What Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Dana Jean
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Evidently quite prolific. scratching chin Interesting titles, eh?
The Overwhelming Urge, Jack and Mr. Grin, Zerostrata, The Beard, Morning Is Dead, My Fake War, Slag Attack, The Sorrow King, F**kness (?????), Hi I'm a Social Disease: Horror Stories, The Driver's Guide to Hitting Pedestrians, Sunruined: Horror Stories, Pray You Die Alone: Horror Stories, Fill the Grand Canyon and Live Forever, Satanic Summer, Bury the Children in the Yard: Horror Stories, The Warm Glow of Happy Homes,Sociopaths in Love, Creep House: Horror Stories.
Finished Mr Mercedes last night. I loved it, start to finish.
I recommend "A stir of Echoes" by Richard Mateson to everyone on the board. It may be on of the earliest psychological thrillers ever written. At the same time, it is so modern, it looks like it was released in 2014.
He's different. I've only read 4 of his books, very graphic
Finished "Vicious Circle" by Wilbur Smith last night. Garbage. I was not impressed with Smith's previous Hector Cross novel, "Those In Peril", either. But this one is so disgusting I am ready to throw in the towel on Smith, an author I've always loved to read. He has a new one coming out, "Desert God", which I will probably give in and read, since it's going to be one of his ancient Egypt books, and they were good. I'll wait to check it out from the library, though; wasted too much $ on the last two.
With this small novel set in 1950’s California, Richard Matheson shows us why he was and still is considered to be one of the best popular writers to ever exist. In a way, by reading his prose you can sense the influence he ultimately had on another generation of prolific, talented popular authors like Dean Koontz or Stephen King. This is most noticed on the subject matter of his stories, and this one is a great example.
Fundamentally, A Stir of Echoes doesn’t deal with anything new, per se, for it is a classic ghost story and it deals with ideas such as telepathy and supernatural clairvoyance. However, it is also a psychological thriller that includes a mystery.
In the end, this novel is worth reading by anyone who enjoys great prose and enchanting voicing with its storytelling
Fundamentally, A Stir of Echoes doesn’t deal with anything new, per se, for it is a classic ghost story and it deals with ideas such as telepathy and supernatural clairvoyance. However, it is also a psychological thriller that includes a mystery.
In the end, this novel is worth reading by anyone who enjoys great prose and enchanting voicing with its storytelling
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I've decided to not read him at all. Too many books to start from scratch, but I've read reviews for his last few books and they haven't been endearing!
I'm still engrossed by the two long novels, The Light We Cannot See and Natchez Burning, but on the weekend I felt the need for a small snack as a literary palette cleanser. Much to my delight I found some e-book versions of Truman Capote's works and read Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's been years since I read any of his stories. Holly Golightly just jumps off the page and though as a romantic, I would have liked to story to turn out differently, it ended as it should.
I just finished The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and I thought it was such a beautifully written book. There's so many layers to it and his prose is like a jigsaw puzzle--as he switches from different perspectives of the characters and goes back and forth to the past and present. I liked that Ondaatje didn't make it easy--as I felt like you really had to think with piecing together the characters' personal stories, especially the identity of the English Patient. It was a good journey 
Finished The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - good, could have great.
Books with an unreliable narrator often provide the most thought provoking and engrossing experiences for readers. We must sift through the story trying to ascertain how events probably really unfolded.
The Goldfinch mixes the post-traumatic stress of a horrible event for a young boy and how it affects him through out his entire life. This is married with a painting he carries around with him for life - sometimes physically but always mentally. It is his anchor and without it he probably would have successfully committed suicide. The Goldfinch painting is also a device that allows for dissertations on art, our perception of it, art's ability to endure, and our fleeting participation in it's endurance as we fade away and someone else steps in to take our place.
These dissertations are the book's greatest strengths and it's biggest weakness. Individually they are engrossing. Collectively they eventually bog the book down to the point where this reader felt like he was wading through the last 100 or so pages knowing what was going to happen and waiting for the writer to catch up.
The book's other strength is it's characters - especially Hobie and Boris. Setting wise the book is strong too but some trimming here could have been done as well. Especially in the areas of Hobie's furniture restoration processes.
I'm glad I read the book but this one could have used some serious trimming. Cut it down by 100 pages and it would have been brilliant. Instead, because of it's flabbiness it overstays itself and recedes to become good.
The one core element that really stood out for me was the cruel maxim that we very often become the very thing we despise. That is not fiction but a sad fact.
Books with an unreliable narrator often provide the most thought provoking and engrossing experiences for readers. We must sift through the story trying to ascertain how events probably really unfolded.
The Goldfinch mixes the post-traumatic stress of a horrible event for a young boy and how it affects him through out his entire life. This is married with a painting he carries around with him for life - sometimes physically but always mentally. It is his anchor and without it he probably would have successfully committed suicide. The Goldfinch painting is also a device that allows for dissertations on art, our perception of it, art's ability to endure, and our fleeting participation in it's endurance as we fade away and someone else steps in to take our place.
These dissertations are the book's greatest strengths and it's biggest weakness. Individually they are engrossing. Collectively they eventually bog the book down to the point where this reader felt like he was wading through the last 100 or so pages knowing what was going to happen and waiting for the writer to catch up.
The book's other strength is it's characters - especially Hobie and Boris. Setting wise the book is strong too but some trimming here could have been done as well. Especially in the areas of Hobie's furniture restoration processes.
I'm glad I read the book but this one could have used some serious trimming. Cut it down by 100 pages and it would have been brilliant. Instead, because of it's flabbiness it overstays itself and recedes to become good.
The one core element that really stood out for me was the cruel maxim that we very often become the very thing we despise. That is not fiction but a sad fact.
Was about to buy the paperback, but when I looked at the page number, I halted. I have already read three humoungous books this year, not sure I can handle another.
"Spetsnaz" by Viktor Sukorov. He's a Russian ex-GRU agent who defected and wrote several books on Russian military intelligence. So far the book is very interesting. It's about Soviet use of special forces.
Storm of the Century. It's looking real good so far. I've seen only parts of the movie, so I haven't been very spoiled.
Just finished The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Good book, and well written, but not sure about the time-travel aspect of it.... worth reading though 
Just finished The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Good book, and well written, but not sure about the time-travel aspect of it.... worth reading though
I have this from a friend who didn't think it was a great book. She gave up on it about halfway through. I'll give it a try.
At the moment I'm reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The story is good but the pictures inside are better.
Finished Stolen Remains by Trent and have picked up Midnight Mass suggested by a faithful reader here; but will take my tab that's filled to the brim in a few days
I'm reading three things at the moment:
1) Crimes Against My Brother by David Adams Richards -- a Canadian author, Giller winner, who hails from my home province originally. He came to visit my high school class when I was in grade 11. Made a big impact.
2) The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers -- a short story collection that was a big part of True Detective. These stories from around 1895 are very creepy. Poe-inspired, I'd say.
3) As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson -- One of the Longmire series. I've been reading these to my wife.
1) Crimes Against My Brother by David Adams Richards -- a Canadian author, Giller winner, who hails from my home province originally. He came to visit my high school class when I was in grade 11. Made a big impact.
2) The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers -- a short story collection that was a big part of True Detective. These stories from around 1895 are very creepy. Poe-inspired, I'd say.
3) As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson -- One of the Longmire series. I've been reading these to my wife.
Oh, I want to read The King in Yellow! Do let me know how you liked it.
The first three stories are really, really good. They're linked in interesting ways. I've read that only the first four stories are true "King in Yellow" stories, though.
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