Whatcha Readin' July 2012 Edition

[AuntiePam]

Finished with Niceville by Carsten Stroud and quite enjoyed it. It's about families haunted by the sins of their ancestors, loosely tied in with a bank robbery that goes very bad. Surprising amount of humor. Interesting characters.

Started Salt River by James Sallis but might not finish it. I didn't know when I started it, but it's the third book featuring the same protagonist. This explains why it feels like I'm dumped in the middle of an ongoing story. Also, every character is a philosopher. There are no casual conversations. Annoying.

The Dog Stars came in today's mail. Post-apocalypse featuring a pilot who's been hiding out in a hangar for nine years. He decides to explore what's left of the world.

[Elendil's Heir]

I'm now about two-thirds through Martin's A Dance with Dragons, and I'm really digging it. Good stuff!

[Left Hand of Dorkness]

Originally Posted by wonderlust

A pertinent video, very good: http://tinyurl.com/7zdvv9h. (They call him "The Great Bearded Glacier", heh.)

Love it!

I just finished reading Peter Pan for the first time (Maria Tatar's excellent annotated version), and reread Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Peter Pan was a bit of a surprise. I knew he was a bit of a fey character, but I didn't realize how frighteningly amoral he is: quite a murderous little sociopath of a character, if you forget to see him as inhuman. Also, Wendy drove me up the wall, especially reading her back-to-back with the much awesomer Alice. Also I really want to rewatch the Toy Story series after reading Peter Pan: it seems like there were a lot of pretty direct allusions (e.g., Hugsalot's return to his child's house).

Alice in Wonderland was one of my favorite as a child. Then I loved it for its wordplay and its weirdness. As an adult rereading it, I still love these aspects of the story, but the big surprise for me was how much I want Alice as a role model for kids in my life, whether students or my daughter. She certainly works within a world of manners, and she learns her lessons and tries to be good, but she also suffers no bullshit, and she's creative and interesting and curious. Many children's books feature protagonists who more-or-less float through the story. Not Alice: she's an agent of change, and she' rocks.

[Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Elendil's Heir

We did, a little, and I've read critiques of it elsewhere. As far as I know, no one's criticized the book's accuracy other than the LDS brass.

It's a great book. And accurate as far as I can tell. I read the rebutals from LDS apologists. The criticism is a mixture of ad hominem attack on Krakauer, differences of opinion where evidence is inconclusive, and an occasional outright lie (such as one 5-page .pdf that repeatedly states that Joseph Smith was acquitted of fraud in 1826). The only inaccuracy that I noticed in the book was in his brief synopsis of The Book of Mormon, and it doesn't detract much from the overall quality of the book.

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by Rhodes

It's a great book. And accurate as far as I can tell. I read the rebutals from LDS apologists. The criticism is a mixture of ad hominem attack on Krakauer, differences of opinion where evidence is inconclusive, and an occasional outright lie (such as one 5-page .pdf that repeatedly states that Joseph Smith was acquitted of fraud in 1826). The only inaccuracy that I noticed in the book was in his brief synopsis of The Book of Mormon, and it doesn't detract much from the overall quality of the book.

Thanks for the info. It makes reading the book that much more difficult, in a way, since I'm right in the middle of the doings in Bountiful. Horrifying stuff.

[Siam Sam]

Finished The Heart of the Matter, by Graham Greene. The travails of "an obscure policeman in an unfashionable colony" in West Africa during World War II. Very good.

For my next reading, I've checked out a trilogy of Theodore Dreiser novels in a single volume from the library. First up is Sister Carrie.

[Eleanor of Aquitaine]

I blame the heat, but I've been reading rather frivolous fantasy the last couple of weeks. Barbara Hambly's Windrose Chronicles was fun. I also liked Sara Monette's A Companion to Wolves, which is like Dragonriders of Pern except with wolves and vikings and a lot of gay sex. I'm picking through a collection of pirate stories now called Fast Ships, Black Sails: contributing authors include Sarah Monette, Naomi Novik and Kage Baker.

There's one story in there that I wanted to like because it starts off cute with Captain Rackstraw in the HMS Pinafore chasing the Pirate King ("Singing continues at eight bells, attack and repel boarders notwithstanding") when they run into Captain Hook, but either it's weird and fizzles out or I'm just not getting some of the Peter Pan references. Dick Deadeye wants to sell the Lost Boys some pockets?

In honor of the 4th I did manage to read First Family: Abigail and John Adams, by Joseph J. Ellis. It was an easy read, an engaging, lightweight biography of Adams with a focus on his relationship with Abigail. I'm looking for a biography of John Quincy now.

[Elendil's Heir]

Originally Posted by Eleanor of Aquitaine

...In honor of the 4th I did manage to read First Family: Abigail and John Adams, by Joseph J. Ellis. It was an easy read, an engaging, lightweight biography of Adams with a focus on his relationship with Abigail. I'm looking for a biography of John Quincy now.

Dunno any good bio of JQA, sorry.

I hope you've read Ellis's Founding Brothers, too, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. Outstanding. I've heard good things about his bio of Jefferson, American Phoenix, too, but haven't read it. I must admit I was disappointed in his bio of Washington, His Excellency.

[Eleanor of Aquitaine]

Originally Posted by Elendil's Heir

Dunno any good bio of JQA, sorry.

I hope you've read Ellis's Founding Brothers, too, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. Outstanding. I've heard good things about his bio of Jefferson, American Phoenix, too, but haven't read it. I must admit I was disappointed in his bio of Washington, His Excellency.

I've read Founding Brothers, and his books on Washington and Jefferson. The latter is called American Sphinx, and Ellis is rather less charitable with Jefferson than with Adams, so beware if you're a big fan.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

I'm close to finished with King's Wind In The Keyhole, and I am happy to revisit the Dark Tower world again with Roland Deschain. Its good.

I also recently finished Grisham's Calico Joe, which was a touching, short and easy baseball story.

Next up is Palestine by John Bloomfield. I am excited to read it. I have heard it is a decent read.

[Elendil's Heir]

Originally Posted by Eleanor of Aquitaine

I've read Founding Brothers, and his books on Washington and Jefferson. The latter is called American Sphinx, and Ellis is rather less charitable with Jefferson than with Adams, so beware if you're a big fan.

American Sphinx, right you are. No, I'm not a Jefferson fan at all, really, so no danger there.

[delphica]

Originally Posted by delphica

I'm currently halfway through a YA title that is awesome so far - Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Girl spy shot down on a mission over Nazi Germany!

This ended up being really good, I would highly recommend to anyone who likes keeping up with current YA lit.

I've just started Mightier Than the Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Battle for America. So far, it's very engaging reading, which I'm not sure I was expecting.

[yellowval]

I decided to re-read Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series and finished "Little House in the Big Woods." I'll probably start the second book today. I'm also still working on "Gone With the Wind." I have 325 or so pages to go.

[AuntiePam]

I scored an ARC of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. Nine years post-apocalypse (flu), Hig is a pilot living in a small airport in (I think) Colorado. His companions are Jasper, his dog, and a survivor type (forgot his name) who was probably anti-social when there was still the possibility of being social.

The book reminds me of The Road, not just for theme but for the unique writing style -- lots of short, choppy sentences and sentence fragments. It takes some getting used to but it fits. Hig's life isn't smooth, so describing that life won't be smooth either.

Hig is trying to stay human, trying to appreciate what's left, but it's hard. His companion glories in killing anyone who wanders close to the airport, and wants to wipe out a nearby enclave of Mennonites because they have a flu-related disease.

Heller is from the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and I've always had good luck with them.

[Invisible Chimp]

I'm starting 1Q84 by Murakami and The Enchanter by Nabokov, a precursor to Lolita. I loved Lolita, so I hope to love this too. I've haven't read Murakami in awhile, so it'll be nice to get back into his world.

[AuntiePam]

Originally Posted by Invisible Chimp

I'm starting 1Q84 by Murakami and The Enchanter by Nabokov, a precursor to Lolita. I loved Lolita, so I hope to love this too. I've haven't read Murakami in awhile, so it'll be nice to get back into his world.

I don't know why you'd want to bother with Lolita. According to one reviewer at this website, it's about an old guy whining about his bratty daughter.

[wonderlust]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

I don't know why you'd want to bother with Lolita. According to one reviewer at this website, it's about an old guy whining about his bratty daughter.

I'd like to see that review, but don't see any way to search for it. Using google search didn't help either.

[Khadaji]

Finished Den of Thieves: The Ancient Blades Trilogy: Book One a mediocre traditional fantasy. I didn't hate it, but I don't recommend it and will likely not read the other two unless I really run out of books.

[Left Hand of Dorkness]

Originally Posted by wonderlust

I'd like to see that review, but don't see any way to search for it. Using google search didn't help either.

The reviews on that site are in general hilarious (here's a review for Twilight), so it's worth spending some time there giggling, but if you don't feel like browsing, here's the Lolita review.

[Chefguy]

House of Rain, by Craig Childs. Childs is a good writer, making what would normally be a dry subject (the movement of the Anasazi tribes across the Southwest) interesting and informative. The amount of ruins available for public viewing is only a fraction of what was once a populous and powerful culture.

[AuntiePam]

Originally Posted by wonderlust

I'd like to see that review, but don't see any way to search for it. Using google search didn't help either.

It's the second review under "Classics Revisited".

On preview, the Dork beat me to it.

[wonderlust]

Thanks, that's an interesting site, but I have constant problems loading it - the connection is reset and it won't load.

[yellowval]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

I scored an ARC of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. Nine years post-apocalypse (flu), Hig is a pilot living in a small airport in (I think) Colorado. His companions are Jasper, his dog, and a survivor type (forgot his name) who was probably anti-social when there was still the possibility of being social.

The book reminds me of The Road, not just for theme but for the unique writing style -- lots of short, choppy sentences and sentence fragments. It takes some getting used to but it fits. Hig's life isn't smooth, so describing that life won't be smooth either.

Hig is trying to stay human, trying to appreciate what's left, but it's hard. His companion glories in killing anyone who wanders close to the airport, and wants to wipe out a nearby enclave of Mennonites because they have a flu-related disease.

Heller is from the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and I've always had good luck with them.

That sounds awesome and I love regional authors (I'm from Minnesota - hi, neighbor!) so this one is definitely going on my list.

[Malthus]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

House of Rain, by Craig Childs. Childs is a good writer, making what would normally be a dry subject (the movement of the Anasazi tribes across the Southwest) interesting and informative. The amount of ruins available for public viewing is only a fraction of what was once a populous and powerful culture.

That looks great. I'm going to check it out. Thanks.

[timid1]

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Amazing, Simply amazing.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

I'm getting a bunch of reading list ideas from the recent Greatest 20th Century Novels and Complex Experimental Surreal Books threads. Having just finished a re-read of Finnegans Wake a few days ago, I started in on Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell today, as recommended in the latter thread.

[Qin Shi Huangdi]

Crime and Punishment by Doysteovsky, Penguin Classics edition

[Shakester]

Iron Man: My Journey through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath by Tony Iommi.

Good stuff. I've always loved Iommi's guitar style, and he's clearly got a lot more wit than Ozzy ever had. I love Ozzy as Sabbath's vocalist, but Iommi and Geezer Butler were always the brains behind Sabbath.

[Khadaji]

Finished Mind Games (The Disillusionists Trilogy: Book 1). It was an interesting premise that wasn't too badly carried out and there was a little twist at the end.

Justine Jones is a hard-core hypochondriac and she meets a man who teaches her to transfer her fear to others - one step in disillusioning them. Disillusionment is a "reboot" of the psyche - and once disillusioned bad guys reboot to become good.

There is quite a bit of discussion on the morals of this vigilantism and at another time I might have found that bit dull, but I didn't mind.

I did not enjoy it enough to recommend it, but I liked it enough that I may read the others.

A friend has just recommended The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles. Has anyone here read it?

[AuntiePam]

Originally Posted by yellowval

That sounds awesome and I love regional authors (I'm from Minnesota - hi, neighbor!) so this one is definitely going on my list.

Hi neighbor! Heller isn't from Iowa -- I think he's from Montana. But he's an Iowa Writer's Workshop graduate.

Yeah, put it on your list. The ending was somewhat open but it was satisfying. Heller could write a sequel. There's more story to tell.

I read a bunch of samples on the Kindle last night. Canada by Richard Ford sorta grabbed me, but I don't want to pay $13.99 for an e-book.

[Barkis is Willin']

Originally Posted by Qin Shi Huangdi

Crime and Punishment by Doysteovsky, Penguin Classics edition

Excellent, if somewhat depressing, book.

I'm almost 200 pages into The Hero of Ages, the 3rd in the Mistborn trilogy. So far so good.

[AuntiePam]

I read Kindle samples of five or six books last night and nothing grabbed me until Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. It's a year in the life of teenager June Erbus and tells of her relationship with her uncle Finn. When the book begins, Uncle Finn is painting a portrait of June and her older sister Greta. It's 1986 and Finn is dying of AIDS.

The sample gave me four chapters and I ended up buying it. It's only the second e-book I've paid money for -- it's that good.

Generally, teenagers and what they have to say don't interest me. June is introspective and insightful, not whiny or self-involved. Her feelings are honest, not contrived. She's interesting on her own and her relationship with her uncle and her sister makes her even more interesting.

If I had read this book as a teen, I would want to be like June. Or I'd want June to be my friend.

[Elendil's Heir]

In addition to A Dance with Dragons, I've been leafing through Frustrate Their Knavish Tricks (the title is from the second verse of "God Save the Queen") by Ben Pimlott. It's a pretty interesting collection of essays on British politics and literature, much of it from the Eighties. Pimlott was very clearly no fan of Margaret Thatcher, and to some extent he anticipated the kind of Labour Party reforms that Tony Blair had to make in order to win, win and win again.

[Politzania]

Just finished Me the People: One Man's Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America by Kevin Bleyer. I heard about this book on the Diane Rehm Show last month; the concept intrigued me, and the author (a writer on the Daily Show) came across well enough on the radio.
Bleyer is a bit more smug in print; trying too hard at times to be clever in the process of both recounting the Founding Fathers' struggle to write the Constitution as well as his own travails in re-writing it. I have a feeling the modern-day elements/humour are not going to age well at all; but I did appreciate Bleyer's research and in-depth descriptions of the Constitutional Convention. Bleyer put some decent effort into putting this book together and I think I've come away with a little better understanding of & appreciation for this document.
I probably won't revisit Me, The People, but would more-or-less recommend it to history geeks who have already read thru all of Sarah Vowell's books and enjoyed the Daily Show publications.

-------------------
I also recently read License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver by Rick Harrison "with Tim Keown". I'll admit to watching Pawn Stars, American Pickers and even the occasional episode of Storage Wars - so when I found out about this book, I thought I'd check it out from the library.

I was a little surprised at how non-fluffy this memoir was; not only does Rick talk about his early life and how his family got into the pawn business, he also shares the spotlight with Cory, Chumlee and The Old Man - they each get a chapter or two to tell their stories and are willing to talk about the bad times as well as the good. They've faced some hard times, both financially and personally; Cory got addicted to meth and hit bottom pretty badly before turning things around, with the help of Chumlee, of all people.

Rick also discusses the ins and outs of the business, getting almost philosophic at times. He comes across in print pretty much as he does on the show - a bit of a smart-ass, but he backs that up with actual knowledge. Yeah, you know that you're not seeing the whole story; but that's OK. Keown may have done the heavy lifting in putting the book together, but Rick's "voice" seems pretty authentic and provides some interesting insights into Las Vegas and the pawn business.

[bldysabba]

I finished Amitav Ghosh's Sea of poppies. Up to his usual excellent standard, although this time he's writing a trilogy, and this was just the first, so we'll see.

[Future Londonite]

Finished a Dance of Dragonsand am now caught up on Song of Fire and Ice. Have now started The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson – so far I’m quite enjoying it.

[Eleanor of Aquitaine]

I've just read The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi, which won the 2009 Nebula Award and the 2010 Hugo award. It's a post-apocalyptic novel set in Bangkok, and the titular windup girl is only one of the protagonists: she's a discarded Japanese sexbot trying to survive in a very hostile environment. The book has a fascinating setting and the writing is quite good, but I found the characterizations a little unsatisfying.

[Invisible Chimp]

I'm still working on 1Q84, which has been really good so far. I'm adding Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress–and a Plan to Stop It by Lawrence Lessig and The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker to my slate.

[Politzania]

Re-read Stephen King's The Dead Zone - it had been many, many moons since I'd read it or seen the movie (still haven't seen the TV version) and I'd forgotten all but the bare bones. It was interesting to see basically the same question posed in 11/22/63 posed here - the difference being that Jake Epping knows what Oswald will do, while Johnny Smith isn't quite so sure. I really enjoyed revisiting this novel & would recommend it to those who aren't into King's horror works, but are still looking for a compelling story with believable characters.

I've also started the audiobook of King's latest The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel - I'm still not completely sold on King's reading (his voice grates a bit for me) but the story itself (both the frame story and the flashback story) has pulled me right in. I'm probably only about 15% in, but am quite enjoying it so far, tho am wondering if I should have read Dark Tower 1-4 again, first. Regardless, it's nice to visit with Roland and his ka-tet again...

[Siam Sam]

Originally Posted by Siam Sam

For my next reading, I've checked out a trilogy of Theodore Dreiser novels in a single volume from the library. First up is Sister Carrie.

Finished Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser. Very good but not quite up there with his An American Tragedy. Still a worthwhile read.

Moving on now to his Jennie Gerhardt.

[Shakester]

Mrs Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale.

I read her previous book, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, and loved it. This one is just as good, though fairly different. Ms Summerscale is rapidly becoming one of my favourite non-fiction writers.

True crime, legal drama, women's rights in Victorian England... with disgressions into all sorts of interesting areas, such as the quackery that passed for medicine at the time. Fascinating stuff.

[Khadaji]

Finished The Hawk Eternal the second book of the Hawk Queen Novels and one of Gemmells lesser novels. As I mentioned up thread I really like David Gemmell, but he is overly fond of the time-travel plot device and it made this novel a complex mess.

Started the The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles which I would have totally skipped over if a friend hadn't recommended it to me. The title just sounds cheesy. But I am enjoying it so far and in some ways it reminds me of Gemmell's Legend.

[LVBoPeep]

Originally Posted by Shakester

Mrs Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale.

I read her previous book, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, and loved it. This one is just as good, though fairly different. Ms Summerscale is rapidly becoming one of my favourite non-fiction writers.

True crime, legal drama, women's rights in Victorian England... with disgressions into all sorts of interesting areas, such as the quackery that passed for medicine at the time. Fascinating stuff.

I really liked The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. Thanks for posting because that does look interesting and my VAL (VERY AWESOME LIBRARY) has it in e-book format.

[AuntiePam]

I didn't like Mr. Whicher. I thought it was a bit too dry, maybe because Summerscale stuck to the facts. I wanted some speculation, some of her thoughts. The case was interesting though, and maybe I'll try this one.

I'm reading The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters.

It's pre-apocalyptic. When the story starts, it's been about a year since a new comet was discovered, and about six months since it was learned that the comet will hit Earth.

The story is set in New Hampshire, and the main character is Henry, a young cop recently promoted to detective. He's investigating what looks to be a suicide (there've been lots of those) but he suspects it was murder.

The author is gradually revealing what's been happening around the world since discovery of the comet. That, and Henry's engaging personality, makes the story really interesting.

[Chefguy]

Finally finished House of Rain: good book, but a bit of a slog. I've started Blood and Thunder, by Hampton Sides: a bio of Kit Carson and the conquest of the West. Very well written history of not only Carson, but the events taking place during his lifetime, such as the war against the Navajo Nation and Mexico, and the aggressive pursuit of Manifest Destiny.

[Blackberry]

I recently finished Gone Girl. I really liked it and now I want to read Gillian Flynn's other two books, but I'm on the waiting list for both and there's a ways to go.

Now I'm just over halfway through The Age of Miracles. The earth keeps spinning slower and slower and no one knows why, but it messes with gravity and the length of days and other stuff. It's from the point of view of a girl who's 11 or 12, but I don't think it's supposed to be a young adult book. It keeps me wanting to know how it will end up, but the story itself is decent but not great. It's a short and easy read though. I heard it compared to The Lovely Bones, and the style is similar.

[CalMeacham]

Finished a Dance with Dragons. I'm now reading Imagining Mars by Robert Crossley. I've wanted to read a book like this for a long time, about our developing imagined imagery of Mars. I also breezed through a reprint of Rbert Baden-powell's Scouting for Boys, the original 1908 Boy Scout Manual, predating my first edition of the American Boy Scoyt Manual by two years. Fascinating stuff, illustrated with examples of Scouting and Scout-like activities from the colonial areas of India and South Africa.

I'm ginishing up my audiobook version of Robert Fagles' translation of The Aeneid, too.

[Sigmagirl]

Originally Posted by Siam Sam

Finished Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser. Very good but not quite up there with his An American Tragedy. Still a worthwhile read.

Moving on now to his Jennie Gerhardt.

I remember that in Hildegarde Dolson's comic memoir We Shook the Family Tree, the young Dolson moves to New York in 1929 and one day sees someone walking a dog she later learns belongs to Theodore Dreiser. She remarks on how sad and unhappy the dog looks. She's told, "You should see Dreiser."

That's paraphrased; I don't know where the book is right now. I'm reading The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia, a murder mystery set in the Jewish ghetto of 16th-century Prague. I now want to go back and read the author's other books, set in modern-day New York.

[Ulf the Unwashed]

On my son's recommendation, I read Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. I had read, and enjoyed, The Marriage Plot beforehand. I thought Middlesex was really excellent: an interesting story, well-drawn characters, funny when appropriate, an excellent sense of place (well, places I suppose). Definitely worth reading.

[Elendil's Heir]

Originally Posted by Elendil's Heir

In addition to A Dance with Dragons, I've been leafing through Frustrate Their Knavish Tricks (the title is from the second verse of "God Save the Queen") by Ben Pimlott. It's a pretty interesting collection of essays on British politics and literature, much of it from the Eighties. Pimlott was very clearly no fan of Margaret Thatcher, and to some extent he anticipated the kind of Labour Party reforms that Tony Blair had to make in order to win, win and win again.

Just finished this. Favorite anecdote: One Labour parliamentarian, asked to choose between the hard-drinking George Brown and the ultraliberal Harold Wilson to lead the party, said, "George drunk is better than Harold sober."

Pimlott also wrote, "It is a distressing fact about political decisions that there are people who make them. Distressing, that is, to the considerable number of other people who would like to, but don't."

Back to A Dance with Dragons now, and also reading some of Stephen King's short story collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes.