the books we read

[headhunter]

Just finished The Girl Who Played with Fire - 'twas ok.  Need a break from the trilogy so I just started Stephen King's latest - 11/22/63.  I've heard really good things about this one.

just finished the king book this week.  long and heavy but a good read.

[lucylew]

Wound up fitting in "Comfort me with Apples" by Ruth Reichl before starting 11/22/63 (lots of time to read in Hawaii!).  I'm about 100 pages into the Stephen King book and I must say I am really enjoying it.  I used to read a lot of his stuff as a young adult - it's probably been 20 years since I've picked up one of his books - glad the ol' guy still has it!

[blucas]

Has anyone read What it is Like to go to War by Karl Marlantes?  I just downloaded it onto my e-reader. It looks like it would be a really good nonfiction companion to Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. I'm going to work on it this weekend, but I've got a feeling it's not going to be a book I can read straight through. I'll have to set it aside and come back to it on occasions. Cormac McCarthy's The Road was like that too. Although I forced myself to keep reading it because if I had drug reading that book out too long, I might have gone off the deep end - perhaps the most disturbing, depressing book I've ever read.

loved The Things They Carried---(did you also read Tomcat Love?)

for some reason didn't care for The Road (yeah, i know i'm alone in that)

Nope, you're not alone about hating The Road. I wanted to kill myself while I was reading  it. It was so depressing. That poor little kid. The mother was better off having killed herself before the book even started.

I haven't read Tomcat Love. I'll check it out. O'Brien's Going After Cacciato is really good too.

I read The Road while my kids were pretty young (they are 11 now)...it certainly brings out a bunch of conflicting emotions but hard to put down nevertheless.  I too had to take "emotional breaks" a few times to keep sane.  When I got close to the end, it took me about a week to work up the energy and mindset to dig in and finish it.  Somehow, the end offered a slight glimmer of hope, but maybe I'm off there.  I do love how McCarthy can paint such vivid pictures using very few words. 

[Fully]

Sometimes I like to read graphic novels like Persepolis and Maus. I just bough My Friend Dahmer which is about Jeffrey Dahmer as told by a guy who was friends with him in high school. It looks rather interesting. I'll let you know when I finish it. I must say that the graphic novel medium isn't my favorite way to read, but sometimes there are some books that lend themselves to the format. Does anyone else ever read graphic novels?

[johnnYYac]

I've delved into Watchmen, 300, The Dark Knight, and 30 Days of Night.  I also read all 90+ issues of The Walking Dead in a week, so it was almost like a graphic novel.  Loved 'em all.

[Jon T.]

i read Lonesome Dove years ago and feel in love SO HARD. such a good book that i almost wanted to cry over finishing the book.

Lonesome Dove is one of my favorite books.  :)

I figure there should be a religion based on the wisdom of Gus, or at least a calendar with an awesome one-liner of his for each day.

I just picked up The Big Sleep from the library a few days ago, haven't started it yet.

I started reading this book based on this these posts.  I am hooked big time.  I'm not an avid reader, but when I start a book I was wonder why I don't read more than I do.  That being said, the character development is incredible.  This is also the first book I've literally laughed out loud at.  I ordered it on my phone so I had no idea how long it was.  I was kind of shocked to see it was 4,500 pages!  I'm only about half way and already not looking forward to it ending.  Thanks for the recommendation. 

i'm reading again--about 200 pages in..!
i'm headed home to visit my folks this weekend and have about 14 hours on a bus total-so i should get through a big chunk of it..

How many pages is the "real" book?  Like I said, I'm reading on my phone so the pages aren't accurate.  I'm a little past the Irishman's "accident" in the creek.  Freaked me the eff out! I am deathly afraid of snakes.

That's great that you're enjoying it Jon! I've got a paperback copy, and I think it's about 1,000 pages...it's a big boy.

There are only about 4 or 5 books that I LOVE, and Lonesome Dove is absolutely one of them. For my money, it's the greatest American novel ever written, and it's just such a BIG, heroic, funny American story. The setting and characters and dialouge, all done so well, and the pace for such a big book is surprisingly fast and always engaging. And Gus would be the starting pitcher on the all-time-great literary characters baseball team.

Finished this sucker last night.  What a fun journey!  I've always said I would live in the "wild west" if I could go back in time and this book put me right there.   I've even been calling my wife "ma'am" while nodding my head and asking her, "mind if I get a poke?"  for the last two weeks and she is OVER it.    ;D  I thought it ended kind of abruptly, but overall was very happy with it.   

Have any of you read any of the others in the series?  If so, how do they compare.  I'm not sure if I want to dive deeper into or just leave it as is?  Thoughts?

[Crispy]

i read Lonesome Dove years ago and feel in love SO HARD. such a good book that i almost wanted to cry over finishing the book.

Lonesome Dove is one of my favorite books.  :)

I figure there should be a religion based on the wisdom of Gus, or at least a calendar with an awesome one-liner of his for each day.

I just picked up The Big Sleep from the library a few days ago, haven't started it yet.

I started reading this book based on this these posts.  I am hooked big time.  I'm not an avid reader, but when I start a book I was wonder why I don't read more than I do.  That being said, the character development is incredible.  This is also the first book I've literally laughed out loud at.  I ordered it on my phone so I had no idea how long it was.  I was kind of shocked to see it was 4,500 pages!  I'm only about half way and already not looking forward to it ending.  Thanks for the recommendation. 

i'm reading again--about 200 pages in..!
i'm headed home to visit my folks this weekend and have about 14 hours on a bus total-so i should get through a big chunk of it..

How many pages is the "real" book?  Like I said, I'm reading on my phone so the pages aren't accurate.  I'm a little past the Irishman's "accident" in the creek.  Freaked me the eff out! I am deathly afraid of snakes.

That's great that you're enjoying it Jon! I've got a paperback copy, and I think it's about 1,000 pages...it's a big boy.

There are only about 4 or 5 books that I LOVE, and Lonesome Dove is absolutely one of them. For my money, it's the greatest American novel ever written, and it's just such a BIG, heroic, funny American story. The setting and characters and dialouge, all done so well, and the pace for such a big book is surprisingly fast and always engaging. And Gus would be the starting pitcher on the all-time-great literary characters baseball team.

Finished this sucker last night.  What a fun journey!  I've always said I would live in the "wild west" if I could go back in time and this book put me right there.   I've even been calling my wife "ma'am" while nodding my head and asking her, "mind if I get a poke?"  for the last two weeks and she is OVER it.    ;D I thought it ended kind of abruptly, but overall was very happy with it.   

Have any of you read any of the others in the series?  If so, how do they compare.  I'm not sure if I want to dive deeper into or just leave it as is?  Thoughts?

The others in this series are OUTSTANDING, and you will be amazed with them if you liked Lonesome Dove. Dead Man's Walk is incredible.


Personal note: I was once married to a girl from Abilene, and we used to drive through Archer City every time we went to visit her family, and I never once stopped at his ginormous bookstores. Still kicking myself. For marrying her in the first place, of course. I can go to those bookstores anytime.

[dragonboy]

Just finished The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

[tdb810]

In true middle-aged housewife form, I am reading 50 Shades of Gray.  OH MY GOOOOOOOODNESSSSS!!!!    :P ::) :D

[wolof7]

Just learned John Irving has a new book coming out "In One Person" May 8th...

...after the dissappointing 'Last Night in Twisted River' let's hope he's back on his game...finally got my wife to read my favorite by him: Hotel New Hampshire which isn't a particularly bad place to start with Irving, however his most famous being The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and The Cider House Rules are mosts entry points...

Here's Irving in so many words: Bears, Vienna, New England, Confused Sexuality, Writers or Artists, Wrestling, Boarding Schools, F'ed-up sexual Situations, disfigurement, incest, absent parents, deadly accidents, prostitutes, tattoos. Charles Dickens

[Fully]

Just learned John Irving has a new book coming out "In One Person" May 8th...

...after the dissappointing 'Last Night in Twisted River' let's hope he's back on his game...finally got my wife to read my favorite by him: Hotel New Hampshire which isn't a particularly bad place to start with Irving, however his most famous being The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and The Cider House Rules are mosts entry points...

Here's Irving in so many words: Bears, Vienna, New England, Confused Sexuality, Writers or Artists, Wrestling, Boarding Schools, F'ed-up sexual Situations, disfigurement, incest, absent parents, deadly accidents, prostitutes, tattoos. Charles Dickens

That pretty much sums it up. Although I've read every book by him, I wish he could expand just a little. Reading an Irving novel is a little like listening to AC/DC. It's good, but it sounds almost like all of the other ones; plus, the themes and motifs are exactly the same.

[Devil Ledbetter]

So I found this in the basement this morning. I'd stolen it a couple of decades ago from my ex husband, who'd stolen it from his brother, who stole it at a peace walk.



I'm re-reading it. Although a lot of references are pretty dated, on the whole it's surprisingly relevant to what's going on in the world today. Not only that, since I'm writing a novel that's set in the early '70s it's a treasure trove of background info into that era.

So, what are you reading?

[e_wind]

I just officially finished A Storm of Seords. Holy shit.

Game of thrones watchers beware of SPOILERS

The last 400 pages are insane. Robb and Cately at the Red Weding. Jofferys Wedding.
Tyrion and Tywins last scene. Sansa and Petyrs last scene. The epilogue with Catelyn. Stannis ending another book like a goddamn badass. Jon Snows new title (though not the one Id hoped he chose).

Arya ended boring. Dany is annoying. Her story drags on like no other. I wish Tyrion wouldnt have said what he did to Jamie, but that's one of the great things Bout these books. George RR Martin has no problem writing things he knows his audience won't like.


I'm already not excited about book 4, cause its all about Geyjoys I'm hearing.

[MarkW]

Reposted from the No(Ctrl) forum:

Recent reads:

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (excellent, and would definitely appeal to fans of Cormac McCarthy)

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (again excellent, dark comedy)

The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst (not sure why it got such praise. However, if you're looking for a gay version of Downton Abbey you're in luck).

And also reread American Rust by Philipp Meyer. Can't recommend that highly enough.

Currently reading Everybody Loves Our Town, about the late 80s / early 90s Seattle music scene.  It has some interesting (if overly detailed) background to the "Grunge" scene.

[jaye]

I just officially finished A Storm of Seords. Holy shit.

Game of thrones watchers beware of SPOILERS

The last 400 pages are insane. Robb and Cately at the Red Weding. Jofferys Wedding.
Tyrion and Tywins last scene. Sansa and Petyrs last scene. The epilogue with Catelyn. Stannis ending another book like a goddamn badass. Jon Snows new title (though not the one Id hoped he chose).

Arya ended boring. Dany is annoying. Her story drags on like no other. I wish Tyrion wouldnt have said what he did to Jamie, but that's one of the great things Bout these books. George RR Martin has no problem writing things he knows his audience won't like.


I'm already not excited about book 4, cause its all about Geyjoys I'm hearing.

ooh - those are actually good spoilers because it's nice to know who is still alive.   ;D

I'm just about to finish book #1. 

[exist10z]

Recently finished - The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon.  Excellent.

Currently Reading - Deadeye Dick by Vonnegut.  One of the last Vonnegut's that I haven't read.

[pawpaw]

I'll be picking this one up tomorrow:

[Fully]

Currently reading Being Gay is Disgusting which is a satirical look at the bible. I cringe everytime I see the title of the book on my table. It's rather funny though.

[he.who.forgets]

Keroac's On the Road

[wolof7]

Reposted from the No(Ctrl) forum:
And also reread American Rust by Philipp Meyer. Can't recommend that highly enough.

This has been on my list for a while I should pick it up.

I currently broke down and conceded to the masses and am on the second book of the Millenium series Girl who Played with Fire. Loved the Dragon Tattoo movie and was enthralled with the heroine. It's a really fun, easy, fast read so far which is why I assume so many people ate it up.