The 'Currently Reading' Thread.

[LaGoosh]

Currently taking a bit of time off from Mark Z. Danielewski's "Only Revolutions" to read the fourth instalment of Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series. Fuck me, is this series good. Incredibly bizarre, with things happening all over the place for no reason, but you don't really have problems accepting it. For example:

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

At one point, in the third book, the three adults - Roland of Gilead, the main character, and his companions, Eddie and Susannah - are sat around a fire, discussing the jawbone Roland took from his enemy as a protective talisman against evil. Roland decides to get rid of it, and chucks it into the fire. What happens next is weird: Roland and Susannah don't see it, but Eddie sees the jawbone warp and twist in the fire, until it forms the shape of a key, before burning up. Somehow, Eddie manages to remember the shape of the teeth on this key, and somehow knows he's going to need to carve a key in this shape.

 

It doesn't end there. As they're walking through the forest, Eddie all of a sudden notices an alder branch - somehow, in a vision, he just knows that that is the specific branch he needs to carve the key from, because he doesn't see it as carving as much as freeing the hidden object from the wood.

 

[close spoiler]

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There's no explanation at all as to why this strange stuff happens, but after a while, you just find it's easier and much more enjoyable to go along with the story.

 

I think that's a big part of why I love the series so much. I love the ideas and themes of destiny and fate that the series is just jam packed with. Like the incredible visual idea of random doors on a beach that lead to the inside of a persons mind and their origin is not even discussed. No one even says "where did these doors come from?". Ka is the only explanation for all the craziness that the story even needs.

[Steveo2007]

I gave up on the Prime Ministers one for a bit of casual reading and so got this off Amazon.

 

 

I've not read any of the Sherlock Holmes books before but like anyone on this planet, I've heard of the character and the author so I finally decided that I may as well familiarise myself with the Holmes stories. Needless to say I am absolutely loving reading the stories as the character of Holmes is a fascinating one. The mysteries are very well put together and I enjoy the twists and turns that would take place within a story leading to the ultimate conclusion. Amazing collection and although I'm only 400 pages in, I can imagine I'll be finishing it in no time.

[SpursRiot2012]

I'm reading The God Delusion at the minute. It's alright, but he's preaching to the choir really with me. I can't wait till I get paid, I really need some new material. And going by this thread (and Amazon review) I'm going to give The Dark Tower series a go, as well as Naked Lunch. Also gotta get me some books on lucid dreaming.

[Astro Hollywood]

I can't wait till I get paid, I really need some new material.

 

'sup yo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To avoid this just being a plug, on a whim, I ordered a compilation of Clive Barker's first three Books of Blood. Anyone here a fan of Clive Barker? I've loved his artwork and movies for years, and he's a fascinating interview, but I've never actually read anything he's done.

[Steveo2007]

I can't wait till I get paid, I really need some new material.

 

'sup yo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To avoid this just being a plug, on a whim, I ordered a compilation of Clive Barker's first three Books of Blood. Anyone here a fan of Clive Barker? I've loved his artwork and movies for years, and he's a fascinating interview, but I've never actually read anything he's done.

Only read Hellbound Heart and loved it so I'll be checking out more of his books soon.

[shaneojack]

I got 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' today after loving the tv show.. one chapter in and already im hooked.

[SpursRiot2012]

I can't wait till I get paid, I really need some new material.

 

'sup yo?

 

Worry ye' not. I read those free two PDF chapters and liked, so will pick it up.

[SiMania]

 

The Visitor is the 4th in the series of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child, I've got another 4 here to read when this is finished.

They're good thrillers with some unexpected turns and Jack Reacher is almost like a guilty pleasure, I've heard the ending to this one is a bit crap though.

 

Not sure if I'd say it's crap. It's certainly a bit on the "eh ? really ?" side, but not crap.

 

Incidentally, the new Jack Reacher book is an absolute scorcher. I don't think I've read a bad one yet.

 

Only realised now there was a reply to my post, I quite liked the ending, a bit on the "eh?" I suppose but not crap at all. I'm giving Reacher a break at the moment and currently on Homicide by David Simon - Really good so far, as a fan of the wire I expect to enjoy it all. Also reading All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye by Christopher Brookmyre - a comic thriller which I've been reading bit by bit since July, it's fun and there are some nice touches that I like but it's not hooked me and will stay my "having a shit" book til I finish.

 

Got The rest of the Reacher and John Rain books to read too along with David Baldacci's Divine Justic which I picked up at the same time as Homicide on a buy 1 get 1 half price deal, I'd read The Whole Truth by Baldacci on holiday and found it my kind of book (Crime, Mystery, Thriller type novels)

[Steveo2007]

I tried having a go of this book a few months ago but gave up on it from about chapter two as I fancied something else and have now finally picked this back up and am already half way through after only starting it on Sunday. I was originally pointed towards this book by the translator who is the daughter of the author who has now passed away. She saw some of my reviews of books on Amazon and told me originally it was my review of Stalin's book that made her recommend this to me as I expressed a bit of sympathy in my review of the Stalin book towards the dictator and she felt her fathers book would give me a first hand view of those people in the small villages who were directly affected and terrorised by the Stalinist regime.

 

 

I am loving it so far and would recommend it to anyone.

[Steveo2007]

Polished the above off within a few days and loved every minute of it. Still gets a recommendation and currently reading...

 

 

 

Thinking of picking up a wrestler biography or two as my next books so instead of Bret Harts, anyone have any recommendations?

[Registration_Form]

Decided to lower myself into the canyon of reading that is Independent foreign correspondent Robert Fisk's 'The Great War for Civillisation' (1200+ pages) which is a semi-autobiographical look back at his reporting of the middle east from the last three decades of so. I think some try to paint him as a left-wing 'loon' but it's kind of hard to question a journalist who has seen, first-hand, so much quiet suffering. The book is generally very depressing, covering the Afghan/Soviet war, Iran-Iraq war and despicable silence over the early 20th century Armenian genocide in a way that neatly interchanges between personal stories and bigger overviews, the two complimenting each other along the way.

 

Some quite neat retrospective insight too- drawing some quite scary parallels between the British's ill-fated excursions to Iraq in 1920 and in 2003. At least we were a bit more up-front about our resource-pillaging tactics in 1920, no benevolent talk of 'humanitarian intervention' or 'spreading democracy' just- 'Attention Brown People! We Are Bigger than You and Want Your Oil'.

 

I'm just getting started on what I am sure will be a beast of Israel/Palestine.

[ColinBollocks]

Reading Bret Hart's book.

 

It's good, but I'm not liking it as much as Foley's and Jericho's book.

[CuckedByMenry]

 

I'm the last person who should post in a book thread, since up until Friday the last book I read was Robert Rankin's 'The Fandom Of The Operator', which was four years ago. Two years later I got halfway through 'The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies Of The Apocalypse', then stopped for zero reason. Due to having somewhat of a nothing-doing period at work, I brought it in last week and finished it. I felt it was the least I could do, since I recently met the man and got them both signed, feeling a tad dirty having not finished one of them.

 

I've now got a craving for more of his books. I ordered 'Sex And Drugs And Sausage Rolls' and bought 'The Da-Da-De-Da-Da Code' this week, the latter of which I'm halfway through. I've got my eye on The Toyminator after I've finished the aforementioned two, but after that I'm unsure what to get. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[children of bodom]

just finished reading this

 

 

I m now reading the 1st book in the dark tower series. i read the 1st chapter online and found it really good so i m giving it a go.

 

BTW are there any good batman books out there??

[tiger_driver]

 

I'm the last person who should post in a book thread, since up until Friday the last book I read was Robert Rankin's 'The Fandom Of The Operator', which was four years ago. Two years later I got halfway through 'The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies Of The Apocalypse', then stopped for zero reason. Due to having somewhat of a nothing-doing period at work, I brought it in last week and finished it. I felt it was the least I could do, since I recently met the man and got them both signed, feeling a tad dirty having not finished one of them.

 

I've now got a craving for more of his books. I ordered 'Sex And Drugs And Sausage Rolls' and bought 'The Da-Da-De-Da-Da Code' this week, the latter of which I'm halfway through. I've got my eye on The Toyminator after I've finished the aforementioned two, but after that I'm unsure what to get. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

 

Robert Rankin is God! Have you got the hard back of The Da Da.... ? Comes with a CD to accompany the reading. I've got most of his books but don't like his Lazlo Woodbine character. You should read the Brentford Chainsaw Massacre trilogy with John O'Mally and Jim Pooley. Sex, Drugs and Sausage Rolls is a riot. I'm currently reading The Most Amazing Man That Ever Lived which is another good 'un. You'll find a lot of his characters popping up in different stories which is fun. Most of his work are all trilogy based in some way or another but work as stand alones also.

 

 

It must be an old charter or something.