This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Monkeybonkers

Finished Wild Swans and now back to the brilliant Flashman series with Flashman and the Dragon

Hope O_o

I just started "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

Printeruk

Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger

emeraldstar

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami

Callan57

About to begin Day by A L Kennedy

Gamayun

emeraldstar wrote: »

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami

Just finished Boxer Beetle by Ned Beauman, which is great, sped through it in a couple of sittings.

Starting a Haruki Murikami short story collection Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. All the Murikami that I've read so far has been translated by Jay Rubin, and reading the Philip Gabriel translations in this really reminded me of how translation styles of the same author can differ. I prefer Rubin, but probably just as it's his work that i'm most used to, and his style is how Murikami 'feels' to me.

zyanya

How are you guys liking Murakami so far? I'm about to believe Murakami's cursed for me because every time I read one of his books, something awful happens to me (the same thing, yes). I'm joking, but it gives me chills.


Cannot say much about translations because the only one I read in English was After Dark (only one translation available for my mother tongue). I have not read 1Q84, opinions?

Reading:

- The Woman Who Wasn't There by Robin Gaby Fisher - Go for this one if you want some big story but do not mind unfancy writing. 9/11 related, don't want to spoil it for you.

- The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek. Just starting, so I cannot say much about this one, but it looks promising.

- The City And The Dogs by Mario Vargas Llosa.

wonder88

Just started Skippy Dies by Paul Murray and been reading Exorbitant Privilage by Barry Eichengreen for a few days; very interesting for those who take an interest in economics and world politics/affairs.

Honey-ec

wonder88 wrote: »

Just started Skippy Dies by Paul Murray.

I'll be interested to see how you fare with it, I just couldn't get into it at all. Eventually abandoned it about two-thirds of the way through. Parts of it are very funny, but the story just didn't grip me at all.

Callan57

Starting Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

emeraldstar

Honey-ec wrote: »

I'll be interested to see how you fare with it, I just couldn't get into it at all. Eventually abandoned it about two-thirds of the way through. Parts of it are very funny, but the story just didn't grip me at all.

Interesting. I really enjoyed Skippy Dies.

Acacia

Finished ''We Need to Talk About Kevin'' last week.Amazing, I wish I'd read it years ago!

I'm now almost finished ''The Sisters Brothers"- also very good, I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would.

Callan57

Acacia wrote: »

Finished ''We Need to Talk About Kevin'' last week.Amazing, I wish I'd read it years ago!

I'm now almost finished ''The Sisters Brothers"- also very good, I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would.

An amazing, entertaining book

BrendanCro

Just finished cloud atlas and really enjoyed it.

now starting I, Cladius and loving it so far.

Callan57

BrendanCro wrote: »

Just finished cloud atlas and really enjoyed it.

now starting I, Cladius and loving it so far.

Can't imagine how they are going to make a movie of Cloud Atlas but I'm really, really looking forward to it.

MagicMarker

Callan57 wrote: »

Can't imagine how they are going to make a movie of Cloud Atlas but I'm really, really looking forward to it.

Looks bloody good though...

Queen-Mise

I really enjoyed Cloud Atlas - but still don't have an effing clue what it was about. :o

Callan57

Queen-Mise wrote: »

I really enjoyed Cloud Atlas - but still don't have an effing clue what it was about. :o

Me neither but it was still one of the best books I've read so far this year

johnny_ultimate

Everyone getting their first taste of David Mitchell would do well to check out Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Cloud Atlas is great and all, but de Zoet is just a beautifully vivid and unusual piece of work.

zyanya wrote: »

Cannot say much about translations because the only one I read in English was After Dark (only one translation available for my mother tongue). I have not read 1Q84, opinions?

IQ84 would not be the first of his books I'd recommend to anyone - it's biggest problem is it's far too long with lengthy passages of infuriating passivity. Still, as a fan of his work, you'll probably find much to like in it too. I always emotionally connect with his novels in a way that's hard to articulate - I'd rank IQ84 well below Hard Boiled Wonderland..., Kafka... or Wild Sheep Chase / Dance Dance Dance, but it still has that surreal and engrossing charm that pulls me back to his work again and again. It does veer dangerously close to self-parody at times, though, and certainly provides much ammunition for Murakami detractors.

IvyTheTerrible

BrendanCro wrote: »

Just finished cloud atlas and really enjoyed it.

now starting I, Cladius and loving it so far.

Oh I loved I, Claudius!

I'm reading We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, good stuff so far.

Swampy

I'm reading Executive Power by Vince Flynn. Book 3 of the Mitch Rapp series I think.

Typical main hero character CIA/government assassin who hunts terrorists and the like.

Good action. Very easy read.

Edit: after looking back on the last few pages of this thread, it would seem my choice in books in a bit low brow.

BrendanCro

Swampy wrote: »

I'm reading Executive Power by Vince Flynn. Book 3 of the Mitch Rapp series I think.

Typical main hero character CIA/government assassin who hunts terrorists and the like.

Good action. Very easy read.

Edit: after looking back on the last few pages of this thread, it would seem my choice in books in a bit low brow.

Nothing wrong with low brow once it isn't misery lit, celeb lit, or soft porno lit!

Callan57

Almost finished A Death in Summer by Bejamin Black (aka John Banville)

Really love his Dr Quirke series

Ipso

Reading The Oh My God Delusion again.
Has anyone read The Shelbourne Ultimatum?

miamee

Despite the fact that he is a children's author, I am currently reading 'Mister Creecher' by Chris Priestley and I have to say I am loving it!

Lovely dark, gothic images of London in it

IvyTheTerrible

Ipso wrote: »

Reading The Oh My God Delusion again.
Has anyone read The Shelbourne Ultimatum?

Yeah, I really enjoyed it. I prefer the post-crash Ross O'Carroll Kelly stories.

Callan57

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell .... really looking forward to it after the fabulous Cloud Atlas

Censorsh!t

Reading Moscow to the End of the Line by Venedikt Erofeev.

Callan57

Loved Black Swan Green so now I'm starting The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet also by David Mitchell

IvyTheTerrible

I'm re-reading Jane Eyre, it's years and years since I last read, I'm getting a lot more out of it this time round.