Chaos Reading discussion
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What are you reading right now?
Just finished Titian: His Life recommend for the history and the art. impeccable research but close to 800 pages!for a change of pace, I'm reading Wolves of the Calla now
Gregory wrote: "Currently listening to Dune (The original) and reading Havoc by Jack Du Brul. This is my first post, but I look forward to discussions."Ah that is funny! I'm currently reading Dune. I must say I've sped through it. Im surprised at how engrossed I became in the storyline after they arrived in Arrakis.
Im currently reading Dune but as Im almost finished with it, Im looking for the book I plan on starting. Any suggestions would be welcome. I tend to stay with things of a sci-fy/fantasy type nature but I'll read anything if interested enough. I was thinking about starting The Gunslingerbut as I've gotten most of the way through this series I'd like something a little different.
Mod
Hi Aresa - The group's book shelves might be a good place to look for recommended reading :)
Ruby wrote: "I finished Gone Girl yesterday and am currently reading The Fault in Our Stars and A Corner of White on Kindle (mini-YA binge. don't judge me.)Also hoping to finish off one of my half-read paper ..." If you are on a YA binge, and have not read this, you might try The Age of Miracles. It is very well written, again, someone whose prose is almost like poetry. Sorry to hear about your kitty. Hope there will be an improvement soon.
Still reading Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief.This book is taking me back to the late 50's when a large segment of the scientific community believed in things like psychosomatic illness and 'willed' healing. I had many nasty allergies at the time and can remember arguing with my Mom the nurse, that all I needed was a psycho therapist (that may have been true on another level) and my mom wondering how she could have raised such an idiot child (I was 15 at the time). Almost done with Perdido Street Station.
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Karen wrote: "Still reading Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief.This book is taking me back to the late 50's when a large segment of the scientific community believed in things like psy..."It's amazing what was passed off as "scientific" in years passed. Eugenics, "miasma", etc.
Mod
I just listened to a great interview with the author on 'Fresh Air', here's a link if you're interested: Going Clear. Book sounds really interesting.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit I starting reading 50 Shades because someone gave it to me. I'm not all that crazy about it so I don't think I'll finish it.
Whitney wrote: "Karen wrote: "Still reading Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief.This book is taking me back to the late 50's when a large segment of the scientific community believed in t..." Thanks, I will check it out. The book is good, Hubbard was a meglomaniac for sure.
Alison wrote: "I'm a little embarrassed to admit I starting reading 50 Shades because someone gave it to me. I'm not all that crazy about it so I don't think I'll finish it." Don't be embarressed, I am betting there are many, many people with these books hidden in the closet or in a dark corner on their Kindle. I will admit to reading them all and for me, they almost worked if I read them as comic writing and not serious fiction.
Thanks Karen! It's not so much that I'm embarrassed because people will think I'm a perv, most people who know me well already think that anyway. It's more like I'm eating a big bag of cheetos when without much more effort I could have a healthy gourmet meal. My serious reading list is long, but sometimes the convenient bedside erotic fluff wins:)
Read Storm Front, 52, Vol. 4, and Demon Knights, Vol. 1: Seven Against the Dark.Started Swordspoint (which everyone seems to love but which has been awful so far) and The Unwritten, Vol. 6: Tommy Taylor and the War of Words.
I am now reading The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro and for my English class, I'm reading Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.
I just finished Gun Machine and loved it. I remember reading the Transmetropolitan series back in the day, and thinking something like: "Damn. I wish Warren Ellis wrote regular novels in addition to graphic novels." Crooked Little Vein had escaped my awareness until after Gun Machine was released, to larger fanfare I assume. I've TBR'd it with high priority.I just started A Storm of Swords and I am in it to win it. Had me seriously considering faking a case of the flu yesterday to stay home and knock out a large chunk of it.
Mod
Gun Machine looks awesome. I'm not a big murder mystery fan, but this looks a fair bit more dark and intriguing than most.
Just started "Wild: Lost and Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed. So far so good!
Ruby wrote: "Gun Machine looks awesome. I'm not a big murder mystery fan, but this looks a fair bit more dark and intriguing than most..."I'd say that's definitely a fair characterization. I'm not really into murder mysteries either.
Another book added to my TBR list is The Miniature Wife: and Other Stories. Charlie Jane Anders from io9 wrote a cool review: This book is like reading Kafka on Ketamine.
I am currently reading book 1 of the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries series.So far I am loving it
Drum roll please. I finally finished Perdido Street Station . You can read my review at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... Also, I have added The Painted Girls to my reading list. This is the story of the ballerina who modeled for Degas during the Belle Epoch period in France and her sister.
Reading Eden by David Holley and it is great so far. Very strange but in a good way. I will let you know what I think when I finish. - Cheers
A. wrote:I've finished The Butcher Boy(...)I'm now reading You Alone May Live: One Women's Journey Through the Aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide.
Interesting selections. I'm definitely going to check out BB. I'll have to wait awhile before i read any more about the Rwandan genocide though. I've got
Génocidé but I can't brring myself to read it just yet.
Mod
I'm currently reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Something nice and gentle is in order.
Swordspoint was one of the worst books I've ever read. I know Kushner can do better, having read other books by her, but for some reason THIS is the book that she's known for. Yech.Finished The Unwritten, Vol. 6: Tommy Taylor and the War of Words, Animal Man, Vol. 2: Animal vs. Man, Fables, Vol. 18: Cubs in Toyland, and Monster Hunter International -- all of which were varying degrees of awesome.
Blue Beetle, Vol. 1: Shellshocked was unfortunately disappointing.
And The Hero of Ages was far, FAR better than it had any right to be, given how unremarkable the first volume in the series was, and how horrible the second volume proved to be. Sanderson needs to spend as much time working on his characterization, plotting & pacing as he does on executing his unquestionably ambitious ideas, because this third book was so good it was almost unrecognizable.
Now I'm reading Tigana, Monster Hunter Vendetta, and The Devil and the Jews: the medieval conception of the Jew and its relation to modern antisemitism.
Hello, all. Long time no see, huh? I'm hoping I'm in a place where I can find time to keep up with what's going on here at Good Reads.So, that said......I'm reading The Last Precinct byPatricia Cornwell. I've been snatching up a ton of older books at flea markets and the like so it'll be awhile before I read anything remotely new. Well, unless something fantabulous is released.
I'm back!About halfway through The Girl Giant. Meh. I'm super bored, but still hoping it will improve.
Mod
About halfway through The Girl Giant. Meh. I'm super bored, but still hoping it will improve."
How was Colombia?
Tracy wrote: "Almost done with July, July..it's okay. Will startEverything Is Illuminatedsoon."Woohoo! :-)
Recently finished I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution (very scattered, but a lot of fun) and The Historian (elegant, languid, but still with the ability to creep me out).Now starting Hattie Big Sky and Salt: A World History.
I'm just going to go ahead and leave this here:2012 Sci-Fi/Fantasy short story recommendations by
Rachel Swirsky
Theo wrote: "Recently finished I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution (very scattered, but a lot of fun) and The Historian (elegant, languid, but still with the ability to creep me ou..."I might be tempted to read that MTv thing. And I felt mildly dissatisfied with July, July.
Finished Monster Hunter Vendetta, Blue Beetle, Vol. 2: Road Trip, Blue Beetle, Vol. 3: Reach for the Stars.For some reason I decided to read Heir to the Empire after trying to ignore it for 22 years, and you know what? It's actually pretty good. Apparently before George Lucas got his hands back on the Star Wars universe, there was some dang good stuff going on in there. It's not Shakespeare, but it's pretty much on par with the original three films so far. Neat.
I finished Tempest and just starting Vortex .the second one is not as good. I'm hoping it will get better.
Mod
I thought the Marlowe was a bit anemic as far as the Faust legend went, but enjoying the Goethe a lot, although occasionally getting bogged down in the translated poetry. Boneshaker has an uphill battle for me to start loving it, as I don't have a great impression of the writing or the depth of the characters from the first few chapters.
Whitney wrote: "I've been doing a whole 'Faust' themed read over with another GR group. Started with the original Faust chapbook (not even going to try and find the GR link) then read the Marlowe Doctor Faustus, n..."When I was a Freshman in College, I took a course on "Faust in Music" -- we read every version of the legend and then listened to all the operas & musical performances based around it. I can honestly say that was the only worthwhile course I took that year.
Mod
Gargh! That's a shame, since we're reading The Pale King for the next group read! I would've liked to start DFW with Infinite Jest too though.
Mod
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Very cool! Do you remember what all the 'Faust's' you read were? This group reads includes the ones mentioned above as well as Thomas Mann's, David Mamet's, and The Master and Margarita (which I highly recommend). Also a couple of films (Mephisto and Murnau's Faust). You should pop on over and check out the discussion. So far it's pretty sparse, but hopefully will pick up with The Master and Margarita. The group is "Brain Pain".
I have embarked on Malevil, in English, I found a great used copy, ordered it, it arrived, I tear the package open and turn to the first page...and lo, it was in German. So I have to send it back and scour the interwebs and to find a copy in English ( turned into a challenge, lots of German copies out there ). Found it ordered it, thus far the prose (yes prose, it was written in French originally) is really lovely. Lets see how lovely he makes the end of the world.
Mod
Great characters and story, and a hilarious parody of the arts and society in Soviet Russia (even though I suspect I only really got a small percentage of the parody).
If that's not enough, a hard-drinking, pistol-packing demonic cat named Behemoth. Really, that alone should sell it.
I am reading Bring Up The Bodies ..hopefully will end it this weekend.
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)
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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)
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Just finished From Pitch to Publication, which will be a nice guide to being a writer should I escape the '99.5% of manuscripts sent to lit agents in the slush pile', um... D:!