What Are You Reading Now.

I finally finished my re-reading of the Harry Potter books yesterday, so I get to sift through my "to read" pile once again. I'm thinking McCarthy's The Road is gonna be my next one--been wanting to dig into that particular gem for a while now.

 

Just finished Octavia Butler's Kindred, a time traveling novel about slavery. This is only the second novel I've ever read by her and both times were page-turners. She does first person suspense very well even if her subject matter doesn't quite make it enjoyable for me. I definitely want to read more of her stuff.

 

Check out Fledgling and Parable of the Sower.

 

Parable of the Sower was the other novel I read.

 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson. Only a little ways into it, but so far it is good.

 

I just started the Chuang Tzu, which is apparently a classic of Taoism. I don't know jack about Taoism, so it's been a nice way of rattling me out of my usual thought patterns. The writing is very elliptical, and really makes you work to get to the point, but it almost feels more satisfying that way.

It's really the sort of book where you have to read five pages (including extensive footnotes), think about them for a whole day, sleep on them, stare off into space for a while, and then pick it back up again. Slow going, but worth it IMHO.

 

Read it in one sitting, so...good book.

 

It's a wonderful book.

 

That one was excellent too. It stuck with me for a while just like Lilith's Brood did.

 

I'm reading Ripper by Isabel Allende. It's different than other stuff I've read but it's good.

 

My copy of Antony Beevor's The Second World War arrived today. At regular tradeback size, but with 997 pages, it's by far the thickest tome I own. I think I'll need a crowbar to break the spine on this one.

 

I started 'Make me' by Lee Childs, because I was told the Jack Reacher books were good. We shall see, we shall see.

 

'Drugs and Crime' by Phillip Bean and various journal articles on Cannabis - Dissertations are a betch

 

3/4 through it and I'm bored. Too much character development, not enough suspense building.

 

I'm breaking out of my comfort zone by having a bit of graphic novel exploration. Just reading Maus by Art Spiegelman. Only part way through but so far it's brilliant- deserved winner of the Pulitzer.

 

The Highland Witch (http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=22423)
It's amazing. I've been moved to tears more than once. This author uses 1st person for chapters about Corrag and epistle form for chapters from the preacher. It reads almost like prose.

 

The Water Knife started slow but now I'm immersed. Gawd I wish I could write as good as this guy: Paolo Bacigalupi who also wrote The Windup Girl.

 

I skipped to the end. Meh, it didn't get a lot better.

 

"Earthsea" by Ursula Le Guin. I'm delighted, and shocked at how much Patrick Rothfuss obviously looked up to this book when writing "The Name of The Wind".

 

I finally got around to finishing Dawn by Octavia Butler. I was pretty disappointed.

Now what? Jesus' Son, by Denis Johnson? Field Notes, by Barry Lopez? The Star Thrower, which is a book of essays by Loren Eiseley? Or maybe a second run at Shadow Country, by Peter Matthiessen? To Have and Have Not, by Ernest Hemingway?

I love the process of selecting the next book on my list! Picking the books up, caressing them, reading the blurbs on the back, reading introductions and forewords, reading reviews on Amazon and other sites, and generally doing anything related to reading books without actually reading them. Such is life!

 

Currently suffering trying to make sense of Pound's The Cantos

 

If you discover the key, please let me know! I find The Cantos impenetrable.

 

Currently reading the gas meter.

 

Glen Cook's The Swordbearer. It's pretty good so far, but i think he introduced far too many characters too early on and now i'm slightly confused about who everyone is.