently reading Anathem. I highly recommend Cryptonomicon. That book is unbelievable!

How are you liking Anathem? I loved Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle, and I'll be finishing Reamde this evening (highly recommended btw). But the first time I tried Anathem I gave up 50 pages in cause I got tired of looking up every other "word" in the glossary. After enjoying Reamde so much, I've been considering giving Anathem another shot. Your thoughts?

I've gotten halfway through Crypto twice and can't finish the darn thing. That after reading Diamond Age - which stands as easily the best scifi book I've read in the last decade. Maybe time for another shot, as the premise is good.So right now I just finished Path of Daggers - figure I might as well pick this back up since it is now almost done. Now reading Nothing to Envy - a story on average life in North Korea. Fascinating - that place is such a cluster####. Next on tap is Rise of Empire - Michael Sullivan's second book in his trilogy. The first was pretty campy and was a B quality read. The next ones are supposed to get a lot deeper, though, so I figured to give the next one a go.

BTW, folks, right now Amazon is having a $1.99 sale on Wool (all five books in one package). 5 stars with 1500 ratings. I'm giving it a shot.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I ordered cloud atlas based on the movie previews.

 

[badmojo1006]

Just finished The Eiger Sanction (Very dated from the 70's, not very good)

A Band of Misfits:Tales of the 2010 SF Giants (Fantastic book if you are a Giants fan and want to relieve the 2010 season, otherwise I can't really recommend it)

Currently reading "The Lost City of Z" (2 stories, one about British explorer Percy Fawcett searching for the mythical city Z in the Amazon jungle and a reporter trying to recreate his last journey)