Now reading...

[Jimmer]

I have the exact one you pictured.

I have got to read Bierce; I can't believe I've put it off this long...I've been meaning to try his stuff for thirty plus years now.

Unlike Poe, Bierce's stories are often very short descriptive sketches, sometimes only three or four pages long, and they can also seem to be a bit forumlaic. That said, I'm impressed by how well Bierce can create a whole creepy atmosphere in such a confined space and with such simple, direct and surprisingly modern language. In some ways his stories seem like a precursor to those one or two page horror stories that used to be published in Gold Key/Whitman comics, and the surprise endings remind me of some episodes of The Twilight Zone, which is fitting since his story "An Occurance At Owl Creek Bridge" was made into an episode.

[jlhoots]

Carlos Fuentes: The Death Of Artemio Cruz

[carnivore]

'Angler - The Cheney Vice Presidency' by Barton Gellman

Excellent portrait of possibly the most focussed, ruthless and efficient operative in the history of American politics. Nothing to admire and plenty to loath in his manipulation of people, the Constitution, and the law - not to mention facts. However - morality aside - and the ex VP's amorality is gigantic - if Obama had someone running heath care reform with even a tenth of Cheney's abilities we'd have an effective bill signed by Christmas.

[Serioza]

the Tao of Star wars

John M. Porter

[Royal Oak]

P J O'Rourke's "Holidays In Hell"

Out of date (a lot has changed since 1989 after all) and I wouldn't necessarily agree with O'Rourke's politics, but funny and pithy anyway.

[sal]

I just finished reading Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49". Talk about an unforgettable read. That book was a trip in every sense of the word.

I'm now reading "A Wild Sheep Chase" by Haruki Murakami.

[jlhoots]

Jack Kerouac: On The Road - 50th Anniversary Edition (took me a while to get to it)

[Swinger]

I just finished reading Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49". Talk about an unforgettable read. That book was a trip in every sense of the word.

I'm now reading "A Wild Sheep Chase" by Haruki Murakami.

A Wild Sheep Chase is a wonderful book! You should also read his books Sputnik Sweetheart and Kafka On The Shore as well!

[fasstrack]

Milestones (Jack Chambers)

[jazzbo]

Very interesting.

[Van Basten II]

Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard

Complete tales and poems by Edgar Allen Poe.

Is it the collection published by Vintage? I've had a couple of copies of that edition over the last twenty years. I've been reading some classic horror stories, too, by Ambrose Bierce - the Penguin collection, Spook House: Terrifying Tales of the Macabre. I've enjoyed these so much that I ordered the Dover collection Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce last weekend. Fortunately, there are only three stories in common between these collections, so they are an easy and affordable way to get most - if not all - of Bierce's horror tales in good editions.

I have the exact one you pictured.

Among the things i discovered reading Poe, english not being my first language, was the use of the word ejaculate, as ejaculating a sentence. Not sure i'd be able to use it today...

It also leads me to think that in a world wide web era where everybody can express themselves on line, they are a lot of ejaculations going on and i'm not talking about the plethora of porn sites we can find everywhere.

Edited August 15, 2009 by Van Basten II

[Jimmer]

Among the things i discovered reading Poe, english not being my first language, was the use of the word ejaculate, as ejaculating a sentence. Not sure i'd be able to use it today...

It also leads me to think that in a world wide web era where everybody can express themselves on line, they are a lot of ejaculations going on and i'm not talking about the plethora of porn sites we can find everywhere.

[sal]

I just finished reading Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49". Talk about an unforgettable read. That book was a trip in every sense of the word.

I'm now reading "A Wild Sheep Chase" by Haruki Murakami.

A Wild Sheep Chase is a wonderful book! You should also read his books Sputnik Sweetheart and Kafka On The Shore as well!

AWSC is my first Murakami book, and based on what I've read so far, I'll eventually read everything he's ever written. He's clearly a special author.

[Matthew]

Making my way though Anthony Blunt: His Lives by Miranda Carter. Interesting biography of Blunt, who was one of the infamous Cambridge Spies, who also happened to be a very influential art historian. I became interested about Blunt by reading the novel The Untouchable by John Banville, which is a fictional account of Blunt's life, and to my mind, is one of the great novels of the past twenty-five years. All this came about because, after one year, I discovered that my library has a downstairs section that contains biographies, westerns, and science fictions -- did I feel stupid, like, Matthew, what did you think the stairs going down were for? :blush:

[Matthew]

Making my way though Anthony Blunt: His Lives by Miranda Carter. Interesting biography of Blunt, who was one of the infamous Cambridge Spies, who also happened to be a very influential art historian. I became interested about Blunt by reading the novel The Untouchable by John Banville, which is a fictional account of Blunt's life, and to my mind, is one of the great novels of the past twenty-five years. All this came about because, after one year, I discovered that my library has a downstairs section that contains biographies, westerns, and science fictions -- did I feel stupid, like, Matthew, what did you think the stairs going down were for?

Finished this book today, and it was a very strange life, was Anthony Blunt's. The phrase that kept coming to my mind is "hollow man," it was like any hint of personality, or interior life disappeared in Blunt's life, and only a shell was left. If it wasn't for the fact that Blunt was a Soviet spy during WWII, there would really not be too much to say about his life. Blunt's work to transform the Courtauld Institute, and his work on Poussin, were very good accomplishments (though there's still debate on his Poussin work), but the final impression is: There's nothing there.

[jlhoots]

Salman Rushdie: Midnight's Children

[A Lark Ascending]

A couple of good thrillers, one exploring the murky world of intelligence in the current 'war on terror' climate (not recommended to those of an 'America is the greatest country the world has ever seen' persuasion), the other set in Germany and eastern Europe on the eve of World War II:

And my favourite book of recent weeks:

Marvellous story set around Penzance in Cornwall about a painter suffering from mental illness and the effect on her family. Gale is especially good at seeing the world from a child's perspective.

Edited August 24, 2009 by Bev Stapleton

[sal]

"The Fire and the Word: The History of the Zapatista Movement" by Gloria Munoz

[WorldB3]

Just finished:

As horrible as the serial double murders over several years that this book goes into what is even more frighting is the corruption and incompetence of the Italian judicial systems and police. A real eye opener and great page turner.

Up next: to gear up for 9/9/09

Edited August 24, 2009 by WorldB3

[BruceH]

Movieland---Jerome Charyn

I actually read this a few years ago, but I'm enjoying giving it another once-over.

[paul secor]

Percival Everett: damned if i do

A very fine (and prolific) writer whose work doesn't receive the attention that it should. What else is new?

[BillF]

Philip K Dick, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Another great Dick title!

Edited August 28, 2009 by BillF

[Matthew]

Dada: Zurich, Berlin, Hannover, Cologne, New York, Paris. Illustrated account of the Dada art movement, and it's very enlightening, just some astounding work here. Where was I in my Art History class in college? This is the first time I've come across Sophie Taeuber & Hans Arp, I must have been asleep in class or something. I love Taeuber's masks and marionettes, wonderful art.

Edited August 28, 2009 by Matthew

[Royal Oak]

Due to my recently reduced powers of concentration, I decided to go back to my childhood and read "The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole" by Sue Townsend.

Still on the "easy reading" tip, started Bill Bryson's "Down Under".

[jazzbo]

Philip K Dick, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Another great Dick title!

I re-read that book for the first time at the end of the seventies right after the relationship with the first woman I'd lived with turned sour and ended. It was really helpful to me somehow.