What Are You Reading?

[MadBoJangles]

I like his novels fine, but the one that stood out for me was The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Whether you like the story or not (and I did), the construction was a thing of beauty. As an editor, I couldn't see a damn thing that should have been changed--not a scene, a word, or a comma--and as a writer I writhe with envy.

I liked American Gods myself, his other stand out book for me was Neverwhere, I loved that.
Still not tried Ocean at the End of the Lane yet, he has another book of short stories that releases in the UK either this week or next (I forget which and the title though).

 

[TanyaS]

I was born at Paddington Women's Hospital in Sydney, Australia. I'm Australian, but my father was Swedish. My mother is seventh-generation Australian of English/Irish/German/Scottish ancestry. On my father's side, he told me there are quite a few relatives in America-obviously, especially in Minnesota- but other places like North Dakota, Wyoming and on the East Coast. I think my father was up in Aroostook( which is in the north of Maine) in about 1953, visiting some people( cousins, I think). I'm just interested in stuff like that. I was reading a little publication I got from the Salvation Army called Shocking Somerset Stories(Somerset in England), about stuff that went on there from about 200 years ago. The Dally's( my mother's maiden name) migrated from Taunton, Somerset, England, in 1834, and settled in Launceston, Tasmania.

Tasmania is great, like a little NZ.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

I'm really on a koontz mood. I'm now middway to Fear Nothing. I'm surprised that the writing style is almost exactly like Odd Thomas. I reckon that this book was written before those, so I assume it is some sort of prelude to the idea of the odd series.

 

[EMARX]

I finished As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, Alan Bradley's latest Flavia de Luce mystery. It had everything one expects from our heroine, but the ending leaves some questions, but I won't spoil it for anyone. And I'm almost done Capital, by John Lanchester. It centers on one street in London and stories of some of it's inhabitants. Very scathing in it's treatment of the city and what drives it, but from a very personal level.

And I've started The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell.

 

[MadBoJangles]

I just found a paperback copy of Baal in a charity shop today, may read that in between Swan Song and The Stand.

 

[EMARX]

I'm really on a koontz mood. I'm now middway to Fear Nothing. I'm surprised that the writing style is almost exactly like Odd Thomas. I reckon that this book was written before those, so I assume it is some sort of prelude to the idea of the odd series.

Fear Nothing is one of two novels Koontz wrote many years ago and GNTLGNT and I wished he had continued the series.

 

[skimom2]

Fear Nothing is one of two novels Koontz wrote many years ago and GNTLGNT and I wished he had continued the series.

Have you read the second book in the series, Seize the Night? I'm not a huge Koontz fan, but I did enjoy those books (and wish he'd finish this trilogy) and the first and third Odd books (second was meh, and I haven't read the last two).

 

[EMARX]

Have you read the second book in the series, Seize the Night? I'm not a huge Koontz fan, but I did enjoy those books (and wish he'd finish this trilogy) and the first and third Odd books (second was meh, and I haven't read the last two).

I read both of them and seem to recall that they stood out from the rest of his work. I read the first two Odds, but couldn't get through the third and haven't been interested in the rest.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

I read odd thomas 1 and 2, and gave up on the other 4 because they were just bad. The final book, though, was decent. It came out in january

 

[skimom2]

I read both of them and seem to recall that they stood out from the rest of his work. I read the first two Odds, but couldn't get through the third and haven't been interested in the rest.

I was just reading a bit about the Fear Nothing books that found them to be the progeny (style-wise) of Watchers--interesting idea! It makes sense to me, since I also liked Watchers

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

I was just reading a bit about the Fear Nothing books that found them to be the progeny (style-wise) of Watchers--interesting idea! It makes sense to me, since I also liked Watchers

Just finnished Fear Nothing.

First half interesting, well accomplished and engaging.
Second half boring, inconvinient, displace, weird, flat.

So yeah, mixed feelings about it. Yet the prose was very good, as always. The plot though, went bananas - quite literally ( he starts talking about monkeys...)

 

[Sliced Bread]

Alternating between Chuck Palahniuk - Pygmy, and JK Rowling - Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince (I've never read it or seen the film so no spoilers!)

 

[Walter Oobleck]

Has anyone had books appear on their kindle, books not ordered? Going through my "books" and there must be...several...sheesh...there's a pile of them! What happened? I don't get it. Or maybe it's that Anderson's disease at work again. Finished a Woodrell and was trying to decide what next...there's a Woodrell, Yonder Stands Your Orphah...something called Touchback by Don Handfield...I know I didn't order that one...They Almost Always Come Home, Cynthia Ruchti...never heard of it...or the previous one...be something if there was a King story nobody's heard of, hey? And no, the kindle isn't pink. Some have different "covers". Murder and Single Malt...Mark Anderson Esquire...? Maybe. Killing Plato, Jake Needham. Strange...don't believe I ordered most of those. Click on 'em and they start downloading. I think I'll read that one...looks promising.

 

[kingricefan]

Fear Nothing is one of two novels Koontz wrote many years ago and GNTLGNT and I wished he had continued the series.

I also wish he'd finish this trilogy! It's been far too long to keep the fans of Christopher Snow waiting!

 

[danie]

Stayed up late last night to finish The Girl on the Train. Very good read--highly recommend.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

So, yeah, I think I found my guy. Read "The Door Into Summer" by Robert Heinlein in two sittings. What a remarkable, fantastic book. This might be the best time travel novel ever written.

 

[skimom2]

Just finished THE MISSING ONE (Lucy Atkins). I stayed up most of the night, caught a couple hours sleep, and dived back in again. What a lovely, well-rounded first novel! I'm gutted by the end, though. I believe I might have to think it over all day today. It came out yesterday (my review is a day late, darn it!), and is well worth reading.

 

[skootie]

Just finished "Mr. Mercedes". Good story, great characters...loved Holly and Jerome. I particularly liked the theme of how we jump to conclusions about folks we don't know all that well, and how easily we all do it.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

Just finished "Mr. Mercedes". Good story, great characters...loved Holly and Jerome. I particularly liked the theme of how we jump to conclusions about folks we don't know all that well, and how easily we all do it.

Odd combination of characters in that book. It worked surprisingly well. Well, not surprising since SK wrote it.

 

[skimom2]

So here's the issue I have with a few younger writers that I've read for review: especially in the case where the writer has grown up in privileged circumstances, they have a sort of brittle non-style that irks me to no end. They want to be John Irving or Wes Anderson--all 'quirky' characters and pseudo sophisticated dialogue and quasi-pithy observations--without the life experience to make those characters live. The characters are a collection of oddities with no souls. Writers like Irving and Anderson can carry it off through talent and a keen ear for real dialogue and an ability to show heart in their characters. I'm not sure if it's because the writers are just are too young, or because their own lives have limited the persons with which they've come in contact; in other words, they've cobbled together a view of common humanity from stories or movies without actually meeting common people. As a result, their characters sling witty comments at each other and make grand statements, but have no actual dialogue that sounds like anything you'd hear if you listen in on 'the man in the street' (and if you know any writers, make no mistake: they're listening to you--lol). Even my kids have noticed this with a VERY popular YA author (who shall remain nameless here)--they observe that no kid they've ever met speaks like his characters speak. As a result, the books are no reflection of anything remotely resembling real life. They're 'NYC lifestyle books', and they get published because these admittedly literate kids (and they should be, given the schools they've attended) have the clout to see it happen.

I am disgruntled today, so pardon the vent. I want to be gruntled (lol), so I will put aside this lifestyle book and dive into something that has people who act and speak like people, regardless of the fantastic situations in which they find themselves.

Hello, Firestarter, my old friend...