Books you're currently reading???

[infinite monkey]

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

Sliding Down the Telephone Pole by Dick Burns

Trails in the Sand by Peter Dragon

BigV's Penis, by Peter P. Payne

[monster]

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

I think the story suffered from its point of view. There's a self-centeredness about the narration that prevents it from becoming more than "plucky teenaged protagonist prevails against great odds by means of extreme plot contrivance."

I just kept thinking Running Man

[wolf]

Originally Posted by monster

I just kept thinking Running Man

With a bit of The Tenth Victim, but not any of the good or interesting parts.

[SteveDallas]

Lost Girls by Bob Mayer

Not my usual fare, but it looked interesting enough to try when I read a blog post from the author about ebook/self-publishing issues and he had this one and a couple others up for free as a promotion.

I'm a few chapters in, and it's OK, but I almost didn't make it past this sentence from laughing too hard:

He was wearing a baklava.

[infinite monkey]

That must be like wearing a tobboggan. Man that drives me crazy when my friends call hats toboggans. Whose idea was that?

[jimhelm]

Originally Posted by wolf

finished Hyperion ... very disappointing. Even in extended series, I expect a little more closure, and a far less stupid ending.

that's because it wasn't the end, wolf.

I read Hyperion, and enjoyed it... It did end right before the climax though....

or what I thought would be the climax.... so I got, and am reading Fall of Hyperion now... about 3/4 of the way through.

2 thumbs up.

I picked it because there were so many positive reviews from authors I like. Someone said he's a writer's writer. And that he didn't start out doing sci-fi, but that he mastered it with his first try. I could see this book being made into a movie. Very deep, layered plot line and great characters that become very real to the reader. He uses John Keats (poet) as a character (or 3) which is kind of cool It made me want to read some of his poetry... which... meh... \\anyway// good books, but you gotta read both.

[DanaC]

In the years I've been reading Pratchett's books I've generally avoided the ones for children/YA readers. I've read one or two, but the ones set in the discworld just never appealed to me.

In desperation, having run out of Granny Weatherwax stories, I decided to listen to the Tiffany Aching series. The story of a young witch, beginning when she is 9 years old and before she has realised her talents, and going through four books to her as a 15-16 year old.

What totally delightful books. Dark and funny and centred in humanity. Not childish. This is an author who treats children as intelligent, curious and creative readers. The only thing that marks these as 'children's books' is the fact of a child protaganist, and a sensitivity to some of the issues that might concern a youngster. Beyond that they are no different to the other Discworld books. If anything, I think they're a little darker in places. They certainly expect an ability to handle some quite heavy concepts. I mean heavy in a real way, not heavy in a theoretical multiverse kind of a way. Human nature, red in tooth and claw. Particularly in the last two books (I'm almost done with the final one). It's also laugh out loud funny in places.

I'm almost done with my discworld quest, unless the man writes another novel set there (he's got several books coming out but they're not DW). And I will be sad when that is finished.

[Rhianne]

My first post in this thread:

Margaret Atwood - The Year of the Flood

Is it a requirement for me to make some kind of comment?

I should later, I'm becoming quite involved in it.

[wolf]

I made a terrible, awful mistake.

You all know that I know better than to bow to public popularity, and read what everybody else is reading and telling you you should read. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

yes, I read that. Well, not really read. Started. Thank goodness for Kindle Samples which saved me the pain of actually having paid any money to read the first two chapters of the latest, hot, piece of word-processed crap.

I had to do something to clear the palate after tasting the book that shall not be named.

I had a brake light come on (and then go off), and was hoping that it was just fluid sloshing around in the reservoir ... no such luck. So I was at the mechanic today for several hours. My kindles were all charging, and I wasn't willing to trust that any of them had enough power to make it through the whole wait, so I grabbed a dead tree book off my stack from the Borders closing sale.

People, you need to read The Invention of Air, by Steven Johnson. Absolutely fascinating look at 18th century politics, philosophy, and science. Especially the science, so far. It is really cool.

[TheMercenary]

The Hunt for KSM. Great book. It will give you some great insight on our sucess and failure as a nation to thwart the attacks on 9/11 and what great work those who tried to do the right thing but failed.

[Stormieweather]

I am entirely too busy to read anything that requires brain power. I get very few, scarce moments to read and I want those moments to be filled with light and fluffy. I have enough ponderous and challenging issues in real life. I don't need to read about them too.

So I'm reading the Gone book series by Michael Grant. On book #2, Hunger, right now. I'm enjoying.

Gone series

[infinite monkey]

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. Nice storytelling about a farm and folks in the Mississippi Delta in the forties. I highly recommend it.

[DanaC]

Ben Aaronavitch 'Rivers of London'

Turns out, alongside the Met Police, there's a super secret little department of wizards. Well, wizard, really.
Awesomeness.

[Trilby]

Vandal love - Deni Y.Bechard.
This is a book about landscape eith some family thrown in.
If you're a fan of landscape - go for it. I'm not loving it.

[wolf]

Still reading Invention of Air, but I have a book club discussion I need to join in on and so I'm rereading A Scanner Darkly. Beautifully paranoid.