Books: What have you been reading?

[Ragdoll]

Somnambulism: A Fragment by Charles Brockden Brown
An interesting example of one of the earliest short horror stories, examining sleepwalking.

I've also been catching up on Big Finish's Doctor Who audios. David Tennant just started doing them, and it's great hearing him back in the role, he's always been tied with Tom Baker for my favorite Doctor. I also am catching up on the 8th and 4th Doctor's adventures.
Anyone know any good audio plays to recommend?

[Ragdoll]

I haven;t finished many books lately becaise I am all wrapped up in binging Doctor Who audio dramas. A couple book notes...

Clive Barker's Galilee.
I have been reading Barker's bibliography in chronological order, and this was the worst one yet. It seemed like an Anne Rice homage, with century spanning family histories and immortal beings and even a couple pedophile scenes, it felt like a lost Anne Rice tale to me. But not like the good Anne Rice books, it was all the terrible ones, like Mayfair Witches.

Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives #2 Words Of Radiance.
These books have pissed me off in one personal way. I recently finished writing my first novel length book and my ancient-evil villain was named Odium. Now I am reading this and suddenly my villain doesn't feel so original.
Also, Brand Sand put out a graphic novel, published by Dynamite and set in the Cosmere, called White Sand, hopefully it makes a good read when I finish WoR.

[pdeans]

A family member bought Wherever You Go, There You Are book. I found it sitting on a shelf, glanced at the cover and involuntarily thought to myself "uh oh, granola time," and came within a heartbeat of dismissing the book out of hand. Luckily, I did not. Instead, I read the introduction, and then found myself -- almost in a state of disbelief -- reading on and on. I was amazed to find that the book is not just one more new age book muttering away about a world none of us really lives in. To the contrary, the book is written by someone with a profound understanding of everyday reality, who is astonishingly good at sharing that understanding. This is simply a beautiful little book, beautifully written. I would be curious to know if others are reacting to this book the way I am: I feel compelled to rave about it. I read the book for the first time weeks ago, yet tonight in the grocery store I found myself slowing down, marveling at the sight of my daughter gaily picking out tomatoes, and consciously basking in the moment. And I'm a middle-aged Republican, not particularly predisposed to spiritual impulses! The author of this book has something timeless and important to impart, and he does so with unusual intelligence and grace. I really like this book -- indeed, I hope I'm forgiven for suspecting that it is a work of genius. I also hope that the author happens to read this review, because he should know how much his work is appreciated!

[Ragdoll]

Gerald's Game, by Stephen King

I am a huge King fanboy, but never read this because the description sounded horrible. A roughly 6 hour read all about a woman handcuffed to a bed? Sounds miserable. And it is, but in only good ways. This combines the tension of Pit and the Pendulum with the storytelling style that the James Franco film 127 Hours heavily lifted. I was worried that King would leave it open ended, like did all the things happen that she experiences in the room, and I am glad the ending gives a clear cut answer on what was going on. This book was much better than I expected. Maybe it is one of King's worst, but it is best than most horror writers best books.

[Deathstroke]

I finished reading the Ace Atkins novel "The Innocents".

[Malvolio]

Gerald's Game, by Stephen King

I am a huge King fanboy, but never read this because the description sounded horrible. A roughly 6 hour read all about a woman handcuffed to a bed? Sounds miserable. And it is, but in only good ways. This combines the tension of Pit and the Pendulum with the storytelling style that the James Franco film 127 Hours heavily lifted. I was worried that King would leave it open ended, like did all the things happen that she experiences in the room, and I am glad the ending gives a clear cut answer on what was going on. This book was much better than I expected. Maybe it is one of King's worst, but it is best than most horror writers best books.

I enjoyed it. I also liked how King established that the eclipse in Gerald's Game is the same one that occurs in Dolores Claiborne.

[Photon Torme]

She Hulk's Diary by Marta Acosta

[Ragdoll]

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD.

It is a little dumb, but I had low expectations and they are all exceeded. This book is enjoyable and is adding crazy things I never expected. I thought this book would be light filler, not heavy, emotional drama with the kind of insane twists that border on fanfic. Don;t expect it to live up to the originals and just enjoy revisiting your old favorite universe.

So far, the biggest change is that Draco Malfoy is a genuinely good man and father, while Harry Potter is a massive tool and horrible dad.

[Sharkerbob]

I seem to read in tiny chunks lately, so here's a few I'm currently in the middle of:

Hothouse - 1960s book set in the far distant future of Earth, when the sun is beginning to expand on it's way to going nova. Earth has become tidally locked to the sun, the moon is out following Earth from one of the Lagrange Points, and evolution has favored the vegetable kingdom, causing the rise of thousands of species of powerful, carnivorous, and mobile plant creatures. Only a small handful of animal species still exist, including a miniaturized version of humans living in primitive conditions. Likewise, the moon now supports life, but I won't spoil how. Despite being an old-style milieu story, it reads a lot smoother and less dated feeling than most older books of the type.

Sword Art Online: Aincrad part 1 - Having learned a lot about the anime through analysis and parody videos, I decided to give the first book a shot, to see how it differed. It's as terribly written as they say, even accounting for translation issues. Still, it's something to read a page at a time on the can, I suppose.

Only Superhuman - Also a terrible book. I've as good as dropped it, but I keep it on the Kindle just in case I feel like finishing it someday. About a high tech future where humanity has colonized the solar system, and transhuman adaptations have led to the rise of a "superheroes." It's an interesting world, but the characters all kinda suck. Like SAO, I just sort of flip back to it because it's still on my Kindle.

Hard to find stuff I'm really interested in long enough to stick with it.

[Old Man Ollie 1962]

Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned by Walter Mosley.

[ed2962]

Big Cats by Holiday Reinhorn. Short stories both funny and heartbreaking about various people from a variety of backgrounds ( although most seem middle class) living lives of "quiet desperation."

[Deathstroke]

I finished the Star Trek Voyager novel Protectors by Kirsten Beyer last night.

[codystarbuck]

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 Following that, I have Norvell Paige's pulp masterpiece, the Black Police Trilogy, from The Spider pulp magazines, of the 30s and 40s. It is collected in one volume, The Spider vs The Empire State. A right wing party gains power in an election and installs a fascist state, with only Ricard Wentworth, the Spider to stand against it. Greg Hatcher has spoken of it in his columns. It's a two-gun, fevered, thundering allegory of the rise of the Nazis and still rather topical, when you consider the current political climate.

[tombo]

I'm starting The Vampire Chronicles IV: The Tale of the Body Thief. I was never a big vampire fan, but these books have been really sucking me in. If anyone out there is a real vampire, please reply with deets about how to join a creepy vampire coven.

I just got into Anne Rice this year and now I'm hooked. I love how she goes off on long philosophical digressions - I like the stuff other people hate them for really. I like the passion and the way she seems to put her soul into the stories.

[Panfoot]

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.