Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (16 Viewers)

[Joe Mammy]

Just finished The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski, crime noir at it's best!

I could not put this book down, non-stop riveting crime action. If you like Charlie Huston or Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark this genre has a new young force to be reckoned with- Swierczynski. I just ordered The Blonde and Severance Package and can't wait to dive into them.

 

[shuke]

Just finished The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski, crime noir at it's best!

I could not put this book down, non-stop riveting crime action. If you like Charlie Huston or Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark this genre has a new young force to be reckoned with- Swierczynski. I just ordered The Blonde and Severance Package and can't wait to dive into them.

Are you a book jacket copywriter?

 

[Joe Mammy]

Just finished The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski, crime noir at it's best!

I could not put this book down, non-stop riveting crime action. If you like Charlie Huston or Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark this genre has a new young force to be reckoned with- Swierczynski. I just ordered The Blonde and Severance Package and can't wait to dive into them.

Are you a book jacket copywriter?

LOL, try it you'll like it.

 

[Mookie Blaylock]

Just hit a lul in Pillars of the Earth by Follett. I don't think it's the book's fault, though. I think I just lost my groove. It has been a wonderful read so far. Follett's villains are incredible.

 

[Tough As Nails]

Just hit a lul in Pillars of the Earth by Follett. I don't think it's the book's fault, though. I think I just lost my groove. It has been a wonderful read so far. Follett's villains are incredible.

It's not you. It's the book. Fun read...very entertaining...150 pages too long.

 

[beer 30]

Recently finished With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. The author, E.B. Sledge, was a Marine during these two World War II battles. This is one of the best books of any kind that I've ever read. His insights are absolutely fascinating.

This book has been recommended a number of times in this thread. I really need to get around to it. I don't think my library IRRC, gonna have to break down and buy it.

 

[Shrek]

Recently finished With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. The author, E.B. Sledge, was a Marine during these two World War II battles. This is one of the best books of any kind that I've ever read. His insights are absolutely fascinating.

I think this one has been mentioned in this thread already. If it hasn't been, I certainly second the endorsement. An excellent read.

 

[~Haze~]

Is anyone sharing their Barnes and Noble member #?

 

[Ash]

Just finished Ian McEwan's Atonement. The setup (probably the first half of the book) took me a long time to get through, but the pace picked up exponentially, and I finished the second half in one night. Enjoyed it a lot, about the way the things you do can enormous consequences.

Next up, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere

 

[Ash]

Just finished "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." Great book. Beautifully done, and some real interesting perspective for a guy like me who can really relate to the main character...

Kundera is one of my favourite authors, I reread this, Immortality and The Farewell Party every couple of years. I first bought The Farewell Party because on the back one of the characters is described as a "fanatical gyaenocologist". I thought, that's a character I want to read about...

 

[Gigantomachia]

Sacred Ecology.

Interesting look at traditional land-based knowledge and its ability to correct the often overly positivist-reductionism of modern science with respect to understanding the complexity of ecosystems.

Interesting stuff!

 

[Shrek]

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Great book! I've been working at this one for a while, but it was definitely worth it. As most of you probably know, the book is the story of two magicians in England in the early 1800s. In the story, magic is a major part of English history, yet no practical magicians have been around in hundreds of years. Then, Mr. Norrell enters the spotlight when he performs a couple of spells, followed shortly by Jonathan Strange, who becomes his pupil. This book cleaned up with awards, all of them deserved in my opinion. Having said that, this one actually can be tough to recommend. There are several things about it that are immediately off-putting to a lot of people; it's long (nearly 800 pages), it's fantasy/historical fiction, it takes a little while to really get moving, and the language is different than we're used to reading. But these aside, this book is the most unique and compelling novel I've read in a long time. Highly recommended.

Also, I heard some of this on CD. If you're a fan of audiobooks, though long (26 disks), this has by far the best narration I've ever heard.

I'm about five chapters into this book, and I know I'm going to enjoy it. It reminded me a lot of a book I read several years ago called The Quincunx by Charles Palliser. I rarely recommend that book, though, because it's definitely not for everyone. I was quite surprised, then, to flip over the jacket of Jonathan Strange to find a recommendation from Palliser himself.

 

[kupcho1]

Just finished The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. A highly enjoyable and engrossing read- I definitely recommend it. The story is set around a family who raises and trains their own fictional breed of dogs in Central Wisconsin. It's loosely based on Hamlet, but there are lots of elements of other Greek and Shakespearian tragedies.

Although he's surely not the definitive voice of literary reviews, I found Stephen King's review to be interesting.

"I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Dog-lovers in particular will be riveted by this story, because the canine world has never been explored with such imagination or emotional resonance. Yet in the end, this isn't a novel about dogs or heartland America — although it is a deeply American work of literature. It's a novel about the human heart, and the mysteries that live there, understood but impossible to articulate. Yet in the person of Edgar Sawtelle, a mute boy who takes three of his dogs on a brave and dangerous odyssey, Wroblewski does articulate them, and splendidly. I closed the book with that regret readers feel only after experiencing the best stories: It's over, you think, and I won't read another one this good for a long, long time.

In truth, there has never been a book quite like The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I thought of Hamlet when I was reading it (of course... and in this version, Ophelia turns out to be a dog named Almondine), and Watership Down, and The Night of the Hunter, and The Life of Pi — but halfway through, I put all comparisons aside and let it just be itself.

I'm pretty sure this book is going to be a bestseller, but unlike some, it deserves to be. It's also going to be the subject of a great many reading groups, and when the members take up Edgar, I think they will be apt to stick to the book and forget the neighborhood gossip.

Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying: readers who pick up this novel are going to enter a richer world. I envy them the trip. I don't reread many books, because life is too short. I will be rereading this one."

— Stephen King, author of Duma Key

Here is a link to some more reviews and a link to an excerpt from the book.Reviews

Excerpt from the book

Just read that this will be the new main selection for Oprah's book club. I don't know what that means in the larger scope. I don't know that I've ever read a book that she had in her book club. But I still thought it was a very good read.

While Oprah picking a book shouldn't make you run out and pick up the book, it's also not a reason to avoid a book. After all, she did pick the Pulitzer Prize winning The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a great book that's about to come out in the theaters.I've got Wroblewski's book next on my pile to read and am looking forward to it.

she also picked steinbecks of east of eden

Can't remember a book that frustrated and dissappointed me more then Edgar Sawtelle. My eyes were literally watering out of frustration when I finished. I'll all for non-traditional endings but Wroblewski did not earn that ending. The plotlines were gimmicky all throughout the book then we get a No Country for Old Men endng that was not earned unlike NCFOM. Jeez, throw a dog a bone. Give me something. Anything.It's the type of book that I will go out of my way to tell people not to waste their time on. Story had a lot of potential.

I really struggled to get through this book. I saw nothing special in it. Never mind the ending, just getting there was enough of a battle.

 

[flysack]

Just started Jose Saramago's new novel, Death With Interruptions.

So far it's a decent, intellectual read. Kafkaesque premise: On New Year's Day, nobody in an unnamed nation dies. Death stops happening to people. No matter if they've been in car accidents or are about to fall to cancer, death just stops happening. Then he explores the consequences of this. It's both amusing and profound (so far).

 

[Joe_Mama]

Just hit a lul in Pillars of the Earth by Follett. I don't think it's the book's fault, though. I think I just lost my groove. It has been a wonderful read so far. Follett's villains are incredible.

I'm plowing through the followup, World Without End, right now. It's at least as good as its predecessor. Occurs about a hundred years later in the same area. Refers back to some of the people in Pillars of the Earth. More nobility verses the serfs verses the church. Includes the Battle of Calais and the Black Death. Good stuff. I'm at page 788 of 1014. Follett is so good.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Just hit a lul in Pillars of the Earth by Follett. I don't think it's the book's fault, though. I think I just lost my groove. It has been a wonderful read so far. Follett's villains are incredible.

I'm plowing through the followup, World Without End, right now. It's at least as good as its predecessor. Occurs about a hundred years later in the same area. Refers back to some of the people in Pillars of the Earth. More nobility verses the serfs verses the church. Includes the Battle of Calais and the Black Death. Good stuff. I'm at page 788 of 1014. Follett is so good.

Just started this tonightLooking forward to it

 

[the rover]

I was killing time at a used book store by my office while waiting for a lunch order, and found a copy of The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale. I remembered Shuke (?) mentioning this one, so I bought it for $2.50. I'm planning on reading it on a plane next Monday.

Not groundbreaking literature by any means, but one of my all-time favorites.

This was a fun read on a three hour flight. I'll mail it to anyone that wants it.

 

[facook]

Just hit a lul in Pillars of the Earth by Follett. I don't think it's the book's fault, though. I think I just lost my groove. It has been a wonderful read so far. Follett's villains are incredible.

I'm plowing through the followup, World Without End, right now. It's at least as good as its predecessor. Occurs about a hundred years later in the same area. Refers back to some of the people in Pillars of the Earth. More nobility verses the serfs verses the church. Includes the Battle of Calais and the Black Death. Good stuff. I'm at page 788 of 1014. Follett is so good.

Just started this tonightLooking forward to it

I enjoyed it as well, though Follett's issues with the Catholic Church are a bit tiring.I tried The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker based on a recommendation in this thread. After 100 pages I was completely and gave up.

Now on An Instance of the Fingerpost, and loving it. Thinking I might be into Jonathon Strange based on the comments above.

 

[shuke]

I tried The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker based on a recommendation in this thread. After 100 pages I was completely and gave up.

Oops, sorry.

 

[Chaka]

just started Monday Night Jihad, co-written by the NFL's own Jason Elam.

also in the early stages (still laughing my way through the opening sections) of Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

AHWoSG is a good book but IMO, after a jack-rabbit start, it slows down in a big way, enough so that I haven't read another one of Eggers' books. I admit this might be a mistake.

 

[Chaka]

reading two books right now:"Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama"The Foundation Trilogy" by Isaac Asimov

finished "Dreams from my Father," just started on Obama's second book, "Audacity of Hope." Goal is to finish it before Election Day.still reading "The Foundation Trilogy." A very, very fascinating read. But I'm putting this on hold while I get the Obama book done.

I am working on Foundation & Empire right now. I burnt through Foundation in three days and am really enjoying F&E. I am shocked that I never got to these books earlier, particularly when I was on my big time sci-fi jag back in the 80s.Glad I am reading them now.

 

[Bob Magaw]

i had read a handful of ian fleming's bond novels, but have been systematically working through them the past month...

he had 12 novels, & two collections of short stories (now available in complete shorts collection quantum of solace, superseding for your eyes only & octo#####/living daylights)...

a few observations...

they hold up very well, seeing as some of them were written over a half century ago... the books were popular before the movies (though nearly everybody nowadays knows about bond through countless bond movie marathons)... the reason the movies have been so popular & ENDURING is he is a strong character... & even more so in the novels, which are far less absurd & over the top...

its a cliche that movies can't capture anything even remotely resembling everything in a book... while the movies aren't highbrow fare, the novels have a realism no doubt imbued by the fact that fleming was a spy (though his novel counterpart was someone much more like M than bond), often lacking in the generally bloated & bombastic post-connery films (no sky diving off a cliff without a parachute into a plummeting plane stunts)...

fleming is a gifted writer for this genre (its not narcissus & goldmund by herman hesse or the road by cormac mccarthy, but hey, its a spy novel )... in the written versions, not only do you get his great descriptive powers & palpable intelligence, but after the first few novels, there is little in common even at the plot level, so its not like running over the same ground...

 

[~Haze~]

I was killing time at a used book store by my office while waiting for a lunch order, and found a copy of The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale. I remembered Shuke (?) mentioning this one, so I bought it for $2.50. I'm planning on reading it on a plane next Monday.

Not groundbreaking literature by any means, but one of my all-time favorites.

This was a fun read on a three hour flight. I'll mail it to anyone that wants it.

Ya know, this is a pretty good idea. It makes sense to recycle and pass on the books we are through with. It's a good way to spread the love. If no one has claimed it, I'll take ya up on that offer and I'll list the books that are collecting dust on my end tables and see if anyone wants 'em.

 

[shuke]

Just started Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. Past couple of King books I've read have been very disappointing (Tommyknockers, From a Buick Eight), hopefully this is better.

Don't count on it. I think Dreamcatcher may be my least favorite by King.

Only 60 pages in and I already think it's better than the other two I mentioned. I'm not looking for a literay masterpiece, just want to be entertained.

Glad I am not the only one that liked Dreamcatcher. I thought it was an entertaining book and much better then his last two releases.

About 250 pages in, and I love. This is the type of King I like. I guess my problem is that I've read all of his best stuff already, so what I'm leary about what's left.

Just finished. Exactly what I'm looking for when I pick up a King novel. 8/10.

 

[oso diablo]

also in the early stages (still laughing my way through the opening sections) of Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

AHWoSG is a good book but IMO, after a jack-rabbit start, it slows down in a big way, enough so that I haven't read another one of Eggers' books. I admit this might be a mistake.

i gave up on Genius, but loved What is the What

 

[PsychoMan]

the cat in teh hat

 

[beer 30]

An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson. I really enjoyed his "In the Company of Soldiers" so I thought I'd give this one a shot. Man it's a monster, 768 pages.

Couldn't do it, didn't even make it to the landings before I threw in the towel, just didn't do anything for me so I'm going to read Twilight. The daughter just finished it and said it was pretty good.

 

[Tough As Nails]

the cat in teh hat

It's no Solla Sollew.

 

[facook]

I tried The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker based on a recommendation in this thread. After 100 pages I was completely and gave up.

Oops, sorry.

Nah it's cool. I think this is the first instance of one of your recs not working for me. I've found that your taste in books tends to parallel mine to a great degree...right down to Dreamcatcher. Probably I'm just too dim to follow "Show." I enjoy some fantasy stuff, but this was beyond anything I could get into.

 

[The Z Machine]

I'm almost finished with José Saramago's The History of the Siege of Lisbon.

The book center's around the life of a proof-reader, and as such, the book is written with almost no punctuation. Run-on sentances, paragraphs that fill an entire page, and no quotes or any marks to distinguish the different players involved in dialog. It makes for interesting, and at times difficult reading.

 

[the rover]

I was killing time at a used book store by my office while waiting for a lunch order, and found a copy of The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale. I remembered Shuke (?) mentioning this one, so I bought it for $2.50. I'm planning on reading it on a plane next Monday.

Not groundbreaking literature by any means, but one of my all-time favorites.

This was a fun read on a three hour flight. I'll mail it to anyone that wants it.

Ya know, this is a pretty good idea. It makes sense to recycle and pass on the books we are through with. It's a good way to spread the love. If no one has claimed it, I'll take ya up on that offer and I'll list the books that are collecting dust on my end tables and see if anyone wants 'em.

PM me your address. I'll send it this week.

 

[Shrek]

Just started Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. Past couple of King books I've read have been very disappointing (Tommyknockers, From a Buick Eight), hopefully this is better.

Don't count on it. I think Dreamcatcher may be my least favorite by King.

Only 60 pages in and I already think it's better than the other two I mentioned. I'm not looking for a literay masterpiece, just want to be entertained.

Glad I am not the only one that liked Dreamcatcher. I thought it was an entertaining book and much better then his last two releases.

About 250 pages in, and I love. This is the type of King I like. I guess my problem is that I've read all of his best stuff already, so what I'm leary about what's left.

Just finished. Exactly what I'm looking for when I pick up a King novel. 8/10.

Based on the other books you have recommended here, I can't tell you how surprised I am to hear you say this. But as someone else said here, to each his own. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[shuke]

Just started Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. Past couple of King books I've read have been very disappointing (Tommyknockers, From a Buick Eight), hopefully this is better.

Don't count on it. I think Dreamcatcher may be my least favorite by King.

Only 60 pages in and I already think it's better than the other two I mentioned. I'm not looking for a literay masterpiece, just want to be entertained.

Glad I am not the only one that liked Dreamcatcher. I thought it was an entertaining book and much better then his last two releases.

About 250 pages in, and I love. This is the type of King I like. I guess my problem is that I've read all of his best stuff already, so what I'm leary about what's left.

Just finished. Exactly what I'm looking for when I pick up a King novel. 8/10.

Based on the other books you have recommended here, I can't tell you how surprised I am to hear you say this. But as someone else said here, to each his own. Glad you enjoyed it.

Curious what you didn't like about it. Do you like other King novels?

 

[the rover]

Just started Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. Past couple of King books I've read have been very disappointing (Tommyknockers, From a Buick Eight), hopefully this is better.

Don't count on it. I think Dreamcatcher may be my least favorite by King.

Only 60 pages in and I already think it's better than the other two I mentioned. I'm not looking for a literay masterpiece, just want to be entertained.

Glad I am not the only one that liked Dreamcatcher. I thought it was an entertaining book and much better then his last two releases.

About 250 pages in, and I love. This is the type of King I like. I guess my problem is that I've read all of his best stuff already, so what I'm leary about what's left.

Just finished. Exactly what I'm looking for when I pick up a King novel. 8/10.

Based on the other books you have recommended here, I can't tell you how surprised I am to hear you say this. But as someone else said here, to each his own. Glad you enjoyed it.

Curious what you didn't like about it. Do you like other King novels?

I agree with him. I'm a bigger fan of his short stories and novellas, but as far as his novels go, I thought Dreamcatcher was pretty weak. There wasn't anything specific I didn't like about it, but it seemed like he just took bits and pieces of other stories, shoved them into this alien/virus package, and called it good. Have you read Duma Key?

 

[~Haze~]

I was killing time at a used book store by my office while waiting for a lunch order, and found a copy of The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale. I remembered Shuke (?) mentioning this one, so I bought it for $2.50. I'm planning on reading it on a plane next Monday.

Not groundbreaking literature by any means, but one of my all-time favorites.

This was a fun read on a three hour flight. I'll mail it to anyone that wants it.

Ya know, this is a pretty good idea. It makes sense to recycle and pass on the books we are through with. It's a good way to spread the love. If no one has claimed it, I'll take ya up on that offer and I'll list the books that are collecting dust on my end tables and see if anyone wants 'em.

PM me your address. I'll send it this week.

I started reading it at he book store last night so you can pass this off to someone else. Thanks, though.

 

[Tough As Nails]

I'm almost finished with José Saramago's The History of the Siege of Lisbon.

The book center's around the life of a proof-reader, and as such, the book is written with almost no punctuation. Run-on sentances, paragraphs that fill an entire page, and no quotes or any marks to distinguish the different players involved in dialog. It makes for interesting, and at times difficult reading.

The paragraph and punctuation thing isn't just with this book. Saramago does that with his writing. Blindness (overrated) and The Cave (underrated) have some sentences that are like 2 1/2 pages long. It's tough to get into...but once you adjust to it, the structure seems to fit the substance. Siege of Lisbon any good?

 

[shuke]

Have you read Duma Key?

Not yet.

 

[The Z Machine]

I'm almost finished with José Saramago's The History of the Siege of Lisbon.

The book center's around the life of a proof-reader, and as such, the book is written with almost no punctuation. Run-on sentances, paragraphs that fill an entire page, and no quotes or any marks to distinguish the different players involved in dialog. It makes for interesting, and at times difficult reading.

The paragraph and punctuation thing isn't just with this book. Saramago does that with his writing. Blindness (overrated) and The Cave (underrated) have some sentences that are like 2 1/2 pages long. It's tough to get into...but once you adjust to it, the structure seems to fit the substance. Siege of Lisbon any good?

I read Blindness a number of years ago, and I don't recall this aspect of the book. I enjoyed that one quite a bit more then Siege. This book is mediocre IMO. It's somewhat interesting, but not overly so. If you have little interest in the Reconquista, grammar/proof-reading, and love affairs of the elderly then this book won't be interesting to you either. I'm just trying to get done with it. I have about 25-40 more pages left.I'd read another Saramago book in the future, but not for a while.

I might have to go back and read some Kundera just to enjoy reading authors again. Or maybe I'll try reading Gabriel García Márquez in Spanish. I've only completed 2 novels in Spanish, and neither were written by native Spanish speakers, so it would definitely be a challenge.

Anyone else read books in other languages?

 

[Power Monster]

Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

 

[shuke]

Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

In before TANAC has an orgasm!

 

[oso diablo]

A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink

"why right-brainers will rule the future"

 

[Tough As Nails]

Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

In before TANAC has an orgasm!

Rumors of Ridley Scott being on board for a movie version of this. I could not be more horrified. Please, God, don't let anybody touch this story.

 

[prosopis]

I started Warrick Dunns book Running for my life. The first two chapters are killing me. I knew the story about his mom but to read it in his words is sobering.

 

[Daywalker]

Just read Day of the Jackal. Didn't live up to the hype for me. I didn't really connect to any of the characters. Mainly a tutorial on a manhunt.

 

[shining path]

I want to put in another plug for Neil Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. If you've got a little patience for a complicated plot that takes some time to develop, the rewards are great. The writing is some of the best I've ever read. Funny, humanistic, rich. Great series.

 

[Shakespeare]

Hamlet

 

[Hawk Fan]

Just hit a lul in Pillars of the Earth by Follett. I don't think it's the book's fault, though. I think I just lost my groove. It has been a wonderful read so far. Follett's villains are incredible.

I'm plowing through the followup, World Without End, right now. It's at least as good as its predecessor. Occurs about a hundred years later in the same area. Refers back to some of the people in Pillars of the Earth. More nobility verses the serfs verses the church. Includes the Battle of Calais and the Black Death. Good stuff. I'm at page 788 of 1014. Follett is so good.

Just started this tonightLooking forward to it

I enjoyed it as well, though Follett's issues with the Catholic Church are a bit tiring.I tried The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker based on a recommendation in this thread. After 100 pages I was completely and gave up.

Now on An Instance of the Fingerpost, and loving it. Thinking I might be into Jonathon Strange based on the comments above.

This gets even worse in World Without End. I am now a huge fan of nuns, now that I know what goes on in the cloister.

 

[facook]

You're right, it did get worse in WWE. I just take it with a grain of salt, but it wore thin at points.

 

[bostonfred]

Picked up Ender in Exile, for fans of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series. It takes place between the end of Ender's Game, and the start of Xenocide and Speaker for the Dead. I liked reading more stuff in Ender's voice, but it wasn't a great book on its own merits. It didn't really introduce that much new stuff, and the majority of the time was not spent on the things I wanted to read about. Oh well. I went back and reread Ender's Game in two days, now I'm looking for more new ideas.

 

[Tough As Nails]

Picked up Ender in Exile, for fans of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series. It takes place between the end of Ender's Game, and the start of Xenocide and Speaker for the Dead. I liked reading more stuff in Ender's voice, but it wasn't a great book on its own merits. It didn't really introduce that much new stuff, and the majority of the time was not spent on the things I wanted to read about. Oh well. I went back and reread Ender's Game in two days, now I'm looking for more new ideas.

Just look up about 3 posts. If you liked Ender...you'll love Baroque. It's more mature and deals with a lot more issues than Ender and the limited moral issues it tackles over and over. It also features better writing. Ender gets you to turn pages faster and relate to characters more quickly...but Baroque pulls you in deeper and is more satisfying.