Currently Reading / Just Read (Books/stories/whatever)

[Young Val]

In my apparent kick of comics-related, Pulitzer-winning books, I just read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. It's funny, it doesn't look that thick of a novel from the outset, but it took me a few weeks to read, probably because so much happens. It's the story of two cousins, one with a big imagination who lives in New York, the other who just escaped from pre-war Prague, and their involvement and various creations throughout the Golden Age of comics. Like lots of fiction set with a historical backdrop, the characters interact with a lot of real figures from that time, and the book treats them as absolutely genuine, complete with footnotes, mentions of lost transcripts, etc., but the part that made it particularly fascinating for me was that, well, almost all of the people mentioned are comic celebrities.

And it was all made even more confusing for me with hoe I found the book, which was by reading the comic-book sequel written by Brian K Vaughn, in which the author of Kavalier & Clay wrote the forward, which was the tale of how Vaughn met Sam Clay in his early childhood, which inspired him to read comics...

Anyway, good stuff, teaches you a lot about comic history, as well as giving interesting views on World War II, the beginnings of pop art, the start of the Comics Code, and, of course, another, completely different take on New York City.

I loved KAVALIER AND CLAY, although I thought it desperately needed an editor; it could use some tightening and polish. WONDER BOYS remains the better book, in my mind, and more deserving of the Pulitzer.

[Mich]

I loved KAVALIER AND CLAY, although I thought it desperately needed an editor; it could use some tightening and polish. WONDER BOYS remains the better book, in my mind, and more deserving of the Pulitzer.

I can agree with your editing stance, for sure. Maybe that's why it took me so long . I'll look into Wonder Boys.

[megxers]

Kavalier and Clay is the bane of my Michael Chabon loving existence ( he used to live down the street from me & I will try his books once, even if I don't love all of them). But I cannot make it past page 50 in that book. I am going to try it again very soon though.

Also, my brother borrowed my signed copy of Wonder Boys and was using it as a coaster on his desk. GRRRR.

I am reading science textbooks to prep for job interviews. Though I think I will start "Makers" today too.

[locke]

I also loved Kavalier and Clay, also think it needed some editing and polish. I'd love to reread it actually, as I think I would have a very different perspective now. It took quite a while to read but eventually it just flowed through to the end, though the end seemed a long ass time coming.

the only other Chabon I've read was Yiddish Policeman's Union which I thought was terrible. It was so f****** whiny and everything related to the core mystery was simply aggravating and aggrandizing. The whole book grated on me. After two hundred pages I simply skipped the next three hundred and skimmed the last two chapters until the mystery was settled. I was pleased that it basically turned out like I expected, though honestly I can't remember anything about the book's plot other than the novelty of the atmosphere of misery in an American Jewish ghetto.

[LilBee91]

I started reading Catch-22, but I had an urge for a coherent story line so I picked up City of Bones instead. I'll probably go back to Catch-22 eventually, but quick and easy summer reading sounds so much more appealing right now.

[CezeN]

Ugh.

Catch-22 is the one book that got away, despite the fact I've attempted to read it twice.

I wonder if I'll ever finish it...

[Young Val]

I love CATCH-22! It's hilarious!

[CezeN]

Too bad the humor, funny paradoxes, are hidden in a maze of random tangents and a sea of confusion.

[Eaquae Legit]

Shades of Grey, Jasper Fforde

This was a fabulous book! I could not put it down because I was trying so hard to figure it out. It was quite a departure from the Thursday Next and Nursery Crime books, and quite a bit darker, but just as good. Think Brave New World meets Terry Pratchett.

In the Collective, everyone knows the Rules, and everyone knows their place in the Colortocracy. The rare Ultraviolets are on top, and those unfortunates who see only grey do all the grunt work. Eddie Russett is sent to the outer fringes to conduct a Chair Census as his Humility assignment, and his father accompanies him to take over as temporary swatchman for the village. Why is the univision colour fading? How come spoon production is forbidden? And can Eddie manage to ask out Jane Grey without her tearing off his eyebrow?

[Mich]

Cez constantly bringing it up made me pick up House of Leaves when I visited Powell's the other week. God, what a crazy book. I forgot how little actually happens in it.

Speaking of Powell's, what the heck? Who arranges comic sections by author? That's just moronic, considering how many comics change hands, like, every three issues.

I couldn't remember who wrote Runaways.

[megxers]

Cez constantly bringing it up made me pick up House of Leaves when I visited Powell's the other week. God, what a crazy book. I forgot how little actually happens in it.

Speaking of Powell's, what the heck? Who arranges comic sections by author? That's just moronic, considering how many comics change hands, like, every three issues.

I couldn't remember who wrote Runaways.

Boo! Yeah Powells is kind of ridiculous without writing down explicit directions on where books are. One day, I walked back and forth from literary criticism to philosophy five times trying to find a specific book and being very disappointed in how everything was organized, even though it SAID the book was in both sections, but not the edition I wanted!

I picked up Watchmen at the library today. I forgot it in my car but all this House of Leaves talk is making me considering picking it off the table its sitting on unless my brother's moved it.

I'm on a nonfiction kick. I am currently staring at a 10 book fiction stack, considering blindly picking one. Of course Against A Dark Background is huge and proportionally unfair in deciding that way. But I am kind of missing Iain Banks..

[Luet]

I am rereading The Hunger Games and Catching Fire in preparation for the August 24th release of Mockingjay. So excited!

[Gravity Defier]

For reasons that are completely irrelevant, I just barely got around to finishing Catcher in the Rye and honestly, I really enjoyed it. One might even say I loved it, though I'm not sure if I did; such is the nature of that book. I know some parts really resonated with me and other parts drove me nuts.

I got way too excited when I read the line about puddle gasoline rainbows and immediately thought of Kelly.

There was another passage I got somewhat fixated on but I didn't have a pen handy and don't remember what it was even about, so...there's that.

But my favorite part, conveniently enough, was on the last page, in the last paragraph:

"I didn't know what the hell to say. If you want to know the truth, I don't know what I think about it. I'm sorry I told so many people about it. About all I know is, I sort of miss everybody I told about....It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."

I removed part of that, that was specific to Holden, but otherwise, that paragraph just about smacked me upside the head.

My less than brilliant book report.

I have three books on hold and am hoping one is in when I get to work tomorrow. The book Ali recommended by Fforde; Mockingjay; and The Knife of Never Letting Go. Okay, the Mockingjay won't be there but one of the other two.

[fawkes]

The Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz is quite a good read. He has managed to write a story that is witty and very melancholy at the same time. There were times when I laughed out loud, and nearly cried, all within several pages. A must read.

Just finished Under the Dome, Sthephen King's newest brick (I say that with love, it's the only way I can get a book to last me more than a week). I was a little frustrated in reading this, as the antagonist always seemed to find a way to slither away and spin things to suit his needs. Stephen King has a habit of taking a veeeerrrrry long time leading up to the climax, followed by an extremely short conclusion. Sometimes it works, but in this case I felt a little underwhelmed. I think I was expecting a more explosive (ha!) ending, or at least a more solid conclusion (see end of Cell).

[megxers]

I've been hearing that a lot about Under the Dome. We have a copy so I am thinking of starting it as soon as get through my slowly-but-surely-shrinking too be read pile, which is an issue, since I am on a nonfiction kick, and I've been getting it all from the library without touching my pile.

Also I am totally freaking out because I just discovered Iain Bank's new novel (I will finish Transitions...eventually, it was interesting but not drawing me in at the moment)...is actually PART OF THE CULTURE SERIES YAY. This calls for a re-read of my Culture favorites.

[Luet]

I feel like this should go under confessions because I know I'm weird for it but oh well. I actually started Under the Dome and didn't finish it because it had SO much swearing. It felt like it averaged 5 f-words a page, plus lots of other curses thrown in too. I can handle some but it just felt way over the top. None of my friends or family swear, so I know that I'm sensitive to it. Why do authors feel that they need to do that to be current and hip? He certainly didn't write like that 20 years ago.

[fawkes]

I didn't think it was that bad. And the swearing is realted to how the characters are thinking. Usually it's the smug, 20-something bad guys who swear.

Also, I know this is a sorry excuse, but swearing is a lot more tolerated now then it was 20 years ago. Having read all of Stephen King's books in the past 2 years, I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time he's used the f-word. And there are much worse things in this and other books that pale in comparason to a few bad words (see Library Policeman).

[steph]

Ok, so it's not quite currently, as I can't pick it up until tomorrow morning, but Mockingjay came into the library for me!!!! I didn't think I'd get it until the 2nd round, but our library district has 43 copies, so I get it now!!! I don't know how I'm going to get anything done this week, since I hadn't scheduled it into my life this week, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. Mockingjay is more important than my sister's baby shower that I'm throwing on Saturday, right?

[LilBee91]

I'm about two-thirds of the way through The Book Thief. It's different than I expected, but I like the style and the story a lot. I don't think it'll be my favorite Holocaust/Nazi book, but it's not too shabby.

[Gravity Defier]

I just finished Mockingjay. I'm not sure what I think yet; someone tell me what I think, please.

[Young Val]

Finished MOCKINGJAY. Didn't like it.

[steph]

I finished it on Sunday. It was pretty much what I expected. Nothing surprised me, even if I didn't previously know what would happen. I feel content and contemplative with it.

[Luet]

I just finished Mockingjay. I'm not sure what I think yet; someone tell me what I think, please.

That's exactly how I felt! I have been all out-of-sorts but I couldn't figure out if it was because I liked it and it was emotionally overwhelming or I didn't like it and it was disappointing.

I need you gals to help me work through it!

[Wil]

New novel series by my favoritest author in the whole world releases today: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

[megxers]

New novel series by my favoritest author in the whole world releases today: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I still haven't finished Warbreaker...or started it but of course now I am interested in that one. Which has reminded me that my to-be-read pile has not shrunk that much because there is another pile I had forgotten...My friend won it on a website and I am hoping she is willing to send it to me from Washington...though I never finished her copy of Mistborn so I don't have a good track record lol

I'm nearly finished with "The Sparrow" which I have decided, barring whatever the ending is being terrible, that is is my absolute favorite novel about first contact, besides of course "Contact."

[Luet]

I LOVE The Sparrow. The sequel Children of God is not as great but still good.

[Jayelle]

I pre-ordered All Clear by Connie Willis on my gift card! Only a month and a half to wait...

I love my co-workers for giving me $100 to spend on books- but it was a bit paralyzing to know what to buy when we just got rid of so many books. Replace, or get whole new ones? ACK. I spent over an hour wandering the aisles before making any kind of decision.

[Luet]

I have my name on the hold list for All Clear at my two different library systems. I'm going to reread Blackout before it comes out.

[BonitoDeMadrid]

Today, 8:00 AM: got The Hunger Games.

5 Minutes ago: finished The Hunger Games.

Need I say more?

[Luet]

Yay!

[megxers]

So, Hugo awards were announced today. I am very pleased with the results, because I knew that there was no way that Windup Girl could lose because everyone and their android was completely and utterly enamored with it (Okay, it is on my to-read list still...) but I also was rooting for The City & The City to win even though I knew it was extremely improbable. And they tied!!

BEST NOVEL
[Tie for first place]
The City & The City by China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK)
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)

BEST NOVELLA
"Palimpsest" by Charles Stross (Wireless; Ace; Orbit)

BEST NOVELETTE
"The Island" by Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2; Eos)

BEST SHORT STORY
"Bridesicle" by Will McIntosh (Asimov's 1/09)

BEST RELATED WORK
This is Me, Jack Vance! (Or, More Properly, This is "I") by Jack Vance (Subterranean)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY
Girl Genius, Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; Art by Phil Foglio; Colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION - LONG FORM
Moon Screenplay by Nathan Parker; Story by Duncan Jones; Directed by Duncan Jones (Liberty Films)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION - SHORT FORM
Doctor Who: "The Waters of Mars" Written by Russell T Davies & Phil Ford; Directed by Graeme Harper (BBC Wales)


THE JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER
Seanan McGuire

the rest: http://io9.com/5630533/congratulations- ... rd-winners

Thoughts? Read them all? Read none of them?

[Gravity Defier]

After first Jason, then either Mich or zero in Jason's thread, then finally a Mockingjay read-alike list mentioned Y: The Last Man, I decided to see if the library had it so I could give it a try. We only have the first volume and I see there are at least 10 in all; that sucks, because I really like what I've read so far and can't justify spending the money on the rest at the moment.

[Mich]

After first Jason, then either Mich or zero in Jason's thread, then finally a Mockingjay read-alike list mentioned Y: The Last Man, I decided to see if the library had it so I could give it a try. We only have the first volume and I see there are at least 10 in all; that sucks, because I really like what I've read so far and can't justify spending the money on the rest at the moment.

*cough*theinternet*cough*

I actually wouldn't buy most of the comics I do if I hadn't read them on my computer first, mostly because they're such a costly investment. I only buy the ones I haven't read if I'm absolutely sure, like they're by an awesome author or I've read the first few volumes already.

[Gravity Defier]

*cough*theinternet*cough*

A, uh, comic fairy made a delivery recently. They even left instructions that looked like alphabet soup for viewing them.

Geez, I'm not one of you kids who goes trolling the internet, looking for criminal activity! I bunker down in the safe confines of...safety.

...

But you nerdlings are awesome.

[ender1]

*cough*theinternet*cough*

+1.

I've been having to do this for Nicole since she has gotten her Nook.