What Are You Reading Now.

I just picked up The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus. Such a talented writer. Such a way with words. I'm truly enjoying this collection.

 

So, just finished the 3rd book in the Thursday Murder Club series, I think? By Richard Osman. And I think there is a 4th this year. Certainly is cranking them out now; and why not, I've enjoyed every one of them so far. Peculiarly British I suppose, an Agatha Christie of a sort; well, perhaps at least an influence? But in a more modern setting of course, and a more modern language, and all the better for it. But it's the characters in the end, as one of those characters says in the book, 'It's the people, in the end, isn't it?'
And that's it, no matter what subject or genre, it's always about the people. And Richard Osman gets the people spot on.

And now, on to The Peripheral, by Gibson. Now that I've finished, what has been, an excellent tv series.

 

Hmm. I skipped the TV series after having read the book. I'm kind of allergic to multiverse/Matrix backgrounds though, so YMMV. Gibson is an author who, for me, blazed oh-so-brightly when he was young but has declined as he's settled down. So many of the things he imagined have more or less come to pass, where to go now?

 

@Krispee , I edited the above while you were liking it. Had another thought.

 

Well, I haven't read him enough to agree or disagree but your point perhaps could be leveled at a lot of writers? Perhaps you do your best work when proving a point, and after having made it sufficiently you naturally tend to ease back, take your foot off the gas, so to speak.
Or maybe not, what do I know about being a successful writer.

Edit: I do understand about the multiverse/matrix, it does seem to be the thing at the moment. It's colouring everything a little beige.
And yes, science fiction has one particular problem, it's ideas often catch up with it.

 

No worries, did a bit of editing my own self.

 

He divorced Katherine of Aragon, executed Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour died following childbirth, he annulled the marriage to Anne of Cleves, executed Katherine Howard, and died before he could damage Katherine Parr. Only one divorce. Don't malign the man.

 

Not a book, but I just watched "The Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock on Tubi. That's what, the 50s? I think if I wrote that story out today and tried to sell it to an agent, they'd feel compelled to laugh in my face with replies. Basically, its' two completely unrelated stories - one a developing romance between two characters and the other flocks of psycho birds. There's exactly zero overlap between the two. Its like the one fills space between bird attacks but serves no other purpose. I've never been a big fan of romance in anything outside of real life, but this one really didn't work for me.

 

I loved it, don't get me wrong. All I'm saying is that I watched it differently now, as a writer, then I did thirty years ago when I had taco sauce on my lapel. Not to divulge any spoilers, but in the movie, they climb into the car in the end and drive away. I would have had twenty more chapters to write in that story from there!

 

There actually is a powerful overlap between the two storylines, but it's very subtle and meant to be subconscious. That's just how Hitch rolls. It's all laid out here: Hitchcock's THE BIRDS film analysis by Rob Ager

Hitch was English—isn't bird slang for woman in the UK? So the story of the rivalry of all the women in Mitch's life is parallelled by this strange mass attack of birds.

Fun fact—the little girl is played by Veronica Cartwright, who would later play Lambert in the movie Alien.

 

I've probably seen Alien a thousand times, no joke. I thought she looked familiar, I just couldn't place it!

Trust me, by no means am I one to pick apart Alfred Hitchcock's work. I'm just saying that when I watched the movie I was trying to pull the two storylines together and was having a hard time at it. Your point about the women competing for Mitch resulting in the strange mass of attacking birds is one I actually considered. You don't see complex storylines anymore I guess, so it was a foreign concept.

 

Yeah, I was thinking it isn't very common anymore in movies or stories to deal with that kind of subject matter—women fighting fiercely over a man (including his mother). And he really doesn't make the connection between the two stories very clear at a surface level.

 

I see the link in question, but I still think it's weak. How do three women fighting each other over this guy equate to birds attacking people? Maybe if the birds fought each other you could look up and say, God that's effed up and then have a whut waaaa moment when they realize they're doing the same thing. Or or or or, hear me out, the birds watched everything from afar and thought they were so desperate and pathetic that they felt compelled to peck them to death? I'm so confused!

 

It's symbolism, the birds are symbolic of the women attacking each other. Especially knowing that in the UK birds means women. The movie was about 'the women'. And you aren't meant to 'get it' directly, unless you're pretty adept at seeing symbolism, it's supposed to be subliminal. It's more effective that way. Did you watch the video?

 

Finished Villette by Charlotte Brontë today and I've decided not to read another classic for a bit. They're books requiring savoring and I do enjoy that, but I keep buying books and I'm running out of shelf space. I've decided to read one of my thicker books to clear out some space, and I was drawn to House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski. I've heard fantastic things and got the remastered full color edition, so I'm looking forward to reading it.

 

Finished it... It was beautiful writing but i was so not happy about how unresolved everything was. Its like.... He didnt know how to end it.
I have so many questions still.
Im good with books that end with leaving stuff open to interpretation. But this had the set up, the mystery/intrigue, and then just ended.

-sighs-

 

Jules Verne. The collection has 20,000 leagues under the sea, journey to the center of the earth, around the world in 80 days, and the mysterious Island. Much of the stories are travel logs, with science that has been disproved. It is an interesting study in story structure.

 

The mysterious island is a disappointment. It is lots of tell and little show, and things are always going the characters way. I am about half way through and fighting the urge to put it down. The H.G.Wlls collection I got through a sale on audible with Virnes is calling, as a more interesting read.

 

Is that the H.G. Wells collection with David Tennent, Jason Isaacs and other famous British narrators? If so, that's a great listen mostly. (I wasn't a fan of The Invisible Man. The reading was fine. I just didn't care for the book.)

 

It's the one with Hugh Bonneville, Jason Isaac, and several others. I will say, the mysterious island is a book I would want to have post apocalypse. There are lots of low tech solutions to problems.

 

Bought two books I found in a Dollar Tree bin. One was Shutter by Melissa Larsen which I just finished. It was about a young woman named Betty Roux, who is couch surfing at an old friends, Sofia, in NY after her father's death and Sofia and her boyfriend land her an audition with some famous indie movie director. He takes a shine to her at a bar during her non-audition audition. And hires her to play a part in his new project which is inspired somewhat on Cape Fear. They will be isolated on his families private island up near Maine during the shoot which will be so small scale it will just be her friends, the director, her and some other actor (called Mads Byrne which made me hoot). The film has no script and will play like some interactive reality show. But when they get there the director is suddenly cutting her hair, dying it platinum and some seedy local is mistaking her for someone called Darla.
My brain was scoping out a dozen different twists but given the immensely slow burn of the plot I knew it wasn't going to be any of my ideas. A little too safe - and more of a psychological thriller and despite all the introspection of the mc Betty, I really didn't get her at all. When the end comes I was like that's it?!
Not a total loss though as it was well written even if it didn't live up to my (probably absurd) expectations.

 

Just finished the most recent of the wandering inn series by pirateaba. In terms of genre this is fantasy with a bit of litrpg. Save the cat would classify it as The Fool Triumphant.
The MC is a young woman, early twenties, who tries to apply a world view more fitting to our world, to the fantasy world she finds her self in.
Combining that with a very well fleshed out world, with multiple races, and their worldviews, makes for some very interesting drama.

Minor spoiler
A young woman finds herself in a fantasy world. She takes shelter in an abandoned inn, just outside the walls of a city. She decides to open it as an inn, and posts a sign saying "no killing goblins", in a world where goblins are seen as pests.