This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Aenaes

American Desperado by Jon Roberts and Evan Wright.

Pretty interesting, great cast of names mentioned. Probably gonna be a movie scripted by William Monahan and starring Mark Wahlberg.

Hermy

Coming to the end of Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. It's the first book I've read in months with any enthusiasm.

wilkie2006

Hanna Fat Radiance wrote: »

Finished "The 100 year old man who climbed out of a window" recently as recommended by an earlier poster and I must say that I enjoyed it tremendously. Kinda like Forrest Gump re-imagined by Quentin Tarantino. Have now just started into I Am Legend and liking it so far.

Despite not being into sci-fi, I enjoyed "I am Legend". Poor old Richard Matheson.

Insecure Abnormality

Hermy wrote: »

Coming to the end of Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. It's the first book I've read in months with any enthusiasm.

Bukowski will have that effect. I just finished a collection of short stories by him called "Tales of Ordinary Madness". Highly recommend it, he really does live up to his notoriety as laureate to the Los Angeles netherworld. Haha

eire4

Finished a re read of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novel 9 Dragons last night.

Hrududu

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. An absolute gut punch of a book. It feels wrong saying that I loved it considering the subject matter, but I did.

another question

Hermy wrote: »

Coming to the end of Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. It's the first book I've read in months with any enthusiasm.

I had never hear of Charles Bukowski until this thread. I wiki'd him out of curiosity. He sounds to have led an incredible life.

Where would you recommend I start with his work? I know he wrote 6 novels and many short stories. Would 'Coming to the end of Ham on Rye' be a good place to start.

Callan57

Today I start TransAtlantic by Colum McCann

baconsarnie

Started "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates yesterday

I'm enjoying it a lot- in stark contrast with the last book I read (Faulkner's "Absalom! Absalom!"- beautifully written in places but tough going)

shroom007

Just finished City of Bohane Kevin Barry great craic , then spotted Rough Ride Paul Kimmage in the library

Insecure Abnormality

@anotherquestion I don't know if your a fan of poetry but if you are I would probably start there. If not, his book Post Office is well worth a read, or any of the collections of short stories are good because they start giving you little glimpses into the man's psyche..... Though sometimes with him that isn't the most pleasant of things Tales of Ordinary Madness is worth a read but it is deeply, deeply troubling at times so kinda depends on what your tastes are. haha chances are you will be impressed with whatever you pick up by him regardless of it's subject matter he was a very good writer.

Call Me Jimmy

baconsarnie wrote: »

Started "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates yesterday

I'm enjoying it a lot- in stark contrast with the last book I read (Faulkner's "Absalom! Absalom!"- beautifully written in places but tough going)

Probably my favourite book, really resonated with me and the writing was superb yet simple.

fruvai

Finished Lolita (which was excellent) and starting on The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

wilkie2006

fruvai wrote: »

Finished Lolita (which was excellent) and starting on The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Pynchon: what's the craic? Is he any good? Been thinking of reading something by him for a while - recommended? If so, what?

Monkeybonkers

Montezumas Revenge by Harry Harrison

Callan57

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo

kam3qnwvebf4jh

Finished The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman over the weekend. Brilliant read if not a little unsettling at times. Just now started into Dark Eden by Chris Beckett and I'm hooked already.

Ellian

Hanna Fat Radiance wrote: »

Finished The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman over the weekend. Brilliant read if not a little unsettling at times.

Is it suitable for a thirteen year old girl? My niece liked Neverwhere, Coraline, and Graveyard Book and her birthday is coming up. I've not got around to reading it myself.

kam3qnwvebf4jh

Ellian wrote: »

Is it suitable for a thirteen year old girl? My niece liked Neverwhere, Coraline, and Graveyard Book and her birthday is coming up. I've not got around to reading it myself.

In terms of content it's just about suitable reading for a thirteen year old but (and forgive the ageism here:) I don't think it's the type of novel to be appreciated by young adults. It's very short at 150 pages so you could prob squeeze in a reading yourself !

Tom Joad

Finished Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey (it was a bit meh!) and started on Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh - its easy to read and fairly short so am flying through it.

OakeyDokey

Re-reading The Chronicles of Narnia. Read them in primary school got into a discussion with someone which led me to want to read them again.

wilkie2006

Anyone have any interest in contributing to a new thread similar to this one but that encourages discussions of books? I like the idea of this thread but there's hardly any interaction - it's just a list of book titles... zzzzzzzzz

Say it Aint So

A brief history of time by Stephen Hawking.

Only 8 pages in but very interesting so far.

adrian522

wilkie2006 wrote: »

Anyone have any interest in contributing to a new thread similar to this one but that encourages discussions of books? I like the idea of this thread but there's hardly any interaction - it's just a list of book titles... zzzzzzzzz

Yes it's much better when people post a few lines on what they thought of each book.

fruvai

wilkie2006 wrote: »

Thomas Pynchon: what's the craic? Is he any good? Been thinking of reading something by him for a while - recommended? If so, what?

I've only read Inherent Vice,The Crying of Lot 49 (finished it yesterday) and the first 200 pages of Gravity's Rainbow (it's a tough read) but I think I have a decent handle on his style.If you like crazy characters with even crazier names (Genghis Cohen , Bigfoot Bjornsen, Benny Profane, Oedipa Maas etc.) , involuted plots,absurdist/bawdy humour and incredibly detailed prose delivered in an inimitable quirky style - Pynchon's your man .

Merkin

After the Fall by Charity Norman - nearly finished, really enjoying it

SarahBM

OakeyDokey wrote: »

Re-reading The Chronicles of Narnia. Read them in primary school got into a discussion with someone which led me to want to read them again.

I only read these when I was 21, I thought 1 and 3 where the best. hated the films.

nearly finished East if Eden for book club. picked it after lots of positive suggestions from here, but I cannot say I liked it.
Dangerous Liaisons is next (light house cinema/chapters book club)

eire4

Finished a re read of Tim Pat Coogans The Irish a Personal view. A really interesting read especially since it was published in 1975 and of course Irish society and the country in general has changed so much since then.

Swiper the fox

Very surprised to hear that somebody was disappointed with East Of Eden, a stonewall classic in my view although I prefer Grapes of Wrath(my number 1 book ever I would say), eire4 you never fail to surprise, why would you choose to read that TP Coogan book again, unless you are in your 60s it must have been irrelevant enough the first time round, I thought you lived in a dungeon with the Michael Connelly back collection as your only company, get yourself to the library.

I finished Kate Atkinsons Case Histories, decent enough whodunit style detective book, not bad, I can I=understand now why people get so into crime fiction, I've also read a couple of Denis Lehane and Michael Connelly books in the past year or so, I've been recommended to try Iain Banks, what would be the best one?

Like somebody else here mentioned there has been so many references to The 100 year old man book that I have also bought it, about 80 pages in, easy to read and not bad so far.
I've been meaning to read Pappilon for ages, think I'll do that next.

Callan57

Finished The Leopard by Jo Nesbo .... and that is more than enough murder for now.
Moving on to something completly different Shadowstory by Jennifer Johnston