What Are You Reading?

[CaptnJames]

...Hello Captain......

That is exactly how serious Captain is meant to be when I use it in my name

On a King related note, prior to this I finished the Hodges trilogy, all on audible. I listen to a lot of audible and those were incredibly well performed, not to mention just how good I thought the books themselves were.

 

[Arcadevere]

Done re-Reading Angels and Demons of Dan Brown, still a good book tho (but i'm appreciating Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca more in my re-read(seriously, my love for villains and anti-heroes were too much lol)). i'm now in to The Racketeer by John Grisham, i did not like it as same as how i love his other books. but i'm starting to like the characters, maybe the Racketeer will get a low grade on me when i rate it in goodreads (so far, but hey! The rating might change)

 

[Dana Jean]

That is exactly how serious Captain is meant to be when I use it in my name

On a King related note, prior to this I finished the Hodges trilogy, all on audible. I listen to a lot of audible and those were incredibly well performed, not to mention just how good I thought the books themselves were.

Welcome, Captn'!

 

[king family fan]

 

[kingricefan]

I decided to read Joe Lansdale's 'Edge Of Dark Water'. 40 pages in already and it's GOOD!!!

 

[Tooly]

You met him? The only big SF writer i met with are Jack Vance (i was about 8-9 and he loved me. Gave The Wind in the Willows signed by him). Also i think i misled you earlier. The title is: This Way to the End Times. But i agree about Silverberg. Read lots of books by him.

I met him at Aussiecon 4, back in 2010. Managed a 5 minute chat with him where I found, much to my chagrin, that he won't write any more novels. Also met China Mieville, George RR Martin, Gregory Benford, Alastair Reynolds, Cory Doctorow and Kim Stanley Robinson!

 

[Dana Jean]

Has anyone read any of the Bryant and May series by Christopher Fowler?

thoughts?

 

[no bounce no play]

Agree about cozy mysteries. But i can recommend some cozy spy stories, Drink to Yesterday and Toast to tomorrow are written 1940 by Manning Coles and are excellent spy stories in a cozy way. In the mystery department some Michael Gilbert can also be recommended, Death of a Favourite Girl, Close Quarters and They Never Looked inside (AKA USTITLE He Didn't Mind Danger). A highly underrated golden age author is Philip Macdonald active 1930 to 50-ties. His The List of Adrian Messenger is a masterpiece. I often prefer prefer the mystery novels of that time to today because they still know to stop at the end and don't waste words. So most books are 200-300 pages at the most. Today i often feel authors need to learn that. Not all stories benefit from being long but rather the opposite. Sorry, i ramble a little.

Thanks for the recommendations The List of Adrian Messenger isn't on kindle which surprised me. Wasn't that made into a movie? Close Quarters is on kindle though so I got it. I havn't read any of the Inspector Hazlerigg mysteries and Close Quarters is the first in the series so I'm looking forward to reading it.

I agree that shorter stories are often better. How did lengthy stories become a trend? I think most of them need a good editor - I often mumble while reading a long novel, "Get on with the story dangit, I don't care about (whatever the author is going on about)" Stephen King should be the only author allowed to write long stories - I like his ramblings, he knows how to make them interesting

I think another reason older mysteries are sometimes better is because the characters can't just whip out a cell phone or google information. They have to have great investigation skills to solve mysteries.

Has anyone read any of the Bryant and May series by Christopher Fowler?

thoughts?

No thoughts yet but I will have some later I just got the first in the series, Full Dark House. It was only $2.99 on kindle

 

[Shiney]

Finished THE NIGHT PARADE by Ronald Malfi before the break.

Since read FRAGILE DREAMS by Philip Fracassi, SPLATTERPUNK'S NOT DEAD edited by Jack Bantry and THE TRAIN DERAILS IN BOSTON by Jessica McHugh.

Currently reading THE CON SEASON by Adam Cesare.

 

[Blake]

Rolling Stone magazine article 'The Curse of the Ramones'. The writer makes one statement I don't agree with, that the album Road to Ruin was the last good Ramone's album. I reckon Too Tough to Die is a great album.

 

[skimom2]

I started The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay last week. I know this book has been out for a number of years and that it is very popular, but for some reason I just never got around to reading it. I've actually never read a book by Michael Chabon. So far, I am enjoying it. The writing is very good and I love the subject matter (WWII era comic book industry). It reminds me of The Funny Papers book trilogy by Tom DeHaven, which is one of my all-time favorites.

I bought that one a little while ago, but haven't read it yet. I'm curious what you think when you get to the end--we like many of the same books I read his Wonder Boys and Telegraph Avenue and enjoyed both of them. Not world burners, but decent stories. I'm finding those to be few and far between lately.

 

[Tery]

I couldn't get into Wonder Boys but I loved The Yiddish Policeman's Union.

 

[carrie's younger brother]

I bought that one a little while ago, but haven't read it yet. I'm curious what you think when you get to the end--we like many of the same books I read his Wonder Boys and Telegraph Avenue and enjoyed both of them. Not world burners, but decent stories. I'm finding those to be few and far between lately.

I'm enjoying it, but not as much as I thought I would. Very good story well told, but so far missing a "hook" if you will. I mentioned Tom DeHaven's Funny Papers in my first post and I will use that as an example: from the very beginning he hooks you in with vivid imagery, lyrical prose and inventive situations. I just love a book like that. The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is much more straight forward and not as engaging.

 

[skimom2]

I'm enjoying it, but not as much as I thought I would. Very good story well told, but so far missing a "hook" if you will. I mentioned Tom DeHaven's Funny Papers in my first post and I will use that as an example: from the very beginning he hooks you in with vivid imagery, lyrical prose and inventive situations. I just love a book like that. The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is much more straight forward and not as engaging.

Yeah, that's kind of what I meant by saying the books of his that I've read aren't world burners--no big flash, just a solid story. I will say that despite the lack of initial oomph to either one, I have found myself thinking about them years later. To me, that makes him a decent storyteller.

 

[carrie's younger brother]

Yeah, that's kind of what I meant by saying the books of his that I've read aren't world burners--no big flash, just a solid story. I will say that despite the lack of initial oomph to either one, I have found myself thinking about them years later. To me, that makes him a decent storyteller.

Agreed!

 

[skimom2]

Agreed!

What chaps my arse is when people compare Chabon to Franzen. I absolutely LOATHE Franzen's books.

 

[carrie's younger brother]

What chaps my arse is when people compare Chabon to Franzen. I absolutely LOATHE Franzen's books.

I've never read Franzen but just from reviews I've read of his books and interviews with him, the words "emperor's new clothes" always pop into my head when I think of him. I've never been a bit interested in reading Franzen.

 

[skimom2]

I've never read Franzen but just from reviews I've read of his books and interviews with him, the words "emperor's new clothes" always pop into my head when I think of him. I've never been a bit interested in reading Franzen.

I tried two, and that was enough for me. The whining, it burns.

 

[danie]

skimom2, I am reading Cold Mountain on your recommendation and enjoying it very much.
Also read a weird book titled All Is Not Forgotten. The story was strangely told, but I liked it.

 

[skimom2]

skimom2, I am reading Cold Mountain on your recommendation and enjoying it very much.
Also read a weird book titled All Is Not Forgotten. The story was strangely told, but I liked it.

I liked that one from the first, and liked it even more the second (and third, and fourth) times. His follow up, Thirteen Moons, was also very good, but the third, Nightwoods, stumbled a bit.