This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Busi_Girl08

Finished Tricks of the Mind. Really enjoyed his rant about mediums, psychics, alternative medicines, etc at the end.

Currently, I decided to give Catcher in the Rye another go, mainly because I'd read it about 2 years ago and I can't for the life of me remember any of it.

I'm about 48 pages in (8 chapters) and I think I know why I couldn't remember it. It really is irritating me, I don't know if it's the style of writing over Holden Caufield's character.

That being said...I feel compelled to carry on. It's like I enjoy getting annoyed by him.
It's almost like watching a soap, and bitching about the snobby lady or the bitchy villian, etc.

I'll see how that measures out, and see if I can remember any of it afterwards

Blush_01

I am STILL reading Melmoth the Wanderer. I want to read it more quickly, but it's such slow going. I just want to get to the end at this stage. I've also started The Damned United, which I'm loving.

zippygirl

anything and i really do mean ANYTHING by the great and fabulous Charles de Lint. Start with The Onion Girl and go from there! Magical realism all the way!

Sephiroth_dude

Book 5 of Fablehaven series : Keys to the Demon Prison

akamossy

I'm reading Marley and Me at the moment, really liking it

af_thefragile

Just started reading Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.

WesternNight

I'm going through a kind of "Henry VIII and his wives" phase at the moment. Currently reading The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory. So far so good.

emeraldstar

Howard's End by E. M. Forster. I've seen the film several times though never got around to reading the book until now. I'm really enjoying it!

LadyW

Just finished Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer; next on the list...A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn and Below Zero by CJ Box.

tazkatie

I love Philippa Gregory Books. I think I have read all her historical fiction books now. The last one I read was the White Queen and I see that there is a new one coming out soon - The Red Queen.
The White Queen was an interpretation of the Princes in the Tower story, excellent.

OxfordComma

Finished Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder last night. Despite the rather weak narrative about Sophie and her increasingly bizarre life, I really, really enjoyed this book, and I've now developed a fascination with philosophy as a result.

I'm currently trying to decide what to read next - I'm torn between Jane Eyre, Kafka on the Shore, The Remains of the Day, The Girl who Played with Fire, and The Shining. So hard to decide!

Raspberries

I have just started the Life of Pi, I've been hearing good and bad things, hopefully it will be good.

After that I'm going to read the Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood.

Skinback

Europe since Napoleon....I'm bracing myself for a concentrated read.....can't skim through this one.

Skinback

tazkatie wrote: »

Loved the three Dan Brown books I have read. The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and the Lost Symbol

Ya must have a strong stomach to read Brown.....gawd, just thinking of all that awful prose scares me.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

Raspberries wrote: »

I have just started the Life of Pi, I've been hearing good and bad things, hopefully it will be good.

After that I'm going to read the Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood.

I've just started Life of Pi aswell
So far it has given me a new found respect for zoos

tazkatie

Skinback wrote: »

Ya must have a strong stomach to read Brown.....gawd, just thinking of all that awful prose scares me.

True, they are never going to be Booker Prize winners or classics as we understand classics to be, but to be honest I found them more enjoyable that some of the more high brow novels that I have read in the past.. Prose maybe not the best but enjoyable read nonetheless.. I can't think of a comparison to Dan Brown not a literay genuis but not bad to spend a weekend with..Easy to get caught up in his hype - clumsy prose aside!

Quality

money...

by Martin Amis.

Enjoying it so far!

tazkatie

Quality wrote: »

money...

by Martin Amis.

Enjoying it so far!

Haven't read any Martin Amis.. I see his books on the shelf but always by pass him.. Any other recomendations to start off with Martin Amis!

Sergeant

About to tackle The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano.

Finished the astonishing 2666 by the same author a number of months ago, and really looking forward to this.

Quality

How long did it take you to read 2666? I have it, just a bit afraid to tackle it!

Sergeant

About 3 months. Some astonishing writing, but with the caveat that some of the descriptions of murder are very difficult to take. Not light summer reading!

kickarykee

Inkworld trilogy - again
After that it's finally time for the second book to "The Demon's Covenant" by Sarah Reese Brennan - sooo looking forward to it!

Busi_Girl08

Raspberries wrote: »

I have just started the Life of Pi, I've been hearing good and bad things, hopefully it will be good..

Me too!

So far so good.

OxfordComma

Currently reading Kafka on the Shore and I'm 170 pages in. The writing's good 'n' all, but I'm struggling to get into it at this stage! Is it worth sticking with it?

Travel is good

tazkatie wrote: »

Haven't read any Martin Amis.. I see his books on the shelf but always by pass him.. Any other recomendations to start off with Martin Amis!

Oh I was just going to order "Money" from the library.

I read "London Fields" a while ago, and recently finished "The Pregnant Widow". I'm no expert on Martin Amis yet, though I'll keep trying. I saw him at a book reading in Trinity College about a year ago and was very impressed.

I'd definitely love to hear any other reader's recommendations.

buck65

1fahy4 wrote: »

Currently reading Kafka on the Shore and I'm 170 pages in. The writing's good 'n' all, but I'm struggling to get into it at this stage! Is it worth sticking with it?

Yes.

buck65

Sergeant wrote: »

About to tackle The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano.

Finished the astonishing 2666 by the same author a number of months ago, and really looking forward to this.

Good call I someday will follow suit, 2666 was quite something though.
Finished Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton today, superb book. Also read Blacklands by Belinda Bauer on hols and surprisingly liked it. Also read an old favourite Emerald Underground by Michael Collins as well.

Lucifer31

Finished Yann Martel's Life Of Pi last week (very good), and have just begun Kafka's The Trial.

tim_holsters

Asolutely loved Life of Pi. A book that stays with you a long long time.

Blush_01

I've been reading Melmoth the Wanderer for months now. I keep leaving it places (like at my parent's house) and having to backtrack. I aim to finish it this weekend. Wrecking my head.

OxfordComma

buck65 wrote: »

Yes.

Thanks for the advice I was loving the book for the first 120 pages or so, but then I kind of stopped enjoying it for a while (I think in retrospect that it may have had something to do with exhaustion!)

I took a break, read a more light-hearted book (The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy), and now I've continued where I left off with Kafka on the Shore. I must say I'm getting hooked all over again!

Blobby George

Paul McGrath's autobiography 'Back From The Brink'. A stellar read so far.

_sparkie_

i am reading 'independence day' by richard ford at the moment, i love it so much.

herbieflowers

The Savage Detectives, Roberto Bolano

OxfordComma

Just finished Kafka on the Shore there. What an amazing novel! I'm so glad I stuck with it. I'll probably be puzzling over the various plot details in that book for weeks to come...

Currently trying to decide what to read next - probably either The Road, The Girl who Played with Fire, A Scanner Darkly or The Remains of the Day.

Asphyxia

Just finished 'Faerie Wars' by Herbie Brennan. I really enjoyed this book it's nice to read a good book by an Irish author once in a while Not sure what to read next going to have a look in the bookshop soon and get some cheap books. Never know I might get lucky.:)

tim_holsters

Blobby George wrote: »

Paul McGrath's autobiography 'Back From The Brink'. A stellar read so far.

McGrath deserves to be commended for his honesty, revealing all he does in this book can't of been easy.

You should read Cascarino's biography if you haven't already he doesn't flinch from the truth either. Highly recommended, not your usual dull bland self serving guff which lots of other footballing bio's trade in.

fillefatale

emeraldstar wrote: »

Howard's End by E. M. Forster. I've seen the film several times though never got around to reading the book until now. I'm really enjoying it!

"Only connect..." I loved that book. Forster is an amazing novelist.

I'm currently reading My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin, an australian novelist, semi-factual, about a young girl in turn of the century australia who longs to break from the monotony of her life and become a great novelist like the male australian greats she loves. Displays great independence of spirit and was adapted into a lovely film.

Sephiroth_dude

I started reading Chosen by Jerry Ibbotson yesterday.

kerash

This week I'm reading Mrs. Dalloway.

Busi_Girl08

Just started reading Moby Dick.

terlywerly

In the past few days I've read:
The Chosen One by Sam Bourne (not great tbh but was on offer in Easons)
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. Having absolutely loved Life of Pi I bought this book. Very thought provoking. Hard to read at times but well worth it. Something I'll be thinking about for a long time to come.
Currently reading Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay. Love the TV series and am now on the 4th novel. Enjoying it so far.
Archangel by Robert Harris is next

Blush_01

I keep leaving Melmoth at home at the weekend and not getting a chance to pick it up when I get back - I do most of my reading during the week. I WILL finish it.

Also reading The Truth About Love - Josephine Hart.

pearliefan

I'm starting to read Angela's Ashes now in a minute... I've seen the film and always wanted to read the book! I haven't seen it recently though so I don't think it will ruin the book for me...

I also read the last four Harry Potter books in the last two weeks... I don't know what it is, I tried to re-read them before and it was just 'meh' but this time I enjoyed it, I think it was that I hadn't planned it at all!!
I know the fifth one way too well though so I skipped big chunks of it, just reading the bits I wanted to re-read really.

OxfordComma

Finished The Girl who Played with Fire last night. Really enjoyed it! I started A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick today, and I'm intrigued...

Kalimah

Just finished the Millenium trilogy and enjoyed them on the whole. I read Angela's Ashes in one sitting. It was unbelievable. You couldn't make up the misery.
I've started the Race of a Lifetime which is about the race for the White House in 2008 amd I'll read Alone in Berlin next. Has anyone read that yet?

terlywerly

Just finished The Executor by Jesse Kellerman, excellent read, would highly recommend.
Read it today in 3 hours in the sunshine in the garden and am now extremely sunburned

Thomas828

"Ten Thousand a Year" by Samuel Warren. I picked it up in a charity shop on Saturday and a quick check on Wikipedia tells me he was a lawyer from Wales 1807-1877 and he wrote this book in 1839. It promises to be a good read.

leopoldbloom

I've been saving re-reading Ulysses for the day that's in it. Just beating through chapter 16 at the moment.

Preparatory to anything else Mr Bloom brushed off the greater bulk of the shavings and handed Stephen the hat and ashplant and bucked him up generally in orthodox Samaritan fashion which he very badly needed. His (Stephen's) mind was not exactly what you would call wandering but a bit unsteady and on his expressed desire for some beverage to drink Mr Bloom in view of the hour it was and there being no pump of Vartry water available for their ablutions let alone drinking purposes hit upon an expedient by suggesting, off the reel, the propriety of the cabman's shelter, as it was called, hardly a stonesthrow away near Butt bridge where they might hit upon some drinkables in the shape of a milk and soda or a mineral. But how to get there was the rub. For the nonce he was rather nonplussed but inasmuch as the duty plainly devolved upon him to take some measures on the subject he pondered suitable ways and means during which Stephen repeatedly yawned. So far as he could see he was rather pale in the face so that it occurred to him as highly advisable to get a conveyance of some description which would answer in their then condition, both of them being e.d.ed, particularly Stephen, always assuming that there was such a thing to be found. Accordingly after a few such preliminaries as brushing, in spite of his having forgotten to take up his rather soapsuddy handkerchief after it had done yeoman service in the shaving line, they both walked together along Beaver street or, more properly, lane as far as the farrier's and the distinctly fetid atmosphere of the livery stables at the corner of Montgomery street where they made tracks to the left from thence debouching into Amiens street round by the corner of Dan Bergin's. But as he confidently anticipated there was not a sign of a Jehu plying for hire anywhere to be seen except a fourwheeler, probably engaged by some fellows inside on the spree, outside the North Star hotel and there was no symptom of its budging a quarter of an inch when Mr Bloom, who was anything but a professional whistler, endeavoured to hail it by emitting a kind of a whistle, holding his arms arched over his head, twice.

Muscovite

"The History of England" by J.R.Green - a thorough book with detailed information, though the translation is awful and I'm generally not fond of Victorian authors.
When I'm tired of Green, I take Homer.
Have recently read a lot about Vysotskiy - an outstanding poet.