What book are you reading atm?? CHAPTER TWO

py2006

With regards King, he had a dip in form after he was nearly killed when run over and his confidence in writing was knocked big time. The first few books after his accident weren't his best. Some people reckon the same happened after he got off the drugs and alcohol.

gmisk

I recently finished the invisible life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab.
It was excellent.

I think probably best to go into it not knowing too much, I can see why some people compared it to the time travellers wife, but I have to say I much preferred it to that one.

It's a really sweeping cinematic type of book I can see why the film rights have been snapped up already.

I think the blurb gives away too much but basic intro is below.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

gmisk

Collie D wrote: »

I think it’s one of his best. I’ve a ton of King stuff - only got into him a few years ago and find he can be very hit and miss. Read one too many duds and went off him for a while but just started The Institute today to hopefully get back into him.

Oh I read that one.
I really liked it!
One of the better recent Stephen King books, I ploughed through it.

py2006

py2006 wrote: »

With regards King, he had a dip in form after he was nearly killed when run over and his confidence in writing was knocked big time. The first few books after his accident weren't his best. Some people reckon the same happened after he got off the drugs and alcohol.

I generally found the Dark Tower books to be consistent even after his accident, a lot of people disagree on that one though. His non tower books were pretty bad post accident.(Including the awful Under The Dome) Think he generally has been pretty on the ball since around 11/22/63.

pavb2

I’m reading The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart, a gentle read.

py2006

Deleted User wrote: »

I generally found the Dark Tower books to be consistent even after his accident, a lot of people disagree on that one though. His non tower books were pretty bad post accident.(Including the awful Under The Dome) Think he generally has been pretty on the ball since around 11/22/63.

I tried the first Dark Tower book 3 times and just had to leave it. Big king fan but its not for me.

carrollsno1

Not able to phystcally read a boom due to time constraints but i sm listening to two audiobooks at the moment.

Book 1
Kings in Grass Castles
Mary Durack
The story of Irish Emigrant to Australia Patsy Durack around The Famine times and how he built his way up to being on of the major cattle kings of Australia at the time.
Yes would 100% reccomend, even though not half way through yet.

Book 2
Relistening after reading Allen Carrs Good Sugar, Bad Sugar
Allen Carr
The easyway developed for smokers but applied to bad sugar.
Yes, had a great impact on my overall health but the festivities threw me off course and im getting back into it by listening to this book now.

farmerval

Pale Blue Dot wrote: »

I'm inclined to agree. What Frankl and others went through was unimaginable and the strength it took to survive, incredible. But as a book I thought, like you, that it had offered its message within a few pages and then the same idea, just in different scenarios, repeated itself.

If you haven't already, I'd very much recommend The Choice by Edith Eger. Unlike Frankl who was already an established physician in his late 30's when he was sent to a camp, Eger was a teenager. But she also survived, moved to the US and became a psychologist. She even met Frankl a few times later in life. Her time in the concentration camp is covered in the first third of the book and the rest is about her subsequent life. She talks about how her time in the camps influenced the rest of her life and often even in how she delivered therapy to her own patients in the US. It wasn't all perfect from arrival in the US either and liked how candid she is about her own life - for example, her marriage struggles. Overall I just felt it offered 'more' than Frankl's book.

But again take nothing away from anyone who can survive what they went through and have the courage to publish a book about it afterwards.

I agree with you both. I read Victor Franklin's book first and a few years later Eger's book. I definitely enjoyed the Eger book more. I suppose Franklin was pushing a particular point relating to his work, Eger was more simply relaying her life.
As it happened I read two or three more true life tales from the concentration camps in the last year and the weird thing is that as true stories even like something like 12 years a slave, they lack drama. Everything is real, what happened was so beyond our ability to comprehend what they went through, but because they just slogged on the tales are less dramatic than fiction would be. The boy who followed his father into Auschwitz is a good example. Truly harrowing tale of what man can do to man.

py2006

py2006 wrote: »

I tried the first Dark Tower book 3 times and just had to leave it. Big king fan but its not for me.

I'd recommend getting through the first, doesn't fully gain its personality till book number 2.

An Ri rua

Cat Sense, by John Bradshaw.

Trying to better understand my 2 monkeys. Twins but chalk and cheese.

JeffreyEpspeen

I thought Mr. Mercedes started very promisingly but veered off a cliff. Can't remember if I read the second one. I found the characterisation very poor TBH.

nigeldaniel

Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, halfway there and I would say that those old school books from a bygone-era can be grim and sad reading sometimes. I think I will try something more uplifting next.

Barna77

nigeldaniel wrote: »

Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, halfway there and I would say that those old school books from a bygone-era can be grim and sad reading sometimes. I think I will try something more uplifting next.

Don't go near his Jude the Obscure

happyday

Oh yes. Jude the Obscure is the most depressing, grim read ever.

Conall Cernach

I'm reading the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski and I'm currently on Baptism of Fire which is the 5th book including the 2 volumes of short stories. I'm not very impressed with them and am just reading them now to finish them off. It all feels very disjointed and I've no idea where the story is going. I think the character of the Witcher is better suited to the short story style where he tackles different monsters rather than the main quest of the series. How the books are so popular is beyond me.

Riddle101

Conall Cernach wrote: »

I'm reading the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski and I'm currently on Baptism of Fire which is the 5th book including the 2 volumes of short stories. I'm not very impressed with them and am just reading them now to finish them off. It all feels very disjointed and I've no idea where the story is going. I think the character of the Witcher is better suited to the short story style where he tackles different monsters rather than the main quest of the series. How the books are so popular is beyond me.

Largely because of the games. I don't think many would have known about the Witcher had it not been for Witcher 3 and the games that came before it. I didn't mind the story myself but I did feel things got a bit boring after Blood of Elves.

Anyway, I'm reading The Silmarillion for the 3rd time right now. I going over Tolkeins books again but this time I'm doing The Silmarillion first, then The Hobbit, and then Lord of the Rings.

Squall

On to book 2 of the salvation series by peter hamilton. Was a big fan of the nights dawn and the common wealth saga. First book was interesting... decent characters and some great world setting. Bigger story is starting to pick up now in book 2

Conall Cernach

Riddle101 wrote: »

Largely because of the games. I don't think many would have known about the Witcher had it not been for Witcher 3 and the games that came before it. I didn't mind the story myself but I did feel things got a bit boring after Blood of Elves.

Anyway, I'm reading The Silmarillion for the 3rd time right now. I going over Tolkeins books again but this time I'm doing The Silmarillion first, then The Hobbit, and then Lord of the Rings.

I dipped into Unfinished Tales this morning to re-read The Disaster of the Gladden Fields. Poor old Isildur gets a bum rap thanks to Peter Jackson.

McGinniesta

Blood Money by John Carreyrou

A good read about theranos and Elizabeth Holmes. Right head the ball

Reading Hidden Valley Road at the moment, it's fascinating. A family of 12 and 6 diagnosed with schizophrenia, suspect it's gonna get bleak pretty quickly though.

appledrop

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Reading Hidden Valley Road at the moment, it's fascinating. A family of 12 and 6 diagnosed with schizophrenia, suspect it's gonna get bleak pretty quickly though.

Thats one of the next books on my shelf!

Enjoying East West Street so far.

Dial Hard

I've had to take a break from The Mirror and the Light. It's. Just. So. Long. And taking me way longer than it should to read because it's so unwieldy so I can't read it in the bath, in bed etc.

I started Code Name Lise by Larry Loftis as my break book, it's about the most decorated spy of WWII. Unfortunately it's absolutely terribly written so I'm abandoning it. I'm waiting on a delivery from the evil overlords at Book Depository but have decided to reread The Dark Tower series in the meantime. I need the comfy, familiar, warm dressing-gown cuddle of something I know and love at this point.

4Ad

John Grisham
A Time for Mercy...

Dont bother...
You'd need time afterwards for thinking why did I waste my time !!

Barna77

happyday wrote: »

Oh yes. Jude the Obscure is the most depressing, grim read ever.

I read it when I was in college. Grim but I remember I liked it

Riddle101 wrote: »

Anyway, I'm reading The Silmarillion for the 3rd time right now. I going over Tolkeins books again but this time I'm doing The Silmarillion first, then The Hobbit, and then Lord of the Rings.

That's a tough one!

breezy1985

Barna77 wrote: »

That's a tough one!

Very interesting for hardcore fans as a sort of history text book but it's got no narrative flow and some parts can be a slog

neris

McGinniesta wrote: »

Blood Money by John Carreyrou

A good read about theranos and Elizabeth Holmes. Right head the ball

Great book. Probably one of the best reads in the last few years.

Riddle101

Barna77 wrote: »

That's a tough one!

Yeah, it can be. Although I still quite like it for what it is though.

breezy1985 wrote: »

Very interesting for hardcore fans as a sort of history text book but it's got no narrative flow and some parts can be a slog

Agreed, I love the world that Tolkien created so I mainly read it like a history book. But I still feel it's worth reading to get the lore of Middle Earth.

Tauriel

Just finished The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien and will be swiftly moving on to The Return of the King.

JeffreyEpspeen

4Ad wrote: »

John Grisham
A Time for Mercy...

Dont bother...
You'd need time afterwards for thinking why did I waste my time !!

Read Camino Island. It was so ponderous it would make you sleepy.

His older stuff is very good, though. I loved The Brethren and The Pelican Brief.

I'm re-reading Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. I can't remember how many times I've read it but I never get tired of it.