Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (28 Viewers)

[Eephus]

The Daughter of Time (1951) by Josephine Tey is historical fiction that's been ranked as one of the greatest mysteries of all-time by panels of crime and mystery writers in both the UK and US. Tey's detective Alan Grant works for Scotland Yard in the mid-20th century but becomes obsessed with a 15th century mystery involving Richard III. Grant is incapacitated from injuries suffered on another case so he can only direct a group of supporting characters from his hospital bed. He's never in any jeopardy but it's fascinating as he uncovers inconsistencies in the historical record to solve the crime.

is this a stand alone?

Ney wrote five other Inspector Grant books over the course of three decades but as far as I can, they just share common characters rather than any overarching superplot. The Daughter of Time is her best known novel and the only one with a non-traditional mystery structure. She died a few months after it was published.

 

[kupcho1]

Damn, Demon Copperfield (2023) was great. I'm not going to spoil it by giving any of the plot away, but if you're familiar with David Copperfield, you're well on your way. I'll let Barbara Kingsolver take it from here. From her Acknowledgements:

I'm grateful to Charles Dickens for Writing David Copperfield, his impassioned critique of institutional poverty and its damaging effects on childern in his society. Those problems are still with us. In adapting his novel to my own place and time, working for years with his outrage, inventiveness, and empathy at lmy elbow, I've come to think of him as my genius friend.

It was difficult reading this book at times as you could see the heartbreak coming. But there are times in the book that are absolutely hilarious and uplifting. It's a great book. (I think even you'd like it, Mr. Franzen, even though it was an Oprah's Book Club selection in 2022).

I googled "David Copperfield Demon Copperhead ..." and parallels was one of the first autocompletes, as expected. Again, no spoilers, but (c/o Google AI):

• Both novels are told in a first-person narrative, recounting the protagonist's life from childhood to adulthood
• Both feature a protagonist who experiences hardship and loss in their youth, leading to a journey of self-discovery and finding their place in the world
• While names and specific details may differ, both novels feature characters with similar roles and motivations, such as mentors, love interests, and antagonists
• Demon Copperhead includes characters who mirror Dickens' Steerforth, Agnes, and Uriah Heep, though with a different context and social setting
• David Copperfield examines the Victorian era's social inequalities, while Demon Copperhead addresses modern issues like poverty, addiction, and systemic racism

So that's 97 down / 3 to go

Next up, also 2023's (they gave two out that year) Trust by Hernan Diaz

3.81 days per book read
11 days remaining at current pace
6/1/2025 - Estimated completion date

 

[kupcho1]

I was worried that the 2nd winner from 2023, Trust by Hernan Diaz, wouldn't measure up to Demon Copperhead. My worries were unfounded. I won't say much about the book because spoilers would ruin int. Put briefly, here's my summation of the book's 4 sections:

A novel, and unfinished memoir, the story of the memoir's ghostwriter and finally, the diary of the woman it all revolved around: Mildred Bevel
It's a slow build, but I think if you stick with it, you'll enjoy it. I had a theory toward the end of the book that was never addressed one way or the other. But if anyone's read this, I'd love to discuss it with you.

98 down / 2 to go

Next up: Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips, the 2024 winner

I'm mildly concerned that 2025's James isn't in yet. This will determine whether I finish in May or June.

 

[Don Quixote]

I was worried that the 2nd winner from 2023, Trust by Hernan Diaz, wouldn't measure up to Demon Copperhead. My worries were unfounded. I won't say much about the book because spoilers would ruin int. Put briefly, here's my summation of the book's 4 sections:

A novel, and unfinished memoir, the story of the memoir's ghostwriter and finally, the diary of the woman it all revolved around: Mildred Bevel
It's a slow build, but I think if you stick with it, you'll enjoy it. I had a theory toward the end of the book that was never addressed one way or the other. But if anyone's read this, I'd love to discuss it with you.

98 down / 2 to go

Next up: Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips, the 2024 winner

I'm mildly concerned that 2025's James isn't in yet. This will determine whether I finish in May or June.

I’ve got Trust on my shelf to read next after I finish the Mark Twain biography. Will check in here after I read it.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Polished off Less just now (trying to mix it up; "finished" is getting old. Thoughts? I'd like to Doc Emrick it a little to keep it interesting.), the 2018 Pulitzer winner by Andrew Sean Green. On a somewhat related note, this is the 2nd book I can recall in which one of the characters has won a Pulitzer (Humboldt's Gift being the other). I wonder if the Pulitzer committee has an alert set up to point them toward these books as potential candidates?

Don't get me wrong, both seem worthy, although Less didn't do itself any favors with a blurb on the cover from Gary Shteyngart stating "Mavelously, unexpectedly, endearlingly funny." I found his Absurdistan hilarious, so my expectations were heightened.

And they were met. I found myself laughing out loud at times during the book. The situations Arthur Less finds himself in, as well as some of the observations he makes, make for an enjoyable read. The book also has something to say about genius, and maybe that's why Less won a Pulitzer and Absurdistan didn't. Although 2008 winner The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao never really impressed me, so who knows. But I digress.

I also very much enjoyed the structure of the novel. We've got an omniscient narrarator who manages to stay firmly in the background until toward the end of the book. He even ends it on a greate line.

Thanks for all these writeups. I’ve got some down to read in the future and I started with this one. I’m about 100 pages in and I do like it, though so far I’m slightly surprised that it won the Pulitzer. I guess I don’t know what the real criteria are…just not totally grabbing me as an amazing book. I definitely like it and I agree that the structure/narration style is very good, seamlessly weaving in and out of the present and the past events that shape his present.

It is a nice respite from one of the others I’m reading: Septology by Jon Fosse. He won a Pulitzer too actually, though more of a lifetime achievement award. The book is almost 800 pages, divided into 7 sections with no periods or quotation marks. There are commas and question marks and some other punctuation, but the whole thing is a stream of consciousness (maybe multiple streams of consciousness) primarily centered on a painter named Ales who has two friends, another painter named Ales (whose main distinguishing feature is that he is an alcoholic) and Asle, a fisherman. It is a meditative study on existence, identity, duality past vs present and the like, but I find that sometimes I’m really not in the mood for it and other times I very much am.

 

[Don Quixote]

Polished off Less just now (trying to mix it up; "finished" is getting old. Thoughts? I'd like to Doc Emrick it a little to keep it interesting.), the 2018 Pulitzer winner by Andrew Sean Green. On a somewhat related note, this is the 2nd book I can recall in which one of the characters has won a Pulitzer (Humboldt's Gift being the other). I wonder if the Pulitzer committee has an alert set up to point them toward these books as potential candidates?

Don't get me wrong, both seem worthy, although Less didn't do itself any favors with a blurb on the cover from Gary Shteyngart stating "Mavelously, unexpectedly, endearlingly funny." I found his Absurdistan hilarious, so my expectations were heightened.

And they were met. I found myself laughing out loud at times during the book. The situations Arthur Less finds himself in, as well as some of the observations he makes, make for an enjoyable read. The book also has something to say about genius, and maybe that's why Less won a Pulitzer and Absurdistan didn't. Although 2008 winner The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao never really impressed me, so who knows. But I digress.

I also very much enjoyed the structure of the novel. We've got an omniscient narrarator who manages to stay firmly in the background until toward the end of the book. He even ends it on a greate line.

Thanks for all these writeups. I’ve got some down to read in the future and I started with this one. I’m about 100 pages in and I do like it, though so far I’m slightly surprised that it won the Pulitzer. I guess I don’t know what the real criteria are…just not totally grabbing me as an amazing book. I definitely like it and I agree that the structure/narration style is very good, seamlessly weaving in and out of the present and the past events that shape his present.

It is a nice respite from one of the others I’m reading: Septology by Jon Fosse. He won a Pulitzer too actually, though more of a lifetime achievement award. The book is almost 800 pages, divided into 7 sections with no periods or quotation marks. There are commas and question marks and some other punctuation, but the whole thing is a stream of consciousness (maybe multiple streams of consciousness) primarily centered on a painter named Ales who has two friends, another painter named Ales (whose main distinguishing feature is that he is an alcoholic) and Asle, a fisherman. It is a meditative study on existence, identity, duality past vs present and the like, but I find that sometimes I’m really not in the mood for it and other times I very much am.

I enjoyed Less, but it did not make my list of 70 books (and did not even really seriously consider it). I did have two books released the same year in my list though, and both pretty high (Lincoln in the Bardo and Sing, Unburied, Sing), neither of which were even finalists.

Pulitzers can be weird. I was reading about James winning this year… I thought that was an obvious front-runner, but apparently it was not even presented to the committee initially. Only when the panel deadlocked on the three finalists that were presented to them and asked for another book were they allowed to consider James.

 

[kupcho1]

Well, it was a good run, but the streak of excellent Pulitzers has come to a close. Not that it was a bad book, but Jayne Anne Phillips' Night Watch was just OK. Far too many coincidences strung together to feel real.
The book does a fine job of describing the horrors and mental anguish of war (in this case the Civil), but it felt too much like a soap opera at times with the amnesia and people popping up just when the script called for them to show.

At least it was short (~280 pages).

That's 99 down / 1 to go. And what do you know? the 2025 winner, James by Percival Everett is ready for me to pick it up tomorrow.
This is the only time I've checked ahead to see how many pages the next book was. It's 302 pages.
I'm closing this out this month.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

That's 99 down / 1 to go. And what do you know? the 2025 winner, James by Percival Everett is ready for me to pick it up tomorrow.
This is the only time I've checked ahead to see how many pages the next book was. It's 302 pages.
I'm closing this out this month.

I read this a couple of months ago and thought it was fantastic.

 

[Don Quixote]

That's 99 down / 1 to go. And what do you know? the 2025 winner, James by Percival Everett is ready for me to pick it up tomorrow.
This is the only time I've checked ahead to see how many pages the next book was. It's 302 pages.
I'm closing this out this month.

I read this a couple of months ago and thought it was fantastic.

It is. Percival Everett is another author who was overdue when he won. If you enjoyed the movie American Fiction, it is based on his novel Erasure.

I was concerned based on the description that James was going to be like a critique of Huck Finn, but it’s not. Really just fleshes out the character of James and turns him into more of a subversive and full character than in the original. Everett has said that he has a lot of respect for Huck Finn and Mark Twain, and anyone who thinks it is racist, has not read it (and the use of the n-word speaks more to the era).

 

[Uruk-Hai]

That's 99 down / 1 to go. And what do you know? the 2025 winner, James by Percival Everett is ready for me to pick it up tomorrow.
This is the only time I've checked ahead to see how many pages the next book was. It's 302 pages.
I'm closing this out this month.

I read this a couple of months ago and thought it was fantastic.

It is. Percival Everett is another author who was overdue when he won. If you enjoyed the movie American Fiction, it is based on his novel Erasure.

I was concerned based on the description that James was going to be like a critique of Huck Finn, but it’s not. Really just fleshes out the character of James and turns him into more of a subversive and full character than in the original. Everett has said that he has a lot of respect for Huck Finn and Mark Twain, and anyone who thinks it is racist, has not read it (and the use of the n-word speaks more to the era).

I haven't read or seen the bolded. I'll check them out. Thanks, my friend.

I'll hold off on details until kupcho posts his review, though I may have posted a short review earlier in this thread.

 

[Don Quixote]

That's 99 down / 1 to go. And what do you know? the 2025 winner, James by Percival Everett is ready for me to pick it up tomorrow.
This is the only time I've checked ahead to see how many pages the next book was. It's 302 pages.
I'm closing this out this month.

I read this a couple of months ago and thought it was fantastic.

It is. Percival Everett is another author who was overdue when he won. If you enjoyed the movie American Fiction, it is based on his novel Erasure.

I was concerned based on the description that James was going to be like a critique of Huck Finn, but it’s not. Really just fleshes out the character of James and turns him into more of a subversive and full character than in the original. Everett has said that he has a lot of respect for Huck Finn and Mark Twain, and anyone who thinks it is racist, has not read it (and the use of the n-word speaks more to the era).

I haven't read or seen the bolded. I'll check them out. Thanks, my friend.

I'll hold off on details until kupcho posts his review, though I may have posted a short review earlier in this thread.

I’ll also highly recommend Trees. It is a dark satire, dealing with the history of lynching in the south and the murder of Emmitt Till.

 

[kupcho1]

I'll hold off on details until kupcho posts his review

Fire away.

I just finished James making it only the second of two Pulitzers I finished in a day (the other was a much shorter The Old Man and the Sea). I really enjoyed this book. It's the story of Jim, er, excuse me James, Huckleberry Finn's compatriot in his adventures. It's very different from Twain's book; much darker and a hell of a lot less humorous. This makes sense given the change in perspective. I found it wildly entertaining. It felt a little like The Underground Railroad at times w/r/t the author instilling qualities, skills and attributes in James (his diction, for example) much like Whitehead did with technology in his book. I'm probably not making sense here, but that's the feeling I got from it.

So that's 100 down / 0 to go

Up next, I'll be reading a book from each of the list submitters in the Top 70 thread. After that, who knows? Maybe the Booker? It's a much shorter list and I've already got a good start on it (9 or 10 down).

 

[shuke]

I finished in a day

I can't fathom this. Like how many pages and how long did it take?

 

[kupcho1]

I finished in a day

I can't fathom this. Like how many pages and how long did it take?

302 pages but it's a quick read. It's no Finnegan's Wake or anything like that.
Library opened at 10, picked it up and read it off and on over the day. Finished around 10pm.

 

[kupcho1]

Year - Title - Author
1918 - His Family - Ernest Poole
1919 - The Magnificent Ambersons - Booth Tarkington
1920 - no award -
1921 - The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
1922 - Alice Adams - Booth Tarkington
1923 - One of Ours - Willa Cather
1924 - The Able McLaughlins - Margaret Wilson
1925 - So Big - Edna Ferber
1926 - Arrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis (declined)
1927 - Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady - Louis Bromfield
1928 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
1929 - Scarlet Sister Mary - Julia Peterkin
1930 - Laughing Boy - Oliver La Farge
1931 - Years of Grace - Margaret Ayer Barnes
1932 - The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
1933 - The Store - T.S. Stribling
1934 - Lamb in His Bosom - Caroline Miller
1935 - Now in November - Josephine Winslow Johnson
1936 - Honey in the Horn - H.L. Davis
1937 - Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
1938 - The Late George Apley: A Novel in the Form of a Memoir - J.P. Marquand
1939 - The Yearling - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
1940 - The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
1941 - no award -
1942 - In This Our Life - Ellen Glasgow
1943 - Dragon's Teeth - Upton Sinclair
1944 - Journey in the Dark - Martin Flavin
1945 - A Bell for Adano - John Hersey
1946 - no award -
1947 - All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
1948 - Tales of the South Pacific - James A. Michener
1949 - Guard of Honor - James Gould Cozzens
1950 - The Way West - A.B. Guthrie, Jr.
1951 - The Town - Conrad Richter
1952 - The Caine Mutiny: A Novel of World War II - Herman Wouk
1953 - The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
1954 - no award -
1955 - A Fable - William Faulkner
1956 - Andersonville - MacKinlay Kantor
1957 - no award -
1958 - A Death in the Family - James Agee
1959 - The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters - Robert Lewis Taylor
1960 - Advise and Consent - Allen Drury
1961 - To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
1962 - The Edge of Sadness - Edwin O'Connor
1963 - The Reivers: A Reminiscence - William Faulkner
1964 - no award -
1965 - The Keepers of the House - Shirley Ann Grau
1966 - The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter - Katherine Anne Porter
1967 - The Fixer - Bernard Malamud
1968 - The Confessions of Nat Turner - William Styron
1969 - House Made of Dawn - N. Scott Momaday
1970 - The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford - Jean Stafford
1971 - no award -
1972 - Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner
1973 - The Optimist's Daughter - Eudora Welty
1974 - Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon
1975 - The Killer Angels - Michael Shaara
1976 - Humboldt's Gift - Saul Bellow
1977 - no award -
1978 - Elbow Room - James Alan McPherson
1979 - The Stories of John Cheever - John Cheever
1980 - The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer
1981 - A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
1982 - Rabbit Is Rich - John Updike
1983 - The Color Purple - Alice Walker
1984 - Ironweed - William Kennedy
1985 - Foreign Affairs - Alison Lurie
1986 - Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
1987 - A Summons to Memphis - Peter Taylor
1988 - Beloved - Toni Morrison
1989 - Breathing Lessons - Anne Tyler
1990 - The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love - Oscar Hijuelos
1991 - Rabbit at Rest - John Updike
1992 - A Thousand Acres - Jane Smiley
1993 - A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain: Stories - Robert Olen Butler
1994 - The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
1995 - The Stone Diaries - Carol Shields
1996 - Independence Day - Richard Ford
1997 - Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer - Steven Millhauser
1998 - American Pastoral - Philip Roth
1999 - The Hours - Michael Cunningham
2000 - Interpreter of Maladies: Stories - Jhumpa Lahiri
2001 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon
2002 - Empire Falls - Richard Russo
2003 - Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
2004 - The Known World - Edward P. Jones
2005 - Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
2006 - March - Geraldine Brooks
2007 - The Road - Cormac McCarthy
2008 - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Díaz
2009 - Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout
2010 - tinkers - Paul Harding
2011 - A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
2012 - no award -
2013 - The Orphan Master's Son - Adam Johnson
2014 - The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
2015 - All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
2016 - The Sympathizer - Viet Thanh Nguyen
2017 - The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead
2018 - Less - Andrew Sean Greer
2019 - The Overstory - Richard Powers
2020 - The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead
2021 - The Night Watchman - Louise Erdrich
2022 - The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family - Joshua Cohen
2023 - Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver
2023 - Trust - Hernan Diaz
2024 - Night Watch - Jayne Anne Phillips
2025 - James - Percival Everett

 

[kupcho1]

Started Aug 2023
pre-Aug 2023 24 books
2023 12 books
2024 24 books
2025 40 books

 

[Eephus]

Congrats kupcho1, that's a monumental achievement

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I'll hold off on details until kupcho posts his review

Fire away.

I just finished James making it only the second of two Pulitzers I finished in a day (the other was a much shorter The Old Man and the Sea). I really enjoyed this book. It's the story of Jim, er, excuse me James, Huckleberry Finn's compatriot in his adventures. It's very different from Twain's book; much darker and a hell of a lot less humorous. This makes sense given the change in perspective. I found it wildly entertaining. It felt a little like The Underground Railroad at times w/r/t the author instilling qualities, skills and attributes in James (his diction, for example) much like Whitehead did with technology in his book. I'm probably not making sense here, but that's the feeling I got from it.

So that's 100 down / 0 to go

Up next, I'll be reading a book from each of the list submitters in the Top 70 thread. After that, who knows? Maybe the Booker? It's a much shorter list and I've already got a good start on it (9 or 10 down).

I thought what you mention about James' diction was hilarious throughout the book. I don't know if it would constitute a spoiler to say more about this, though it becomes apparent very early what's going on.

I don't read many of the books that would be considered Pulitzer-worthy each year so I don't know if this one normally would. I do know it's well-written and entertaining. I didn't read it as fast as kupcho did, but I tore through it in a couple of days.

This was a hell of an undertaking @kupcho1 Kudos to you, man.

 

[beer 30]

Started Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobson a couple weeks ago. Haven't put a lot of time into it yet but so far a fascinating read. Just tracking all these guys down at the end of WWII along with their research material and physical equipment to get back to the US before Germany was divided up is incredible. In many areas, Germany was years ahead of the allies and had things gone just a little differently for them, there might be a lot more German speaking folk in the world. I've known about this operation for years but never got into the details of it before. Crazy that we were fighting against Nazi's one day and trying to secret them to the US the next.

In the chaos following World War II, the U.S. government faced many difficult decisions, including what to do with the Third Reich's scientific minds. These were the brains behind the Nazis' once-indomitable war machine. So began Operation Paperclip, a decades-long, covert project to bring Hitler's scientists and their families to the United States.

Many of these men were accused of war crimes, and others had stood trial at Nuremberg; one was convicted of mass murder and slavery. They were also directly responsible for major advances in rocketry, medical treatments, and the U.S. space program. Was Operation Paperclip a moral outrage, or did it help America win the Cold War?

 

[Barry2]

Kafka on the Shore was a krista4 submission. An odd 15 year old decides to runaway. He's only fleeing his dad as his mom and sister abandoned him when he
was younger. His plan is to just get away and not be found. He leaves and ends up finding sanctuary in a library. The story also takes us back to 1946 where an
American military official is interviewing a Japanese teacher about an unexplainable incident involving her students. At this point I had no idea what to
expect. Aliens? Crazy nano tech? Magic? A jump back to the present and an old man, one of the students, has been left with a special ability. There are parallels
and contradictions between the old man and 15 year old as they try and find their purpose. Can't really say anymore. It's a mind bender dealing with self, dreams,
reality and probably other stuff. It's puzzling but not confusing if that makes sense. A good book worth a read if you don't need all loose ends tied. Beware there's
a harsh scene involving cats.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Read a few horror books to kick off the summer, but it's almost time to switch gears. I went to the library yesterday to get Pet Sematary for a reread of the booked that kicked off my love of the genre.

While I was there, I noticed they had a big pile of the same book. I guess last year they started a "community read" program and gave out a title for free to read for the summer. They have a discussion in July as well for those interested. The book this year is Dylan Goes Electric!, so I guess I will learn a bit about Bob Dylan this summer, and then watch the movie after. I am guessing it will help me appreciate his music a little more in the process.

 

[shuke]

Read a few horror books to kick off the summer

Like?

 

[Eephus]

The book this year is Dylan Goes Electric!, so I guess I will learn a bit about Bob Dylan this summer, and then watch the movie after. I am guessing it will help me appreciate his music a little more in the process.

I read this one in 2019. I'd forgotten what I'd written about it but I guess it was pretty decent.

Post in thread 'Bob Dylan -- Eephus's Reviews From Walking With His Beloved Dog Bosley During 2019: The Nobel Poet And A Fine Essayist With A Musical Corpus'

Aug 18, 2019

Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

What can I say about one of rock 'n roll's greatest albums?  It's magnificent from the opening drum shot of "Like a Rolling Stone" to the harmonica outro of "Desolation Row".  It comes from a particularly prolific period of Dylan's career after he went electric.   It immediately followed side two of "Bringing It Back Home" and his landmark performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.  While on vacation, I read Elijah Wald's book Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties about that event.  I was familiar...

• Eephus

I used to be a better writer

 

[KarmaPolice]

Read a few horror books to kick off the summer

Like?

I've been trying to actually read some crap that I have piled up at home, so I read:

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls - Grady Hendrix
Hidden Pictures - Jason Rekulak
My Heart is a Chainsaw - Stephen Graham Jones
Dracula - Bram Stoker

I still have Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay on the shelf with Frankenstein and a couple Stephen Kings, and to get back to Devil's House by John Darnielle.

There is no way they are showing up on the book countdown now, but I was also just looking at my unsubmitted list and I had several horror novels I didn't see on the countdown or mentioned:

My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix
The Hunger - Alma Katsu
Head Full of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Let the Right One In - John Lindqvist

 

[shuke]

There is no way they are showing up on the book countdown now, but I was also just looking at my unsubmitted list and I had several horror novels I didn't see on the countdown or mentioned:

My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix
The Hunger - Alma Katsu
Head Full of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Let the Right One In - John Lindqvist

I've read the bolded and had the last 2 in my list, actually fairly high. I'll check out the others!

 

[shuke]

There is no way they are showing up on the book countdown now, but I was also just looking at my unsubmitted list and I had several horror novels I didn't see on the countdown or mentioned:

My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix
The Hunger - Alma Katsu
Head Full of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Let the Right One In - John Lindqvist

I've read the bolded and had the last 2 in my list, actually fairly high. I'll check out the others!

lol just checked my "to read" list and both of those were already on there, and bolded!

 

[Berlin]

I am enjoying the thread. I am going to list some recent reads and a few must reads if the genre lands close to something you may enjoy.

Run don’t walk list ……

Five Decembers - James Kestrel - 2022 Edgar award winner for best novel. Don’t be fooled by the cover art. Powerhouse book w murder, detective, love, wrapped around WWII era - spilling into wartime Japan. One of my favorites reads over the last 5 years. Fiction with strong appeal to mystery/WWII crowd.

Dog Stars - Peter Heller
Apocalyptic read. I read this during Covid - still one of my favorites about survival, love lost, and mans best friend. Deep book with amazing quotes yet strong action survival theme. Guy ends up surviving apocalypse at a fancy residential airport w a hardcore as his partner.
*** also suggest by Heller in order of enjoyment. The Painter, The River, The Last Ranger but not in the same league as Dog Stars.


More to come as work day allows

 

[Berlin]

The Oceans And The Stars - Mark Helprin
This was a strong suggestion from my local bookstore owner. I fell in love with it but not for everyone - Setting moves from DC military politics to a New Orleans love story and then into the Mediterranean/Middle East theater. Strong military honor theme - brilliant book.

The Unlikely Spy - Daniel Silva
He became famous for all the Allon books but this early stand alone is still one of my favorites reads. WW2 espionage - sex, spy, strong characters - still one of my all time historical fiction books around the German - Britain theater of war.

The Deep Blue Good-By - John D. Macdonald
Really this is a suggestion for the entire TRAVIS McGEE series. I cannot believe I waited so long to read this - read all 21 in rapid succession. Jack Reacher who lives on a sailboat and has deep philosophical views and principles. the time era did not limit my enjoyment- translates so well

 

[kupcho1]

The Deep Blue Good-By - John D. Macdonald
Really this is a suggestion for the entire TRAVIS McGEE series. I cannot believe I waited so long to read this - read all 21 in rapid succession. Jack Reacher who lives on a sailboat and has deep philosophical views and principles. the time era did not limit my enjoyment- translates so well

I've done the work, so you don't have to

1964 The Deep Blue Good-by
1964 Nightmare in Pink
1964 A Purple Place for Dying
1964 The Quick Red Fox
1965 A Deadly Shade of Gold
1965 Bright Orange for the Shroud
1966 Darker than Amber
1966 One Fearful Yellow Eye
1968 Pale Gray for Guilt
1968 The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper
1969 Dress Her in Indigo
1970 The Long Lavender Look
1971 A Tan and Sandy Silence
1972 The Scarlet Ruse
1973 The Turquoise Lament
1974 The Dreadful Lemon Sky
1978 The Empty Copper Sea
1979 The Green Ripper
1981 Free Fall in Crimson
1982 Cinnamon Skin
1984 The Lonely Silver Rain

 

[KarmaPolice]

There is no way they are showing up on the book countdown now, but I was also just looking at my unsubmitted list and I had several horror novels I didn't see on the countdown or mentioned:

My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix
The Hunger - Alma Katsu
Head Full of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Let the Right One In - John Lindqvist

I've read the bolded and had the last 2 in my list, actually fairly high. I'll check out the others!

lol just checked my "to read" list and both of those were already on there, and bolded!

Nice - if you liked those 3 I think you will like the other two. The Hunger is about the Donner Party and I just really dug the story and atmosphere. There were some really creepy parts. Exorcism is still my favorite of Hendrix's books I've read (Wayward Witches is probably my second favorite). Hidden Pictures got to me a little because it makes good use of the illustrations that the kid in the story is drawing.

 

[Eephus]

Run don’t walk list ……

Five Decembers - James Kestrel - 2022 Edgar award winner for best novel. Don’t be fooled by the cover art. Powerhouse book w murder, detective, love, wrapped around WWII era - spilling into wartime Japan. One of my favorites reads over the last 5 years. Fiction with strong appeal to mystery/WWII crowd.

+1 on this one.

 

[Enderdog]

I read several Elmore Leonard books, then tried to read Last of the Mohicans. About three horrible chapters in I ditched it and got a bunch more Elmore Leonard books.