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Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter shuke
- Start date
Lehigh98
Footballguy
I enjoyed this one too.Does the report button work on the owner?
Since you were asking about my other horror list, I am nearing the end of Fantasticland, and so far it is messed up but worth the read. Think Lord of the Flies and Yellowjackets, but at an amusement part after a hurricane strands a group of workers. It's told in a World War Z, "interview" format which I also liked. The book had at least enough realistic scenarios where I could see a situation going south like that to keep me engaged.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Sorry, discussion is encouraged, just use the spoiler tags. I'd be interested in reading this discussion.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
This has been on my list for a while, but I recall the reader reviews for this were not great. Do you endorse?
I was wondering how you were going to take this one. King called it something like "a tale of dark Christianity" and the "dark" part of that statement is certainly prevalent. There's symbolism everywhere for pretty much every human belief. There are parts of this book that are deeply disturbing to anyone with a caring bone in their body, and I was interested in how they would register with you. I won't get into specifics since shuke may ban both of us for spoilersFinally finished the 1,153 pages of King's The Stand - Uncut Edition.
It was fantastic as everyone already knows. Masterful storytelling. I need to compare more closely to the regular edition. In the preface, he was pretty funny about warning the reader what they were in for. He said people say the original was bloated and this had way more so buckle up.
I googled a few characters like The Kid that apparently didn't make the original version at all.
Really good. It's a time investment, especially for someone like me that takes their time with books. But really great. And yeah, I know that's hardly a hot take.
I'm not sure the original is even in print anymore. You can get used copies, I guess, but I think the version you read has become the "official" The Stand.
Thank you GB.
That's interesting on the original vs uncut version. I didnt know that. Looks like maybe this is the original in reprint but not sure. I did think his preface was fun essentially warning the reader of how much there was to it.
I would like to compare. There were a few times when I thought sections were a little unnecessary but not too much. And apparently, there's a significant difference in the endings.
For how it hit me, I thought it was really good.
Obviously, a good vs evil thing. But in this one, more specific Christian vs Evil. I thought it was interesting a bit as clearly Flagg was a demon or even Satan. While Mother Abigail seemed to be fully human but with a closer connection to God more like a modern day prophet.
I very much don't like distrurbing fiction and I'm a wimp there. Even things like the torture stuff in the Ken Follett Kingsbridge stuff gets me. I was worried this would have a lot of that and it didn't for me. As a Christian, I thought King was fair. Especially the "I shall fear no evil" stuff at the end.
I thought it was excellent and easy to see why it's so beloved.
I very much don't like distrurbing fiction and I'm a wimp there. Even things like the torture stuff in the Ken Follett Kingsbridge stuff gets me. I was worried this would have a lot of that and it didn't for me. As a Christian, I thought King was fair. Especially the "I shall fear no evil" stuff at the end.
I thought it was excellent and easy to see why it's so beloved.
mr. furley
Footballguy
aside from books by Wright Thompson (i think i've read all of them) who are some good sportswriters that have written good books?
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
John Feinstein has written a ton of them. I also like Thomas Boswell's books from decades ago.
mr. furley
Footballguy
added Where Nobody Knows Your Name to my cart
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I thought it was a perfect summer read, and i liked it as much as others i listed above. The big hurdle is getting over that it went south so fast, but there were more than enough moments for me where i could see it happening that overcome the couple i don't.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Here's some of the somewhat less obvious stuff I've enjoyed in the last 18 months as part of a grand tour of fantasy (60% of the way thru a list of 260 first books of series)...
Locked Tomb (#1, Gideon the Ninth)
Dungeon Crawler Carl (#1, DCC)
Empire of Silence (#1, Sun Eater)
Scholomance (#1, A Deadly Education)
The Burning (#1, Rage of Dragons)
Books of Babel (#1, Senlin Ascends)
Tide Child (#1, The Bone Ships)
Dark Profit (#1, Orconomics)
The Winter Sea (#1, Dark Water Daughter)
The Long Price Quartet (#1, A Shadow in Summer)
Empire of the Wolf (#1, The Justice of Kings)
Tyrant Philosophers (#1, City of Last Chances)
Black Iron Legacy (#1, Gutter Prayer)
Kithamar (#1, Age of Ash)
I have a type, and a bunch of books on this list share some traits I especially like (slow reveals, good characters, lived in worlds, very little exposition, near-literary writing, etc), so this list might not work for everyone.
Locked Tomb (#1, Gideon the Ninth)
Dungeon Crawler Carl (#1, DCC)
Empire of Silence (#1, Sun Eater)
Scholomance (#1, A Deadly Education)
The Burning (#1, Rage of Dragons)
Books of Babel (#1, Senlin Ascends)
Tide Child (#1, The Bone Ships)
Dark Profit (#1, Orconomics)
The Winter Sea (#1, Dark Water Daughter)
The Long Price Quartet (#1, A Shadow in Summer)
Empire of the Wolf (#1, The Justice of Kings)
Tyrant Philosophers (#1, City of Last Chances)
Black Iron Legacy (#1, Gutter Prayer)
Kithamar (#1, Age of Ash)
I have a type, and a bunch of books on this list share some traits I especially like (slow reveals, good characters, lived in worlds, very little exposition, near-literary writing, etc), so this list might not work for everyone.
I loved this series
El Floppo
Footballguy
Grabbed The Will of the Many (by James Islington) at the airport on a whim for some beach and travel reading. Wife guy me crap because it was the biggest book available there...but also the only fantasy.
Fantastic page turner. Not great prose, but really good story telling and world building that zipped along. 2nd book of the series comes out in November
Fantastic page turner. Not great prose, but really good story telling and world building that zipped along. 2nd book of the series comes out in November
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
I bounced off the first book of his Licanius trilogy, but have this one need up too. Seems to be awfully popular, so I'm hoping I like it better.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I have some issues with it that keep it from being higher tier. But as mentioned, the story really zipped along and kept me interested and entertained. Perfect beach and travel book.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Goodreads group has been created.Name of group: FBGsI joined and inputted the last 7 books I read, I thought just from my rankings it would give me recommendations. But it is based solely on your friends? Lets get a fbg group going
Is this still a thing?
Don Quixote
Footballguy
It exists. But last activity in the group was 14 years ago.Goodreads group has been created.Name of group: FBGsI joined and inputted the last 7 books I read, I thought just from my rankings it would give me recommendations. But it is based solely on your friends? Lets get a fbg group going
Is this still a thing?
AAABatteries
Footballguy
It exists. But last activity in the group was 14 years ago.Goodreads group has been created.Name of group: FBGsI joined and inputted the last 7 books I read, I thought just from my rankings it would give me recommendations. But it is based solely on your friends? Lets get a fbg group going
Is this still a thing?
Just barely missed it - oh well.
finished Dog Soldiers selected by Eephus. A journalist covering the Vietnam war plans to smuggle heroin back to Oakland. Success is dependant on an ex-marine friend and his junkie wife. The story starts in Nam but mostly takes place in California. It's gritty and bleak. I'd be surprised if anyone didn't like this. A good book.
simsarge
Footballguy
Audiobook recommendations :
The Haar. A Scottish monster story. Great story made awesome by the narrator Mhairi Morrison. I usually have a hard time with accents from the isles. Peaky Blinders may as well be in Mandarin.
But I was able to follow ms Morrisons brouge (is that Scottish too?) very easily. Only 7 hours long. The book may well be very good, but as I mentioned the reader drew me in from the start
The Haar. A Scottish monster story. Great story made awesome by the narrator Mhairi Morrison. I usually have a hard time with accents from the isles. Peaky Blinders may as well be in Mandarin.
But I was able to follow ms Morrisons brouge (is that Scottish too?) very easily. Only 7 hours long. The book may well be very good, but as I mentioned the reader drew me in from the start
mr. furley
Footballguy
reading Where Nobody Knows Your Name right now. nice, easy read. the players in the stories sync up with the era of baseball i probably know most (not saying much) so it's fun to recall some of the associated games/players when reading about Scott Podsednik, or Scott Elarton.
finished Burnt Offerings that was on shuke's list. A family decides to rent a house in the country for the summer. The terms of the rental are a bit weird and we slowly learn that there's something going on with the house. Things keep getting a little more strange. It's labelled horror but it's more disturbing than scary. Flew through this in 4 days as I kept wanting to get back to it even though I didn't have any strong feelings about the main character. According to post book research this influenced The Shining.
Sand
Footballguy
Gideon the Ninth was also excellent from that list.
The Spy who came in from the cold, a Chaos34 pick. A British spy who ran a network in East Germany is sent home. He feels obsolete. An operation is planned and he's been put in the middle. The pace is set in chapter 1 at a checkpoint between East and West Germany, not fast or slow just steady. Lot's of dialogue that gives it the feel of a play. Plenty of intrigue and tension. Great book. A minor quibble that it's part of a series and there were spoilers to the earlier books that I will 100% read.
Kanil
Footballguy
Glad I'm not the only one. It felt like a book I should like but it never grabbed me.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
This was ranked by a few in the top 350 book thread. I'll copy and paste what @Don Quixote wrote there because it's a great summary.
This was ranked by a few in the top 350 book thread. I'll copy and paste what @Don Quixote wrote there because it's a great summary.
Eephus
Footballguy
I finally put my head down and finished A Confederacy of Dunces which ranked #11 in the recent FFA poll. It took me a long to read not because it was particularly long or because the prose was complex (although I'm not a big fan of dialect). I don't know what it was but it just got to the point where I was dreading spending a half hour with its cast of characters before bedtime. I appreciate the legend of its discovery and enjoyed the local color but found the plot as meandering as the route of Ignatius' hot dog cart. I'm glad I read it but it was just OK for me.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Kafka on the Shore
I like this book a lot, though I might have been just as happy if it were all the adventures of Nakata. A barista in a coffee shop was reading this shortly after the countdown finish and then one of my local bookstores had it prominently displayed, so it seemed like a sign that I should read it. Murakami feels like a real writer’s writer, at least in this book, between the idea of a runaway loving books and living in a library and the prostitute quoting Hegel while they are getting busy. The Oedipal construct mixed with the fatalism and acceptance of reality as it is in the nakata storyline, provided a nice contrast and symbiosis. I would recommend the book of form and emptiness by Ruth Ozeki to anyone who likes this book
Wind/Pinball
Interesting companion to Kafka on the shore, where the the themes of simplicity and existential longing are similar but through a much different lens and obviously a less mature writer. Fun novellas and easy to read.
Slaughterhouse V
I thought I had never read this, but maybe I did, as several things seemed quite familiar. Maybe I’ve just seen them referenced elsewhere. I assume this is kind of an allegory for dealing with the trauma of WWII, but I am definitely a sucker for the idea of mentally/actually time traveling and it all made sense to me to convey time as a continuum which is all happening at once. A pretty good companion to Kafka on the shore, honestly.
In the middle of animal farm, which is kind of surreal to read given the current political situation.
Catch-22 is on deck from the library and will be getting into lord of the flies and 1984 shortly, as another bookstore near me has several copies for pretty cheap and they are also kind of small, which makes them perfect for pocketing and carrying to bars, as I drown my sorrows and lament the emphasis on power dynamics and authoritarianism that seem to now define our
I like this book a lot, though I might have been just as happy if it were all the adventures of Nakata. A barista in a coffee shop was reading this shortly after the countdown finish and then one of my local bookstores had it prominently displayed, so it seemed like a sign that I should read it. Murakami feels like a real writer’s writer, at least in this book, between the idea of a runaway loving books and living in a library and the prostitute quoting Hegel while they are getting busy. The Oedipal construct mixed with the fatalism and acceptance of reality as it is in the nakata storyline, provided a nice contrast and symbiosis. I would recommend the book of form and emptiness by Ruth Ozeki to anyone who likes this book
Wind/Pinball
Interesting companion to Kafka on the shore, where the the themes of simplicity and existential longing are similar but through a much different lens and obviously a less mature writer. Fun novellas and easy to read.
Slaughterhouse V
I thought I had never read this, but maybe I did, as several things seemed quite familiar. Maybe I’ve just seen them referenced elsewhere. I assume this is kind of an allegory for dealing with the trauma of WWII, but I am definitely a sucker for the idea of mentally/actually time traveling and it all made sense to me to convey time as a continuum which is all happening at once. A pretty good companion to Kafka on the shore, honestly.
In the middle of animal farm, which is kind of surreal to read given the current political situation.
Catch-22 is on deck from the library and will be getting into lord of the flies and 1984 shortly, as another bookstore near me has several copies for pretty cheap and they are also kind of small, which makes them perfect for pocketing and carrying to bars, as I drown my sorrows and lament the emphasis on power dynamics and authoritarianism that seem to now define our
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Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Totally understand if desiring more of a plot. And Ignatius isn’t necessarily a lovable character.
Sand
Footballguy
Murderbot series in a Humble Bundle. Truly a great set of books.
https://share.google/snHNTCVOQnms7z135
https://share.google/snHNTCVOQnms7z135
Eephus
Footballguy
I switched back to non-fiction while on vacation with Erebus by Michael Palin. Erebus was a 19th century Royal Navy ship that explored the Antarctic with great success but sailed into history in her quest to find the Northwest Passage. The fate of Erebus and its sister ship Terror remains one of the great mysteries.
I had gone on a Victorian era explorers reading kick about 15 years ago so I was familiar with the basic story. Palin's version wove his personal experiences and contemporary observations into the book; he's a very likeable narrator and travel companion like on his post-Python documentaries. I think I preferred Fergus Fleming's book Barrow's Boys to Palin's version but it's a fascinating story.
I had gone on a Victorian era explorers reading kick about 15 years ago so I was familiar with the basic story. Palin's version wove his personal experiences and contemporary observations into the book; he's a very likeable narrator and travel companion like on his post-Python documentaries. I think I preferred Fergus Fleming's book Barrow's Boys to Palin's version but it's a fascinating story.
kupcho1
Footballguy
I came across an interesting YouTube site today. I was watching some of the Adult Swim infomercials and one was so bizarre (the episode was This House Has People in It) that I started in on the video below it purporting to explain what the hell I just watched.
Anyway, I noticed that the Night Mind site also has a very deep dive into House of Leaves. I mean very deep; 3 episodes all of which are over 1 1/2 hours. I started the first one (takes a while to get going, first 6 minues is prelude). Here they are if you're interested.
House of Leaves: Explored - Secrets In Sound
House of Leaves: Explored - Labyrinth in Letters [II]
House of Leaves: Explored - Rest in Roots [III] (End)
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Thanks, but that AI voice is hard to listen to.
kupcho1
Footballguy
I take it you didn't get to the part where they show Johnny Truant's "newly" found videos referenced in the book? I say "newly" as this video is 6 years old, which is when a YouTube site called Pelican Black claimed that they were authorized to publish the videos 20 years after the original House of Leaves came on line. Starts at 11:42. It's ... interesting.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
No, I haven't watched them yet.
Lehigh98
Footballguy
I bought this years ago but haven't cracked it open. Mainly because I'm a fan of Poe and Mark Z. Danielewski is her brother and her album "Haunted" was conceptualized as a companion piece to this. Her brother did some narration of part of "House of Leaves" in an alternate version of the song, "Hey Pretty".
If you're into golf books, both of Alan Shipnuck's recents are great reads: Liv and Let Die (the story of the formation of the LIV tour) and Phil (the unauthorised Mickelson bio)
I think he wrote them both back-to-back, so if you read them you'll get a sense of deja vu. Obviously the writing style is the same, and some of the subject matter overlaps.
That said, Liv and Let Die opens the doors on a lot of stuff most people don't have access to - I learned a lot. And Phil is the sports equivalent of a trashy romance novel you read at the beach - you know what's going to happen but can't put it down anyway. Tiger, Bones, Winged Foot, Gambling, Calloway, the Masters wine story. It's all there.
I think he wrote them both back-to-back, so if you read them you'll get a sense of deja vu. Obviously the writing style is the same, and some of the subject matter overlaps.
That said, Liv and Let Die opens the doors on a lot of stuff most people don't have access to - I learned a lot. And Phil is the sports equivalent of a trashy romance novel you read at the beach - you know what's going to happen but can't put it down anyway. Tiger, Bones, Winged Foot, Gambling, Calloway, the Masters wine story. It's all there.
beer 30
Footballguy
The Looming Tower - Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11
After watching the TV mini-series (which was pretty excellent) decided to read the book which is, shocking, better than the mini-series.
After watching the TV mini-series (which was pretty excellent) decided to read the book which is, shocking, better than the mini-series.
Kanil
Footballguy
Started book 1 at the end of July. About halfway through book 7 now. Super fun sci-fi/fantasy book.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
I refused to listen to anybody that tried to tell me how good it was for like 3 months -- it just sounded so stupid.
Then finally I picked up the audiobook, ready to hate on it and DNF within an hour.
But it ended up being one of the funnest things I've ever read. The audiobooks in particular are amazingly narrated.
Kanil
Footballguy
Yeah. My wife and son both started reading the first one and I thought there was no way I was going to read it. I decided to read the rest of the Beware of Chicken books instead (I'd already read 1 but had not read the rest). The whole time they were telling me how good it was so once I finished BoC I started listening to book 1. I'm now further in the series than they are, lol. There have been several parts where I've actually laughed out loud while listening.
TheBaylorKid
Footballguy
Finished The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. A clever take on time travel and dueling immortals, grounded in human history. The prose can’t hold a candle to Susanna Clarke but by the end I felt the two main characters had a little Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell rivalry to them. I don’t want to go overboard with the comparison to JS&NM but there is just enough to pay that compliment to Claire North. I would read another one of her novels.
for as much as I love fantasy, I’ve only read book 1 if Harry Potter. Guess I was unknowingly waiting for my son to be born, reach age 10, and to start reading them as I found book 2 on my night stand. A subtle hint from him to catch up. Off to Hogwarts.
for as much as I love fantasy, I’ve only read book 1 if Harry Potter. Guess I was unknowingly waiting for my son to be born, reach age 10, and to start reading them as I found book 2 on my night stand. A subtle hint from him to catch up. Off to Hogwarts.
New Binky the Doormat
Footballguy
what recommendations do you all have for some good non-fiction books?
brun
Footballguy
1st one I think of is Sapiens
kupcho1
Footballguy
It really depends on where your interests lie. I've read a few i enjoyed
A Brief History of Time - Hawking
Lawrence in Arabia - Anderson
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich- Shirer
The House of Morgan - Chernow
I'll stop here.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Does he use the toy soldiers New York accent?
Kanil
Footballguy
No. He sounds almost robotic. I got used to it as it went on but it was enough to pull me out of the story at first.
beer 30
Footballguy
When they came out I was planning on reading them anyhow but my daughter was about 5 and we read them together through the whole series. Then my youngest daughter wanted to do the same so enjoy your journey. It was one of those cool parenting things you'll back on and be glad you did. Having that common conversation with your son will be a fun exercise for you.
Maelstrom
Footballguy
Books I've finished lately include:
- Dungeon Crawler Carl (series) - really enjoyed after putting it off, now listening to it on Soundboard (immersive audiobook version). You'll figure out quickly if you like it. Gets deeper/reveals more and more as the series goes on
- Artemis - liked it, but not as much as The Martian or Project Hail Mary
- Neuromancer - been forever, kinda holds up but at times I found myself skimming
- Bobiverse (series) - enjoyed, felt a bit repetitive in 4 and 5 even if the details changed
- Murderbot #1 (after watching the show) - good, but not enough that I grabbed the Humble Bundle
- Wind and Truth (Stormlight Archive #5) - like it, hard read at times, understand some of the negative opinions by some but for me, felt it mostly came together
