What are you reading you elitist snob? Summer 2010

[Gabriel Girard]

I have loads of books that I bought and haven't read yet and I'm trying to get through them. Currently I'm reading Carl Jung's Symbols Of Transformation . Basically I'm alternating - one philosophy book, one novel. Just before reading this I reread Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

[molly1216]

Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring

Trails for the Twenty-First Century: Planning, Design, and Management Manual for Multi-Use Trails

and a little trash
Atomic Lobster by Tim Dorsey

[HGervais]

Based on Joyce's recommendation I just finished up Robert McCammon's The Wolf's Hour and it was indeed pretty awesome! A Russian born werewolf spying for the British behind enemy lines during WWII? What's not to love? And yes Joyve, it would make a fantastic movie.
Sony's recent film noir box set has me thinking noir again so I have been reading through the four volumes of The Film Noir Reader.

[Gabriel Girard]

I also love that book Harold. Mccammon is usually enjoyable, it's been a while since I've picked up up one of his books, Joyce and you make me want to do so.

[Mitchell Hattaway]

I'm about halfway through Justin Cronin's The Passage. Also dipping into Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts from time to time.

[Gabriel Girard]

I'm about halfway through Justin Cronin's The Passage. Also dipping into Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts from time to time.

Hill is Stephen King's son right? Is this any good? Children following in their father's or mother's footsteps can sometimes be a good thing (Michael Douglas) or a bad thing (Brian Herbert). I'm intrigued about this since I know that Tabitha King also writes novels.

[Steve T Power]

Pretty much all i can read and enjoy anymore is Robert E. Howard... I pick up something else, and i just think, "It's ok... but it ain't Howard..." I'm totally ruined. Just recently finished "Hour of the Dragon", which was Howard's only full length Conan work.

[Mitchell Hattaway]

I'm about halfway through Justin Cronin's The Passage. Also dipping into Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts from time to time.

Hill is Stephen King's son right? Is this any good? Children following in their father's or mother's footsteps can sometimes be a good thing (Michael Douglas) or a bad thing (Brian Herbert). I'm intrigued about this since I know that Tabitha King also writes novels.

Yeah, that's him. I wasn't terribly impressed by his Heart-Shaped Box, but 20th Century Ghosts is damned good. I'd count two of the stories among the best short fiction I've read this decade.

[Gabriel Girard]

Yeah, that's him. I wasn't terribly impressed by his Heart-Shaped Box, but 20th Century Ghosts is damned good. I'd count two of the stories among the best short fiction I've read this decade.

I'm not a huge reader of short fiction outside of the classics (Poe,Borges,Matheson,Bradbury...) and the authors I love (King,Barker,Philip K.Dick, Orson Scott Card...) but I appreciate the sense of liberty that short work seem to have on these authors. I've always felt that King was underrated as a writer and a lot of that is based on his short story work. Sure he's written some clunkers, but when he gets them right, oh man! He also has explored more avenues in his short work. How many people knew about The Shawshank Redemption before the film, even now people are surprised when you tell them that it's adapted from a King novella.. and that last story in Skeleton Crew - ''The Reach'' = masterful. I'll check out Hill's book for sure.

[stypee]

Rules of Attraction - I loved every second of it... it was the quickest read of my life.

[molly1216]

I also love that book Harold. Mccammon is usually enjoyable, it's been a while since I've picked up up one of his books, Joyce and you make me want to do so.

Funny i read a few of his works, but can't remember any of them as vividly as that one. I specifically remember the train sequence speeding through the Russian winter landscape at night. - and mind you its been over 20 years since i read it.

Have you tried the XP novels by Koontz specifically Fear Nothing and Seize the Night? those would be awesome filmed...actually i'd like to see it as a Cable Miniseries..though not on the sci fi channel. they'd make it goofy.
I own the audios read by Keith Szarabajka and i relisten to them about once a year.

[tucco]

The Humans Who Went Extinct: Why Neanderthals Died Out and We Survived -
by Clive Finlayson

That's this week anyhow..

[Gabriel Girard]

Have you tried the XP novels by Koontz specifically Fear Nothing and Seize the Night? those would be awesome filmed...

Yes I have. I like Koontz but he sometimes sticks too much to his ''formula'' to my taste. When you compare him with King, I feel that King's books are successful on a more regular basis. I didn't get very far in Fear Nothing I couldn't get passed the line about the guy loving his dog and the dog loving him - why don't you just marry your German Sheperd Dean? On the other hand Odd Thomas was pretty sweet. It's been a while since I read one of his books - there are only a few I really like.

As for Mccammon the ones I read that stand up with Wolf's Hour are Boy's Life and Going South. Stinger is pretty awesome as well. I tried his version of The Stand (Swan Song I believe) and couldn't really get into it. But he's an interesting writer, I put him along Graham Masterton - they aren't really traditionnal horror writers and they try to grab more than they can reach, but they're almost alway entertaining. Koontz is the lesser of the modern ''masters of horror' IMHO but when he's good, he's up with the best.

[Gabriel Girard]

I thought we might share recent purchases as well - I rarely spend money on DVDs, preferring to collect books. Used book haul of the week :

The Book Of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges (French)
a French translation the Baghavad-Gita
The Equinox Vol III, Book 10 by Aleister Crowley et al (English)
Synchronicty and Paracelsica by C.G. Jung (it's out of print in French and I couldn't believe I found it!)

When a book was written in French or English I try getting it in the original language, if it's in an other language I usually take the French translation but I can go either way. I'm holding back on buying books by Kafka and Thomas Mann because I'm studying German....

[BrettCullum]

Because I watched DOLLHOUSE Season One recently I picked up a Czech play called "RUR" or "Rossum's Universal Robots." It's the first time the term robot was used, but they are organic... almost like people. The machines are slaves who rise up and destroy their masters only to realize then there is nobody to repair or make more of them. I'm actually toying with the idea of producing this on the stage...

[BrettCullum]

Oh... and STYPEE... I love RULES OF ATTRACTION. I really wish they had done better adapting it in to the film, but the cast was at least awesome. I just got through reading Bret's sequel to LESS THAN ZERO.... IMPERIAL BEDROOMS. He wants them to make it in to a movie with the same cast from ZERO. Good luck on getting Robert Downey Jr. back... it's a fast read too, though nowhere near as satisfying as it should be.

[AddisonDewitt]

Tapas on The Ramblas by Anthony Bidulka, 3rd in a series of mystery novels with gay detective Russell Quant.

[Gabriel Girard]

Last haul:
Answer To Job - C.G. Jung
Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman
Qu'est-ce Que La Propriété ? - Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

[Gabriel Girard]

Pretty much all i can read and enjoy anymore is Robert E. Howard... I pick up something else, and i just think, "It's ok... but it ain't Howard..." I'm totally ruined. Just recently finished "Hour of the Dragon", which was Howard's only full length Conan work.

Steve have you read any of Robert Jordan's Conan work. If yes,is it any good?

[ccb]

Re-reading Hiaasen's Skinny Dip.

[stypee]

Oh... and STYPEE... I love RULES OF ATTRACTION. I really wish they had done better adapting it in to the film, but the cast was at least awesome. I just got through reading Bret's sequel to LESS THAN ZERO.... IMPERIAL BEDROOMS. He wants them to make it in to a movie with the same cast from ZERO. Good luck on getting Robert Downey Jr. back... it's a fast read too, though nowhere near as satisfying as it should be.

After reading the book I was a bit annoyed that much wasn't incorporated into the film as it should have been. Strangely, I still LOVE the movie, I still have it on my top 10 films of the past 10 years... People think I'm pretty nutty for that but I just love the film.. It was one of those rare moments at the end of the movie where I left the film feeling both confused and exhilarated at the same time, it sounds odd but I really sort of respect the film allot for leaving me with that feeling. Any movie that can drive me to feeling some sort of a die-hard seminal experience is always at the top of my game.

[molly1216]

i thought you boys would be interested

I am reading the Dangerous Book for Boys which is a hoot and i think much more fund than the Daring book for GIrls.

[Gabriel Girard]

Started Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things - much deliciousness included. Also reading the complete edition of the Frank Miller/Dave Gibbons Martha Washington comics - great,great stuff.