Whatcha Readin' September 2011 Edition

Hooray! Fall is nearly here! I am so much happier with Autumn weather.

Looks like I’ll be doing less reading, as my work will be heating up. Another good thing! (I love to read, but man, I need to have *something *to do during the day.)

I am reading the third in the Night Tracker series, the last that I shall buy.

Then I need to find something good to read.

To all celebrating a holiday this weekend: have a safe and happy holiday!

Last Month’s thread.

Cullen, Heidi: The Weather of the Future. Scary climate change stuff. I heard here on NPR.

Koontz, Dean: Brother Odd. I enjoyed his old Sci Fi, and this series is also enjoyable.

I have enjoyed the Odd series, for the most part. If he writes more, I’ll read them.

Working my way through the Honor Harrington series by David Weber, on my new (fathers day gift) Kindle.:slight_smile:

Just finished The Hunger Games trilogy.

Waiting to get the last volumes of Transmetropolitan (Spider Jerusalem for President!)

Studying Coastal Fish Identification - California to Alaska for my REEF Level 2 surveying test.

Waiting for my PADI divemaster training modules to come in.

Riverworld?

Don’t forget Snuff, the latest (last?) Terry Pratchett.

I’ve got a fiction/nonfiction thing going on, alternating between the two.

Fiction: “The Janissary Tree” by Jason Goodwin—the first in a series about Inspector Yashim, a eunuch detective in 1836 Istanbul. There have been mysterious murders around town, and Yashim is called in to investigate. Fascinating, and a vivid portrait of a city I’ve never seen in modern times, much less in the early nineteenth century. I’ve always wanted to visit, but now more than ever.

Nonfiction: “Disunion” by Elizabeth R. Varon—a book covering the events and the attitudes of Americans from 1789 to 1859, specifically where slavery and the breakup of the United States was concerned. A fascinating take on what tore this country apart, and how people saw it then.

Halfway through Child of God, by Cormac McCarthy. Very good but quite bizarre. Expect to finish it today or tomorrow.

Hooray! Spring is here, in the southern hemisphere.

Anyway, I’m about 25% into In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build A Perfect Language, by Arika Okrent. Excellent stuff so far.

Linguistics hurt my poor brain, but this is just complex enough to learn from while still being silly enough to be a lot of fun.

Next up: Up and Down Stairs: The History of the Country House Servant, by Jeremy Musson. Recommended in another thread here, and it sounds pretty interesting.

I’ve started Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. Next up is An Evening of Long Goodbyes by Paul Murray

Based on recommendations here, I just breezed through The Poisoner’s Handbook and A Fish Caught In Time, and am now about halfway through Kraken.

I loved The Poisoner’s Handbook and wonder how many people starting writing Prohibition-era detective novels after reading it. A Fish Caught In Time was a good read, partially because I already had some interest in the coelacanth. Not sure how much it would appeal to someone coming into the subject cold, though.

Kraken took a while to grab me. I’ve only read one other book by Mieville (Perdido Street Station) and the first half of Kraken reminded me why I hadn’t picked up another: I find his prose to be a bit too clever, like he’s trying too hard to sound like Neil Gaiman on acid. Unfair, maybe, but there it is.

That said, the second half of the book really grabbed me and I’m enjoying it a lot now. There are still a few sentences here and there that throw me out of the moment, but I’d recommend to book.

Nineteen Eighty-Four.

It’s really, really subtle.

My current list includes Molloy, Mallone Dies, The Unnameable (three novella-type things in one book), Lolita, The Arabian Nights, The Last Man, and Labyrinths (a collection of short stories by Louis Borges).

A Dance with Dragons, by *Ser *Martin :wink:

Also working my way through Harlen Coben’s back catalogue - first few were brilliant, am now realising they’re a bit formulaic but still fun thrillers!

I have also enjoyed the Odd series, and am hoping for more. Has anyone read the graphic novel that goes along with the series?

I’m currently still working on To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, loving it but not having much time to read lately. I’m also reading Echo by Jack McDevitt during my breaks at work.

I’ve been stocking up at Borders’ closing sales. I’m currently reading All the News Unfit to Print: How Things Were… and How They Were Reported by Eric Burns.

I did and was disappointed with it. However, I am not a big fan of the graphic novels, preferring that the story be told more with words than pictures. It was light on content and I will not recommend it.

Lessee…I’m reading Red Mars right now, based on many Dopers’ hard sci-fi recommendation. It’s interesting enough to keep my attention, but some of the characters do annoy me.

I’m also revisiting Anne Rice’s Beauty series (erotica written under the pseudonym A N Roquelaure). It’s just OK. They’re short, so there is that; they’re hot in places, so there is that too; but I’m getting tired of all the spanking. Note to aspiring erotica writers: some spanking is good. Spanking every three pages is tedious. Maybe I need to check something else out.

I just bought Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon for the Kindle on sale at Amazon, so I could be starting a trip into Malazan here soonish.

I recently discovered that Gregory Maguire wrote a whole lot more than his fabled “based on a fairy story” books. I’m planning to read all of them.

The man is a freaking genius, and delightfully warped.

Started Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. Supposed to be one of the summer’s best beach reads. I’m a little late.

Just finished Just After Sunset, Stephen King’s latest collection of short stories. They had a real different sensibility about them than previous collections… I detected themes of closure and redemption woven throughout. And props to him for writing a gay protagonist. My favorite stories were Gingerbread Girl, Stationary Bike, and A Very Tight Place. The 9/11 story was good too.

Currently reading The Stories of Ray Bradbury, which I’ve read before, but sigh Bradbury.

Also working my way through the Essential X-Men volumes. I’ve made it to Volume 6 so far, which I believe is mid-80s. Great, great stuff. I also got my husband a subscription to X-Factor (a critically acclaimed X-Men spinoff)… we got our first issue last week but it promises to be a great series.