I have picked up the Hyperion series (again, for like the 7th time in my life) by Dan Simmons
Reading V by Thomas Pynchon at the moment. About half way through, really enjoying it. Really, really, really enjoying it. Puzzling and accessible, funny and intelligent.
Next up is either The Last Laugh by S.J. Perelman or maybe some more Pynchon, TCOL49 perhaps.
Recently finished reading the latest Woody Allen short story collection Mere Anarchy, which had some excellent stories mixed in with a few not-so-excellent ones. Overall though, very good.
Thanks. They may well go over mine. I liked *The Life Class *and thought I’d read more.
I’m on three things right now, with a whole wack of stuff in the on-deck circle.
“One Long Tune” by Ron Forbes-Roberts The incredibly thorough biography of Lenny Breau, one of the most astonishing jazz guitarists ever. Very well written, but when it isn’t intimidating reading about this man’s natural proficiency, it’s depressing reading about how easily he slid into a completely self-destructive lifestyle of addiction that has kept him virtually unknown except to other jazz guitarists.
“La Montagne secrete” by Gabrielle Roy The archetypal story of an artist’s search for truth in the far north. Some scenes and characters of achingly beautiful depth and richness.
Part of my scheme to read at least one book in another language at all times to maintain my skill.
“Anna Karenina” Barely started, but I love Russian literature. It’s the recent Penguin translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky with 'Oprah’s book club stamped across the front cover. I shouldn’t be a snob and it was cheap, but I’d really prefer a different cover. It’s big enough that I rarely take it out of the house anyway.
I can’t seem to concentrate on most books right now. I’ve had an assortment that I’ve started and put down over the last few weeks… but right now the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin has caught and held. I’m reading the second book now. Jaz is basically an assistant to a vampire assassin in the CIA. It’s pretty interesting, different from most vampire books I’ve read.
Making notes on some of the books listed here though. I want to read more non-fiction, and I really ought to finish Name of the Wind. It’s a good book, no doubt about it, but for some reason I put it aside and haven’t picked it up again. That’s happened a lot lately. I wonder if they have it in audiobook…
Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett. I started it yesterday afternoon, and if it weren’t for work and sleep, I’d be done already. It’s a little addicting.
As reported over the Lost Weekend, I finished Julian, by Gore Vidal, a very good novel about the Roman Emperor who ruled from AD 361-63. Julian tried to reverse the turn back the tide of Christianity that was welcomed by his Uncle Constantine and return the Empire to the old pagan gods. He died while on a military campaign in Persia. Rumors are that he died at the hands of some of his Christian soldiers, which is treated as fact in Vidal’s novel.
On Martini Enfield’s recommendation, I checked out some Robert Harris from our library. They didn’t have Fatherland on the shelf, but I got Pompeii and Imperium. But first, I’ve started Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh.
Burdett is excellent. I’ve read Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo. Is this a sequel?
Yeah, it’s the third book. I read Bangkok 8 about a year ago and I didn’t know that there were sequels until I saw Bangkok Tattoo at the library a few days ago. I think these three are all for now though, meaning that my wonderful week of Thai brothels, twisted criminals, and karma is coming to an end.
Edit: I just saw that you’re from Bangkok (I’m apparently a little dense not to notice both the name and the location). Are the books at all accurate?
The books are very accurate, although the accuracy varies strangely, as I mentioned in a previous book thread. For instance, in the first one, every bar named in Nana Plaza is a real bar, but every bar named in Soi Cowboy is a made-up name. And as for Nana Plaza, he mentions the little spirit shrine being in something like the north or east corner, something like that, when in fact the corners are northwest, southeast, etc.
Will look for Bangkok Haunts this weekend.
I read ‘Debt of Bones’ by Terry Goodkind which seemed pretty good, so I started reading ‘Wizards first Rule’. What a load of crap. It amazes me that he wrote a whole series and managed to sell them? How?
I dunno, but maybe it gets better. I’m not likely to find out, though.
So, I put that festering pile away half way through it and started reading the Empire of Man series by David Weber and John Ringo. I’m on book two and like it so far.
It doesn’t get better. Not even a little.
I haven’t read Imperium, but Pompeii was excellent. Fatherland is a must-read… ask your library if they can get it in for you, and in the meantime see if you can find a copy of Len Deighton’s SS-GB to tide you over. 
Myself, I’ve just finished P.J. O’Rourke’s All The Trouble In The World, and have started on Antony Beevor’s The Battle For Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.
I have King Leopold’s Ghost en route from Amazon, and I was in the bookstore today and saw some of the Flashman novels on the shelf. I’ve heard they’re supposed to be very funny, and look like they’re the sort of thing I’d enjoy, but I don’t know where to start with them. Any suggestions?
Martini Enfield et al Scroll down for Flashman in order.
I have found this site invaluable - I have a real thing about reading things in order. Everything being equal, I prefer to read an author’s work in the order it was published, and with series, I insist on it because I’ve read too many works where the author spoiled his own earlier book…
The thing with Flashman, though, is that after a while, the author started jumping around in time, so the order in which they’re written does not translate into a smooth chronological procession. I started with Flashman at the Charge and did not feel I missed anything. The only two books I would insist someone read in their proper order would be Flash for Freedom and THEN Flashman and the Redskins; the former explains a lot about what he’s doing in the US in the first place.
There are still three I’ve not read yet: Flashman and the Dragon, Flashman and the Angel of the Lord and Flashman and the Tiger. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the others. He’s my hero.
Thanks very much for the link!
Now, that age-old question… do I buy the books from Amazon and save lots of money but have to wait ages for them to ship to Australia, or do I go to the local bookstore and get charged about twice what Amazon charge, but have the benefit of walking out of the door with them then and there, as well as the whole “buying from an Australian business” thing?
Decisions, Decisions…
Go buy one at the store now, so you’ll have that one to read while you’re waiting for the other ones to arrive from Amazon.
Finished Another World; going to start Coastliners by Joanne Harris in a minute.
They didn’t have Flashman; the titles I recall seeing were Flashman And… The Great Game/At The Charge/The Redskins/The Dragon.
Like Le Ministre de l’au-delà, I prefer to read my series of books in order… I might go an look in a bigger bookshop on my next day off.
Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness by Patty Duke. Chronicles her life as an actress with bipolar disorder and her life once she goes on lithium. Also has a lot of information on the disorder itself. Pretty good read.