Books Part V, featuring Benny Profane and the Whole Sick Crew

[IWasBored]

apparently nick hornby's book to movie ratio is more than i thought, since there's a movie version of a long way down on netflix. starring that guy who i think played bond in a couple movies and jesse pinkman, and some other people i have no idea who they are.

[Rachel D.]

I just started Next by Michael Crichton. I was reading Volume II of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, but took a break before starting The Valley of Fear, since that one looks like it's novel length. Those stories are still awesome so far.


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[bono_212]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Finished Mockingjay. Loved it.

Started Wayward Pines. Hate it.

Quit Wayward Pines...it was trash.

Started reading Station Eleven. Pretty sure I really, really like it.

[IWasBored]

Originally Posted by Rachel D.

I just started Next by Michael Crichton. I was reading Volume II of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, but took a break before starting The Valley of Fear, since that one looks like it's novel length. Those stories are still awesome so far.


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Valley of Fear was fairly inferior to the other novel-length ones, too.

[Rachel D.]

Originally Posted by IWasBored

Valley of Fear was fairly inferior to the other novel-length ones, too.

Hmm, that's a shame. The preface to Volume II said that the very last Sherlock Holmes stories took such a turn that a lot of people suspect that Doyle didn't even write them, but had someone else do it and then stuck his name on them.


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[IWasBored]

Originally Posted by Rachel D.

Hmm, that's a shame. The preface to Volume II said that the very last Sherlock Holmes stories took such a turn that a lot of people suspect that Doyle didn't even write them, but had someone else do it and then stuck his name on them.


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The last batch are pretty weak. Especially the ones that aren't from Watson's pov. There are a couple in the third person, and one that was actually supposed to be first person Holmes. Really fucks things up and fails hard.

[LemonMelon]

The Shock of the Fall was a heartbreaker. I really dug the prose in this one; crisp and direct, offering enough grit to cut the plot's inevitable dose of sentimentality. A schizophrenic teen feeling guilt over the death of his Down syndrome-suffering brother sounds like a whole forest of syrup, but it doesn't read that way at all. In fact, it was actually quite fun in spots; the varied typography and sketches scattered throughout gave me a House of Leaves vibe and the author has a great sense of humor. Definitely recommended.

[djerdap]

I'm working on my Spanish by reading 2666 and it's working quite nicely. So far I'm really happy with the book. Bolaño creates a uniquely unsettling, creepy mood, mixed in with some bizarre and unexpected humour. I'm curious if it will truly feel as one piece of work by the end (since it is strictly divided into five parts).

I've been doing some DeLillo reading as well, namely White Noise and Mao II. White Noise was hilarious, oddly poignant in parts and frustrating at times due to the overwhelmingly whining nature of its characters. Mao II was a mixed bag. Just as it started going it ended abruptly, it peaked just at the beginning, and characters obviously seem not to be DeLillo's strongpoint.

[Rachel D.]

I'm reading Last of the Mohicans. Eight chapters in, and the characters are still trapped in a cave surrounded by hostile Indians. The main character likes to wax poetic and spout his knowledge about various topics during moments of crisis, which makes the story more wordier than it needs to be.


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[IWasBored]

Was he trying to bore them into letting him go?

[Rachel D.]

Originally Posted by IWasBored

Was he trying to bore them into letting him go?

He actually jumped in a river and swam away, letting the other characters get captured. What a guy!


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[Rachel D.]

Doesn't anyone read anymore?

I read The Picture of Dorian Gray for the first time. That was pretty disturbing, but very good. Excellent writing.

Now I'm reading A Farewell to Arms. Hemingway wasn't a fan of commas, was he? Run-on sentences galore!


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[bono_212]

I just finished Dorian a couple months ago, myself. Loved it.

Reading Tale of Two Cities, now. Enjoying it, but it's taking forever to read.

Between those I read The Book Thief, which had serious problems, but a decent premise.

[LemonMelon]

I get paid to read unreleased books in need of serious polishing, plus I'm in grad school, so I don't read much for fun anymore. If I had the spare time, I would be in here daily.

[lazarus]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Reading Tale of Two Cities, now. Enjoying it, but it's taking forever to read.

This isn't even one of the longer Dickens books! Have you read Great Expectations or David Copperfield yet?

Two Cities finishes VERY strong. Really enjoyed it.

Currently trying to get through Joseph Conrad's Nostromo, believed by many to be his best. Prior to this I'd only read Heart Of Darkness and The Secret Sharer, way back in high school as required reading. But he's held in very high regard so I'm trying to check out more of his work.

During my vacation I read Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, which was fantastic. Apparently it's notorious because it came out of nowhere to beat Franny & Zooey and Catch-22 for the National Book Award, but since those books didn't need any help to reach their place in the zeitgeist I'm glad this more obscure work was singled out. Set in New Orleans, it certainly has some similarities to A Confederacy Of Dunces (written almost 20 years later), but it's less grotesque and more existential. Just as funny, however, depending on your sense of humor of course.