Books you're currently reading???

[chrisinhouston]

I like food related books and often spend time reading cookbooks but I recently finished a historical book called "Salt, A World History" by Mark Kurlansky.

I am now 3/4 of the way through Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential"

Next up is "A History Of The World in 6 Glasses" by Tom Standage

[Gravdigr]

"The Last Gunfighter: Montana Gundown" by Wm. W. Johnstone w/J.A. Johnstone

I love these western stories of Johnstone's. Like a poor man's L'Amour.

[JBKlyde]

The Monster Trap

[BigV]

game of thrones by george r r martin

a father's day gift from BD

[Chocolatl]

I've had The Hobbit in my possession for 11 years but have never gotten past page 42 despite starting it on four different occasions.

Attempt #5 begins... now!

[limegreenc]

The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. terrific story...savouring the last two chapters.

[infinite monkey]

Lionel Shriver does it again. Big Brother is wonderful. I just love the way that woman writes.

[Gravdigr]

"Killing Custer: The Battle of the Little Bighorn and The Fate of the Plains Indians" by James Welch w/Paul Stekler.

This historical account is somewhat unique in that James Welch is a half-blood Blackfeet Indian and was born on a Blackfeet reservation in Montana. This account is related from the Indians' viewpoint, and gives a little more weight to the causes & effects of that viewpoint.

Battle participant (Cheyenne) named Two Moons, in describing the battle:

It took about as long as it takes a hungry man to eat his dinner.

[infinite monkey]

Was the interest sparked by the movie Little Big Man (of recent posts) or vice versa?

Anyway, totes cool. (13 yr old niece: totes short for totally.)

[DanaC]

Umm...I'm reading The Undead: The First Seven Days.

Each Day is released separately, monthly (I think) as a serialised story, but they've put the first week together into a single novel. I assume they'll do the same with the second week.

I've been kicking around looking for something (anything!) to pick up the Walking Dead hit, since I finished all the available episodes of that. I do have the first two comics now, but whilst they're good they don't hit me in quite the same way. I'm not a comic book afficonado, so I am less attuned to that medium.

Got loads of free samples of zombie apocalypse novels on kindle. Most of them sucked. Lot of them were poor writing, and didn't really manage to get across the horror for me. Or, the characters were very inaccessible to me, and didn't draw me in much.

Some seemed like they were probably really good books, but just didn't grab me enough. Some I was put off by the format. Too many journal entry, survivor recollections - didn't sound like they'd pull me in the same as a straight forward linear novel. I also was a bit put off by the first person narrative a lot of them go for. It can work, but I often balk at first person.

I started The Undead as a sample, because it was set in Britain, which is rare, and has a very ordinary bloke as the central character (as opposed to the crack team of Marines, stranded in the desert when the apocalypse hits which seems a whole sub-genre) and the reviews were good.

Was a bit bleh when i realised it was yet another first person narrative - but was drawn in within a few paragraphs.

Loving it. The first two Days in particular got under my skin and had me checking I'd locked my door at night and mentally assessing the defensible capabilities of my house (none). It's funny at times, and when it is creepy, it is very creepy.

The later stages go a bit kickass zombie squad, but it's a fairly believable journey for the characters to get there.


It can be sampled, for free here: http://authonomy.com/books/48662/sev...-book/#chapter

But it's a nicer read on Kindle

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

Was the interest sparked by the movie Little Big Man (of recent posts) or vice versa?

Anyway, totes cool. (13 yr old niece: totes short for totally.)

I think it was the opposite. I've been reading 'Killing Custer' (off/on) for two weeks. I woke up the other morning with that line from 'Little Big Man' in my haid. 'Little Big Man' is mentioned in the book, however.

Subliminal suggestion maybe?

[orthodoc]

I'm just starting A Storm of Swords. I know, I'm pathetically far behind everybody else on this, but I've watched the first two seasons and read the first two books and now am on the third. I can't get streaming to watch the third season online until November, because I can't sign up for HBO2Go until I get back to Almost Heaven and have access to my Comcast account number again. So I'll read ahead and then enjoy the video.

[infinite monkey]

Originally Posted by limegreenc

The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. terrific story...savouring the last two chapters.

I got this book at the library yesterday on your recommendation. I'm about halfway through and i really like it. Thanks, I'm always looking for authors I've not heard of yet, in the genres i tend towards (family dramas or mysteries and mostly just 'slice of life' type books) and this is right up my alley. There are some very well-read and smart folks here, but i don't usually share their tastes in books. Maybe I have a new Book Buddy?

Also, The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer was quite good.

[limegreenc]

Have you read anything by Kate Morton-excluding House at Riverton (it sucked), Mary Lawson's 'Crow Lake', Diane Setterfield's '13th Tale', Andrew Davidson's 'The Gargoyle', Sadie Jones' 'The Outcast', Jane Johnson's 'The 10th Gift', Jennifer Donnelly's 'The Tea Rose'......the list goes on and on

[DanaC]

Well...The Undead: The First Seven days got a bit tiresome around Day 5, so have set it aside for now. I may go back at some point.

I have discovered a new author. New to me that is...he's been publishing since early naughties.

Jasper Fforde. Bloody hell this guy is awesome. I experienced my first Fforde novel last week: Shades of Grey (no not that one!) It's brilliant, but damn I wish the sequel was due sometime soon!

Here's how Amazon describes Shades of Grey:

Hundreds of years in the future, after the Something that Happened, the world is an alarmingly different place. Life is lived according to The Rulebook and social hierarchy is determined by your perception of colour. Eddie Russett is an above average Red who dreams of moving up the ladder by marriage to Constance Oxblood. Until he is sent to the Outer Fringes where he meets Jane -- a lowly Grey with an uncontrollable temper and a desire to see him killed. For Eddie, it's love at first sight. But his infatuation will lead him to discover that all is not as it seems in a world where everything that looks black and white is really shades of grey ...If George Orwell had tripped over a paint pot or Douglas Adams favoured colour swatches instead of towels ...neither of them would have come up with anything as eccentrically brilliant as Shades of Grey.

It's funny and clever and underneath it all is a sliver of darkness.

I listened to the audio version of it and the narrator was superb.

Since the next one isn't due until sometime next year, I went looking for his earlier works. So right now I am reading The Eyre Affair, the first of a series of books concerning literary detective, Thursday Next.

Again, it's witty and clever with dark edge underlying.

This particular one had me thinking of Trilby. I think she'd have loved it. It pokes affectionate fun at the world of literary classics in a way I think she might have appreciated, even though she wasn't one for 'sci-fi'.

The other person I automatically thought of with this one was Sundae.

Here's the write up for The Eyre Affair:

There is another 1985, somewhere in the could-have-been, where the Crimean war still rages, dodos are regenerated in home-cloning kits and everyone is deeply disappointed by the ending of 'Jane Eyre'. In this world there are no jet-liners or computers, but there are policemen who can travel across time, a Welsh republic, a great interest in all things literary - and a woman called Thursday Next.

In this utterly original and wonderfully funny first novel, Fforde has created a fiesty, loveable heroine and a plot of such richness and ingenuity that it will take your breath away.