Fiction Books Currently Reading by Us Non-Fiction types

I'm in the middle of The Orchard Keeper, Cormac McCarthy's first novel and ironically the last of his novels for me since I have now read the whole catalog.

I recently finished The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus.

Hi Garp - nice idea! I'm interested to see what you all are reading outside history. Here's what I'm reading:

-The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
-1001 Arabian Nights
-His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
-The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
-Falling Up by Shel Silverstein

I just finished the seventh and final book in the Dark Tower series, by Stephen King (the series was about about 4,000 pages long!). And last night I read the prologue of Jurassic Park, as I haven't read that in a long time and maybe looking for a little nostalgia. Other than that, I think I'm either going to read Njal's Saga or Saga of the Volsungs next.

I've just finished 5 of the wonderful Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser. Now to get the other 7!

#3, being a minor King fan, should I read the Dark Tower? I loved Hearts in Atlantis, but thought the Dark Tower might be too sci-fi. I tend to like King more on his more realistic novels, e.g. The Green Mile, The Stand, The Shawshank Redemption.

In addition to a number of nonfiction books (I'm almost done with Maps of Time!), just finished Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg, The Execution Channel by Ken Macleod, Brain Wave by Poul Anderson, and I'm currently reading The Moon of Three Rings by Andre Norton.

>5 sergerca: It's tough for me to say in perspective of other King novels; the seven Dark Tower books are the only King books I've read thus far. I did recently purchase 'Salem's Lot and The Stand, but I haven't read them yet.

I really liked the Dark Tower, as a series. If you do try to take the plunge, my advice is don't make a decision until after you've read the second book. The first book, The Gunslinger is a bit different (for example, it was initially a collection of stories that have later been slightly redone for continuity purposes rather than one whole novel, although it does read like one), and quite frankly not as good as some of the other volumes. So I suggest read the first two, before making a decision to continue or not.

7,

Thanks for the advice. I'll consider it.

I haven't read Salem's Lot, but The Stans is a 5 star book! Make sure you have the updated, expanded edition.

Wait until you meet Randall Flagg.

>8 sergerca:

I do indeed have the updated and expanded edition of The Stand, and I have already met Randall Flagg - he is also one of the characters in the Dark Tower series.

The opening line of The Gunslinger actually mentions him, just not by name yet (and what an opening line it is!): "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." The man in black being Flagg, as you could imagine.

I thought it was three novellas tied together as one book, each of the novellas full of typical Stephen King bloat, I cannot begin to imagine how much more bloat there must be in the unabridged, expanded version.

Gene, I don't think you and I agree on a single thing. Amazing!

Ain't it wunnerful!

Just finished A Spell for the Revolution and started The Demon Redcoat and Where There's a Witch.

I'm half way through the Hank Thompson trilogy by Charlie Huston, consisting of Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things, and A Dangerous Man

Have but the last bits of CJ Cherry's Regenesis to read. I won't bore you with the multitudinous mounds of kidlit that has passed my eyes. But I am 1/2 thru The Elephant Keeper and recently finished Iceland.

>15 ThePam:

May I inquire how Iceland was?

I was somewhat disappointed. The premise was wonderful, but for some reason the story didn't 'grab' me until page 141 (which means I read way past my 50 page usual trial period. Perhaps that says something in the books favor.)

It's suggested that it's a 'saga' but I saw little in the writing style that reflected Germanic/Norse saga style. There was however the Norse gods (who are more like godlings) and dwarfs and giants-- all who intermingle with humans.

For those who aren't familiar with the premise, the book takes place at the time when Christianity is being forced upon the people by Olaf. The storyline follows two women, a young girl who has come of age and for whom a betrothal is being arranged (and who is interested in the wrong fellow), and Freya, who longs for a magical necklace made by 4 troll brothers.

Its a fabulous premise, but there's not a lot of action. No graphic sex or violence (mores the pity) The writing in the second half of the book seemed much better to me (quite excellent) as compared to the first half.

Sorry to go on (and on) but I'm trying to get my thoughts together for a review and I always find it easier to do that in the forums. Go figure.

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edited for a little more clarity. Hard day out at poolside watching the kids, don't ya know ;)

Er, I'm assuming it isn't Iceland: Land of the Sagas by Jon Krakauer you recently read? Your touchstone led me to that one, which looks interesting, but it isn't fiction and must not be the Iceland you've recently read.

Yesterday I finished Cormac McCarthy's The Orchard Keeper and before that I read My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk and The Garden of the Last Days by Andre Dubus, so my friends are surprised my current fiction choice is Dead Until Dark by Charlene Harris, the first novel in the Sookie Stackhouse series which is what HBO's "True Blood" is based upon.

My wife and I recently got hooked on "True Blood" --we went back & rented all the DVD's to get us up-to-date in the second season. So it seemed logical to read at least the first book. For those who haven't seen the show -- or flipped past it wondering how anybody could watch a vampire soap opera -- it is layered with comedy and political satire that is not obvious on first blush. The premise is that synthetic blood has been developed which has allowed vampires "to come out of the closet." There are vampire rights groups on TV as backdrops during episodes. There's even Christian evangelicals who are trying to destroy the vampires and put up signs that say "God Hates Fangs." It is a wonderful blend of over-the-top drama, comedy, satire, nudity, sex, violence and soap with a decidely political edge all rolled into one. Great stuff!!

For those who have chatted about Stephen King above: King was long my guilty pleasure. King is no William Faulkner, but some of his novels are brilliant and his writing spans the spectrum of horror, fantasy and literary fiction. While there are certainly repetitious themes and bloat in some of the dozens of King novels, everyone should read The Shining, Salem' s Lot, The Green Mile series, The Stand, The Shawshank Redemption and It at one time or another.

Oops! Very sorry about that. (And the Krakauer does sound interesting). No it was Iceland: a novel by Betsy Tobin.

Well I'm re-reading Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome and I have to say at least 35% of it is probably fiction... does that count? :-D

A fiction series that has been thoroughly researched by its author & had good things said about it by historians is Colleen McCullough's First Man in Rome series. Any book written by a writer born after say 400AD is going to contain a lot of fiction. Ms. McCullough is able to tell a good story and still stick to the facts.

Feicht, Feicht, Feicht... you're always dissin' The Man. Next thing we know you'll be saying that Tacitus fibbed about the ancient Germans.

Not non-fiction but I just started reading Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World by Douglas Hunter

Other than that, just finished My Rotten Life (Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zomble.

I find that switching genre's keeps me on my toes

>24 ThePam:

I find that switching genre's keeps me on my toes

Aye, I just finished an excellent history of dinosaur cloning and the disaster of Isla Sorna, in Jurassic Park. Now that I have finished this piece of non-fiction, I have started a work of fiction, to keep myself balanced as well as possible.

Well Pam, I think Tacitus fibbed about a lot of things... but I mean, considering such a large part of his work is completely fabricated speeches he puts into the mouths of historical characters... :-D

I just finished Company of Liars, and while that made me want to follow that book with The Great Mortality to finally learn a bit more about the Black Death, I had my heart set on reading Framing the early middle ages so that's it for now.

An excellent look at the Black Death can be found in Tuchman's A Distant Mirror. It's a survey of Europe in the fourteenth century. Great read, but then I like Tuchman.

#25, LOL! And how did you find it?

#26, you are a real skeptic. Lovin' your blog btw.

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edited for typu

Yes I sure am, haha. It's a large source of friction between myself and my Classical-authors-can-do-no-wrong professor :-D

And thanks for the compliments. It really means a lot to me that some people are actually reading it. I pretty much assumed it would be just a place for myself to keep track of what I did and nobody else would really care. :-)

Feicht -- how could we not care? The pictures alone are freakin' priceless!

Ditto >31 Garp83:

keep it coming Feicht!

Geneg, I have A distant mirror on my wishlist already, but it is good to get a recommendation, makes me extra motivated to get it :D. Unfortunate that it is out of print (and no dutch translation either), I am no fan of 2nd hand....

Feicht, I have final exams next Wednesday and Thursday. My one worry is that you will post a long entry one of those days and I will take time I should be studying to read it.

I am also glad that we are studying different areas of history. I would hate to have to compete with your writing.

Haha well thanks for the complements again, guys; I really do appreciate it! :-D

Actually though, Garp, about the "priceless pictures"... most of the comments I've gotten from friends and relatives and stuff have to do with the fact that they've looked at all the pictures and they're great, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I am afraid to point out to them that when I'm done I'll likely have written 150 pages, and since most people can't even read a book on a regular basis.... :-D

Just finished The Picture of Dorian Gray - cool story, but I'm not a fan of Wilde's style, I think.

I'm wandering through Short Works of Lord Dunsany. I'd been aware of his influence on many other writers (H.P. Lovecraft, Moorcock, Gaiman, et al.), but had never actually read any of his work. It's been quite an enjoyable read so far.

LOL. I'm reading the Monstrumologist. More kidlit. This time for older kids.

Persuasion by Jane Austen, from the beautiful 6-volume boxed set. I love it! I think this will easily become my favourite Austen book. I never really understood how everyone is so "in love" with Pride and Prejudice.

Feicht, I bought Tacitus' "Germania.", after reading the first sentence in the bookshop and laughing out loud --does that make it comedy? ;-)

I am struggling to get through Pride and Prejudice , my first Austin read, which everyone says is so great. I don't see it thus far

I found I did not really appreciate Austen until I was over thirty-five. As you may not be over thirty-five nor, I am reasonably certain, female, Austen may not quite do it for you.

The stories are very much of their time, but her insights into people are timeless.

(I'm not esssentially a non-fiction reader; sorry.) BUT!!!! Feicht, I'm loving your blog - writing and pictures. In fact, I think you're my current hero. I'm tickled to see all the limes (uh - limites) and the recreated watchtowers!
I am finally bullying my way through Gravity's Rainbow. I think I may have waited too late to be blown away by it - at about a third of the way through, I'm still waiting.
Otherwise, I'm balancing it with a heavy dose of 1948 women's writing, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (she of The Hundred and One Dalmations) and good near-future scifi, Kim Stanley Robinson's Forty Signs of Rain.
>27 divinenanny:(For more good fiction dealing with the Black Death, O divinenanny, I recommend both Connie Willis and The Doomsday Book and Geraldine Brooks and Year of Wonders. Both of them bring me as close to experiencing a plague as I ever hope to come.)

Phaedra, I had no idea Jane Austen existed until I was in my mid-30s (I am in Germany, and I might have heard her name, but nothing else). Sometimes it is good to find your way to the classics yourself.

Thanks LizzieD :-)

And GirlfromIpanema... I had a similar reaction to that Tacitus book. A lot of the stuff therein is great ethnographical information, but I think some people take it a little too seriously. He was still an aristocratic Roman with all the prejudices thereto. Just because he seems genuinely interested in the people beyond the Rhein doesn't mean he's telling what we would call "the truth" in the modern sense :-)

> 40 Also important about getting Austen is realizing just how witty (or sarcastic) she can be. Have you tried the BBC adaptation (the one with Colin Firth)? It might open the door to her humor. But Phaedra could be right too. Not everyone has to love Austen.

I just finished The White Lioness by Henning Mankell. Am finding mysteries to be just the right antidote to too much heavy reading.

My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
Sabine's Notebook by Nick Bantock

>45 mcalister: I love reading mysteries as a break.

Into Marge Atwood at the moment. Finished her new one, Year of the Flood, which I had no idea was a scifi sorta piece. Just came back from the library with Oryx and Crate...

AND...

just finished her The Penelopiad: The myth of Penelope and Odysseus. It was a brilliant little book, though I suppose not for everyone. It's done in first person with Chorus from the better fields of Hell.

ThePam you picked up another futuristic one! Have you tried The Edible Woman?

I love Atwood's work- Haven't read Year of the Flood yet

There is major wish-listing to be done as I borrowed most from the library:(

No, Calm, I've actually only just discovered her... thus my enthusiasm. (I love finding new authors) I'll add Edible-female-person to my TBR. Thanks.

My Atwood vote is for The Handmaid's Tale Brilliant. "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum"

My friend suggested I read that book, but I've never got around to it...

Any thoughts on Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five? Getting close to finishing it, and although it isn't a great book, I find it rather humorous and sad/touching at the same time.

Des -- Actually, it is A GREAT BOOK, but reading it today out of context with the literary renaissance of the 60's and early 70's would make it seem dated and difficult to fully appreciate. A more exciting and perhaps even more wicked is Vonnegut's prequel to Slaughterhouse Five -- Sirens of Titan -- which is one of the greatest books of all time in all genres.

I haven't reread Slaughterhouse Five since the 70's - sort of hate to because I loved it so much the first time through. I'm still having a go at Gravity's Rainbow (took a break and have come back renewed), Fifty Degrees Below, and The Happy Foreigner (a fictionalized account of Enid Bagnold's experiences as a driver in France following WWI). Then I'm about to get into my ER ARC, The Artist, the Philosopher and the Warrior, but that's not fiction so you don't want to hear about it here......Oh! And I'm reading about a chapter a day of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I believe this one will do it for me until next July.

I read Slaughterhouse Five decades ago, and I loved it. Much has stayed with me -- the notion of time, dismissal of causality, etc.

I found many of the stories in Welcome to the Monkey House quite memorable too. In an odd coincidence, I am on my vacation in Vermont, and the book is right next to me. I bought it at a used bookstore on my way up here, thinking my 12 year old son stellarkid is ready for it!

OT: I found a wonderful used bookstore off 91 in N. Hatfield, Troubador Books http://www.librarything.com/venue/16347/Troubadour-Books

(Garp, you must know the place; it's right up the road from you, isn't it?)

I spent too much money there!

And as I've started entering them, I have already found two duplicates in my library. I know, I know, I need mobile access. This wouldn't have happened had I LT handy.

Troubadour is the best used book store in Western Mass. I have been there many times. Great selection, depth, variety, reasonable prices and books are well-cared for and properly displayed -- all you would ask for in a great used bookstore! Bob -- the owner -- buys more than he can display so it always changes as he restocks.

A block away from Troubadour is another giant used bookstore also, although not nearly as good.

Western Mass rocks. I now know where I will retire. Right between the two used books stores in N. Hatfield.

Western Mass. is good but the wife and I are looking for a time-share in Portland Oregon. Great book stores, great food, beautiful city, great public transportation, no sales tax, what more can you ask for?

Less rain?

I am from Ohio. Rain is OK. Humidity is for the birds.

Today I went to Book Bear in West Brookfield, near Warren, in Western Mass. My first trip & let me tell you it is even better than Troubadour. I spent two hours just in the Greece & Rome section. WOW!! I bought three books -- great condition and very reasonable prices -- and I will return!

Johnson's Bookstore, R.I.P.

Robert

Oh man -- the stellarkids are still mad about the 45 minute delay in getting to vermont due to my excitement at Troubadour. They were not impressed. I had a similar negative response when we stopped at Book Barn on the way to the Cape in July.

I don't dare mention Book Bear to them for the way back. But what's the address? :-)

I'd mention to them that they are perfectly welcome to walk the rest of the way to your destination... :-D

Or there's always the trunk.

The roof is an excellent spot for exploration, photos, and fresh air. :-P

Don't use the trunk. You need that space for books!

#64 http://www.thebookbear.com/

take 91 to Mass Pike 90 east to Palmer exit, take left, etc.

If stellarkids meet me they will hate me for that

It's OK -- they have their own friends

I recently finished All the King's Men. It was really good - exciting and depressing - I am still working through my thoughts on it so I think I will let it stew in my brain for a while (I love books that do that).

All the Kings Men is one of THE outstanding novels of twentieth century literature and especially rides high as a leading example of the Southern literary genre of Faulkner, Styron, etc.

I'm almost half-way through Pale Fire by Nabokov. It's the first I've read by him. Genius, masterpiece—superlatives fail to convey my impressions. World class prose & wit. Very impressive.

Plus you get a history of Zembla.

Nabokov's Lolita is another one of the outstanding books of the 20th century. Many people are so familiar with the movie version(s) and the outline of the story so they skip reading it, which is a mistake. I read it as a teen and I still remember feeling that as I turned the pages I realy was holding a great piece of literature in my hands.

I'm not smart enough to read Nabokov. Nor do I care to become smart enough.

Yo curmudgeon -- looking at your list of favorite authors I find that difficult to believe ...

Again this ain't fiction but it's out of genre so I'll squeeze it in if I can.

Just finished Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth by James M. Tabor. My 'historian' take: interesting look at two types of explorers. Ones a Type-A. The others a team-building scientific sort.

Also Death on the Barrens. Historian take: interesting primary source about a trip by exceeding rich youngsters into the wild in 1954. I thought the brief glimpses into schools like Groton and Harvard were interesting. Plus there's tidbits like the fact that they considered their guide, 36, as almost over-the-hill. They call him middle-aged and talk about his physical decline. It surprised me.

Just finished The War With the Newts, my monthly "book 'n beer" club selection. Out-friggin'-standing! If you have not read this do so promptly. Literature, sci-fi, satire, philosophy -- cal it what you will, but Capek -- writing in the mid-1930's during Hitler's rise to power -- gives us a very funny, very scary sendup of humanity. Go ahead and cross Solzhenitsyn with Twain with Vonnegut and perhaps a grade B sci-fi flick and you get this brilliant work that I never even heard of before I read it. Awesome!

Oh yeah, Capek. The robot guy.

I've been on an Atwood kick this year so far. I read Oryx and Crake (excellent, fast-paced, scifi biodystopia), The Year of the Flood (sequel, good but not as vivid characters or unique voices), and The Blind Assassin (misty-eyed high society with dark undertones and a richly enjoyable with brilliant foreshadowing blended with sleight of hand narrative). All in all, I'm thoroughly impressed with Atwood and not sure how I missed her works before now. But plan on going back for more.

The Handmaid's Tale is by far the best. Read it next. You won't be sorry.

I'd heard that was a good book...

I liked O and C and TYotF better myself....

thanks - I've heard similar raves about Handmaid's Tale, so its definitely on the list. Just got to get a copy. Having just moved and realized exactly *how many* boxes of books I already have has put a bit of a damper on buying more, especially before reading the rest of the gazillions I haven't yet. But I do need to open up a new library account... :) and my friends helping me move were joking with me that they would just get me a kindle if I would get rid of some of my books :) I'm not sure what I'd do if they were serious, haha. (would you?)

How loosely is "some of my books" defined?

haha! however you want to define it i guess. i think they were meaning a good portion.. at least they recognized that kindle editions are not really available or useful for a lot of college text books or technical/ specific books.

If you want my books you'll have to rip them out of my cold dead hands ...

Which gets harder once rigor mortis sets in.

When Charleton Heston died they were selling "his cold hands" gripping a pistol as a novelty. I wish I had bought one!

was the pistol removable?

Garp, that is as tasteless as the wood-chipper snow globe for the movie Fargo. I love it.

#90 Brilliant!!!

#91 I want that snow globe, dontcha know ...

I normally do not read Science Fiction or Fantasy books but one well written series seemed to capture my interest immediately. It is the 'NECROSCOPE' trilogy (1989) by Brian Lumley, a British author. This is another version of the old 'Parallel Worlds' genre, except in this one the other world is dominated by Vampires with supernatural powers, but no conception of technology. The gist of the story is the danger that the vampires may find their way to our world and begin to establish their own hidden centers of power and control. The action switches back and forth between our world and the vampire world as appropriate. This struggle is being fought by a special 'No-Such-Agency' of the British government staffed by the few rare humans who have extra-sensory powers, even if they are limited and not always controllable by them. This series is worth a look if one is willing to suspend disbelief long enough to understand what is happening.

I just finished A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Fantasy/alternative history written by a professional historian. A fascinating balance between solid history and alternative explanations.

#94 - I read that about 10 days ago, or so. My favorite parts (aside from the wine cellar bits) were the descriptions of studying ancient manuscripts at Bodleian.

Am currently reading 'GHOSTRIDER ONE' (1993) which is about Naval Air operations in Viet Nam in 1968, and am enjoying it. The main focus is on a carrier-based attack squadron flying A-4 Skyhawks (Scooters), and their contributions to the battle of Khe Sanh. But that is not all, and the writing is good enough to draw one along with the story.

>97 JimThomson:

#28 was not saying he was reading A Distant Mirror, but recommending it to #27's interest in reading more about the Black Death.

When I wrote that post nearly two years ago it was still fiction. It's only been since the election of Barack Obama and America's return to the real world that it has returned to the ranks of non-fiction.

#95 I loved the descriptions of working in the Bodleian. I read a phrase this afternoon that summed it up: "the romance of the archive".

I am reading KJ Parker's Engineer trilogy. Quite well done, if troubling.

#100 - Agreed.

Also, since some of you have a taste for the post-apocalyptic, I'll mention I read The Passage. I wouldn't have picked it up, but I saw the author won a Pen/Hemingway Award for a previous novel and figured I'd get it from the library. I was well into it (and hooked) before someone told me it's yet another 'first of a trilogy.' I enjoyed it, though. It's somewhat reminiscent of World War Z and I am Legend. Note: I only saw the movie version of the latter.

As far as fiction goes, I am currently reading The Confidence Man: His Masquerade and 2666. I'm enjoying both immensely, but for right now, I think the Melville is the better book. But that's just me.

I'm currently reading Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, The Abyssinian Proof, and The Eye of the Needle. Eye of the Needle is absolutely amazing and definitely my favorite of the bunch.

> 102 I found The Passage to be only so-so. I like the post-apocalyptic a great deal in general. (Review in my reviews: http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=stellarexplorer )

On a related note, and not specific to this book alone, I must admit, I am not a big fan of the current trend toward the series. It feels manipulative, as if an unfinished work is necessary to get me to buy another book. When it is employed, it is imperative that the author fulfills the contract with the reader by tying up all loose ends and offering a sense of completion.

#105 - "It feels manipulative, as if an unfinished work is necessary to get me to buy another book."

Yes, I agree on that. I never would have picked it up if I'd known it was the first in a series. I will pick up a first if the rest of the series (or most of them) have already been published, and I can check their ratings to be sure the quality of the subsequent works has stayed high. (I'll give A Game of Thrones as an example.)

Do let us know how the follow-ups to the Passage are, clamairy -- If they are excellent, I may go ahead with them.

>105 stellarexplorer:: I love series in principle, especially mystery series, for the sheer joy of visiting my favorite characters over and over, seeing them grow and change. But then again, most of the series I read have a real ending in every book, with no real loose ends, just events that can be build on in the next book, but are completed enough that they don't need one.

That being said, I read Luxembourg & the Jenisch Connection by David Robinson (touchstones don't work, sorry), which is a mystery with two big questions. One was wrapped up, the other was left completely open. The last sentence was actually 'to be continued', but there;s never been another book from this author. In fact, his website has completely disappeared from the internet. That, I do hate. (In fact, the entire book was pretty much rubbish...)

On the flipside, I read The Sultan's Seal by Jenny White, a great book. I'm now reading the next book in the series The Abyssinian Proof. Also a good book, but a conflict that arose in the first book has been 'dealt with' before the second book even started in a very cheap way. That's disappointing, because if there is a sequel, I'd have wanted to see this situation develop more and be resolved.

And to keep with the threads topic, I've finished Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox and am now reading the next book in the series: Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex.

Currently I'm reading The End of Manners by Marciano -- and six non-fiction books, because I'm basically nuts when it comes to reading ...

I am currently obsessed with 1400-1200 BCE. But not fictionally. But this period is interfering with my fiction reading!

Stellar: "Troy & Homer" by Latacz, to help with the interference

> 111 Yeah, thanks for that further obstacle to freedom, buddy. As a matter of fact, I have it right here, and as I'm almost done with From Egypt to Babylon, I have that in the queue, along with Brotherhood of Kings, In Search of the IndoEuropeans, The Horse, the Wheel and Language, The Lost World of Old Europe. The I have to read the latest China Mieville before they kick me out of the Early Reviewers program. Then on to the next unrelenting 10!

Yeah I have the same mental illness you do, except I'm reading several at the same time