What are you reading?

[edinatlanta]

^^^ A good segue:

I finished "Six Four" on Sunday. I must have missed something because everyone said it was one of their favorite crime novels ever. And while some of the twists were just stunningly well-thought out, I thought some of the plot got a bit tedious at times (do we really need 70 pages on media relations minutiae? I mean, even if the author is a journalist?). However I did think it was overall very very good and I can't wait for more of his work to be translated.


Started The Wicked go to Hell and I'm excited to see how this one plays out.

 

[Joffrey]

About half way through the fictionalized account of Valentino Achak Deng's journey from South Sudan to USA. Very funny and harrowing (frequently at the same time).

This is a ginormous book. Just started it for when I want a break from What is the What. A little dry at the moment so I hope things pick up when the political/board room power grabs start.

 

[romafan]

Blood River, Tim(?) Butcher's account of his retracing Henry Morton Stanley's navigation of the Congo RIver

 

[dragon8]

Just finished "Young Money", by Kevin Roose. A nice quick read about following 1st and 2nd year recruits in investment banks. Brutal life!

 

[life_interrupts]

Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad. A departure to my last two reads: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance and We Should All be Feminists, by Chiamanda Adiche.

 

[Joffrey]



About half way through the fictionalized account of Valentino Achak Deng's journey from South Sudan to USA. Very funny and harrowing (frequently at the same time).

Just finished this. Excellent book.

 

[noob in 89]



Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad. A departure to my last two reads: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance and We Should All be Feminists, by Chiamanda Adiche.

What'd you think? The Intuitionist(?) was amazing, but I felt his 'literary' zombie novel was tedious and unnecessary, a pointed grab for crossover cash, or something he was too self-conscious or embarrassed about to fully dig-in in to any kind of fun or inspiring way. (Contrast with Benjamin Percy, who does the 'literary' genre novel well).

I still have high hopes for Underground Railroad.

 

[life_interrupts]

I'm about 2/3 through it. Will finish it before the weekend's out, but to this point, I like the care he puts into the character development. It fiddles with a few historical "what ifs" one or two that seem plausible. I'll check back when I'm done.

 

[Toperone]

Now i'm not reading any book, but I like read some news and journals at http://paperity.org/ Do you know this site? I think it's definitely worth a visit.

 

[Fueco]

Dylan Tomine's 'Closer To The Ground'. It's a collection of stories about "living off the land" to an extent on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I finished "Six Four" on Sunday. I must have missed something because everyone said it was one of their favorite crime novels ever. And while some of the twists were just stunningly well-thought out, I thought some of the plot got a bit tedious at times (do we really need 70 pages on media relations minutiae? I mean, even if the author is a journalist?). However I did think it was overall very very good and I can't wait for more of his work to be translated.

I read quite a lot of Japanese fiction and I agree - while I thought it was probably a pretty accurate and well-written portrayal of the oppressive and tedious work culture in a Japanese police department, it wasn't up to much as a 'crime' novel.

Have you read 'Villain' by Shuichi Yoshida? I'd recommend that one. Again, just don't expect it to be crime fiction has you know it...

 

[noob in 89]

Found that Frank O'Hara book sticking out of something and decided to give it another chance. It seems to have a certain cachet, as well as a brief resurgence every now and then when used as shorthand on TV shows such as Mad Men.

I prefer poetry that hold up without line breaks -- but this time I'm going to try and glean something about the power of line breaks, I guess.

Also rereading Steve Gerkhe (sp?) poems, which are infinitely good.

 

[edinatlanta]

Have you read 'Villain' by Shuichi Yoshida? I'd recommend that one. Again, just don't expect it to be crime fiction has you know it...

Nope but the Atlanta library has a ton of his books so I added it to my list. Thanks!

 

[dragon8]

Just finished reading "Shattered, Inside Hillary Clinton's doomed Campaign."

My God, after reading this book, I'm amazed she made it as far as she did.

 

[comrade]

I'm stuck in the middle of " Buying Time"
The Delayed Crisis of Democratic Capitalism
by Wolfgang Streeck. I got involved in other
distractions. I'll have to skim the first half
so I can go on. For anyone interested in NewYork
from the 30s through the 60s I recommend " Up
in the Old Hotel" by Joseph Mitchell, the iconic
New Yorker staffer.