The occasional STW book club thread… what ya reading?

Reading: Denis Johnson Train Dreams – short, & especially sharp.

Up next: John Jeremiah Sullivan Pulphead – I’m a sucker for miscellaneous Americana, and this looks promising.

Just started on “The Inimitable Jeeves”.

Use of Weapons – Iain M Banks

What’s Denis Johnson like noteeth? He has a stellar reputation but I’ve never got round to picking one of his up.

Still on The Pale King here by David Foster Wallace. Basically read 75% of it rapidly but have set it down for ages, just need to polish it off. Reads a bit like a failed experiment – not fair to call it that given it’s an unfinished novel, but it’s hard to see how it might’ve turned out differently. It’s like he’s willfully constructed the most boring backdrop possible (a tax office where nothing happens) to show how he can overwhelm it with his kaleidoscopic prose and carry the day.

Crusaders Gold
and
Hunger Games

I’m about a quarter through IQ84 by Haruki Murakami. Seems OK ish so far.
Just finished Child 44 which was pretty good.

clash of kings – george rr martin

not big on fantasy novels but just read ‘game of thrones’ and thought it was fantastic.looking forward to reading the full series now – as long as the imp survives that is

The Man Who Cycled The Americas by Mark ‘Sore Bottom’ Beaumont

What’s Denis Johnson like noteeth?

Just started (light relief from some, uh, research reading), but very good – sad and spare, & doesn’t strike a false note (IMO), even given the stiff competition. Will certainly be checking out his earlier stuff.

Just bought Train Dreams for my kindle. Just finished the short:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thousand-Miles-Freight-Train-ebook/dp/B00AXPRA8M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359745449&sr=1-1

which was excellent. It is about a young woman travelling around America by jumping on freight trains. Well written.

A recent novel I read was Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner about ‘progress’ in Alaska. An excellent read.

Next up ‘The Sisters Brothers’ by Patrick Dewitt

Just finished the amateurs by John Niven, funniest book I’ve ever read. Now onto Tyler Hamilton.

Next up ‘The Sisters Brothers’ by Patrick Dewitt

Great book – really enjoyed it. As funny as it is savage.

sisters brothers is excellent,really enjoyed it and quite funny in places – ”I do not know what it was about that boy but just looking at him, even I wanted to clout him on the head. It was a head that invited violence” 😆

Tuning the su carburettor by des hammil

Still on Cloud Atlas.
Nearly half way, enjoying it now it’s starting to link up.

Excellent. Had never heard of Sisters Brothers as it is a present from MrsB. Will look forward to it.

The outcast byt Sadie Jones .. don’t waste your time it’s tosh! Mr MC laughs at me as I have to finish a book (even if it’s rubbish) I guess I hope it gets better.

I just finished book 1 of The Hunger Games .. loved it! MR MC is reading book 2 so I need to wait for it 🙁

Last two: Death of a Penguin, which was great and currently The Book of Daniel which is taking a lot more concentration but top quality so far.

Just starting “The Villan” about Don Whillans
Just finished some David Baldachi novel… Was ok

“Train Dreams” sounds like Irma Kurtz,s “Great American bus ride”, a good read for me.

I’m currently riding across Pakistan with Anne Mustoe’s “a bike ride”.
Have the hunger games trilogy to follow, & hopefully that will take me till April, when Justin Kronin’s “The twelve” is out in paperback.

Crime and punishment been meaning to read it for years and now at the third attempt I have finally gotten into it

Lee Child: One Shot

Bit odd ‘cos I’ve read a lot of his books, but I watched the film (Jack Reacher) which is based on this book before reading it. Whilst the general plot is the same so I know “who dunnit” a lot of the story seems to be progressing in different ways to the film!

Just finished Anathem by Neal Stephenson. A big book.
Moved on to David Millar’s book, good so far.

Just finished The man who mistook his wife for a hat. by Oliver Sacks, a collection of case studies of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of neurological disorders. Great read.

In the middle of Metamorphosis, a collection of short stories by Franz Kafka. So far found Metamorphosis to be a bit meh.. ‘A Report to An Academy’ which is only a few pages I found incredibly good though, reminded me a little of Ishmael.

Next book is Sacred Geometry by Sandra Lundy.

Just finished “still midnight” by Denise Mina. Rather good Glasgow-set police thriller.
indy review

The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton is brilliant! Although I guess we don’t really need to read it now Lance has finally admitted it!! Although I was gobsmacked at the LEVELS of deceptiveness and deviousness they went to to dope, phenomenal!

Currently reading both “On The Road” by Kerouac and “Freakonomics”. I’m also half reading “Cyber Warfare” and “1634” too.

‘Sightlines’ by Kathleen Jamie, every bit as good as her previous offering ‘Findings’ and I’ve really enjoyed both. Books to keep going back to over the years.

Just finished The Flying Scotsman by Graeme Obree, blimey that bloke has been through some tough times.

Bred of Heaven, by Jasper Rees. Lovely, funny, touching portrait of a nation.

Next up? Hmm. Not sure! Scanning the above for ideas, though!

I tried Freakonomics but wasn’t that impressed, a lot of ideas that didn’t have proper evidence – but I was impressed by ‘How many friends does one person need’ by Robin Dunbar, lots of great ideas

why can’t I edit? ah never mind, I’m trying Blink by Malcolm Gladwell next, and I have bad Pharma on the go but there is a lot of it

Slaying the Badger is really good, personalities behind the racing

Fred Vargas – The three evangelists. Top french crime novelist, just a tiny bit esoteric without being annoyingly so.

A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin

Not been reading as much recently for some reason, but after hearing David Mitchell on Book club ( BBC world service radio version) I will soon be reading Cloud atlas. Thread also reminded me that I still have a few chapters of Child 44 to finish ( good but a bit grim for me)

Freddie Trueman biography. The latest one. Very good, and captures the contradictions and underlying insecurity very well.

I’ll pin thee to t’sightscreen lad.

The City and the City – China Mieville

Thinking fast, thinking slow. I need a second pass to fully get my head around it. David Millars bio, great read, and the 39 steps -free on kindle.

Double Cross by Ben Macintyre. The story of the double agent project run by MI5 in WW2 leading up to D Day. I’ve read Agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat by Macintyre and this is just as good a read.

I’ve kind of got 5 on the go at the minute:

The art if happiness: HH Dalai Lama
Arm locks for all styles : Ian abernethy
The elephant and the twig, the art of positive thinking: geoff Thompson
Fear: the friend of exceptional people: Geoff Thompson
Dumbell training for strength and fitness: 2 guys with long names.