What are you reading right now?

[Konstantinos]

Don't read all three one after the other.

I've already finished The Road and I'm a little more than half way done with No Country so it's too late for that. On a scale of one to ten, how bleak and hopelessly depressing is Blood Meridian?

 

[Seattle Trip to Neverfree]

An illustrated history book on the history of medicine, and an illustrated history book of the history ocean-faring. Fascinating stuff.

 

[Stalin]

I'm attempting to get through Lolita after reading The Luzhin Defense for a literature class. It's getting way to creepy for me to read, but I feel that I should read Nabokov's greatest work if I want to call myself an avid reader of Russian literature.

 

[BatNapalm]

I've already finished The Road and I'm a little more than half way done with No Country so it's too late for that. On a scale of one to ten, how bleak and hopelessly depressing is Blood Meridian?

Blood Meridian is about an 8.5 and I'd say "Child of God" is about a 9.

Right now I'm reading "Mechanicum" by Graham McNeil. Kinda want to finish it before bed tonight.

 

[Trickie]

Goodbye Crocodile by Conor Patrick. I highly recommend if you like short stories.

 

[Beth]

Le Rouge et le Noir/The Red and the Black by Stendhal. I already read it back in high school, but I wanted to reread it after it was...Ahem...Discussed at my workplace.

 

[Sweet and Savoury]

I just finished Shogun. Despite it being a light fiction book it actually a pretty good read.

I just wonder how realistic it is in regards to the culture of Japan at the time. I man it was written by a white dude in his spare time...

 

[caffeinated_wench]

This thread.



Okay, to be serious I finished reading Menfreya in the Morning. Oh lawd, how did I ever come to like these Holt romances? Every main guy is a douche and every main girl is "strong" except not. And the drama is so stupid. So yeah. It was like reading badfics.

 

[Watcher]

I'm attempting to get through Lolita after reading The Luzhin Defense for a literature class. It's getting way to creepy for me to read, but I feel that I should read Nabokov's greatest work if I want to call myself an avid reader of Russian literature.

Lolita I found more disturbing how it was written less so than the context of the writings themselves.

The narrator writes the events in such a wry charming style but the main character is a pedophile. It really is quite disturbing moreso how the main character views himself and the atrocities he commits, than the atrocities themselves.

It really is a phenomenal book if you can stomach it.

 

[MY 405]

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

 

[MY 405]

Finished that, now on, Under a Flaming Sky by Daniel James Brown

 

[RecordStoreToughGuy]

Just finished Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. Nice Lovecraftian weird fiction. Looking forward to reading the next couple in the series. Also just read Skin Game by Jim Butcher. Latest in the Dresden Files and holy crap it was awesome.

 

[Tragi-Chan]

I'm currently on One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson. It's the kind of random, rambling history book I enjoy.

 

[Henry Bemis]

Reading All the King's Men for the umpteenth time. I loves me some Jack Burden angst.

 

[UnwiseKhan]

Halting State by Charles Stross. Bizarre but kind of interesting near future spy thriller.

 

[Slowboat to China]

Just finished the new Dresden Files book. Still pretty good--not the best of the series IMO, but I was extremely pleased with the story and there were some seriously cool moments of badassery on the part of the cast. Also, the conversation between two misunderstood, hard-working fans of big dogs (if you've read the book, you know the one I mean) was amazing. Overall, to use a Tumblrism, So Many Feels.

I also just got into book three of John Julius Norwich's History of Byzantium. They're old favorites of mine, actually; I reread all three once a year or so. Anyone who thinks history is dull should read these books. Norwich has a dry but light narrative voice, and the history of the Eastern Roman Empire is chock-full of scheming queens, murderous emperors, sinister eunuchs, treacherous generals, skull-quaffing barbarians, and all the old tropes of fantasy--except that it all really happened, which makes it ten times better.

The emperors alone ... ye gods. My personal favorite Justinian II, who it would've sucked to know IRL but whose life was tailor-made for a gritty roaring-rampage-of-revenge movie. Second place goes to Basil II, AKA Basil the Bulgar-S layer. When you encounter an actual historical personage known as (Name) the (Group)-S layer, you know you're about to have fun.

 

[Konstantinos]

I also just got into book three of John Julius Norwich's History of Byzantium.

Huh, I'm reading the third book of that series right now as well! I picked it up as I needed something to read while waiting for Blood Meridian to be in at my library. I agree, it's been very entertaining so far. The bits about "the Bulgar Slayer" and the "savage Pechenegs" are always entertaining.

 

[Slowboat to China]

Huh, I'm reading the third book of that series right now as well! I picked it up as I needed something to read while waiting for Blood Meridian to be in at my library. I agree, it's been very entertaining so far. The bits about "the Bulgar Gayer" and the "savage Pechenegs" are always entertaining.

Norwich has done several other history books too. Once I have a bit of cash to spare, I'm going to get his History of Venice and The Normans in Sicily. It looks like he's also written a history of the Popes, and considering how many outright loons have occupied the Papal chair, that ought to be pretty interesting.

The third book is good, but I hope you got a chance to read the first two books as well. Seen as a whole, the history of Byzantium is mind-boggling.

 

[I Will Consider That]

I've already finished The Road and I'm a little more than half way done with No Country so it's too late for that. On a scale of one to ten, how bleak and hopelessly depressing is Blood Meridian?

I just finished The Road, I found myself reading it as fast as possible just so it would be over. Now I'm half-way through Into Thin Air, true account of disaster on Mt Everest. It is entirely less depressing, whew.

 

[Arkangel]

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin. Finally started it a few days ago after finishing A Feast for Crows. Finally get to read what happens to people like Tyrion, Jon, and Dany who were absent from the last book.