Books: Book(s) you are Currently Reading | Part II

[Thucydides]

 

[Spring in Fialta]

 

[Thucydides]

 

[Papa Francouz]

I have about a week of being able to read for pleasure. Any recommendations? I’m a medium- to slow-speed reader.

 

[JetsFan815]

I have about a week of being able to read for pleasure. Any recommendations? I’m a medium- to slow-speed reader.

What genre do you like?

 

[Papa Francouz]

What genre do you like?

A bit of everything. Horror, fantasy, mystery, thriller, true crime are my go-tos. I’ll read sci-fi here and there. I’ll read literary fiction as long as it isn’t too self-indulgent. I’m not too picky.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

A bit of everything. Horror, fantasy, mystery, thriller, true crime are my go-tos. I’ll read sci-fi here and there. I’ll read literary fiction as long as it isn’t too self-indulgent. I’m not too picky.

Nothing against you at all, but I've always disliked it when people say that art shouldn't be self-indulgent. I think it always should be. Art is the one thing where people should indulge themselves to the fullest extent and be uncompromising about what they do and how they do it, especially with literature, where the process is often solitary. It shouldn't pander and have an audience. in mind while being made. Now, if it's up its own ass, that's a different story, but I encourage self-indulgence.

 

[Papa Francouz]

Nothing against you at all, but I've always disliked it when people say that art shouldn't be self-indulgent. I think it always should be. Art is the one thing where people should indulge themselves to the fullest extent and be uncompromising about what they do and how they do it, especially with literature, where the process is often solitary. It shouldn't pander and have an audience. in mind while being made. Now, if it's up its own ass, that's a different story, but I encourage self-indulgence.

I don’t disagree at all, to be honest. It’s just that I don’t enjoy reading literature that’s super self-indulgent. I’m all for people writing in a self-indulgent manner, but I’ve read a lot of books that are like that in the past that I didn’t connect with personally.

 

[Hippasus]

Rubank Advanced Method: flute vol. I-II: an outlined course of study designed to follow up any of the various elementary and intermediate methods

 

[JMCx4]

I paused at the end of last summer in the middle of a series of spy novels written by William F. Buckley, Jr., after I bought a stack of used hockey books. A coworker loaned me the first couple of titles from Buckley's series, then my wife bought me a couple more which await my reading. His continuing character is named "Blackford Oakes" and the stories stretch from WWI through the early Cold War. Other than assignments in school & a brief period of sci-fi fascination in my late teens, these are the only fiction books I've ever read. I started reading them as an obligation, but quickly came to enjoy Buckley's style & got wrapped up in the intriguing plot lines. I'd definitely recommend these titles to anyone who enjoys spy novels and/or 20th Century history.

Further deviating from the OP's specific topic ... Early last summer, I also thoroughly enjoyed "Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of Funny Stuff." Much of the material came from Trillan's published short works in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Nation weekly magazine. All of the topics are now dated, but Trillan's humorous perspectives transcend the publication periods.

 

[Hippasus]

Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment
Rhythm Reading for Drums: book 2
Mastering Technical Mathematics

The first one is biography, the second one is sheet music, and the third one is mostly practical problems, it seems.

 

[JetsFan815]

A bit of everything. Horror, fantasy, mystery, thriller, true crime are my go-tos. I’ll read sci-fi here and there. I’ll read literary fiction as long as it isn’t too self-indulgent. I’m not too picky.

Mistborn is great fantasy. A Secret History is fantastic literary fiction crossed over with mystery. I would also recommend some of Christopher Priest's work if you are into stories that are "weird"- The Glamour and The Separation are great starts.

 

[Thedogo]

Ice Warriors a book about the old minor pro WHL.

 

[Amorgus]

I usually only read when I'm on vacation and it's usually a book involving the makings of my favorite movies so this is my latest:

I love that my friends and I weren't the only ones that referred to TBS as The Beastmaster Station back in the 80's as that's mentioned in here.

 

[Babe Ruth]

True crime account.. a series of murders in Jefferson Davis Parish, LA.
I'm about 100 pages in, author is setting a backstory of interconnected local drug trade & institutional corruption. Not sure what I think of his weblike theory so far.. Book is paced well.

 

[Thucydides]

 

[jasonleaffan]

I finished reading The Exorcist last week, way better than the film. I'm currently reading American Psycho. Still early in(at the dry cleaners part) and maybe I'm depraved but, I've been laughing my ass off multiple times so far.

 

[Thucydides]

 

[jasonleaffan]

Can anyone recommend a novel similar to American Psycho?

 

[GB]

Can anyone recommend a novel similar to American Psycho?

Filth by Irvine Welsh is the closest I can think of right now. It's has a psychopathic unreliable narrator whose sanity declines during the book. It's a dark comedy too and has a similar amount of sexual violence.

However Filth's setting is very different and it's language is too. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney is very close to American Psycho in terms of language and setting. The protagonist definitely lives in the same Manhattan as Patrick Bateman.

 

[GB]

This book is great !


@GB you hear about this ?

Comes out next month on the 28th. Should be good.

Yes, really looking forward to this. I've just picked up her first novel, Like, and will be reading that soon.

 

[Thucydides]

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Filth by Irvine Welsh is the closest I can think of right now. It's has a psychopathic unreliable narrator whose sanity declines during the book. It's a dark comedy too and has a similar amount of sexual violence.

However Filth's setting is very different and it's language is too. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney is very close to American Psycho in terms of language and setting. The protagonist definitely lives in the same Manhattan as Patrick Bateman.

Filth. Talk about a book that could have used some trimming. I haven't read American Psycho since I was a teenager, but I vaguely recall it dealing with a similar issue.

 

[GB]

Have you read Marabou Stork Nightmares? Even more than Filth that was a book with too much going on. Pretty close to American Psycho in the same way Filth is too.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Have you read Marabou Stork Nightmares? Even more than Filth that was a book with too much going on. Pretty close to American Psycho in the same way Filth is too.

No, I haven't. I've not read Welsh in a very long time. I went through a few of them in my teens (and Bret Easton Ellis books too) so I can't really be sure if they hold up. Filth stands out more because I read it about 3 years ago. I remember liking his stuff though, like Trainspotting, Glue and Porno. But don't take my word for it. Do you enjoy him?