What are you reading this week of December 17, 2017?

[hermetic]

I finished The Lost City of the Monkey God. The ending was kind of odd; took a rather unexpected direction. It was quite frightening, though, as one might expect from Preston. This book will stay with me for a long while and I am sure curious to learn more about what's going on down there now.

Also finished listening to Future Home of the Living God. This was typically full of Erdrich's beautifully turned phrases and world wisdom, but be advised. This was largely a story about being pregnant. And it's a Christmas story.

Plus I've been watching American Gods (Neil Gaiman's writing) on DVDs. Hmm, interesting pattern there. Not on purpose, either.

Getting away from "God", I am now reading Saturday by one of my favorite authors, Ian McEwan. Granted, it is about a surgeon... Anyway, it's described as "A brilliant, thrilling page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats."
I like it so far just for McEwan's elegant prose. Plus, I know his endings always have an unusual twist.

So, what pages are you turning this week?

Embrace the light.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. The Vampire virus series written by.....

written by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan for which the FX series THE STRAIN is based on.

I bought and finished the first of 3 books. Halfway through the 2nd book I bought yesterday. A page turner for sure. I love novels with Vampires as the lead characters. I have read the Anne Rice books.

[hermetic]

2. I loved Rice's vampire stories

How are these in comparison?

[ProudMNDemocrat]

4. Anne Rice's Vampires were more human.....

though flawed and fleshed out. Very atmospheric, richly detailed, mesmerizing.

These books are a combination of Bram Stoker meets Stephen King meeting Michael Chrichton. Vampires set out in a horrifying manner to wipe out the Human race.

[Binkie The Clown]

3. Between books and looking for suggestions for a multi-volume epic fantasy. nt

[hermetic]

5. well....

There's Anne Rice books (see above ^)

Lord of the Rings

Dragonriders of Pern

Edit to add: Earthsea Cycle

or....

https://bookriot.com/2017/10/20/best-epic-fantasy-series/

[Binkie The Clown]

17. Thanks. It's probably been 20 years since I read LOTR or Dragonriders. Maybe time to re-read them.

I'd have to start with the Hobbit, of course.

That reminds me of the Xanth series. I got a kick out of those many years ago. Not "serious" fantasy, of course. hehe

I'll also look into that list. Thanks.

[pscot]

24. Have you read the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb?

The first book is Assassin's Apprentice. This is some of the best fantasy writing I've come across. And she capped it with the Tawny Man trilogy which takes up the story a generation later. There's also Neal Stephenson's Baroque Trilogy which is a sort of picaresque history of science featuring Thomas Hook, Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz and Jack Shafto. This one is best approached with an e-reader since the three books weigh in at about 15 lbs.

[Binkie The Clown]

25. No, I haven't read any of those. Thanks. they have been added to my list. :) nt

[getting old in mke]

29. Just finished a couple

1) The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Gritty, wonderfully flawed characters. Fully developed world and history. No real good guys and bad guys, just better guys and worse guys. And those may flip depending on the point of view.

2) Also finished the third (of proposed ten) massive book of The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. This volume turns everything from the first two books on its head. I really like the series, but it has the drawback that he figures that at best he can turn the others out only every 2.5 years, since he has so many other series going. I'm 62, which makes it a race as to whether the archives will finish first, or me. Still, the same can be said of GRRM and SOIAF. First volume is The Way of Kings. (Also by Sanderson, but complete, at least for now, is the Mistborn trilogy.

Just started The Farseer Trilogoy as suggested in another reply. Good so far.

[Binkie The Clown]

31. Thanks for those suggestions.

At 72 I think I'll stick with series that are already complete.
Beside, I lack the patience to wait years for the next book to come out. Not to mention that after a year I've also lost the thread of the story.

[TexasProgresive]

6. "The Van" which is #3 of the Barrytown trilogy.

I haven't been able to find # 2 The Snapper. Maybe next week. Anyway I am enjoying the banter and irrevererence of Roddy Doyle's writing. The Irish sure have a way with words.

[hermetic]

8. Found it

Thriftbooks has copies. They also have the trilogy in one volume. You're welcome.
That one was made into a movie, too. Not as easy to find, though.

[TexasProgresive]

11. Thanks, iv Got a cold. Doing more napping

Than reading.

[hermetic]

12. Aww

You sure don't need a cold right now. Do rest and feel better soon.

[shenmue]

7. The Prague Sonata, by Bradford Morrow, and Autobiography by Morrissey

[hermetic]

9. Feeling musical this week!

They both sound really interesting. The first evidently took over 10 years to write and is highly praised. Autobiography, on the other hand, is quite controversial. Some love it and some say things like...

A. A. Gill, who won the Hatchet Job of the Year for his review in The Sunday Times, wrote: "What is surprising is that any publisher would want to publish the book, not because it is any worse than a lot of other pop memoirs, but because Morrissey is plainly the most ornery, cantankerous, entitled, whingeing, self-martyred human being who ever drew breath. And those are just his good qualities."

[fierywoman]

10. Pablo Neruda: Then Come Back the lost poems

[hermetic]

13. Lovely

[femmedem]

14. No fiction, just "Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged and Profited from Slavery"

The Connecticut city where I live was not innocent.

[hermetic]

15. Sadly

This country has history that is nothing to be proud of.

[PennyK]

16. The God of the Hive and Mary Russell's War

Still loving this Laurie R. King series. This is a continuation of the adventures in The Language of Bees, in which we learn of the existence of Holmes' descendants (!). Mary Russell's War is a collection of short stories written at various times, and I actually bought this one. I've promised myself that I will keep to the order in which they were written, and not read any of the stories before I reach the full books printed by their dates.

[hermetic]

18. Hi

You do know that there are several online places to buy used books at a substantial discount? My local library is quite small so I've been buying up books like crazy this past year. I, too, have certain series that I try to only read in order, like Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache stories, which I adore.

[pscot]

19. So Much Blue by Percival Everett

Kevin Pace is a painter with a secret painting and a hidden past. Early on I tried to put this aside but I got caught up in it and read it in 2 sittings. This is the first Percival I've read. He's written some 2 dozen books and I already have another on hold. I'm currently embracing Ancient Lightby John Banville. I'm not sure what to make of it yet but, as with Percival Everett's novel, the writing is very good.

[hermetic]

23. Gosh,

Mr. Everett has written a lot of books. Some humorous, some Westerns, thrillers, etc. Will definitely have to put him on my list.

[PoorMonger]

20. The Museum Of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman and the Butterfly Girl. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance. And he ignites the heart of Coralie.

Alice Hoffman weaves her trademark magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a tender and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is, “a lavish tale about strange yet sympathetic people” ( The New York Times Book Review).

[hermetic]

22. Well, Count me in

"Alice Hoffman at her most spellbinding." My library has that book, and others. I read Practical Magic back in the 90s and quite enjoyed it. Glad to see she's still writing.

[PoorMonger]

32. Shes one of my moms favorites

This is the one she thought I’d like best.

[PoorMonger]

37. Real Good!

I was quite impressed with Hoffman’s use of history and added inventive flair. I can totally see why my mom would push her stuff on me. Read real quick once I got into it.

[PennyK]

21. Throw in The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Let's see how HE does Holmes. This should be fun! I finished my other books, and as long as I'm going to the library for the next ones in the Russell-Holmes series, I'll grab this one.

[Botany]

26. The Hidden Life of Trees ... Trees talk to each other

“The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate — Discoveries From a Secret World,”

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/world/europe/german-forest-ranger-finds-that-trees-have-social-networks-too.html

[hermetic]

33. Of course they do

I've known that for a long time. (Major tree hugger here)

[dchill]

27. The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett.

[PennyK]

30. Hammett was a character in a book I read!

Locked Rooms, the Russell-Holmes book that takes place mostly in San Francisco. He and Holmes made a great team!

[cilla4progress]

28. Oh FFS -

Erdrich my FAVORITE author!!! Just received the signed copy of Future Home.., which I ordered earlier in the year! Thanks for the heads up. She is brutal(ly honest), but so beautiful and uplifting, usually, somehow.

Just finished the Power Of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Now reading The Art of Living, by Epictetus, who lived in Rome fro 55 - 135 AD.

Enjoying sharing with you!

[hermetic]

34. Likewise!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it.

I, too, have been reading a bit of Epictetus this past year. I am looking forward to discussing that a bit later, at the end of the year.

[cilla4progress]

35. Lets

Plan on it!

[PoorMonger]

36. Smile by Roddy Doyle

n
From the author of the Booker Prize winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, a bold, haunting novel about the uncertainty of memory and how we contend with the past.

"It's his bravest novel yet; it's also, by far, his best." -- npr.org

“The closest thing he’s written to a psychological thriller."– The New York Times Book Review

Just moved into a new apartment, alone for the first time in years, Victor Forde goes every evening to Donnelly’s for a pint, a slow one. One evening his drink is interrupted. A man in shorts and a pink shirt comes over and sits down. He seems to know Victor’s name and to remember him from secondary school. His name is Fitzpatrick.

Victor dislikes him on sight, dislikes, too, the memories that Fitzpatrick stirs up of five years being taught by the Christian Brothers. He prompts other memories—of Rachel, his beautiful wife who became a celebrity, and of Victor’s own small claim to fame, as the man who would say the unsayable on the radio. But it’s the memories of school, and of one particular brother, that Victor cannot control and which eventually threaten to destroy his sanity.

Smile has all the features for which Roddy Doyle has become famous: the razor-sharp dialogue, the humor, the superb evocation of adolescence, but this is a novel unlike any he has written before. When you finish the last page you will have been challenged to reevaluate everything you think you remember so clearly.

[hermetic]

38. I must read this

Some day, some how, some where. But soon. I am getting to an age where memory is something I think about a lot. I think....

[PoorMonger]

39. My first Doyle

I’d seen the name of course and I like a lot of Irish stuff. I can say it’s very well written and he has very snappy dialoge. I also read it in just three sittings which says a lot for holding my attention. I dunno if all his books are quite like this but I’ll definitely give him another shot soon enough.

[PoorMonger]

40. The Trick by Emanuel Bergmann

A deeply moving, humorous story of a boy who believes in everything and an old man who believes in nothing.

In 1934, a rabbi’s son in Prague joins a traveling circus, becomes a magician, and rises to fame under the stage name the Great Zabbatini just as Europe descends into World War II. When Zabbatini is discovered to be a Jew, his battered trunk full of magic tricks becomes his only hope of surviving the concentration camp where he is sent.

Seven decades later in Los Angeles, ten-year-old Max finds a scratched-up LP that captured Zabbatini performing his greatest tricks. But the track in which Zabbatini performs his love spell—the spell Max believes will keep his disintegrating family together—is damaged beyond repair. Desperate for a solution, Max seeks out the now elderly, cynical magician and begs him to perform his magic on his parents. As the two develop an unlikely friendship, Moshe discovers that Max and his family have a surprising connection to the dark, dark days the Great Zabbatini experienced during the war.

Recalling the melancholy humor of Isaac Bashevis Singer and the heartbreaking pathos of the film Life is Beautiful—this outstanding first novel is at once an irreverent yet deeply moving story about a young boy who believes in magic and a disillusioned old man who believes in nothing, as well as a gripping and heartfelt tale about the circle of life.