What are you reading?

Murikami always takes a while but 1Q84 took the cake with me too. The Pale King by David Foster Wallace was similair in that it took me forever to get through, but was always captivating enough to keep me coming back.

Curently reading the new Herman Kock - Dear Mr M

 

Infinite Jest is probably better intro, Pale King is literly about the boring and mundane life of a IRS employee. Infinite Jest is a classic, but if you wanted an easy read and intro - Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is collection of short stories, easier to skip around or bail on.

 

lit crowd defenitly on the David Foster Wallace being end all, kept me away too. Jonathan Safran Foyer similiar deal. Im more of a down and dirty Bukowski guy

 

He might have been an asshole to some people but he could write a good story, a really good story. You can turn his short stories into plot summaries and use those as Blues songs. Bukowski makes you appreciate the rawness of life when you have been pampered by refined classics, almost in a Medieval way...

Medieval stories that have survived are sometimes little gems of rawness and humour.

 

You guys are too refined... lol
I'm reading: NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories

Surprisingly darker than I thought, still funny bits.

 

Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange by Susanna Clarke. Slight bit of academic dryness which was likely the author's intent, especially since she'd occasionally reference fictional academic works. Although, as I'm writing this post, it has just occurred to me that Mr Norrell is kind of like a socially awkward Jude, with his petty, selfish and overcontrolling behaviour, and any slight to himself he considers a slight to all English magic.

I must say that this book might not be for you if you aren't fond of long footnotes. It sat quite well with me, though, as I had always wanted to insert footnotes in school essays so as to include the spontaneous backstories without breaking the flow, but alas it was quite impossible to do so neatly on a foolscap writing paper.

 

Fat Mike has been through some stuff - would love to hear your impressions of the book when your done. NOFX fan I assume?

 

I've heard of them since I was in high school but never got into their music (more of a Bad Religion/Face to Face/more melodic punk). I like them but not a big fan. Still I've seen them live a few times and like their banter and energy and once I saw this, decided to give it a chance and man... I'm actually more surprised with Smelly! Jesus H! Lol. Have a bit more to read but definitely like the structure of the book, their "love" (even if they don't express it ) is evidentand the stories are just out almost unbelievable! Like Mike says, I believe "mole men" have been guiding them this far!

 

I'm kinda jealous of you, and sphinx, with your taking ages to get through books "problems". Getting through them quickly is annoying, as you're always running out of stuff to read; I've been known to just demand that people I trust tell me what to read next, when I really can't find anything,

If you like what might be termed "fucked-up literary fiction" like Murakami and DFW, you may will enjoy "The Crying Of Lot 49" by Thomas Pynchon - it's a slim volume, though weirdly dense.. a bit of a TARDIS book, somehow. (I don't recommend the one that always springs to mind, "Gravity's Rainbow", as it bored my tits off.)

Dangerous thread.. I have loads to stuff that I'd love to enthuse about, some of it gloriously trashy.. but I shall try not to go nuts right away.

 

Then get Murakami's "24 Stories" and/or "The Elephant Vanishes." His short stories are unpredictable and sometimes take dark twists you do not anticipate.

It is rare to enjoy an author for his or her novels and short stories alike. I read both the bundles and I really liked the variety of the stories. When I was short on time I could still enjoy a good short story.

 

I shall, always looking for stuff to shovel onto the Kindle, and often building up Kindle credits with no-rush Prime deliveries.

So you like short stories? *rubs hand in an evil manner*

"Barcelona Plates" by Alexi Sayle is probably my favourite book of short stories,,, evah. They're a little dark and twisted, but I'm sure you can cope.

 

Noted, thank you.

 

For that I have Neil Gaiman. Extremely versatile, and his best stories read as though they were unravelled rather than planned (and I believe he described his efforts as being similar to that effect).

 

Just finished Metro 2033 and now I'm reading the sequel. Atmospheric, unique dystopia. Gotta give the game versions another chance. Back in the days they were buggy as hell.

 

hello,

started with:



next came:



the first is not the best by that master, but his intent to write the Great American Novel as a detective story still fascinates me.

the second is a brilliant ride.

 

damn all you guys are reading serious lit books. I miss the days when we only discussed trashy fantasy fiction about muscle wizards exploding dracoliches.

maybe we should all read something like this

 

i also mostly read scifi and fantasy. I got back into reading regularly about 8 months ago after I got back from korea. Read the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, then I read a quick military sci fi series called the Heritage Fleet by Nick Webb that wasnt half bad.

I most recently started reading Malazan Book of the Fallen though, its one of the other staples of the Epic Fantasy genre, and i figured now that it was complete it was high time for me to start. Im about a quarter of the way through Gardens of the Moon.

 

I'm a big fan of that series but somehow lost the will to continue it about two books before the end. It's a real long hall. Only wheel of time was as massive.

 

Well I'm in luck then, I've trained my entire life for this! I started reading the Wheel of Time when I was 9 or 10

 

OK, well, you people who like some sci-fi and fantasy... I really strongly recommend that you read "The Atrocity Archives" by Charles Stross. It's very smart, funny genre pastiche stuff, packed with nerdy jokes, and a bit of a gateway drug. Totally and gloriously pulpy, and I love it to death..