Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (1 Viewer)

[Yankee23Fan]

Finished up God Emporer of Dune. Didn't much care for it as I said so I won't be continuing the story line. Will get back to my top 100 list I guess. Maybe finish up the Vonnegut collection.

 

[Tough As Nails]

Finished Speaker of the Dead last night. I really enjoyed it.

I started The Gone Away World this morning on recommendations in here.

let me know what you think...I really enjoyed it, but the reviews have been mixed.

I only got a chance to finish the first chapter yesterday, but so far I found myself rereading a couple of paragraphs. I don't know if I'm just getting used to how the book is written or if I was just kind of in a funk. Its been interesting so far at least.

The first chapter is kind of misleading. Out-of-place might be a better description I suppose. Anyway...stick with it. Entertaining book.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer -- Great book. I would definitely recommend this across the board. And as sick as it sounds, this book makes me want to climb Everest.

Very entertaining book. If you read it and loved the story, I highly encourage you to go seek out some of the interviews and writings of the other people on the trip to get their side of the story as well (I think the most famous is a book called "The Climb" or something like that). Krakauer made a lot of people really mad with his account of things.

I haven't read any of the other books, but I did dig around to see what the controversy was about. My take on it was that although there are some disagreements about his account, it seems pretty clear that the tour guides' critical mistake was to not turn around at the cutoff time and to keep driving to the top. Bad, bad move.

There were lots of bad moves. 8 people dead is a pretty big mistake...and you have to put those mistakes on the tour guides as it is their job to make sure that doesn't happen. That's not the problem that people have with Krakauer. He really criticized the tour companies and blamed their greed for the disaster (while not detailing or even mentioning how freakish the weather was and what a fluke a number of the things that went wrong were). He also commented and gave accounts of a number of things that he wasn't present for and had no knowledge of (particularly the Japanese meeting up with the Indians). The general consensus of all the other accounts (and there are a bunch of books/videos/etc) was that Krakauer was a jerk in the book and made himself a hero when all he did was sit around. I don't know. I think everybody is bitter and Krakauer got a lot of heat because he made a bunch of money off of the whole thing. Did he 'make things up' and sensationalize his own account? I'm sure he did. But that's what anybody would do if they were writing that story. No matter how you look at it...the book is a really good read and the whole story is amazing.

See I don't get the whole 'made himself a hero' thing. While I can't speak to what was truth or fiction, I think he was pretty forthright that he a) didn't really do anything to help the situation and b) his mistaken identity snafu may have cost a man his life.

Thank you. Always wondered where people got that perception. As you say, he doesn't act like he did much to help (and he didn't) and he freely admits that his mistake may have cost a life. I do think he sensationalized some things, but I think the main issue was that people were either mad that he made money on the tragedy, or that he did it before they could.

 

[Sundays Rule]

So I've been convinced into trying out Quicksilver and it's not bad so far. Stephenson is funny and tongue in cheek enough to keep me interested. Chuckled out loud at a few parts, he does have a way with words. Just had to brush up on high school history lessons. i.e. The English Civil War and the Reformation. Some parts I had to wikipedia to verify historic accuracy. I'll continue on.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Just finished Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by Perkins. Anyone else read this? Fascinating stuff.

Sounds like a title of something I might be interested in.... can you give me an overview of the book?

Here's the Amazon page. It's a book from someone who describes his life as an Economic Hit Man, working for "shady" parts of corporations that help rebuild 3rd world countries. Basically, he talks about how these companies (think Halliburton) go into poor countries and with the government's help purposely mislead the locals on changes needed so US companies get the work. Very interesting stuff to me to hear from someone who has been there. Basically he got tired of doing this and decided to write the book and start a foundation to get real help to these countries. It's pretty controversial and that generally falls down party lines (Cons hate it, Libs love it). Most of the complaints are that he doesn't "prove" this happened and he must be exaggerating most of the book. I don't buy that because I think it's pretty well known that we as a country do these things, which was discussed more when people were looking into Cheney's Halliburton connection. So it's more an insider's view to what goes on. His second book is also interesting as he describes all the people who have talked to him after the first book came out and shared their own stories.

If nothing else, good book to understand some of the source of the "Liberal" do good to other countries thoughts.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Currently reading "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell and "The Partnership, The Making of Goldman Sachs" by Charles D.Ellis.

Considering "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins.

Would appreciate if anyone has any thoughts on the above three.

See my post above

 

[facook]

About 2/3 of the way through By the Rivers of Babylon, an early Nelson Demille. Been very pleasantly surprised. Didn't really dig his other earlier stuff (save Word of Honor) I've read as much as the Sean Drummond series, but this is very good. Set in '78, plot revolves around an audacious Palestinian hijacking of an Israeli peace delegation flight which is forced to land in Babylon. Havoc ensues. Would make a very sweet movie.

 

[pantagrapher]

OK, Nabokov fans will probably find this news bizarre and uncanny. Russia is going to publish Nabokov's final, unfinished novel ... which he wrote on index cards!

Russia to publish unfinished Nabokov novel

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:03:22 GMT

Vladimir Nabokov

Russia's Azbuka publishing house is set to publish the last unfinished novel of renowned novelist and short story writer Vladimir Nabokov.

Azbuka will release the Russian translation of the English-language novel The Original of Laura after Nabokov's son Dmitri decided to publish the manuscript despite his father's will.

"I'm a loyal son and thought long and seriously about it, then my father appeared before me and said, with an ironic grin, 'You're stuck in a right old mess - just go ahead and publish!'," Dmitri said in an interview last year.

Nabokov had made his wife, Vera, promise to burn the novel's manuscript before he died in 1977, but she could not bring herself to do so and asked her son Dmitri to decide about it after her death.

Dmitri Nabokov, who translated many of his father's works from Russian into English, earlier said that the novel "would have been a brilliant, original, and potentially totally radical book, in the literary sense very different from the rest of his oeuvre."

The manuscript, whose draft was left in a Swiss bank for over three decades, consists of index cards covered in penciled handwriting.

Nabokov had not put the cards in order for the novel and media reports said that the book would be published in a way to allow readers to decide the sequence of events for themselves.

The Original of Laura is also set to be released in the US and Britain in November, RIA Novosti reported.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a world-acclaimed Russian writer, who wrote novels in both Russian and English.

Nabokov is best known for his controversial novel Lolita (1955), which ranked fourth in the list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century by the Modern Library.

link

 

[gmbacm]

thanks to whoever first suggested daniel silva here. Been through 4 of his audio books now. sometimes a little much in the Jewish doctrine, but a good spy/action writer nonetheless.

 

[Power Monster]

Genghis: Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden- second in what is now a 3 book series. Great read thus far coming off the stellar Genghis: Birth of an Empire. High marks for action, plot and character development.

The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga by Edward Rutherfurd- is another awesome read where the author takes fictional characters and places them in non-fictional settings. Highly suggest this if you like plot developments across many characters and generations. Great perspective on the history Ireland!

 

[SimonMoon]

So I've been convinced into trying out Quicksilver and it's not bad so far. Stephenson is funny and tongue in cheek enough to keep me interested. Chuckled out loud at a few parts, he does have a way with words. Just had to brush up on high school history lessons. i.e. The English Civil War and the Reformation. Some parts I had to wikipedia to verify historic accuracy. I'll continue on.

That's something that should've been conveyed more clearly and forcefully: forgetting historical accuracy, character development, and plot - which are all stellar in this case - the guy can flat-out write, and the humor is a huge part of it.

You'll laugh out loud often.

 

[Steel Dillo]

Was just given a copy of The Hisotrian by Elizabeth Kostova.

Any read it?

 

[saintfool]

OK, Nabokov fans will probably find this news bizarre and uncanny. Russia is going to publish Nabokov's final, unfinished novel ... which he wrote on index cards!

i'm pretty sure that he did this with all his novels actually.

 

[pantagrapher]

OK, Nabokov fans will probably find this news bizarre and uncanny. Russia is going to publish Nabokov's final, unfinished novel ... which he wrote on index cards!

i'm pretty sure that he did this with all his novels actually.

I'm a huge fan and I didn't know that. How embarrassing.

 

[saintfool]

OK, Nabokov fans will probably find this news bizarre and uncanny. Russia is going to publish Nabokov's final, unfinished novel ... which he wrote on index cards!

i'm pretty sure that he did this with all his novels actually.

I'm a huge fan and I didn't know that. How embarrassing.

for a number of years, i was one of his most ardent admirers. i still think he's maybe the most talented author of the 20th century. anyway, as a fan, i latched onto the obscure and minutiae. this was one of those little things i picked up along the way. dude couldn't type and pretty much dictated all of his writing to Vera. she was the best thing to ever happen to him, i think.

 

[facook]

thanks to whoever first suggested daniel silva here. Been through 4 of his audio books now. sometimes a little much in the Jewish doctrine, but a good spy/action writer nonetheless.

Don't know if I was #1, but definitely a Silva fanboy.

 

[Chadstroma]

Just finished Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by Perkins. Anyone else read this? Fascinating stuff.

Sounds like a title of something I might be interested in.... can you give me an overview of the book?

Here's the Amazon page. It's a book from someone who describes his life as an Economic Hit Man, working for "shady" parts of corporations that help rebuild 3rd world countries. Basically, he talks about how these companies (think Halliburton) go into poor countries and with the government's help purposely mislead the locals on changes needed so US companies get the work. Very interesting stuff to me to hear from someone who has been there. Basically he got tired of doing this and decided to write the book and start a foundation to get real help to these countries. It's pretty controversial and that generally falls down party lines (Cons hate it, Libs love it). Most of the complaints are that he doesn't "prove" this happened and he must be exaggerating most of the book. I don't buy that because I think it's pretty well known that we as a country do these things, which was discussed more when people were looking into Cheney's Halliburton connection. So it's more an insider's view to what goes on. His second book is also interesting as he describes all the people who have talked to him after the first book came out and shared their own stories.

If nothing else, good book to understand some of the source of the "Liberal" do good to other countries thoughts.

So, is it a big conspiracy book or rather just a US corporations suck book? Both? You said that he does not give much proof... does he give real life examples of what he is talking about at least? Or just talk in general terms?

 

[flysack]

The Plot Against America (Roth). This seemed to get good reviews when it came out a few years ago, and it sounds like something I might like. I've also never read anything by Roth before.

I'm also thinking about picking up Pygmy (Palahniuk) sometime, but his books have kind of sucked as of late so I might just wait for it to turn up in the library instead.

The Roth is a decent read, but not his best. Roth is a damn good writer though. You should check out The Human Stain. Many think American Pastoral is one of his best, but I personally couldn't finish it. I never understood why it was so well received - it was even a National Book Award finalist.

Also, an ardent Palahniuk fan told me Pygmy is total crap. Be warned.

 

[flysack]

OK, Nabokov fans will probably find this news bizarre and uncanny. Russia is going to publish Nabokov's final, unfinished novel ... which he wrote on index cards!

i'm pretty sure that he did this with all his novels actually.

I'm a huge fan and I didn't know that. How embarrassing.

Yep, he did. Weird method, but then again writers are strange, almost superstitious creatures.Don Delillo devotes each paragraph to its own page. So he hands in 300 page manuscripts in three or four 500 page boxes. Crazy. He says it helps him concentrate on the paragraph's unity, which I guess makes sense if you know his prose. His paragraphs do tend to be works of beauty.

 

[Jefferson the Caregiver]

I've never read Pynchon but there's a mention of his new book Inherent Vice in the latest Rolling Stone magazine that really sounds interesting. It's set in the psychedelic sixties/early seventies and supposedly features a Big Lebowski type character.

This may be the first Pynchon book I read. The review in Rolling Stone makes a lot of comparisons to Gravity's Rainbow which I've seen mentioned in this thread a lot.

I preordered Inherent Vice, it's being released Tuesday. I've never read Pynchon either but the premise seems really up my alley. Noir mixed in with 60's counterculture, sounds interesting.Currently reading Shadow Country, which I am not sure I am going to get through. I've had to talk myself out of putting it down several times already. It's well written but the subject matter moves along a little too slow for me.

 

[flysack]

I've never read Pynchon but there's a mention of his new book Inherent Vice in the latest Rolling Stone magazine that really sounds interesting. It's set in the psychedelic sixties/early seventies and supposedly features a Big Lebowski type character.

This may be the first Pynchon book I read. The review in Rolling Stone makes a lot of comparisons to Gravity's Rainbow which I've seen mentioned in this thread a lot.

I preordered Inherent Vice, it's being released Tuesday. I've never read Pynchon either but the premise seems really up my alley. Noir mixed in with 60's counterculture, sounds interesting.

This is nothing new for Pynchon. Benny Profane (from Pynchon's first novel, V.) was The hapless Dude before The Dude was The hapless Dude. I bought Pynchon's last novel, Against The Day, the day it was released and was disappointed. This was sacrilege among my Pynchon-fanatic friends, but I just couldn't get into it. It droned on in endless encyclopedic prose, which is staple Pynchon, but in his earlier work the subtext and themes kept you engaged. All I saw in Against the Day was a (rough) rehash of Gravity's Rainbow's themes, with far less interesting plot and characters.

From the sound of the Rolling Stone description, Inherent Vice might be a 'returning to his roots' type of novel. This bodes well.

 

[shuke]

Next up: Duma Key by Stephen King

I'd give this 6/10. I think I'm done with post-accident King.Next up: Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. Story of Henry Hill, basis for Goodfellas.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Just finished Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by Perkins. Anyone else read this? Fascinating stuff.

Sounds like a title of something I might be interested in.... can you give me an overview of the book?

Here's the Amazon page. It's a book from someone who describes his life as an Economic Hit Man, working for "shady" parts of corporations that help rebuild 3rd world countries. Basically, he talks about how these companies (think Halliburton) go into poor countries and with the government's help purposely mislead the locals on changes needed so US companies get the work. Very interesting stuff to me to hear from someone who has been there. Basically he got tired of doing this and decided to write the book and start a foundation to get real help to these countries. It's pretty controversial and that generally falls down party lines (Cons hate it, Libs love it). Most of the complaints are that he doesn't "prove" this happened and he must be exaggerating most of the book. I don't buy that because I think it's pretty well known that we as a country do these things, which was discussed more when people were looking into Cheney's Halliburton connection. So it's more an insider's view to what goes on. His second book is also interesting as he describes all the people who have talked to him after the first book came out and shared their own stories.

If nothing else, good book to understand some of the source of the "Liberal" do good to other countries thoughts.

So, is it a big conspiracy book or rather just a US corporations suck book? Both? You said that he does not give much proof... does he give real life examples of what he is talking about at least? Or just talk in general terms?

A little of both. No, he gives real life examples on stuff he saw and did, although again, people say he is lying. The second book is more just stories from other people like him.

I'd say give it 75-100 pages or so and if it doesn't grab you, it's probably not worth it.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Bought World War Z and Killing Pablo based on recommendations here. Started both and they're great so far, especially Z.

 

[The_Hoser]

First post in this thread.

Just finished The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith. Very solid read and her ability to turn a phrase is stunning. Found the ending to be somewhat lacking, but I'm a wrap-it-all-up kinda guy, and not all authors feel the same. Plus I rarely read non-fiction, so take it for what it's worth.

9/10

Currently working on The Greatest Story Ever Sold and will report back then.

 

[pantagrapher]

OK, Nabokov fans will probably find this news bizarre and uncanny. Russia is going to publish Nabokov's final, unfinished novel ... which he wrote on index cards!

i'm pretty sure that he did this with all his novels actually.

I'm a huge fan and I didn't know that. How embarrassing.

Yep, he did. Weird method, but then again writers are strange, almost superstitious creatures.Don Delillo devotes each paragraph to its own page. So he hands in 300 page manuscripts in three or four 500 page boxes. Crazy. He says it helps him concentrate on the paragraph's unity, which I guess makes sense if you know his prose. His paragraphs do tend to be works of beauty.

It wasn't so much that I found the method weird. I was initially amazed that Nabokov's final, unfinished work was written in the same manner as the final, unfinished work of one of his characters (John Shade of Pale Fire). That is, until I found out Nabokov always wrote that way. Kinda ruined the whole coincidence.

I think I need to read more Delillo. I thought White Noise was middling.

 

[flysack]

First post in this thread.

Just finished The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith. Very solid read and her ability to turn a phrase is stunning. Found the ending to be somewhat lacking, but I'm a wrap-it-all-up kinda guy, and not all authors feel the same. Plus I rarely read non-fiction, so take it for what it's worth.

9/10

Currently working on The Greatest Story Ever Sold and will report back then.

Interesting. Even though I liked the theme, I thought this was a clear sophomore slump novel. That is, until I read On Beauty and discovered Autograph Man wasn't a slump as much as the start of a decline.

Zadie Smith has "one hit wonder" written all over her. I really hope I'm wrong because I loved White Teeth. But her work since has stunk.

 

[flysack]

I think I need to read more Delillo. I thought White Noise was middling.

Are you effing kidding me? Um, ok, anyway, in other news....

....I just stopped by this thread to let you in on some insider news a NYC pal just twittered me -

Dave Croenberg is adapting Delillo's Cosmopolis. Now that was a middling work, a clear disappointment in terms of Delillo's opus, but I can see how it'd make a decent flick.

 

[Sabertooth]

Just finished The Looming Tower this weekend. Fantastic book. Highly recommended.

Good to hear. That's up next for me as soon as I finish the last 50 pages of Gates of Fire.

How'd you like Gates of Fire? I just finished it and loved it. Reminded me a lot of the Iliad. Could not put the book down. I was going to dive into Tides of War, but am backing off that now and might read a John Grisham novel or something. I also read recently "Talon of the Silver Hawk" by Raymond E. Feist. I liked it a lot as well. Just a good old fashioned adventure story.

 

[saintfool]

It wasn't so much that I found the method weird. I was initially amazed that Nabokov's final, unfinished work was written in the same manner as the final, unfinished work of one of his characters (John Shade of Pale Fire).



That is, until I found out Nabokov always wrote that way. Kinda ruined the whole coincidence.

sorry, dude.

 

[igbomb]

Just finished The Looming Tower this weekend. Fantastic book. Highly recommended.

Good to hear. That's up next for me as soon as I finish the last 50 pages of Gates of Fire.

How'd you like Gates of Fire? I just finished it and loved it. Reminded me a lot of the Iliad. Could not put the book down. I was going to dive into Tides of War, but am backing off that now and might read a John Grisham novel or something. I also read recently "Talon of the Silver Hawk" by Raymond E. Feist. I liked it a lot as well. Just a good old fashioned adventure story.

I wrote a post on it above and thought it was fantastic. Probably my favorite of '09.I also asked if anyone else had read anything else of Pressfield's and what their thoughts were. I'll definitely give him another shot, but I'll put him near the top if it seems that his other stuff is as good.

 

[pantagrapher]

I think I need to read more Delillo. I thought White Noise was middling.

Are you effing kidding me? Um, ok, anyway, in other news....

I admit my disappointment was begotten by high expectations.

 

[shuke]

Next up: Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. Story of Henry Hill, basis for Goodfellas.

Thought this was great, maybe because I've seen Goodfellas so many times. A lot of detail about all the rackets they were running, it's mind boggling. I think it could have been much longer, though.

9/10

Next up: Friday Night Lights

 

[facook]

Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell by Susannah Clarke.

I'm kinda chauvinist when it comes to authors - I think this is the first female author I've read in about 15 years. But the hype for this novel is justified. It's very very good.

 

[badmojo1006]

Just finished "Holes". Pretty Enjoyable

 

[Adebisi]

Has anyone read "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl?

 

[saintfool]

Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell by Susannah Clarke.I'm kinda chauvinist when it comes to authors - I think this is the first female author I've read in about 15 years. But the hype for this novel is justified. It's very very good.

i have this on my reading list. i have started it a few times but it hasn't clicked with me yet.

 

[facook]

Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell by Susannah Clarke.I'm kinda chauvinist when it comes to authors - I think this is the first female author I've read in about 15 years. But the hype for this novel is justified. It's very very good.

i have this on my reading list. i have started it a few times but it hasn't clicked with me yet.

Hm...don't know what to tell ya. It reminds me a bit of Iain Pears Fingerpost, and a bit of Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and a bit of of McCammon's Speaks the Nightbird books. Also The Prestige movie. It's certainly not action packed, but the characterization and dialogue are very good I think, and there's some sly humor as well.

 

[D_House]

Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. I've got about 50 pages left, and I'm just finishing it to say I finished it. It chronicles the return of a human raised on Mars to Earth and his interactions with the folks here.

The first half was OK, but then it degenerates into descriptions of the Martian's new polygamy-based religion interspersed with a series of lectures on sex and religion from Heinlein via his stand-in, a character that (unimaginatively enough) is also an author.

I am definitely disappointed as I've seen this billed as a sci-fi classic.

 

[D_House]

By the way, for you avid readers that buy a lot of books and don't know what to do with the ones you won't read again: I recently discovered this site: swaptree.com

It is basically a website that allows you to trade your unwanted media items for items on your 'want' list. So basically for the cost of shipping and your old unwanted book you get a book that you want to read. The website sets up 2 and 3 person trades to facilitate matches. It's worked out pretty well for me so far. As far as I can tell, swaptree makes no money off your trades, unless you purchase your postage through them.

 

[beer 30]

Next up: Friday Night Lights

Post your thoughts afterward, best friend recommended it to me as one of the best books he ever read. Took me two years to finish it

 

[flysack]

Just finished Swann's Way by Proust and it's a tossup what to read next -

1. Already have a copy of In The Budding Grove, the second part of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Friends have said it's even better than Part 1. I find that hard to believe. Parts of Swann's Way are among the best writing I've ever read. I was kicking myself for not reading it sooner.

2. Roberto Bolano's Savage Detectives

3. Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.

It's more of choice between continuing with Proust or taking a break to read #2 or #3.

Tough call. Proust is amazing, but he's a reading-time sink (in a good way).

I usually like to change things up. Some people devour authors: they'll read everything Faulkner wrote, for example, before moving on.

I never do this. If a book really did it for (like Bolano's 2666) I'll keep that author asterisked in my mind, but might not go back for years.

Hence the tough call on Proust.

 

[flysack]

ALSO -

Has anyone here read anything by Latin American writer Mario Bellatin?

City Lights is coming out with a translation of a 1994 novel of his soon, and the fanfare in the NY Times Book Review looks enticing.

He sounds like someone I'd really like. But I've never heard of him before.

 

[Sabertooth]

Just finished The Looming Tower this weekend. Fantastic book. Highly recommended.

Good to hear. That's up next for me as soon as I finish the last 50 pages of Gates of Fire.

How'd you like Gates of Fire? I just finished it and loved it. Reminded me a lot of the Iliad. Could not put the book down. I was going to dive into Tides of War, but am backing off that now and might read a John Grisham novel or something. I also read recently "Talon of the Silver Hawk" by Raymond E. Feist. I liked it a lot as well. Just a good old fashioned adventure story.

As is my habit, I have moved on to Tides of War. Kind of a slow start. But I like his writing style a lot. I'll report back.

 

[Bull Dozier]

I just started Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston. I already knew the story, saw him on Letterman several years ago after it happened, and always found the story amazing.

I enjoy reading books like this, about inspiring stories, thinking it will be the motivation for me to change my life, but deep down I know I'll still be a lazy bum that doesn't do anything after I'm done. I enjoy fooling myself briefly anyway.

 

[Tough As Nails]

Just finished Swann's Way by Proust and it's a tossup what to read next -

1. Already have a copy of In The Budding Grove, the second part of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Friends have said it's even better than Part 1. I find that hard to believe. Parts of Swann's Way are among the best writing I've ever read. I was kicking myself for not reading it sooner.

2. Roberto Bolano's Savage Detectives

3. Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.

It's more of choice between continuing with Proust or taking a break to read #2 or #3.

Tough call. Proust is amazing, but he's a reading-time sink (in a good way).

I usually like to change things up. Some people devour authors: they'll read everything Faulkner wrote, for example, before moving on.

I never do this. If a book really did it for (like Bolano's 2666) I'll keep that author asterisked in my mind, but might not go back for years.

Hence the tough call on Proust.

No question here...go with Blood Meridian.

 

[Hopheads]

I just finished The Given Day based on a recommendation here and was very impressed. It was very good historical fiction and well worth reading.

Next up The Girl Who Played with Fire. This is the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which is one of my favorite books this year.

 

[flysack]

Just finished Swann's Way by Proust and it's a tossup what to read next -

1. Already have a copy of In The Budding Grove, the second part of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Friends have said it's even better than Part 1. I find that hard to believe. Parts of Swann's Way are among the best writing I've ever read. I was kicking myself for not reading it sooner.

2. Roberto Bolano's Savage Detectives

3. Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.

It's more of choice between continuing with Proust or taking a break to read #2 or #3.

Tough call. Proust is amazing, but he's a reading-time sink (in a good way).

I usually like to change things up. Some people devour authors: they'll read everything Faulkner wrote, for example, before moving on.

I never do this. If a book really did it for (like Bolano's 2666) I'll keep that author asterisked in my mind, but might not go back for years.

Hence the tough call on Proust.

No question here...go with Blood Meridian.

Is it a quick read like The Road?I liked The Road but found it highly overrated. People say Blood Meridian is better.

 

[facook]

I just finished The Given Day based on a recommendation here and was very impressed. It was very good historical fiction and well worth reading.

Next up The Girl Who Played with Fire. This is the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which is one of my favorite books this year.

Loved that book. Lehane is terrific.

 

[kupcho1]

Just finished Swann's Way by Proust and it's a tossup what to read next -

1. Already have a copy of In The Budding Grove, the second part of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Friends have said it's even better than Part 1. I find that hard to believe. Parts of Swann's Way are among the best writing I've ever read. I was kicking myself for not reading it sooner.

2. Roberto Bolano's Savage Detectives

3. Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.

It's more of choice between continuing with Proust or taking a break to read #2 or #3.

Tough call. Proust is amazing, but he's a reading-time sink (in a good way).

I usually like to change things up. Some people devour authors: they'll read everything Faulkner wrote, for example, before moving on.

I never do this. If a book really did it for (like Bolano's 2666) I'll keep that author asterisked in my mind, but might not go back for years.

Hence the tough call on Proust.

No question here...go with Blood Meridian.

Is it a quick read like The Road?I liked The Road but found it highly overrated. People say Blood Meridian is better.

BM is better than the Road (which I agree is highly overrated).ps - you should have read Savage Detectives before 2666.