I finished Wurthering Heights, A lot different to what I thought it would be. Next up The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Always loved the King Arthur legends!
@MightyDemon82 I'm interested to hear what you think about "The Once and Future King" when you're done. I've always been fascinated by the Arthurian legends myself, but I've never found any good books on it. I wouldn't mind something akin to Neil Gaiman's "Norse Mythology", where he retells the old Norse legends for a modern audience. The books by White looks to be much the same for King Arthur & co, so hopefully they're good
@FuriousMachine I'll let you know my thoughts when I'm done with it. I need to read more Gaiman. I own the Sandman omnibuses and American Gods. other than that I've only seen the adaptations like Coraline!
@MightyDemon82 I'm not that versed in Gaiman's works myself. I have read the Sandman TPBs up to and including "Dream Country", which is, coincidentally, pretty much where season 1 of the fantastic Netflix show left off. So, I'm going to try to get and catch up on the rest before season 2 comes out.
Additionally, I've read "Norse Mythology" and "American Gods", both of which I really enjoyed, but it's been a while since I read AG, so I may consider a re-read on that. "Good Omens", which he wrote with Terry Pratchett, is one of my all time favourite books and is absolutely brilliant. Read it three or four times and will probably read it again
And that's pretty much it. Haven't read or seen "Coraline", which I really should, I think.
@MightyDemon82 I definitely will There's a 15th anniversary screening of it in a local theatre, but that is unfortunately when I'm visiting bonnie Scotland. Which reminds me, you wouldn't happen to be familiar with the movie theatres in Edinburgh, by any chance? Alien: Romulus comes out a few days before we hit Edinburgh, so I'm considering seeing it there and I would love some recommendations for the cinema best suited for big spectacle films
About halfway through Moscow Stations now, still amusing and enlightening so far. Basically about a drunken train ride with lots of highbrow references scattered throughout.
"I think the best art doesn’t preach the truth, but encourages viewers to discover what truth is on their own." - Shinique Smith
@FuriousMachine I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. I've yet to experience the cinema scene in Edinburgh. I'll be going to see the Final Fantasy Orchestra in November, so will be checking out the bookstores then. Usually when I'm in Edinburgh, it's mostly for bands or alcohol related!
Finished Moscow Stations ,it got quite good towards the end, with non-cliche' elements being introduced and I quite enjoyed the nature of the ending, the culmination of the build-up of the whole book. Highly recommend.
@MightyDemon82 I would have to say that my trips to Edinburgh are mostly "touristy things to do" related, but I can relate to going with a strict band/alcohol agenda: flew over for Emilie Autumn/Sieben in 2008 and The Birthday Massacre in 2017, both excellent, and far from dry, long weekends. (Also went to see Scotland's own Capercaillie in St. Andrews Botanical Gardens in 2016, another brilliant trip)
I also just remembered that I have indeed experienced Edinburgh's cinemas, but that was back when "The Phantom Menace" and "Austin Powers 2" screened, so I expect things have changed since then
I'm glad you mentioned bookstores; reminds me that I must try to remember visiting the Waterstones on Princes Street if it's still there. I have really fond memories of it from my very first visit to Edinburgh. Will add it to my "must do when in Edinburgh" checklist (with the ambition of picking up at least one book), along with "cocktails at Voodoo Rooms" and "haggis at Black Rose Tavern".
Good grief, I'm so ready to go now that I'm fit to burst! Just another week or so left
I just finished Nick Cutter's The Deep (Goodreads page), which is not a biography of everyone's favourite waterlogged supe, but rather a horror novel set at the very bottom of the ocean. It wasn't bad, but I really couldn't connect with it and, as a result, couldn't really muster any enthusiasm reading it. Your mileage may vary, but for me it only merited two stars in my Goodreads review.
It didn't sour me on the author or anything, but with all the books out there desperately needing to be read, I probably won't prioritize his other novels, unless one of them should come highly recommended from any of my trusted sources
Having recently finished Peter May's "China Thrillers", it's time to start in on a new series and I've chosen Dan Wells' "John Cleaver" series, starting with I Am Not a Serial Killer (Goodreads page), which looks interesting
Wow! Just a little over a day later and I've already finished I Am Not a Serial Killer (Goodreads page). This is definitely a record for me for a novel close to 300 pages long, and I obviously loved it! The protagonist, John Wayne Cleaver, is a teenager living with his mother, a mortician, in an apartment above the mortuary in the small town of Clayton, also referred to as "Nowhere, USA". He is obsessed with serial killers and in addition to all the things a normal teenager struggles with, he is also a sociopath who has erected a mental wall, behind which he works hard to contain his very own serial killer. So when a real serial killer comes to town, things get... interesting...
I typically don't bother writing up synopses for these posts, figuring that interested parties will click through the links and find out for themselves, but this one was just too good to pass up
The novel is incredibly compelling and you keep wondering where it will go with its troubled protagonist, who is both likeable and frightening, with a lovely dark sense of humour. Easy five stars, this.
Next up is Neil Gaiman's Coraline (Goodreads page).
I was originally going to go with my next non-fiction read, but my recent conversation with @MightyDemon82 about Gaiman and Coraline made me intent on watching the movie. Then, seeing as the novel was a somewhat short one at a mere 200 pages, I decided to slip it in here and finish that before moving on to the movie
Just started The Plague by Albert Camus, very famous novel in literary circles, I believe. It's promising so far. Apparently an allegory for the Nazi occupation of France during the Second World War.
Finished Coraline (Goodreads page), a very charming little children's book from the excellent mind of Neil Gaiman, which I slipped in on the top of my TBR pile. I had neither read the book, nor seen the movie,, but now that I've finished the fairly short novel, it's on to the movie. Hopefully I'll enjoy that just as much as I did this, which I gave five stars in my Goodreads review.
Next up it's back to my regularly scheduled programming (I have a convoluted system for my TBR list ) and it's time for some non-fiction again. This time, Rutger Bregman will attempt the Herculean task of convincing me that humans are basically kind, with Humankind: A Hopeful History (Goodreads page). I was recommended this by a fellow misanthrope, who claimed it might restore a tiny bit of faith in humanity. We'll see
Just finished the clumsily titled "Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space" by Adam Higginbotham. Superb (if depressing) account of the penny pinching and needless bureaucracy that existed from the inception of the American space programme and NASA that led directly to the shuttle disaster in 1986.
@FuriousMachine I finally got around to finishing The Once and Future King. It was a bit of a disappointment, if I'm honest. The focus on the characters and their relationships was great, but The fantastical side of things was lacking. (Excalibur was only mentioned once throughout the story).
I will keep looking for other works that maybe lean more into the fantasy side of things within Aurthurian legend!
Not sure what to read next, maybe some Comics or manga for a change of pace!.
@MightyDemon82 If you’re looking to comics for a change of pace, might I recommend Jeff Lemire? He’s incredibly prolific, so it’s hard to recommend anything specific but if curiosity leads you to dive into his work, Essex County, Frogcathers, Roughneck, Gideon Falls (art by Sorrentino), or The Underwater Welder are all great places to start.
“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.” C.S. Lewis
@Jimmer-jammer Jeff is one of my favourites, I collect all his works in hardcover collections. Met him at a con once where he signed and sketched in my copy of Sweet Tooth volume 1. A lovely chap to to talk to. I still have to read the second library edition of Black Hammer, so that's a good shout!
Forums
Topic: Books You're Currently Reading?
Posts 961 to 980 of 1,019
Please login or sign up to reply to this topic