What are you reading? (apart from this)

[Sallyq]

I love The Keep, and F Paul Wilson's adversary series though I've only read about three or four of the sextet. I keep promising myself I'll get the full set soon. I don't have any of his books on my shelves at the moment so it's time to start collecting again.

I'm reading the third Lee Child 'Jack Reacher' novel that my dad bought me, called The Persuader. I've thoroughly enjoyed the first two, The Enemy and Echo Burning. They're pretty much writing-by-numbers novels, but good cracking reads despite that.

[PaulH]

What did you think of the book? Is his writing style similar to anybody else's?

Ooh, now you'e asking! Must be nigh on twenty years since I read it. I remember enjoying it a lot (though I was less critical back then) and thought it was a fairly novel take on vampires. Writing style I would say was straightforward in a good way - think early James Herbert. Now it's been mentioned, I want to find it to read again myself. Haven't read anything else he's done though which surprises me considering how much affection I've retained for the Keep.

[Ed]

Thanks for the insights, both. I've ordered The Keep from Waterstones, now. They say it should be in within a week, which is more like it. It's a bit lazy of me to order from Amazon. We should all really be supporting our local bricks and mortar book sellers, I suppose, otherwise there won't be any in twenty years.

[Porphyry]

Ed-- Speaking of F. Paul Wilson, if you get a chance to read any of his Repairman Jack series, very good stuff. (I also liked The Keep, but not as much as his Repairman Jack stuff)

Me? I just finished reading "The Pillars Of the Earth" by Ken Follett, and I am currently reading "The Peaceable Kingdom" by Jack Ketchum (horror, short story collection) & "Winter Of the Wolf Moon" by Steve Hamilton (Murder mystery. Hamilton writes about a small town near my folks, so I know the are and enjoy his books all the more.)

Peace,
Po

[Ed]

I ordered one of the repairman Jack series, but I can't remember the name of it - might be 'The Cave' or something like that. Thanks for the recommendation, Po.

BTW, how do you get on with reading two books at the same time? I think that would confuse me

[Sallyq]

I've got several books on the go. Persuader by Lee Child, Time Enough For Love by Robert A Heinlein and a few short story anthologies I keep dipping in and out of.

[delph_ambi]

Oooh... Time Enough For Love. I keep re-reading that one. Classic book. Full of flaws, but you can't help forgiving him every one of them. Would that more writers were like that. Well, Jane Austen is. In an odd sort of way.

[Porphyry]

Well actually, Ketchum is catching more of my attention at present, but it is short stories. Started the other book before and will likely finish The Peaceable Kingdom first. Not much different than school/college I guess-- read history, Lit, whatever and then still have the for the love of reading books on the side. That doesn't really take in account what I read online.

I always like these threads, as it gives me an idea what is out there (though I just bought two more books, so I am set for a bit. "The Long Last Call" by John Skipp & "Fears Unnamed" by Tim Lebbon, if you were wondering.)

Peace,
Po

[JonP]

I've just had a couple of disappointing reads: Homunculus, by James Blaylock, and Keepers of the House, by Lisa St Aubin de Terain. I really wanted to like both of these. The Blaylock (which was lent to me by a mate who has his own really good bok coming out later on this year - more here) annoyed me because of the vast array of barely distinguishable characters that it throws at you right from the off, with POV that keeps switching for no discernible purpose. And the LSAdT (one of a trawl at Hay-on-Wye a few weeks back) one was a remarkably half-baked attempt to do One Hundred Years of Solitude, with some truly horrible writing in places, and quite a few typos. I remember her being seriously hyped when it first came out, and I was surprised at how weak it all was. One really ace read, though, even if it is a bit of a "stocking-filler" type book: Whatever Happened to Tanginyika?. Surprisingly thoughtful and informative for that type of thing.

[Ed]

I'm just about to start BASS 2007 edited by Steven King. Should have my first look at it today, at lunchtime

First day back to work, today, and I feel like a kid at the end of the summer holidays - going back to hell after taking forever off. I've decided that I like staying home. It's much nicer than working. Trouble is it doesn't pay well

[canadian]

I'm more than halfway through the stories in BASS 2007. They've all been very satisfying reads so far.

[delboy]

I've decided that I like staying home. It's much nicer than working.

I couldn't agree more. Though I was back last week it was quite a relaxed three days. This week it's all started again in earnest and I've already noticed the difference - started at 7.30 this morning and won't get chance to even think about writing until 9.00 this evening by which time I fear I'll just be ready for bed - my right eye is already twitching through tiredness. Scarily, the diary is already starting to be filled with evening appointments that will cut the reading and writing time down further. Today it's suddenly become very noticble how little spare time there is in a "standard" week.

Derek

[Ed]

I know what you mean, Del. I'm absolutely snowed under with stuff I should be doing. Still haven't got around to doing all twenty crits for Borderlands, yet. I've got several long and complicated invoices I should be writing out. Plus I've just bought a load of new office equipment, desks, chairs, etc., in preparation for moving all my office stuff into another room. Trouble is, that room needs sorting out with internet access, which has a knock on effect with me having to get up in the roof space and run new cables. Not to mention moving all the files and sorting everything out. Writing time? What's that?

I'm more than halfway through the stories in BASS 2007. They've all been very satisfying reads so far.

Glad to hear it - I read the foreword and the introduction, and got two pages into the first story, today. I liked what Steven King had to say about the short story as a form, etc. It'll be interesting to see his choices, and to see if I get the same wow factor out of them as he says he did. Looking forward to it.

[Ed]

  Well, sorry to say, the only wow factor I got from the first story was a, "Wow, that was crap."

Must be literary fiction, I guess. I'm disappointed - I expected more from a story that Steven King thought was great

[Sallyq]

I was pretty disappointed with the few I read in BASS, Ed. I think I mentioned on here that there's a lot of well-fed, middle-age, middle-class angst that was completely lost on me.  One that really got me was The Toga Party. Maybe Stephen King can relate to someone with two comfortable homes and a very good lifestyle worrying what will happen to it all when they've dead, and wanting to make sure the taxman didn't take it, I can't!