What are you reading right now? Showing 51-100 of 5,132

[[deleted user]]

Nearing the end of Bruce Campbell's charming memoir, If Chins Could Kill. Digging it immensely. Bruce Campbell, in case you were wondering, is the guise God uses when he feels like blending into the crowd.

[Bondama]

"American Gods" will remain one of the top two or three books I have ever read in my life.

[Kathy]

American Gods has been on my TBR list for awhile now. I definitely have to get to that one!

[Chris]

Finished American Gods 2 days ago. What an Amazing book, definitely on my all time favorite list.

Started reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck and really loving it so far. I have been on a streak of really good books.

[Bondama]

Thank you, Chris - It really fills me with joy when such an amazing book is perceived by another reader with the same joy and amazement! Neil Gaiman IS a treasure, and, as Uncle Stevie says, "we are lucky to have him."

[Chris , The Hardcase]

Bondama wrote: "Thank you, Chris - It really fills me with joy when such an amazing book is perceived by another reader with the same joy and amazement! Neil Gaiman IS a treasure, and, as Uncle Stevie says, "we are lucky to have him."..."

Agreed. And I would suggest that someone nominate Gaiman for the September Poll, but I won't. Gaiman ALWAYS wins the polls and I don't want to knock off all the other books.

[Mary]

Reading "Under the Dome," "Blood Trail" (on audio) by C.J. Box, and an unproofed galley of "The Janus Stone."

"The Stand" and "On Writing" are two of my favorite King works, although so are many others, like "The Green Mile," "The Shawshank Redemption" (I know the title is longer in the book than the film), "Salem's Lot," and "The Langoliers," for example.

[Alfred]

Reading Dreamcatcher after being away from King for a while. I also like reading Clive Barker & John Connolly and Darren Shann. Scot Sigler is another to look out for.

[Chris , The Hardcase]

I did the audio for Road Rage: Two Novellas today while driving a long distance.

Here's my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Might not have been the very best pick for driving while all those truckers were out there....

[Jeff]

Just started . I'm already hooked.

[Rob]

I'm reading a great book called Stop Me by Richard jay parker,he is a new author and well worth checking out.

[Kathy]

Jeff wrote: "Just started . I'm already hooked."

I love that book! Enjoy! :)

[Erick]

I just finished the last Dark Tower book. I loved the story and I thought the ending was amazing. I knew there would be some unexpected event and I certainly didn't expect what happened. My only question is, when did King decide to end the story that way? Okay, maybe not my only question but it is certainly my biggest one.

[Maya]

I'm reading The Notebook By Nicholas Sparks I'm really enjoying it so far i just saw the movie last week i really liked it as well but i didn't really cry during it I've heard most people have bawled their eyes out but i did cry when i saw A Walk To Remember which surprised me i didn't think i would lol

[Felina]

Granted I've only read Stardust & Anansi Boys but I just don't get what the big deal is with Gaiman. Meh...I have American Gods. I'll have to get on it.

[Chris , The Hardcase]

Felina, if you can say that after sampling American Gods, Neverwhere, or The Sandman series, I'll let it pass. Those two you read aren't his best works. Good, but not masterpieces.

[Bondama]

I completely agree, Chris -- Felina, if you want just a short sampling, definitely try "Neverwhere" -- It's just that, so far, "American Gods" is his masterpiece. (Also the Sandman series, but you need to read most of them, and read them in order.)

[Maya]

I have just finished Kelley Armstrong's Haunted and The Notebook By Nicholas Sparks and am currently reading Kelley Armstrong's next book Broken, Little Girl Lost By J.A Kerley and The Missing By Jane Casey

[Chris]

Felina, I also agree with the other Chris. I read American Gods a few weeks ago and thought it was an amazing book. It is also the first and only Gaiman book I've read, but I will definitely be reading more.

[Felina]

Alright since I own American Gods I'll try to fit it in in the next couple of weeks and then check back and let you know what I think.

[Mary]

Reading A Dark Matter by Peter Straub, lking it very much so far.

[Tina]

I am reading "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger. I have already read 'The TimeTraveler's Wife' so I took a chance on her again. I like this book much better then the TimeTraveler's... because it is about ghosts and that is my favorite subject.

[Bondama]

I much preferred the "Time Traveler's . ." because the writing was so incredibly superior.

[Steven]

Mary wrote: "Reading A Dark Matter by Peter Straub, lking it very much so far."

Bag of Bones is King doing Straub. And I loved it! Straub's the better writer, by far; King the better storyteller, by far. The numbers show you what the reading public prefers...And I have to admit that I've read all of King's, and maybe half of Straub's...

[Bondama]

You're right - in a way, Steve --Straub is better technically, but he has not got 1/10th of the soul and the heart that King puts into his works -- I don't think it's simply being a better storyteller, it's the fact that when one reads Stephen King, you are so totally engaged in the story that the writing is effortless, and not, "look how technically brilliant this sentence is" - which is a feeling I frequently get from Straub. He's far too self-conscious, and does not give himself to the story, as does King. Matter of fact, that's what spoiled a lot of "Black House" for me -- I loved the story, but the "omniscient narrator" device that is so obviously Straub (he uses this device frequently) just drove me up a wall! I realize that they are friends, and enjoy writing together, and more power to them -- I have read about 90% of Straub's work, and yet, to this day, there's really only "Ghost Story" and "Julia" that stayed with me. But I don't think there's ANYTHING of King's that ever leaves my subconsious -- (maybe because I re-read them so frequently!)

[Becky]

I have had limited (very limited) experience with Straub, but I could not say that Straub is a better writer with a straight face.

The Talisman and Black House are very high up there on my "loved it" list. Before I joined this group, I'd read each of them numerous times, and I could never determine where King ended and Straub began - probably because I'd never read Straub. But to me, I've always thought of them as "King books". Straub doesn't factor into the equation. So I finally picked up a couple of his books, Magic Terror & Mystery.

Magic Terror is a book of short stories, so I figured that I would start with that. It was AWFUL. I couldn't even finish. The first story made absolutely NO SENSE at all and it felt like it was trying so hard to be one of those Stories That Only The Literary Elite Can Truly Understand, But Thank You For Trying, Simpleton.

It was all over the place, I never had any idea what was going on, it never bothered to enlighten me, and apparently I was just supposed to "interpret" the story in all of the scattered sentences and fragments. Bah.

The 2nd story at least HAD a storyline, although I wouldn't really say it was better. A lot of build-up and not a lot of content. 3rd was the same. After that, I just stopped reading.

I still don't know if he can actually tell a story without someone holding his hand. I'm inclined to say yes, because he's got quite a lot of them published... but that doesn't mean they are anything I want to read.

One of these days I'll work up the cojones to try Mystery. Hopefully that one will actually have a point.

[Chris]

Finally started reading The Drawing of the Three, a month after finishing the Gunslinger. I'm a little less than halfway through and oh boy what a great book so far. I think I'm gonna have to move the other books in the series way up on my to-read list.

[Stacie]

I'm reading "Boneshaker" by Cherie Priest. Really liking it so far... even if it's got zombies- lots of zombies- and they utterly terrify me!

[Bondama]

Becky - As far as I can tell the only two that HAVE an actual story line, and are not quite technical show-offs are the two I mentioned, "Ghost Story" and (maybe) "Julia"

[Chris , The Hardcase]

I'm also a bit of a novice on Straub. Like Becky, I'm a big fan of The Talisman. I finally read Black House this year and thought it was brilliant. It's probably among my top 5 King books, that's how much I liked it.

The only Straub solo I've ever read was The Floating Dragon, back in my high school days. I don't remember much about it other than it was weird and I enjoyed it alright at the time.

I have a copy of Ghost Story, so that might be a good place to give him a fair shake.

[Becky]

"Weird" seems to be his thing, Chris. Based on what I've read, he seems to get carried away with the weird and forget where he is and what he's doing. =\

[Dung Beetle]

Becky, I like your phrase “Stories That Only The Literary Elite Can Truly Understand, But Thank You For Trying, Simpleton.” So many times, it seems that anthologies of short horror stories are clogged with stuff that fits this description. I always think of them in the words of the immortal Moe Szyslak: “Weird for the sake of being weird”.

[Becky]

“Weird for the sake of being weird”.

It's definitely that too.

[Chris , The Hardcase]

I think that's why King has always been the only horror writer I've consistantly read. The others might start off with a good idea for a story, but by the end they've ventured off too far into the weird zone.

When King does it, he doesn't talk above us. He bring us along for the ride. Even when I haven't cared much for his direction, I can usually follow him.

I guess I'm a simpleton too.

[Bondama]

Chris, you and Becky are quite right -- As I mentioned earlier, I have kept trying to read Straub, but at this point, with only 1 1/2 books of his that remain with me, I'm giving up. When I say that Straub's writing is better, I speaking strictly on a technical basis. It's like a musician who can razzle dazzle one with technical "tricks" -- but when comparing him to the busker on the corner who only knows three chords, but whose music brings you to tears, this is how I think of King & Straub -- (not that King only knows three chords -he's a infinitely better writer than the "establishment" gives him credit for.) It's because he gives himself, his WHOLE self to the story, and when we read him, a part of Stephen King remains with us always.

Yes, weird for weird's sake, indeed. Power to the simpletons!

[Chris , The Hardcase]

Bondama, you realize you just described Speedy Parker? Hmmmm.....I'd be willing to be that character was King's creation.

[Becky]

*Raises fist in the air in Simpleton Solidarity*

[Bondama]

No kidding, Chris -- that's exactly who I was thinking of :)

[Leland]

BonFire wrote: "I just started reading , which is pretty good so far. I was glad to read he was scared by The Blair Witch Project. It gets a lot of crap which I don't think it dese..."

Sometime after seeing that film, I was so relieved to see the actress from that film on Leno. Some primal part of my brain couldn't let go of the possibility that it was indeed real. (Thus setting all logic and scepticism aside) Plus...I grew up on the East coast and forests I would stamp about in looked just like that one.

[Scott]

I just started The Hunger Games. I hope it lives up to the hype.

[Chris]

Scott wrote: "I just started The Hunger Games. I hope it lives up to the hype."

I just got my copy in the mail the other day, I also hope it's as good as everybody says it is.

[Miriam]

I have just started reading The Drawing of the Three after having read the first two books in the series. The second book was riveting. I'm sure the third book will be too. Stephen King's book stick with me and I find myself thinking about his stories while I am doing other things, more so than with any other authors I read.

[Chris]

Miriam wrote: "I have just started reading The Drawing of the Three after having read the first two books in the series. The second book was riveting. I'm sure the third book will be too. Stephen King's book s..."

I thought The Drawing of the Three was the second book of the series. Am I missing something?

[Miriam]

The first one is The Gunslinger The Dark Tower I, the second one is The Drawing of the Three The Dark Tower II, and the third one is The Waste Lands The Dark Tower III. Then there are books 4, 5, 6, and 7.

[Nilofer]

Another Neil Gaiman fan - I picked up Fragile Things, cos I love short stories after reading so many of SK's and thought they were amazing, especially the poems - he has a very different voice, and although King has written so many amazing short stories, hadn't really come across another horror/fantasy writer who did the same. Read the Graveyard Book and Coraline with my kids, and found GB very engaging - some of the characters are so memorable, like the Jacks of All Trades, and its very inventive (does that sound right?)

I'm about to read 20th Century Ghosts, its been sitting on my bookshelf for a month now. Darren Shan - Lord Loss - cos my son just read it and is getting the rest in the series (its been a long habit of mine to read his books so we kinda share alot, and he and I have had some great discussions)

I'm also reading Julia Quinn - historical romance, not very popular on this site :)

[Nilofer]

Another Neil Gaiman fan - I picked up Fragile Things, cos I love short stories after reading so many of SK's and thought they were amazing, especially the poems - he has a very different voice, and although King has written so many amazing short stories, hadn't really come across another horror/fantasy writer who did the same. Read the Graveyard Book and Coraline with my kids, and found GB very engaging - some of the characters are so memorable, like the Jacks of All Trades, and its very inventive (does that sound right?)

I'm about to read 20th Century Ghosts, its been sitting on my bookshelf for a month now. Darren Shan - Lord Loss - cos my son just read it and is getting the rest in the series (its been a long habit of mine to read his books so we kinda share alot, and he and I have had some great discussions)

I'm also reading Julia Quinn - historical romance, not very popular on this site :)

[Scott]

Chris wrote: "I just got my copy in the mail the other day, I also hope it's as good as everybody says it is."

I am about 20% in and it has really grabbed my interest. I would definitely recommended it based on what I have read so far.

[Bondama]

I absolutely love both King and Gaiman's short stories. As King recently wrote in a foreword, the art of the short story is beginning to die out, because the magazines, some pulp, some glossy, are going out of business, and selling stories for a nickel or dime a word is the way a great many writers begin learning their craft.

[Lisa]

I have been reading King, Straub and Gaiman a lot the last few weeks and am enjoying them immensely! I completed Gaiman's American Gods three days ago, Matheson's Hell House today and should be done with Straub's A Dark Matter tomorrow. I also read Shiver and will be picking up the second book in the trilogy, Linger, tomorrow. I'll start that and Steven Saylor's Roma and then the first of the Mistborn series (for another GR group). I have been so into podcasts for the last couple of years that I have been neglecting print books; so good to be back!

[Alfred]

Got Fragile Things and 20th Century Ghosts on my bookshelf. Can't seem to settle into a novel just now, so maybe time for a short story or two. Also read a few of Darren Shan. Have fun with Lord Loss.