Current reading - Page 95

I..don't remember recommending this, but you're welcome!  I'm gonna get Sepinwall's book soon as I can.

 

I wouldn't give the WoT books to my worst enemies.

 

 

January Magazine's best crime novels of the year goes up in 2 or 3 weeks, you'll have plenty of good choices there. Have you read Niceville by Carsten Stroud yet? It's like Twin Peaks, but southern gothic and wryly funny. Hell, there's even a ghost and a hell of a revelation of a character at the end. Weirdly, the L.A. Quartet may be Ellroy's most optimistic series because the bad guys do get theirs by the very end and the redemption arcs in L.A. Confidential of a couple characters are well done.

Ha.  As soon as I finish what I'm reading now (The Twelve by Justin Cronin), I'l be re-reading the last two WOT books before the last one comes out next month.

I could have sworn you recommended it in another thread, I know it was a Chewer so if I incorrectly gave Cameron props over you, I apologize! And I like the WoT series for the most part, I grew up reading them so I know I'm looking at them with rose-tinted glasses and there's about 3-4 of the books I really didn't like at the time but still.

 

And I have some peoples best of 2012 list but I'm not sure I'm in the mood for crime fiction. Well, that's a lie, I just bought the next Parker book but it was only 4 bucks and it's like 150 pages long, after that I might The Steel Seraglio, it sounds like a rather interesting concept. And I have Niceville into my to buy list. I think my problem is I have close to 180 books in my to buy list and I just have option overload.

 

Edited to Add: I liked The Twelve, it had some parts in it I /really/ loved but it was a bit too muddled for me, it didn't have a focus like The Passage did which I absolutely loved.

I am about to pick up The Agony and the Ecstasy for work. I have been cruising through IT in my palette cleansing time.

 

I started an audio book, Inferno: World at War 1938-1945 during Christmas. It is 18 cds of WWII madness, but between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I will be driving a lot. Already 8 CDs down, 10 to go. It finally gave me the best answer for why Spain didn't join WWII.

Holy shit the Damned Utd is good.  Highly recommend it to anyone, not just football fans.

 

Inside the mind of this man, it paints him as wickidly bi-polar, but then geniuses often are:

 

The Damned Utd is maybe the best sports novel ever written, which is actually pretty high praise.  Peace touched such a nerve his publisher wound up making amends to Johnny Giles for his portrayal.  I love Peace, one of my favourite writers.  Fucking guy writes like he's going to the electric chair first thing in the morning.

 

I wonder how Cloughies family felt about it, because DAMN the Cloughie in TDU is dark, dark, DARK.

 

It's a real unputdownable book.

One of my favourite authors, Adrian McKinty, started off a review of one of Peace's novels like this: "I don't know David Peace.  I'm not sure I want to know him." Tells you everything you need to know, really.  But I fucking admire the guy, as much for his illumination of the UK in the eighties as his considerable talent and drive. 

 

His next novel may be about Geoffrey Boycott; should be very interesting.

After finishing A Feast Unknown by Philip Jose Farmer, I was intrigued enough to order the next installment in the trilogy, Lord of the Trees, for my Kindle.  Feast was a pretty freaky ride.  Farmer is a talented writer and I like his style.  His wildly irreverent pastiche of Tarzan and Doc Savage made some pretty strong statements about sex and violence.  There were some scenes that were a little jaw-dropping.  Probably the scene where Lord Grandrith, Farmer's "real-life" version of Lord Greystoke, gets buggered by an Albanian slave trader while being held captive was probably the most odd and unsettling, although Grandrith and Caliban (Doc Savage) chomping down on testicles and clitorises (Clitori? Clitoris'? Not a word I've had to pluralize before) is no slouch in that department either.

 

The villains of the trilogy, a secret organization of near-immortals who manipulate world events in a clandestine fashion called The Nine, appeals to my conspiracy buff nature. 

 

The last novel in the series, The Mad Goblin, is due to be reprinted and Kindle-ized soon. 

Currently reading:

 

 

 

Four old college friends reunite for a fun-filled trip to the woods. Unfortunately, people change and the group realizes that they aren’t as close as they were when they were all still in college. Worse yet, they have seen to have taken a wrong turn and soon find themselves hopelessly lost in the vast wilderness. The fun-filled trip that the group hoped for soon becomes a living nightmare as they realize that there is something following them as they try to make their way back to civilization. Will any of them ever get out of the woods alive?

 

I've almost finished this novel but it's been gripping throughout. If it can stick the landing, it'll probably be one of my favorite horror novels because the author does a fantastic job of establishing a growing atmosphere of dread as the four protagonists become aware that something is stalking them with the intention of "putting us up there in the trees". 

Sounds interesting. And also slightly like a DTDVD. But a really good one I would probably watch.

 

I just reread the Hobbit. Great book. Three movies gonna be tough.

 

Ha. Yeah, it would make a pretty good DTDVD horror movie.

Finally have some time to catch up on some reading.

 

I just finished 9 Dragons by Michael Connelly. I had a mini-emotional moment when a long time character bit the bullet. I didn't see that coming. It'll be interesting to see how Connelly handles the Harry Bosch character after what happened. I've now started The Reversal by Connelly. It's a Micky Haller novel but Bosch plays a big role in it.

Christmas Break is nearing. On my list to read this season:

 

The Agony and the Ectasy

Gone Girl

Full Dark, No Stars

Fuck it! Summer of Night. It's happening.

 

I'm in the minority around these parts, but I think it's fantastic.  Seriously creepy and great.  

 

Great book. The followups left something to be desired but between that, Carrion Comfort and the first two Hyperion books, Simmons had four grand slams early on in his career.

Following The Damned Utd (outstanding) I re-visited The Diamond Age (excellent).

 

Then raced through Joe Hills "Horns" out of curiosity.  I liked it, but wasn't blown away - at least he writes dialogue better than his old man.  I found that a lot of the dealing with the "villain" was so OTT that it was amazing that no-one picked up on his complete nutterness.  I also had issues with some of it feeling a little too predestination, especially his relationship and his rescue from the water when he was 15.  But it was entertaining enough that I'll be seeing if they have Heart Shaped Box or his book of short stories in the library.

 

Now onto Tokyo Year Zero, the only other David Peace book they had at the library.  If it's as good as The Damned Utd, I'll be actively purchasing more of his work.

Glad you're trying more Peace, but I think maybe more similar to The Damned Utd is his book about the miners' strike of 1984, GB84. If you've seen the Red Riding trilogy you have some idea of what his Japan series will be like.

Just cleaning out some books - why didn't more people in this forum sign up for the Chud Xmas swap? Man alive - and came across a book I read a couple of years ago and enjoyed very much, The Housekeeper and the Professor.

 

"We called him the Professor, and he called my son Root, because, he said, the flat top of his head reminded him of the square root sign."

 

A Japanese translation of the novel by the noted Japanese author Yoko Ogawa, it is unpretentious but very bright - a tough combination to manage.  Recommended for folks who enjoy quiet, intelligent novels about the past with a streak of melancholy; if you enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime; or books about baseball.

Holy crap Tokyo Year Zero was good. Not cheery though. But so immersive, and such a great analysis of post war Tokyo through the main character and the plot in general.

The repetition (ton-ton, gari gari) made it almost claustrophobic, you were so inside the narrators skin.

Amazing.

I just got done reading KOP KILLER by Warren Hammond.  He's no Cormac McCarthy, but he is an enjoyable author, and I like his work all the same.
 

Got a couple of fantasy/sci-fi/horror anthologies edited by Jeff VanderMeer for XMas - The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities and The Weird.  Both look terrific.

Off on summer hols so have a bevy of books.

 

Dark Eden by Chris Becket.  About 70 pages in, loving it so far.

 

Then The Passage by Justin Cronin.

 

Then Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian C Esslemont.

 

Then Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson.

 

Rounding it all off with 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.

 

That's all dependent on kids and wife allowing me time to read, obviously :)

 

Glad you dug it; Peace is not for everyone, although his powers are beyond mere mortals.  The following books in the series are equally unrelenting.

 

 

Soooooo good.

 

Good list. 

Dark Eden was really good. Interesting to read, allegorical as hell and a good story. Parts of it did remind me of Batylefield Earth which bugged me a bit (in the "one chracter is responsible for huge advancement" way. But since it wasn't a massive steaming pile of shit like BE I could let it off.

Just finished the Passage. Holy shit. I haven't enjoyed an apocalyptic book as much since The Stand. Plotwise kind of similar to The Strain (vampire apocalypse), stylistically like good King (characterisation and action). Great stuff. Highly recommend it. Think I may have to buy The Twelve tomorrow though as the ending is haunting me.

Having enjoyed his previous book (mentioned a few posts above), I've now moved onto Nevill's follow-up:

 

 

(From the description on Amazon)

 

Indie filmmaker Kyle Freeman is a man at the end of his tether. He faces bankruptcy and obscurity, until he lands a commission to make an unusual documentary. The Temple of the Last Days was a notorious cult, which reached its bloody endgame in the Arizona desert in 1975. Ever since, the group’s rumoured mystical secrets and paranormal experiences have lain concealed behind a history of murder, sexual deviancy and imprisonment. Kyle and his one-man crew film the cult’s original bases in London and France – finally visiting the desert crime scene where the cult self-destructed in a night of ritualistic violence. But when Kyle interviews survivors, uncanny events plague his shoots. Frightening out-of-body experiences and nocturnal visitations follow, along with the discovery of ghastly artefacts. Until Kyle realises, too late, that they’ve become entangled in the cult’s hideous legacy...

Just started This Is How You Lose Her, by Junot Diaz.

Started a couple of long-running series with first novels - F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack (The Tomb) and Lee Child's Jack Reacher (Killing Floor). Looking forward more to Wilson's second vs. Child but both are good enough that I want to continue the series.

I read the first Jack Reacher book, thought it was beyond pedestrian and then read the synopsis' for the next three books and they all seem to follow a pattern so I wasn't interested past that.

Repairman Jack is an interesting hybrid of crime, fantasy, and horror. Jack gets his ass handed to him a lot, so it's interesting to see how he pulls off the win.

 

Lee Child can plot well, but Reacher is so damn perfect at everything that he might be the most boring character I ever read in a thriller series. Yeah, it's safe to assume a character in a series will prevail and win, but a good writer makes you think "Maybe not THIS time..." but with Reacher there's no question that it will be a total victory.

Sounds like Dirk Pitt. Are they better than that?

 

I'm considering diving back into Harry Bosch stories. I remember liking them ten years ago. Anyone know if they're actually good?

The Bosch series is often excellent.

The Reacher books are like the Dirk Pitt books in that they are just about the same in terms of believability.  I guess there is a large segment of the reading population that doesn't want any hints of reality or familiarity in their books.  Which is cool, but for me, even if it's a Sci-Fi novel taking place on Mars, I want to identify with the situations and characters.  A good example of an author doing this RIGHT is Roger Zelazny. His main characters are often Demons or Warlocks, Immortals or Mutated Supermen, but in each case he presents the character with a clear helping of humanity, vulnerability and identifiable emotions.  His characters seem a lot more "real" to me than Mr. Reacher or Pitt.

January Magazine has completed its massive best books of 2012 feature. My contributions are in fiction and crime fiction. We put Joe Abercrombie's Red Country in fiction because it seamlessly blended so many genres that you couldn't really confine it to fit any one genre and not just fantasy. My personal favorite of my picks is Carsten Stroud's Niceville. It's so big and ambitious with tons of characters and a very interesting history of its setting.

 

 

http://www.januarymagazine.com/features/bestof12.html
 

Orb Sceptre Throne was great.  Return of a lot of characters, back to Darujhistan, Seguleh heavy.  Starting to like Esselemont's stuff now.

 

Have to change my order as 1Q84 is a library book, so need to crack on with that.  Then it'll be The Twelve, then the new Erikson.

Nice variety there.
 

I've finally delved into Murakami and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. Just finished up Norwegian Wood, and now I totally understand the cult following in Japan. If I had read that when I was 19 I probably would have called it life-changing. Particularly loved how Murakami brought some depth and real pathos to Midori, who in most cases would have been regular old manic pixie dream girl.

 

After reading I found out the film version that was released a couple years ago was on Amazon Prime instant. Unsurprisingly, it's not good. The actors give valiant efforts, but there's just no way to properly translate all of Toru's narration and musings to the screen. Reiko, who is so vital to the story, is essentially a non-character in the film. Midori (played by the gorgeous Kiko Mizuhara) is not fleshed out at all. One bright spot was Rinko Kikuchi's performance of Naoko, she did everything she could with the barebones script.

 

Anyway, I'm about to start Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. From what I gather everything else Murakami's done is much more off-the-wall, surrealistic type stuff compared to Norwegian Wood, so it should be interesting.

Just sped through The Fault in our Stars by John Green. It was on the AV Club's best of list despite being teen lit, I had seen it passed around by my students, so I borrowed it from a kid.

 

 

Holy Hell.

 

It is witty, it is fantasticly characterized, and utterly heartbreaking in the last 50 pages or so. I openly cried while reading it at school (it was afterschool, so only the janitor considers me a lunatic). A fantastic, but short read.

I finished rereading The Hobbit last night (my obligatory most-movie reread) and I'm really wondering how they're going to get around some of the more fairy-tale aspects of the plot coming up.

 

I haven't decided what to start tonight. I may get around to the new Cherie Priest that's been on my nightstand for a month or so.

 

If you dug that, maybe try Before I Die by Jenny Downham.

THIS! The Fault In Our Stars was one my top books of the year. What a great great book. I wasnt expecting that much due to it being teen lit.

 

   Great writing is great writing--no matter how it's labeled.

The Eyes of the Cat by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius came in the mail today. It looks pretty cool.

Right now I'm reading Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear, a trippy scifi thriller.  Over Christmas I read the brilliant The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigaluci (pretty sure I just mangled his name), which I highly recommend.  It's pure scifi extrapolation into the future, takes place in dystopian Bangkok in a future in which agribusiness has pretty much destroyed the food supply.

 

Arjen, Summer of Night was good.  I'm a fan of Dan Simmons, but, man, his book The Terror sent me into freefall depression. 

I wish I enjoyed the Windup Girl but holy shit did that book rub me the wrong way.

what was your issue with it in particular?  The ideas of the "windup people", her treatment by her "masters", the presentation of that particular culture or something else?

 

I really liked that book, although it did go to some very uncomfortable places, especially in regards the presentation of Japanese male domination.

 

Having said that 1Q84 is LITTERED with stuff about the Japanese males attitude towards and treatment of women.  Makes for some rough reading.

It feels really orientalist in the worst ways. Like totally the work of a white guy who's traveled plenty in Asia but still probably feels the need to snap pictures of dog meat to show how WEIRD these people are.

 

Also holy shit! I wish somebody would write something about Thailand that's either not about it's fucking sex-trade or it's deep "spirituality."