what are you reading?

[Dunedin]

Cosa Nostra by John Dickie, a history of the Sicilian Mafia.

It's an interesting read, posits some plausible theories regarding the origins of the organisation, argues that the fledgling Italian state was too weak and did not have a significant enough monopoly on violence to prevent the mafia growing the way it did.

[MadJohnShaft]

You would like the multi-part national geographic show that's been on.



I am excited for Night Film that comes out Tuesday - a seven year wait since Calamity Physics and it's getting good reviews




Ms Pessl left her man in the interim too, so there's that.

[JkFlesh]

Quite the page-turner, about the Sexual Revolution, pre-Aids (published in 1981).

[MadJohnShaft]

Good lord, why?

[JkFlesh]

Because it's an excellent book, douche.  Probably the most fascinating sections for me focus on the evolution of First Amendment law in reaction to the persecution of 'obscene material' from the 1900s to the 1970s.

[diasdegalvan]

Short story collection most being from the 1960s. Arthur C. Clarke is so far my favorite SF author.

[Andrew Blakk]

Just finished a Thin Lizzy trilogy by Martin Popoff. Not bad at all...

And right now Hillary Jordan's Mississippi.

[MadJohnShaft]

"Douche"?   You too with that infantile Massachuettes teenslang CD reviewers favorite word.




Night Film is excellent. She's speaking here next week maybe I'll go see her - it's at a luncheon called the Woman's Writers Series which may be scaring me a little.

[JkFlesh]

Amazing, comprehensive, exhausting:

[lowdaddy]

confederacy of dunces - william kennedy toole

[JkFlesh]

The new Thomas Pynchon novel, Bleeding Edge.  It's actually a really fun, engaging read.

[johnny problem]

Last Book: Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K Dick
Current: Martian Time Slip by PKD.  Not really far into the book, but man o man, this is so damn good so far.
Next up: Either Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter House five, Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilization, PKD's Our friends from Frolix 8 or Clans of the Alphane Moon or PKD short stories.

[MadJohnShaft]

A Pulitzer winner, so far so good



Update: ka-Ching!   It's all about North Korea and it's perfect.  It's at sea in a creaky fishing boat.

[JkFlesh]

Last Book: Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K Dick
Current: Martian Time Slip by PKD.  Not really far into the book, but man o man, this is so damn good so far.
Next up: Either Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter House five, Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilization, PKD's Our friends from Frolix 8 or Clans of the Alphane Moon or PKD short stories.

Cool, man.  Big fan of PkD here.  Read Martian Time Slip and Clans of the Alphane Moon, both awesome.  How's Vulcan's Hammer treating you

[MadJohnShaft]

This box of books series on AV Club is interesting - he's got a lot of SF in it

http://www.avclub.com/articles/box-of-paperbacks-neutron-star,8414/


Next, I'm reading The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton that won the Man Booker Prize 2013 - it gets great reviews and I like long ass books.

[johnny problem]

Last Book: Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K Dick
Current: Martian Time Slip by PKD.  Not really far into the book, but man o man, this is so damn good so far.
Next up: Either Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter House five, Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilization, PKD's Our friends from Frolix 8 or Clans of the Alphane Moon or PKD short stories.

Cool, man.  Big fan of PkD here.  Read Martian Time Slip and Clans of the Alphane Moon, both awesome.  How's Vulcan's Hammer treating you

Vulcan's Hammer was entertaining, however, I found it to be kind of weak compared to other PKD stories.  It almost seemed rushed and details that PKD would normally indulge the reader in, were non existent.

[alfie]

Reading "Hocus Pocus" by Kurt Vonnegut, as ever with him very enjoyable, almost pacing myself with it in an attempt not to finish it too quickly.

Picked up "Gravity" by Thomas Pynchon in a charity shop today, not read anything by him, and at 600 odd pages long a bit daunting - anyone read it?

[RacerX]

Rereading The Witching Hour by Ann Rice. It's the first book in the Mayfair Witches trilogy, which is her best work, imo...

[the diddler]

confederacy of dunces - william kennedy toole

Hey-o, me too!  Probably been 25 years since I last read it.  I started reading a newish Toole biography (Butterfly in the Typewriter) and realized I needed to revisit Dunces first. Classic

[StonedAge]

Reading "Hocus Pocus" by Kurt Vonnegut, as ever with him very enjoyable, almost pacing myself with it in an attempt not to finish it too quickly.

Picked up "Gravity" by Thomas Pynchon in a charity shop today, not read anything by him, and at 600 odd pages long a bit daunting - anyone read it?

Gravity's Rainbow is the book your referring to I believe and maybe not the best Pynchon novel to start with. V might be a better starting point. It took me a long while to get through Gravity's Rainbow, which was my first Pynchon novel, wouldnt mind rereading it as I have a better grasp on his style now

[Mr Neutron]

Gravity's Rainbow is a battle.

If you dig Pynchon, you might enjoy Lawrence Norfolk. Somewhat similar writing style (particularly his 2nd book 'The Popes Rhinocerous'.)

[MadJohnShaft]

Gravity's Rainbow is impenetrable and I am open to tough reads.


I'm reading loving Orphan Masters Son.  In that tradition I am going onwards to The Luminaries next, the one that's been getting great reviews and a lot of attention.

[JkFlesh]

I too could not get through Gravity's Rainbow.  The last 2 Pynchon books are easy reads, however.

I am almost done with Lords of Finance, amazing book about the cause of the Great Depression that presciently came out in 2009 as the economy once again collapsed:

[MichaelZodiac]

I'm a bit of a Somerset Maugham fan, his writing and observations just speak to me. His most autobiographical novel 'Of Human Bondage' is still my favorite book of all time, partly due to the similarities between myself and the main character. This one -like Of Human Bondage- is about a young man struggling to find his place in the world and although they are both very different, I really like this one as well. As it is probably his most American novel, I find some his findings to be truly interesting such as the feeling they had in the 1920s that the US would become an economic superpower in the next decennia. While most of the characters speak of adventure and hope, the main character is just trying to find his place in a world like that.

Recommended.

[RacerX]

Now I'm onto the 2nd book in the Mayfair Witches trilogy, "Lasher."