What are you reading?

Gennie · Post by **Gennie** » Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:37 am

I read many book, but I impress with the genius of jewish,

Green Pylon · Post by **Green Pylon** » Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:54 am

The biography of steve jobs

lightsoutnepal · Post by **lightsoutnepal** » Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:11 pm

I just finished the Border Trilogy by cormac mccarthy
Taking on Infinite Jest now...its great.
Next up after that, 1Q84

rainier · Post by **rainier** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:07 am

Just finished rereading mary karr's memoir The Liars Club. I love her writing.

I don't know what I want to read next. I think I might reread The Windup Bird Chronicles. I am a chronic rereader of books I like.

Anyone got any suggestions on new fiction? I'd like to read some new authors. I will read anything but my favorite tends to be straight up lit fic about screwed up families.

pianoforte · Post by **pianoforte** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:27 am

rainier wrote:I think I might reread The Windup Bird Chronicles.

What did you think of it? I have a copy and got partway in, then kinda lost interest. I've been meaning to pick it up again.

Personally, at the moment I'm reading:

Laurel's Kitchen: A Handbook For Vegetarian Cookery & Nutrition by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, and Bronwen Godfrey - a classic. fascinating and extremely well-written.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon - haven't got very far with this one yet, but I like it.

rainier · Post by **rainier** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:34 pm

I was really into the Windup Bird Chronicle at first, but my interest waned about 2/3rds of the way in. It started to seem like a shaggy dog story and nothing was going to get resolved. It might have just been my mood at the time, because I've enjoyed other books by him that don't really have a resolution.

There's a newer translation of it I'm going to try. I've read reviews saying its a much better translation, so I'm gonna check it out.[/list]

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:56 pm

All That is Solid Melts Into Air - amazing book, brimming with ideas.

jcnporter · Post by **jcnporter** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:57 pm

rainier wrote: Anyone got any suggestions on new fiction? I'd like to read some new authors. I will read anything but my favorite tends to be straight up lit fic about screwed up families.

I'd say almost anything by Iain Banks or Ian McEwan, a good start for either would be their debuts The Wasp Factory and The Cement Garden, both about families who are screwed up, to say the least.
They're quite similar in my mind in that all their novels are very different from each other, quite dark, full of big ideas, but entertaining to read.
I have to admit that I struggle to appreciate 'difficult' books. For me, in books or music, or film I suppose as well, a sign of true genius is the ability to entertain and inform at the same time.

Currently going through a phase of factual 'state of the world' books, on Jared Diamond's 'Collapse' at the moment, while I'd definitely recommend 'Amusing Ourselves to Death' by Neil Postman or 'The Age of Absurdity' by Michael Foley.

jcnporter · Post by **jcnporter** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:02 pm

pianoforte wrote: Laurel's Kitchen: A Handbook For Vegetarian Cookery & Nutrition by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, and Bronwen Godfrey - a classic. fascinating and extremely well-written.

For vegetarian cookbooks, you should try any of the 'Cafe Paradiso' books by Dennis Cotter. I have one of them and even as a meat lover, I drool at the recipes.

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:22 pm

The Corrections by Franzen is a great "messed up family" book.

polar sky · Post by **polar sky** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:51 pm

Anyone reading any horror stories? I really want to get Stephen King's new sequel to the Shining:

Waterbagel · Post by **Waterbagel** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:55 am

Walden!

Amo Bishop Roden · Post by **Amo Bishop Roden** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 3:03 am

Waterbagel wrote:Walden!

Fantastic read. Dry but beautifully written.

pianoforte · Post by **pianoforte** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 3:12 am

Amo Bishop Roden wrote:
Waterbagel wrote:Walden!
Fantastic read. Dry but beautifully written.

I checked out a collection of Thoreau's writings from the public library recently. I like his work - he had a way with words.

Waterbagel · Post by **Waterbagel** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 3:52 am

pianoforte wrote:
Amo Bishop Roden wrote:
Waterbagel wrote:Walden!
Fantastic read. Dry but beautifully written.
I checked out a collection of Thoreau's writings from the public library recently. I like his work - he had a way with words.

If you like Thoreau, you'd probably like Emerson!

pianoforte · Post by **pianoforte** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:15 am

Waterbagel wrote:
pianoforte wrote:
Amo Bishop Roden wrote: Fantastic read. Dry but beautifully written.
I checked out a collection of Thoreau's writings from the public library recently. I like his work - he had a way with words.
If you like Thoreau, you'd probably like Emerson!

Never looked into him. Thanks a lot for the recommendation, duly noted.

Treefingers · Post by **Treefingers** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:26 am

I'm currently reading Amerika (The Man Who Disappeared) by Franz Kafka.

I've also started doing blog posts about recently-finished novels that Imma plug.
http://thechannelcircle.blogspot.co.uk/ ... gue-1.html (Mason and Dixon, Thomas Pynchon)
http://thechannelcircle.blogspot.co.uk/ ... gue-2.html (The Trial, Franz Kafka).

Also finished Haruki Murakami's short story collection, The Elephant Vanishes, which I really enjoyed. Among some of his best work, I thought -- a lot of the stories nail the ratio of dreamlike weirdness to well-observed ordinariness that is a hallmark of his style perfectly.

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:37 pm

Cool blog mate, some great reviews and writing. Bookmarked it!

Treefingers · Post by **Treefingers** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 3:54 pm

Thanks!

I do it to keep in practice with writing stuff, mainly; having a blog of some form seems to have been a good idea for developing and that.

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:01 pm

Good idea, its obviously working well! Also, Amerika is my favourote Kafka novel. Brilliant.