Let's talk about books!

I am currently reading Behold The Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue. I recently finished Duane Tudahl's Purple Rain Sessions, and Salinger's Catcher In the Rye. Earlier this year was Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury.

I'm also about to release my 2nd book, 12 short stories of gay erotica based on my own experiences.





I plan to read The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood soon. I'm sometimes drawn to dystopian stories (which explains Wolff's book).

What are you reading this summer? What have you read since the beginning of May? What's on your list?

I don't read much fiction anymore, so its mostly autobiographies of people I'm interested in.

Currently reading Bear Grylls book, which has been good so far. Contemplating picking up Shaq Uncut to read next as I've just watched the Bear and Shaq episode of Running Wild, and Shaq was funny as hell ... never knew he had such a great sense of humour.

It's been FOUR YEARS since the last book in the Dresden Files series, and I hadn't been able to read anything else.

i just finished book 1 of karl ove knausgaard's un-put-downable 'my struggle' and will move on to book 2 shortly.

currently plugging away at george pelcanos' 'the martini shot'

and

...which i picked up at the crazy horse museum in south dakota on my cross country drive in the spring.

also on my bedside table are...











...and a few more zines and mini comics...

[Edited 7/5/18 7:55am]

DaveT said:

I don't read much fiction anymore, so its mostly autobiographies of people I'm interested in.

Currently reading Bear Grylls book, which has been good so far. Contemplating picking up Shaq Uncut to read next as I've just watched the Bear and Shaq episode of Running Wild, and Shaq was funny as hell ... never knew he had such a great sense of humour.

I'm with you on biographies. I really enjoy them and for a long time, they were all I read. I always joked that it was an extension of having been a hair stylist and hearing about people's lives all the time. I'm naturally nosey. I'm trying to read more fiction to keep my writing juices going as I head into a new project.

And Bear is fucking delicious.

Normally, I juggle 3 books at a time. I was surprised to notice that I don't have any fiction!

TrivialPursuit said:

DaveT said:

I don't read much fiction anymore, so its mostly autobiographies of people I'm interested in.

Currently reading Bear Grylls book, which has been good so far. Contemplating picking up Shaq Uncut to read next as I've just watched the Bear and Shaq episode of Running Wild, and Shaq was funny as hell ... never knew he had such a great sense of humour.

I'm with you on biographies. I really enjoy them and for a long time, they were all I read. I always joked that it was an extension of having been a hair stylist and hearing about people's lives all the time. I'm naturally nosey. I'm trying to read more fiction to keep my writing juices going as I head into a new project.

And Bear is fucking delicious.

Can't really comment on Bear's deliciousness ... but I did watch him with Kate Winslet on a recent Running World, and boy has that lady still got it, what a gem!

Any autobiographies you can recmmend? Must admit, I only tend to read ones about people I'm interested in, but if they're good enough I'll read any.

My faves in case you fancy a dabble - Mick Foley, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Springsteen, Christoper Lee, Warwick Davis ... all amazing reads.

DaveT said:

TrivialPursuit said:

I'm with you on biographies. I really enjoy them and for a long time, they were all I read. I always joked that it was an extension of having been a hair stylist and hearing about people's lives all the time. I'm naturally nosey. I'm trying to read more fiction to keep my writing juices going as I head into a new project.

And Bear is fucking delicious.

Can't really comment on Bear's deliciousness ... but I did watch him with Kate Winslet on a recent Running World, and boy has that lady still got it, what a gem!

Any autobiographies you can recmmend? Must admit, I only tend to read ones about people I'm interested in, but if they're good enough I'll read any.

My faves in case you fancy a dabble - Mick Foley, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Springsteen, Christoper Lee, Warwick Davis ... all amazing reads.

i recently read kim gordon's 'girl in a band'.




and

chrissie hynde's 'reckless'




...both fascinating portraits of fearless women. chrissie hynde is amazing and has some 'real history' type stories that are incredible.

[Edited 7/5/18 8:27am]

and since i'm thinking about it, 'cured' by lol tolhurst offers some rare glimpses into the history of the cure and nicely illustrates the redemptive power of friendship.

i read kim gordon's book a few years ago, & remember liking it quite a bit, though it did feel a bit like a generic rock 'life on the road' story at times.

i recently finished david reich's 'who we are an how we got here: ancient dna and the new science of the human past' & really highly recommend it. it got just a wee bit technical at times, definitely wasn't a book i could just lightly tear my way through, but it was completely fascinating & chock full of great facts & ideas.

& i also finished thomas sowell's 'discrimination & disparities' prior to that. also good, as always with sowell filled with challenging ideas, lots of data - & a refreshingly short book as well, quite to the point.

i'm currently reading audrey schulman's theory of bastards, which is the first fictional book i've read in ages. i can't recall exactly how i came to pick it up (i think i heard evolutionary psychologist geoffrey miller recommend it during a recent interview, but not 100% confident of that). i'm about 3/4 through & i'm enjoying it quite a bit - it focuses a lot on bonobo behavior, mating preferences in particular, and seems to have been quite exhaustively researched.

after that, i'm planning on re-reading 'a month in the country' by jl carr, which was actually the last fictional book i read. i picked it up after hearing john dickerson say it was one of his favourite books last year, & i thought it was absolutely great, one of the best things i've ever read. it's a very short book, a novella really, could be easily read in an afternoon. a very simple story about a british ww1 veteran who takes a job uncovering a mural in an english village, & spends the summer repairing the mural while repairing himself. it's just one of the most perfect things i've ever encountered, & i can't wait to read it again. apparently there's a filmed version out there, but i don't want to bother tracking it down, cuz i just want to have the book as my idealized version of the story.



i also have douglas murray's the strange death of europe, mark lynas's the seeds of science: why we got it so wrong on gmos, michael pollan's how to change your mind & hans rosling's factfulness: ten reasons we're wrong about the world, and why things are better than you think in the queue.

[Edited 7/5/18 11:53am]

TrivialPursuit said:

I currently have two books on the go:

Harry Parker: Anatomy of a soldier. This is written from the perspective of inanimate objects all involved in an explosion that blows off a soldiers leg in Afganistan. A great read so far.

Erving Goffman: Stigma. I have recently started a new job and this is very relevant. Interesting stuff that applies to all of us.

TrivialPursuit said:

I plan to read The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood soon. I'm sometimes drawn to dystopian stories (which explains Wolff's book).

What are you reading this summer? What have you read since the beginning of May? What's on your list?

i read The Handmaids Tale earlier this year, it's good, at least i thought it was good

since may i've read quite a few things. but then i always read a lot. it's my main hobby
and i'm a book maniac, so

novels:

white teeth - zadie smith
the notebooks of malte laurids brigge - rainer maria rilke
the age of reason - jean paul sartre
juni - gerbrand bakker
barkskins - annie proulx [finally got round to it]


non fiction:

putin: the new tsar - steven lee meyers
why we sleep - matthew walker
the order of time - carlo rovelli


poetry:

gedichte - paul celan
the poetry of - rainer maria rilke


currently reading:

joni mitchell: reckless daughter - david yaffe
beauty is a wound - eka kurniawan


also haven't really finished paul celan and rilke yet since both of their collected
works are just too beautiful to read more than a handfull of poems each sitting.
so i'll probably spread those out and keep rereading until the end of the year

Empress said:

I have also read the Handmaids Tale, although it's been over 20 years. Very scary book. Margaret Atwood is an amazing writer.

what other books by her would you suggest? i recently found both 'cat eye' and 'bodily harm'
by her on a bookfare so i picked those up but perhaps there are other books by her that the
people who are more acquainted with her work would recommend?

IstenSzek said:

Empress said:

IstenSzek said:

what other books by her would you suggest? i recently found both 'cat eye' and 'bodily harm'
by her on a bookfare so i picked those up but perhaps there are other books by her that the
people who are more acquainted with her work would recommend?

Atwood's writing style changes from time to time, so it depends on whether you like her sci-fi or fiction better. Although, I loved the Handmaids Tale, I prefer her fiction over the sci-fi. I would recommend The Blind Assassin and Alias Grace.

cool, thank you! i'll see if i can pick those up somewhere

peedub said:

i recently read kim gordon's 'girl in a band'.




and

chrissie hynde's 'reckless'




...both fascinating portraits of fearless women. chrissie hynde is amazing and has some 'real history' type stories that are incredible.

Will have to pick up Gordon's book. Sonic Youth played in the East Village a lot when I lived there. Chrissie's was great. I was born in Akron and know some of the people and places she speaks of. Agree she was pretty fearless in her account.

poppys said:

peedub said:

i recently read kim gordon's 'girl in a band'.




and

chrissie hynde's 'reckless'




...both fascinating portraits of fearless women. chrissie hynde is amazing and has some 'real history' type stories that are incredible.

Will have to pick up Gordon's book. Sonic Youth played in the East Village a lot when I lived there. Chrissie's was great. I was born in Akron and know some of the people and places she speaks of. Agree she was pretty fearless in her account.

me too! born and bred...it definitely adds a whole 'nother level of enjoyment to the reading, but it's good nonetheless.

the most interesting parts of the kim gordon book are the details about her and thurston moore's relationship/break-up. it seems the focus, and some shit she needed to purge...it felt rather voyeuristic and vindictive at times, but it's her truth and a pretty good read.

peedub said:

poppys said:

Will have to pick up Gordon's book. Sonic Youth played in the East Village a lot when I lived there. Chrissie's was great. I was born in Akron and know some of the people and places she speaks of. Agree she was pretty fearless in her account.

me too! born and bred...it definitely adds a whole 'nother level of enjoyment to the reading, but it's good nonetheless.

the most interesting parts of the kim gordon book are the details about her and thurston moore's relationship/break-up. it seems the focus, and some shit she needed to purge...it felt rather voyeuristic and vindictive at times, but it's her truth and a pretty good read.

I get on jags where I read everything an author has written, before moving on to another author. Currently I'm reading Michael McGarrity's series of books about his Kevin Kearny character.

They're kind of hard to find. But really, really good. MeGarrity is a former New Mexico cop and since I'm here in Angel Fire, New Mexico I thought I'd explore some good books stores. Surely they would have some McGarrity!

I went to Taos, which is where the bookstores are. The first one I went to - which is owned by the guy who recommended and sold me my first McGarrity book - only had two books and I'd read both of them. But one of the books he had was signed. He was asking $50 for it. I passed.

Then I went to the other bookstore, over on the square. I looked and looked and didn't see anything. Really? No McGarrity books in his home state? Urgh!

But then I looked down. There they were, on a bottom shelf! Every book! And most of them signed! And none of them more than $16! I bought them all!

Yay me, I'm probably set for most of the rest of the year. Certainly until the next Jack Reacher book comes out. Woot!

IstenSzek said:

barkskins - annie proulx [finally got round to it]

the order of time - carlo rovelli

the poetry of - rainer maria rilke

What did you make of Barskins?
Rovelli is loaded on e-reader, dunno when I'll start, though. Worth it?
Rilke. SUCH a beefcake!

TrivialPursuit said:

I looove this book, but I am SOOOO bummed it is getting a bleeding update!
Now I've got to buy it AGAIN.

HamsterHuey said:

IstenSzek said:

barkskins - annie proulx [finally got round to it]

the order of time - carlo rovelli

the poetry of - rainer maria rilke

What did you make of Barskins?
Rovelli is loaded on e-reader, dunno when I'll start, though. Worth it?
Rilke. SUCH a beefcake!

barkskins was great. although a LOT of information to take in with all the hystorical references
that i wasn't farmilliar with yet.

and the rather harsh breaks at the end of a 'generation' before moving on to the children and
the grand children sometimes had me cursing a bit since *I* wasn't done with those characters
yet

but all in all, i thought it was a great read

rovelli is certainly worth it. although it gets a bit complicated at times, it reads like poetry, so
that's worth the price of admission in itself. but it's a good, interesting book. also, the physical
hardcover release is such a pretty little book

rilke a beefcake? i'm not sure i agree with that but from a certain angle and in a
certain kind of light he was indeed a very beautiful man.

MarkThrust said:

Normally, I juggle 3 books at a time. I was surprised to notice that I don't have any fiction!

How's the Zevon book? Michael Bennet's looks good too. I read so much more fiction when I was younger. Now more drawn to first accounts, history, and especially biographies.

IstenSzek said:

rilke a beefcake? i'm not sure i agree with that but from a certain angle and in a
certain kind of light he was indeed a very beautiful man.

pffft
I wanted to post a picture, but that [img] ain't working anymore, it seems or I am doing it wrong

[Edited 7/10/18 9:20am]

poppys said:

MarkThrust said:

Normally, I juggle 3 books at a time. I was surprised to notice that I don't have any fiction!

How's the Zevon book? Michael Bennet's looks good too. I read so much more fiction when I was younger. Now more drawn to first accounts, history, and especially biographies.

I'm a huge Warren Zevon fan, and it's well written...but it leaves you with a sense that the guy had no redeeming qualities. It made me a bit sad. I loved the Michael Bennett book, though! Controversy follows him, but I think he's a pretty heartfelt dude.

The women of The View had their yearly summer reading lists. Here are their books.

Toddlers are Assholes (It's Not Your Fault) - Bunmi Laditan

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan

Threadbare - Andrew Seiple

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

When Life Gives You Lululemons - Lauren Weisberger (sequel to The Devil Wears Prada)

Relic (series) - Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (as Preston & Child)

An American Marriage - Tayari Jones

The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

The Plot Against America - Philip Roth (about Charles Lindberg being POTUS, and that he was a Nazi sympathizer, and how the US formed after that.)

Luckiest Girl Alive - Jessica Knoll

Bad Blood - John Carreyrow (about the girl who said she invented a machine that could tell you medical history with one drop of blood; it was fake & she bilked $9B from investors)

The Wife Between Us - Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

The Untethered Soul - Michael Singe

The Great Revolt - Salena Zito & Bradd Todd

Widow Clicquot - Tilar Mazzeo and Susan Ericksen (about the woman who created a champagne empire)

The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark (kids book) - Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna

Chariot on the Mountain - Jack Ford

Fresh Eggs Daily - Lisa Steele (about how to farm chickens at home)

these ended up on my bedside table after half price books' 50% off coupon sale...












...and a trip to my lcbs...

[Edited 7/17/18 9:18am]

I finished Behold The Dreamers. I was disappointed with the ending but it was a good novel overall.

I am starting Ernest Vincent Wright's Gadsby, a book with about 50,000 words and not once using the letter E.

During that I will finish the final proof copy of my book and publish it, finish reading Gadsby, then start another book by Dr. Eben Alexander. His first book, Proof of Heaven, changed everything I thought I knew about what I believed.

Also considering Phillip Roth's The Plot Against America.

.

.

[Edited 7/18/18 22:59pm]