What are you Reading?

[Duskygrin]

Le Hussard sur le toit

Currently ankle-deep in a cholera epidemic.

[Tiny Vessels]

I Wear The Black Hat by Chuck Klosterman

[wheelchairman]

I recently reaf The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski (inspiration for the Witcher games.) This was a collection of fantasy short stories about The Witcher, I really enjoyed it. So much so that I bought the Blood of Elves, same character but more your usual long-form fantasy. I didn't finish the first chapter, it had certain fantasy first chapter tropes that grate me. I do plan on returning to it at some point, I know its just a matter of getting past the first chapter.

Currently reading Consider Phlebas, the first book in the Culture series. I don't read much modern sci-fi, but I'm loving it so far. Highly recommend.

[Jojan]

I am half-way through Perfect Rigor: A Genius and the Mathematical Breakthrough of the Century.

[Alison]

Finished The Beach by Alex Garland the other day. A great book, a lot better than the film.

I'm now about half-way through I am Legend by Richard Matheson. Enjoying it so far.

[wheelchairman]

Well interesting enough. They should've had the pervy vampires in the movie. (There's a very boring black/white adaptation of the book from the 50's available on youtube, cause its copyright ran out.) it stars a very famous classic horror actor whose name escapes me.)

[zainilove]

Just finished Supernova "Akar" by Dewi Lestari
very inspirational book

[T-6005]

Iain M. Banks - The Wasp Factory. Pretty good so far. I had trouble buying into the voice for the first chapter for whatever reason - it's unusual for me to have that problem. Things are good now though.

Lewis Hyde - Trickster Makes This World - A pretty detailed approach to the trickster mythologies around the world and the kinds of cultural work that they do. It's pretty cool to have the author go through and engage with trickster origin myths and bring them forward into the realm of art and imagination. Overall it's a bit structuralist for my taste, and it occasionally feels like Hyde is reaching a bit but I am still very much enjoying it.

Alexander Pushkin - Dubrovsky. I hated it. It's noteworthy because of Pushkin's influence, but it's also a lot like reading Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone or looking at the Mona Lisa. You've seen the structures that it laid down done so many times since that there's no way to truly appreciate what a leap forward it was.

[Duskygrin]

Flowers for Algernon, by Keyes.

[Duskygrin]

A colleague lent me a collection of novellas by A. Schnitzler. I keep referring to him as "schnitzel", thinking it amusing, when in fact that's one joke in the poorest taste, especially after the 36th rep.

Be that as it may, I should never have thought that a colleague could possibly recommend, let alone lend me a book that is right up my alley. I could never have imagined that in a thousand years. And I still cannot believe it*, although I've held the book in my own two hands. I actually expected pornography after reading up a little on Schnitzler on wikipedia, but turns out it's excessively delicate in tone.

I lent him Flowers for Algie to return the favour. There's more porn in that one, and I was a little let down. I don't like descriptions of sex, I think sex ought only to be hinted at. I prefer J.H. Chases' thrillers that way.

* That remark was very unfair of me, as another colleague (now gone to sunnier climes) actually bought me Lord of the Flies, which novel stands in my pantheon of books.