What Else Are You Reading?

[Jeppe]

Hey Jason, have you read the new Mike Carey book The Girl with All the Gifts? It's supposed to be quite fantastic, and I've gotten it recommended by as diverse people as a sci-fi magazine editor and a poli sci professor, so I'm guessing that it's worth picking up.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Not yet, Jeppe, but I plan to!

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Anse Bundren: candidate for biggest loser in literary history.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Yeah, I really like As I Lay Dying. Probably my favorite Faulkner novel.

I'm debating whether or not to pick up Sanctuary. I'll probably just head into Light in August, which I own and may never have finished, when I'm ready for more WF.

Meanwhile, I bought the sequel to Kings in Disguise, On the Ropes, and blew through that. A bit melodramatic, but that's not necessarily a failing. I loved it quite a lot.

EDIT: Oh, and The Girl With All the Gifts! Thank you for the reminder, Jeppe's earlier post.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Very excited about John Darnielle's upcoming debut novel, Wolf in White Van.
I have always loved his lyrics and desperately wanted him to write a book (although I always hoped he'd write about the doomed 'Alpha couple' from many of his songs: http://theartofthelyric.wordpress.com...) and this sounds like a weird and original work:

"Welcome to Trace Italian, a game of strategy and survival! You may now make your first move. Isolated by a disfiguring injury since the age of seventeen, Sean Phillips crafts imaginary worlds for strangers to play in. From his small apartment in southern California, he orchestrates fantastic adventures where possibilities, both dark and bright, open in the boundaries between the real and the imagined. As the creator of Trace Italian—a text-based, role-playing game played through the mail—Sean guides players from around the world through his intricately imagined terrain, which they navigate and explore, turn by turn, seeking sanctuary in a ravaged, savage future America.

Lance and Carrie are high school students from Florida, explorers of the Trace. But when they take their play into the real world, disaster strikes, and Sean is called to account for it. In the process, he is pulled back through time, tunneling toward the moment of his own self-inflicted departure from the world in which most people live.

Brilliantly constructed, Wolf in White Van unfolds in reverse until we arrive at both the beginning and the climax: the event that has shaped so much of Sean’s life. Beautifully written and unexpectedly moving, John Darnielle’s audacious and gripping debut novel is a marvel of storytelling brio and genuine literary delicacy."

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Also, I've resumed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest after a brief break and will be picking up The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness from the library today.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Wolf in White Van sounds like it's more in my wheelhouse than yours. The premise reminds me a bit of old books like Hobgoblin and Mazes and Monsters, written back in the heyday of the "Playing D&D makes you a murderous satanist" crowd.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Literature is my wheelhouse, foo'! ;)

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Just started Annihilation today. I'm only 5% into it, but it has a wonderfully creepy atmosphere and sense of cosmic dread.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Matt wrote: "Just started Annihilation today. I'm only 5% into it, but it has a wonderfully creepy atmosphere and sense of cosmic dread."

Should we do that instead or stick with Simmons?

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I wouldn't mind. Maybe you guys could read the first couple pages and see if it tickles yr fancies: http://www.amazon.com/Annihilation-No...

[Jim]

Matt wrote: "Just started Annihilation today. I'm only 5% into it, but it has a wonderfully creepy atmosphere and sense of cosmic dread."

That looks frikkin' awesome. My Goodreads friend Trudi wrote that Annihilation was for fans of well-written weird fiction and the unreliable narrator. Too bad I don't know anyone who likes that kinda thing.
Added. And I'm first in my library's queue for the same author's short story collection, City of Saints and Madmen.

Jason wrote: "Should we do that instead or stick with Simmons?"
?
I thought we were reading Monica Seles this month.



No seriously, what's the meaning of this?

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

We're talking about doing a Halloween episode.

[Jim]

Jason wrote: "We're talking about doing a Halloween episode."
You mean a Halloween special. I hope you make it happen.

[Jeppe]

Do it.

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

I'm good with Annihilation. They've got it at my library, which is always a bonus.

[Lawrence]

Annihilation is so good. I've read all three this year and they were fantastic.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

I came across an article about a game written by one of my favorite writers, Thomas M. Disch, and it sparked a desire to re-read several of his novels and short works. Disch, sadly, turned into a not-very-nice person in his later life, plagued by physical ailments and financial problems, and he ended up shooting himself in the face with a shotgun, alone and bitter. Before all that, though, this guy could write, and he produced some of the books most important to me in my 20's, and my life in general.

I plan to read: Camp Concentration, 334, and On Wings of Song for sure, and a probably a couple of his books I haven't read, like The Genocides. I highly recommend any or all of the first three to anyone unfamiliar with Disch's work.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I am slowly wading through Don Quixote, about a third of the way through. I was surprised by a lot of the scatological humor in the beginning sections. There's some stuff worthy of Family Guy involving vomiting and bowel movements that was hilarious. Surprised we haven't seen Mr. Herbert as Quixote and Peter Griffin as Sancho before.
I am in the second interpolated novella of the book. I really enjoyed the first one, "The Ill-Advised Curiosity," but find I am anxious to get back to the principal characters (and vomit) this time. My edition has wonderful footnotes and is a better translation than the one I read excerpts from for a ancient comedy course I took.
What's up with all of you readers?

[Jim]

Well, Matt, I'm glad you asked....

I finished three books this week, all of which I enjoyed for very different reasons.

Today I wrapped up Margaret Atwood's new short story collection Stone Mattress. The stories are mostly about quirky, well-to-do women in their seventies (Atwood is now 75), and begins unpromisingly with a triptych of tales about a minor poet and two of his former lovers. Some fantastic character building, and stiletto-sharp observations on aging, but I just wasn't feeling it.
I was lukewarm on the next three stories, but wow, I really loved the last three. My favorite was probably the title story, in which a black widow unexpectedly gets an opportunity to get even with a man who destroyed her life more than half a century ago. The finisher is "Torching the Dusties," in which a high-end retirement home is threatened by a burgeoning "Our Turn" movement of young people determined to clear the aging chaff so as to preserve scarce resources for themselves. Even the stories I didn't care for displayed just a wicked sense of humor and keen observations on the inevitable. More on Atwood shortly.

I also just finished George Washington, Spymaster, a diverting YA book about, no surprise, espionage in the Revolutionary War. I'm not big on reading war histories because they tend to go into numbing degrees of detail, so this one, written at a middle-school level, was more my speed. Contains a lot of cool bits about primitive spycraft, plus some snippets of code for the reader to decipher. What can I say, I dug it.

And I reread an old favorite, Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold. Happily, it still holds up. The plot has some problems, some uncanny coincidences, but screw it, because I love the characters and especially the stagecraft of old time magic. The novel owes a great deal to our old favorite Ragtime, but it's much lighter. I look forward to checking out Gold's follow-up, the Chaplin novel Sunnyside, and I'm in the mood to read some more magic-centric (?) books too, such as Christopher Priest's The Prestige.

But for now I have two other novels teed up: P.D. James's The Children of Men, and The Handmaid's Tale by the aforementioned Ms. Atwood
...because I'm in the mood for novels in which women can't conceive, for some reason...? Dr. Freud?

So, how you folks doing? Didja miss this rambly nonsense?

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

I missed it! The people demand more nonsense!

[Jim]

As long as the people recognize it as nonsense, that's all I ask.

Sorry, no review pending for The Haunted; the horror, the horror...

...not the good kind.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Got halfway through Don Quixote and decided to take a break with something modern. I am currently reading the Fletch prequel Fletch Won and enjoying the hell out of it. It's about his first big story as a twenty-something newb at the News-Tribune. I loved the 1st chapter when his editor lists off all of the jobs he's (briefly) had during his time there: headline writer, obits, wedding announcements. Each every example of his efforts made me guffaw out loud. Fun stuff.

[Sam]

Just finished Colorless Tsukuru and his years of pilgramage...awesome! Especially some of the stories within the story. Before that Deep, Down, Dark: the story of the 33 Chilean Miners...again, fantastic! Before that I finished Gone, Girl. I wanted to be a part of the cultural phenomenon. It was pretty good. Great twist in the middle. Scary stuff. Before that was Dune and the Millennium Trilogy. Right now, I just started the long, narrow road to the deep north. Oh...please check out Bone Clocks, Bookhouse! I loved it. Don't you love my reviews...so deep and full of well-reasoned criticism.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

I do love them, because they are here and they are you and you are here. And so few are.

Also: Mo'fuggin Bone Clocks is at the top of my list. In fact, I'm going to pick that up at Powell's this weekend because I need a book to read, and Mitchell is the man.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I've been reading through Bleeding Skull! to try and find some "good" movies for That's Cool, That's Trash!. Let me know if you have any recommendations!

[Jeppe]

I really want to read Colorless Tsukuru! It sounds like it's a return to form for Murakami, especially after 1Q84, which I didn't love. Maybe some day I'll get around to it once I've finished writing this damn dissertation.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Finished and loved Naked Lunch. Decided to indulge my pulp sweet-tooth and got yanked into Whip Hand, a wonderful crime novel about a kidnapping told from multiple characters' perspectives. Just like any good book of this genre, it's peopled with losers who make bad decisions, insuring a very bumpy ride. RIYL: Jim Thompson and the Coen Brothers' Blood Simple.

[Jim]

Today I finished The End of Everything by Megan Abbott, an author recommended by our pal Devin R. Bruce on his Listmakers podcast. The story is told from the point of view of a thirteen year old girl whose best friend Evie disappears, revealing the cracks in the facade of Evie's perfect family. Dark stuff. It has whetted my appetite for more Abbott.

I've been struggling to finish two collections: Neil Gaiman's latest, Trigger Warning, and Welcome to the Monkey House by Old Reliable, Kurt Vonnegut.

[Sam]

O.K. Boys...been on a tear lately. Since about April 14th, I've read The Girl on the Train, Lovely Bones, True Grit, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, All the Light we Cannot See, Redeployment and The Fault in Our Stars...all of them have been excellent to outstanding. I'd always wanted to read the Lovely Bones and it was a pretty trippy read...starting where most novels end and exploring the psychological wreckage of both surviving family and the killer...all from the viewpoint of heaven. The girl on the train was a fast-paced British thriller about an alcoholic woman whose version of events may or may not be real due to blackouts. True Grit is amazing start to finish and is a quick read. The movie is almost word-for-word the dialogue of the book. The voice of Mattie is unbelievable...up there with Holden...so is Rooster Cogburn's voice. Portis knew his craft and knew how people talked. My reading of the Unbearable Lightness of Being happened on accident in an incident that could've been in the book. "Sam wanted to read a book called All the Light We Cannot See. However, when Sam tried to recall the grandiose title, he only remembered the word "Light" and that it was grandiose. When he did a google search of novels containing the word light that had big titles, the book Unbearable Lightness of Being popped up and so he began to read. He thought the book was going to be about two kids coming of age in WWII like the reviews he'd read of All the Ligh.... The book even started with a reminiscence by the author of looking at a picture of WWII and being nostalgic. He thought the content of the book was light and comical - a bit Catch 22 and Confederacy of Dunces - but he kept reading anyway. It wasn't until he was a good 50 pages in that he realized - via a review he randomly heard on the radio of the novel All the Light We Cannot See - that he realized he was reading the wrong book. However, after researching the Unbearable Lightness of Being on Goodreads and seeing that is was a highly rated book, he decided to finish it." And it was awesome: a Bookhouse Reunion book for sure. Lots of deep kernels of wisdom and thought-provoking in 'dere. Next came the book I'd set out to read when I accidentally read Unbearable, which was All the Light...it was awesome, too. I think - and I'd others to weigh in - that this is on the fringe of being a YA book. Nevertheless, I was transported to the the worlds of Werner and Marie-Laure. I see why it won the Pulitzer. Redeployment started as a match being struck, then thrown in a gasoline soaked forest, and ending with a bed of coals miles long, seething and burning. Whew! It really brings to light a war we all knew was going on (and unnecessary from my point of view), but paid little attention to. I see why it won the National Book Award. Last but not least, The Fault in our stars: great YA read. Funny, witty, great lead protagonists, sad as hell, very satisfying. Next up: The Orphan Master's Son.

[Jim]

Sam's right, Unbearable Lightness would have made for some fascinating discussion. When I read it a million years ago (pre-Internet), I wished I had some folks with whom to chew it over. The only thing I remember about the film adaptation is Lena Olin in a bowler -- but what a memory it is.
The Lovely Bones, I had seriously mixed feelings about. Sebold tried to make a supernatural potboiler lyrical, with uneven results. I suspect the novel would suffer in a second reading.

And man, I have really, really gotta read True Grit one of these days.

Thanks for the post, Sam.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Thank you both! Sam, you sold me on pretty much every one of those books. We are hopeful for a return in around August for a book that has been much publicized for the last several months, but I agree that "Lightness" would make a lovely discussion book.

[Jim]

Jason wrote: "We are hopeful for a return in around August..."
Whaaaa?

Jason wrote: "...for a book that has been much publicized for the last several months..."
It's Fifty Shades of Grey, isn't it? You kinky boys. ;D
I'd put my money on this novel, due in July, as the book Jason is cryptically referring to.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

That's the plan, Stan.

[Jim]

Giggity.

[Sherry]

Sam wrote: "O.K. Boys...been on a tear lately. Since about April 14th, I've read The Girl on the Train, Lovely Bones, True Grit, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, All the Light we Cannot See, Redeployment an..."

I have read almost all of the titles you have listed and agree that they were all worth my time and effort. I recently read A Secret History and The Girl You Left Behind and Me Before You. All three were memorable and you may find them interesting.

[Sam]

Sherry Wrote:

I have read almost all of the titles you have listed and agree that they were all worth my time and effort. I recently read A Secret History and The Girl You Left Behind and Me Before You. All three were memorable and you may find them interesting.

Thanks for the recommendations, Sherry. I will put Me Before You in my Audible cue. Also, I have the Goldfinch in there as well. Do you recommend that ahead of A Secret History, or should I read History first? I've hear both are really good, but Goldfinch is a little better. Speaking of Donna Tartt, she narrates True Grit. Since Tartt is from Mississippi, she was a great Mattie! And Cogburn. You should give it a listen....it's a fast one!

[Sherry]

Thanks for the recommendation, I listen to audible books often and appreciate a good narrator. I can not say that either of Donna Tartt's book need to be read one before the other. They are not related however both have a main character that are similar. I think maybe A Secret History is my preference of the two. Again, thank you for the audio recommendation.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Started The Terror this week. So far, it's a lot of what I love: historical, nautical, and creepy with extreme conditions. It's a fictionalized account of Sir John Franklin's lost Arctic expedition from the 19th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin...

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I'll buy this when it's released stateside, no matter how, uh...
Let's just hope it would fit this better than it would my other show...
http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/09...

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Heh, good luck. The odds are not in your favor, I don't think.

[Sam]

All right, Bookhouse...been hammering back the literature. Thing is, I haven't been reading books, rather listening to them on audible (I drive for work about 60-90 minutes per day). I have the benefit of reading at the same pace that the narrators read...so it's going perfect for my auditory processing rate. I'll just dive in, here. My sister-in-law Jo is a huge Steinbeck fan. She told me that if she could read only one book for the rest of her life, it would be "East of Eden." As I looked at my Steinbeck reading past, I realized that the only two books of his I hadn't read were "East" and "Log from the Sea of Cortez." Boy, did I ever save the best for last. This may be my favorite novel of all time. I love Steinbeck's power of human observation. His accumulated life and writing experience were at their peak in this novel (he was 50 when it was published), and it is totally enriching. I have only 4.5 hours left to listen, and feel like I'm with my best friend. I can always say I'm a better person for having read most novels, but few have made me feel like I'm privy to such greatness. I feel ennobled, thrilled, excited, nostalgic, happy, free, sad, horrified...and he can be really freakin' funny! I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed.

I've also recently listened to "The Orphan Master's Son" Pulitzer Prize for 2013. Such a sweeping, painful, horrifying and eventually, slightly positive read. There are a few sequences of events I will never forget. Totally fascinating. Thank God I don't live in North Korea.

"Small Backs of Children" was tough to read...very graphic (violence, sex, body fluids), but still pretty good...actually, not sure how I feel about this one.

"Watership Down" was pretty boss, too. Loved the story, the end of was satisfying. Good early teens/YA book (I like YA books, btw).

Lastly, I finally read "The Last Picture Show." I'd read McMurtry before ("Lonesome Dove"), but I don't know...he reminds me of Steinbeck, without depth in his characters. I was surprised by how graphic it was...especially for its time.

Has anyone in the Bookhouse read "War and Peace?" I'm giving it serious consideration. It's always mentioned as one of the greatest books of all time. I've read a lot of Dostoyevsky (Matt and I took a class at U of O together), but have only read a little Tolstoy. Also, has anyone read the entire Gulag Archipelago? Giving it consideration as well. Love to hear from you. Sam

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Steinbeck is one of my favorites and I've never read Eden, either, Sam. I'll be correcting that ASAP.
I dig McMurtry. I haven't read Lonesome Dove, but I have read All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers, Last Picture Show, & Texasville.
I'm sure Dave has read W&P. I really need to read some Tolstoy.
I have had a 2-volume set of the Gulag Archipelago for years. If you decide to read it, let me know and we can compare notes while we read.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Thanks for keeping us abreast of your reading adventures as always, Sam.

Like a lot of teenagers, Steinbeck's big 2 made a huge impression on me, but somehow "Cannery Row" and some short stories are all I ever read of his after that. You definitely sold me on reading "East of Eden".

I loved Watership Down as a kid. I remember how disappointed I was that Shardik wasn't nearly as good.

I've read "Ivan Ilyich" (sp?), but nothing else by Tolstoy. Maybe someday. As far as the Gulag Archipelago, I've never even heard of that.