What are you Reading now ..... other than comics ? 7 7

[jimbo_707]

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy.

[nearmint]

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Good stuff.

[delekkerste]

have now gone back to another "Hard Case Crime" novel - "Bust" by Ken Gruen and Jason Starr about a man who hires a hitman to bump off his wife, not knowing that the hitman is conniving with his mistress to double-cross him. I'm halfway through it and am enjoying the noir-ish feel tinged with dark humor as well. Definitely a fun read.

 

Finished "Bust" and would definitely recommend it. I liked it so much that now I'm reading the sequel to it - "Slide", also by Ken Gruen and Jason Starr. It's another darkly humorous crime novel (a bit Tarantino-esque I'd say as well) featuring the same cast as "Bust", but this time it's even more absurdly over-the-top and much more overtly laugh-out-loud funny than the first go-around. I'm only a couple of chapters away from finishing it and would highly, highly recommend it (though you'll have to read "Bust" first to truly "get it").

 

I've got the 3rd book in the series ("The Max") all lined up to go after I finish "Slide" today. I'm really enjoying these "Hard Case Crime" novels a lot more than any comics I've read lately; I'd highly recommend them.

 

Finished reading "The Max" - another great, darkly comic read. Very over-the-top and overtly funny like "Slide", as opposed to the more subdued first novel, "Bust". Thought the ending got a bit too Tarantino-esque (and not in a good way), but, I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and would highly, highly recommend it. Most fun I've had reading fiction (including comic books) in a very long time. (thumbs u

[lizards2]

I'm still working on the Galicia Division of the Waffen SS.

 

It works well to put me to sleep each night.....,

[Tropean]

Finishing up Stephen King's Salem's Lot.

 

Looking for another King book to read next.

 

If you haven't all ready read them. Check out the King

and Straub collaboration - The Talisman or start on the

The Dark Tower / Gunslingers series. All great reads!!!

 

I agree except for one book, "Wizard and Glass"... overly long and incredibly boring. Waste Land was excellent and Wolves of the Calla that followed but I really struggled to finish book 4. Really struggled.

 

Just finished The Gunslinger (first book of The Dark Tower series). Almost wish I had read it without reading King's introduction, in which he discusses writing the book as a very young man as sort of a Sergio Leone meets The Hobbit / Lord of the Rings mash-up and then going back after 30+ years to edit and refine it. I think I would have preferred to be underwhelmed and ask the question "What's going on here? What is this master author trying to do by writing and plotting this way"? as opposed to being underwhelmed because the author was a novice who had done nothing of note before taking on an epic quest. If that makes any sense.

[musicmeta]

I'm now reading "Eye of the World" by Robert Jordon. GREAT so far!

[Tropean]

Recommend me a Stephen King book other than "The Stand" please.

 

How about his son? Joe Hill, Horns.

 

Was chatting with a colleague about Joe Hill and the next day she lent me his Heart Shaped Box, which I read this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed. If anyone else here has read it, did you visualize Rob Zombie as Judas Coyne? I definitely did.

 

 

 

[delekkerste]

Recently read "Fifty to One" by Charles Ardai, the 50th book in the "Hard Case Crime" series. A fun read that is an homage to the first 50 books in the series; probably only for die hard fans.

 

Also read "How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming" by Mike Brown, the discoverer of what was briefly the tenth planet until its discovery cast doubt on whether the ninth planet (Pluto) was really a planet as opposed to just a large Kuiper Belt object. Fans of astronomy will enjoy this fast-paced, fun read.

[nearmint]

"Needful Things" by Stephen King.

[jimjum12]

Stephen King's "The Dome"......pretty good so far....except the other night when I briefly nodded and dropped it on my face It's a BIG book.... also just finished "Adventures with Rare Coins" by Q David Bowers, an AWESOME mini history of modern day US Coin collecting....GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Hawkman]

just finished Walden by HDT. now i'm reading Grapes of Wrath by steinbeck, to be followed by Invisible Man by ralph ellison.

Edited March 8, 2013 by Hawkman

[zuulioso]

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

 

Great series!

[Davenport]

Finishing up Napoleon's Pyramids and The Rosetta Key by William Dietrich.

 

Ethan Gage is such a fun, interesting and entertaining character. Mentored by Ben Franklin, armed with tomahawk and his Pennsylvania longrifle, a gambler that evokes both Indiana Jones and Bret Maverick.

High adventure, ancient mysteries, and pulp historical fiction at it's finest, set in the 1798 Napoleonic wars.

 

[delekkerste]

Just finished reading "Rogues' Gallery: The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money that Made the Metropolitan Museum" by Michael Gross, an unauthorized tell-all about the history of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. It was a fantastic read, learning both about the history and politics of the museum, but also all the fascinating characters that have been involved with the museum since its founding. Much of the book was really a history of the who's who of the New York business, political, cultural and social elite since the late 19th century, which I found to be fascinating. Very highly recommended.

 

I also recently finished Timothy Ferriss' "The 4-Hour Workweek". Basically the book tells you how to maximize your productive efficiency at work (whether working for someone else or for yourself) by eliminating a lot of time wasters, and how you can live a more productive and fulfilling life by either (a) following his steps to negotiate a work from home and, ultimately, a work from abroad arrangement with your employer or (b) setting up your own business and how to outsource a ton of functions (fulfillment, customer service, etc.) so that it operates almost on auto-pilot. I doubt most people who read the book will end up doing either, but it did help me to identify some things that waste too much of my time (insert CGC Boards joke here) and to remind me that the rat race isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

[Hado]

Stephen King's "The Dome"......pretty good so far....except the other night when I briefly nodded and dropped it on my face It's a BIG book.... also just finished "Adventures with Rare Coins" by Q David Bowers, an AWESOME mini history of modern day US Coin collecting....GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

In the thank you section Mr. King thanks several people for helping him edit that book to a manageable size

 

It wasn't bad, and there were several very likeable characters

[jimjum12]

..... I finally finished it and it was pretty good..... a nice overview of the pantheon of the human condition. If you don't find a few characters in it who live in your neighborhood I'll be surprised. Now I'm on a Louis L'Amour kick.... finished "Lonesome Gods" and am reading "Haunted Mesa". "The Walking Drum" is next. Also plan on reading "Oblivion's Alter" by David Wilkinson since I enjoyed "Not Between Brothers" so much. GOD BLESS.....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Hado]

(Thumbs u

[The-Collector]

I just finished Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky. It was very good. Funny but also sad. I am now trying to read: Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century vol 1 by Soames. It is also very good. A very clear explanation of some topics I find difficult. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn some analytic philosophy. The opening chapter which explains Moore's refutation of the radical sckeptic might help anyone who is in the grips of nihilism as I know that can be very depressing.

 

I have also resolved to finally finish Joyce's Ulysses but that probably won't happen.

[MR SigS]

Re-reading "The Mist"

[Guest Grails]

Just finished reading "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline last night. For those who haven't heard of it, it takes place in the techno-dystopian future of the 2040s, where a tech mogul (think Steve Jobs merged with Gary Gygax) obsessed with late 20th century pop culture dies and sets into motion a contest to claim his real-world riches inside of the all-encompassing virtual reality world he created.

 

It is an amazing book, the best I have read in years. For anyone who grew up with late '70s and '80s music, movies, videogames, computers, RPGs, comics, etc., the whole book is a tribute and love note for that period of geek culture. I agree with the reviewer who said that it felt like the book was written just for me. Just a smashing success, a stunning work of fiction. This book will make an astounding film if/when it is translated to the big screen.

 

I demand that everyone here read it. You won't be disappointed.

 

Its going in my Kindle cue. Sounds like its right up my alley.

 

I finally got around to reading this and can only say thank you for recommending it. If you were a teenager in the 80's this is an absolute must read. Most entertaining book I've read in years.