What book are you reading atm??

FouxDaFaFa

It's been a comedy-filled month, mostly. Edinburgh Fringe on the brain.

Finally, finally finished Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live (Hill and Weingrad). I didn't realise how long the book was (it's an ebook) or how thorough it was. Over 500 pages later, I'm glad I read it.

It sets the scene of how SNL came to be, the struggles getting it on tv in the first place, horrified censors, the madness that was the first cast. The genius and not so genius comedy, the pervasive drug use, the rise of particular cast members and the ego that went with that, like the Blues Brothers becoming such a wild hit while Gilda Radner's solo efforts were brutally crushed.
~~~

I also read Born Standing Up - A Comic's Life, by Steve Martin. A memoir of Martin's stand-up years and his reasons for leaving it all behind. I thought it was great. Obviously a funny read and so interesting to hear about his path to success, including one night where no-one came to see him and an "unknown" musical duo - Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

hairyprincess

Just finished The Vacationers by Emma Straub, it was fairly dull, normally I would have given up on such a book but I thought something would happen to liven it up. Sadly it didn't. The plot sounded interesting but it was very predictable.

Killer Wench

I'm reading Fluency by Jennifer Foehner Wells. I'm preparing to write my first Space Opera so I am trying to read an assortment of Science Fiction authors.

FullblownRose

I'm reading The Thirty-Nine Steps. It's quite good.

FullblownRose

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

Argos catalogue

Yeah, There's something mesmerising about that book.

Pumpkinseeds

John Grisham's Sycamore Row, very good.

JohnMearsheimer

I'm reading a collection of short stores called In Exile by Billy O'Callaghan. My mother had the book lying around the house so I picked it up. Billy O'Callaghan went to my school and grew up in the same estate as me so I said I'd give it a whirl. I'm impressed so far. The stories for the most part are about normal everyday events but he manages to manages to make them interesting in the matter of a page or two.

boobar

Jo Nesbo Nemesis...

Very good detective story with the unfortunately named "Harry Hole"

Bafucin

Engineering Mechanics, Statics and the sequel, Engineering Mechanics, Dynamics.

Damn you who read for pleasure!

Aglomerado

boobar wrote: »

Jo Nesbo Nemesis...

Very good detective story with the unfortunately named "Harry Hole"

I'm reading Nesbo's "The Redbreast" at the moment. Also very good!

And yes, I laugh at the name "Harry Hole" too...

JupiterKid

Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz.

2ndcoming

Just finished The Thing About December by Donal Ryan.

Not as good as The Spinning Heart but an enjoyable little read all the same.

Next up The Quarry, Iain Banks' final novel.

blue note

I just finished Russia by Martin Sixsmith - a very good read. Now I've started Stoner by John Williams. A very promising start!

Lenmeister

Dream of the Red Chamber - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber

Literature, which I don't read much. I like it but it's quite expensive for me. Paid over €30 for it. Shoulda got it online damnit!

"One of China's Four Great Classical Novels".

Lenmeister

Dream of the Red Chamber - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber

Literature, which I don't read much. I like it but it's quite expensive for me. Paid over €30 for it. Shoulda got it online damnit!

"One of China's Four Great Classical Novels".

Shenshen

2ndcoming wrote: »

Next up The Quarry, Iain Banks' final novel.

I read that a few weeks ago - would definitely recommend it, though it feels a bit slower than some of his previous books. But still full of quirky characters and a really good read.

LenaClaire

Reading Norwegian Wood by Murakami. I read Kafka on the Shore previously and this has the same hypnotic phrasing. Putting the book down is like coming out of a captivating fog, it takes me a few minutes to get back into where I am in reality.

Dial Hard

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro.

I'm in two minds. The language is very utilitarian, but I'm guessing that's intentional. I've never read Ishiguro before, so I've nothing to compare it to.

gutenberg

Dial Hard wrote: »

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro.

I'm in two minds. The language is very utilitarian, but I'm guessing that's intentional. I've never read Ishiguro before, so I've nothing to compare it to.

I was a bit unsure initially as well, but I ended up really liking the book; stick with it!

Currently have Audrey Magee's The Undertaking, set in Berlin and on the Russian Front during WWII.

Fate Amenable To Change

Shenshen wrote: »

I read that a few weeks ago - would definitely recommend it, though it feels a bit slower than some of his previous books. But still full of quirky characters and a really good read.

I quite liked it as well, a few subplots going on there if you read between the lines as well

Legion.

Just finished reading 'The Partner' by John Grisham. Very enjoyable read, if you're familiar with Grisham you've probably read it, or know what you'd be getting in to if you picked it up. For anyone unfamiliar, Grisham is a lawyer who writes legal thrillers. Storylines can be a bit far fetched but entertaining nonetheless.

hairyprincess

Just finished Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent. It's an Irish novel telling the story from the point of view of about seven different characters. I got the recommendation from the Ryan Tubridy radio show a few months ago but didn't buy it at the time as it's a little expensive (£6.30 on the kindle), but it is worth every penny. An absolutely brilliant read.

scream

'Marauders of Gor' by John Norman which is the 9th in the series, and 'Flash Gordon:The Space Circus' by Alex Raymond, which is the 3rd in a series of 6 books based on a cartoon strip from the 1930s(I think!), although it was actually a 'Con Steffanson' that wrote the novels as far as I can tell, 'Alex Raymond' being the cartoonist in the original strip.

Ann22

I've just finished 'The Suspicions of Mr Whicher'...loved it!

Before that it was 'If' I did it' by OJ Simpson (what a deluded complete a**hole!' My heartfelt sympathies go out to his two poor victims' families:(.

'Gone Girl' was before that. I was glued but

was disappointed with the ending

Looking forward to the film.

Before that was 'Mr Mercedes', Stephen King's latest and first suspense thriller. Think I lost a stone in sweat in the last few chapters, brilliant!

Merkin

Almost finished The Secrets we Left Behind by Susan Elliot Wright, very enjoyable easy reading

This Fat Girl Runs

I'm reading Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, Fate of the Dwarves by Markus Heitz and The Horsemen by Joseph Kessel.

daithi1970

I have just finished Atomized by Michel Houllebecq- he's not well, at all, at all.

Mars Bar

I've just finished "The Farseer Trilogy" and I loved every bit of it . For those of you have read all the Robin hobb books, should I continue to the liveship trader Trilogy or should i skip to the tawny man Trilogy?

Shenshen

daithi1970 wrote: »

I have just finished Atomized by Michel Houllebecq- he's not well, at all, at all.

I remember reading one of his books in the 90s - F19.99 or something?

It wasn't all that far away from "American Psycho", I thought at the time.

This Fat Girl Runs

Mars Bar wrote: »

I've just finished "The Farseer Trilogy" and I loved every bit of it . For those of you have read all the Robin hobb books, should I continue to the liveship trader Trilogy or should i skip to the tawny man Trilogy?

I enjoyed the Liveship series, but didn't read Tawny Man so can't really compare the two. Liveships was good though. In fact I was just thinking of re-reading my Robin Hobb books.