What are you reading? (May version)

d · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:31 pm

I'll start by saying that I just finished "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown and "Glam!" by Barney Hoskyns. Neither were particularly insightful or overly entertaining. Perfect for beach reading. (side note: is it just me, or is Dan Brown the new John Grisham, i.e. take a formulaic approach to a story, change around the female characters, authority figures, and locales, and presto! Instant bestseller!)

Now I'm finally getting 'round to "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell." I'm not too far into it yet, but so far, so good.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:33 pm

Twilightkid · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:35 pm

Photoshop and Quark for dummies.

NeZ · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:36 pm

I've read a lot in the past month.

I just finished "Devil in the White City" by Eric Larsen about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and H.H. Holmes the serial killer. It was an interesting read especially since I've been living in Chicago for 5 years or so now. It was cool to learn some of the history.

I'm currently reading "All Families are Psychotic" by Douglas Coupland. I just started it the other day so I don't have a strong opinion of it yet.

andyfest · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:36 pm

I'm reading 'This Band Could Be Your Life' right now and I will say that This book could be the only one I read the rest of the year. I am the slowest, most distracted reader I know. The thing is, I like reading but I never get through more than a couple of books a year. I'm also reading 'Finding Darwin's God' which I've been about 40 pages from the end of for at least a month now.

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

Right now i'm in
"Exception to the Rulers" - Amy Goodman
"The Master & the Margerita" - Bulgakov
"Assassination Vacation" - Sarah Vowell
""Drinking, Smoking and Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times" ed. Sara Nickles
"Best American Nonrequired Reading 2004" ed. Dave Eggers
McSweeney's Quarterly 14

dnorwood Wrote:

Now I'm finally getting 'round to "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell." I'm not too far into it yet, but so far, so good.

i've been meaning to pick that up for ages. Let me know how that turns out.

NeZ · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:43 pm

Cotton Wrote:

"The Master & the Margerita" - Bulgakov

What do you think of this one? I've got it on my list of books to check out. I don't know anything about it except someone referenced it in an interview I was reading a while back and it sounded good.

I found an annotated translation of it but neglected to buy it and now I can't find that same one again. Which version do you have?

HaqDiesel · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:43 pm

All of the materials assigned in my administrative law class this year. Ugh.

billy g · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:41 pm **Posts:** 9020

I'm still trying to get caught up with my magazine reading and am mostly trying to finish the Winter edition of Wax Poetics

but I also am in the middle of Tieta by Jorge Amado

np: 400% Dynamite

Kingfish · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:46 pm

The History and Culture of Japan or something like that.

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

HaqDiesel Wrote:

All of the materials assigned in my administrative law class this year. Ugh.

robotboy Wrote:

NeZ, I just started reading it like last week after having it stare at me from beneath my coffee table for 5 months after a friend lent her copy to me. It's got a cat on the cover, and I like it pretty good so far. Less than Nabakov, more than Dostoevsky.

back_space · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:57 pm

Quote:

I'll start by saying that I just finished "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown ... Neither were particularly insightful or overly entertaining. Perfect for beach reading. (side note: is it just me, or is Dan Brown the new John Grisham, i.e. take a formulaic approach to a story, change around the female characters, authority figures, and locales, and presto! Instant bestseller!)

While I agree that these are formulaic, the Angels and Demons book was very exciting to me. This book was a precursor to "The DaVinci Code", so that book would fit your formula idea. Still, i guess it depends on what you want out of your books. I read them for the entertainment. I agree though that he, Dan Brown, should mix it up a bit for the next story.

Incidentally, I liked Strange and Norrell, but it was a bit long. It's a great period fiction so for those who enjoy that era of history(1810 England), its a fun read. Personally I dont think Susanna Clarke with her Strange/Norrell book holds a candle to Patrick O'Brian's Maturin/Aubrey series.

I am currently just about to finish, Stephen King's "Wizard and Glass". At first I was disappointed that we would be away from Eddie, Susannah, Roland, Jake, for a whole book, but now I dont want it to end ! )

Long Live Cuthbert.,...)

paladisiac · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 3:57 pm

i'm still on "lying liars...". been stuck in the nam story which isn't that interesting to me.

Pagoda · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 4:01 pm

a 4 month old copy of the New Yorker as my desperate attempts to catch up fall pitifully short. DAMN YOU NEW YORKER AND YOUR TOP NOTCH CONTENT!!!

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

back_space Wrote:

I am currently just about to finish, Stephen King's "Wizard and Glass". At first I was disappointed that we would be away from Eddie, Susannah, Roland, Jake, for a whole book, but now I dont want it to end!

this was and is my favorite book in that series, i think. Comeuppance is such a bitch.

d · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 4:14 pm

Cotton Wrote:

back_space Wrote:

I am currently just about to finish, Stephen King's "Wizard and Glass". At first I was disappointed that we would be away from Eddie, Susannah, Roland, Jake, for a whole book, but now I dont want it to end!

this was and is my favorite book in that series, i think. Comeuppance is such a bitch.

Ditto. Ultimately heartbreaking, but insightful on Roland's character.

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

white noise - don delillo

so far it's pretty great.

pollysix · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:56 am **Posts:** 5174

Cotton Wrote:

"The Master & the Margerita" - Bulgakov

I know some peeps that are making a play version of this, (prolly not using the right theatre terminology). It sounds pretty trippy.

Me: not much, mainly music nerd stuff:

+ Random articles on sound design
+ two different books on Brian Eno

+ And this book about producers...

+ Oh, also a couple of books about bereavement... and the "Highly Sensitive Person" recommended by Sketchy.

Balls Mahoney · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 4:56 pm

Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner- great novel.

Various outdoor/climbing stuff, gearing up for the season.

Dunwoody Dude · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:20 am **Posts:** 2869

Bones of the Moon-Jonathan Carroll
The Big Nowhere-James Ellroy

shaMoxie · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 5:04 pm

Pinball, 1973 (1980) - haruki murakami
Harper's, May '05
Devil's Dictionary - ambrose bierce

beachy · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 5:14 pm

just finished The Pillars Of Earth by Ken Follett, about to head of the beach and start Hotel New Hampshire (John Irving) right now.
bye.

Billzebub · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:26 pm **Posts:** 6459

I'm plodding through "The Dante Club" by Matthew Pearlman.

It's coming apart at the seams now that I'm towards the end. What was once an interesting idea and intricate plot has become just silly and peurile.

I wish I had better things to say about this book, but the last several pages and their developments have annoyed me to no end.

Up next: "Fender Benders" by Bill Fitzhugh

Dunwoody Dude · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:20 am **Posts:** 2869

Billzebub Wrote:

Up next: "Fender Benders" by Bill Fitzhugh

Is this your first Fitzhugh book because I've been meaning to read Pest Control for awhile now and am wondering if it's worth my time.

Steve

Billzebub · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:26 pm **Posts:** 6459

Yeah, it'll be my first. I got "Pest Control" at the same time, but I'm starting with the one about rock & roll. Both of 'em look promising, and have scored pretty decent review/recs.

What are you reading? (May version)

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