What I'm reading

[Bob Juch]

Could someone slip me some of that reading material through the bathroom window? All I have nearby is the Classifieds section from June, and I've already read it 12 times....

And if you happen to have a gallon of Pepto, drop that by too.... Oooooooohhh!!!!

I'll trade you problems:

[KillerTomato]

Hiya, KT, How are you?

I am currently reading:

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

I am enjoying it! I am waiting for the new Patricia Cornwell to come out this month!


fuzzy

I've read both The Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck. Liked 'em both, but the more I thought about them, the less I was enamored with them. Basically, they use the historical backdrop to enhance the mood and put the murders in perspective, but in both cases, I came away feeling like Larson didn't tie together why the historical backdrop was really important to the crimes. He just tied up the chase to find the murderers too quickly, I think...I'd have liked to have a stronger tie between the murder and the history. They are still good reads, but I was left wanting more, somehow.

I should mention that when I say I "read" these two, I'm lying. I actually listened to them on CD. I did like Bob Balaban's reading of Thunderstruck a lot.

[jayhawker536]

I only have time to read on the weekends now and maybe an hour before bed, this is killing me considering I used to find time to devour 4 to 6 books a week.

This past weekend I read Stuart Woods latest "Shoot Him If He Runs", was a very quick read and I do love his sense of humor, he brought together three of his characters that he has written a series of books on. Now I will have to wait a year for the next Woods book.

I am going to the video store and see if I can find some of the mentioned books on tape, I think that will be a good way to entertain myself while on the job and not have to listen to the bs that flies around.

[Bob Juch]

I just received World Without End by Ken Follett from Amazon.com.

It's 1024 pages of 10 point type! And I though the book it's a sequel to, Pillars of the Earth was huge!

I'm sure I'm going to love it as much as the first book.

[cindy.wellman]

I may be the only one in these parts to state this, but I just received my copy of Rosie's Celebrity Detox in the mail today. I should have time to read it tonight.

I like this thread and reading about all the neat things people read.

[tlynn78]

My son talked me into reading his copies in the Song of Fire and Ice series. I'm on book 3. Pretty good, but slow-going in parts. HBO has purchased the rights; it would make an excellent series, a la "The Tudors" on Showtime. I LOVE that show. I prolly would have got better grades in World History is the show had been available when I was in high school.

I know, I know, if only they had tv when I was in high school...


t.

[marrymeflyfree]

Just re-read "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" by Barbara Kingsolver. Read it and it will change the way you think about food. In a good way.

[Ritterskoop]

I read John Grisham's newest, Playing For Pizza, last week on the plane. It's a quick read about a castoff NFL QB playing in Italy, but you must like football. The descriptions of the center's butt-cheeks quivering will not be funny otherwise.

It is mostly a love letter to Italy's small towns, so I guess you could like it for that even without liking football.

[TheCalvinator24]

I've realized now that I had read all of Return Engagement before. I am probably one of the two prior checkouts from the Library. What's interesting is that there are sections I don't remember at all, but others than I can recall almost in complete detail as soon as I start reading them.

[SportsFan68]

I'm rereading Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I decided I should really give the last book a fair shot because when I originally read it the ending pissed me off so much I wanted to hurl the book out a window.

Agree 100%. I wrote a little note here when I finished it about how I had to go back and read The Drawing of the Three to get rid of the bad taste Dark Tower left. Spock gave me 10,000 recs.

It wasn't just the ending, either. I've re-read just about every King I ever owned, but I'll never re-read the last three, I got so mad every time he inserted himself into the story. I'll undoubtely read Drawing and Waste Lands again, maybe even Wizard and Glass, if I'm willing to take on that much sadness.

I'm a little less bitter about it now. Yeah, it still irks me, but the initial rage has subsided enough that I've ceased to be cranky about it. If I ever should meet him I intend on giving him a piece of my mind, though.

I'm guessing that he's still getting some crankiness from fans like us.

I've been thinking about it -- when he got hit by the car, I was so worried that he wouldn't make it or would be too fragile to finish the series. Then I was so disappointed with what he did come up with. So, if I could pick, would I go back and tell him not to write the last three, even though he would soon be well enough?

The answer is No -- I would still want the series finished. And as mad as I got, I loved watching Jake, Susannah, and Eddie grow and add layers, and I loved it that Oy died a hero's death.

I'm still not going to give the last book a fair shot like you are though. You'll have to read it for both of us.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, I downloaded the audiobook from my library. It was read by the author. A very thought provoking book.

[ladysoleil]

Agree 100%. I wrote a little note here when I finished it about how I had to go back and read The Drawing of the Three to get rid of the bad taste Dark Tower left. Spock gave me 10,000 recs.

LOL. I am with you completely on that, I'm still tasting the evil in the back of my head.

It wasn't just the ending, either. I've re-read just about every King I ever owned, but I'll never re-read the last three, I got so mad every time he inserted himself into the story. I'll undoubtely read Drawing and Waste Lands again, maybe even Wizard and Glass, if I'm willing to take on that much sadness.

I liked Wolves of the Calla better on the second round, but unfortunately it vexes me because the Calla-talk the characters picked up for the rest of the books really wrecks the unique voice of each for me. I secretly wondered if King got tired with Roland's dialogue in particular and therefore gave them all a catch-all dialect instead to simplify it a bit. Made me kind of crazy.

Wizard & Glass has aged well for me. I didn't like it as much as the first three when I first read it but now it's up there for me, although The Waste Lands is my absolute favorite.

I'm guessing that he's still getting some crankiness from fans like us.

I almost met him in New York a few years ago. He was at a movie theatre, of all the random things, and I walked past him and did the, "was that? nahhh!" doubletake, then looked back and he was already getting thronged by fans. I decided to leave him alone. It was definitely after the accident and frankly, he looked like hell. I didn't have the heart to harass him about when the books would be done.

So, if I could pick, would I go back and tell him not to write the last three, even though he would soon be well enough?

The answer is No -- I would still want the series finished. And as mad as I got, I loved watching Jake, Susannah, and Eddie grow and add layers, and I loved it that Oy died a hero's death.

I'm still not going to give the last book a fair shot like you are though. You'll have to read it for both of us.

Well, the ending really is a kick in the teeth and it still makes me crazy, but I understand it better. I mean, how many times did we get "Ka is a wheel" beaten into our brains? Logical, yes. Satisfying, no.

Oddly enough the way Roland evolves reminds me of something from yet another King novel- the part where someone says that they were watching Carrie rejoin the human race and it felt good. Maybe that's why it ticked me off so damn much- you're often not supposed to *like* Roland, and yet you do, because he keeps coming back to what makes him human and alive and something more than a killing machine on a fool's errand. Therefore it was maddening to find out at the end that he didn't redeem himself *enough*.

I think I need to gargle with some non-fiction to purge the anger now.