What are you reading?...Part 2

[Suspect Chin]

Nabokov is sincerely the post-modern master. Moving on to either Weber's Protestant Ethic or Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.

Anyone here read either?

I got half way through Pale Fire and then left it on a plane. I'll get back to it someday.

[Kublakhan61]

I got half way through Pale Fire and then left it on a plane. I'll get back to it someday.

Love that book. Another shining example of post-modern lit.

[tileslinger]

Go Tell It On The Mountain 50 pages in to this and it's amazing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Tell_It_on_the_Mountain_%28novel%29

[Section 8]

Over the past 8 days I have read the following by Kim Harrison:

Dead Witch Walking
The Good, The Bad and The Undead
Every Which Way But Dead
A Fistful of Charms

and I'm 1/4 way thru For a Few Demons More

I guess she likes to name her books after Clint Eastwood movies.

[Kublakhan61]

I finished The Road yesterday. The ending was very sugary. I didn't expect that. It seemed to me that the ending was dishonest. The book ended like a movie is expected to end and not like a book.

[Suspect Chin]

I finished The Road yesterday. The ending was very sugary. I didn't expect that. It seemed to me that the ending was dishonest. The book ended like a movie is expected to end and not like a book.

Love Cormac McCarthy, Hated The Road.

[Kublakhan61]

Love Cormac McCarthy, Hated The Road.

Perhaps it's unfortunate that I started with him there then. I was ashamed to pay for the book based on his massive mainstream success - and I felt justified as I closed the book for the last time.

If I decided to give him another go what would you recommend?

[Suspect Chin]

Perhaps it's unfortunate that I started with him there then. I was ashamed to pay for the book based on his massive mainstream success - and I felt justified as I closed the book for the last time.

If I decided to give him another go what would you recommend?

No Country for Old Men or the Border Trilogy. Most people consider Blood Meridian to be his masterpiece, but I haven't read it yet.

[DonInNC]

The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene

Anna Karenina is so good. It is a behemoth but it's worth every reading session. Stick with it.

Good call. I thought it would take most of the winter to read, but I finished it last night. 940 pages in 30 days. I'm drinking Baltika to celebrate.

[DonInNC]

I finished The Road yesterday. The ending was very sugary. I didn't expect that. It seemed to me that the ending was dishonest. The book ended like a movie is expected to end and not like a book.

Love Cormac McCarthy, Hated The Road.

Perhaps it's unfortunate that I started with him there then. I was ashamed to pay for the book based on his massive mainstream success - and I felt justified as I closed the book for the last time.

If I decided to give him another go what would you recommend?

The Road has been on and off my "to buy" list because I was afraid of what is stated here. Blood Meredian it is. Thanks.

[CountryBob]

Under the Dome by Stephen King. Only about 50 pages in and it is very intriguing.

[Jujubees2]

http://thecommentary.ca/images/books/Brunt.jpg

[Thebazile78]

I got a stack of books for Christmas from my dad, my best friend and my husband.

I started with Dracula: The Un-Dead (Dacre Stoker with Ian Holt), which I enjoyed but was irritated with because I really felt that Dacre & Ian, as much as they loved Bram's original, missed the key element of what made the Count so terrifying - his suavity made Evil so very tempting, as Evil is wont to be in any cultural allegory. Also, there were a lot of rushed elements that I felt could have been done better. Nice try, though.

I am currently reading Wolf Hall, which is set during the reign of King Henry VIII. It doesn't suck, but it's kind of a slow slog through a lot of jumpy dialogue that's not really dialogue. It's an interesting story; I'm just finding it a little painful to read at times.

Next up is Shadow of the Wind.

[Thebazile78]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Books 1 - 5

i started last week and am halfway thru book 4. i saw the trailers to the movie coming out in Jan. i started yelling at my tv because of all the things they got wrong. they changed so many things, that its gonna be a bowl of suck.

I've read the 1st 4 (there are only 5, right?) and really like them a lot ... I can't find the last one in paperback, but my copies are slowly getting destroyed, so I may re-buy them in hardcover so I can re-read them.

My BFF is also a mythology nut and she recommended them to me as a fun read.

[Suspect Chin]

I actually found this 1st Edition hardcover at one of those 'leave a donation, take a book' deals at a coffee shop. Figured what the hell.

http://www.ironicsans.com/images/jurassic01.jpg



Also found this gem:
http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/080702/books/rabbit-at-rest_l.jpg

I've already read it, but this 1st Edition happens to be worth around $65.

[WampusCrandle]

just finished Opening Atlantis by Harry Turtledove

http://www.tantor.com/BookImage/0554_OpeningAtlantis_D.jpg

[CountryBob]

I've read the 1st 4 (there are only 5, right?) and really like them a lot ... I can't find the last one in paperback, but my copies are slowly getting destroyed, so I may re-buy them in hardcover so I can re-read them.

My BFF is also a mythology nut and she recommended them to me as a fun read.

I enjoyed the Harry Potter series - would this be a similar experience?

[Kublakhan61]

Reading a collection of Gogol's short works Diary of a Madman and Other Stories. A surprising level of humor in his work.

[Thebazile78]

I enjoyed the Harry Potter series - would this be a similar experience?

It's an adventure series, involves mythology/magic and a misfit boy on the cusp of maturity who may or may not fulfill a prophecy ... so, in those basic plot points, yes it's similar.

I've enjoyed both Percy Jackson and Harry Potter books equally, but wouldn't present them as a guarantee if you like one then you'll automatically like the other. That's not a fair comparison.

My BFF, who recommended the Percy Jackson series to me, actually loathed Harry Potter but raved about Percy Jackson!

[Aggie]

one of my christmas gifts...hilarious!

http://tengossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/twilight-parody-nighlight_a.jpg

[hammersavage]

Finally reading "Blink". Only 3 years behind every other person.

[nate1000]

http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n27/n137833.jpg

[EliSnow]

http://multigeekshow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/stephenkingonwriting1.gif
http://bookcoverarchive.com/images/books/manhood_for_amateurs.large.jpg

[Kublakhan61]

Finally reading "Blink". Only 3 years behind every other person.

I've never even heard of it.

[burrben]

http://lithiumradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bigsur.jpg

[razorboy]

John Muir's Last Journey: South To The Amazon And East To Africa.

[Kublakhan61]

http://lithiumradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bigsur.jpg

This book literally lead me to a cabin in the mountains of Maine for a year.

[TooLowBrow]

This book literally lead me to a cabin in the mountains of Maine for a year.

the sad thing is that the life alone that kerouac describes was something that he couldnt make himself love to do

[EliSnow]

http://warthroughthegenerations.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/slaughterhouse.jpg

http://guysalvidge.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/6a00d4142487a66a4700d4142776823c7f-500pi.jpg

[hammersavage]

I just finished 'Blink'. I think I was the last person.

Gonna start Doyle Brunsons book and also Carlins final book.

[DonInNC]

I just finished 'Blink'. I think I was the last person.

.

I have it and the Tipping Point in my closet, waiting to be read. I have a couple other books I want to read first though.

[jennysmurf]

This book literally lead me to a cabin in the mountains of Maine for a year.

Loved Big Sur. Even drove down the coast to the bridge last Memorial Day. Stunning.

[Suspect Chin]

No Country for Old Men or the Border Trilogy. Most people consider Blood Meridian to be his masterpiece, but I haven't read it yet.

The Road has been on and off my "to buy" list because I was afraid of what is stated here. Blood Meredian it is. Thanks.

Decided to take my own advice and start Blood Meridian. I'm a couple chapters in and it is outstanding, as expected. Very violent and desolate, but what would a McCarthy book be without violence and desolation?

[zildjian361]

BIG MAN Real Life & Tall Tales, CLARENCE CLEMONS & DON REO. Got it for Christmas, who knew Clarence beat Fidel Castro in 9 ball in Cuba while Hunter S. Thompson poured liqid LSD in Castro's bodyguard Fernado's drink. Clarence took Castro for 50g that night.and all the time he was a Sax Player:king:

[Kublakhan61]

Defoe's Robinson Crusoe

Reads like a book that was paid for by the word. It's gonna be a long haul.

[opie's twisted balls]

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason

Nice light read

[Dougie Brootal]

just finished The Mad Ones by Tom Folsom, a recommendation from MrB!

about to finish Watch You Bleed: The Guns 'N' Roses Story. i forget who wrote it.

[keithy_19]

I just started 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.'

I don't know if I like it, but I'm having trouble putting it down.

[Kublakhan61]

Nabokov's Mary.

[Thebazile78]

The Shadow of the Wind ... so far, I really like it. It's described as a modern Gothic novel, but I'm getting elements of the Gothic with a few film noir elements woven in for fun.

[nate1000]

Just starting:

http://assets1.blurb.com/images/uploads/catalog/36/1394736/1138998-9b7a3a2c22c015890cd2fd7946eed783.jpg?1263365586

[nate1000]

Done. Good read.

[Hamey]

Grunge is dead: an oral history of Seattle Rock music

[tileslinger]

Life of Pi

1 Samuel

[Meataball23]

Royal Flash

Sequel to Flashman

Didnt want to like it, but im enjoying

The new Alex Berensen comes out next week which should be good.

I loved his first- Faithful Spy

[Chigworthy]

Decided to take my own advice and start Blood Meridian. I'm a couple chapters in and it is outstanding, as expected. Very violent and desolate, but what would a McCarthy book be without violence and desolation?

Don't get rid of it when you are done; like with any other McCarthy novel, you will want to reread it again and again. I think Suttree is possibly his best, but that is a hard decision to make.

[Suspect Chin]

Don't get rid of it when you are done; like with any other McCarthy novel, you will want to reread it again and again. I think Suttree is possibly his best, but that is a hard decision to make.

I started with No Country, followed by The Road, the Border Trilogy, and now Blood Meridian. I love his work, but the bleak back country setting and Mexican influences are getting kind of worn out.

I'm hoping at least one of his other books takes place anywhere but the barren Southwest. Suttree is sitting on my shelf but I'm going to need a break for a while before I get to it.

[Suspect Chin]

The Road has been on and off my "to buy" list because I was afraid of what is stated here. Blood Meredian it is. Thanks.

How do you like it so far?

[weekapaugjz]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DkWHfLNBL.jpg

[jennysmurf]

I just started 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.'

I don't know if I like it, but I'm having trouble putting it down.

I liked it because it helps you see into the mind of someone with Asperger's Syndrome. Nice twists too.

[jennysmurf]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DkWHfLNBL.jpg

I'm reading The Sandman series right now. How do you like Fragile Things? I haven't read it yet. You should listen to him read Coraline on CD. He has a fabulous voice.

[weekapaugjz]

I'm reading The Sandman series right now. How do you like Fragile Things? I haven't read it yet. You should listen to him read Coraline on CD. He has a fabulous voice.

i just picked it up tonight and read the first story before coming to work. i plan on reading more when it slows down tonight. i liked the first sandman book, haven't picked up more of the series, but i want to.

[jennysmurf]

i just picked it up tonight and read the first story before coming to work. i plan on reading more when it slows down tonight. i liked the first sandman book, haven't picked up more of the series, but i want to.

Let me know what you think. Or you could just hold the book up higher and I could read it through my binoculars.

[weekapaugjz]

Let me know what you think. Or you could just hold the book up higher and I could read it through my binoculars.

i definitely will. i also picked up good omens that he wrote with terry pratchett.

[keithy_19]

Finished The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Nightime.

Currently breezing through "Who's Better: Rangers, Devils, Islanders, or Flyers?" by Stan Fischler and Glen 'Chico' Resch.

Definately looking for another good story to get into though.

[Kublakhan61]

Reading Groundswell for class and enjoying it, mostly.

Reading Nabokov's Mary for pleasure, thoroughly enjoying it.

Read I Kill Giants for fun. It was slow at first, then truly and surprisingly exciting, then heart-wrenching and sappy. 3.5 out of 5.

[WampusCrandle]

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

[midwestjeff]

The Golden Apples of the Sun.

Yes, I am 11 years old.

I don't have time for a real book so short stories work out nice.
Read "The murderer" really quick last night.
Fantastic. And so relevant right now.

Facebook, twitter, iphone, facebook, twitter, iphone.....

[hammersavage]

George Carlin "Last Words"

But I have 3 books coming in the mail tomorrow.

[Chigworthy]

George Carlin "Last Words"

But I have 3 books coming in the mail tomorrow.

Is there anything better than a book delivery. It reminds me of book fairs in grade school. We would get the flimsy newsprint catalog a few weeks in advance and put together an order, then the book fair would come to town and set up a book shop in the lobby of the school. You would turn in your order form and money, and get a shiny stack of books, art supplies, etc. I don't seem to remember the poor kids having much of a stack on their desk.

[weekapaugjz]

Is there anything better than a book delivery. It reminds me of book fairs in grade school. We would get the flimsy newsprint catalog a few weeks in advance and put together an order, then the book fair would come to town and set up a book shop in the lobby of the school. You would turn in your order form and money, and get a shiny stack of books, art supplies, etc. I don't seem to remember the poor kids having much of a stack on their desk.

i fucking loved book fairs. i always came away with a large stack.

fuck the poor kids.

[Suspect Chin]

George Carlin "Last Words"
Reading this too. Maybe I already posted that but I can't remember. It is great.

Is there anything better than a book delivery. It reminds me of book fairs in grade school. We would get the flimsy newsprint catalog a few weeks in advance and put together an order, then the book fair would come to town and set up a book shop in the lobby of the school. You would turn in your order form and money, and get a shiny stack of books, art supplies, etc. I don't seem to remember the poor kids having much of a stack on their desk.

And if you order enough off of Amazon, the shipping is free. I fall for it every time.

[Chigworthy]

i fucking loved book fairs. i always came away with a large stack.

fuck the poor kids.

They were too busy cutting up government cheese and shoplifting medicine to read anyway.

[JustJon]

I was talking to a friend and she talked me into picking up Laurell K. Hamilton's Guilty Pleasures. Been a while since I read a vampire book, so I picked it up.

[TripleSkeet]

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/5324/62474096.jpg (http://img528.imageshack.us/i/62474096.jpg/)

[hammersavage]

Reading this too. Maybe I already posted that but I can't remember. It is great.

And if you order enough off of Amazon, the shipping is free. I fall for it every time.

It is really great. I think its the most inside I've ever read a comic get into his own mind and writing process.

And got 3 books for free shipping of Amazon. God bless it

[keithy_19]

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172267117m/157685.jpg

Decided to pick it up after it was brought up in my 'Most Evil Book' thread. The book is really odd int he way that there's no story, at least yet. Still, I'm capitivated. Just got through a good chunk where he just talks about the ocean and his appreciation for it. Then he kind of changes his stance on the ocean. Weird.

I've been on an old book kick as of late. I enjoy reading the classics, and after I'm done with Maldoror I'm planning on picking up 'A Season in Hell' by Arthur Rimbaud.

And this summer I've made it a goal to read "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili". Should be fun..

[weekapaugjz]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-snzLnJL_24/SscrEyhy1JI/AAAAAAAAB2k/6YNPqwgKnNU/s400/PETER_AND_MAX.jpg

[weekapaugjz]

I'm reading The Sandman series right now. How do you like Fragile Things? I haven't read it yet. You should listen to him read Coraline on CD. He has a fabulous voice.

i haven't read all of the stories yet, probably about 2/3 or so. i pick it up and read a few stories here or there, nothing in order, but i have really enjoyed what i've read so far. i would highly recommend it.

[tileslinger]

I Claudius, and listening to the 12 Byzantine Rulers podcast. Next I'm gonna treat myself to some Elmore Leonard for an easy fun read.

[disneyspy]

I Claudius, and listening to the 12 Byzantine Rulers podcast. Next I'm gonna treat myself to some Elmore Leonard for an easy fun read.

love a good elmore leonard book,i only read in the summer time and look forward to a couple of E L books

[Kublakhan61]

[IMG]
Decided to pick it up after it was brought up in my 'Most Evil Book' thread. The book is really odd int he way that there's no story, at least yet. Still, I'm capitivated. Just got through a good chunk where he just talks about the ocean and his appreciation for it. Then he kind of changes his stance on the ocean. Weird.

I've been on an old book kick as of late. I enjoy reading the classics, and after I'm done with Maldoror I'm planning on picking up 'A Season in Hell' by Arthur Rimbaud.


AWESOME! There really isn't a plot - it's much more of a perverse philosophical treatise on the ultimate evil humanity is capable of. It also thought to be the sick birthing grounds of Surrealism.

I'm so glad you decided to read Maldoror - not too many people do.

Is that the ocean scene involving a shipwreck, a high cliff, a shotgun, and female shark? If so, that is some evil and perverse passage there.



I just finished Nabokov's Laughter in the Dark. It was tragic - to say the least.

Looking for a copy of The Invention of Morel, currently.

[DonInNC]

Just finished Ecstasy by Irvine Welsh, which is three novellas. The first one, Lorraine Goes to Livingston, is absolutely brilliant. The other two are pretty good as well.

Also, about 100 pages into Throes of Democracy by Walter McDougal. Decent read so far.

Getting ready to start Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul.

[Jughead]

The Book of Excellence

[keithy_19]

AWESOME! There really isn't a plot - it's much more of a perverse philosophical treatise on the ultimate evil humanity is capable of. It also thought to be the sick birthing grounds of Surrealism.

I'm so glad you decided to read Maldoror - not too many people do.

Is that the ocean scene involving a shipwreck, a high cliff, a shotgun, and female shark? If so, that is some evil and perverse passage there.



I've realized that a lot of the things I write don't tend to have a plot, but more a stream of conscious aspect. Old fashioned, in a way.

The ocean part I was speaking of was one where he repeats the phrase 'Oh, acient ocean' at the beginning of each paragraph. It has a very schizophrenic feel to it. He goes from loving the ocean, asking it to be his brother, and then hating it. Which makes sense when looking at the overall theme of the work.

I'm still working on Maldoror, not the easiest to swallow sometimes. At the same time I figured I would pick up a quicker read.

http://www.cinestatic.com/infinitethought/uploaded_images/comingin-707187.jpg

I just started and I'm pretty sure I'm going to disagree with most things in it, but you can't fairly compare things if you don't take several ideas into account.

[KatPw]

I just finished The $64 Tomato. Quick read and quite enjoyable.

[torker]

http://images.indiebound.com/235/072/9780393072235.jpg

and in the loo...
http://nicolepoliti.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/superfreakonomics.jpg

[keithy_19]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wTPrMb9OL._SL500_.jpg

I pre-ordered the new Coheed and Cambria record, and a book that Claudio Sanchez and Peter David wrote came with it. Really makes the music more understandable with knowing the story behind it.

I'm not usually into science fiction but I'm really into this. It started kind of slow, but now I can't put it down.

[Kublakhan61]

Nabokov's Invitation to a Beheading

Man would be wholly uninteresting without postmodernism.

[Suspect Chin]

Nabokov's Invitation to a Beheading

Man would be wholly uninteresting without postmodernism.

Wow you're a huge Nabakov fan. Be careful reading too much from one author in a row. It almost ruined McCarthy for me.

Currently reading High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. Even though it is about a middle aged man and his frustrated sex life, it is really a chick book. Not highly recommended although I did enjoy the movie.

[Dan 'Hampton]

With the old breed by Eugene Sledge. Loved the Pacific, my wife bought me the book, it's fantastic.

[weekapaugjz]

Started good omens by neil gaiman today. Finished neverwhere by him this morning. I'm also reading a book on the vikings. I like to jump around a lot.

[Kublakhan61]

Wow you're a huge Nabakov fan. Be careful reading too much from one author in a row. It almost ruined McCarthy for me.



Ha! I didn't realize anyone was paying attention! I read Nabokov every other book - so I do mix it up. I'm trying to read through him in chronological order. It's really an interesting approach - I'm aware of his growth as a writer as I move along.


Before this was Delillo's Cosmopolis and next will be Introducing Derrida. Thanks for the lookout though!

[DonInNC]

What I've read recently:

The Imperfectionists / Tom Rachman- Uneven pacing and a bit over the top in places, but strong characters make it worth reading. I read the entire book (225 pages) over a weekend.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter/ Seth Grahame Smith- Not exactly great literature, but a decent read. Funny stuff.

Currently I'm about 200 pages into "Henry Clay: Essential American". I highly recommend this book if you're a history buff.

Also about 30 pages into "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Too soon to tell.

[tileslinger]

Timbuktu Paul Auster and Billy Bud Melville

I just finished "In Defense of Food" really recommend it

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LWg0cCNAB-M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LWg0cCNAB-M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

[disneyspy]

the ronfez.net messageboard

[razorboy]

Sixty Feet Six Inches, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson.

[keithy_19]

Currently reading High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. Even though it is about a middle aged man and his frustrated sex life, it is really a chick book. Not highly recommended although I did enjoy the movie.

Really? I never thought of it like that. I enjoyed it when I first read it and have read it several times since. I found it quite enjoyable.

[Suspect Chin]

Really? I never thought of it like that. I enjoyed it when I first read it and have read it several times since. I found it quite enjoyable.

Eh, it was a 'page turner' if that's what you're into but it didn't really have much depth to it. Kinda reminded me of any book you can buy at the airport bookstore. Funny stories but not much substance.

[keithy_19]

Eh, it was a 'page turner' if that's what you're into but it didn't really have much depth to it. Kinda reminded me of any book you can buy at the airport bookstore. Funny stories but not much substance.

Fair enough. I was 15 or 16 when I first read it. I really liked it and had trouble putting it down. I've tried to read other stuff he's written but it hasn't capitivated me nearly as much. But I agree it's not really a book that makes you think.

I've been saying I was going to read this book since senior year of high school, and I think it's finally time I try to conquer it.

http://www.medievalbookshop.co.uk/ahpics/AHI0034.jpg

[Suspect Chin]

Fair enough. I was 15 or 16 when I first read it. I really liked it and had trouble putting it down. I've tried to read other stuff he's written but it hasn't capitivated me nearly as much. But I agree it's not really a book that makes you think.

I've been saying I was going to read this book since senior year of high school, and I think it's finally time I try to conquer it.

http://www.medievalbookshop.co.uk/ahpics/AHI0034.jpg

If you read it in its original Latin/Italian, I'll be truly impressed.

[jennysmurf]

Way too lowbrow for this audience, but I am LOVING this series.
http://z.about.com/d/manga/1/0/S/G/-/-/DragonBall_Big1_500.jpg

[keithy_19]

If you read it in its original Latin/Italian, I'll be truly impressed.

I took Italian in high school. Then I stopped and took American Sign Language instead.

So I guess you'll remained unimpressed. Which is alright. I read the Rule of Four and was interested in the reason for the book. I figured why not pick it up. I've tried to read it before but then I got tired. There's only so much about architecture I can take, I guess. But this time I'll finish it. It's a goal.

[strawberrypop]

Not reading it, but, ewwwwww.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V22ZGZ7GL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[disneyspy]

Not reading it, but, ewwwwww.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V22ZGZ7GL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

i have to ask,what were you google searching?

[strawberrypop]

Mikeyboy

[disneyspy]

its spelled P-U-S-S-Y

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[Chigworthy]

Not reading it, but, ewwwwww.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V22ZGZ7GL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I looked up the synopsis; it's about a single father trying to find romance or some such horseshit, but.......

What an awful cover art/book title combo. It seems like it would be required reading for NAMGLA.

[Suspect Chin]

White Noise by Don DeLillo. Excellent so far.

[ChimneyFish]

Since I'm flat broke, I'm thinking of reading "The Hellbound Heart" by Clive Barker again.
Haven't read it in many years.
Plus, it's more of a "novella".

[extracheese]

being broke is no deterrent from reading good books. I reserve any book i want from the library, and can renew it up to 3 times ...which totals like well over 2 months.

I am waiting for
1) Freedom by Daniel Suarez
2) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
3) Mister Slaughter by Robert McCammon.

[keithy_19]

Starting 'Satanic Verses' by Salman Rushdie.

[Poochie]

I have no idea if anyone has posted this yet, but has anyone read American Psycho?? Wow. I was left feeling really bad, like I wasn't supposed to read that.

[keithy_19]

I have no idea if anyone has posted this yet, but has anyone read American Psycho?? Wow. I was left feeling really bad, like I wasn't supposed to read that.

When I was 16 I went to Ireland and Scotland for a study abroad program. I was in a Virgin Mega Store in either Edinborugh or Dublin, and bought it.

I had to put it down a few times. I can take filth in writing, but he really liked to pile it on.

I wish I could find where that book went. I've wanted to read it again to see if maybe I've hardened with age, but alas, it's missing. I don' feel like buying it again.

I do remember a part where he tortures a woman, rapes her, and kills her. Then he masterbates and has a weak orgasm.

Good bedtime reading.

[Poochie]

Oh yeah, I heard the book is much more intense than the movie, but I honestly had no idea. I found myself nearly sick in some parts. Listening to O&A and R&F over the years, I thought I heard it all, but, months after reading it, I find myself thinking of some of those excerpts and wonder what the fuck kind of person Ellis is for thinking this shit up?


When I was 16 I went to Ireland and Scotland for a study abroad program. I was in a Virgin Mega Store in either Edinborugh or Dublin, and bought it.

I had to put it down a few times. I can take filth in writing, but he really liked to pile it on.

I wish I could find where that book went. I've wanted to read it again to see if maybe I've hardened with age, but alas, it's missing. I don' feel like buying it again.

I do remember a part where he tortures a woman, rapes her, and kills her. Then he masterbates and has a weak orgasm.

Good bedtime reading.

[Poochie]

ps..I would be happy to mail it to ya, if you care to send me your info. I feel kinda dirty having it in my apartment.

When I was 16 I went to Ireland and Scotland for a study abroad program. I was in a Virgin Mega Store in either Edinborugh or Dublin, and bought it.

I had to put it down a few times. I can take filth in writing, but he really liked to pile it on.

I wish I could find where that book went. I've wanted to read it again to see if maybe I've hardened with age, but alas, it's missing. I don' feel like buying it again.

I do remember a part where he tortures a woman, rapes her, and kills her. Then he masterbates and has a weak orgasm.

Good bedtime reading.

[Chigworthy]

Never read American Psycho, or any of Ellis' stuff, but Haunted by Palahniuk made me feel icky a few times.

[Poochie]

There was some kind of list, rather reputable I think, that listed that book as one of the 10 most disturbing of all time.

[keithy_19]

Never read American Psycho, or any of Ellis' stuff, but Haunted by Palahniuk made me feel icky a few times.

I couldn't get into Haunted. I liked Fight Club. I really liked Lullaby. Haunted just kind of dragged for me. Though, yes, there were moments when I would flip through that made me wince. Though, I don't think I could ever pass out or become physically ill because of a work of fiction.

[keithy_19]

ps..I would be happy to mail it to ya, if you care to send me your info. I feel kinda dirty having it in my apartment.

That would be awesome actually. You're my new favorite person. PM you?

[torker]

When I was 16 I went to Ireland and Scotland for a study abroad program...

hawt

[Poochie]

Yup. Please do.

That would be awesome actually. You're my new favorite person. PM you?

[keithy_19]

Just wanted to note that upon reading the first few pages of 'The Satanic verses', I am convinced that is some one of the most beautiful prose I've read in my short time here on this earth. When and if I ever find my voice as a writer, I could only hope to be as lyrical. And offend enough to have a bounty on my head...

I found a list about shocking books, though it's not very scholarly.

Top 10 most disturbing novels (http://http://listverse.com/2008/09/29/top-10-most-disturbing-novels/)

[Chigworthy]

Just wanted to note that upon reading the first few pages of 'The Satanic verses', I am convinced that is some one of the most beautiful prose I've read in my short time here on this earth. When and if I ever find my voice as a writer, I could only hope to be as lyrical. And offend enough to have a bounty on my head...

I found a list about shocking books, though it's not very scholarly.

Top 10 most disturbing novels (http://http://listverse.com/2008/09/29/top-10-most-disturbing-novels/)

I just came up with some prose:

Who gives a fuck about the fatwah,
he got to bang Padma.

[Chigworthy]

Of those 10 books, I've read 3.5 of them.

Misery, I enjoyed when I was in my teenage Stephen King phase, but it wasn't that disturbing to me. Of courses the hobbling amputation was disturbing, and perhaps the recycling of urine. One thing I will always remember about it was the character's metaphor for his chronic excruciating pain as jagged piers on a beach that would cyclically be submerged under the tide of the painkillers that the loony lady was administering him.

Geek Love, I really tried to like it but I only made it half way through. I just didn't find the writing to be that good; it was almost amateurish. I should probably try it again since the book is lauded by many, but I wonder if it is appreciated more for it's concept than its execution.

The Wasp Factory was the first Iain Banks novel I ever read after I found it in a box of books in our attic as a teenager. I was already a weirdo, and that book fit right in with me. I went on to read everything that Iain Banks, with and without the middle initial, wrote for a long time. On the whole, his Sci-Fi was pretty cool back then, but most of his straight fiction escaped me (other than The Wasp Factory).

[keithy_19]

The Wasp Factory was the first Iain Banks novel I ever read after I found it in a box of books in our attic as a teenager. I was already a weirdo, and that book fit right in with me. I went on to read everything that Iain Banks, with and without the middle initial, wrote for a long time. On the whole, his Sci-Fi was pretty cool back then, but most of his straight fiction escaped me (other than The Wasp Factory).

That one looked interesting to me. Geek Love did too, but hearing your opinion I'll stay away.

[Chigworthy]

That one looked interesting to me. Geek Love did too, but hearing your opinion I'll stay away.

Has anyone else on the thread read Geek Love? My opinion shouldn't discourage you from taking a look at it. Then again, maybe I'll track it down and retry it, then when I'm finished I'll post my findings here. Of course, I haven't seen that trunk it was in the bottom of for a few years, and we just moved. I know I just found another book by her that I didn't know I had. Something about two weirdos hitchhiking across country.

[keithy_19]

Something about two weirdos hitchhiking across country.

http://www.pleasanton.k12.ca.us/avhsweb/pagtakhan/darrenweb/Images/of_mice_and_men_ver1.jpg

?

[KatPw]

I'm almost finished with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and will be moving on to The Pillars of the Earth. I've also been reading a lot of gardener's primers.

[Misteriosa]

the latest in the pendergast series:

http://z.about.com/d/bestsellers/1/0/Q/C/-/-/fever_dream.JPG

[Kublakhan61]

The Invention of Morel.

Borges signed off on it, so I'm reading it.

[WampusCrandle]

http://images.indiebound.com/292/044/9780807044292.jpg

interesting read. I'm actually reading faster than I thought I would.

[grlNIN]

I've had a total reading boner for the last month:

Between the Sheets: Nine 20th Century Women Writers and Their Famous Literary Partnerships
The Joy Luck Club
The Commoner
The Sisters: the Saga of the Mitford Family
The Reader
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I have a Jeffrey Eugenides book waiting along with the best of McSweeney's vol. 2 and Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer. On top of that i ordered another Mary S. Lovell biography of Bess of Hardwick because she rocks my world.

[Chigworthy]

the latest in the pendergast series:

http://z.about.com/d/bestsellers/1/0/Q/C/-/-/fever_dream.JPG

My wife and I read every book by these two. Pretty standard thriller fiction, but great for an action-packed read with some decent science to back it. Is this just out in hardcover?

[Suspect Chin]

Starting 'Satanic Verses' by Salman Rushdie.

This has been on my list for a long time. I think it just moved to next in line based on your review. Thanks.

[LordJezo]

Finally finished Shantaram

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/7677/shantaram.jpg

A really great ride through India. HIGHLY recommended for anyone who has any interest in either Indian culture or enjoyable books. Super long at 950ish pages but well worth it. Rumor is that it will be turned into a movie, so get on it now while it's still cool.

It is a semi-true story about the author who escaped prison in Australia and fled to India where he started a new life until. It's fiction-ed up quite a but but it follows the general path of the actual life he led while there.

[Chigworthy]

Finally finished Shantaram

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/7677/shantaram.jpg

A really great ride through India. HIGHLY recommended for anyone who has any interest in either Indian culture or enjoyable books. Super long at 950ish pages but well worth it. Rumor is that it will be turned into a movie, so get on it now while it's still cool.

It is a semi-true story about the author who escaped prison in Australia and fled to India where he started a new life until. It's fiction-ed up quite a but but it follows the general path of the actual life he led while there.

One of my favorite books.

[razorboy]

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c297/razorboy_/blood-river-a-journey-to-africas-br.jpg

[KnoxHarrington]

Here's what I've been reading today:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z%2BxQos6IL._SS500_.jpg

"Role Models", a collection of essays by John Waters, in which he discusses his role models over the years. I'm about halfway through, but so far he's discussed Johnny Mathis, Tennessee Williams, Rei Kawakubo (the head of the Comme des Garcons line of clothing, a line intentionally designed to look "wrong", with things like holes in the clothes, asymmetrical cuts, etc), but so far the most affecting essay has been on one Leslie Van Houten, who is a former member of the Manson family currently serving a life sentence for her role in the murder of Rosemary and Leno LaBianca. He paints a rather affectionate portrait of her, and argues forcefully for her to be released on parole. The whole thing has a more personal current to him, however: he freely admits that his early work was inspired by the Manson family and their hijinks, and he does seem to have rather ambiguous feelings about that: he doesn't apologize, or say that he was wrong, but he admits that he gets the true horror of what the Manson family did now much better than he did then.

Really great read, especially if you love John Waters and his work. John Waters is the fucking MAN.

[DonInNC]

Reading Glue by Irvine Welsh and a book about Prohibition that just came out.

[DonInNC]

Here's what I've been reading today:



OK, just added that to my Amazon cart.

[zildjian361]

great story in the latest issue of Rolling Stone 3 hackers stole millions of credit cards and more.

[Suspect Chin]

Anyone read anything from Deepak Chopra? Listened to Ron's interview with him from last week and he sounds pretty interesting.

[keithy_19]

I'm reading 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis. (thanks again Poochie!)

I've yet to come to the more graphic moments of the book, but I am enjoying it more than the first time I read it and subsequently put it down because it made me feel dirty. This time I'll plow through, though.

[LordJezo]

I'm reading 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis. (thanks again Poochie!)

I've yet to come to the more graphic moments of the book, but I am enjoying it more than the first time I read it and subsequently put it down because it made me feel dirty. This time I'll plow through, though.

That is quite possibly the most hilarious book I haver ever read. It was almost non stop laughs, I could hardly handle how ridiculous it was.

I am reading this now:

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/9325/kafkacastle.jpg

It is so meaningful to me in that I feel just like K during my adventures in hospital billing (http://ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?p=2732328). The book wonderfully depicts the small man's struggle when attempting to deal with "the man".

[Kublakhan61]

Virgil's The Aeneid for the first time. Vastly more entertaining than many contemporary texts (post-modern texts excluded).

[Misteriosa]

My wife and I read every book by these two. Pretty standard thriller fiction, but great for an action-packed read with some decent science to back it. Is this just out in hardcover?

it just came out in may

[NewYorkDragons80]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415G65QKJGL.jpg

[Suspect Chin]

Finally finished Shantaram

One of my favorite books.

I hope you two are right. I just bought it. It'll be my follow up to Satanic Verses once I finish White Noise.

[DonInNC]

I hope you two are right. I just bought it. It'll be my follow up to Satanic Verses once I finish White Noise.

I put Shantaram on my Amazon list because of this thread. Both the Indian and the Russian cultures fascinate me, but I only care to learn about either of them through fiction.

[keithy_19]

That is quite possibly the most hilarious book I haver ever read. It was almost non stop laughs, I could hardly handle how ridiculous it was.


It has funny parts.

It's kind of horrible though how I find myself rooting for Patrick Bateman in a lot of circumstances. Early on anyway. Once it gets to the raping I cut him off.

[Chigworthy]

I hope you two are right. I just bought it. It'll be my follow up to Satanic Verses once I finish White Noise.

Definitely a great book, and I have the feeling that it will be the author's only great work. It feels like he poured his entire life into the thing.

[razorboy]

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c297/razorboy_/IftheDeadRiseNot_US.jpg

[Pitdoc]

by Mira Grant

It's a zombie novel,but really fits in the back story of how basically EVERYBODY in the world is a nasty scratch away from turning into a zombie,and how everybody copes with it. It's characters are journalist/bloggers who're following a presidential election . Really engrossing on the Ipad, only 9 bucks.

[Chigworthy]

http://images.indiebound.com/113/931/9780767931113.jpg

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The prequel to The Shadow of the Wind, Zafon's only other novel for adults that has been translated to "the English" as they say. The Shadow of the Wind was amazing to me, and I really couldn't believe the quality of the translation. I didn't read the book in the original Spanish, but the book read as though it was conceived and executed in English. The Angel's Game is translated by the same woman, Lucia Graves, and so far equals, if not exceeds, her job with the other novel. I've read a few other Spanish authors, such as Arturo Reverte, and have enjoyed them immensely, but there was always a minutely-detectable "translated" feel. Not with Zafon's books, which are literary-centric noir tragic mysteries set in Barcelona. This one is the prequel to Shadow of the Wind, so it takes place in the 20's and 30's. Dark, poetic, sinister, tragic, and mysterious.

[keithy_19]

Just started 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell. Always been a book I've wanted to read but never got around to it. Figure it's short enough, so it shouldn't take me more than a week.

In some form of contrast, I want to read 'Walden Two' by B.F. Skinner after I'm done with 'Animal Farm'.

[Recyclerz]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dD1yHb%2BTL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

I went to his Greenwich Village book signing and bought a copy so I figured I should read it. It's cute and in places very touching but it's a little hard to parse the old Jay (from the O&A days: dating advice - "What are we going to do about this?" and his doing gay sex talk with some caller "I'm going to leave a map of Hawaii on your back!") with the new contented Jay.

He must really love his wife and kid.
Weirdo.

[Suspect Chin]

Tons of William Faulkner (http://faulkner.lib.virginia.edu/) audio released from his time as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Virginia in the late 1950s.

Pretty interesting stuff if you are into his work.

[Gutter]

http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/09/78/03/16/27/0978031627824_500X500.jpg

[Kublakhan61]

I've recently become obsessed with McSweeny's. I've been devouring them as I find 'em.

[razorboy]

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c297/razorboy_/parent-9780307268389.jpg

[kristine71]

I am reading American God by Neil Gaiman, the story and journey is long and it has with many characters.Most of them hard to forget, with names like Whiskey Jack, Mr. Ibis, Mr. Nancy.Story has mystery, magic, adventure and will send shivers down your spine just as it will make you bite your nails waiting to know what will happen next and it Keeps you turning pages, but although you want to know the end, you don't want it to end.

[KnoxHarrington]

Here's what I've been reading today:

http://wordbrooklyn.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/cloud-atlas.jpg

This is something of a puzzle-box of a novel, with a very unique and unusual structure: it's told in a series of somewhat interlocking stories, told in different styles. So we start with "The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing", which is the diary of an American on an island in the South Pacific, a layover on his way back to America from Australia. Then that goes into an epistolary-type story, a series of letters that a young man who has travelled to Belgium to be the musical secretary of a great composer is sending back to his friend/lover back in England. Then we get a sort of genre thriller, in which an investigative reporter in the mid-70s seeks to uncover the truth about a new nuclear reactor. Then we go to the story of the owner of a vanity publisher in modern day England, fleeing the associates of a gangster whose memoirs he published (which became a bestseller after said gangster publicly murdered a critic who trashed his book). Then we go to a story set in near future Korea, about a replicant's discovery of its own identity. And we finish up with a tale set in the far future, taking place long after an apocalypse has destroyed the rest of the world.

All the stories are told the same way: in the first half of the book, we get the first half of each story, ending in a cliffhanger (or in the case of the first story, ending in mid-sentence). The post-apocalypse story, the final story, is the sort of keystone of it all, and is told without interruption. Then we go back and get the second half of each story.

The stories are linked together loosely: for example, the protagonist of the second story finds Adam Ewing's journal in the library of the composer's home, then the protagonist of the third story is the friend he is writing the letters to...But its really pulled off well, it's not confusing or obscure, and it's fun as hell to read. Highly recommended.

[thepaulo]

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/lefanu.htm

Through a glass darkly

[Kublakhan61]

Jimmy Corrigan - Jason Ware
AND
Pussey! - Dan Clowes

On a break from text based books after an amazing run-in with T.C Boyle.

[realmenhatelife]

I was ready to dip my toe into Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events only to find out that the childrens portion of my library has different hours than the adult portion. Blue balls.

[IamFogHat]

I was ready to dip my toe into Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events only to find out that the childrens portion of my library has different hours than the adult portion. Blue balls.

You should listen to Marc Maron's podcast interview with that author and you're mind will be changed.

[Chigworthy]

I was ready to dip my blue balls only to find out that the childrens portion of my library has different hours than the adult portion.

Your post has been Pedo-Shuffled©.

[realmenhatelife]

Your post has been Pedo-Shuffled©.

This is how rumors get started.

[Willmore]

http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/71770000/71771679.JPG


I really like the guy's books, his first two were some of the best satire I've read recently.

[keithy_19]

I just bought 'The Waster Land and Other Poems' by T.S. Eliot. I've always wanted to read it and had a copy but couldn't find it anywhere.

I imagine I'll breeze through that fairly quickly. Then I'll move onto reading 'The Bible of Unspeakable Truths' by Greg Gutfeld. I love Red Eye and the little bit I've read is pretty damn funny.

[Kublakhan61]

I just bought 'The Waste Land and Other Poems' by T.S. Eliot. I've always wanted to read it and had a copy but couldn't find it anywhere.


Don't read it too fast - It's one of the most earth shattering poems ever written. http://www.std.com/~raparker/exploring/thewasteland/table/explore6.html this might be a good reference for you on your first read though - that or go get a copy of The Golden Bough.

Watch the voicing and narration, (as a man who fancy's himself a writer, I doubt you need this reminder) the original title was He do the Police in Different Voices - sort of key to the door of understanding.

[Willmore]

Don't read it too fast - It's one of the most earth shattering poems ever written. http://www.std.com/~raparker/exploring/thewasteland/table/explore6.html this might be a good reference for you on your first read though - that or go get a copy of The Golden Bough.

Watch the voicing and narration, (as a man who fancy's himself a writer, I doubt you need this reminder) the original title was He do the Police in Different Voices - sort of key to the door of understanding.

I'm not going to go to a web-site called www.std.com. Who knows what you might catch there.

[Misteriosa]

i found this while i was going through my books

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SFFHK1D6L._SCLZZZZZZZ_AA250_Shield-of-Three-Lions-A-Novel.jpg

i dont remember reading it so i started it up on monday. lets see if it holds up.

[JohnGacysCrawlSpace]

Diary of a Drug Fiend by Aleister Crowley. (pub. 1922)

[keithy_19]

I'm going to finish The Bible of Unspeakable Truths tonight or tomorrow, and then move on to The Red Pony by Steinbeck.

The only thing I've ever read by him is Of Mice and Men, and I've heard that this can be a tedious read, though short. We'll see.

[realmenhatelife]

I'm going to finish The Bible of Unspeakable Truths tonight or tomorrow, and then move on to The Red Pony by Steinbeck.

The only thing I've ever read by him is Of Mice and Men, and I've heard that this can be a tedious read, though short. We'll see.

I read it in school and I wouldn't call it tedious, it's short and they give it to sixth graders so how tedious could it really be? I dont really care about horses and I hate the dust bowl states, so I didn't exactly connect with it. Although to this day I remember a particular use of the word "chuckle."

[Chigworthy]

I'm going to finish The Bible of Unspeakable Truths tonight or tomorrow, and then move on to The Red Pony by Steinbeck.

The only thing I've ever read by him is Of Mice and Men, and I've heard that this can be a tedious read, though short. We'll see.

Not tedious from what I remember from 6th grade (23 years ago). I've enjoyed most Steinbeck I've read. It may be because I've grown up in the general area where a lot of his stuff takes place, but the setting for his stories is always very vivid to me.

I read it in school and I wouldn't call it tedious, it's short and they give it to sixth graders so how tedious could it really be? I dont really care about horses and I hate the dust bowl states, so I didn't exactly connect with it. Although to this day I remember a particular use of the word "chuckle."

California ain't a dust bowl state, muthafucka. Westside!

[keithy_19]

I read it in school and I wouldn't call it tedious, it's short and they give it to sixth graders so how tedious could it really be? I dont really care about horses and I hate the dust bowl states, so I didn't exactly connect with it. Although to this day I remember a particular use of the word "chuckle."

We never had to read it in my school. A friend from a neighboring town had to and they said that it was tedious, so my comment was based soley on there comment.

[Chigworthy]

We never had to read it in my school. A friend from a neighboring town had to and they said that it was tedious, so my comment was based soley on there comment.

Whattya doin makin friends with the other town, they'll steal your women.

[realmenhatelife]

Not tedious from what I remember from 6th grade (23 years ago). I've enjoyed most Steinbeck I've read. It may be because I've grown up in the general area where a lot of his stuff takes place, but the setting for his stories is always very vivid to me.



California ain't a dust bowl state, muthafucka. Westside!


I guess it just reminds me of the states I hate.


To Keithy, you have to consider the context. You could give a kid a titty cake made of fireworks for required reading and they'd bitch about it.

[Kublakhan61]

Reading Miller's Ronin - not terribly impressed but only halfway through so far.

Also, reading Jim Woodring's Weathercraft about every other day (it only requires about 40 minutes) ... trying to absorb and piece to together that marvel. I know I love it but I'm not clear as to why, yet.

[Suspect Chin]

The 42nd Parallel (Volume 1 of the U.S.A. Trilogy) by John Dos Passos. The main story line is great but the sideline adjuncts he uses have so far just been annoying roadblocks to the main narrative. I'm hoping they start to contribute more to the overall experience of the book as I read on. The idea of using interchapters to drive the story was far better utilized by Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath 9 years later.

[dino_electropolis]

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQt6okX1zL7pY98YPT2XfjstgAauJijP QcSciQFYrVF3LESeSk&t=1&usg=__XcEfjrU4QYcN7EtjSNxaOOs-OKY=

http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/replicate/EXID52881/images/resized_D_Mustaine_memoir_cover.jpg

Luckily fo me, my cousin was the editor on these two books (and slash's from several years ago - i got to meet him!) and he got me copies of these books. Quick, but fascintating reads, especially for any musician. Gives a real good account of not only these two guys's battles with their respective demons, but also an inside lnside look at the music industry.

All told, i found adler to be a genuinely nice guy who still loves his former bandmates and pines at the idea of a reunion. Mustaine, on the other hand, seems a bit prickish (to put it politely) and a control freak, who harbors deep resentment from being bounced from Metallica, despite having formed the premier thrash metal band of all time.

Good read that doesnt require much time or effort.

[Chigworthy]

The Lady In The Lake by Raymond Chandler
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XDW2CSX1L._SS500_.jpg

Every once in a while I get in a Marlowe mood. I was going through boxes of books in my garage after failing to get interested in anything I was trying to read. I found this book and realized I had never read it. A large part of the first act of the book takes place in a Los Angeles mountain resort community which is obviously modeled after Big Bear. Chandler's notoriously unique description really shines here. Most readers tend to focus on his witty, hard-boiled dialog, but I've always been more impressed with the settings that Chandler creates, and in that vein, this is his best work. Other than that, it is a pretty standard Marlowe mystery. After finishing the book, I became somewhat sad knowing that 99% of Chandler's work is set in L.A., and he did such a good job with the natural environment of the mountains and resort towns of of the San Bernardino National Forest. I grew up in a river town that had seen it's heyday as a resort town for city weekenders in the 50's, so I've always been kind of fascinated with the miniature golf, snack bar, arcade, ice cream shop, canoe rental cabin resort town thing.

[keithy_19]

Whattya doin makin friends with the other town, they'll steal your women.

I stole one of their best. And it ended great.

[keithy_19]

And because I'm not feeling too great as of late, I'm going to re-read The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.

[Fugitive]

WHEN CORRUPTION WAS KING, great story of Chicago mob investigation by Bob Cooley.

Also RISING TIDE, the history of the Proctor and Gamble company.

[Kublakhan61]

Finished Tinkers yesterday. Phenomenal.

[realmenhatelife]

I'm gonna give The Corrections another shot before I read the second half of the Series of Unfortunate Events books.

[keithy_19]

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.

[booster11373]

Just finished Nixon by Conrad Black a highly partisan view on Richard Nixon by a highly controversial author

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517L%2BZaeLOL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[keithy_19]

Finished Tinkers yesterday. Phenomenal.

I read the reviews for it. Seems really interesting. I'm going to have to pick it up.

[Kublakhan61]

I read the reviews for it. Seems really interesting. I'm going to have to pick it up.

It may be writing for writers - you really have to enjoy long sentences and uses of language - but I thought it was astoundingly good, especially for a debut.

Reading Nabokov's Real Life of Sebastian Knight.

[Furtherman]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SqhhJb_P3Kk/THUcowTGB6I/AAAAAAAAMt4/Er2QnOiXY1w/s1600/Blind+Descent+cover.jpg

You think climbing Everest is hard? Piece of cake compared to what cavers do to get to the lowest point in the Earth. Great book about the race to reach the bottom first.

[saywhat?]

http://umwbullet.com/files/2010/09/ellis-bret-easton-imperial-bedrooms.jpg

This might be the darkest thing he has ever written. Stunning.

[Suspect Chin]

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170807035l/72223.jpg

Great read. I spent the long weekend in Colorado and it went perfectly with the scenery.

Anyone start the new Jonathan Franzen book, Freedom?

[DonInNC]

American Subversive - a novel by David Goodwillie. Decent read, but I recommend waiting for the paperback.

[Recyclerz]

Picked up the trade paperback of Nixonland at Costco. Pretty good read so far, but I suspect that by the end of the book Nixon will be responsible for all the evil in the world.
That doen't leave much room for Cheney and Karl Rove.

[keithy_19]

Finished Tinkers yesterday. Phenomenal.

I had a dream about this book. I couldn't remember the name and I went to go check this thread and my internet stopped working. It was an awful dream. I still need to buy this. I will this week.

[Kublakhan61]

I had a dream about this book. I couldn't remember the name and I went to go check this thread and my internet stopped working. It was an awful dream. I still need to buy this. I will this week.

A man of the pen you should enjoy it immensely. Though it is liable to make you give up writing ... it's his debut novel.

[DonInNC]

The Same River Twice - Ted Mooney

[keithy_19]

A man of the pen you should enjoy it immensely. Though it is liable to make you give up writing ... it's his debut novel.

Oddly enough, I was looking into submitting something to the Bellevue Literary Review. Maybe we can share a wonderful debut novel with the same publisher. :wub:

[keithy_19]

A man of the pen you should enjoy it immensely. Though it is liable to make you give up writing ... it's his debut novel.

I read about 30 pages last night. Basically couldn't put it down until my eyes started to give up. It is incredible. It flows without any reason, which as someone who hates the confines of writing, I greatly admire.

[keithy_19]

Finished Tinkers the other night. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.

Now to continue my goal of shattering my hopes of ever being published, I'll be reading David Copperfield by the great Charles Dickens.

[realmenhatelife]

True Grit which is a quick little read, but a really good book if you like characters and a really strong first person voice. Has made me very psyched for the Coens version.


Started 'And The Band Played On' while I wait for my books to get transferred to my library.

[Crash]

http://artofstart.theindianstartup.com/files/2009/07/6a00c225280266f2190109d07debcd000e-500pi.jpg

[tileslinger]

Recently finished 1876 by Gore Vidal now reading the Last of the Gypsy Queens and listening to anna karenina and On the Road. (I have a 3-4 hr. commute)

[Kublakhan61]

Finished Tinkers the other night. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.


Yeah - It's crazy good. I'm glad you liked it.

I'm reading Zot! The Complete Black and White Collection. I only have a few more issues to get through but this may have just rocketed to the top of my all-time favorite comic books list.

[booster11373]

http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/harmony-books/164-8.jpg

History of the LA crime and policing focusing on Mickey Cohen and LAPD chief Bill Parker

[keithy_19]

Yeah - It's crazy good. I'm glad you liked it.


The guy certainly knows how to use the English language. Just beautiful prose.

[torker]

http://bibliophilica.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/american-lion.jpg

[DonInNC]

That book has been on my list since it came out. If you haven't read it already, I suggest the Henry Clay biography that came out earlier this year.

[realmenhatelife]

So I'm looking through this thread looking for something to read, because I've been reading nonfiction and I'd really much rather read a novel.


So in response to discussion buried in this thread, Geek Love is one of my favorite novels. I hate to see it on a most disturbing list or something like that, because it makes it seem like its just for shock value. I get why people find parts of it gross, but I highly recommend the book, I'm looking at a copy of it right now.

[spoon]

Broken Window (J. Deaver)

and a boring but helpful book on the Stock Market

[keithy_19]

So I'm looking through this thread looking for something to read, because I've been reading nonfiction and I'd really much rather read a novel.


So in response to discussion buried in this thread, Geek Love is one of my favorite novels. I hate to see it on a most disturbing list or something like that, because it makes it seem like its just for shock value. I get why people find parts of it gross, but I highly recommend the book, I'm looking at a copy of it right now.

I want to read every book on that list.

[DonInNC]

New fiction that I've read recently:

The Same River Twice- Ted Mooney. Really well written, very stylish (which isn't really my thing). I thought the story itself was good but not great, although apparently a lot of people think it's strong. I bought it under the impression that it was set in Russia as much as in France, but that turned out to not be the case. Should make a good paperback.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe- Charles Yiu. Best book I've read in a LONG time. Vonnegut-ish in places, but the author pulls it off. Funny as fuck.

A Visit from the Goon Squad- Jennifer Egan. Easy read, entertaining. I would have probably liked it better if I hadn't put it down for two weeks in the middle.

Mr Peanut- Adam Ross. A little over halfway through, and I'm liking it a lot. Really fucked up story at times, and it takes some crazy turns.

[TripleSkeet]

75 pages in so far and this book is amazing....

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/9987/abrahamlincolnvampirehu.jpg (http://img809.imageshack.us/i/abrahamlincolnvampirehu.jpg/)

[keithy_19]

I'm reading 'The Voice That Is Great Within Us: American Poetry of the Twentieth Century'.

I'm looking to submit a collection of things I've written and figured why not read this for inspiration.

[KnoxHarrington]

Here's what I'm reading right now:

http://images.swap.com/images/books/27/0671723227.jpg

I mean, as many times as I've seen Goodfellas, I'm a little surprised that I hadn't read this book yet, but I hadn't. And I'd say that it's essential reading for anyone who loves the movie.

The book has an unusual structure: Pileggi writes in 3rd person to set out the facts of the situation, but then Henry (and later Karen's) voice comes in to tell what happened from their perspective. And most of the narration from the movie comes straight out of this book.

It'll illuminate some stuff that might have been unclear in the movie. Like why was young Henry running around blowing up those cars in the beginning? Because some guy from Alabama had come up to New York and had had the balls to open a cab service that was competition for Paulie's cab service. So much for the Mob being the friend of the small businessman...

Of course, you should read the book on its own terms and not try to connect it back to the book, because there are a lot of differences. One in particular is that there wasn't really a Tommy DeVito -- that character is a composite, doing things that several other people did. But, still, if you'd like to go a little deeper into Henry's world, you gotta read this book.

[Furtherman]

http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-JZ484_casey2_DV_20100914140434.jpg

Fantastic book about waves and the people who try and describe, predict and ride them. A lot of Laird Hamilton in this book and his quest to ride the elusive 100 foot wave.

[booster11373]

2 at a time cause I roll like that

http://www.physicsofsuperheroes.com/images/se_cover_thumb.jpg

http://images.indiebound.com/147/512/9780345512147.jpg

[CountryBob]

http://http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blastr.com/assets_c/2010/09/king-dark-tower-new-thumb-440x658-46516.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blastr.com/2010/09/kings-dark-tower-being-tu.php&usg=__75H21DS2y9KBUuhvrx41-izHJYk=&h=658&w=440&sz=202&hl=en&start=26&zoom=1&tbnid=O7g_bUALvb34YM:&tbnh=207&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddark%2Btower%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1171%2 6bih%3D701%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=139&vpy=133&dur=1875&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=114&ty=295&ei=UlwaTbTNOcT7lwe_wsj9Cw&oei=TFwaTdeaOcO88gaf08HfBw&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:26


Just started to re-read the Dark Tower series - good stuff!

[Willmore]

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9954/65198005.jpg

[Gutter]

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm100422219/vo-tales-techniques-voice-over-actor-harlan-hogan-paperback-cover-art.jpg

I'm reading this cause its my new chosen career path that i need to make happen.....pretty good so far.

[keithy_19]

I picked up Chuck Klosterman's newest book tonight: Eating the Dinosaur

So I'll be reading that.

[MacVittie]

I picked up Chuck Klosterman's newest book tonight: Eating the Dinosaur

So I'll be reading that.

I got that for xmas and just started reading it. I love Chuck Klosterman.

[keithy_19]

I got that for xmas and just started reading it. I love Chuck Klosterman.

Stupidly good.

I've been listening to Neutral Milk Hotel's amazing In the Aeroplane Over the Sea which taps into front man Jeff Magnum's obsession/fascination with Anne Frank. I've never read her diary and I'm changing that.

Bought The Diary of A Young Girl: The Definitive Edition . Don't tell me how it ends. :wallbash:

[jennysmurf]

I'm listening to David Cross' "I Drink For a Reason" in the car. It's a really funny listen. His tirade on Valentine's Day is worth it all by itself.

[spoon]

I'm listening to David Cross' "I Drink For a Reason" in the car. It's a really funny listen. His tirade on Valentine's Day is worth it all by itself.

You can't read.

http://www.jlh-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/simpsons_nelson_haha3.jpg

[PapaBear]

I'm listening to David Cross' "I Drink For a Reason" in the car. It's a really funny listen. His tirade on Valentine's Day is worth it all by itself.
Don't text/post and drive!!!! :nono:

[jennysmurf]

You can't read.

http://www.jlh-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/simpsons_nelson_haha3.jpg

Can to, can to! You don't know!

[MamaCitaBear]

Can to, can to! You don't know!

Reading the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel printed on lunch meat does NOT count!

[keithy_19]

Reading the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel printed on lunch meat does NOT count!

Says you.

[spoon]

Says you.

I concur with latin honey bear.

[Kublakhan61]

Gibson's Neuromancer. Mostly I haven't been enjoying it.

[realmenhatelife]

Gibson's Neuromancer. Mostly I haven't been enjoying it.

I remember parts of the story were a little obtuse. I like a lot of his characters though, and they pop up in his other books. I haven't read it in a long time.


I was reading I Am Legend waiting for my book to come into the library and totally got screwed. It's a cheap movie edition of the book, and does not mention anywhere in the book that also included is a collection of short stories, since I Am Legend is only like 150 pages long. It's not a terrible thing, but I sure was confident that I had half the book left only to suddenly run out and get caught with nothing to read.

I did think while I was reading it, Jeez, this sucker must take a real turn, theres so much book left.

[razorboy]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9BNVJU3rdPk/TRl0UXdKf3I/AAAAAAAADXY/Wj9CDmUinq0/s1600/51jVU4BW0TL__SL500_AA300_.jpg

[Crispy123]

Just finished this:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51eLKou4LYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I highly recommend it!

see what I did there?

[Gutter]

I read about 3 paragraphs of Ken Follets World Without End and decided i didn't want to wade through 400 pages of bullshit before that book decided to get interesting. worst opening to a book ever.

[Gritty]

http://static.letsbuyit.com/filer/images/uk/products/original/135/34/prodigal-genius-the-life-of-nikola-tesla-13534124.jpeg

My third Kindle App book. Was surprised how quickly I took to reading books on a computer as I am pretty old school as far as believing books should be printed on paper. The screen of my iPad does tire my eyes out after a few chapters but other than that I have no complaints about downloading books to it.

The book itself, although full of typos and weird paragraph spacing, is fascinating if sometimes dry. I always thought Tesla was sort of a quack, with lots of outrageous theories and some funky, impractical devices that look great in old mad scientist labs but not much else. I did not realize how much he contributed to the modern world.

EVERYTHING electrical we use was developed as a result of his work. Edison gets a lot of press and credit but Tesla made it all happen. As most geniuses are reported to be, he led a strange, highly disciplined life and had an almost superhuman ability to see his inventions in his mind fully formed so when he finally built them they worked perfectly. He did a practical demonstration of radio in 1893!

Looking forward to the chapter on wireless transmission of power and how we got screwed out of free electricity by TPTB.

[RoseBlood]

"A Child Called Noah" - Josh Greenfeld
The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali

[Kublakhan61]

I remember parts of the story were a little obtuse. I like a lot of his characters though, and they pop up in his other books. I haven't read it in a long time.


I take it back - in the end it was a worthwhile book. Gibson was really thinking hard about technology. I suspect that as a guy who doesn't read a lot of science fiction it just took a lot for me to get into the world. By the end I was wishing it were longer.

[realmenhatelife]

I read about 3 paragraphs of Ken Follets World Without End and decided i didn't want to wade through 400 pages of bullshit before that book decided to get interesting. worst opening to a book ever.

Have you read Pillars of The Earth? If so World Without End is just a seedier rehashing of that, but it's enjoyable in the end. I just started Fall of Giants which pretty much looks like its going to be the WWI version.


I take it back - in the end it was a worthwhile book. Gibson was really thinking hard about technology. I suspect that as a guy who doesn't read a lot of science fiction it just took a lot for me to get into the world. By the end I was wishing it were longer.

It must have been wierd to read this book when it came out thinking yeah right with this crazy world and then see the internet happen.

[Kublakhan61]

It must have been wierd to read this book when it came out thinking yeah right with this crazy world and then see the internet happen.

Shit, it's still weird now. I was thinking about how Case is able to work with his dead friend, Dixie Flatline, who exists in the net as Read Only Memory. We're sort of reaching that point now. Imagine all of the posts you've made under various handles, coupled with Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. all compiled ... in 50 years someone could ask "I wonder what RMHL would have thought of this band?" "Well, I have 20 years worth of opinions and statements he's written, let's look to his own words for insight." Add some youtube videos and you've got a face to add to this construct.

[JustJon]

I take it back - in the end it was a worthwhile book. Gibson was really thinking hard about technology. I suspect that as a guy who doesn't read a lot of science fiction it just took a lot for me to get into the world. By the end I was wishing it were longer.

I love Neuromancer, but it's a little rough when you start reading it. I still highly recommend it. If you want more of an action oriented story in the same genre, one of my favorite books is Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson.

[keithy_19]

A Borders near me is closing and I'm getting into an old book kick. Stuff that was written a long time ago. Any suggestions?

[terry-c]

I just finished reading "Unbroken", by Laura Hilenbrand. It was as good, if not better than, her last book, Seabiscuit. She is an amazingly thorough story teller who has a tremendous ability to tell a gripping story about an individual, while at the same time giving the reader a real feel of what was happening on a more macro-level in the time period the story takes place. I highly recommend it.

[keithy_19]

I ordered a 12 play Shakespeare collection. Hamlet, Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Othello, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing.

So I'll be catching up on my lazy reading of Shakespeare in the comming time.

[TheGameHHH]

Since I got my iPad around Christmas time I've pretty much fallen in love with the Kindle app and haven't stopped reading. I've read Russell Brand's "Booky Wook 2", Orwell's "1984", Bush's "Decision Points", Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" and Heller's "Catch-22". I just finished Catch-22 tonight and I've already started Kerouac's "On The Road".

[JohnGacysCrawlSpace]

Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie - H.S.T.

[Kublakhan61]

I love Neuromancer, but it's a little rough when you start reading it. I still highly recommend it. If you want more of an action oriented story in the same genre, one of my favorite books is Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson.

Have you read any other Gibson books? One of the junk traders in Union Square has a copy of "Pattern Recognition". I was tempted but not willing to jump. You know it?

[realmenhatelife]

I finished Blood Meridian last week and I liked it, more than any of the other Cormac McCarthy books I've read. But I really hope James Franco follows through and makes it into a movie, because it will be absolutely impossible to do and be a huge piece of shit.

[thepaulo]

Downtown by Pete Hammil

[Furtherman]

http://www.wickedlocal.com/waltham/archive/x1966818840/g12c000000000000000fef4c0bfb42ae2ca5701ba5a80c105b fadc515ab.jpg

The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete

Unbelievable and inspiring story. NYC Firefighter get crushed by a bus, and I don't mean just crushed, I mean stuffed up inside the wheel well, with his bike.

He lived. The story is an amazing recovery. You'll no doubt consider this guy a hero, and maybe yourself a little lazy.


http://i43.tower.com/images/mm102147891/best-time-travel-stories-20th-century-by-harry-turtledove-paperback-cover-art.jpg

Thanks to angrymissy for this recommendation. If you're a sucker for time travel stories, you can't beat this compilation. Some really great ones in there I had never heard before, nor presentations of different kinds of time travel.

[keithy_19]

http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/.a/6a00e54f7fc4c58833014e88837689970d-320wi

Just picked this up today. The Devil in the White City blew me away, so I'm really looking forward to this.

[keithy_19]

http://www.theclash.com/images/news/theclash_book.jpg

[realmenhatelife]

http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/.a/6a00e54f7fc4c58833014e88837689970d-320wi

Just picked this up today. The Devil in the White City blew me away, so I'm really looking forward to this.

I liked Devil in the White City to a point, pretty much the same point I like any non fiction and then it just starts repeating itself. I never felt like he really resolved the connection between the two stories though, even thematically.

But if you like him I'd suggest EL Doctorow who writes historical fiction, it's pretty much just the other side of the coin.


Lately I've read Cloud Atlas which was good for the most part, it's several vaguely connected stories all from different points in time ranging from colonial times to the post apocalypse, the problem being it begins and ends with the least interesting segment, the colonial character.

I read The Sisters Brothers which was a funny western about two hired gun brothers growing tired with their work and eachother. Another weak ending but a quick, fun read.

Just started Ashes of the Earth, a post apocalyptic mystery.

[Kublakhan61]

Finished Dune ... I had a blast reading it. I have no desire to continue reading Dune books but this was much better than I was expecting.

Reading Pynchon's Inherent Vice right now. At the halfway it has begun to draw me in but up until this point I found it to be meandering and aimless, UNLIKE other Pynchon books. Style over substance... maybe - too soon to say for sure.

[realmenhatelife]

Finished Dune ... I had a blast reading it. I have no desire to continue reading Dune books but this was much better than I was expecting.

Reading Pynchon's Inherent Vice right now. At the halfway it has begun to draw me in but up until this point I found it to be meandering and aimless, UNLIKE other Pynchon books. Style over substance... maybe - too soon to say for sure.

I loved Dune, the books only get fucking weirder. For example, they keep resurrecting Duncan Idaho, and eventually Paul turns into a sandworm/human hybrid.

Now you can more fully appreciate all those Shai Halud songs.