Books you're currently reading??? - Page 28

SouthOfNoNorth · 03-29-2006, 09:49 AM

american gods, by neil gaiman. it's good so far. i like his ideas better than his writing style or descriptive power. so far, i like this book better than neverwhere, which i read a little while ago.

american psycho is a great book. i was impressed with the sheer amount of effort that was put into describing everyone's wardrobe. that, and the album reviews, of course. i think i've read few things as graphic as that book.

SteveDallas · 03-29-2006, 10:14 AM

Popco

Pirates of Pensacola

Paladin of Souls

God in the Machine

Maui Nick · 03-29-2006, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthOfNoNorth

american gods, by neil gaiman. it's good so far. i like his ideas better than his writing style or descriptive power. so far, i like this book better than neverwhere, which i read a little while ago.

That was a great book with an interesting premise behind it.

glatt · 03-29-2006, 12:17 PM

Turn Me On, Dead Man

Kitsune · 03-29-2006, 12:22 PM

I have a tough time with a lot of Neil Gaiman's stuff because I always try to hold him to the standard of Neverwhere. Damn, that was a really, really good book.

Elsewhere in reading...
Someone here posted about cargo cults and referenced Christopher Moore's book The Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Moore isn't quite as witty as Tim Dorsey, but Love Nun has entered my shelf of favorites. I've grown to really enjoy books that favor "broken writing" - i.e., choppy, sometimes including snippets of speech, single verb transitions, etc. The descriptions aren't ornate or detailed, making for a fun read.

SouthOfNoNorth · 03-29-2006, 01:48 PM

a lot of people seem to like neverwhere the most. i enjoyed it quite a bit, but there were things about it that got on my nerves - especially the way that the main character is treated throughout the book. i also thought that it moved along too quickly. when i was done i found myself asking where the other 50 or so pages were (not necessarily on the end of the book, just more "meat").

i've heard there was a television series made from it, but i haven't seen it and have heard mixed reviews on it.

Happy Monkey · 03-29-2006, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthOfNoNorth

a lot of people seem to like neverwhere the most.
...
i've heard there was a television series made from it, but i haven't seen it and have heard mixed reviews on it.

Here it is. It's fun. It's obviously a BBC budget, but you should be able to get past that.

My favorite Gaiman is Sandman, then American Gods, Coraline, Anansi Boys, and Neverwhere. Neverwhere isn't at the top of the list, but I do like it. Croup and Vandemar have some of the funniest lines in any of Gaiman's work.

Kitsune · 03-29-2006, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Here it is. It's fun. It's obviously a BBC budget, but you should be able to get past that.

I couldn't watch much because of the budget problem.

Gaiman's Sandman is a great short story with wonderful illustration. But, ah, I am biased on that one.

Happy Monkey · 03-29-2006, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitsune

Gaiman's Sandman is a great short story with wonderful illustration. But, ah, I am biased on that one.

It's more than a short story. It's a collection of short stories, or one long one, depending on whow you look at it.

SteveBsjb · 03-30-2006, 03:43 PM

I'm reading: State of Fear, by Michael Crichton; and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.

wolf · 03-30-2006, 05:26 PM

I read State of Fear not too long ago. I have loved Crichton's writing before I knew he was Crichton (The first book of his I read was A Case of Need which was published under a pseudonym while he was still practicing medicine).

State of Fear was interesting, but I in the back of my mind I have this feeling that I shouldn't have to read research to properly appreciate a novel. His plot twists, though, are really rising to the Cirque du Soleil level.

I thought Airframe was the most cool of the recent novels.

SteveBsjb · 04-01-2006, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitsune

I have a tough time with a lot of Neil Gaiman's stuff because I always try to hold him to the standard of Neverwhere. Damn, that was a really, really good book.

Elsewhere in reading...
Someone here posted about cargo cults and referenced Christopher Moore's book The Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Moore isn't quite as witty as Tim Dorsey, but Love Nun has entered my shelf of favorites. I've grown to really enjoy books that favor "broken writing" - i.e., choppy, sometimes including snippets of speech, single verb transitions, etc. The descriptions aren't ornate or detailed, making for a fun read.

I'm always reading something, some book. Neverwhere is one of the few books I started and didn't finish. I read more than half of it. The main character was such a loser it was hard for me to enjoy. Does it have a good ending? Did you see the movie?

richlevy · 04-01-2006, 09:48 PM

I'm halfway through C.J. Cherryh's "Destroyer". It's the 7th book in the Foreigner universe. Or the 1st book of the 3rd sequence of the series if you use their counting method.

Anyway, noone writes xeno-sociology like C.J. Cherryh. She really goes out of her way to remind us that the protagonist, a translator-ambassador, is in an alien culture.

I know I mentioned this before, but I consider this book a must read for anyone in the diplomatic service or who travels to isolated countries. It really pushes the consequences of projecting one's native cultural perspective onto natives of foreign societies.

The books have a great pace, even with the message and a lot of talk about linguistics, psychology, sociology, etc.

It would make a great movie if done right.

DucksNuts · 04-01-2006, 10:13 PM

I'm reading "Fun Park" by Richard Laymon and "The Family Frying Pan" by Australian Bryce Courtenay.

Love, love, love Bryce's work. Its educational Fiction.

Kitsune · 04-03-2006, 10:01 PM

I met my favorite author, today -- Tim Dorsey, who wrote, amoung other books, Stingray Shuffle, Triggerfish Twist, and Torpedo Juice. To my surprise, not only did he sign my books, but he also agreed to use my cellphone to give another big fan, who was many many miles away, an unexpected call. Boy, was my dad taken by surprise.

I love it when authors are that friendly and willing to chat with people that enjoy and read their work.

03-29-2006, 09:49 AM	#406
SouthOfNoNorth Colloquialist Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 77	american gods, by neil gaiman. it's good so far. i like his ideas better than his writing style or descriptive power. so far, i like this book better than neverwhere, which i read a little while ago. american psycho is a great book. i was impressed with the sheer amount of effort that was put into describing everyone's wardrobe. that, and the album reviews, of course. i think i've read few things as graphic as that book. __________________ Don't you worry about the day-glo orange life preserver, it won't save you. Swim for the shores just as fast as you're able.....

03-29-2006, 01:48 PM	#411
SouthOfNoNorth Colloquialist Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 77	a lot of people seem to like neverwhere the most. i enjoyed it quite a bit, but there were things about it that got on my nerves - especially the way that the main character is treated throughout the book. i also thought that it moved along too quickly. when i was done i found myself asking where the other 50 or so pages were (not necessarily on the end of the book, just more "meat"). i've heard there was a television series made from it, but i haven't seen it and have heard mixed reviews on it. __________________ Don't you worry about the day-glo orange life preserver, it won't save you. Swim for the shores just as fast as you're able.....

03-30-2006, 03:43 PM	#415
SteveBsjb Operations Operative Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Moved from Manhattan to Edgewater, NJ. Posts: 713	I'm reading: State of Fear, by Michael Crichton; and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. __________________ "It's only an internet community."

03-30-2006, 05:26 PM	#416
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I read State of Fear not too long ago. I have loved Crichton's writing before I knew he was Crichton (The first book of his I read was A Case of Need which was published under a pseudonym while he was still practicing medicine). State of Fear was interesting, but I in the back of my mind I have this feeling that I shouldn't have to read research to properly appreciate a novel. His plot twists, though, are really rising to the Cirque du Soleil level. I thought Airframe was the most cool of the recent novels. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

04-01-2006, 09:48 PM	#418
richlevy King Of Wishful Thinking Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Philadelphia Suburbs Posts: 6,669	I'm halfway through C.J. Cherryh's "Destroyer". It's the 7th book in the Foreigner universe. Or the 1st book of the 3rd sequence of the series if you use their counting method. Anyway, noone writes xeno-sociology like C.J. Cherryh. She really goes out of her way to remind us that the protagonist, a translator-ambassador, is in an alien culture. I know I mentioned this before, but I consider this book a must read for anyone in the diplomatic service or who travels to isolated countries. It really pushes the consequences of projecting one's native cultural perspective onto natives of foreign societies. The books have a great pace, even with the message and a lot of talk about linguistics, psychology, sociology, etc. It would make a great movie if done right. __________________ Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE! I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama

03-29-2006, 10:14 AM	#407
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Popco Pirates of Pensacola Paladin of Souls God in the Machine

03-29-2006, 12:17 PM	#409
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Turn Me On, Dead Man

03-29-2006, 12:22 PM	#410
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	I have a tough time with a lot of Neil Gaiman's stuff because I always try to hold him to the standard of Neverwhere. Damn, that was a really, really good book. Elsewhere in reading... Someone here posted about cargo cults and referenced Christopher Moore's book The Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Moore isn't quite as witty as Tim Dorsey, but Love Nun has entered my shelf of favorites. I've grown to really enjoy books that favor "broken writing" - i.e., choppy, sometimes including snippets of speech, single verb transitions, etc. The descriptions aren't ornate or detailed, making for a fun read.

04-01-2006, 10:13 PM	#419
DucksNuts Bitchy Little Brat Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 5,067	I'm reading "Fun Park" by Richard Laymon and "The Family Frying Pan" by Australian Bryce Courtenay. Love, love, love Bryce's work. Its educational Fiction.

04-03-2006, 10:01 PM	#420
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	I met my favorite author, today -- Tim Dorsey, who wrote, amoung other books, Stingray Shuffle, Triggerfish Twist, and Torpedo Juice. To my surprise, not only did he sign my books, but he also agreed to use my cellphone to give another big fan, who was many many miles away, an unexpected call. Boy, was my dad taken by surprise. I love it when authors are that friendly and willing to chat with people that enjoy and read their work.

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