BOOKS. whatcha readin...?

Discuss the world of entertainment; movies, tv, journalism and radio.

Moderator: drizzle

Post Reply
Psychosis
Habitual Line-stepper
Posts: 10084
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:19 am
Location: Miami, Florida
Contact:

Post by Psychosis »

Books I've read in the last few weeks:

The Ruins - Scott Smith

Mediocre horror novel about killer vines by the author of "A Simple Plan".

Armageddon's Children - Terry Brooks

A post-apocalyptic fantasy novel about demons overrunning Earth and killing most of the humans. It's entertaining enough. I didn't know it at the time, but it's the first in a series of 3 books. The 2nd one was released in August.

Travels in the Scriptorium - Paul Auster

This book is connected w/ all his previous works (of which I've only read one). It deals with an older man waking up in a room with no memory. The entire story takes place in the room. I found it completely uninteresting.

Anonymous Rex - Eric Garcia

A humorous detective story that takes place in a world in which dinosaurs never became extinct. Humans don't know they exist since they wear human guises at all times to fit in. It's light, but also funny and creative.

Casual Rex - Eric Garcia

A prequel to Anonymous Rex. There's nothing particular fresh about this one, but it's entertaining enough I guess.

Blaze - Richard Bachman (Stephen King)

This is an old King book that he wrote under the name of Richard Bachman in the 70's. It was released this year. It really reminded me of "Of Mice and Men", but really not all that good. I've never been a big fan of King.

Soon I Will Be Invincible - Austin Grossman

Awesome title for a book. It has a realistic approach as it looks into the lives of a group of superheroes and a supervillian, Dr. Impossible.

Fortunate Son - Walter Mosley

Drama about the different routes the lives of two boys, one white and one black, take when after living as brothers they get separated at a young age. It's well-written. I recommend it.

Bad Monkeys - Matt Ruff

A quick, mildly entertaining read about a possibly insane woman who, now imprisoned, claims was an assassin for an organization that aims to kill evil people (like serial killers, child molesters) that have yet to be caught by the police.
Cash Rulz ponders the subjectivity of art:
Cash Rulz wrote:Taste are funny.

cascarrabias
Posts: 12779
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: NY

Post by cascarrabias »

^ Damn that's more books I've read in the past year.

Just finished

South Of No North - Charles Bukowski - Really good collection of short stories. Recommend it.

Tariq's Dilemma
Posts: 4917
Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2004 4:11 pm
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Post by Tariq's Dilemma »

I thought that the Ruins was a great premise that started off great and then completely fell off.

slimebucato
Posts: 7829
Joined: Mon May 24, 2004 2:10 am
Location: Winter Park, FL
Contact:

Post by slimebucato »

Image

After Cloud Atlas and now this, this guy is one of my favorite authors. Really funny, and instantly familiar. I can tell it is going to end up being pretty heartwrenching too.

The book spans a year in the life of a kid named Jason Taylor living in Cold War England. It captures what it's like to be that age, and what it's like to experience so many things at that age for the first time, more accurately and more profoundly than I'd of thought possible beforehand. One of the most endearing and easily related to (for me at least) protagonists in a story I have read in a long time.

David Mitchell is an amazing writer, with a hopefully long career ahead of him.

edit: added more info because I think people should read this book

Psychosis
Habitual Line-stepper
Posts: 10084
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:19 am
Location: Miami, Florida
Contact:

Post by Psychosis »

Tariq's Dilemma wrote:I thought that the Ruins was a great premise that started off great and then completely fell off.
I agree. I thought it had potential.

Btw, it's been made into a movie that comes out next year. The only actors I recognize are Jena Malone and the dude who played Iceman in the X-Men movies.
Cash Rulz ponders the subjectivity of art:
Cash Rulz wrote:Taste are funny.

Matthew
Posts: 1426
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 7:33 pm
Location: DC

Post by Matthew »

i read ham on rye over 2 weeks in europe this past summer, now im reading 'women' and it is awesome. plan on reading 'post office' next

i also got the colbert book

deepfriedjellol
Posts: 9871
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 5:31 pm
Location: nipple
Contact:

Post by deepfriedjellol »

Psychosis wrote:
Tariq's Dilemma wrote:I thought that the Ruins was a great premise that started off great and then completely fell off.
I agree. I thought it had potential.

Btw, it's been made into a movie that comes out next year. The only actors I recognize are Jena Malone and the dude who played Iceman in the X-Men movies.
you thought that fell off?
i thought that was kind of the only way that book couldve ended.
i also threw the arc in the trash and never discussed it.
that shit freaked me out


just finished a greg iles paperback i got off pbswap called The Footprints of God.
fun quick fiction distraction
anyone want it?

Tariq's Dilemma
Posts: 4917
Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2004 4:11 pm
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Post by Tariq's Dilemma »

deepfriedjello wrote:
Psychosis wrote:
Tariq's Dilemma wrote:I thought that the Ruins was a great premise that started off great and then completely fell off.
I agree. I thought it had potential.

Btw, it's been made into a movie that comes out next year. The only actors I recognize are Jena Malone and the dude who played Iceman in the X-Men movies.
you thought that fell off?
i thought that was kind of the only way that book couldve ended.
i also threw the arc in the trash and never discussed it.
that shit freaked me out


just finished a greg iles paperback i got off pbswap called The Footprints of God.
fun quick fiction distraction
anyone want it?
The whole "The vines make you go slowly insane" aspect was cool, but I was expecting that it would be a romp through a mexican jungle with some hot college sex action. I guess when I realized they were going to be stuck on the hill for the entire book I was let down.

Psychosis
Habitual Line-stepper
Posts: 10084
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:19 am
Location: Miami, Florida
Contact:

Post by Psychosis »

deepfriedjello wrote:
Psychosis wrote:
Tariq's Dilemma wrote:I thought that the Ruins was a great premise that started off great and then completely fell off.
I agree. I thought it had potential.

Btw, it's been made into a movie that comes out next year. The only actors I recognize are Jena Malone and the dude who played Iceman in the X-Men movies.
you thought that fell off?
i thought that was kind of the only way that book couldve ended.
The ending wasn't the issue. It's just that once I discovered that the whole story takes place on that hill, I didn't see where the story could really go. The ending seemed inevitable considering all they were facing.
Cash Rulz ponders the subjectivity of art:
Cash Rulz wrote:Taste are funny.

Tariq's Dilemma
Posts: 4917
Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2004 4:11 pm
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Post by Tariq's Dilemma »

Psychosis wrote:
deepfriedjello wrote:
Psychosis wrote:
Tariq's Dilemma wrote:I thought that the Ruins was a great premise that started off great and then completely fell off.
I agree. I thought it had potential.

Btw, it's been made into a movie that comes out next year. The only actors I recognize are Jena Malone and the dude who played Iceman in the X-Men movies.
you thought that fell off?
i thought that was kind of the only way that book couldve ended.
The ending wasn't the issue. It's just that once I discovered that the whole story takes place on that hill, I didn't see where the story could really go. The ending seemed inevitable considering all they were facing.
:lol:

We pretty much just made the same exact point.

Psychosis
Habitual Line-stepper
Posts: 10084
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:19 am
Location: Miami, Florida
Contact:

Post by Psychosis »

:lol:

I hadn't noticed your post.
Cash Rulz ponders the subjectivity of art:
Cash Rulz wrote:Taste are funny.

cascarrabias
Posts: 12779
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: NY

Post by cascarrabias »

Finally found a Phillip K Dick book for cheap. Him and Bukowski are never cheap.

Paycheck - Phillip K Dick - Didn't know it was a short story. Pretty good though. I liked the one right after it more. Called Nanny about the robot nannys that fight.

citizen
Posts: 10713
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 3:08 am

Post by citizen »

starting robinson crusoe

sun ra
Wifey Material
Posts: 3257
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2007 8:03 am

Post by sun ra »

Mindbender Futurama wrote:HIP HOP DECODED by The Black Dot
www.matrixofhiphop.com
GOD DAMN MINDBLOWING.
need to read this, gonna buy it. thanks for posting this.

Vlad Analogue
Posts: 2991
Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:02 pm
Location: the woods
Contact:

Post by Vlad Analogue »

Brodie's Report and Universal History of Inequity by Borges

RacquetballGangsta
Posts: 10905
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:04 pm
Location: A satellite, bitch! I'm just that fly.
Contact:

Post by RacquetballGangsta »

Image

Image

Image
twitter.com/deweydimbabwe
www.stonesthrow.com/vex

nett ist der kleine bruder von scheiße

User avatar
Comedy Quaddafi
Posts: 13515
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 12:15 pm
Location: Southsea, UK

Post by Comedy Quaddafi »

^ did you get it because its "laugh-out-loud" funny?

the title always made me :grin:

hows the kundera? only read "unbearable..."
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
- MB

RacquetballGangsta
Posts: 10905
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:04 pm
Location: A satellite, bitch! I'm just that fly.
Contact:

Post by RacquetballGangsta »

Jimmy HiffHoffa wrote:^ did you get it because its "laugh-out-loud" funny?

the title always made me :grin:

hows the kundera? only read "unbearable..."
you talking bout AHWOSG? yeah, its pretty fuckin hilarious, i was reading it on my lunch break in my car on friday, and i was giggling the whole time..people probably thought i was crazy.

the kundera is cool...his best book is the book of laughter and forgetting...read it..very much like unbearable, but shorter and probably more illuminating.
twitter.com/deweydimbabwe
www.stonesthrow.com/vex

nett ist der kleine bruder von scheiße

User avatar
Myjah
Posts: 9469
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2004 1:30 am
Location: minneapolis, mn

Post by Myjah »

Denis Johnson - "Jesus' Son"
I <3 Employee.

BeeKay
Posts: 179
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2007 3:31 pm
Location: BrookNam

Post by BeeKay »

Within the last 3 months,
Notorious C.O.P. by Derrick Parker
How East New York Became A Ghetto by Walter Thabit
All of Donald Goines stories & a biography on him.

User avatar
Comedy Quaddafi
Posts: 13515
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 12:15 pm
Location: Southsea, UK

Post by Comedy Quaddafi »

Gilgamesh Enuhu
Chretien de Troyes - Yvain
Homer - Odysee
Plato - Symposium
Book 26: Ezekiel
Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey :wtf:
Raymond Chandler - lady in the Lake
1001 Nights Adventure (book 1)
Boccaccio - Decamerone
Dante - La Divina Comedia

A few of these are from lit-class and a few just leisure reading. Any thoughts on any of these? My eyes are swellin melons these days!
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
- MB

torchETB
Posts: 564
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 11:47 pm
Location: 415, CA

Post by torchETB »

Jimmy HiffHoffa wrote:My eyes are swellin melons these days!
:boobeyes:
Galvatron78 wrote:I'm that nigga that dont even eat long french fries so that gay shit is out of the question.

bringinoutbangerz
The Homer
Posts: 7574
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:43 pm
Location: 202
Contact:

Post by bringinoutbangerz »

Pretty much have to temper my James Ellroy selections with Elmore Leonard and Raymond Chandler. Ellroy = GOAT.

Image
= off the chains. Reimagining the Kennedy assasination as a result of a collaboration between an outfit of city gangsters, rogue CIA agents, J. Edgar Hoover and the most gangster shakedown artist of all time.

The sequel is probably the most lyrical Ellroy book and can be tough to comprehend at times. I read this one before I read Tabloid, which was a big mistake. It's a fucking massive tome (about 700 pages) of non-stop disgustingness.
Image

In between those two I read four Chandler Phillip Marlowe novels (all bound into one book) including:
The Big Sleep - obv. the most famous one. The femmes are fatal, but the case isn't as exciting as I thought it would be. Marlowe pimps hard throughout though.
Farewell, My Lovely - This one kind of drags, sends Phil off to be abused a bit too much and never really figures itself out, but still has a pretty dope boat investigation scene
The Lady in the Lake - Probably the best in the bunch with killer dames throughout. Nice lil shootout at the end.
The High Window - Also fresh.
Best part of the Marlowe novels will always be the big reveal at the end. Marlowe always has it all figured out.

I also just finished Ride The Rap and 52 Pickup, both solid Leonard capers, but "Rap" is a bit too Carl Hiasson-contrived (the florida setting doesn't really help). Pickup on the other hand is fucking tits, and its under 200 pages. Highly reccommended.

Started "The Big Nowhere," another Ellroy burner. The victim had his eyes removed and the killer fucked the eyeholes. Very SAGA-esque.

User avatar
Random Sample
Posts: 13973
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2003 3:55 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Contact:

Post by Random Sample »

I just finished:

Image

pretty good. I read it in like two days. good page turner.

I am finally reading:

Image

Dracula is very good so far. I can't believe I haven't read it yet.

User avatar
Myjah
Posts: 9469
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2004 1:30 am
Location: minneapolis, mn

Post by Myjah »

"40 stories" by Donald Barthelme
I <3 Employee.

User avatar
Comedy Quaddafi
Posts: 13515
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 12:15 pm
Location: Southsea, UK

Post by Comedy Quaddafi »

Marlowe is perhaps the greatest character in American litterature, ever. From what i have read at least...
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
- MB

User avatar
Comedy Quaddafi
Posts: 13515
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 12:15 pm
Location: Southsea, UK

Post by Comedy Quaddafi »

did anyone read "Diary" by Chuck? I was quite disappointed by "the Fight Club guy" this time around.
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
- MB

User avatar
Random Sample
Posts: 13973
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2003 3:55 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Contact:

Post by Random Sample »

Jimmy HiffHoffa wrote:did anyone read "Diary" by Chuck? I was quite disappointed by "the Fight Club guy" this time around.
I read it, and I didn't think it was that bad. it kept my attention.

multsanta
Posts: 2564
Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2004 5:48 pm
Location: i sacrifice my lifestyle

Post by multsanta »

hey guys. i never noticed this thread before. i am reading this. it is pretty good, all things considered.
Image

User avatar
Comedy Quaddafi
Posts: 13515
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 12:15 pm
Location: Southsea, UK

Post by Comedy Quaddafi »

Random Sample wrote:
Jimmy HiffHoffa wrote:did anyone read "Diary" by Chuck? I was quite disappointed by "the Fight Club guy" this time around.
I read it, and I didn't think it was that bad. it kept my attention.
oshit, hadn't even seen you just listed it.

first you get pumped up to see what those writings on the walls are about, then it sorta stagnates but you keep reading to figure out "waytansea"'s secret - the ending is very good tho and makes the read valuable. it just seemed much stronger when you finished it than when you were actually reading it. the fat woman protagonist is not really a fantastic character either.

I bought "Animal Man" by Emile Zola and forgot it on the bus on the way home, thinking about bying it again :meh:

It is supposedly about a man that kills every woman he is attracted to.
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
- MB

Post Reply