What are you reading now?

[BelleCanzuto]

The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy.

I have *no* idea where the plot is going, and it's got one of the best descriptions of a person interacting with hallucinations that I've read. Otoh, his complete absence of any markers of dialogue make the reading a little slow.

 

[SimonDoom]

The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy.

I have *no* idea where the plot is going, and it's got one of the best descriptions of a person interacting with hallucinations that I've read. Otoh, his complete absence of any markers of dialogue make the reading a little slow.

I think McCarthy WANTS you to read slowly. That's always been my sense. It takes some getting used to.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I think McCarthy WANTS you to read slowly. That's always been my sense. It takes some getting used to.

The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy.

I have *no* idea where the plot is going, and it's got one of the best descriptions of a person interacting with hallucinations that I've read. Otoh, his complete absence of any markers of dialogue make the reading a little slow.

Amor Towles does that in his latest novel, The Lincoln Highway:

- blah blah blah, Johnny said, and you don't know if what follows is narrative or dialogue.

It gave me the shits after ten pages, and I gave up completely after fifty, thinking, all you are is a smart-ass wanker. It added nothing to the story telling, that I could see. Prick, he got my money, and I've got a fire lighter.

Which is a pity, because his A Gentleman in Moscow was superb. But he's now like a bad Lit writer trying to be clever. I won't buy anything else he writes, just to spite him. Ooo, such a punishment, but I'll give my money to someone else. I didn't even jump to the end to see what the last paragraph was about - which is my usual tactic when a novel gets tedious. Pompous prick writers, what can you do?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Still reading the Rise and Reign of the Mammals. All the scientific names, most of them unfamiliar, are slowing me down.

What, "dog" and "cat" too hard for you? .

You should give Yuval Noah Harari a go - "Homo Deus" and "Sapiens" - same thing, but for mankind, with speculation on the future.

 

[SimonDoom]

Amor Towles does that in his latest novel, The Lincoln Highway:

- blah blah blah, Johnny said, and you don't know if what follows is narrative or dialogue.

It gave me the shits after ten pages, and I gave up completely after fifty, thinking, all you are is a smart-ass wanker. It added nothing to the story telling, that I could see. Prick, he got my money, and I've got a fire lighter.

Which is a pity, because his A Gentleman in Moscow was superb. But he's now like a bad Lit writer trying to be clever. I won't buy anything else he writes, just to spite him. Ooo, such a punishment, but I'll give my money to someone else. I didn't even jump to the end to see what the last paragraph was about - which is my usual tactic when a novel gets tedious. Pompous prick writers, what can you for?

I haven't Towles's work so I can't comment.

McCarthy, I think, is a true genius. He has an unsurpassed talent for an American author of recent years for smithing words. He doesn't make it easy on you, as a reader, but when you're done, it's worth it. That's how I felt. I'd rank Blood Meridian as one of the top 5 American novels of the last 25 years of the 20th century, but it's completely nuts and dark as hell.

 

[SimonDoom]

What, "dog" and "cat" too hard for you? .

You should give Yuval Noah Harari a go - "Homo Deus" and "Sapiens" - same thing, but for mankind, with speculation on the future.

I've read Sapiens. I wasn't always sure what to make of it but I enjoyed its contrariness and distinctive point of view.

 

[AWhoopsieDaisy]

I'm flipping through Venom The Hunger at the moment. It's so good and encapsulates everything I love about Venom and Eddie's relationship.

 

[KeithD]

Amor Towles, The Lincoln Highway

Alexander McCall Smith, Love in the Time of Bertie

Martha Grimes, The Old Success

 

[ElectricBlue]

I haven't Towles's work so I can't comment.

McCarthy, I think, is a true genius. He has an unsurpassed talent for an American author of recent years for smithing words. He doesn't make it easy on you, as a reader, but when you're done, it's worth it. That's how I felt. I'd rank Blood Meridian as one of the top 5 American novels of the last 25 years of the 20th century, but it's completely nuts and dark as hell.

I've not read any Cormac McCarthy - I should check my local library, just in case I get the shits with his dialogue too. Wouldn't want to waste my money twice .

 

[XerXesXu]

I've not read any Cormac McCarthy - I should check my local library, just in case I get the shits with his dialogue too.

Probably. He doesn't litter the pages with punctuation, as Towles does.

 

[Trubbycat]

That's my goal! I assume you read the dinosaur book as well? I read that first. As a lifelong dinosaur fan I was enthralled. But this one is interesting because there's much more of the story about mammals that I did not know.

Same here! People don’t know that mammals were around almost as long as dinosaurs.

 

[DeLaFaye]

A History of Warfare by John Keegan (business)
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (pleasure)

 

[BelleCanzuto]

I think McCarthy WANTS you to read slowly. That's always been my sense. It takes some getting used to.

McCarthy, I think, is a true genius. He has an unsurpassed talent for an American author of recent years for smithing words. He doesn't make it easy on you, as a reader, but when you're done, it's worth it. That's how I felt. I'd rank Blood Meridian as one of the top 5 American novels of the last 25 years of the 20th century, but it's completely nuts and dark as hell.

I read The Road years and years ago, and enjoyed it, for all its dystopian vagueness.
I remember taking my time, but I don't remember as much difficulty with figuring out dialogue vs narration. Of course there are what, two? main characters in that book.

This is one of McCarthy's last, iirc, and apparently has a sequel of sorts (Stella Maris). There's one living main character, but he has long interactions with a whole slew of friends/co-workers/ barflies and There's a no introduction or context until you are halfway through a conversation. The reader is definitely just along for the ride stepping into a world where it's just assumed you already know who everyone is and what their relationships are. The passages with the hallucinations are almost easier because the number of characters talking is more limited.

Amor Towles does that in his latest novel, The Lincoln Highway:

- blah blah blah, Johnny said, and you don't know if what follows is narrative or dialogue.

It gave me the shits after ten pages, and I gave up completely after fifty, thinking, all you are is a smart-ass wanker. It added nothing to the story telling, that I could see. Prick, he got my money, and I've got a fire lighter.

Which is a pity, because his A Gentleman in Moscow was superb. But he's now like a bad Lit writer trying to be clever. I won't buy anything else he writes, just to spite him. Ooo, such a punishment, but I'll give my money to someone else. I didn't even jump to the end to see what the last paragraph was about - which is my usual tactic when a novel gets tedious. Pompous prick writers, what can you do?

He tends to end a paragraph of narration with a character saying something, which the main character will acknowledge, but not necessarily reply to. Then there will be ten or twelve lines back and forth, maybe between those two characters, maybe between the second and a third, with one or two verbal indicators. No quotation marks, no separation from the narrative to the dialogue. And he prefers indicators of the nonverbal (Character shrugged; character smiled; character took the paper, etc.) instead of any verbal cues.

It's interesting, but definitely not your easy summer beach read...
(That'll be next, probably somethingby Taylor Jenkins Reid)

 

[ElectricBlue]

A History of Warfare by John Keegan (business)
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (pleasure)

I'm assuming you know Antony Beevor, the military historian? His works on the major WW 2 campaigns are astonishing, especially Stalingrad and Berlin.

He writes from both sides of the battles, and drills deep into not only strategy at the high command level, but also tactics down at the operational and civilian level, using mostly command and personal/private diaries and letters. It's like Kubrick doing Full Metal Jacket down with the grunts, only in the bowels of Stalingrad buildings and streets and across the river; and the Seelow Heights, east of Berlin

 

[DeLaFaye]

I'm assuming you know Antony Beevor, the military historian? His works on the major WW 2 campaigns are astonishing, especially Stalingrad and Berlin.

He writes from both sides of the battles, and drills deep into not only strategy at the high command level, but also tactics down at the operational and civilian level, using mostly command and personal/private diaries and letters. It's like Kubrick doing Full Metal Jacket down with the grunts, only in the bowels of Stalingrad buildings and streets and across the river; and the Seelow Heights, east of Berlin

Honestly, I try to avoid any war after the 1500's like a cliche. I'm looking at Keegan's research, level of detail, layouts. That being said, I'm a sucker for anything using personal/private diaries and letters. Not to mention anyone playing from both sides.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

Finished The Passenger and, I dunno. It turned out to be a long meditation on grief, but without much exploration of the grieving person's grief. And the event in the beginning that set off the main character's meandering wasn't necessary. Maybe reading the second book will clarify things. Maybe McCarthy had more in mind that he didn't get to.

I'm definitely moving to something lighter, though I also have Kindred By Octavia Butler on hold.

 

[SimonDoom]

I finished The Rise and Reign of Mammals, by Steve Brusatte. Great book! Now it's back to fiction. I'm going to resume and finish J.G. Ballard's Crash, a novel about people who get erotic thrills from car crashes.

 

[Trubbycat]

I finished The Rise and Reign of Mammals, by Steve Brusatte. Great book! Now it's back to fiction. I'm going to resume and finish J.G. Ballard's Crash, a novel about people who get erotic thrills from car crashes.

I've been reading about dinosaurs since I was a little kid and by extension had a cursory knowledge of mammal evolution. This book filled in a lot of gaps without getting too technical.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm about to start Lady Chatterley's Lover. I've read several Lawrence novels but not that one for some reason. I plan to incorporate it into an upcoming story I'm working on here.

 

[beguilethewolves]

I have been in an Octavia Butler mood lately and leafing through books I've already read.

 

[Trubbycat]

Crying in H Mart

 

[beguilethewolves]

Crying in H Mart

That book tore me up.

 

[KeithD]

The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George

Slow Horses by Nick Herron

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March

 

[Seadog777]

I'm currently not reading any books.
Nothing that I've come across has peaked my interest right now.

 

[MajorRewrite]

Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones. The first two books in a long series. Short books with an interesting premise: What if the kids who fell through portals (through a mirror, down a rabbit hole, etc) didn’t actually want to come back?