Author Topic: Fave Books / Currently Reading  (Read 947333 times)

Keith Whitener

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1290 on: April 28, 2010, 03:02:11 PM »
I'm reading The Wind Up Bird Chronicles. I'm really liking it!

I've read quite a bit as an english major over the last three terms, but few of the books really grabbed me. In terms of texts that I liked, I'd go with Disgrace by Coetzee and Corregidora by Gayl Jones. I read half of Pynchon's Vineland for a class but I'm not sure how I feel about it. It seemed like it was written in the style of the very thing it was highly critical of (television), but I'm not sure if this was the case.

iAmBaronVonTito

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1291 on: April 28, 2010, 03:30:52 PM »
i gave the wind up bird chronicles as a christmas gift once and i've been thanked ever since.  i didn't like it as much as they like(d) it, but that's why i'm the best at gift giving.

as for HELLFIRE, considered it purchased and ready to be shipped to my house a la amazon.com

thanks, guys.

wood and iron

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1292 on: April 28, 2010, 05:23:25 PM »
If anybody is into singularity science fiction, I highly recommend Charles Stross's Accelerando. The first chapter took a while to get into the nonstop info dump about the future (it gets very techno-babbly but you start picking up things and finally feel like a smart cookie for knowing so much). The rest of the book plays out in a very awesome fashion.

Also, for those of you into Lovecraftian fiction, check out the same author's short story "A Colder War".

Ike

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1293 on: April 29, 2010, 09:03:10 AM »
i know i'm opening the flood gates with this one, but can someone recommend a music biography.  i enjoy similar tastes as the rest of you- no worries on feeling that out.

Have you read HELLFIRE by Nick Tosches? It's a Jerry Lee Lewis biography and it's amazing.

MOON: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A ROCK LEGEND by Tony Fletcher is really good as well.

What these folks said.  Hellfire's the best, and Neil Young's biography is pretty speedy.  I loved them both.  I really, really loved Clinton Heylin's Behind the Shades is pretty expansive, but equally great.  I will literally read any rock biography at the drop of the hat.  LITERALLY. 

Avoid the Guns and Roses one. 

Engage the Motley Crue one. 

Ike

Seconding the love for HELLFIRE. One of the best books I've ever read. SHAKEY by Jimmy McDonough is really good too - it's a Neil Young biography.

Well it's been a long time since I've had my favorite drink

Pidgeon

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1294 on: May 01, 2010, 12:32:18 PM »
Nicholas and Alexandra

sparkatus

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1295 on: May 07, 2010, 08:15:45 AM »
Just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, now about a hundred pages into The Girl Who Played with Fire.

I find a pulpy thriller (or three) helps sometimes, particularly after a few 'hard work' tomes.

crumbum

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1296 on: May 07, 2010, 08:49:18 AM »
Just finished off McEwan's The Innocent. I found it easy to admire and a fun and speedy read, but hard to love. McEwan is so psychologically acute, and so adept at immersing you in his characters' states of mind, that his thrillery plots can feel kind of cheap, as if they were designed for eventual movie adaptations.

sparkatus

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1297 on: May 11, 2010, 01:40:14 PM »
crumbum - have you read The Child in Time?  That's a corker.

Pidgeon

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1298 on: May 11, 2010, 01:42:04 PM »
The Arabian Nights. I honestly don't think that I've ever laughed out loud reading a book before this.

B_Buster

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1299 on: May 11, 2010, 02:46:53 PM »
crumbum - have you read The Child in Time?  That's a corker.

The Child in Time is good, but I'd go with Enduring Love as McEwan's best.
See God, Kai

B_Buster

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1300 on: May 11, 2010, 02:51:09 PM »

I haven't.  I was either going to read that or The Name of the World.  Have you read that one?

I finished The Name of the World over the weekend. I didn't care for it that much. A little too aimless.
See God, Kai

Steve of Bloomington

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1301 on: May 11, 2010, 03:38:43 PM »


A 'classic video games' history that goes the extra mile by going into gory detail about the architecture of the system and looking at some of the actual code from the cartridges.

Louis Lame

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1302 on: May 15, 2010, 04:12:02 PM »
Just finished John Clellon Holmes' Go, pretty big bummer but great visions of NYC

crumbum

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1303 on: May 15, 2010, 05:41:36 PM »
crumbum - have you read The Child in Time?  That's a corker.

The Child in Time is good, but I'd go with Enduring Love as McEwan's best.

I haven't read The Child in Time yet but I'll get around to it. I agree Enduring Love is pretty great. I'm a bit skeptical about the newest one (something about the political topicality puts me off) but I'm thinking of downloading the audiobook.

masterofsparks

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Re: Fave Books / Currently Reading
« Reply #1304 on: May 16, 2010, 08:59:51 AM »
I just finished Revelation by C.J. Sansom, the fourth in his series featuring Matthew Shardlake. I heard a fifth is coming out later this year and I'm really looking forward to it - all four to this point have been really good, but the third and fourth have been especially strong.

Next I'm on to Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen. I've tried and failed to read it before, but now seems like a good time to give it another shot.
I'll probably go into the wee hours.