There are three books I'm reading for pleasure at the moment. Gorge by Kathrine Carlson - suspense/thriller novel about a morbidly obese woman being hunted by a psychopath in the woods Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell (started this in October but got busy. Finally getting back to it now) - paranormal horror about a couple staying in a log cabin in the woods. Panzram: A Journal of Murder by Gaddis and Long - the journal of Carl Panzram. Supposed to be one of the best true crime books according to some and I am enjoying it quite a lot.
I start reading Ulysses by Irish writer James Joyce. I tried to read this modernist novel several times already, but the maximum reached the third chapter. This time I want to read to the end, no matter how long it takes me.
Isn’t this just reading something for the sake of it, because you think you should? Why put yourself through that?
I am reading Holes by Louis Sachar. It is a YA Adventure novel first published in 1998. Once in a while I come across this book, always hear praises, and so I finally decided to read it. It is short (around 54,000 words I believe) and the reading is very mush like flying through the pages. The first two pages are awesome, they got me hooked, I recommend even just reading those two to get a sense of what a good hook is like. In my opinion the story works as a YA (more on the young side of teens) in part because it exploits a lot of "archetypal" stereotypes (the fat guy who gets bullied, the sergeant with cowboy boots, venomous lizard in a desert, etc.). But it also creates timelines/parallel subplots that tie into the plot at different times, and also adding twists to the overall story. I recommend it!
Is that the one where Stanley is framed for stealing shoes, and then the kid with the dirty glasses (x?) gets scraped by poisoned fingernails and they both escape and eat old canned onions that they find in the desert? Good book.
My teacher read this to us in 4th or 5th grade and we had a book discussion about it. then we went on a field trip to see the movie in theaters when it came out! I love the movie, it did SO well keeping with the book. great cast, too. haha! i quote the movie all the time... "I'm tired of this, Grandpa--" "WELL THATS TOO DAMN BAD!!" ".....well excuuuuuse me..."
A neighbor and I exchanged books the other day. He gave me City of Glass by Paul Auster because I'd never read him. I'm digging it.
To be a King...Dermot Morrah....one for the great unwashed to help appreciate what a monarch is good for....
To add to my thoughts on Holes by Louis Sachar . . . I finished it today. I took my time reading it, because it was more fun reading it in pills than all in one breath. Maybe if I had read it in school, I would have read it all at once. But that could have never been since I was out of school by the time it was published! Anyway, I read on wikipedia the novel speaks of serious issues like bullying and racism. It mostly mentions those issues as the children's behavior is affected by it. The bullying seems forgotten though, and the only time racism truly is consciously approached is when the state realizes the file of one of the children is missing (the issue is slightly more complicated but I don't won't to spoiler it here). Still it made a powerful point I think, but never dealt with the consequences of that. As a matter of fact, the story ends cheerfully: I would have preferred a "things stay the same" kind of ending (characters change but not their situations). But it is a YA Adventure story, so I get the feeling a happy ending might be part of the genre expectations, not sure though. Overall, I want to reiterate I loved how there are parallel stories that intertwine and give unexpected twists that work well. I also considered how the story comes full-circle at the end making the whole plot tight and satisfying. The characters are stereotypical, but the author exploits well how recognizable those stereotypes are. I think the author worked great within the genre, and I am surprised on how consistent the book is: the story, the writing, the style, etc. I wasn't sure what to expect from a book talking about holes, and at first I got a bit worried it was going to be very sad given the topic, but the author managed to talk about things in a way approachable for a younger audience. I am most impressed with how he uses simple sentences and yet give the impression to convey so much meaning. I recommend reading it to get a feel for how to build twists, how to make a plot tight, and especially the writing. Of course, it is still a YA adventure story, a lot "simpler" than say The Hunger Games, but to me a lot more enjoyable. it's good you told me about the movie, while reading I thought I would never watch the movie because I couldn't quite make it into one. Now I am curious.
For the first time in my life, as a twenty-seven year old, I'm reading a Neil Gaiman. I fully confess to being a bit of a snobby contrarian at times--it's my worst flaw--and so I put him off thinking he was just surface level "safe" fantasy. The Ocean at the End of the Lane has been a great read and a welcome departure from the stuff I've been reading lately, e.g. Stefan Grabinski and Alfred Kubin... I'm about 175 pages in and whilst the language isn't anything to write home about, Gaiman can do really likeable characters. I can't say if what I'm reading feels like a Gaiman book since I've never read him before, but there's at least that sense of whimsy which I expected. Ocean has elements of Coraline, from what I remember of the film. I had no idea what to expect and it's turned out almost more surreal than I thought it'd be. It's almost like a fever dream. Edit: Finished. I did enjoy it, but I might've spoken to soon about that "safe" feeling. The book largely deals with things like bravery, friendship, childhood and memory. All pertinent themes of course, but it does have that aura of a "coming of age" type tale which isn't really my thing. Still, I was surprised by the metaphysical elements of the story and it had some really quite poignant scenes. Particularly in the ocean of all-knowing. More in-depth than I thought it'd be.
i would say one big/minor discrepentcy in the movie was Stanley's weight, but that was explained in the special footage (i have the DVD set lol). It wasnt healthy to ask a teenager to bulk up and then slim down during filming. and a fat suit didnt seem "real". So Stanley being bullied at school isnt in the movie. picks up while he's going to the lake and doesnt flash back to school. In deleted scenes, he does have a school hallway scene, but i dont remember it all that much so it must not have been that interesting.
Nine chapters in, what initially seemed a fairly generic Fantasy has managed to charm and fascinate. I have quibbles with certain things resolving too neatly and predictably, but on the heels of that came some interesting, amusing twists that make the whole setting infinitely more alluring. This book roams the borderlands between Low and High Fantasy, straying now one way and now the other. It has more than a hint of that tangy Grimdark flavor, but with enough heart and wit to keep it from getting silly. The action, of which there has already been plenty, is snappy, visceral, and graphic. One fighting scene in particular produced some truly amazing visuals. I love it when you can just close your eyes (I'm enjoying the audiobook version) and have it play out effortlessly, almost exactly like watching a movie. The Norse influences are incorporated rather well, I thought, and thankfully not always in the more obvious ways. The three main characters haven't really had time to develop, but I think I can say already that they are well executed. I'm especially liking Orka and her family. This is the most enjoyable new series I've embarked on in quite some time, and if the quality continues to escalate along the established trajectory this will be one tremendous story.
@Night Herald I've only read Malice by John Gwynne and, while I didn't hate it, I felt the book had too many flaws to continue on with the series. Most of my complaints were with his characters; none of them were particularly compelling or unique, and two of the POV characters were far too similar for my liking. That said, the action scenes/battles were very nicely written. And the setting was interesting enough. So I'm up for giving him one more book to win me over.
Approaching the end of Erik Larson's Dead Wake, happily working my way through Agatha Christie's collection, and continuing with The Dark Ages (can't recall the author but it has lots of pictures to keep me happy). Have had a pile of research to do the last few months; these are my antidotes to too many peer-reviewed science articles.
Still working through True Grit by Charles Portis, just cracking it open every now and then. It's not that I don't like it. I really do, but I have so many other things going on. It's in 1st person, apparently objective or very nearly. Everything is in character voice and it's a very strongly flavored character voice (of COURSE it is, why else would the Coens adapt it? ), and occasionally the lead character will report a feeling or a thought, but only very shallowly. For instance (making this up) "I was perturbed by his habit of clearing his throat before speaking." That's literally as deep (or 'close') as it's got so far.
I just finished the novel that kicked off a genre, Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White. It was...long...but not terrible, honestly. Collins is credited with kicking off the Sensation Novel genre with this novel, and it's also a prime example of a precursor to detective fiction. The novel is told in an arrangement of depositions, all collected by one character. This leads the reader to very often disbelieve entirely what the primary arranger has written because of his own self-interest in the situation. But even at face value, the plot is rather complex for something a hundred and sixty years old, and fairly interesting. The best thing to take away from it is the characterization. Collins is absolutely spectacular at creating dynamic characters that develop progressively throughout their narratives, though they remain tied to each of their own critical values and perspectives. Everybody here has life goals, as little or large as they are, and they progress towards them, whether the observer sees their actions or not. It makes it feel like Realism. But Sensational fiction isn't Realism because of how it goes about its Realism. The Sensational piece goes for the psychodynamics of the characters more than anything else, and it takes the thematic structures of the previous Gothic period and places them in Modern England rather than historical France or Italy. The darkness and fear in industrialization and overpopulation of London and the surrounding area gave these stories more resonant ground to stand on with their audiences. The Woman in White really hits this hard, and it was explosively popular at the time because of it. It is, however, quite long-winded. At 220k words, it takes a solid minute to get through. Being a historical work, it's a bit of a challenge for the modern reader, but it does flow and the characters keep it afloat. It also just feels that much more real than the fantastical horrors of the Gothics before. Gives the novel something to stand on. Collins also likes to talk an awful lot about all the little steps along the way, filling many holes, naturally, but also creating instances of pure boredom or telling items that cut probably just be cut. This is a result of its initial publication. It was published over the course of a year as a periodical initially, due to the high cost of novel printing and its target audience being around the middle classes. That means that it sometimes repeats things for clarification. Makes for an easy understanding of a complex plot, but it also makes it often tedious. Still, I recommend it for those interested in the historical development of the detective or crime fiction novel. It made waves at the time, and it still has an interesting story to tell even today. As an added bonus, it comes with a conniving villain with an affinity and adoration for little white mice! All clichés must start somewhere!
I've been working my way through The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and it's been a neat time. I've got either the rest of Atlas Shrugged next, or I'll be reading the second Witcher book. Or, I may go rogue and reread the Sandman volumes I have so I can read the next one I got. So many books. Also, @Night Herald I'm doing something similar. My goal this month is three books. It's been nice to read again, but also difficult to bring my brain back to where I want it. Good luck!
I am currently reading Ulysses. For me, this novel has always been a precursor stone. A very complex modernist novel. I have already read 16 chapters, finishing soon.
