What was the last novel you read?

[BurtWorm]

Did you enjoy it? Do you recommend it?

Me:



War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (tr. by Pevear and Volokhonsky)

I enjoyed it tremendously--up until Part II of the epilogue. Talk about anti-climactic! Those were the most painful 50 pages out of 1200. But the rest of it was a great pleasure to read. It surpassed its reputation, as far as I was concerned. And it took me just 15 weeks to read, taking into account plenty of breaks for other books (and just plain life, of course). I recommend it highly. (Not surprisingly.) Especially to anyone who thinks they'll never read it. Treat yourself. Surprise yourself.

How about you? What was the last novel you read?

[Heidi]

1. Kaftka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, and it's beautiful.

I do recommend it.

Right now, I'm reading "Life of Pi," Yann Martel, and taking it leisurely. It's okay so far.

[BurtWorm]

2. Can you say more about the Murakami?

Is it engrossing? Is it meditative? What makes it a good novel?

I ask because I've seen it in bookstores, but I'm not usually a novel-reader. I love novels from about the 1980 back toward the 17th century. I'm not crazy about much since. I don't know if I'm a philistine or what.

[Heidi]

7. If you enjoyed "The Catcher in the Rye," I think you'll enjoy "Kafka on the Shore."

I think the underlying Oedipal theme might be a bit much for some folks, but Murakami writes beautifully and isn't overly sentimental. This is important to me, because I revere honesty and am pretty picky about my fiction, and I loathe artists who seek to emotionally manipulate the audience.

Before reading "Kafka on the Shore," perhaps you'd want to read his collection of short stories, "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman." The stories are so varied, gorgeous and observant. I wish I had read "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman" before I started "Kafka on the Shore."

[BurtWorm]

17. I did like Catcher in the Rye

though it's been a while since I read it. My daughter just read it in 8th Grade humanities.

Thanks. I'll take a closer look. I read a couple of Kenzaburo Oe's novels a few years back, just after he won the Nobel prize. I always expect Japanese novels to be a little strange and unfamiliar, and they didn't disappoint. But one in particular was a pleasure to read: The Silent Cry. A Personal Matter, which I read second, is more like a semi-autobiographical novel, being about the birth of a child with a disability. I wouldn't call that one a pleasure. But The Silent Cry did pull me in and hold me engrossed in a story about politics and religion and how they clash with everyday life.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Ooh - I have that one in my queue to read.

The Kafka on the Shore, that is.

Reading the blurb on the book compelled me to buy it. Unfortunately, I have other books in the stack on top of it.

[Heidi]

10. I can say with confidence, Rabrrrrrr, that you'll appreciate it and probably enjoy it.

I wish I'd read his short story collection, "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman," first, just to establish a framework of understanding, but Murakami is one of my favorite fiction authors -- and I'm pretty selective about fiction (and consider much of modern fiction just :puke: - inducing).

[Inchworm]

140. 'Cause I think you rawk...

I looked into this book and actually listened to "books on tape" which, I guess, is just people reading to you. It sounded very good, and I am going to have this book soon.

I don't read and never found a genre to hold my attention long enough. AKA - I've read the first 2-3 chapters of 100+ books, but give up. She sounded very interesting. We'll see.

I'll let ya know the next time someone asks this question :D

:hi::hug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. It was Wake - by one of our own DUers. Good one!

Read it last week.

I can't remember who the DUer is who wrote it, though.

[Dr. Strange]

19. Wheezy

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=169269

Haven't read it, but I'd like to.

[Wetzelbill]

128. Yup, aka Lisa McMann

[JuniperLea]

5. I'm on a Knut Hamsun binge right now...

Most all of his works take place in Norway, in the late 19th century, so you get a sense of the culture and times.

"Victoria" is a story of star crossed lovers. I think of this as being in the same literal arena as "Wuthering Heights" which is an all-time favorite of mine. "Blossoms and blood; blood and blossoms" is how Hamsun describes love in this heartbreaker.

"Hunger" is semi-autobiographical, as are several of his books. This is about a literally starving writer... gripping and disturbing.

The aptly titled "Mystery" is about a mysterious man who comes to stay in a small harbor town. This one made me want to read it again! The plot and answers to the mysteries are so cleverly woven into the story as the main character makes friends and probably enemies.

"Growth of the Soil" really needs to be a movie! It's set in the moutains, several hours walk from the nearest village. A man finds a wife and begins building his farm... gathering animals, building a house, barn etc. Planting, harvesting, having babies... and tragically believing in old wive's tales.

I just finished "Pan" and I can't get it out of my mind. A former soldier becomes a recluse in the woods near a Norwegian village where he becomes involved with two local women, one he learns after many a dalliance is married. I am very taken at how Hamsun handles sex in his novels. It reminds me of how Hitchcock treats violence... you never really see anything at all, but you'd swear you did! Early on in the book, Hamsun mentions an artist. I Googled the name, Arnold Böcklin, and found one of his paintings, entitled "Idyll" (Pan Amidst Columns), 1875. It's now my wallpaper:)



I highly recommend all of Knut Hamsun's works. I've also read "A Wanderer Plays on Muted Strings" and "On Overgrown Paths"... It's my goal to read all his works, then start over again.

[jobycom]

6. "Bag of Bones," Stephen King.

Actually I listened to it. I like light fare audio books for long drives. Decent book. It was one his best up until the end, when he took a cheap way out of a tough dilemma. He had spent a lot of time creating a moral struggle with genuine characters, as well as the creepy horriness stuff, but at the end he took the lazy way out.

Disappointing, but still kept me entertained for a good 20 hours.

[ghostsofgiants]

8. I don't read many novels.

Last one I read I think was "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, maybe a year ago. It's a classic. Most of my reading is non-fiction.

[JuniperLea]

11. I love that book!

I also love the 60's movie based on that book, The Haunting...

[ghostsofgiants]

13. Haven't seen The Haunting.

I should check it out.

I currently have "We Have Always Lived In The Castle" by Jackson taken out from the library ta the sugestion of XemaSab but have yet to start reading it.

[JuniperLea]

15. Thanks for that!

It's going on my list.

[Forkboy]

9. Making History by Stephen Fry

It's the second time I've read it, so I must think it's pretty good. :)

The story is told in first person by Michael "Puppy" Young, a young history student at Cambridge University on the verge of completing his doctoral thesis on the early life of Adolf Hitler and his mother. He meets Professor Leo Zuckerman, a physicist who has a strong personal interest in Hitler, the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust. Michael assumes this is due to his Jewish heritage. However, it is later revealed that Leo was born Axel Bauer, the son of Dietrich Bauer, a Nazi doctor at Auschwitz. Leo has developed a machine that enables the past to be viewed—but it is of no practical use as the image is not resolvable into details. Together, they hatch a plan to modify the machine such that it can be used to send something back into time. They decide to use a permanent male contraceptive pill, stolen from Michael's girlfriend (a biochemistry researcher), who, due to his continual distraction, has left him to take a position at Princeton University. They send this pill back in time to the well in Braunau am Inn so that Hitler's father will drink it, be made infertile, and Hitler will never be born. Michael sends the pill back and everything changes.

[spinbaby]

12. The Enchantress of Florence

Salman Rushdie. And, yes, I do recommend it, but only if you like very textural complex novels.

[MrCoffee]

14. So The Wind Won't Blow It All Away - Richard Brautigan

Dust...American Dust.

[TrogL]

16. Anathem - Neal Stephenson

http://www.amazon.com/Anathem-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0061474096

Warning, brush up on your philosophers and quantum mechanics.

[deepthought42]

18. Jujitsu for christ by Jack Butler

Just finished it about 45 min ago since we're discussing it in my Contemporary Southern Lit class this evening, lol...

[TZ]

58. Hey I'm rereading "The Sword of Truth Novels"

with the final three books on the horizon..I'm re-reading "Naked Empire" right now.
You thought the final three books were okay?

[deepthought42]

67. I.....can't bring myself to finish the last book

Yes, I bought 2 copies, 1 I pre-ordered with a personalized autograph and the other I bought on the day it came out down here in Roanoke since the above copy was in MD...

Emotionally (for me), they were tough reads. I was tempted to pick up the book(s), throw 'em against the wall, scream and curse out Terry Goodkind, then start reading again.

I just...I don't want it to be finished! Oh! Legend of the Seeker premieres on tv this weekend! :D :bounce: You'd have to check local listings for time and channel cuz it varies...

[murielm99]

20. The Other, by David Guterson.

He wrote Snow Falling on Cedars.

It is a little book. I would recommend it.

[fizzgig]

21. i loved snow falling on cedars

i will have to check that out

[Dr. Strange]

22. ChapterHouse Dune

Or Chapterhouse Dune. Or Chapter House Dune. However it's spelled.

I decided to re-read it so I could finally read the series finale (Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune) done by Brian Hebert and Kevin Anderson.

[jpgray]

24. Frank Herbert got weird toward the end. Or maybe just weirder.

Destination Void, for example, somehow makes high-stakes, mysterious, and imaginative action the most boring thing imaginable. His tendency to create psychological archetypes rather than characters really took over his style. Still some great stuff in there, though. Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson should really just go and ruin a mythos of their own creation. :P

[Dr. Strange]

25. I've read two of Herbert's non-Dune novels.

(Hellstrom's Hive and The Dosadi Experiment)

Did not care for them much at all. But the Dune series just blows me away. And I used to not think much of the last two novels (Heretics and Chapterhouse) but after re-reading them, I'm really impressed.

[jpgray]

26. They're so brilliantly imaginative--I was hooked solid

I do think, however, that like Asimov and some others Herbert was essentially trapped into writing more Dune long past the longevity of his original inspiration due to the first novel's popularity. The first four Dune books are probably my favorites, but it's worth the effort to track down his early work, especially the fun (and prophetic!) novel about submarines--Dragon in the Sea or Under Pressure, I think it's called.

[dawgmom]

27. I feel like picking a fight

So, I'll say...the question asked was: name a NOVEL. As in literature. Science fiction hardly qualifies.

*running away very, very fast*

[jpgray]

28. No Frankenstein? No 1984? No Brave New World?

:P Foo on you.

[dawgmom]

29. hehehehe -- read all those, and liked them

They were entertaining. And certainly, they're classics of the genre. I'm just not that big a fan of the genre in general.

And don't even get me started on fantasy. My best friend still smacks me every time I refer to Lord of the Rings as "those elf books you like."

*running away again, even faster*

[jpgray]

32. In non-allegorical sci-fi or fantasy, most of what's admirable is the imagination

The paternal tone of Tolkien is completely insufferable, as are his "poetry" bits. But the imagination on display is pretty remarkable. Taste is taste, but fantastical elements can be handled brilliantly even in serious "literary" fiction: what do you make of all the ghosts and fairies in Shakespeare? Even the Devil shows up in the Brothers Karamazov. Ancient drama and poetry offends on a grand scale in this regard as well! :D

[dawgmom]

34. The ghosts and fairies in Shakespeare

Literary devices to move the plot along. But you're not comparing Shakespeare to science fiction, are you?

Honestly, I will never live long enough to read all the books I want to read. I've read nearly all the arguable "classics" (including Shakespeare), and I just choose to use the remaining time I have left trying to work through a pile that doesn't include science fiction or fantasy. As I said earlier, it's a common razzing point with my friends. I just find real people and real situations interesting enough, and there are plenty of stories still to be told. Of course, I do find that I read a lot more non-fiction of late. I'm particularly looking forward to Sarah Vowell's new book.

[jpgray]

35. The point is that such devices can be treated splendidly

And if you avoid a whole genre of fiction for that reason, you miss out on quite a lot. No HG Wells, no Orwell, no Swift, no Philip K Dick. You'd lose some essential Melville, Hawthorne, Twain, Kafka, Borges, and on and on and on.

[TZ]

38. Dead to me!

No sci-fi OR fantasy? You REALLY should read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series..the sardonic tone of it would be right up your alley I think....

Edited to add..I have a very large collection of Dragons and Unicorns in my house so you know where I'm coming from! Where's Orrex's chainmail shirt..I must defend the honor of sci fi/fantasy geekdom!:P

[dawgmom]

40. Trust me on this

I wish I had a dime for every time a friend has said, "OHhhhh, but you have to try reading xyz...."
I would be a millionaire.

You have dragons and unicorns? A skeptic like you? Can...not...reconcile. Does...not....compute.

heheehehehe

As I said, I deliberately torture my BF by calling Tolkien "those elf books." Sometimes I think I reject sci fi out of stubbornness and unwillingness to conform, as much as anything.

Nah. It just bores me. (OK -- brace yourself. I fell asleep while watching at least two of the LOTR movies.)

OK, you may as well know it all. *big breath* I don't particularly like cats.

There. I said it.

[Dr. Strange]

49. What's in that blank post you're responding to?

}(

[dawgmom]

77. I seeeeee you.....

[Dr. Strange]

95. What?!

[Withywindle]

39. Oh, you DO want a fight, don't you?

Shrug. People read what appeals to them and skips what doesn't.

I was a literature/creative writing major in college, but I don't read much "contemporary literary fiction" now that I don't have to. Middle-aged middle-class people nattering on at great navel-gazing length about their dysfunctional families...:boring:

[dawgmom]

41. Yup. English major here, too

Your take on it is pretty accurate, actually -- but I still enjoy a well-turned phrase on occasion. As I think I said earlier, however, I find that I mostly read non-fiction these days.

[OrwellwasRight]

76. The Dune Series? Ursula LeGuin? Fahrenheit 451? (Need I even say it -- 1984?)

All science fiction. All respected. Definitely NOVELs. Silly rabbit. :bounce: :evilgrin:

[dawgmom]

87. Fahrenheit 451, ok, I'll agree with that. Also 1984.

But Dune? Ugh, ugh, ugh. Trying to read that was like torture. Waaaayyy too much work for waaaaay too little reward. That's the one where you had to look up practically every other word in the appendix to figure out what they were talking about, right? "Kill me now," I remember thinking....

But again...to each their own. If we all agreed about everything, the world would be a pretty boring place, imho. :)

[OrwellwasRight]

89. I don't remember that specifically about Dune, but you are probably right.

I do recall some kind of a flow chart that told which royal family ruled with planet that I had to keep referring back to. I thought that was just me, though. I'm reading American Dynasty right now (by Kevin Philips; Bush family story) and I have to keep referring back to that family tree as well even though the family is relatively small. I just can't get certain info to stick in my head, and then other info sticks like glue. For years.

[dawgmom]

92. Is that Vonnegut as your Avatar?

I loves me some Vonnegut.

[OrwellwasRight]

93. It is. And now that you remind me, he used to be classified as Science Fiction . . .

I never knew which section of the bookstore to look for his books in. But Slapstick, the Sirens of Titan, and Cat's Cradle and many of the stories within stories are most certainly science fiction.

Aha! Caught ya!

But seriously, he is one of my all time favorite heroes. We'd be a better country if he'd have run the place. And we'd laugh more.

[dawgmom]

109. heheheehe -- indeed

You did indeed catch me. :)
Well, I did say in my original post that I felt like picking a fight.... heheheehe

[DarkTirade]

23. I'm still on my classic sci-fi kick

so I just finished rereading Prelude to Foundation, and I'm halfway through Forward the Foundation. Both by Asimov, prequels to his his Foundation series.

[deepthought42]

33. Oooo...

I keep meaning to get those. I've read Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth.

[DarkTirade]

51. It does a good job of linking up the precursors, like the Robot trilogy

and the later stuff, like the end of the Foundation series.

[deepthought42]

69. One of these days....

I work in a bookstore so maybe over Winter break... tee hee...

[YankeyMCC]

119. I just re-read "The Caves of Steel" and "Naked Sun"

last week.

It's like 'comfort food' :)

[Smuckies]

30. A Thousand Splendid Suns.

By Khaled Hosseini...for the second time (but first time in a year).

[dawgmom]

31. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers

Honestly, that's the title.
I would recommend the first half or so, which is laugh out loud funny and simultaneously very sad. The funniest thing is the prologue, in which he himself breaks down the book by content, and even tells you that the second half isn't as good. However, I did read all the way to the end, and found the second half also well-written.

He has an interesting voice -- very unique.

[Withywindle]

36. Believe it or not, 'Left Behind'

It's TERRIBLE. I knew that going in. I tried to read it once before 4 years ago (it's a 'understand how the other side thinks' thing) and failed because there is not one single thing it does well. Not characters, not dialogue, not plotting, not world-building, not philosophy or theology, not language or imagery. It's got nothin'. In fact, it's so bad in every conceivable way that it kind of has a morbid fascination that pulled me right along this time. Totally trainwreck syndrome - I was kind of in awe of that magnitude of failure, it can't be easy!

I only recommend it to the masochistic and morbid. But then I saw online that someone has set up an RPG (using the White Wolf Mage: The Ascension system) called "Right Behind" that tries to take the premise and do it right, which is a hell of a lot more interesting. So that's alright - the human ability to make lemonade out of lemons can overcome anything.

[deepthought42]

68. For a good laugh

or maybe cuz we're crazy, my old roommate and I watched the first movie... :scared:

[Connonym]

78. every time I shelve those at the library I gag

it's even worse than my Danielle Steel gag.

[Deep13]

37. God Emperor of Dune

I'd recommend it to Dune enthusiasts. It is a bit cerebral.

[Dr. Strange]

65. Best book in the series (in my opinion).

:thumbsup:

You hear that billyskank?

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

42. "The Oasis" by Pauline Gedge

The middle of an ancient Egyptian historical trilogy. I am reading the third part, "The Horus Road" now. Beautifully realized and based on historical fact.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

43. Twilight

I've gotten in a rut of reading largely philosophical, new age-y, and conspiracy crap (lovelovelove Robert Anton Wilson and Alan Watts, and just read Cooper's Behold a Pale Horse), so when my son's GF foisted off the Twilight series on us, I gobbled them up.

It was an okay story, but several things bugged the hell out of me: 1) WTF would a Mormon be writing a vampire story? Vampires = Sex and there isn't any. Lots of stuff that should lead into it, but they never quite trip the trigger because 2) It's about teens, hence the need to keep it overly clean. 3) For some reason, I found the inclusion of werewolves overkill. Not sure why I should find it less believable than vampires alone, but it felt more cartoon-y. Still, how else do you string out the story like they did, and for FOUR books? 4) The editing. As in, was there any? You would think a publisher would spring for people to ensure no typos and crap. And that bullshit where the whole story is from the girl's POV and suddenly there's a paragraph (or a third of a book) inside someone else's head? Is that how they teach writing at BYU? Yuk.

That being said, there's a movie version of the first book coming out before the end of the year and I predict it will be wildly popular. I get the feeling those Mormon mommies don't have a clue what a vampire story really is (hello. . . SEX!) and they've been pushing this series on their daughters thinking it's wholesome stuff.

[greenbriar]

74. there is sex in the 4th book

I LOVE this series of books

[buzzycrumbhunger]

90. yeah. . .

But they have to get married first. Lots of frustration through about 1200 pages, first. :eyes:

[Taverner]

44. The Trial by Kafka

Loved it

Of COURSE I would reccomend it

[Sequoia]

45. "The God of War"

about a 12 year old boy living by the Salton Sea with his mom, and little brother. Good story, but the last chapter was him as an adult telling what happened later on with the family which I didn't much care for. The story should've ended when he was a kid.

[YankeyMCC]

46. "City at the End of Time"

by Greg Bear

Outstanding story telling. I like Bear but this is the first of his novels that really blew me away.

Just before that, although not really a novel, I read "The Snow Leopard" by Peter Matthiessen

Another excellent read

[Bertha Venation]

47. _The Great Santini_ by Pat Conroy. n/t

[Xithras]

48. A Feast for Crows by George RR Martin

I happen to think that Martin is an epic writer, and when the series is complete it will be as famous as Lord of the Rings. Or perhaps sooner...HBO is supposedly considering building a new series out of the books. One season per book.

It's Lord of the Rings meets War of the Roses, only without all of the elves and dwarves. It's also far more personal than most fantasy novels, in that it focuses more on the individual characters lives than it does on the overarching storyline.

[yellowdogintexas]

52. must..have..Dances With Dragons.....nt

[Xithras]

56. Yeah, tell me about it.

I've had this book sitting half-read on my shelf for a year and a half because I didn't want to endure another five year wait. Supposedly DWD will be out mid-2009 some time.

Unless he scraps the whole thing and starts over again. As he's done twice now.

[TZ]

57. I know!!

Come on already!

[BarenakedLady]

50. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51f1uAx67EL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_AA219_PIsitb-sticker-dp-arrow,TopRight,-24,-23_SH20_OU01_.jpg

It made me cry. So I guess that means I would recommend it.

[yellowdogintexas]

53. Patricia Cornwell: 'Book of the Dead'

just finished it today.

Before that I finished "A Song For Arbonne" by Guy Gavriel Kaye

[jonnyblitz]

54. "the garden of last days" by Andre Dumus III of "House of Sand

and Fog" fame. actually i haven't completed it yet but i rarely read fiction so i can't remember the last novel I read before this.

[peacefreak]

55. Fool

by Christopher Moore. One of my last Advance copies :-( The bookstore I worked for closed down last month so no more FREE books. ~sigh~But...if you loved Lamb, you'll like this one too. This time he takes on poor, old, demented King Lear. It'll be out in February.

[BurtWorm]

61. Excuse me?

Oh. I thought you were talking to me.

;)

[peacefreak]

62. ~Snort~ If it was about you

it would be called "Sage, Diary of a Wise Man":hi:

[BurtWorm]

72. Or a wise ass...

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

59. Midnight in the garden of good and evil

It was pretty darn good...

RL

[tismyself]

60. Pillars of the Earth

Loved the story, but then ecclesiastical architecture is one of my favorite subjects - and so far as novels go, the pickings for the topic are pretty slim. I thought Follett's research was pretty good and the way of life he created in the book is probably as accurate as anything else I've come across.

[reyd reid reed]

66. One of my favorites

Absolutely loved it.

[tismyself]

97. Follett has a way

of pulling readers right into these worlds he creates - doesn't he? It takes me days and weeks to "get over" reading anything he writes.

Every now and then, something like Pillars comes along, and manages to weave itself into the fabric of my life.

[tismyself]

111. I've just gotten a copy of World Without End

So, next week is ruined for me. Am I going to love this as much?

[hippywife]

113. It's great!

I read it in less than a week, I got so sucked up into it. LOL :hi:

[tismyself]

120. Thanks!

Another week of showing up to work work work work work with bags under my eyes!

[Enthusiast]

131. It is as good as Pillars of the Earth.

IMHO. My wife thought so also.

[femmocrat]

63. The Kite Runner.

It was OK. I'm not much of a fiction-reader. I just read it because people were talking about it on DU. It wasn't the greatest book I ever read or anything, but it kept my interest. I read it in less than a week.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

64. Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs.

It's the series that spawned Bones. Well, to be more truthful, it spawned Temperance Brennan, who is actually based on Reichs herself, and looks nothing like the Temperance Brennan character from the television series.
Grave Secrets brings to light some actual events that took place in Guatemala back in the eighties. It's a very interesting look at the government in Central America and the people who live there.
I would highly recommend the entire series.
Duckie

[Fire Walk With Me]

70. No classics for a while now; most recently, "They Fly At Çiron" by Samuel R. Delaney.

Highly recommended, as is all of his work.

Currently inhaling "Glasshouse" by Charles Stross.

[Book Lover]

81. Ha! I'm reading Dhalgren...

I read it once before, about 22 years ago... I understand it much better this time around :-)

[Rancid Crabtree]

71. It...Stephen King...before that, When the Wind Blows, James Patterson

enjoyed them both...third reading of It...Derry, there's an analogy there to today...shape-changers...the way the kids saw the clown as something different...our demons take different shapes...Patterson's book is different...genetic engineering...brings to mind Watchers by Koontz, cool story...

[Enthusiast]

132. I liked all three.

It, When the Wind Blows and Watchers. I look forward to rereading It one day.

[unsavedtrash]

73. Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore

It was the first Christopher Moore that I have read. Very good book.

[Chovexani]

114. Christopher Moore is amazing.

I just got finished reading Biff again. :D

[OrwellwasRight]

75. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders

The PBS Series is based on these books. I had never read one. An easy, quick enjoyable read. I love mysteries.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

104. All of the Rumpole collections are wonderful

Mortimer is such a funny, pithy and observant writer.

[Lethe]

79. Weaveworld, Clive Barker

I do recommend it.

For those who arent familiar with Clive Barker, he's the guy that did the Hellraiser movies. The Cenobytes are mentioned a couple times in it.

[reyd reid reed]

84. Ooooh...a good one.

I read that a long time ago...but it's stayed with me.

[Lethe]

85. got any recommendations?

for similar stuff or things that might relate?

i'm always on the lookout for good books.

[reyd reid reed]

86. I'll look at my shelves when I get home and post something tomorrow night.

There's one...I can see the book in my head but I'll be damned if I can see (or remember) the title.

[Broken_Hero]

80. Duma Key, by Stephen King...

it was pretty decent, I'd recommend it to King fans. :)

[reyd reid reed]

82. I read it early in the summer.

Enjoyed it. He's got a new one due out in a few weeks. 11th, I think.

[Broken_Hero]

117. It was pretty good

still trying to figure out if Perse ties in with the Dark Tower....I started Lisey's Story the other day...its slow going though, I've been to busy to really get into it.

[Lucian]

83. A Year in Provence.

I love the book. I feel like dropping everything and moving to Aix-en-Provence right now!

[LiberalHeart]

88. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Actually, I got distracted by the election and stopped near the end. I will return to it because it's a grand book with wonderful writing.

[leftofthedial]

91. I don't know. I haven't read the last one yet.

The most recent was "The Russia House" by John LeCarre.

[enigmatic]

94. "The Knockout Artist"- Harry Crews

I love Harry Crews:

[terrya]

96. "Downtown Owl" by Chuck Klosterman

I liked it very much.

[CBHagman]

98. "The Glass of Time."

That's the sequel to Michael Cox's The Meaning of Night. Both highly recommended.

http://www.themeaningofnight.com/index.html

[raccoon]

99. THE DEVIL'S BROOD by Sharon Kay Penman. Yes and yes. nt

[blueraven95]

100. I'm in the middle of Terry Pratchett's "Nation" right now

and it is excellent. I think this is the first novel of his to come out after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, so there is a bittersweet feeling to reading it, particularly since it could very easily be one of his last books (if not the last). It is set (sort of) in this world, rather than his Discworld, and I was concerned when I picked it up that I might be disappointed. I wasn't - Pratchett's voice as an author is clearly present and the characters have such integrity it is a joy to read.

Before it I read "Chalice" by Robin McKinley (actually I think I've read a couple in between, but they were so not good, I can't even remember the titles). Her books tend to be very different from each other, and mostly hit, but occasionally miss. This one is definitely a hit. It feels like every word is perfect.

I think it is wonderful to be able to pick up books by authors you've read for awhile and find that their latest offerings are practically perfect in every way.

:hi:

[trackfan]

101. Me too!

I read it earlier this year and liked it very much. I came away with the conviction that Tolstoy is one of the greatest literary geniuses the world has seen.

[BurtWorm]

106. Which translation did you read?

:toast:

[trackfan]

108. I think it was the Maude translation

[BurtWorm]

121. Was the last part of the epilogue as incredibly boring for you as it was for me?

I wonder what Tolstoy had in mind ending on such an anticlimactic note.

[trackfan]

127. Yes. I pretty much felt the same way about it.

After 1600 pages, I just had to push through to the end.

[MissMillie]

102. "Ender's Shadow" by Orson Scott Card

I started reading the second book in that series, but now I'm on to making my christmas presents, so the whole "reading" thing has been put on hold.

[Marrah_G]

103. The Heretic's Daughter- Kent

Excellent book based on family letters from a family harshly touched by the Salem Witch trials.

[ceile]

105. "A Place of Execution" Val McDermid

It's a bit slow, but overall pretty good.

[applegrove]

107. I'm reading Rebecca. I find her really annoying. I doubt I will finish it.

I've seen the movie anyhow.

[Quantess]

110. Pretty sure it was Sylvia Plath "The Bell Jar"

but that was a long time ago. I haven't read fiction in a very long time.

[Inchworm]

112. Inferno

EDIT: I forgot I re-read Inferno doing a weekend in the klink.

but.. I listened to Heidi's last novel on a sample book on tape and might try it.

:hi:

[keroro gunsou]

115. hp7

harry potter and the deathly hallows... re-reading it again right now...

[nomorenomore08]

116. Current read is 'Atmospheric Disturbances' by Rivka Galchen.

A psychiatrist becomes convinced that his wife has disappeared, and been replaced by an almost (but not quite) perfect doppelganger. I'm only about 70 pages into the book, so I can't say whether the narrator is delusional or not, but it's pretty trippy stuff.

[PittPoliSci]

118. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner.

Right now I'm reading "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" by David Foster Wallace, "Travels With Charley" by John Steinbeck, and "At Swim, Two Birds" by Flann O'Brien.

[nomorenomore08]

135. 'At Swim-Two-Birds' is a crazy book, and one of the funniest I've read.

I actually read O'Brien's complete novels, all in one volume, and I have to say that he was truly a comic genius, and a literary genius of course.

[VOX]

122. "A Tale of Two Cities: by Charles Dickens.

Sobering, timeless, heart-wrenching.

Charlie D. is the man!

[Paladin]

123. Dennis Lehane's New One, "The Given Day."

It was pretty good; centers around the big Boston police strike after WWII.

Have started "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," and I think it's outstanding.....

[grammysandie]

124. "Tomato Red" by Daniel Woodrell

Very good. Wild and witty. And tragic.

[PassingFair]

133. If you liked "Tomato Red"....try

"Cruddy"

by Lynda Barry.

:scared:

Same folks.

[Wetzelbill]

125. I think some James Patterson one

I can't even remember. Usually I read 30-40 books a year, but this year politics has engulfed me. I started several novels, and returned them to the library without finishing them. I've read some political books, like "The Real McCain" but I can't say I've read too many novels. Just lots of newspapers, magazines and blogs like Huff Post.

[RetroLounge]

126. Put This House In Order - Matt Ruff

Amazing book...

:hi:

RL

[Adsos Letter]

129. "Alias Grace" ... Margaret Attwood...

[SoxFan]

130. The Grays-Whitley Strieber

Yeah, real highbrow, I know.

If you like Strieber, you'll like this.

[victoryparty]

134. Gilead-Marilynne Robinson --highly recommended

[Sheltiemama]

136. "Before Women Had Wings."

Great book. I rarely read fiction, but I loved this one. I just started "Six Wives," about the wives of Henry VIII. It's nonfiction and is fascinating. I'm also reading "Migraines for Dummies." I dip into it whenever I have one.

[trof]

137. "Wicked City" by Ace Atkins. Special connection for me.

It's about the bad ol' days in Phenix City, Alabama in the 1950s.
Assassination of Albert Patterson, Alabama attorney-general elect.
His son, John, took office in his stead.
That catipulted him into Alabam politics and eventually the governor's mansion.
My mother was a major player in his campaign.

[azmouse]

138. 'A Dirty Job' by Christopher Moore

Hilarious! I'd recommend it.

[TKolmsi]

139. The 19th Wife

I enjoyed it. All about Brigham Young and early Mormon polygamy.

[WCGreen]

141. The Hours by Michael Cunningham...