Chaos Reading discussion
It's all about you
>
What are you reading right now?
Mod
Let us know how you like it. I start twitching when I see it due to having slogged through the bloat that was Cryptonomicon.
Mod
2666 is the only other one you listed that I've read. I thought it earned its page length, but by the middle of the Juarez chapter you may want to jump off of a building. As you can probably ascertain from my last post, I thought Crytonomicon was in need of some serious editing. And the female characters made ME want to jump off of a building.
Mark wrote: ...Like he is trying to just a bit to hard to create atmosphere with cadence. "Ah. Yeah. That can be excruciatingly annoying. A pity. It's an astonishingly well-written book.
I started This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It yesterday, after waiting anxiously on the library hold list for a while. So far it doesn't disappoint!I'm also still working on Delta of Venus and The Windup Girl in little bits and pieces.
Riona wrote: "I started This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It yesterday, after waiting anxiously on the library hold list for a while. So far it doesn't disappointGood to hear! I recently finished "John Dies at the End" & really want to read this sequel. Need to request it from the library....
![[Name Redacted] | 139 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1347082397p1/287915.jpg)
Finished Southern Gods, Gary Gianni's Monstermen and Other Scary Stories, Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?, Aquaman, Vol. 1: The Trench, and Swamp Thing, Vol. 1: Raise Them Bones.
Mod
Good to hear! My copy arrived this week too. I've started High-Rise first though, since the group read's coming up. I really like it so far..
Also was given a copy of The Very Hungry Zombie: A Parody for my big four-OH. Ageing immaturely. It's the only way to do it.
I have the The Hangman's Daughter and The Dark Monk waiting on my Kindle."I'm only a little way in but I'm really enjoying The Dark Monk.
Mod
I'm about a third of the way through High-Rise for the upcoming Group Read and enjoying it. I think it'll make for a really good discussion too.
I'm going away tomorrow for work and am taking Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman away with me. I don't usually read short stories, but my partner bought me this anthology for my birthday and from the reviews, I think he chose well.
Mark wrote: "Ruby wrote: "...I'm going away tomorrow for work and am taking Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman away with me. I don't usually read short stories, but my partner bought me this anthology for my birthda..."I also am part of the "Fragile Things But Not Yet" club. I keep putting it off!
Mod
Glad you've read High-Rise in time for the group read. I should probably get back to reading it myself......!
Mod
Read Redshirts (Ho hum) and Swamp Thing, Vol. 6: Reunion (GORGEOUS).1/4 of the way through John Ajvide Lindqvist's Harbor -- so far it's gorgeous and fascinating.
Mod
1/4 of the way through John Ajvide Lindqvist's Harbor -- so far it's gorgeous and fascinating."
Oooooh. I look forwrd to that review. I loved Handling the Undead, and still have Little Star and Let the Right One In sitting on my shelf. I'll be keen to know what Harbor is like.
Ruby wrote: "Ian wrote: "Read Redshirts (Ho hum) and Swamp Thing, Vol. 6: Reunion (GORGEOUS).1/4 of the way through John Ajvide Lindqvist's Harbor -- so far it's gorgeous and fascinating."
Oooooh. I look for..."
I'm really enjoying it. I can tell you right off the bat, it's MUCH denser than either Let the Right One In or Handling the Undead, but it's a beautiful density. Much richer and more worthwhile (so far) than most of the books i read for October, so i wish I'd picked this instead. :P
I too have Harbour on my to-read shelf (literally). My wife says that the dark "O" in the title "Harbour" freaks her out. I'm looking forward to reading it as well as I really enjoyed Lindqvist's previous two books. Also, Perdido Street Station is one of Mieville's best in my opinion. Loved it. I'm reading Makers at the moment. It's been recommended to me by friends that loved it, but I'm plodding through it at the moment. The ideas are great but I'm not buying the character development or interaction.
Mod
Fair comment about Makers. Amazing ideas, but Doctorow has trouble even following them to their logical conclusion, although this book is better at that than most of his others. My review's here if you're interested (no spoilers): http://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/...
Mod
Wow. I can't help but wonder what the golem's swingin'.
Pipe?
A golf club?
A mean trombone? Man that golem can swing.....
Ruby wrote: "Sven wrote: "I too have Harbour on my to-read shelf (literally). My wife says that the dark "O" in the title "Harbour" freaks her out. I'm looking forward to reading it as well as I really enjoye..."I agree completely with your review. Very insightful. I've just finished Part 2 and it's starting to warm up a little for me but I can't see myself giving it any more than three stars at the moment. Hope I'm wrong...
Ruby wrote: "Theo wrote: "Starting The Golem's Mighty Swing"Wow. I can't help but wonder what the golem's swingin'.
Pipe?
A golf club?
A mean trombone? Man that golem can swing....."
Oh, the apostrophe is BEFORE the "s". I glanced at it and assumed it was about a couple of middle-aged golems who grew bored with married life and decided to throw a key party.
Finished Animal Man, Vol. 1: The Hunt. It is everything Snyder's "Swamp Thing" reboot failed to be.Past the halfway mark in Harbor and it just keeps on being wonderful.
Mod
Bahaha! I've been singing my Golem swing song all evening, BTW.
Sven - Doctorow's an interesting person. I have a real love/hate thing with that guy, and his books.
Ian - It drives me nuts that "Harbor" is spelled without the "u". It's not even a US book!
Ruby wrote: "Theo wrote: "Starting The Golem's Mighty Swing"Wow. I can't help but wonder what the golem's swingin'.
Pipe?
A golf club?
A mean trombone? Man that golem can swing....."
Sorry to disappoint...he's just swinging a baseball bat (for the "Stars of David" a barn-storming, beard-sporting, Jewish baseball team).
Ruby wrote: "Ian wrote: "Oh, the apostrophe is BEFORE the "s". I glanced at it and assumed it was about a couple of middle-aged golems who grew bored with married life and decided to throw a key party. ......."..."Yes, the alternate spelling is odd. Though at least they didn't change it the way they did for the original American version of Let the Right One In (which was shortened to "Let Me In" because publishers believed Americans wouldn't like the longer title...but was almost "Let Her In" till Lindqvist complained that a certain character wasn't actually female).
And yes, the actual plot DOES sound disappointing compared to our speculations. It also reminds me of that John Bellairs book, The Eyes of the Killer Robot.
More Than Midnight by Brian James Freeman
Mod
Yeah. A whole lot of books, movies & tv shows end up having to have a different name for US audiences. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is also one of the better known examples!
Ruby wrote: "Ian wrote: "at least they didn't change it the way they did for the original American version of Let the Right One In (which was shortened to "Let Me In" because publishers believed Americans would..."Some of the regionalizations in the texts themselves made sense ("pants" for instance means something else in the US, as does "getting off with"), but that one just didn't. They also made some REALLY strange changes to the text of the 4th book. Madness!
Mod
Finished The Golem's Mighty Swing, which was very light on Golems and very heavy on baseball. Still, an interesting look at the early years of baseball in the US.Starting The Big Skinny: How I Changed My Fattitude.
Ruby wrote: "I dunno. I tend to think, leave the book as it is and let the audiences figure out that there are differences in the world. :)"I'd agree for novels written for adults, and even teens (like in Melina Marchetta's books her characters "pash"--which I had to look up), but I think it makes sense to translate for novels like HP that are geared toward younger children. You expect adults/teens to have knowledge of cultural differences, or at least an idea that they exist and how to find a translation, but an 8-year-old reading a fantasy novel may not understand.
Mod
I'd agree for novels written for adults, and even teens..."
I have to disagree. I remember when I would encounter things like this when I was little, they would be confusing but intriguing and made things interesting. If the publishers thought there were too many Britishisms in Harry Potter, they could put a glossary in the back of the book then see how long it is before terms like 'pitch' and 'spanner' started showing up on American playgrounds.
I'm guessing the cool kids all ordered copies from England anyway :-)
Mod
I finished High-Rise yesterday and am now looking to read everything I can get my hands on my J.G. Ballard.
In the meantime, I've started This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It and am still going with Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. I have to say, I love that he tells you how/when/why he wrote each story. It does make it more interesting. The thought of Gaiman being roped in to a table in public to collaborate with Harlan Ellison makes me happy :)
Just finished Gone Girl and thought it was fantastic. Review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Mod
Oh good. I just TBR'd that as "Must-Buy". Yes, I'm still adding to that!
Ruby wrote: "Oh good. I just TBR'd that as "Must-Buy". Yes, I'm still adding to that!"I wouldn't expect any less!
Finished Harbor, and it left me emotionally exhausted so I'm waiting till I've recovered to read something else.
Starting The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. Looks interesting, if a bit depressing...the book jacket does promise that the author "offers hope" in the midst of the all the evil, so we'll see.
Mod
Oh. I was hoping it was more along the lines of, "How to turn good people evil..." Ah, well. I'll keep looking. :)
Ruby wrote: "Theo wrote: "Starting The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. Looks interesting, if a bit depressing...the book jacket does promise that the author "offers hope" in the midst o..."In which case, Ruby, Southern Gods might be up your alley...
Decided to read some of sci-fi and am happy so far with The Mote in God's Eye.I think my inner xenaphobe is coming out...not sure if I trust those Moties!!
Mod
Bahaha! I, of course, went looking for more!
I'm currently about 200 pages into White Teeth - Zadie Smith. This book is fantastic, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read it.
Over half-way through The Bible of Unspeakable Truths. I'm really enjoying it, in part because it's hard to differentiate his irony from his genuine beliefs. He takes nothing seriously. Everything is a joke. Having spent the last two decades surrounded by people who are OBSESSIVELY SINCERE AND EARNEST, it's a relief to read something by someone who sees everything as ridiculous.Also, I can't seem to get through "After Dark" and I'm not sure why. Manly Wade Wellman is a great writer, I love his work, but it's so put-down-able. There's no sense of urgency to reading something by him. I always enjoy it, but it's something easily set down in favor of a more urgent text.
Gotten addicted to reading A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin!Would definitely recommend it! =)
Chaos Reading
Books mentioned in this topic
Egalia's Daughters: A Satire of the Sexes (other topics)Infinite Jest (other topics)
Infinite Jest (other topics)
All the Light We Cannot See (other topics)
The Handmaid’s Tale (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Felix Francis (other topics)Ali Smith (other topics)
Sebastian Junger (other topics)
Annie Proulx (other topics)
Elizabeth Gilbert (other topics)
More...
It's been on my shelf for a year. I want to read it, but I have so many other books to get through and it's so HUGE.