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New now reading
Posted: 15 Apr 2010, 11:49
by Limpin' Jez McKenzie
Seeing as the other thread has reached 90 pages....
I am on a bit of a South East Asian trip at the moent.
I have read two anthologies of Somerset Maugham short stories called "Far Eastern Tales" and "More Far Eastern Tales". I had never read any Maugham before, but really enjoyed these stories - though NB the second compilation is ten times better than the first.
I am now reading Graham Greene's "The Quiet American".
Re: New now reading
Posted: 15 Apr 2010, 12:10
by Geezee
having seen the musical last night at the albert hall, i'm reading (in swedish though):
immense. i can understand why the musical Kristina af Dufvemala was quite a hit in the US - the music (by Bjorn and Benny) is very rousing, and the storyline - the experiences of the emigrants seeking better fortune in America, obviously resonates strongly still. Shame it was a one-off here in the UK last night.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 11:34
by Velvis
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 11:56
by the hanging monkey
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 12:04
by Insouciant Western People
The best law text book I've read, absolutely fascinating all the way through.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 17:02
by Snarfyguy
Velvis wrote:
What do you make of it? I really thought I was going to like it, from what I'd been led to expect, but I put it down halfway through, really just not that into it.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 17:21
by Tactful Cactus
Just finished Magellen, continuing on a nautical theme:
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 19:14
by Walk In My Shadow
Re-reading after so many years.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 20:59
by Penk!
BolaƱo won masses of (posthumous) critical acclaim, but I remember a few people on here being unconvinced. I thought
The Savage Detectives was excellent, however, so it's about time to have a go at this, supposedly his masterpiece. About thirty or forty pages in and I'm not sure if I like it so far, though.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 22:14
by Velvis
Snarfyguy wrote:Velvis wrote:
What do you make of it? I really thought I was going to like it, from what I'd been led to expect, but I put it down halfway through, really just not that into it.
I'm only like 30 pages in. It's the selection for my book club. Probably has a lot to recommend it, but I can tell right now it's a truly shitty choice for a book club book, because nobody ends up reading the more difficult ones. I and one other will probably be the only ones to finish it.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 20 Apr 2010, 22:15
by Velvis
Walk In My Shadow wrote:Re-reading after so many years.
I'm a sucker for it. I reread it every five years or so.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 21 Apr 2010, 08:43
by Spec
Velvis wrote:Snarfyguy wrote:Velvis wrote:
What do you make of it? I really thought I was going to like it, from what I'd been led to expect, but I put it down halfway through, really just not that into it.
I'm only like 30 pages in. It's the selection for my book club. Probably has a lot to recommend it, but I can tell right now it's a truly shitty choice for a book club book, because nobody ends up reading the more difficult ones. I and one other will probably be the only ones to finish it.
Wow. That is some tough book club.
I really liked it. It was hard going and not a book I would probably re-read. But the ideas behind it are very impressive. Powers is often criticised (and probably quite rightly) for his 2D characters.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 21 Apr 2010, 08:50
by Rorschach
I keep trying her books as people who seem to know what they're talking about keep recommending her but I always find her a little overwrought. Precious even. I've just started this one and it seems to have an interesting, if depressing, story but the characters so far seem so joyless. Not just that they're not happy but they seem to lack that human dimension.
I'll see if it gets any better.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 23 Apr 2010, 01:32
by Count Machuki
Re: New now reading
Posted: 23 Apr 2010, 01:58
by packrat
Whenever I pick up one of his books I am struck by the easy flow of his writing
Re: New now reading
Posted: 23 Apr 2010, 07:23
by Spec
Rorschach wrote:I keep trying her books as people who seem to know what they're talking about keep recommending her but I always find her a little overwrought. Precious even. I've just started this one and it seems to have an interesting, if depressing, story but the characters so far seem so joyless. Not just that they're not happy but they seem to lack that human dimension.
I'll see if it gets any better.
This is the sequel (of sorts - I gather you don't need to have read the first to read the second) to Oryx and Crake. I read Atwood furiously about ten years but then lost touch as I stopped reading fiction. I returned to her with O & C last year and thought it was brilliant. I'm looking forward to this one coming out on pbck in the summer.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 23 Apr 2010, 15:15
by Snarfyguy
I'm working my way through a stack of Walter Mosleys.
I don't usually do crime / detective stuff, but his stuff is more about documenting social history than it is about procedural work. Very enjoyable.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 25 Apr 2010, 14:43
by Django
packrat wrote:Whenever I pick up one of his books I am struck by the easy flow of his writing
I read one of his, Moonheart, and I hated it with a passion. A very insincere take on celtic myth, with lots of that Hallmark-level Oirish nonsense that (some) Americans seem to go mad for.
I'm still working my way through Alan Garner's output in chronological order. I'm now up to:
Re: New now reading
Posted: 25 Apr 2010, 16:23
by the masked man
Partly because I can't remember the last time a foreign-language novel was so popular. It's rather on the long side, though.
Re: New now reading
Posted: 25 Apr 2010, 17:11
by The Smamfy