Books: What have you been reading?

[tombo]

Read Kim Newman's The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School. he sort of previewed it in Mysteries of the Diogenes Club. It tells the story of young Amy Thomsett, as she starts at a new English school, where it turns out the girls there all grow up to be extraordinary women, for good or ill. Amy will become Kentish Glory, a masked hero, in the late 1930s. It's a lot of fun, with a bit of homage to the English public school novels, like Tom Brown's School Days and things like the St Trinian's cartoons and the movies that they inspired, with a pulpier twist. I then read his The Quorum, about three young men, who sacrifice their friend in a deal to a new kind of demon, a dealmaker. They become media superstars, as a result. It's a satirical look at the 80s and 90s UK world, with a horror bent. This demon, Derek Leech, is not your traditional demon. I am now reading Neman's Jago, which is more of a traditional horror book, about a Somerset Village, where a hippy cult leader is affecting those around him and a music festival will bring it all to a head. Again, newman has a lot of satire and social commentary in his work .

Haven't read those yet but his Anno Drac and Moriarty are 2 of my fave books.

[broci]

Currently I'm reading Ritual by Adam Nevill. It's not the best book I've read, but for some reason the story is very addictive.
I just got J.L.Bourne's Day by day armageddon: Ghost run in the mail today. Can't wait to start reading it. The three previous books were crazy.
Best zombie books I've had my hands on. Also I have Steven Millhauser's Voices in the night waiting in queue.

I wish I'd find more "disturbing horror" books with vibes like Chuck Palahniuk's Haunted.

[Ragdoll]

I just finished up the Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch, after seeing the TV adaption. Don't really have to much to say about it otherwise that it was a good story that kept me wanting to see what happened next throughout.

Same here, only I never watched the show. Should I check out the show or is it just a pale imitation?

[Kolimar]

Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace

[codystarbuck]

Haven't read those yet but his Anno Drac and Moriarty are 2 of my fave books.

If you haven't read them, try the Diogenes Club books: man From the Diogenes Club, Secrets of the Diogenes Club, Mysteries of the Diogenes Club. They feature paranormal investigators involved in major events. The vibe is very much that of the tv Avengers (Steed & Mrs Peel), with bits of Sapphire & Steel, Doctor Who (especially Jon Pertwee era), Adam Adamanat, and other British adventure tv shows, with a healthy dose of pulp adventure. His Life's Lottery, a sort of adult Choose Your Own Adventure, is supposed to be extremely good, though I haven't read it yet. he also has the Angels of Music coming out, in October. Two short pieces, featuring those characters, appeared in the Tales of the Shadowmen anthologies, from Black Coat Books. The first crop of "angels" were Irene Adler, Christine Danae (Phantom of the Opera) and Trilby O'Farrel (from the novel Trillby, the basis for the movie Svengali), working for Erik, the Phantom of the Opera (with Arsene Lupin's Josephine Balsamo as the villain). That's right, it's a Victorian Charlie's Angels, with the Phantom of the Opera as Charlie. A second batch of angels featured Eliza Doolittle, Gigi, and Rima the Jungle Girl (from the novel The Green Mansion and the DC comic).

Tales of the Shadowmen are excellent pulp tales of French literary characters; the French Wold Newton universe (in homage to Phillip Jose Farmer's work). Various writers have produced stories, featuring characters such as the Nyctalope (one of the earliest superheroes and a sort of turn-of-the-century bionic man), Aresen Lupin (the gentleman thief), Fantomas (the maniacal supervillain), the Black Coats (a secret criminal society), Irma Vep (lead character of the silent serial Les Vampires), Judex (a mysterious avenger, of another silent serial, which predates The Shadow), Sar Dubonatal (a mystic hero, in the vein of Dr Strange and Dr Fate), Dr Omega (a traveller of time and space, well before a certain other Doctor), Dr Francis Ardan (a proto-Doc Savage), Rocamboule, OSS 117 (French superspy, from a series of novels, recently spoofed by Jean Dujardin), Madame Atomos (a survivor of Nagasaki, who swears vengeance against the US and concocts various deadly attacks, ala Fu Manchu), and several others. They often meet up with other characters from literature, film, television and comics. One story features Barbarella dumping Jim Kirk, after a one-night stand. Another pits Jeeves' massive brain against Hercule Poirot's little grey cells, at a holiday party. Another features the origin of The Village, from the Prisoner, with Sherlock Holmes as the first Number 6. Lots of good stuff for pulp mystery and adventure fans.

[ed2962]

Cold Heart by Lynda La Plante. While I am interested in the murder and art fraud plot, the dialogue and characterizations are pretty mediocre.

[codystarbuck]

Cold Heart by Lynda La Plante. While I am interested in the murder and art fraud plot, the dialogue and characterizations are pretty mediocre.

She seemed to peak with Prime Suspect.

[FluffySheep]

I've just spent a week on holiday in Majorca and read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and The Killing Game by J. A. Kerley. I enjoyed The Killing Game a lot more.

[Panfoot]

Same here, only I never watched the show. Should I check out the show or is it just a pale imitation?

First season is a pretty good adaptation of the entire series, with some changes. Second season is it's own thing and is a bit messier and really drops the ball in places. I'd recommend checking out at least the first season, which is pretty cheap now, like 10 bucks on amazon.

[Turn the Page]

I just started Hunter S. Thompson's "Hell's Angels."

[Malvolio]

I just started Lisey's Story by Stephen King.

[Mr.Majestic]

I used to read tons. As a little kid they had to change a library rule because of me in my home town. They wouldn't let me max out(4) the number of books and return them the same day to take more. Later I stayed at a steady 4 novels a week until college. Afterwards I read about 2 a week for years on end but these last few I've found it harder to find the time to read. I realized recently that I hadn't read a book in 2 years and have well over 100 books to read collecting dust on my shelves.

So I've started listening to audio books and just play to them while going to work on the train. Right now listening to the Horus Heresy books from the Black Library. And yes I'm a Warhammer geek.

[Heatwave19]

Halfway through "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs...
Really liking it so far, the old photographs are a nice touch.

[Professor Moriarty]

I just started:



Very good so far.

[JediKage]

I Read American Gods. Pretty Good. Would have been better without spoilers though.