what book you reading at the moment? (incl poll)

[jeepers]

Question for the group based on the last few posts;

Does the page-count put you off reading a book?

I have to say that for me, nowadays, it definitely does. In my teens and twenties, I'd read everything - but these days, if I encounter a book that runs to more than 500 pages, it gives me pause.

"The Shards" was the last 500+ page work of fiction that I willingly read - and that was only because Bret Ellis is one of my favourite authors. And it was excellent, to be fair.

I don't have this issue with non-fiction. Give me an 970 page tome on the suffering of people under the Stasi or an in-depth biography of The Beatles and I'm happy out.

I'd be the other way 'round. It's be wary of both, to be honest, but I don't think I'd start a 500+ non-fiction book. I'd probably side-eye a fiction one for a couple of months (a year) to make sure it didn't get out of line too much, and I'd eventually take it on. That's what happened with 4 3 2 1, which I finished last night, and thoroughly enjoyed.

 

[jeepers]

That said - I have Don DeLillo's "Underworld" waiting in the wings for me.

Now that's a cracker. And it's a page turner, you're so engaged with it. It's a proper 'Great American Novel'.

 

[Crisp Sandwich]

Pure entertainment.

it does a good job of presenting the city of LA almost as an extra character

Jaysus I only started “Everybody Knows “ yesterday lol.

.

Finished it a few days ago. Thought it was mighty - felt it was getting a bit too movie script-like at points though.

And then I spotted this earlier today - Harper has a new book out this week;

For a Crawl Through Hollywood’s Underside, Let Him Be Your Guide

Jordan Harper knows the entertainment industry from the inside out. His new novel, “A Violent Masterpiece,” holds nothing back.

www.nytimes.com

Just started "No Country For Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy this morning.

I picked it up in a shop yesterday - along with a few other things.

The fella at the till said to me "Oh, No Country For Old Men is my favourite book of all time."

"Well the film is excellent, I only watch it again a few weeks ago."

"I'm only aware of McCarthy's literary output. I didn't even know that they had made a film out of this book." he sniffed "I mean how could they even?"

FUCK the absolute FUCK off, you poseur FUCK!

"A bag? No, I'm grand thanks."

 

[El Guapo]

They made a book out of that?

 

[Crisp Sandwich]

They made a book out of that?

I always think of "Cheers" when someone talks about a book being made into a film.

Sam tries to prove he's as good as Diane's ex-fella - Sumner Sloane, a professor. Mayday Malone ends up reading War & Peace with Norm or Cliff telling him;

"The first few chapters are a drag but it really picks up after page 800, Sammy."

Poor oul Sam is broken by the end of it and well...

 

[Crisp Sandwich]

Read No Country For Old Men over the weekend.

I really enjoyed it but I think that it was a rare instance where seeing the film before reading the book actually helped.

I had a bit of an issue with McCarthy's lack of punctuation and quotation marks. Almost a Joycean decision. It annoyed me mildly having to go back over sections to see who was saying what at certain points.

I haven't read any of McCarthy's other books so I looked up to see if this stylistic choice was singular to No Country For Old Men and a found a great quote by James Ellroy regarding McCarthy - "Why doesn't this cocksucker use quotation marks?!"

 

[Two Pour Bore]

Negative Space.

It got decent cover quotes. A fierce read. All about the dialect.

 

[El Guapo]

I'm about halfway through "the biography of x" by Catherine Lacey

Finished this at the weekend.

One of the stranger novels I've read.

It's about Art but it's also about ethics and manipulation and relationship dynamics.

The setting was the best thing. it's written from the perspective of a snarky grieving spouse setting the record straight of another (fictional) biography in a USA that split across religious devices when a socialist women became president in 1946.

Good read.

I'm currently on something called "the red winter", set in 1766 In France, it's Ghouls, Warewolves and Succubus' it's fucking nonsense but its a grand yarn.

 

[Carmona]

After finishing Our London Lives, which I really enjoyed, I went a different tack. Picked up a Philip K Dick novel, The Man in the High Castle, at the airport. I've only ever read his most famous work "Do Androids....Sheep", so I'm not exactly a Dick-head.

It's more interesting than fascinating so far, about 45 pages in. The premise is that The Axis lads won the war and have more or less split the world between 'em. Story is set in San Francisco which is under 'Jap' rule. There was a good bit on the Nazi psyche I thought. Might look it up when I get home and paste it here.

 

[Crisp Sandwich]

After finishing Our London Lives, which I really enjoyed, I went a different tack. Picked up a Philip K Dick novel, The Man in the High Castle, at the airport. I've only ever read his most famous work "Do Androids....Sheep", so I'm not exactly a Dick-head.

It's more interesting than fascinating so far, about 45 pages in. The premise is that The Axis lads won the war and have more or less split the world between 'em. Story is set in San Francisco which is under 'Jap' rule. There was a good bit on the Nazi psyche I thought. Might look it up when I get home and paste it here.

I've seen that book in bookshops and spotted there was a TV show of the same name, for some reason, always assumed it was a Stephen King novel.

Tried reading Robert Harris' "Fatherland" years ago, which utilises a similar plot device, but I couldn't lock in.


Just started "To Have And Have Not" by Ernest Hemingway. Only got a few pages in before I dozed off (not the book's fault) but I reckon that I'll enjoy it.