I thought I'd fire up the ol' book board and ask you all what you're reading at the moment.

I've decided to read some crime fiction for awhile. I started Richard Price's "Lush Life" last week and got 170 pages into it and gave up out of sheer boredom with about 230 pages to go. It was just like any of the other 50 billion New York cop dramas I've come across.

So now, I'm reading "Hard Man" by Allan Guthrie. Set in Scotland, it's a trashy crime novel about a family whose 16 year old daughter gets booted out of her home by her psycho 26 year old husband, after getting pregnant to some other guy. But the psycho isn’t happy with leaving it at that and he decides to terrorize the girl and her entire family. The family try to hire "Pearce"(an ex-con who makes his living as hired muscle) but he's not interested, so they take matters into their own hands, whilst still trying to convince Pearce to help them out. Apparently this book is just one in a series in which Pearce is the protagonist, however, “Hard Man” is pretty much a self contained story.

It moves along at a fair clip and for a trashy crime novel it's good light (yet violent) entertainment.    

Yeah, I read Lush Life a few months ago after I saw Richard Price reading at the Philly Library.  It was ok.  I think his fiction writing has really been influenced by his screenwriting.  But Clockers is my favorite book of all time.  If you haven't read it, chack it out!

Just finished reading a reviwe/interview with CHuck Klosterman in Salon.  Sounded interesting.  ANyone here ever read anyhting by him?

I'm almost finished 'The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch' by Philip K. Dick.

Very strange book but brilliant at the same time.

Currently (re)reading Frank Herbert's 'Chapter House Dune' and SK's 'Skeleton Crew'.

I'm currently reading Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk.

Just finished:

The Red Limit by Timothy Ferris

The story of how the edge of the universe was discovered.  Really interesting - the astronomers came across as kooky characters but ultimately the book left me depressed and made me feel insignificant.

Now:

T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Alvarez

How the Yucatan extinction event was uncovered by one of the key players in the discovery. Only part way through but the first chapter alone was worth the read if this sort of event interests you.  

I just finished Choke by Chuck Palhaniuk a few weeks ago. Most excellent. Can't wait for the movie.

Lasher

Anne Rice

Quoted from Grandma Bear Next by M. Crichton skip it. Too long, too many characters.

I really enjoyed this one. Some of the characters at the beginning, I'll agree, could have been cut out and some of the preachy stuff at the end could have been less straightforward, but overall I really liked the structure and couldn't put it down.

As for now, currently working on Charlotte Chandler's "It's Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock, A Personal Biography."

Quoted from stebrown I'm almost finished 'The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch' by Philip K. Dick. Very strange book but brilliant at the same time.

Are you gonna adapt this Ste?

I finished reading Rant by Chuck Palhaniuk now i'm listening the audio book.

Quoted from NiK Are you gonna adapt this Ste?

I emailed the PKD estate but they wouldn't give me permission to write it, even if I wasn't looking to profit from it, so got a bit put off. Some of the visuals are amazing though and would look great on screen or as a graphic novel.

(My avator is the main antagonist 'Palmer Eldritch')

Quoted from stebrown I emailed the PKD estate but they wouldn't give me permission to write it, even if I wasn't looking to profit from it, so got a bit put off. Some of the visuals are amazing though and would look great on screen or as a graphic novel. (My avator is the main antagonist 'Palmer Eldritch')

I'm sorry for you. So what are you gonna do now? I suggest you write it anyway, it would be a good exercise plus who knows maybe someone will read it and help you get the permission. I say DO IT.

By the way today i started Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

Right now I'm reading Weaveworld. Hot dang that is one awesome book. My friend has been trying to get me to read it for the past ten years. Glad I did.

And Sandman comics. Brilliant! Sheer brillance.

Quoted from Grandma Bear Currently reading: The Langoliers by S. King Next by M. Crichton skip it. Too long, too many characters.

So Langoliers is good huh?  I might have to check it out.

Is that Next the same one as like the Nicholas Cage movie?

As of right now, I'm reading Tyranosaur Canyon.

Just finished Through the Looking Glass.  The movie has nothing on how truely weird that book is.

I'm almost done "The Varieties of Scientific Experience" by Carl Sagan, sad to think this is the last book, too bad! But I'm finding it really interesting! I never really read full books though because I hardly have the time so I have a bunch of short stories books I read, preferrably Raymond Carver!

I recommend LEAPER by Geoffrey Wood. The story is centered around James, a recently divorced man who suddenly finds himself burdened with the power of teleportation. The characters are very believable and the dialogue is witty, especially the exchanges between the main character has with his ex-wife.

The book is written in a style that is very easy to read and it has such a fast flow that you'll be disappointed when you finally reach the last page. This is his debut novel, and an extremely good one. I rarely sit down and read a book in one sitting, but this one is one of those that truly can't be put down!

I don't know if many of you have read much Christian fiction, but this book doesn't read like a Sunday School lesson. It's wriiten for a much wider audience. It does have a Christian theme, but I won't spoil it for those of you who might pick up a copy, but the theme and moral of the story is presented in such a way that it isn't preachy.

If you like the television show Heroes, then you'll love this book. It really is a 10!!  

I just got finished reading 'Angels and Demons' and 'The Da Vinci Code', both by Dan Brown.

I heard they were releasing the film version for 'Angels and Demons' sometime in '09, so I thought I'd check it out.  I haven't seen 'The Da Vinci Code', yet, so my reading experience wasn't soured at all.

To be honest, I like 'Angels and Demons' a lot better than I did 'The Da Vinci Code'.  'Da Vinci Code' is still good and I enjoyed it, but 'Angels and Demons' has a much better paced and exciting storyline.  I also thought that the characterization in 'Angels and Demons' was much better, too.

I've always liked Angels & Demons better as well.
Looks like it'll be a better movie too.

Anyway, onto the books:

"Stiff" by Mary Roach
Disgusting, kinda disturbing and absolutely hilarious.
Every person on the planet must read this book immediately.

"The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold
A great modern novel. It's absolutely heartbreaking and funny at the same time while still being engaging on a philosophical and theological level. Highly recommended. Can't wait for the movie.

I started reading "The Stand" by Stephen King a few days back.
Pretty standard for King so far, but I haven't read much of it yet.

So you liked 'Digital Fortress' better than 'Angels & Demons', huh?  I was wondering which one of Brown's I should read next.  Thanks, Pia, for making it a lot easier to decide now.  And just curious, but after reading his novels, do you get in a really intense mood to go to a museum?  After reading each book, I find myself at the Butler Art Museum the next day.

'Stiff' sounds kind of intriguing, too.  I've never read anything by Mary Roach, but disgusting, disturbing and hilarious?  In my eyes, you can't beat those adjectives.  Now I know the next two things I'll be reading.

Quoted from chism "Stiff" by Mary Roach Disgusting, kinda disturbing and absolutely hilarious.

I will second this comment -- read this a while back and it is very entertaining.

This is a non-fiction book about dead bodies.  Everything you could possibly want to know about dead bodies.  It is fascinating and well-researched and the author has a very readable style for a pseudo-science topic.

Another book of hers, "Spook" -- about the search for the soul and ghosts and whatever -- is also good.  I liked "Stiff" a little better, though.

I'm currently working my way through Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, very enjoyable. I'm then going for Brave New World by Aldous Huxley on recommendation from a friend.
Also tempted by Stranger in a Strange Land.

Also the poster who mentioned Weaveworld has got me thinking, it's been on my shelf for years.

A little concerned by the amount of people reading Dan Brown

I've been reading The Lord of the Rings to my children at night. We're almost halfway through the Two Towers after starting with The Hobbit some months ago.

My wife and I switch off between books. Before Lord of the Rings, we read the entire Narnia series, and before that was all 13 books of The Series of Unfortunate Events. My wife has read the Little House on the Prairie series to them and now she's doing Harry Potter in between the LOTR books. They are some well read to children.

Just finished 'Azincourt' by Bernard Cornwell. Historical fiction about the battle of

Agincourt in the 15th century between England and France. Awesome battle scenes, all

factual.

Just finished And Then We Came To THe End by Joshua Ferris.  If you've ever worked at a pointless job in a dreay office with a bunch of other depressives who hate their job, this is the book for you!  Hilarious.

Now I'm reading The Great Upheavel by Jay Winik, about the 1780's and the ummm, upheavel that happened around the world.

Just got finished reading 'Jesus' Son', by Denis Johnson.  Very interesting.  Some of the stories, especially early on, lag.  But later on, there are really some priceless gems.  I also just read his novel 'The Sun at Noon', and I can't say that I recommend that one very much.  So he's going to be very touch and go for me from now on.

Now I'm reading 'Just After Sunset' by Stephen King.  It's been forever since I've read him, so I thought I'd sink my teeth in again.  I'm only four stories into it right now and there's only one that I'm disappointed with.  It's not a bad story, I was just extremely disappointed in it.

I'm also reading 'Speaking With Your Hands, Listening With Your Eyes'.  It's a non-fiction tutorial on learning sign language.  I know, not interesting, but if you are ever interested in learning, this book is the best I've come across.

Did you read Tree of Smoke?  That was great!

Charles Baudelaire's "Flowers of Evil", poems translated by William Aggeler

"The deafening street roared on. Full, slim, and grand
In mourning and majestic grief, passed down
A woman, lifting with a stately hand
And swaying the black borders of her gown;

Noble and swift, her leg with statues matching;
I drank, convulsed, out of her pensive eye,
A livid sky where hurricanes were hatching,
Sweetness that charms, and joy that makes one die.

A lighting-flash — then darkness! Fleeting chance
Whose look was my rebirth — a single glance!
Through endless time shall I not meet with you?

Far off! too late! or never! — I not knowing
Who you may be, nor you where I am going —
You, whom I might have loved, who know it too!"

No, just 'Jesus' Son' and 'The Sun at Noon' for right now.  I'm waiting for 'Tree of Smoke' to show up at one of the local libraries to check it out because I want to read it.

Actually, off-subject, I just checked out the April 6 issue of 'The New Yorker' and read the short story 'Visitation' by Brad Watson.  I'm not a big fan of the fiction in 'New Yorker'...  the stories rarely hold my attention for more than two paragraphs, but this story was pretty amazing and interesting the whole way through, I thought.  I'm definately going to check out more on Brad Watson and his book 'Last Days of the Dog-Men'.  Have you read or heard anything about it?

Currently reading 'Fromelles'.   It's about the battle of Fromelles in France in 1916. In a single night, 5533 Australian soldiers were killed, wounded, captured or went missing. This is more then the combined Aussie casualties from the Boer, Korean, and Vietnam wars. The carnage was covered up by the British generals responsible for the awful planning and tactics.
So since then, this battle is not listed on any Australian war memorials in our country. The book tells how, in 2002 , one man discovers the truth and his fight to find the remains of the missing 163 Diggers is related. This became debated in the Australian senate. I can remember it being on the news a coulpe of years back, but hadn't realised the extent of it. Am halfway through this book. A must for any one interested in military history.

The Warren Report

Finished the Warren Report, read Angels and Demons, and now. . .I am reading my very first book about screenwriting.  Syd Field: Screenplay, the Foundation of Screenwriting.  I love it so far, but it's kind of rough, because so many of these paragraphs are more than four lines!!!  

I'm currently reading the Internet postings of John Titor (thanks to steven8 for arousing my curiosity). Obviously, it's a hoax (I mean, it has to be), but a very well thought out one.

Quoted from sniper I'm currently reading the Internet postings of John Titor (thanks to steven8 for arousing my curiosity). Obviously, it's a hoax (I mean, it has to be), but a very well thought out one.

I have spent whole nights just going through those old threads and reading theories and whatnot.  VERY intriguing bit but of stuff, eh?

The real brilliance of this, is that he posted his farewell and never resurfaced.

Quoted from sniper The real brilliance of this, is that he posted his farewell and never resurfaced.

Amen to that.  It allows the mystery to linger, and has spawned even more internet bickering since then.  You just know that guy has loved reading all of it!

Quoted from steven8 You just know that guy has loved reading all of it!

Unless he's totally unaware of all of this back in his 2036 wordline...

Quoted from sniper Unless he's totally unaware of all of this back in his 2036 wordline...

Ah. . .yes. . . . . . .

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, awesome so far.

Could never finish Naked Lumch so I go back to that one sometimes.

The Name of the Wind - Fantasy

Patrick Rothfuss

I'm making my way through Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" right now.

Just started 'Heaven + Earth' by an Aussie scientist, Ian Plimer. It came out earlier this year. He scientifically debunks all the global warming/climate change stuff.
I was a believer in cc but this guy makes sense in the intro!

Quoted from Takeshi I just finished reading "X Saves the World" by Jeff Gordinier. It's an interesting take on the influence that Generation X has had on art, culture and politics. I found the chapter covering independent cinema from the 90s and screenwriting particularly interesting. He discusses Tarantino, Aronofsky, Trey Parker, Matt Stone as well as other Gen X artists.  He also manages to sink the boot into millennial pop culture and icons like American Idol, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. The book was published this year, so it’s right up to date and at just 179 pages it’s a fairly light and entertaining read.

What am I reading now?

Chris Reid's post.  

But what I especially like is what's in his signature!

     
The big ideas won't just come. You have to work at it.

Quoted from Sandra Elstree. But what I especially like is what's in his signature!       The big ideas won't just come. You have to work at it.

That's mainly there to remind me. But I'm glad you like it.  

I've been reading the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I'm on the 2nd part out of 7, and I bought all of the books. I'm really into this, and think it's written wonderfully.

-A Litch

For me - Right now, at this moment...The BIBLE

ISAIAH 45:1

Talks about how GOD will go before us to make all things right.

Try reading it tonight. I guarantee the best nights sleep you have ever had.

Shawn.....><

The Dropoff by Patrick Quinlan.  Great crime novel. Would be a good one to adapt to script.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I figured if I'm going to have to spend the next three to seven years listening to right wing nitwits who've never read it quoting it, I might as well read it so I know what they're misquoting.  

It's not as godawful as I thought it would be.  I really love the tone of it, especially in the beginning.  Decay in the streets.  Vaguely ominous, but no one can quite put their finger on it.  The "detective" story is pretty obvious, all though that might just be because of what I alraedy knew going onto it.  

Anyway, it's a wierd mix.  Story wise, some of it is really good.  But she makes her arguments with all the subtly of a Michael Moore movie.  WHich is no problem, because I like Michal Moore.  It's just ironic that the wingnuts who whine about his propaganda love Ayn Rands just as blatant propaganda.

Quoted from Grandma Bear Ayn Rand's books are on our bookshelves. Everyone but me has read them all. She's a Libertarian not a right wing  nut... They do tend to take selected pieces out of context to quote though. Just wanted to clarify in case someone thought she was a right wing person.

Good point!

And she started in Hollywood as a screenwriter!  So libertarin or conservative, she was clearly a deviant!