Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Currently reading . . .
It’s a curious thing, what holds my attention and what doesn’t. I made it through over 100 pages of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian before my interest flagged. Only reason I bought it was (A) Michael Chabon raves about it every chance he gets, and (B) I didn’t hate The Road. McCarthy is clearly a competent author. It’s like me and China Mieville: I keep wanting to like the guy, but it’s just not happening for me.
On a bookstore browse I bought Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra. Made it farther on this one: my bookmark is on page 309. Too bad I’m less than 1/3 of the way through. Apparently, this is three novels in one: an Indian gangster bildungsroman (the part I enjoy), a cop story, and something else I haven’t quite figured out. I’m tempted to skip all the other stuff and just read about the gangster, but I’m too OCD for such shenanigans. And so it sits on my TBR (TBF, To Be Finished?) pile.
And then somehow I chanced on John Connolly’s The Gates Of Hell Are About to Open (Want to Take a Peek?), which I admit I bought for the title alone. I’ll probably finish this one, but mostly because of an “I made it this far” mentality. What a disappointment. It’s one of those lonely maladjusted preadolescent boy saves the world from Satan novels, clearly meant to be a YA barnstormer, but Connolly seems to think that if anything bad happens to one of his human characters, his readers will fling the book away in horror. In his reluctance to scare his readers or offend their tender sensibilities, Connolly creates demons that are absolute wimps who can be driven off with bug spray and a fly swatter. Have I said “What a disappointment” yet? Oh, yeah, I have. And it is.
But then Jake finished Christopher Moore’s Coyote Blue, and at last I’m having a good read. But when have I not enjoyed a Christopher Moore novel? Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove was a bit of a snore, but even that one had enough narrative drive to compel me to finish. Really, what’s going on with some of these authors? Doesn’t Vikram Chandra realize that no one is going to finish a 1000 page book if it lacks narrative drive, no matter how well he writes? Yes, yes, it’s about SELLING the book, not getting your readers to finish it.
And this is where you tell me what you’re reading . . . or rather, what you’re going to finish.
D.
I’m over The Girl Who series but I can’t stop to book 2 because I got it from the library and I’m only allowed 7 audiobooks and I’m at 7 now and the other 6 were either awful or I’m done. Vance, the Girl Who narrator is great, so okay. I’m going to finish it.
I liked Fool by Moore the last book of his I read. Mike’s trying to get me to read Pygmy by Chuck Paluhniukwhatever (I’m not going to google it)but I’m kind of tired of clever.
I liked the last Neil Gaiman but didn’t love it and I can’t remember the title. I read it though. Start to finish.
Summary of my bookses: I like what I’ve read but love none of it.
and there’ve been a lot of other books, but they’re romance and they’ve all blended together. Not a reflection on the books but on my reading style or lack thereof.
As I wait for the Vet to find put if our 20 year old cat has any of his 9 lives left I am reading your blog and remembering a book that took me years to read, An American Romance, by John? Casey http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/180-1152281-7004009?a=0380712407 My bro-in-law recommended it to me many years ago, but I could never get into it although I tried and tried and am a constant reader. After several years I took it on a trip, started over from the beginning, and read it cover to cover loving every word.
I recently read Rebel Yell by Alice Randall in a day and loved it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/garden/17randall.html?_r=1
Alice is an amazing author and a friend.
I rarely re-read a book, but I’m doing that with The Lovely Bones, and I will finish it.
I will also go back to The Road as a third outside read for my Honors classes.
I just re-read Larry Niven’s Ringworld and was sadly disappointed – it didn’t hold up nearly as well as I would have thought. I am currently re-reading Elizabeth Hand’s Winterlong, and it *is* holding up as well as I remembered it – though if you don’t like China Mielville, you may not like Hand.
Once I’m done with Winterlong, I’m going to give Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell another try. I couldn’t even say why I petered out on that one – I liked it, I just put it down one evening, and couldn’t get back into it.
Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Boy, which I quite liked, and his Coraline, which I didn’t like quite as much. Tom’s Midnight Garden, which is an English children’s book from the ’50’s. Just finished the third of the The Girl Who, which I definitely loved. Many Moons by James Thurber, which my son liked. Two by John Masefield, The Box of Delights, and The Midnight Folk. And not current, but somehow popped into my mind as worth mentioning, The Ladies of Grace Adieu, by Susanna Clarke (I think I liked it better than Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell). Which then prompts me to include the fabulous trilogy by Neil Stephenson, The Baroque Cycle.
P.S. Walnut, it is uncanny how you captured me with the little pink icon. If I did not know better I would swear you have been reading my medical records. For reasons still not fully understand, several years ago my right eyelid began drooping while my left eyelid retracted as my left eye started bulging out. It gave me an expression much like the icon 24/7, although I do have beautiful expensive teeth. Several years of methylprednisolone, three surgeries and many botox injections later, it’s all pretty much fixed. I feel for all those folks out there who do not have good health insurance and cannot afford to have non life threatening (but devasting to the individual) maladies fixed.
I’ve got Christopher Hitchens God is Not Great and Freakonomics which I started before I moved in July and haven’t gotten around to picking back up. I’ve also got The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell in the TBF pile and I was rather enjoying that one, but was then distracted with a shipment of romance novels from JMC (I loved JMC’s housewarming gift).
I also downloaded about 11 titles from an e-book shop this weekend that had over 150 titles for free. That of course is a mixed bag and if I find them dreadful I can simply delete them.
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/category180.html if anyone is interested.
Lyvvie, that’s where my big rush o’ romance came from. (and some are pretty bad)
I just finished Neal Stephenson’s Anathem, which is a challenging but ultimately worthwhile read (he’s created this incredible new world, but drops you into the middle of it with no explanation, expecting you to figure out out for yourself). I’ve also finished the fifth in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, Victory of Eagles – sort of Horatio Hornblower with dragons, and Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point, which is a fairly brilliant discussion on what causes fads and pandemics.
I got fed up with Neil Stephenson when I read Cryptonomicon, which had its good moments but was bloated with many lengthy cut-worthy passages. I got the feeling that he lives by the creed, “If I wrote it, it’s worth keeping.”
And I have a very childish reason for avoiding Malcolm Gladwell. He’s funny-looking.
Yeah, yeah, like I’m not . . .
Oh, and ps: I know what you mean. I tried to reread Ringworld a couple of years ago and couldn’t even read 100 pages of it. Seemed, I don’t know, puerile. Two-dimensional.
Doug, what would you recommend for a good sci-fi read that’s been published in the past 10 years? Husband has a birthday coming up and a new book would set him up happy. (Also getting him Assassin’s Creed2 for PS3; he’s so spoiled)
So what if Gladwell’s funny looking?? You’re a silly sausage.
Take a look at this old post. I would heartily recommend Jonathan Lethem’s Gun, with Occasional Music. If he hasn’t read Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, that’s another good one. Michael Swanwick is a safe bet, and I still love Stations of the Tide, The Iron Dragon’s Daughter (which is more fantasy than SF), and the sequel to The Iron Dragon’s Daughter, whose name escapes me. Michael Chabon’s Yiddish Policeman’s Union is great fun if your husband likes alternate history SF. Especially if husband happens to be Jewish.
Anyone have anything to add to this?
I’m reluctant to offer suggestions w/o knowing a little more about Lyvvie’s husband’s tastes… The last 10 years covers lots of territory.