What mainstream book are you reading now?

[TheNovelist2000]

How far in are you? I found it like many Stephen King novels, they start out strong but lose their way about half way through. It was a "didn't finish" for me.

I'm on page 256, and it's going great so far. Probably around 500 more pages to go.

 

[SweetDee33]

For me it’s The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. Lots of familiar women - young and older - with many variations on lots of familar characteristics, even in the flashback sections.

I read that recently for my book club! I thought it had similar vibes to The Secret History which I always loved

 

[lc69hunter]

Going back and reading "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein. Haven't re-read it for over a decade.

 

[FrancesScott]

I read that recently for my book club! I thought it had similar vibes to The Secret History which I always loved

I’ve not made much progress, been busy with other stuff. But Moore has a nice style of writing.

 

[SimonDoom]

How far in are you? I found it like many Stephen King novels, they start out strong but lose their way about half way through. It was a "didn't finish" for me.

This is exactly my response to King's novels. They go on way too long and he loses his way. I felt that way about this particular book, which I did finish. Great premise--all his books have great premises--but not a satisfying resolution.

The premise of 11/22/63 presents an interesting moral dilemma. If you could somehow go back in time and change history by doing something like preventing the Kennedy assassination, would you? And my answer is no, because so many people I know would not exist. That seems irresponsible to me.

I was conceived before, but born after, 11/22/63, so presumably I would exist. But Kennedy's survival would send so many ripples through the world that anybody conceived after that date would not exist. I wouldn't want to have that on my hands.

The other issue, of course, is that even if you liked Kennedy you would have no way of knowing if the world would have been better had he survived. Maybe we would have had World War 3. Nobody knows.

To anybody who likes King but gets exasperated by the way his novels wander, I strongly suggest his short story collections. He has many fantastic short stories.

 

[SimonDoom]

Genre fiction: "Stinger" by Robert McCammon. On deck, either Peter F. Hamilton's "Exodus" or Michael Swanwick's "The Dragons of Babel."

To prove I'm clinically insane: "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" by Robert Caro. If you don't know who Robert Moses was, he was a 'planner' in New York City who initially created parks and very useful infrastructure (the Triborough Bridge, for one.) But who eventually revealed a hatred of public transit and championed roads. Anyway, I've always been curious about how various things ended up the way they are when I'd lived in the area, and the answer had always been "Robert Moses." BTW. It's about 1200 pages . Caro is also the biographer who is four books into a planned five of a biography series about Lyndon Johnson. It's already passed 1,000,000 words in total. I've not read it.

I read the third book in Caro's Johnson biography, Master of the Senate, and it was a masterwork. It's long, of course, because that's how Caro does things, but the way he dives into the politics of how the US Senate worked in the mid-20th century is fascinating. His eye for detail is extraordinary.

I think one can fault Caro for maybe "overinterpreting" his biographical subjects. He has a narrative he wants to tell about the character and I'm not always convinced the facts fully justify the narrative.

I've heard good things about the Power Broker. Hopefully I will get around to reading it someday.

 

[Nynah]

This is exactly my response to King's novels. They go on way too long and he loses his way. I felt that way about this particular book, which I did finish. Great premise--all his books have great premises--but not a satisfying resolution.

King is at the point in his career where no one edits his work. He just gets whatever he hands to his agent published because it will make money. They don't care that it's underbaked and needs about 200 pages cut.

 

[Foxed]

A new author called Tod Mottram - Bodies Under the Per. Remember, you heard of him here first

 

[ChloeTzang]

Marlene Daut's The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henri Cristophe. (Fascinating but I think it would be pretty dry for a non-historian.)

I loved that book - it really is interesting, but yeah, dry if you're not into the history. He and Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines and the emergence of Haiti as an independant state are quite the story.

As for what I'm reading now that's mainstream.....this is half the bedside pile, there's another half dozen on the coffee table and another dozen on my desk, all in various stages of being read LOL

Raoul McLaughlin - The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes
Laurell K Hamilton - A Kiss of Shadows
Ian Hamilton - The Water-rat of Wanchai
Karen Armstrong - A History of God
David Rohl - Legend - The Genesis of Civilization
David Weber & Steve White - In Death Ground
Alan Villiers - Captain Cook
Wallace Breem - Eagle in the Snow
Jonathan Eaton - Leading the Roman Army
Mingmei Yip - Peach Blossom Pavilion
Ralph Shaw - Sin City

 

[SimonDoom]

I loved that book - it really is interesting, but yeah, dry if you're not into the history. He and Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines and the emergence of Haiti as an independant state are quite the story.

As for what I'm reading now that's mainstream.....this is half the bedside pile, there's another half dozen on the coffee table and another dozen on my desk, all in various stages of being read LOL

Raoul McLaughlin - The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes
Laurell K Hamilton - A Kiss of Shadows
Ian Hamilton - The Water-rat of Wanchai
Karen Armstrong - A History of God
David Rohl - Legend - The Genesis of Civilization
David Weber & Steve White - In Death Ground
Alan Villiers - Captain Cook
Wallace Breem - Eagle in the Snow
Jonathan Eaton - Leading the Roman Army
Mingmei Yip - Peach Blossom Pavilion
Ralph Shaw - Sin City

I read the Armstrong book at some point, and it was interesting. I went through a phase a while ago of reading a lot of books about religion, from many different viewpoints. It's such a fascinating subject, and I'm not religious. I recommend Elaine Pagel's The Gnostic Gospels.

 

[lovecraft68]

Giving The Legend of Hell House another read.

Matheson is known more for I am Legend, but LOHH is far better in my opinion and in relation to what we do here has a bit of a randy ghost involved.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I read the Armstrong book at some point, and it was interesting. I went through a phase a while ago of reading a lot of books about religion, from many different viewpoints. It's such a fascinating subject, and I'm not religious. I recommend Elaine Pagel's The Gnostic Gospels.

I've got a couple on the Gnostic Gospels somewhere - I think we went thru the same phase - LOL. I've been reading lately on the Sumerian / Babylonian origins of Judaism which is really fascinating.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I’ve been spasmodically trying The Goldfinch, and really not getting on with it. Part of me thinks, you’ve read a lot of it, keep going. The other part thinks it’s the equivalent of an Oscar-bait movie. I can see Tartt having a sign saying “Remember the Pulitzer” on her desk while writing. Maybe that’s unkind of me .

 

[Britva415]

I just read Red Rising by Pierce Brown, the first in a sci-fi series about class and caste dynamics as humanity spreads through inhabiting multiple worlds in the solar system.

Now I'm on four different library waiting lists for the second book

 

[AG31]

King is at the point in his career where no one edits his work. He just gets whatever he hands to his agent published because it will make money. They don't care that it's underbaked and needs about 200 pages cut.

Or someone else is writing his books. I'm finding that very common. It usually signals a drop in quality sufficient that I drop the author.

 

[Nicefella]

King is at the point in his career where no one edits his work. He just gets whatever he hands to his agent published because it will make money. They don't care that it's underbaked and needs about 200 pages cut.

It’s almost as if someone shittier us ghost writing his stuff

 

[PennameWombat]

Or someone else is writing his books. I'm finding that very common. It usually signals a drop in quality sufficient that I drop the author.

It’s almost as if someone shittier us ghost writing his stuff

In the case of King, I don't agree on this. Rather, it's that the publishers don't bother pushing back anymore. We can definitely say that most "James Patterson" novels aren't written by James Patterson anymore, but he and his publisher are open about that.

If you read through the history of "Carrie," the version finally published differed significantly from what he'd originally submitted. King worked with a friend who was an editor, and much of what was attractive in the final version was brought into focus during editing.

The originally published version of "The Stand" dropped hundreds of pages from his manuscript. YMMV, but to me that original version is definitely superior to the 'unabridged' version published once King was a household name. Again, editing was significant in strengthening the original novel.

But King has also shifted his style and genres in recent years, moving more strongly into mystery and thriller, and away from his early horror. How much that affects your enjoyment will depend on how much that change is attractive to you.

 

[PennameWombat]

King is at the point in his career where no one edits his work. He just gets whatever he hands to his agent published because it will make money. They don't care that it's underbaked and needs about 200 pages cut.

If you read space opera, you've likely come across Peter F. Hamilton's novels. Although I've read plenty of his and enjoyed many, IMHO he's at this same point.

A while back, I read his "Great North Road." All I could think of was that he submitted the manuscript to his editor. Who, after reading it, wanted to respond:

Hey, Peter. There is an incredible story here. Unfortunately, it's buried in a rather deep pile of, uh, extra stuff. If we cut out about 200 pages or so...

Then the editor thinks. This is Peter F. Hamilton. He makes the publisher, my employer, piles of money. If he tells the publisher that I'm getting in his way... who wins that argument? And who no longer has a job, in an industry where getting a new one is hellaciously difficult...

As the editor knows who wins that argument, they simply responded "hey, fixed a few typos. ready to roll."

 

[Nicefella]

In the case of King, I don't agree on this. Rather, it's that the publishers don't bother pushing back anymore. We can definitely say that most "James Patterson" novels aren't written by James Patterson anymore, but he and his publisher are open about that.

If you read through the history of "Carrie," the version finally published differed significantly from what he'd originally submitted. King worked with a friend who was an editor, and much of what was attractive in the final version was brought into focus during editing.

The originally published version of "The Stand" dropped hundreds of pages from his manuscript. YMMV, but to me that original version is definitely superior to the 'unabridged' version published once King was a household name. Again, editing was significant in strengthening the original novel.

But King has also shifted his style and genres in recent years, moving more strongly into mystery and thriller, and away from his early horror. How much that affects your enjoyment will depend on how much that change is attractive to you.

Thanks. I appreciate your point of view. As someone who barely liked his style of writing in the stand, I can tell you that his change in course into mastery and thriller was not a good pivot imo. Obviously he is a world renowned writer but I certainly thought his earlier work a was more palatable.

James Patterson - well, he definitely has shitty ghost writers for sure!!

 

[GlennJenko]

I'm currently rereading The Hunger Games series after the latest book released and I'm now almost at the end of Catching Fire.

 

[Nynah]

In the case of King, I don't agree on this. Rather, it's that the publishers don't bother pushing back anymore. We can definitely say that most "James Patterson" novels aren't written by James Patterson anymore, but he and his publisher are open about that.

I think there are more than a few famous authors who are sort of "brand names" unto themselves like Patterson and Tom Clancy (when he was still alive) that publishers used to sell books even though they were written by other authors (who at least had their names on the cover as well so they weren't technically ghost writers ).

King isn't one of these though, at least not as far as I can tell. He just submits whatever and his publisher will put it out there because it's Stephen King so it will sell no matter what. I read a lot in the SFF space so I notice this quite a bit with certain authors like Brandon Sanderson, Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas. Anything they write will sell no matter how poorly edited it is so publishers will save themselves the grief and just get them in bookstores ASAP. It's a little underwhelming but it at least gives me a good guideline on what to steer away from when I'm looking for something new to read.

 

[Bloodandglitter]

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis.
I can't put the book down!

 

[Small_Island]

I just read Red Rising by Pierce Brown, the first in a sci-fi series about class and caste dynamics as humanity spreads through inhabiting multiple worlds in the solar system.

Now I'm on four different library waiting lists for the second book

This series is one of my guilty pleasures, along with David Achord's 'Zombie Rules' and Jonathan Maberry's 'Rot & Ruin' series.
Even us old folks can enjoy a YA series if the story and writing are intriguing and good enough. ;-)
I see that I'm next in line from book 6 of the Red Rising series, 'Light Bringer' at my library site for an audiobook.

 

[Small_Island]

My wife and I listened to 'The Kingdom' by Jo Nesbø on a road trip last week and have the sequel, 'Blood Ties' ready to go in the audiobook app.
Discovering audiobooks several years ago did wonders in returning books to our lives. So many hours behind the wheel or in the garden can allow for both 'reading' and being productive.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula, based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, translated to Icelandic by Valdimar Asmundsson, in Iceland in 1901, but also edited and reimagined.