Re-reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson.
The collected poems of W.B. Yeats.
I read those not long ago and enjoyed them very much, despite being annoyed by the author’s dreadfully unflattering portrayal of Eleanor - mostly in the second book. On the other hand, I loved the scenes with Henry II, whom Franklin obviously admired - and there is much to admire.
I’ve been reading those, too, and have really enjoyed them. A great story, lots of dark humor, and beautifully drawn.
It is indeed. An awesome talent on display in that book.
I just finished The Devil All The Time, second book by Donald Ray Pollock, the author of Knockemstiff.
I liked it well enough - sort of like a cross between Cormac McCarthy and Joe Lansdale. The parade of horribles was amusing enough, but sometimes seemed a trifle one-note - as if simply everyone inhabiting this guy’s literary world was corrupt, a lunatic, a pervert or a murderer. The problem with this is that the horribles tend to lose impact after awhile, if they are a constant diet.
That said, the guy can tell a story and keep one entertained, which is the main thing.
I’m currently reading ***Henderson the Rain King ***by Saul Bellow.
*Replay *by Ken Grimwood was very good. It might even have been great, but I did have a couple issues with it.
Fevre Dream by George RR Martin was great. Yes, there are vampires, but the history with the Mississippi River steamboats was equally entertaining.
I’m currently reading The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, which after 70 or so pages is pretty decent.
I like both of those books very, very much. Glad you did too.
Working my way through Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series. I’m on the 5th one right now. Also working my way through Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series, I’m on the 5th one in that series also. I love the Win Lockwood character.
I’m reading Started Early, Took My Dog, by Kate Atkinson. This is book four in the series and, without giving anything vital away about the plot, I’ve got to say that there is a knock-out punch near the beginning that just made Jackson Brody my favorite flawed, brooding, angsty, detective, …ever!
I’m about 1/3rd through All Fall Down by Megan Hart. So far it’s loads better than the only other post-cult mass suicide novel I’ve ever read.
I’ve almost finished The Iron Wars, the third part of Paul Kearney’s Monarchies of God fantasy series. I’ve been enjoying the ride so far, and it’s nice to read a series that is complete and relatively brief - you can get all five parts in a two volume compilation, starting with Hawkwood & the Kings.
I guess you could describe the setting as similar to a fantastical 1492, the world’s equivalent to Constantinople has fallen, an expedition sets off for the fabled Western continent, and the church is riven by a religious schism. Oh and there’s magic, werewolves and gunpowder.
I’ll say, the way he moves from style to style while sounding completely authentic is astonishing. Each story has it’s own voice and genre, from thriller to black comedy to dystopian SF. Each story is compelling on it’s own, and made greater by the way they are linked together. And just his simple ability to put a noun and a verb together is astonishing.
Sometimes I’ll read a thriller or something and think “You know, if I had the discipline and time, I could crank out a book as good as this. I probably won’t but I think I could.” Sometimes I think this even when the book is clever and well written. Even if I had all the time in the world and some of the greatest living writers coaching me I could never come up with anything close to Cloud Atlas.
Holy shit, I had the exact same reaction! 
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=578109&highlight="cloud+atlas"
I’m about a quarter done with this and it’s fascinating. I thought it was a mystery but it’s not, at least so far. It’s about a woman who shows signs of bipolar disorder – she goes on spending sprees, drinking, promiscuity; then can’t get out of bed and go to work. She becomes convinced that someone is stalking her, and it may be true, but how much is paranoia? It is very convincingly written.
Woah.
I think Replay started out very strong and then got a little rocky before it ended. The end was pretty satisfying, though. My one big complaint is…
…that they only ever met the one other replayer, the serial killer. I was expecting a great pay off from that anonymous letter from Australia in response to their search for other replayers that said something like “not yet.” The foreshadowing was so strong there and then it was forgotten like a storyline from Lost. Big let down.
But yeah, overall very good book. It really makes you think about your own history.
As to Replay, I didn’t mind what you spoiled. Not every detail needs to be wrapped up. A little ambiguity, even a few loose threads are a good thing IMHO.
I don’t see the point. The book gains much of it’s magic from it’s prose style, which will be lost on the big screen. It’s in many ways about stories. Also a faithful adaptation would have to be filmed in multiple locations, use a ton of FX, and cost as much as Avatar
Unnecessary film adaptations are a pet peeve of mine. We didn’t need a watchmen adaptation and we don’t need a Cloud Atlas adaptation. Both things were fine as they were and weren’t improved by inferior movies. If something is perfect in it’s own medium, leave it there.
That said, here’s Io9 with some leaked concept art.
I finished Flashman and the Mountain of Light. Decent book, as they all are in this series. I notice Flashman’s gotten a lot nicer since he raped a girl in one of those early books. In this one, I was actually a bit moved by his interactions with little Dalip (okay, moved by the kid mostly, but still).
Next up: Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell. It’s a tale of a troubled white-trash girl in the Ozarks. There are a lot of reviews raving about this author’s magical, lyrical prose, but I’m going to read it anyway.