Ooo, a book thread! I love the book threads, because then I get to walk around checking which books have bookmarks in them.
I am currently reading: Hunter’s Death, Michelle West Running with the Demon, Terry Brooks Ethan of Athos, what’s-her-name who writes the Vor novels (this one is in the car, so I can’t check) Masterharper of Pern, Anne McCaffrey Ranting Again, Dennis Miller Everyday Life in the Middle Ages, I don’t remember the author and I can’t find the book, but I know I’m reading it because I was reading it yesterday and didn’t finish it between then and now Castle Perilous, John DeChancie Debt of Honor, Tom Clancy and Flynn’s In, Gregory McDonald
Lois McMaster Bujold is the author of Ethan of Athos. An excellent writer.
I’ve always enjoyed horror fiction and I’ve revived plans to start a website of reviews of various vampire novels. So, this week, I’ve been rereading a stack of previously read novels plus getting ready to work on another stack I hadn’t got around to yet. So the majority of what I’ve been reading is books with “blood”, “dark”, “night”, “red”, and “thirst” in the titles.
Just finished reading Triumph of the Straight Dope. Currently reading (for the zillionth time) Le Morte d’Arthur and Mists of Avalon. Next up, Fantastic Voyage, yet again. (I’m currently in one of my book ruts - where I am only interested in reading good ol’ favorites instead of venturing out into anything new).
WARNING: I cannot be held responsible for the above as apparently my cat has learned to type. =^…^=
WASTE – Yes, I liked 'Tis, but not as well as Angela’s Ashes. It’s an easy read, though.
KAT – I cannot do that – read multiple books at once. Two and the most (the main book and the emergency backup book if I misplace the main book), and usually only one. I read it through and then pick up another one. I seem to have trouble concentrating on more than one book at a time.
Ted Gioia’s HISTORY OF JAZZ, which Melanie loaned me last week…up to Jimmy Lunceford and a pretty clever comparison of his work to the early Ellington.
A parody etiquette book from 1922 by Donald Ogden Stewart that Flora McFlimsey loaned me…what’s astonishing about THIS is that parts of it read like they were done by Dave Barry. Guess there’s nothing new under the sun. Or that Barry’s a stinkin’ plagarist.
ISLANDIA by Austin Tappan Wright. A huge Utopian novel from 1942.
And I haven’t really finished Bruno Schulz’s STREET OF CROCODILES yet, although that’s really more of a book for dipping into than reading straight through.
Now reading One Hundred Years Of Solitude and Foucault’s Pendulum. Just finished Like Water For Chocolate, which is much different than I expected, and would highly recommend. Can’t beat a story in which someone flatulates their self to death. Ha, hope I didn’t spoil the story for anyone!
Foucault’s Pendulum is one of my favorite books of all time.
Umberto Eco is such a fun writer. I also liked The Name of the Rose and I have a book of his essays which were also quite great.
I went to the library last night and got a couple of books.
Sunday nights at 7. A biography/autobiography by Jack Benny and his daugher. Apparently she found a manuscript he had written before he died, so she decided to cowrite a book with him. Its pretty good, I love him, think he is quite hillarious, so its a nice light read.
A Mark Twain book with some of his historical novels.I got it so I could read his work on Joan of Arc. I had heard that was an interesting read.
I also got The Day the Earth Stood still. But, that belongs in the movie thread.
I read it a little while ago and, when I was done, said, “Well, that was a lot of wasted time.” I didn’t care for it at all. And the worst part was that it wasn’t bad early on, to the point that I could just put it down and walk away. I kept thinking something interesting would happen. Never did…
What didn’t you like about it David?
I know, thats a hard question, just wondering if anything specific stuck out as bad.
I enjoyed the characters, and their interaction. I enjoyed the fanciful nature of the story as well. The fellow obsessed with numbers was especially good. (its been awhile, I forget characters names)
Stevie, Missy, I just read It, too. A truly freakin’ evil book. (in the best possible way) I’m now reading “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison for Am. Lit., but as soon as my next check gets here from my folks, I’m headed for the White Rabbit Bookstore. Last time I got Night Shift, The Shining, and 2001 for less than $10.
I can’t not do it. So many people think it’s bizarre. My sister will come over and look at the books that are out and ask, “Which one are you reading?”. The answer, of course, it “All of them.” to which she asks “How do you keep them straight?” I just do. It just comes naturally. (No one can believe it when I watch TV or a movie and read at the same time and follow both the show/movie and the book without problems either.)
Sue Grafton’s latest, O is for Outlaw, with Pratchett’s Hogfather waiting in the wings. Hopefully I can get some serious Quality Reading Time in this weekend…
I just finished Ruth Reichl’s Tender at the Bone. This is a great book if you enjoy cooking and food. Reichl is a food critic and this is a memoir. Has lots of funny parts. Her mom was an untreated manic depressive (bi-polar?) This book also has a lot of recipes in it.
–Gail
“Predictable, really I suppose. It was an act of purest optimism to have posed the question in the first place.” --John Cleese
Well, like I said, it just never seemed to come to a decent climax or conclusion. It was just kind of there.
Bleah. I didn’t enjoy the characters at all. I mean, it was never really explained what was going on with all of them. I don’t want to say too much more in case somebody seeing this might actually want to read the book. But they had a tendency to do things that didn’t make sense.
I didn’t enjoy the characters at all. I mean, it was never really explained what was going on with all of them. I don’t want to say too much more in case somebody seeing this might actually want to read the book. But they had a tendency to do things that didn’t make sense.