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I finished Tampa, in essentially a single setting.
I haven't felt like a book reached out a hand and groped around in my innards like this since A Little Life. But this did it in a different way. The writing is very good, at points immersive and enchanting even, but that's precisely why it feels so horrifying- you know what's being described, and it's stomach-churning.
Edit: I'll put it this way. It was easy to read for me, and that's disgusting.
Anyway, I'm now more than halfway through The Odyssey as well, and I think I'll read Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind after that's done, because hoo boy I need a palate cleanser after that.
I haven't felt like a book reached out a hand and groped around in my innards like this since A Little Life. But this did it in a different way. The writing is very good, at points immersive and enchanting even, but that's precisely why it feels so horrifying- you know what's being described, and it's stomach-churning.
Edit: I'll put it this way. It was easy to read for me, and that's disgusting.
Anyway, I'm now more than halfway through The Odyssey as well, and I think I'll read Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind after that's done, because hoo boy I need a palate cleanser after that.
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John Scalzi Old Man's War will hit the spot just right. It's real page turner.
I'll check these out thanks!
I think I have to stop reading Wheel of Time. Starting these books feels like torture. I'm more than 200 pages in to Lord of Chaos and I still feel like the book hasn't even started. I like them once it starts getting in to the plot and character interactions but good god does it take forever to get to it.
You have more mental fortitude than me, I didn't make all the way through Eye of the World.
I actually read Eye of the World probably 10+ years ago but never went any farther because it seemed like nothing special or noteworthy. Cut to 2019 when people seemed to not stop talking about it and having a close friend obsessed with the series, and I was much more in to fantasy now than I ever was before, I decided to give it another chance. I reread Eye of the World and still thought it was pretty blah, but the second book grabbed me more and 3, 4, 5 were all really really good. But now seeing Jordan's cliche's and crutches and meandering has sort of just become torture, and worries me even more that I'm supposedly not even in the bad and boring books yet!
I just finished Dragon Reborn. His books are weird, like the plot is really pretty interesting once he actually gets to it but he is absolutely awful at meandering for every fucking thing. The characters cannot go anywhere without something happening. He stopped doing it a little near the end of Dragon Reborn and I was grateful. We don't need conflict at every inn and boat ride thanks very much Mr. Jordan. You could cut out a lot of the books and you wouldn't lose any context or worldbuilding, which I think he was trying to do but it is needless. The padding is ridiculous, and it feels like he is paid by the word so has to have Nynaeve tug her braid every single time she speaks lmao. It almost seems worth it for the climaxes which are actually quite good.
It's an effort to read sometimes. That's why I'm taking a break and re-reading Mistborn.
Almost done with:
Released about four years ago, I came to it via the Wallace listserve. It's not as accessible as Wallace, but more accessible than Pynchon. Gauer is a mathematician and a poet, and this novel shows an incredible amount of erudition. All this was fine when I was moving through it at a fast clip, but now that I'm picking it up sporadically, it's not working nearly as well for me.
Plot: guy wakes up in a small city in Mexico with no idea who he is, but all his knowledge is intact. Two gunmen are supposed to kill a guy in El Paso and end up having to chase him in Juarez. A venture capitalist in Silicon Valley sits down to write his memoir. All these players may or may not be related. It's a drug book, but not really. It's meta, for sure. And it's quite a bit of work. And, it's 700+ pages. For brave readers (by nature, gluttons for punishment) only.
Released about four years ago, I came to it via the Wallace listserve. It's not as accessible as Wallace, but more accessible than Pynchon. Gauer is a mathematician and a poet, and this novel shows an incredible amount of erudition. All this was fine when I was moving through it at a fast clip, but now that I'm picking it up sporadically, it's not working nearly as well for me.
Plot: guy wakes up in a small city in Mexico with no idea who he is, but all his knowledge is intact. Two gunmen are supposed to kill a guy in El Paso and end up having to chase him in Juarez. A venture capitalist in Silicon Valley sits down to write his memoir. All these players may or may not be related. It's a drug book, but not really. It's meta, for sure. And it's quite a bit of work. And, it's 700+ pages. For brave readers (by nature, gluttons for punishment) only.
Almost done and it's really good. Second short novel of his that I've read in the past two years, Down the Rabbit Hole is mentioned on the cover of that edition, it's also great. I love his writing style, really funny and enjoyable.
Ken Liu's new book of short stories came out, only 2 stories in and it reads a lot like Paper Menagerie, a blend of Sci-Fi and historical fiction
If you liked Paper Menagerie I can safely recommend
If you liked Paper Menagerie I can safely recommend
I'm in Lord of Chaos about 300 pages in.
Currently the dream team of the rebel aes Sedai are ransacking Elaidas desk for info. So far Rand talking to Taim has been most interesting part of the book and I think that was the two shortest chapters.
I would seriously just start skim reading the boring stuff but it's in those parts that I get my favorite tidbits that occasionally happen. Like in the Forsaken chapter with the POV of Graendal he slips in a tiny detail of how the Warders are a new thing to Aes Sedai and the forsaken don't understand it. Stuff like that or how Rand subtly drops the detail about how no one knows what a dragon is. These tiny details are my favorite parts and it makes me suffer the boring stuff about clothes and hair pulling.[\spoiler]
I would seriously just start skim reading the boring stuff but it's in those parts that I get my favorite tidbits that occasionally happen. Like in the Forsaken chapter with the POV of Graendal he slips in a tiny detail of how the Warders are a new thing to Aes Sedai and the forsaken don't understand it. Stuff like that or how Rand subtly drops the detail about how no one knows what a dragon is. These tiny details are my favorite parts and it makes me suffer the boring stuff about clothes and hair pulling.[\spoiler]
Yeah, the girls get kinda boring in this part, but Egwene's bits are probably the more important of them. The books tend to cycle through the Emond's Field 5 in who gets the most "screen time". So this one is Perrin, Egwene and Rand if I remember correctly. I might be wrong, depending where Nynaeve and Elayne are.
Oooo, will check out next.Ken Liu's new book of short stories came out, only 2 stories in and it reads a lot like Paper Menagerie, a blend of Sci-Fi and historical fiction
If you liked Paper Menagerie I can safely recommend
This also kinda sounds up my alley.Almost done with:
Released about four years ago, I came to it via the Wallace listserve. It's not as accessible as Wallace, but more accessible than Pynchon. Gauer is a mathematician and a poet, and this novel shows an incredible amount of erudition. All this was fine when I was moving through it at a fast clip, but now that I'm picking it up sporadically, it's not working nearly as well for me.
Plot: guy wakes up in a small city in Mexico with no idea who he is, but all his knowledge is intact. Two gunmen are supposed to kill a guy in El Paso and end up having to chase him in Juarez. A venture capitalist in Silicon Valley sits down to write his memoir. All these players may or may not be related. It's a drug book, but not really. It's meta, for sure. And it's quite a bit of work. And, it's 700+ pages. For brave readers (by nature, gluttons for punishment) only.
Finished up the last two Percy Jackson & the Olympians books this week. Ended up enjoying them quite a bit. Not quite on the level of Harry Potter but the last two books were definitely very good.
Before that I read Diamonds are Forever as part 4 of my Ian Fleming/James Bond quest. Books themselves are getting better. I'd complain about them further but they are what they are. You don't read a James Bond novel or watch a James Bond movie and expect something different. This and Moonraker are definitely two of my favorites so far. Getting in to the books now where I've actually seen the movie (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger) so we shall see how they hold up compared to that.
Up next is Before They Are Hanged. Read The Blade Itself earlier in February but needed a bit of a break from that so I read something else for a bit.
Before that I read Diamonds are Forever as part 4 of my Ian Fleming/James Bond quest. Books themselves are getting better. I'd complain about them further but they are what they are. You don't read a James Bond novel or watch a James Bond movie and expect something different. This and Moonraker are definitely two of my favorites so far. Getting in to the books now where I've actually seen the movie (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger) so we shall see how they hold up compared to that.
Up next is Before They Are Hanged. Read The Blade Itself earlier in February but needed a bit of a break from that so I read something else for a bit.
Really enjoyed the Percy Jackson books. The second series is alright but not as good, I thought.
Just finished:
and although the basic idea is good - doing a history of games in 100 objects - and the photos and objects themselves are really good choices, the writing alongside them is poor. It smacks of early noughties 'jokes' (remember when articles used to interject funny comments into the writing in brackets like this? You have a few of those) and poor puns that don't really explain the items in the best way. Lots of bonus points for including the Barcode Battler though!
and although the basic idea is good - doing a history of games in 100 objects - and the photos and objects themselves are really good choices, the writing alongside them is poor. It smacks of early noughties 'jokes' (remember when articles used to interject funny comments into the writing in brackets like this? You have a few of those) and poor puns that don't really explain the items in the best way. Lots of bonus points for including the Barcode Battler though!
I've read the Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey.
I find the translation very impressive, it's by far the most readable classical poetry I've ever seen. I've seen very little, however.
As it turns out, I'm really not a fan of ancient Greek poetry, though. Formulaic, sexist, colonialist, and not particularly exciting. Of course, different times and all that, but I didn't feel an emotional connection with it. All the description of wine and meat did make me hungry, though.
I expected more of a journey, but Odysseus' journey home is only about half of the book, the other half is basically court drama at his house and a few forgettable sequences of Odysseus being someone's guest. That was disappointing, but the 'boring' bits did provide character development so I can't complain too much.
The read was still worthwhile, if only to see some of the common stories/allusions like Polyphemus.
Also, the paperback copy feels incredibly nice to hold and read, one of the best paperback books I've had the pleasure of reading in quite some time. It's like those Penguin Deluxe Classics with ridged/unevenly cut sides.
I'll be reading her translation of The Iliad for sure, whenever it comes out (she says it's several years away).
Next up is the deluxe edition of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind:
Honestly, I got it on a whim and I'm not very invested 60-ish pages in. But the art is quite gorgeous and something about reading a manga on such large pages feels nice and uniquely immersive. I'm normally a fan of smaller-sized copies (of just about any book) but I'm really enjoying the large size of this one.
I find the translation very impressive, it's by far the most readable classical poetry I've ever seen. I've seen very little, however.
As it turns out, I'm really not a fan of ancient Greek poetry, though. Formulaic, sexist, colonialist, and not particularly exciting. Of course, different times and all that, but I didn't feel an emotional connection with it. All the description of wine and meat did make me hungry, though.
I expected more of a journey, but Odysseus' journey home is only about half of the book, the other half is basically court drama at his house and a few forgettable sequences of Odysseus being someone's guest. That was disappointing, but the 'boring' bits did provide character development so I can't complain too much.
The read was still worthwhile, if only to see some of the common stories/allusions like Polyphemus.
Also, the paperback copy feels incredibly nice to hold and read, one of the best paperback books I've had the pleasure of reading in quite some time. It's like those Penguin Deluxe Classics with ridged/unevenly cut sides.
I'll be reading her translation of The Iliad for sure, whenever it comes out (she says it's several years away).
Next up is the deluxe edition of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind:
Honestly, I got it on a whim and I'm not very invested 60-ish pages in. But the art is quite gorgeous and something about reading a manga on such large pages feels nice and uniquely immersive. I'm normally a fan of smaller-sized copies (of just about any book) but I'm really enjoying the large size of this one.
The Percy Jackson books are wonderful, and perhaps contrary to popular opinion I love the first few books of the second series (Heroes of Olympus?) perhaps even more than the main PJ books. Hilariously though, I kinda grew out of the series by the time the last book of HoO came out, so I never finished it, or took a look at the other series Riordan has written since then.
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Started reading brothers karamazov.
Recently finished lord of the flies, 1984, and the divine comedy
Recently finished lord of the flies, 1984, and the divine comedy
Interior: Chinatown - by Charles Yu
About:
This resonated with me almost right away, capturing some of the feelings I had growing up asian in the US. I have a feeling it will with lots of asian people, as the stereotypes Wu humorously tackles can easily also be applied to those of other asian groups growing up outside their people's native lands. I am usually a slow reader, but I enjoyed this so much I tore through nearly a quarter of it in my first sitting with it. Highly recommended so far (I hope it remains as good until the conclusion).
About:
Penguin Random House said:
This resonated with me almost right away, capturing some of the feelings I had growing up asian in the US. I have a feeling it will with lots of asian people, as the stereotypes Wu humorously tackles can easily also be applied to those of other asian groups growing up outside their people's native lands. I am usually a slow reader, but I enjoyed this so much I tore through nearly a quarter of it in my first sitting with it. Highly recommended so far (I hope it remains as good until the conclusion).
I binged through the last 20% or so of The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks.
That was a great book, the world building, in retrospect, reminds me quite a bit of The Gods Themselves by Asimov.
I wanted more mindgames from the ending but I suppose the way it ended is the point.
Like Consider Phlebas, I felt like this book suffered from middling character writing, which I'd say is the biggest flaw. Like Asimov, a lot of the characters feel like they were written as a plot device first and a person second. This one was definitely far more deserving of my time though.
The Culture is somehow rather uninteresting by itself, but I suppose that's kind of the point.
Overall, the individual story was kind of nice but the overall universe still feels... ill-developed. Thoughtlessly developed, even. That might just be me expecting too much.
I don't know if, or when, I'll go back to another Culture novel.
That was a great book, the world building, in retrospect, reminds me quite a bit of The Gods Themselves by Asimov.
I wanted more mindgames from the ending but I suppose the way it ended is the point.
Like Consider Phlebas, I felt like this book suffered from middling character writing, which I'd say is the biggest flaw. Like Asimov, a lot of the characters feel like they were written as a plot device first and a person second. This one was definitely far more deserving of my time though.
The Culture is somehow rather uninteresting by itself, but I suppose that's kind of the point.
Overall, the individual story was kind of nice but the overall universe still feels... ill-developed. Thoughtlessly developed, even. That might just be me expecting too much.
I don't know if, or when, I'll go back to another Culture novel.
The chapter from the perspective of his opponent was soooooooooooo good.
Use of Weapons has a more interesting character at the heart of it (an outsider recruited into Special Circumstances to infiltrate less advanced civilisations), plus is more about the seedier aspects of The Culture, so you might enjoy that one.
Have you played What Remains of Edith Finch? Because that sounds veeeery similar to it.My favorite genre is anything supernatural, horror, paranormal.
So my current book is this.
"
There's something wrong with Ashburn House...
The ancient building has been the subject of rumours for close to a century. Its owner, Edith, refused to let guests inside and rarely visited the nearby town.
Following Edith's death, her sole surviving relative, Adrienne, inherits the property. Adrienne's only possessions are a suitcase of luggage, twenty dollars, and her pet cat. Ashburn House is a lifeline she can't afford to refuse.
Adrienne doesn't believe in ghosts, but it's hard to ignore the unease that grows as she explores her new home. Strange messages have been etched into the wallpaper, an old grave is hidden in the forest behind the house, and eerie portraits in the upstairs hall seem to watch her every movement.
As she uncovers more of the house's secrets, Adrienne begins to believe the whispered rumours about Ashburn may hold more truth than she ever suspected. The building has a bleak and grisly past, and as she chases the threads of a decades-old mystery, Adrienne realises she's become the prey to something deeply unnatural and intensely resentful.
Only one thing is certain: Ashburn's dead are not at rest."
The Haunting of Ashburn House|Paperback
From USA Today bestseller and rising queen of atmospheric horror Darcy Coates comes a haunting story of intrigue, misery, and fear. There's something wrong with Ashburn House...Everyone knows about Ashburn House. They whisper its old owner went mad, and restless...www.barnesandnoble.com
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My favorite genre is anything supernatural, horror, paranormal.
So my current book is this.
"
There's something wrong with Ashburn House...
The ancient building has been the subject of rumours for close to a century. Its owner, Edith, refused to let guests inside and rarely visited the nearby town.
Following Edith's death, her sole surviving relative, Adrienne, inherits the property. Adrienne's only possessions are a suitcase of luggage, twenty dollars, and her pet cat. Ashburn House is a lifeline she can't afford to refuse.
Adrienne doesn't believe in ghosts, but it's hard to ignore the unease that grows as she explores her new home. Strange messages have been etched into the wallpaper, an old grave is hidden in the forest behind the house, and eerie portraits in the upstairs hall seem to watch her every movement.
As she uncovers more of the house's secrets, Adrienne begins to believe the whispered rumours about Ashburn may hold more truth than she ever suspected. The building has a bleak and grisly past, and as she chases the threads of a decades-old mystery, Adrienne realises she's become the prey to something deeply unnatural and intensely resentful.
Only one thing is certain: Ashburn's dead are not at rest."
www.barnesandnoble.com
So my current book is this.
"
There's something wrong with Ashburn House...
The ancient building has been the subject of rumours for close to a century. Its owner, Edith, refused to let guests inside and rarely visited the nearby town.
Following Edith's death, her sole surviving relative, Adrienne, inherits the property. Adrienne's only possessions are a suitcase of luggage, twenty dollars, and her pet cat. Ashburn House is a lifeline she can't afford to refuse.
Adrienne doesn't believe in ghosts, but it's hard to ignore the unease that grows as she explores her new home. Strange messages have been etched into the wallpaper, an old grave is hidden in the forest behind the house, and eerie portraits in the upstairs hall seem to watch her every movement.
As she uncovers more of the house's secrets, Adrienne begins to believe the whispered rumours about Ashburn may hold more truth than she ever suspected. The building has a bleak and grisly past, and as she chases the threads of a decades-old mystery, Adrienne realises she's become the prey to something deeply unnatural and intensely resentful.
Only one thing is certain: Ashburn's dead are not at rest."
The Haunting of Ashburn House|Paperback
From USA Today bestseller and rising queen of atmospheric horror Darcy Coates comes a haunting story of intrigue, misery, and fear. There's something wrong with Ashburn House...Everyone knows about Ashburn House. They whisper its old owner went mad, and restless...
www.barnesandnoble.com
I'll keep that in mind, thanks!
After Nausicaa, I think I'll read something more down-to-earth; The Grapes of Wrath or For Whom The Bell Tolls.
Nah I don't play many games but I have heard of it. My fiancé played a cool novel ish type game last year called dear Esther.
I finished "The Other People" which was fine, I dont really think it ran with the possible exciting potential the book set up in regards to who The Other People are, but nevermind.
Anyway, it seems I have turned into that one person who actually buys all those books you probably all glazingly look over when you're in a supermarket, so next up I have..
Anyway, it seems I have turned into that one person who actually buys all those books you probably all glazingly look over when you're in a supermarket, so next up I have..
Finishing up The Steinway Saga by D W Fostle this week, and starting Mozart: The Early Years by Stanley Sadie. (Too bad Sadie died before he could pen the second volume.)
Per the advice of someone here on the forum (can't remember who), I've found the suggestion of switching off between a fiction and a nonfiction title while consuming books to be a good coping strategy for my ADD. Helps to keep a feeling of tedious monotony at bay when traversing a rather lengthy volume. Thank you to whomever made the suggestion. 👍
Per the advice of someone here on the forum (can't remember who), I've found the suggestion of switching off between a fiction and a nonfiction title while consuming books to be a good coping strategy for my ADD. Helps to keep a feeling of tedious monotony at bay when traversing a rather lengthy volume. Thank you to whomever made the suggestion. 👍
Finished this off quite quickly last week as the last half of the book really gripped me. Think it may just enter the top 3 of the series (so far) for me.
Now onto Dust of Dreams
Actually reading this at the moment, I'm into the last 25%. Now though I'm going to have to finish the chapter I'm on and put it on hold.
I only started the series the beginning of January so the series in general is relatively fresh in my mind but I wanted to refresh myself as my brain generally likes to mush any series I read into one giant story and i find it difficult to recall individual books.
Anywho, the reason I wanted to refresh was so I could say with confidence that I would give the entire series (with the exception of one of the prequel books which is three short stories) 5/5 so far and I know when I finish the series I will go into a kind of mourning.
As for why Toll of the Hounds is going to have to go on hold, during my research for this post I discovered that I missed the release of Kallanved's Reach
and with how often Shadow Throne has made an appearance the last couple of books any further filling in of the Malazan history the better
First thing that pops into my mind is the Omega Force series by Joshua Dalzelle or the Odyssey One series by Evan Currie. Both offer different things and characters in both series end up being involved in galaxy wide situations but are addictive and easy reads.
Finished:
Only photo I could get working!
Really interesting - it's a psychology book about why some people play games, written by a psychologist who plays games (he's played Mass Effect, Demon's Souls, Myst for example)
Dispels some of the myths we all know are still common with video games for example about how it makes people violent, talks about the psychology behind GamerGate and the ways that gaming has been part of some of his counselling sessions. It's very informative and has made me think about some of the reasons why I play games and my relationship with them. Highly recommended!
Only photo I could get working!
Really interesting - it's a psychology book about why some people play games, written by a psychologist who plays games (he's played Mass Effect, Demon's Souls, Myst for example)
Dispels some of the myths we all know are still common with video games for example about how it makes people violent, talks about the psychology behind GamerGate and the ways that gaming has been part of some of his counselling sessions. It's very informative and has made me think about some of the reasons why I play games and my relationship with them. Highly recommended!
Finished:
Only photo I could get working!
Really interesting - it's a psychology book about why some people play games, written by a psychologist who plays games (he's played Mass Effect, Demon's Souls, Myst for example)
Dispels some of the myths we all know are still common with video games for example about how it makes people violent, talks about the psychology behind GamerGate and the ways that gaming has been part of some of his counselling sessions. It's very informative and has made me think about some of the reasons why I play games and my relationship with them. Highly recommended!
This sounds really good. Been thinking I should try read more non fiction.
That sounds awesome.Finished:
Only photo I could get working!
Really interesting - it's a psychology book about why some people play games, written by a psychologist who plays games (he's played Mass Effect, Demon's Souls, Myst for example)
Dispels some of the myths we all know are still common with video games for example about how it makes people violent, talks about the psychology behind GamerGate and the ways that gaming has been part of some of his counselling sessions. It's very informative and has made me think about some of the reasons why I play games and my relationship with them. Highly recommended!
Is good - there's a few mentions of psychologists that I didn't have a clue about but interesting ideas!
OP
OP
Promise of Blood. First book in the Powder Mage series is $2.99 on Amazon. Love this series.
Amazon.com: Promise of Blood (Powder Mage series Book 1) eBook : McClellan, Brian: Kindle Store
Amazon.com: Promise of Blood (Powder Mage series Book 1) eBook : McClellan, Brian: Kindle Store
www.amazon.com
I just finished this yesterday too. It was good but I don't think I liked it as much as The Heroes, maybe a little less than Best Served Cold too. It just went so hard into Western tropes that it often didn't feel like it belonged to the same universe. And it really made sure to hit all those Western tropes.
Just finishing up a re-read of the standalone books before starting A Little Hatred.
Quick thoughts on the powder mage trilogy:
Finished the Trilogy , since after the first part went on sale for 0.99 , i could get the complete series as one ebook for 3.50 ?
Anyways, the first book was strong. The other two were ok, i giuess. I cannot really seperate them.
I think the story lost me somewhere in te first third of the third book.
I think te last plot twist which gripped me or i remember was the betrayl of the one armed commander which ten stabbed Tamas and disappeared ?
The rest then just dribbled along for me with the feeling of 'been there, done that'
THe end:
was ok but the series just fizzeled out. Tamas dead, Taniel gone finally free. No bad character really redeemed or one of the good ones get some kind of closure besides Tamas. I think the gods murdering gods was last escalation which did not really felt like an escalation anymore.
I read it to the end but the bleakness to no avail in combination with the no so good characterisations/writing of women in the books does not let me rate the series too high.
Furthermore I do not have the feeling that any character developed any further, then they were at the beginning of the story.
I mean the suffered through so much, but their point of views bearing or behaviour does not reflect that
I enjoyed the ride somehow overall, but now i am glad to be done.
I know ive seen characters reading crime and punishment in pop culture ,but the only instance ive been able to find is in Wallace and gromit. Anyone remember any other references to this?
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Haven't read much over the past week. However, I think I'll be reading For Whom The Bell Tolls next.
I've been struggling to find a book that grabs me for ages but finally found it with Kafka on the shore. Loved the weird dreamlike quality to it.
Despite being a small part of the book a characters hatred of what he called hollow people really resonated given the politics of recent years.
Narrow minds devoid of imagination. Intolerance, theories cut off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems. Those are the things that really frighten me. What I absolutely fear and loathe.
Despite being a small part of the book a characters hatred of what he called hollow people really resonated given the politics of recent years.
Narrow minds devoid of imagination. Intolerance, theories cut off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems. Those are the things that really frighten me. What I absolutely fear and loathe.
You're in for a treat then, much of Murakami's bibliography has the exact same dreamlike quality to it!
Finished Zodiac Station by Tom Harper today, was very meh.
I'm 0/4 on books so far this year, probably gonna read The Girl With All the Gifts next, hopefully that ones better.
I'm 0/4 on books so far this year, probably gonna read The Girl With All the Gifts next, hopefully that ones better.
Finished this mammoth. Most obvious comparisons here are with The Stand, so I won't do that. The book was a bit too long for its own good, some things didn't pay off, and the characters are a bit thin, but when it gets going, it really gets going. First half of the book was better - second half spins its wheels a bit and stretches your suspension of disbelief.
Evaristo's novel shared the 2019 Booker Prize with Margaret Atwood's sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, which made it something of a literary cause celebre as many people felt she should have been the sole winner. I haven't read Atwood's book yet (I'm waiting on the paperback, to match my copy of the original; but I'm always glad when Canadians authors win, since international literary awards typically ignore them), but this is indeed an excellent piece of writing, and certainly the most purely readable Booker winner I've come across in a good while. Somewhat unconventionally structured, Girl, Woman, Other is primarily split into twelve different POV chapters (themselves clustered into segments of three based on close character linkages), all from the perspectives of black British women (or, in two cases, a character who is biologically female but comes to identify as non-binary, and another who doesn't know she has black ancestry). There's not really a plot, per se, rather a series of interlinked life stories that serve to illustrate a whole range of issues and perspectives on black and women's identity, feminism, generational conflict, motherhood and parenting, economics...a lot. There are maybe a few moments (particularly with the youngest characters) that verge on being a bit too knowingly filled with sloganeering and internet slang, but on the whole it's really compelling, empathetic writing.
The Big Nowhere, James Ellroy's second novel in the "L.A. Quartet", has a much less famous unsolved murder as part of its plot compared to the initial The Black Dahlia, but otherwise Ellroy ups the ante in terms of plot complexity, as well as the degree of nastiness of many of the characters who are the closest thing there are to heroes in this world. Almost everybody is kind of terrible. It's compelling reading, if at times maybe bleaker than the tastes of many will run.
Of interest for me is that a couple of characters from L.A. Confidential appear first in this novel, and in particular it seems like reading L.A. Confidential the novel would have been a different experience than watching the film, given that in the latter the twist involving James Cromwell's character Captain Dudley Smith being a villain is a big surprise, but if you had read The Big Nowhere before reading L.A. Confidential you would already know that Smith is extremely corrupt and a murderer.