Missy Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Since I've begun taking public transportation to work, I now have lots of time to read. In the past two weeks I've read A Simple Plan by Scott Smith, and Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis. Next on my list is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. A Simple Plan I actually started this one years ago, after I saw the movie, but I was reading four other books at the time, so I wound up putting it down. Coming back to it, I can see why I set it aside. Don't get me wrong, I think Smith writes beautiful imagery that brings you into the world, his dialog is compelling, and you believe that his characters existed before the novel began. However, the actions of Hank and Sarah never felt honest to me. Without spoiling too much, Hank becomes very cold and distant, justifying his actions way too easily. And though Sarah never kills anyone, she too accepts what Hank has done without a sliver of remorse. If these are supposed to be normal folks, they shouldn't be so ho-hum about murder and scheming. Oddly enough, I found Jacob to be the most compelling character in the novel, despite the fact that he was written to be sort of a fool. At first I disliked him, but as the book went on, I came to understand where he was coming from, especially once he asked Hank for the farm. He's a guy who doesn't know life outside of his very small world, and, really, he doesn't want to. It scares him. More than that, he's comfortable in his bubble. That he went from an annoying, prick of a character to the one I felt for the most speaks volumes about Smith's potential. It's just too bad he didn't make me care for Hank and Sarah in the same way. Less Than Zero Though I'm not keen on what Ellis was doing stylistically, I understand why he did it; the book is light on plot and descriptions because Clay simply doesn't care. He's directionless and empty inside, so the plot is that there's no plot. And the only time we really get any sort of description is when Clay's focused on someone sexy or a designer brand, nothing else matters. If it's not tan and fit, or in style and expensive, it's not worth his time. Had I known that going in, I think I would have enjoyed it more. As is, I might read it again. It's a quick 200 pages. Then again, I might wait until next year, after the sequel is released, then I can read both books together. Like A Simple Plan, I found someone other than the lead more intriguing. Once the truth about Julian's life is revealed and we get the scenes with Finn, that's when I really got into it. Sadly, that's page 165 of 208. Hopefully we'll get more of Julian's life in Imperial Bedrooms, the forthcoming sequel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothian Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 I don't read very much due to my random internet workload, but I'm currently re-reading a book in the Marcus Didius Falco series of detective novels written by Lindsey Davis (set in Ancient Rome if you couldn't guess from the name), called One Virgin Too Many. It centres on a young girl from a family of priests going missing on the eve of the next lottery to choose a Vestal Virgin, a well-known sect of Roman priestesses. I always enjoy these books, but I don't usually tend to read them in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 I tend to primarily read plays, rather than books, but it's literature all the same. I'm also in the middle of a book called "The Matter Myth" by Paul Davies and John Gribbin. It's a really cool look at chaos theory, and the way our universe is and might be laid out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 World War Z, by Max Brooks.. I think that about says it right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc20willsave Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Just read The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Just started Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I am completely baffled by how seamlessly the original text and the zombie parts blend together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DCAUFan1051 Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 I think I have 2 books I bought myself for my birthday back in February that are warming the shelf maybe I should get them out lol. One was Plum Spooky By Janet Evanovich a very funny series and the other was the latest Grisham novel, which I don't think I've even taken the dust jacket off to begin reading it. It's very rare that I read books anymore... kinda unfortunate but I should get back into it. If anyone can find me a place to buy The Hardy Boys Casefiles books #1 to #100 I'd definitely read those again. That was something I always read as a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 I just started The Last Olympian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drubot Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Just started reading Angels and Demons for the up coming movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Last few books I've read. What if Superman Was a Spy? - Great book full of random trivia and anecdotes about comics history, and the myths and legends that have formed over time. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Exactly what it sounds like. A study on the various experiments and tests performed on dead bodies. Strangely hilarious at points. Bret Hart's Autobiography - Aside from being large enough to kill a small woodland creature with, it's also a fantastic read. The constant drama with his family and his batshit insane wife actually prove to be more interesting than the wrestling stuff most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin B. Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 I am re-reading The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases. by E.J. Wagner It is a fascinating book going though the history of forensic science while tying it into the cases of Sherlock Holmes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Benjamin's Parasite by Jeff Strand Garbage Man by Joseph D'Lacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Oh, man. I read "Stiff" as an assignment for my freshman year of college. Good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Fahrenheit 451 Though I appreciate the impact this book had on both the world and literature, I didn't love it. It was a fast, solid read that kept me turning the page despite seeing where it was going. I can relate to Montag having his eyes opened to another way of thinking, and then taking that thought process to the extreme. And I felt horrible for him when his world crashed down on his head. But, I don't know, I think I wanted each and every word to hit me like a hammer. Which, I admit, isn't the fault of the book; that's my expectations clearly getting in the way. Down the line I do intend to read it once more, because I feel this is one of those books, like Of Mice and Men, that needs to be read a few times to fully appreciate it. (And yes, this is the first time I've read Fahrenheit 451. Somehow I made it through school without ever having to pick it up.) The Road Still reading this one. Slowly. Very, very slowly. I'm not a fan of Cormac McCarthy's style. That's why I couldn't get into No Country for Old Men. But I'm trying. I'm really, really trying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 The Road Still reading this one. Slowly. Very, very slowly. I'm not a fan of Cormac McCarthy's style. That's why I couldn't get into No Country for Old Men. But I'm trying. I'm really, really trying. What is it Lansdale said about him in my interview? "Guy could learn to use a comma." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted May 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 The Road Still reading this one. Slowly. Very, very slowly. I'm not a fan of Cormac McCarthy's style. That's why I couldn't get into No Country for Old Men. But I'm trying. I'm really, really trying. What is it Lansdale said about him in my interview? "Guy could learn to use a comma." Apostrophes and quotation marks, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abannist Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 The For Your Ears Online podcast has brought back all my James Bond interest, so I'm rereading all the Bond novels. While I'm at work I'm listening to the Dresden files audiobooks read by James Marsters, which is pretty good. I love me some audiobooks, sometimes with the right person reading them they can be so much better than the source material, ie James Earl Jones reads the Bible. Never has so many begats sounded so awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 I'm 50 pages away from finishing "Pressure" by Jeff Strand and it is damn near the best horror novel I"ve ever read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Rereading Good Omens. Never fails to make me laugh, and I need it around this time of year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drubot Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Looking for another book to read. I just finished Born to Run. It's about a race in Mexico between ultrarunners and the elusive Tarahumara Indians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ava Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I'm going through all the Jeeves and Wooster short stories by PG Wodehouse. They're just about the funniest books I've ever read. I never thought I'd find a more awesome butler than Batman's Alfred, but I think Jeeves takes the cake. That man knows everything. Why is British humor so much more funny than American humor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Because British humor requires intelligence most times? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Continuing the British Humor >>> American Humor Trend. I'm in process of rereading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books (almost done with Restaurant at the End of the Universe). I fucking LOVE Douglas Adams, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc20willsave Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Almost done with Storm Front by Jim Butcher. It's the first in the Harry Dresden series. I kinda like it and I'm sure I'll like the rest of the series more. Good use of Urban Fantasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolette Opal Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Right now all I read are literary anthology submissions (wooo unpaid job as a slush pile reader!)... ...and these pieces, some days, make me miss the work my fourth-grade creative writing class would turn in to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc20willsave Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 So, I'm heading out to Montana on the Eighth to visit the family for about two weeks. Between the train ride and the entirety of the visit, I'll pretty much just have my iPod and whatever books I have in ways of entertainment since my mom doesn't have cable or an antennae and there's no internet. That said, looking for suggestions for books to read. Here's what I got so far in addition to all of the Batman Movie Earth-2 podcasts so far: Books 2-5 of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Small Gods by Terry Prachett Stardust by Neil Gaiman The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon Casino Royale by Ian Fleming A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess The Sandman Book of Dreams edited by Neil Gaiman and Ed Kramer Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay BTW, I read a lot so trust me, this probably won't be enough. I can do about 300 pages in as little as a day, depending on how I go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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