Jump to content

The 'Currently Reading' Thread.


Guest Refuse Matt M

Recommended Posts

  • Paid Members

It’s a great read, isn’t it? One of my all time fave books and movies.
Ellis, Palahniuk, Michael Marshall Smith and Donna Tartt are three authors I could read over and over and over.

 

Following American Psycho (and if you haven’t read them already), I’d recommend Rules of Attraction, Glamorama and the utterly bizarre Lunar Park (which is a bonkers fictional autobiography of Ellis crossing over with characters from his novels).

 

Ellis' podcast is tremendous too. I'll just chuck that in for good measure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I need to check Ellis out again. I tried reading Glamorama about four years ago and it just rattled off like a shitty AbFab Christmas script funneled through a gram of bad coke. It's entirely possible due to my mood at the time though that I was just being reductive about things once I got bored of them after five minutes. Obviously you can say  Palahniuk is all maggots and misery but he's still great, isn't he?

 

I'm reading Wyrd Sisters at the moment. Witch books are the best Discworld books. It's a joy. "You think you have destiny nailed down and it runs off with the hammer".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

See I love that Victor character from Rules of Attraction so that's the reason Glamorama appealed to me, but I could see how it could be absolutely poxy for a lot of people reading it.

 

Ah I absolute adore Palahniuk, Boss.
Diary was absolutely shit though and one of the worst books I have ever read, but besides that, he's always had me under his thumb. Lullaby is one of my all time favourites. Fight Club 2 is really good too. Unnecessary, but actually really, surprisingly good.

 

Here, have you ever read any Michael Marshall Smith? I pimp this gentleman to anyone in earshot/eyeshot when I get a chance. Only Forward, What You Make It and Spares. Absolutely fucking wonderful reads!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never read him man but he's name is in a sexy .txt list with a bunch of other stuff I've given myself to read over summer so nice one. TV chucked out of the bedroom and all. Happiest when reading.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

I'm reading Wyrd Sisters at the moment. Witch books are the best Discworld books. It's a joy. "You think you have destiny nailed down and it runs off with the hammer".

My favourite one ever is Lords & Ladies. For me, possibly his best ever, with very strong competition from Small Gods, Pyramids, Feet Of Clay and Night Watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Awards Moderator

 

I'm reading Wyrd Sisters at the moment. Witch books are the best Discworld books. It's a joy. "You think you have destiny nailed down and it runs off with the hammer".

My favourite one ever is Lords & Ladies. For me, possibly his best ever, with very strong competition from Small Gods, Pyramids, Feet Of Clay and Night Watch.

Thud, Pyramids, Carpe Jugulum, Night Watch and probably Wyrd Sisters for my top five.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am currently reading (and massively enjoying) The Gunslinger by Stephen King. Fantastic fiction by the king (pun intended) of horror which is more heavily focused on fantasy with less of the horror elements that can often turn off the readership. It is a relatively short novel too which really helps for those who don't want to trudge through the likes of 1000+ page 'It' or Under the Dome. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Awards Moderator

Pratchitterchatter

Small Gods is definitely his most complete, thought-through and focused book. I did not understand it at all when I first read it, but I was 11 and very religion-ignorant. Coming back to it 4 years later I had to peel myself off the floor. Stunning work and probably the closest to his heart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

I am currently reading (and massively enjoying) The Gunslinger by Stephen King. Fantastic fiction by the king (pun intended) of horror which is more heavily focused on fantasy with less of the horror elements that can often turn off the readership. It is a relatively short novel too which really helps for those who don't want to trudge through the likes of 1000+ page 'It' or Under the Dome. 

 

The Dark Tower series is one of my favourites ever, and I'm loving that they've cast Idris Elba as Roland for the upcoming series. Really excited about it.

 

However, if you like the shortness of The Gunslinger, you're going to hate the later novels. Wizard & Glass, which is probably the best one, is pretty big, as is Wolves Of The Calla.

 

 

Pratchitterchatter

Small Gods is definitely his most complete, thought-through and focused book. I did not understand it at all when I first read it, but I was 11 and very religion-ignorant. Coming back to it 4 years later I had to peel myself off the floor. Stunning work and probably the closest to his heart.

 

 

It is an incredible piece of work. To be honest, I listed a few of my favourites, but there are so many more that I've re-read and enjoyed massively - Jingo, Guards! Guards!, The Truth, Going Postal, Carpe Jugulum, The Last Continent, The Thief Of Time, The Fifth Elephant, Soul Music, Reaper Man, Thud!, Maskerade, etc., all brilliant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

I am currently reading (and massively enjoying) The Gunslinger by Stephen King. Fantastic fiction by the king (pun intended) of horror which is more heavily focused on fantasy with less of the horror elements that can often turn off the readership. It is a relatively short novel too which really helps for those who don't want to trudge through the likes of 1000+ page 'It' or Under the Dome. 

 

I recently read it too and I just couldn't get invested. Why should I care about the Gunslinger, or any of the others?

 

It might be that I'm in a bit of a fantasy funk, to be fair. I also attempted to read the Vagrant and got bored of that, as well as failing to get through the first Malazan book. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Picked up Lords & Ladies, Carpe Jugulum and Maskerade off the back of the Pratchett nostalgia/recommendations here. Was looking for Small Gods but Waterstones were out, bummer. Still remember Night Watch like the back of my hand so I won't bother reading that for another while, but most of these ones I never read (I hopped all over the place with the guy like ten years ago).

 

I love these reprints as well. They just feel great. Always hated those little books, although they come in handy if you like going to pubs by yourself but don't own a shoulder bag.

 

Also crakced into Dance, Dance, Dance last night. I've never read a Murakami before. I love it already. There's something oddly relaxing about that measured, dry prose of his. The fact that it's translated/adopted from a pictographic language still blows my tiny mind though. I try not to dwell on it too much.

 

Picked up Lolita too because I have yet to read it. And Breakfast Of Champions which I'm obsessed with but realised I no longer had a copy in the house so had to buy a replacement like it was the fucking quran or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

I'm about two-thirds of the way through House of Leaves, based on recommendation from here. I don't actually know if I like it yet.

 

I prefer the house parts and find reading anything by Johnny a bit like reading something written by a sixth-former who has watched Skins too much. It's a very clever book. Perhaps too much so for its own good at times, when the novelty of layout/split accounts/references becomes a bit of a chore on a Kindle. I also barely read fiction anymore, so it's very different from anything I've read in a good while.

Edited by Gus Mears
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

I enjoyed House of Leaves. It gathers steam towards the end and there's a few really creepy parts, and I got really invested in it like that bastard from the Neverending Story, but it doesn't half think highly of itself.

Only Revolutions though is a thundering load of badge muck, Gus. Stay clear. It doesn’t have a beginning or an end. I don't know what happened. That Melbourne Hipster chap? It’s the literary equivalent of him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...