The first book is titled A Book of Tongues. I'm enjoying the books immensely. These aren't the kind of books you leave around for grandma or grandpa to accidentally pick up, though, thinking there'll be a classic Western story inside. There's a Western alright, but I cannot imagine John Wayne or Clint Eastwood ever auditioning for the film version. Cowboys, wizards, Aztec gods, a trip to Xibalba, and the frankly torrid love affair between Reverend Asher Rook and his flame-haired lovah, Chester (Chess) Pargeter. It's delish!
Just finished Anne Charnock's Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind. Part alternative (or maybe speculative) history, part sci fi and part art history. Three different story lines, each set in a different time - one in 1469, one in 2015 and one in 2113. Charnock has a nice, easy style, interesting characters that one can easily care about, and hints at some deep insights in the making. And then the book ends. None of the three stories goes particularly far and no deep insights to be had. Very disappointing.
I just finished Nick Cave's And the Ass saw an Angel. It was very raw, intense read, covering a southern wasteland filled with false saints and preachers, murder and sin, and the spiritual mission of an outcast mute, Euchrid Eucrow. It had the bleak, starkness of McCarthy's The Road, and the brilliant, far-reaching vocabulary of Poe. If you're not squeamish and you desire a look at human nature, then I would absolutely recommend it.
Finally finished The Road. That run of doctor's appointments really did help! Now it's time to finish the Millennium trilogy, as I've been putting that off for too long. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is next, though it's been over a year since I read the previous one. May have to jump on Wikipedia for a recap!
I needed many quick reads for the bus rideto work, so I went through some of Charlaine Harris work, not the vampire series (I'm not quite done yet), but the Harper Connelly Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard series. I also really enjoyed the Midnight Texas trilogy. I recently purchased Neverwhere and I have yet to read American Gods, but lately, I'm thinking more and more about reading Good Omens again. I also have a French one on my to-read pile.
Finished: High Fidelity — Nick Hornby Snow Crash — Neal Stephenson Amped — Daniel H. Wilson Reading: The Diamond Age — Neal Stephenson Robocalypse — Daniel H. Wilson The Godborn* — Paul S. Kemp *First Forgotten Realms novel I've read in a long time
Just finishing Roald Dahl's "The Umbrella Man and other stories" it's a set of short stories, mostly dark humored and thriller type, because his other compilation "Tales of the Unexpected" gave me the best night-reading experience. Also I've finished Jane's Austen "Emma" and enjoyed most parts of it, she was indeed a witty woman
Just finished John Scalzi's Redshirts which is essentially a fun Star Trek fanfic with OCs until it falls into didactic misery at the end. Beware of this bait-and-switch.
Right now, I'm reading As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. It's about a man, during the English Civil War, who commits some pretty dark crimes and seems to be constantly on the run from them. I'm no expert in English history but this author seems to know her time period so exquisitely well.
Slowly making my way through Ann Patchett's The Patron Saint of Liars and am about halfway through. The first few chapters didn't really hold my attention, then it got good, and now it's slowed down for flashbacks. I think the variable pacing is what's causing this to be a longer read than anticipated.
I'm in the process of re-reading all the Night Watch series by Terry Pratchett. I loved them the first time through, but REALLY love them the second time around. It's easy to miss how well-constructed these stories are, because the subject matter is often so off-the-wall.
I am reading Hitler's autobiography from the late 1920s, 'My Struggle'. It's been made available in German again. With the refugee crisis, the resurgence in populism, financial crisis and media's lack of credibility --- this book feels relevant and I've never read it. I'm about 1/3 through the audio version. A lot of the historical references are over my head. Hitler doesn't stick to his own points particularly well, and rants on topics that seem completely random. It's hard to imagine that this could have been percieved to be a great book in Germany at the time. For a man who claims to love the German language, he's not treating it very gently.. My guess is most people just chimed in without ever reading it cover-to-cover. The one thing that stands out is that Hitler is actually very honest. Anyone who bothered to read the book when he first came to power could have seen both the War and holocaust coming. He is not beating around the bush. On his national points; it's also easy to see how his message could have appealed to a lot of working class families at the time.
Rereading Haruki Murakami's 1Q84. I expect I'll also dip into one or two of the many short story anthologies by various authors I have laying around too.
Just started Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow - It's my first time reading any Bellow. Good read so far, lots of ramblings - not sure if I should sympathize or dislike the main character yet. He's a bit of an arse!
Just finished Alice in Wonderland and its sequel. My brain has been mush lately, so I'm probably going to continue with light reading consisting of children's and short stories.
Spiritual Classics by James M Russell. Love it. Wish I had this book 20 years ago. It summarises all the great books/mystics such as St. John of God, Desert Fathers, Teresa Avilla, Rumi, Cloud of Unknowing, Meister Eckhart, The Way of a Pilgrim.
Just finished Live by night from Dennis Lehane. Even though I've read quite a number of books since I decided to get into writing, this was the first story that simply kept me reading it. It's a gripping tale with character goals that are easy to empathise with. ( I'd love to have talk about this book in more detail (regarding it's structure). If there's a place on this forum where I can do that, please someone point me to it.) Right now I'm reading World gone by.
I recently finished Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. I liked it. Even though it was unevenly written, I think it was a honest look at racism at the time and the subtle way it infects even our loved ones. I think those that are outraged by it may be a little naive like Scout. It was shelved for Mockingbird for a reason. Just because some characters adopt certain stances does not mean the author advocates you do the same.
Didn't read it, but I couldn't agree more that if there's one thing that discourages us from working towards understanding, it's mistaking honesty for support.
