November, 2013--the book(s) you're immersed in at the moment

Reading a couple of books related to Irish gangs (research), including BRUTAL by Kevin Weeks.

Not stuff you can enjoy over breakfast...

Still reading Bleeding Edge and Ada

Finished Lanzarote on the way to Brighton this weekend. Typical Houellebecq misanthropy and unhaelthy obsession with sex. Embarrassingly, I was sharing a table on the train with a woman and her three young grandchildren (two girls and boy, all under the age of 12, I'm guessing). When I reached the graphic sex scene, I had to hold the book in such a way no one but myself could see the words on the page. Fortunately, the photographs in the book are of the landscape in Lanzarote...

Currently two-thirds of the way through The Sweetheart Season, which is about an all-women baseball team in 1947. I hate baseball, I find stories about baseball incredibly dull. But this is really funny, and more about the town where the women come from, a tiny mill town somewhere in the Midwest. Recommended.

Still reading Harmony Junction which just pointed me to a comedy duo I had never heard of, Bob and Ray, and caused me to spend a fun-filled hour or so on YouTube.

Reading a ARC of Andrew's Brain by E. L. Doctorow

Wow, new Doctorow. Didn't even know the dude was still alive.

Wrapped up WOE TO LIVE ON.

Daniel Woodrell's second book, a western that should be regarded as a classic in the field. It was adapted into the movie "Ride With the Devil", directed by Ang Lee, which I haven't seen.

Great cast, great story and a real sense of authenticity. Don't miss this one, western fans.

Finally trudged through Going after Cacciato. Three stars. Skip the imagined chapters.

At this point I'm neck-deep in Sergio de La Pava's dense A Naked Singularity, which is quite good. It's about a defense attorney in New York defending minor offenders and it's about as prolix as Infinite Jest, if not as lengthy.

Just started Gold Bug Variations. Awesome so far.

Finished Neil Gaiman's THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE.

Along with Ian Sales, I might be the only human being around who has failed to succumb to the "cult of Gaiman".

Like most of his narratives, I found this one contrived and thought it failed to sustain its bubble of belief. The tale is told from the p.o.v. of a seven year old child whose perceptions seem remarkably mature and well-developed for a lad of those tender years. And, though some might say this is a quibble, he begins chapter two by cribbing a famous opening line from Sylvia Plath's journals ("I may never be happy but today I am content"). Strange.

>11 CliffBurns: Not the only one. I love Sandman, and I enjoyed Neverwhere well enough, but every other graphic novel of his that I have read has left me less than enthused. I haven't brought myself to read any of his other novels yet.

CORALINE was okay, but AMERICAN GODS seemed like "Stephen King lite"--again, he tends to sever the suspension of disbelief (for me). And his fiction, from what I've read, doesn't seem overly original. As I was reading OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE, I kept thinking, "this reads exactly like a Jonathan Carroll novel" (with all the attendant flaws found in Carroll's later work)...

Not exactly snobby lit, but I'm reading The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes, by Marcus Sakey. He's developed a reputation as a "quality" thriller writer in the mold of Dennis Lehane. So far, so good.

Embarking on an epic research project of the last 240 years of the gothic in literature, have begun reading The Castle of Otranto. Second time round with this book.

King Mob is now dealing mostly with the rioters' destructiveness. History makes for a depressing spectacle. Still an excellent book.

Reading HOUSE OF RUMOUR by Jake Arnott.

Arnott is usually known for his excellent crime novels--THE LONG FIRM is stunning--but this latest is about conspiracies, counter-intelligence and the history of occultism in the 20th century. Arnott touches on some of the characters and events alluded to in my first novel (Jack Parsons and Aleister Crowley, etc.) so it's doubly fun.

Highly recommended.

Reading Crossover by Joel Shepherd -- A nice sci fi book about a rogue artificial human and the messy politics that get involved. Reminds me of the better episodes of Caprica, a sci fi book that dares to ask the right questions, but also has some wonderfully kickass fight scenes and plausible future tech.

Currently reading Iain Banks's last but one novel, Stonemouth. Enjoying it very much.

Very stupidly opened my somewhat battered, bargain bin copy of Robert Fisk's 1300-page opus THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILIZATION and now it seems I'm trapped.

Dang it.

Here I am, trying to pump up my total this year (81 books read thus far) and now I get hooked by this monster.

Mebbe I can sneak in a novel or short story collection on the side.

Fisk is a genius.

19: Read some James Patterson and Jodi Picoult, if you want to inflate your numbers. Quantity versus quality, that sort of thing.

No one reads James Patterson. They get some hungry young person to read it and then tell them the plot-- no, wait, that's how he writes his books...

Folks, I have to say, I'm still baffled, even after five years:

We have, officially, 760 members in this group. So this thread should boast at least that many comments this month, shouldn't it? I'm assuming we ALL have at least one book on the go at the moment, yes?

Tell. Us. What. You're. Reading. And why. And if it's working for you.

Don't be a lurker, be a participant. Expand the gene pool. Plug your favorite author...

Your fellow snobs would love to hear from you.

(This message brought to you by the "Friends of Ian Sales", Saskatchewan chapter)

lol. I think I'm technically not a member, just watching. But I just finished Doctor Zhivago. Why? Because it's a classic? On the 1001 list? Russian literature is often great? heh.

22. OK. No time to post much about it yet, but I finally emerged from my intensive Evelyn Waugh diet to read Skippy Dies by Paul Murray. Too early to judge, but looking good. It's a nice extra that my wife is from Ireland.

>22 CliffBurns:
Alright then, but I can't consider myself a snob, I read too much fluff. Currently reading Sense and Sensibility though. It's slow going because I also have what seems like 5000 papers on longhorned beetles to read and Breaking Bad to watch.

I like how easy Austen's books are to read, once you start you can get swept away by the story instead of focusing on understanding each and every line. I don't know the ending, besides assuming people get married, and I'm looking forward to finding out if the obvious pairs (Elinor/Edward, Marianne/Willoughby) will last or if there will be some surprises. I also learned that "sensibility" doesn't mean "sensible."

Great to hear from you.

Read on...

Finished Cloud Atlas which I liked a lot but not as much as number9dream. Will be starting Bring up the Bodies just as soon as I've knocked off a few plays; Round and Round the Garden,Waste by Harley Granville-Barker (no touchstone) and Nicholas Nickleby (the David Edgar adaptation).

Yep still alive but didn't like this book as much as many of his others.

Reading Guests on Earth by Lee smith

I'm nearing the end of A Naked Singularity and I'm enjoying it, mostly. Part of the buzz about this book is that it was self-published and it's so good without an editor.... but man, this book did need an editor. It's wide and sprawling, and I respect its ambition... but once the plot gets firmly established there are still 30-page digressions that lead to very little.

>22 CliffBurns:

Well, if Karl can mention Patterson on THIS site, I guess it ain't so exclusive, after all.

I just finished that Lost Generation soap opera The Razor's Edge. I think even Hemingway did a better job with this era.

22> expand the gene pool, you say? Okay. Recently finished a terrific short novel, A Drink Called Paradise by Terese Svoboda, about south pacific islanders who can't expand their gene pool.

Thus illustrating the dangers of in-breeding.

Which is why it's great to hear from EVERYONE and get an idea of the diversity of reading tastes in the group.

31: I only mentioned James "Outlinebot" Patterson only in reference to the fatuous fetish of book challenges. "If I read 100 books this year, I'll be ... well ... um ... lookit me, y'all!"

A snob should never be in a rush or seeking approval from the mob .... at least according to my standards.

What am I reading now? A Land Without Sin by Paula Houston Very Graham Greene-ish in its intersections of faith, adventure, and espionage. Always a great pleasure discovering an unknown writer and an emerging indie publishing house.

Re-read Mark Anthony Jarman's Salvage King, Ya! this week, which ought to remind Cliff that there is in fact good writing in this country. It's a remarkable book, a sustained verbal high-wire act. I re-read it after a friend remarked that Jarman does all the work of a poet in every sentence.

Another, similar sustained high-wire act is Anakana Schofield's Malarky, which I read a few weeks ago.

Now turning to non-fiction & starting Detroit City is the Place to Be by Mark Binelli.

Haven't read that one, A.J., though Jarman's name rings a bell or two.

I see Anvil was the publisher--tiny West Coast outfit that has struggled along (somehow) on the margins for quite awhile. Only a grant or two away from obsolescence, like many other small presses out there.

Just finished reading Rise of the Warrior Cop which was really good. A.J., have you read it?

No, but that definitely looks worth reading!

Balko is one of the very few libertarians I really respect and like.

Finished Stonemouth. As a friend pointed out, it's very much like The Crow Road, and indeed The Steep Approach to Garbadale. I kept on waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it didn't - and the ending seemed surprisingly upbeat for Banks. But the old wit and banter was there, and it was a fun read.

Now reading The New Women of Wonder for SF Mistressworks review.

Plowing my way through McCullough's Truman. He has to be among the best at making non-fiction read like fiction. At 1200+ pages, I'm happy to have the e-book......much easier to haul around.

That's one of the best biographies I've ever read. I wasn't much of a fan of Truman, but after I read McCullough's book, I felt I had a deeper understanding of the man and a real appreciation of the challenges he faced.

That's great non-fiction.

I've got two ebooks of Doris Kearns Goodwin's presidential biographies, Team of Rivals and her new one on Teddy, The Bully Pulpit. Maybe I'll find a summer to devote to one of those...

TEAM OF RIVALS is an amazing book. Great biography.

I'll have to pick up her new one on T.R.

Currently read Strangers and Brothers, the second book (though actually the first book written) in the series of that name.

2/3 of the way through a collection of tales by Swiss author Peter Stamm, WE'RE FLYING.

Quite good.

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri and it is working for me.

I'm re-reading Conroy's Lords of Discipline (for my English III class). The kids like it, but I'd forgotten how turgid Conroy can be.

I've powered through a couple other YA titles I'm embarrassed to list. . . .

My treat to myself is going to be a re-reading of Hemon's Nowhere Man.

I'm mostly reading classics. Right now, it's A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul.

Almost done with Bleeding Edge by Pynchon. Probably the best novel about 9/11.

I've been laughing too loudly on the subway reading Sabbath's Theater by Mr. Philip Roth.

Finished King Mob. Absolutely brilliant and less than 200 pages. Good prose style, excellent depiction of how mobs build and break, a mini-biography of the mercurial George Gordon himself and a pleasingly broad sketch of the time period - the war with America, Protestant/Catholic tensions, the economy, the Irish, Parliamentary (non)action and martial law are all covered. I would recommend Christopher Hibbert to every snob on this board.

Moving along to Satan: The Early Christian Tradition. Also nearing the end of Washington, D.C.. Vidal seems to have had a cynical and suspicious eye and a knack for soap opera.

Just steamed past page 700 of THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILIZATION.

Which means I'm about halfway through.

Taking a toll on my forearms, though...

Just started Christopher Carter's The Sleepwalkers on the origins of World War I. Probably an appropriate title, but rather over-used...

Breaking in the Kindle I got for my birthday by rereading Die Wahlverwandschaften by Goethe. Kindle is good for foreign language books that are hard to find in small town North Carolina.

You can also use the reflective surface of your Kindle as a signaling device, should you ever be trapped on a desert island or marooned on an ice flow near Ellesmere Island.

Handy machines.

Finished The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek Like getting punched in the face for two solid hours. Relentless, punishing, acidic ... as if Kathy Acker was using Louis-Ferdinand Celine and Thomas Bernhard as dueling hand-puppets. Who knew misanthropy and sexual dysfunction could be so hilarious?

Started The Compostela Cube by Paul Cavilla. One of those "artifact conspiracy" thrillers, but this time all about a cube-like artifact of unknown origins, a demon-possessed undead hermaphrodite, and an evil organization that created the Federal Reserve and the UN set on plans to insert RFID devices into the arms of all humanity. Once I got my Inner Historian to shut up ("Oh my God, that is so inaccurate!"), I just saw the "Federal Reserve as evil" as yet one more literary trope. Right now I'm just riding the crazy, since the book has a whole heap of that. It's like The Da Vinci Code rewritten by David Icke's Facebook updates. I'm classifying it as an unintentional comedy.

Satan: The Early Christian Tradition is quite good. Theology is actually quite interesting, being the product of scholars bringing all their intellectual and philosophical strength to bear on their chosen religion. It's all argument and supposition. This particular book is part of a four-volume set on the subject of the Devil, from antiquity to today. I'll have to track down the other volumes. It's good stuff.

Finished Truman......McCullough is a master. After such a lengthy read, I'm in the mood for some short stories. On to Carver's Where I'm Calling From.....it'll be a test of my cheery disposition.

Slugging through The Compostela Cube I really wanted to like this, but I'm not sure what I find more off-putting: the half-regurgitated David Icke talking points or the misspellings. (And this author even had an editor he thanked in the acknowledgments.)

Done with the huge Fisk tome, along with Kate Hepburn's account of THE MAKING OF 'THE AFRICAN QUEEN' and Mahmoud Darwish's poetry collection ALMOND BLOSSOMS AND BEYOND.

kswolff, that's the best description of reading Elfriede Jelinek I've ever come across. Lust made me feel as if I'd been reincarnated as an old cigarette trapped in a urine-filled gutter.

Plowed through The Man Who Quit Money on the plane yesterday. Definitely thought-provoking.

62: Agreed. She's not the easiest writer to get through. What was refreshing was her novels weren't simply regurgitated feminist or Communist agitprop, but a lacerating misanthropy that seeks to kick the pretensions of our species square in the teeth. She uses cliches, but then turns them into weapons against their users. She's like a distaff Thomas Bernhard, another writer who sought to escape the mind-numbing terror of Austria's decadent Catholicism and its culpability in the spread of National Socialism She goes beyond the narrow-gauge confines of political ideology, which is wonderfully refreshing. Her Nobel Prize is well deserved.

Halfway through DEMOCRACY'S PRISONER, detailing the plight of Eugene Debs and other prisoners of conscience during the First World War.

Debs has always intrigued me--an avowed socialist who gained a million votes while imprisoned for offences under the Espionage Act.

A moral, principled man.

Finished Washington, D.C. and have started The Piano Teacher (so far excellent) along with a selection of poems by Anna Swir.