This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

implausible

Swiper the fox wrote: »

I finally got around to the Thing about December last night, about 80 pages in now(finished April for those who've read it). This guy is an extraordinary writer IMO, nobody has ever written contemporary Ireland as well as he does, the Spinning heart is my favourite book of the year so far but this will run it close I think. It's a heartbreaking story but the text is littered with dark humour and a few real belly laughs.

Must get December next. How he managed to work dark humour into a work that could have been full of despair is amazing. It's as if he has inhabited each of their skins.

Have just got Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" and going to start it tonight for a change of pace.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Been reading "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" by Raymond Carver.

It's a collection of short stories, which I think is all he wrote, but they're REALLY short stories! Like 2-3 pages in some cases. I've read about 5 of them so far and I can't say I'm at all impressed with them.

I've always found short stories hard to get into but when you compare this to something like My Oedipus Complex and Other Stories by Frank O'Connor, well it's just random bits of stories.

Call Me Jimmy

I am always impressed by Raymond Carver. It is the ease of his prose and how he writes from differing perspectives almost perfectly. I like that many of his short stories are about the subtlest of interactions. I suppose I like his 'voice' as well. I am surprised to hear someone not being immediately impressed by his work!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

I am always impressed by Raymond Carver. It is the ease of his prose and how he writes from differing perspectives almost perfectly. I like that many of his short stories are about the subtlest of interactions. I suppose I like his 'voice' as well. I am surprised to hear someone not being immediately impressed by his work!

I just feel like they're too short? One, so far, has given me just about enough to imagine a bigger picture. As I said, I've only read about 5 so far so I don't think I can form a solid opinion yet but so far I'm not bowled over.

Aenaes

I thought The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was brilliant. The ending came as a shock and I want to see a film version now.

I'm reading a collection of short stories by Robert Harbinson. "Born in Belfast, Robert Harbinson is one of the north of Ireland's most original and elegant writers of short fiction." So I was surprised when I had never heard of him.

Also I have started The Secret Life Of Laszlo, Count Dracula by Roderick Anscombe. It tries to tell the rise of Count Dracula I guess, starting off in Paris when he's a young man. The author is a psychiatrist who is trying to explain the thought processes of the future vampire, I think.

Saorenza

Finished Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo. Dragged a bit toward the end.

Started The Plantagents by Dan Jones. Very readable, I am enjoying reading history I don't have to think too hard about.

Started Blessed Are Those Who Thirst by Anne Holt. Another Norwegian crime writer and an interesting premise but it's quite stilted - don't know if it's the translation.

I started last night, All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith. Diverting, Jane Austen reading groups and travels around Central and South America.

I was sick the lat few days so doing a lot of reading.

Callan57

Finished Robert Wilton's Traitor's Field at the weekend - brilliant book if you are interested in the Oliver Cromwell period of English history. An immensly enjoyable read.

Now it's on to Eclipse by John Banville ... picked it up in the library, it's one of Banville's I'd missed out on.

cmbutterfly45

Just finished dark places - Gillian Flynn was a book I kind of wanted to stay reading to find out what happened but also didn't want to continue with as it was a bit too disturbing in parts.

Am reading Michael Connelly - gods of guilt right now

SarahBM

cmbutterfly45 wrote: »

Just finished dark places - Gillian Flynn was a book I kind of wanted to stay reading to find out what happened but also didn't want to continue with as it was a bit too disturbing in parts.

Am reading Michael Connelly - gods of guilt right now

Just finished Dark Places too. I feel the same. I didnt like it.

I have started the 100 year old man who climed out the window and disappeared.

only about 80 pages in but really liking it so far.

Merry Xmas to everyone on the thread, I have really enjoyed the suggestions and opinions over the last 12 months. I hope Santy brings lots of books to ye all! :D:D:D

Callan57

Started Ancient Light by John Banville today

a0ifee

got a couple of books for christmas, started one of them - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Bit hard going but I'm enjoying it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

a0ifee wrote: »

got a couple of books for christmas, started one of them - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Bit hard going but I'm enjoying it.

I read that a few years ago, still have no idea what happened.

a0ifee

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I read that a few years ago, still have no idea what happened.

that's reassuring! :pac: I'm on chapter 3 i think, still waiting for something to happen or something to explain what's happening..I like Vonnegut's language style though.

emeraldstar

a0ifee wrote: »

that's reassuring! :pac: I'm on chapter 3 i think, still waiting for something to happen or something to explain what's happening..I like Vonnegut's language style though.

Really didn't enjoy that book

Gamayun

I've just finished The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima.
This is a short novel and regarded as one of Mishima's best. I liked it but don't quite get the adulation, or disgust, that people seem to have towards it (based on on-line reviews).
It's centred around a boy, Noboru, who is part of a small group of high achieving classmates sharing an objectivist/nihilist philosophy who prove their dedication by completing 'tasks'. While not a violent book, mainly being comprised of flowing descriptive prose sections (I learned loads maritime terms reading this), there is a menacing aspect to some of the characters which some other readers found shocking, I didn't quite engage with the book in this manner but it was interesting enough.

It's worth noting that there was a good number of typos in the ebook I read (Vintage Classics) which were quite distracting, they have a tendency to disrupt my reading flow, stuff like: stopepd for stopped and tuvenile for juvenile. Very annoying.

I'm reading Good Omens by by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett next. I've been meaning to read this for ages but kept remembering it just after starting a different book. This time!

Aenaes

A Most Wanted Man by John le Carrè. A modern spy thriller compared to his better known Cold War stories, it doesn't feel up to scratch really.

MARTYRYAN

a0ifee wrote: »

that's reassuring! :pac: I'm on chapter 3 i think, still waiting for something to happen or something to explain what's happening..I like Vonnegut's language style though.

I really loved it. I found his style unusual but some parts of the book were laugh out loud funny.
It sounded like he lead a very interesting life too.
I'm just starting The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen. I have no idea if it will be good or not, I'm avoiding reviews etc. There is a charity shop near me that sells books for €1/€2 so I'm filling my boots

MARTYRYAN

emeraldstar wrote: »

I've just started "The Shining". Only my second King novel. Let's see how it goes.

I love The Shining. The book is so much better than the film. Don't get me wrong, I love the film, But the book is so much more dense. Stephen King is a genius for those "just one more page" books.
'Salems Lot is a prime example of this. It gave me the heebie jeebies (Im 33, and I know that vampires don't exist)

IvyTheTerrible

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.
I found it a bit hard to get into, I didn't think it was going to live up to The Shining (what could!) but now I'm two thirds of the way through and it's gripping.

MARTYRYAN

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.
I found it a bit hard to get into, I didn't think it was going to live up to The Shining (what could!) but now I'm two thirds of the way through and it's gripping.

Excellent. I'm glad to know it doesn't do a disservice to The Shining

IvyTheTerrible

MARTYRYAN wrote: »

Excellent. I'm glad to know it doesn't do a disservice to The Shining

Well it's not AS good as The Shining but not bad all the same!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Just finished This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. It's the second book of his I've read recently and while both were ultimately alright they both read very much like something that was written with a film in mind. If you know what I mean? They don't read like complete books, more like fleshed out screenplays.

Aenaes

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Just finished This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. It's the second book of his I've read recently and while both were ultimately alright they both read very much like something that was written with a film in mind. If you know what I mean? They don't read like complete books, more like fleshed out screenplays.

I hate that. "Right, let's get a story down, a couple of characters and some action happening."

I finished le Carrè's A Most Wanted Man and wasn't very impressed. Feels a bit fake, I guess.

Belle E. Flops

I read Divergent by Veronica Roth in a couple of days. I am really liking dystopian fantasy at the moment, and the world created in this book was very interesting.
It is a young adult book so a lot of the story is dedicated to the teenage protagonist's love interest. I love a bit of love in a story but I found it a bit annoying at times to be honest.
Overall though I really enjoyed it and I will read the rest of the trilogy.

I have just started 'Marina' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It is a 'gothic tale for all ages'. Again the protagonist is a teenager but the suspense and mystery created from the very start has me hooked. I love the way CRZ writes and I have read all his books.

Callan57

Belle E. Flops wrote: »

I read Divergent by Veronica Roth in a couple of days. I am really liking dystopian fantasy at the moment, and the world created in this book was very interesting.
It is a young adult book so a lot of the story is dedicated to the teenage protagonist's love interest. I love a bit of love in a story but I found it a bit annoying at times to be honest.
Overall though I really enjoyed it and I will read the rest of the trilogy.

I have just started 'Marina' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It is a 'gothic tale for all ages'. Again the protagonist is a teenager but the suspense and mystery created from the very start has me hooked. I love the way CRZ writes and I have read all his books.

I absolutely love Zafon but I'd missed out on Marina somehow - anyway, thanks to you, I just got it on my Kindle. Muchas Gracias.

Daisy78

Just started Chris Hadfields An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth. Finally got my hands on a copy.....

8mv

Finished Dominion by CJ Sansom a couple of days ago - It got mixed reviews but I liked it a lot. The characters had more back story than his Shardlake novels, so I was interested in what happened to them. I like the Shardlake novels, but don't feel any warmth towards the characters. The alternative history in this book is very similar to that in Fatherland by Robert Harris, a point acknowledged by Mr. Sansom. It takes place in a 1952 Britain that decided not to fight on after Dunkirk, but made a peace treaty with Nazi Gernany, ceding control of Europe. Churchill is the elderly leader of a resistance group opposing a semi-fascist government eager to do the bidding of the Nazis. The ending felt a little rushed, but the personal essay by the author at the end makes up for that shortcoming.
I've started One Summer by Bill Bryson - as usual Mr. Bryson never disappoints.

a0ifee

finished slaughterhouse five, I did like it in the end, still a bit confused mind..

then I read Wonder by R.J. Palacio, which only took last night and this morning, very easy read but great book! not sure what to move onto next..

Callan57

Started The Blind Man's Garden by Nadeem Aslam - loved his other books so hopefully this one is as good

Huzzah!

Callan57 wrote: »

I absolutely love Zafon but I'd missed out on Marina somehow - anyway, thanks to you, I just got it on my Kindle. Muchas Gracias.

I've just started Shadow of the Wind. I struggled a bit at the beginning but I think I've hit my stride with it now.