What are you currently reading?

[doner24 | 1,195]

1 minute ago, avatar! said:

I just started reading what many people consider Oscar Wilde's masterpiece... which sadly I have not read until now! Anyone care to guess what this is?

It also has a few famous lines, including this gem -

Dorian?

[avatar! | 1,809]

5 minutes ago, doner24 said:

Dorian?

Correct

Apparently the book did poorly in England, especially since anti-homosexual legislation was big back then. In America it did much better and was far more readily received.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

I only know Dorian Gray

edit: beat me to it

[avatar! | 1,809]

54 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

I only know Dorian Gray

edit: beat me to it

The Picture of Dorian Gray is his most famous work. However, another really popular work he wrote is The Importance of Being Earnest which is a much shorter work and a play. De Profundis is another popular and important work, along with The Ballad of Reading Gaol ("gaol" is the English version of "jail"). All are worth reading. Still, at the end, I think Dorian stands above them all as an immortal masterpiece.

[doner24 | 1,195]

1 hour ago, avatar! said:

Correct

Apparently the book did poorly in England, especially since anti-homosexual legislation was big back then. In America it did much better and was far more readily received.

Never read it, but have seen the 40’s version of the film. It was good. 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

Importance of Being Earnest.  That sounds vaguely like a movie I may have heard of 

[Gloves | 11,776]

3 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Importance of Being Earnest.  That sounds vaguely like a movie I may have heard of 

You're probably thinking of the critically acclaimed classic, Ernest Scared Stupid. 

[avatar! | 1,809]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Importance of Being Earnest.  That sounds vaguely like a movie I may have heard of 

Well, there's the 1952 film version (the best of the bunch), and the 1992 edition, and the 2002 version.

Of course perhaps you were thinking of the 1960 Ernest in Love which is the musical... or maybe @Gloves was thinking that

 

[Tabonga | 2,317]

I am in the middle of Fine Blue Steele - the fourth in the urban fantasy series Daggers and Steele.

Edited October 15, 2022 by Tabonga

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I took a very long set of flights this weekend and spent a bunch of time reading. I finished the first novel in the Murderbot series called All Systems Red. I really enjoyed it, even if it was a little goofy and over the top at times. It's a quick, light read at only 150 pages so it's worth a shot if the synopsis intrigues you. I actually found myself wishing the book was longer so story and characters had more time to be fleshed out. Still, this is another series I'll definitely be spending some time with and I hope to see the character and world grow.

I had been perusing some lists of the all-time greatest science fiction novels (my favorite genre) and kept seeing Hyperion pop up. It sounded interesting so I decided to give it a go and, thus far, I have not been disappointed. I'm about 30% through and I am really invested in this fiction. I love the style of writing and the world-building is done a fantastic, organic way. I had some initial trepidation since the novel uses a character flashback structure to flesh out the story. I find this storytelling device to be very hit or miss, but the individual narratives are so strong and the flow is so smooth, that it does wonders in this book. I've made it through the first two stories and I find myself excited to read more and watch the tales intertwine as the travelers continue their pilgrimage.

Of note, about 5 or 6 years ago, I actually read another Dan Simmons book called The Terror. I adored that novel, but didn't read much at the time, so I didn't go looking for other works by the author. If Hyperion continues to be this good, I will definitely be looking through his output in the near future.

 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

Yeah, we read Hyperion for the book club last year, and it was great.  I love the ensemble approach.

[avatar! | 1,809]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Yeah, we read Hyperion for the book club last year, and it was great.  I love the ensemble approach.

Hyperion is structured and told in the same fashion as The Canterbury Tales - Simmons is a fan. Fall of Hyperion is more what people are used to - standard narrative. I found the sequel decently forgettable.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

I am about halfway through this:

 

It is the latest in a cozy mystery series about a bookshop owner who gets the ghost of a dead private eye as part of the package.  One of the interesting things about it is that the ghost can take her (the owner) back in time to his era (1940s/59s) to look at his cases which help her solve murders in the present.  Like all cozy mysteries it is light reading but passes the time.

[Brickman | 3,983]

Finished off ハピネス (Happiness) manga series, which I highly recommend if you're into horror manga.

I recently discovered that during the height of batmania in the 60's DC had a Japanese version of the Batman comics. This manga was done by Jiro Kuwata. The 60's Batman is one of my favourite eras, its campy but a lot of fun so I had to get it. I've only just started it but so far, it's great. There is an English release for those interested.

[PII | 1,884]

Finished this one recently.  Between being the actual name of an ornithologist who wrote a book about Birds of the West Indies and becoming the name of everyone's favorite British Agent; "James Bond", was, purportedly the code name of a secret operation that took place at the end of WWII.  It's entertaining and compelling although I can't help but dwell on one potential inconsistency that might stand for all others:

At the beginning of the preface the author states: "...I have done my best to write the truth..."  At the end of the preface the author once again reiterates: "I am interested only in the truth..."  This is followed by Acknowledgements and a Note On Sources, and then 13 pages into the main body of text the author drops this frag grenade:  "Cover is one of the key weapons of intelligence work, especially in irregular sections such as mine: and with cover go deceit, murder, betrayal, disloyalty, brutality, amorality, and the total renunciation of God, and anything touching on decency or friendship."

I'm sort of picky, but I think more than anything else the conflict inherent between these statements is what colors the pages of this book.  In my opinion the narrative contains no shortage of red flags as well as more subtle nuances indicating something less than perfect truth-telling, but at the same time, I'd have to say that, all things considered, I think that the basic story, which is about the rescue of Martin Bormann is most likely true and a very interesting read for anyone who is motivated and able to read between the lines.

My favorite part was about the author along with a little help from Ian Fleming using a wired Piano to tap out morse code messages undetected within the body of larger musical performances...

I'm also about half way through Dulles, a biography on the Dulles brothers (Allen & John Foster) along with one of their three sisters (Eleanor.)  It blows hot and cold in my opinion as far as being compelling or not, but has some oddly interesting characters running around.  Im sure no one would ever disagree that everything within its covers is firmly grounded in nothing less than stone cold reality, of course.  

[Abelardo | 154]

Got back into reading a few months ago and I've finished a few books so far:

Shock Value by John Waters, it's his autobiography, really fun to read, the guy is hilarious, just like his movies.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, had tried to read it some years ago and quit due to the nadsat language after about 2-3 chapters in, this time I was committed, it was difficult to read maybe for the first 5 chapters or so (had to constantly use the included mini dictionary), eventually I got used to it and it was smooth sailing and it was a great read, didn't get bored at any time, and appreciated all the extra details in the story that didn't make it in the film.

The Old Man and the Sea y Hemingway, short novel so I went quickly though it, didn't knew what to expect but it was quite good, I might read something else from Hemingway someday.

1984 by George Orwell, I enjoyed it overall, but honestly I found some parts of the story a little boring, maybe I didn't click all too well with Orwell writing stye, but anyways this is a great story and really enjoyed the ending.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, had the book for a few years now, having read a couple of Murakami other novels (Norwegian Wood and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World) I wasn't really sure what was all the hype about, well, in retrospect I should've read this one first, it was everything I had hope it would be and more, magical realism, surreal, Kafkaesque at times, it's a very pleasant read, all major characters are fantastic, the story moves slowly (hardly anything happens for long periods) but near the end it throws a lot at you, I had to go back and re-read a few chapters to have a better grasp of what was going on. This is surely one of the books I've enjoyed the most in my life.

 

Edited December 8, 2022 by Abelardo

[avatar! | 1,809]

15 minutes ago, Abelardo said:

Got back into reading a few months ago and I've finished a few books so far:

Shock Value by John Waters, it's his autobiography, really fun to read, the guy is hilarious, just like his movies.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, had tried to read it some years ago and quit due to the nadsat language after about 2-3 chapters in, this time I was committed, it was difficult to read maybe for the first 5 chapters or so (had to constantly use the included mini dictionary), eventually I got used to it and it was smooth sailing and it was a great read, didn't get bored at any time, and appreciated all the extra details in the story that didn't make it in the film.

The Old Man and the Sea y Hemingway, short novel so I went quickly though it, didn't knew what to expect but it was quite good, I might read something else from Hemingway someday.

1984 by George Orwell, I enjoyed it overall, but honestly I found some parts of the story a little boring, maybe I didn't click all too well with Orwell writing stye, but anyways this is a great story and really enjoyed the ending.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, had the book for a few years now, having read a couple of Murakami other novels (Norwegian Wood and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World) I wasn't really sure what was all the hype about, well, in retrospect I should've read this one first, it was everything I had hope it would be and more, magical realism, surreal, Kafkaesque at times, it's a very pleasant read, all major characters are fantastic, the story moves slowly (hardly anything happens for long periods) but near the end it throws a lot at you, I had to go back and re-read a few chapters to have a better grasp of what was going on. This is surely one of the books I've enjoyed the most in my life.

 

Nice reads! Old Man and the Sea is my favorite Hemingway work by far.

1984 is a must read, but yeah, it does get a bit long-winded. However, Animal Farm never gets old nor boring!

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is on my to-read list.

[JamesRobot | 5,798]

12 minutes ago, Abelardo said:

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, had tried to read it some years ago and quit due to the nadsat language after about 2-3 chapters in, this time I was committed, it was difficult to read maybe for the first 5 chapters or so (had to constantly use the included mini dictionary), eventually I got used to it and it was smooth sailing and it was a great read, didn't get bored at any time, and appreciated all the extra details in the story that didn't make it in the film.

My favorite book!  I love what Burgess does with the Nadsat slang.  First time reading was probably the best, learning the language as you go, slowly becoming fluent by the end of the book.

[Abelardo | 154]

4 minutes ago, avatar! said:

Nice reads! Old Man and the Sea is my favorite Hemingway work by far.

1984 is a must read, but yeah, it does get a bit long-winded. However, Animal Farm never gets old nor boring!

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is on my to-read list.

Thanks! Had all these classics lined up in my backlog for a very long time, will definitely pick up Animal Farm as a friend of mine has also recommended it, have some more Hemingway short novels so might read those as well, can't recommend enough The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, I'll have to pick up Kafka on the Shore now.

[avatar! | 1,809]

2 minutes ago, Abelardo said:

Thanks! Had all these classics lined up in my backlog for a very long time, will definitely pick up Animal Farm as a friend of mine has also recommended it, have some more Hemingway short novels so might read those as well, can't recommend enough The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, I'll have to pick up Kafka on the Shore now.

I was tempted to read Kafka on the Shore, but I heard it's purposely confusing, and I recall reading that Murakami said the book should be read a few times to really "understand"... meh. Not for me. But, if you read it I would love to hear your opinion

[Abelardo | 154]

6 minutes ago, JamesRobot said:

My favorite book!  I love what Burgess does with the Nadsat slang.  First time reading was probably the best, learning the language as you go, slowly becoming fluent by the end of the book.

Definitely, I loved how you gradually become fluent and eventually you surprise yourself going though all the slang as if it was nothing

[Abelardo | 154]

12 minutes ago, avatar! said:

I was tempted to read Kafka on the Shore, but I heard it's purposely confusing, and I recall reading that Murakami said the book should be read a few times to really "understand"... meh. Not for me. But, if you read it I would love to hear your opinion

Sounds like a challenge, time to level up I guess

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a bit of a puzzle, you get some clues here and there, might be tempting to back track at times  but not overly difficult to connect the dots and get the general picture of what happened, I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing but that's ok, fans seem to enjoy re-reading it in order to pick up more out of it.

[doner24 | 1,195]

47 minutes ago, Abelardo said:

Thanks! Had all these classics lined up in my backlog for a very long time, will definitely pick up Animal Farm as a friend of mine has also recommended it, have some more Hemingway short novels so might read those as well, can't recommend enough The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, I'll have to pick up Kafka on the Shore now.

Can confirm Animal Farm is a great and easy read. My favorite Hemingway is The Sun Also Rises, also a pretty easy read. 

[Brickman | 3,983]

2 hours ago, Abelardo said:

Thanks! Had all these classics lined up in my backlog for a very long time, will definitely pick up Animal Farm as a friend of mine has also recommended it, have some more Hemingway short novels so might read those as well, can't recommend enough The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, I'll have to pick up Kafka on the Shore now.

Animal Farm is a great read. If you’re doing classics you definitely have to read the count of monte cristo. Amazing book.

Norwegian Wood by Murakami is an easier read if you’re looking to get into his work.

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

1 hour ago, Brickman said:

Animal Farm is a great read.

I second this.  It's basically a thinly veiled history of the Soviet Union's formation.  And considering that George Orwell was a Marxist, it's telling that he realized how poorly the system had been implemented by totalitarian regimes.  1984 was also a jab at totalitarianism, and a recommended read as well.

And since @Abelardo mentioned Hemmingway as well, I'll have to recommend The Old Man and the Sea.  It's probably already in his queue, but it's a pretty solid story, and can easily be read in a night.