Whitechapel - The Feburary 2009 Book Club

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

AWilliamsID — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:11:01 -0800

Just finished Bukowski's Post Office. Enjoyed the part one the best. Will probably get around to Ham on Rye this month. Also enjoing his poetry in Come On In!

Also I have been reading through some HP Lovecraft due to all the mentions in last month's thread. I chose the Tales of H.P. Lovecraft collection.

Started Richard Back's Illusions today. The first chapter was scans of what I assume to be Bach's journal, oil stains and all. I am looking forward to it.

Edit: I am also always slinking through various product design books. Any suggestions on books of design research, materials, manufacturing, product collections, etc etc are greatly appreciated.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Brent Wilcox — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:56:51 -0800

New one from James Morrow - Shambling Towards Hiroshima

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

undulatingungulate — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:39:29 -0800

Currently reading The Sheep Look Up - John Brunner. Which is so far excellent and uncomfortably contemporary and prescient.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

ASedano — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:44:52 -0800

Just recently finished Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

frequentcontributor — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:17:18 -0800

Am halfway through Haruki Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running", a (sort of) memoir/diary about a few month span during which Murakami trained for his yearly marathon. I don't run, but love Murakami's novels, and he is one of those writers that makes you want to go out do whatever it is that he is talking about (like listening to classical music or making pasta, or attacking a bakery...). It sneaks up on you, because he'll be talking about smoking, or his old jazz bar, or how he got started as a novelist, and then you'll all-of-a-sudden realize that you've been reading about fucking RUNNING for 20 pages.

Anyway, it's pretty interesting to hear Murakami's story in his own words (as his own as they can possibly be, given that they're translated from Japanese...), even if it covers a lot of the same ground seen in other places. A good, short, relatively quick read while waiting to hear news on what we'll be seeing from him next.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

dot_xom — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:30:58 -0800

Still reading Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Loving every bit of it.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Squidfisher — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:39:52 -0800

Reading the last book in the Dark Tower series, snappily titled The Dark Tower, despite the fact that I have already reached the 'Stephen King Fucks It All Up Like He Always Does' margin that stopped me reading any of his other works long ago. Great but flawed fantasy. Up next; Albion, a history of the English language by that moon-faced oddball Peter Ackroyd.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

icelandbob — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:32:40 -0800

My Recommendation this month is..... What You Should Know About Politics...But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues by Jessamyn conrad.

Now that Obama is in Power, i remember reading that one thing that americans can do to make their country better (and for non americans to be better informed) is to read up more on American history and politics. I found this book and it is brilliant at explaining the basics about american politics and the sturcture of the politcal system (e.g. what is the electoral Colledge, the difference between a Libertarian and a Neo Conservative...) and then looks at the main issues in politics, their histories and where most people stand on the issue and why.

I found it very informative and as it was taken on a non-partisan perspective it threw up mny interesting surprises. Like democrat politicians who are pro-coal and pro-logging and Republicans who are pro-Stem Cell research.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

nigredo — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:43:58 -0800

Tom Robbins - Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates (for the millionth time)

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

keighter — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:05:04 -0800

Reading The Rum Diary, Hunter S Thompson, for the first time. Part of what I asked to receive for Xmas; I asked for books that changed people's lives or perspectives. I have already read To Say Nothing of the Dog and Midnighters: The Secret Hour.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

rickiep00h — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:17:36 -0800

@keighter

I loved The Rum Diary. Definitely a different style.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Eddie Current — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:25:57 -0800

Reread The Demolished Man. You must read Bester. All of you, now, read him now, do it, YOU MUST

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

sacredchao — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:05:39 -0800

I read The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta in two or three days. I claimed a headache and went home from work early last Thursday to finish it. Very good, but I think there was about 50 pages of story to left to tell after the book ended.

Currently reading The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner. It's quite excellent, but I have to be in the mood to sit down with it for at least an hour, as it takes some warm-up and cool-down, as well as a mindset that is willing to be a little bit confused for a while.

Listening to The World According to Garp by John Irving. Amusing, but the recording is crap. Kind of a hollow, buzzy sound, like it was re-recorded from a cassette.

I listened to In the Woods by Tana French recently. It was an extremely frustrating book that leaves you hanging on one of the big mysteries of the story, plus the main character starts acting like a total douchebag about 1/2 through, which, again, is frustrating.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

deftkosmonavt — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:02:00 -0800

Steve Martin - Born Standing Up
Considering rereading Meyrink's The Golem.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

izenmania — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:42:59 -0800

Done with Dune. On to Dune Messiah today.

Also picked up Blood Meridian this week, which will probably be next after I get this trilogy banged out. Won't be quite as fast though... I've been doing a lot of reading on the bus recently, but I'm transferring all my commutes back to the bike. Tough to read whilst cycling.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Edwin — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:43:08 -0800

Been on a binge the last few weeks,
-Concrete Island - JG Ballard - brilliant take on the desert island cliche
-The Dirt - Mötley crüe - Loved it, probably because i couldn't care less about Mötley Crüe
-Strange and Stranger, The World of Steve Ditko - pretty good overview of Ditko's life and work

-Dangerous Visions - edited by Harlen Ellison -I'm sandwiching short stories between books and these are absolutely perfect so far.

Currently switching between:
-The Road - Cormac McCarthy - reads like a mantra, it hypnotises me for pages on end, then trows me out in a haze.
-Led Zeppelin - Mick Wall - for some reason I'm in a mood for rock bios, must be the new Supernatural season.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

izenmania — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:46:24 -0800

@Edwin

Yeah, I read The Road a couple weeks ago. Just burned straight through it. Fucking fantastic.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Liam — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:17:53 -0800

I've almost finished 'outlaws, rebels, freethinkers and pirates' by Bob Levin. I found it complimented 'Men of Tomorrow' by Gerard jones quite well. After that I'm torn between 'Sirens of Titan' or 'Rant' which have both been in my work bag for a few weeks.
Hopefully, if it turns up this month I will be reading '9987' the debut novel by Nik Jones. We used to live together at Uni so I'm interested to see what he's come up with.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Stoto — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:29:19 -0800

Nearly 100 pages into 2666 and finding the ride enjoyably smooth.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

howyadoin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:55:48 -0800

Finally broke down and started reading Vurt. Only one chapter in yet, but so far I fucking love it.

Love.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

withoutwarning — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:58:52 -0800

Reading Nicolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnet after devouring the Lymond Chronicles last month. Serious love.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

infomancer — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:41:58 -0800

I'm in the middle of Haruki Murakami's Wild Sheep Chase. I always think I'm not in the mood to read one of his, but after about five pages, I can't stop. My girlfriend just finished What I Talk About... and she seemed to enjoy it, but she's also a runner.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

mybrainhurts — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:10:56 -0800

Finished Saul Williams' , Said the Shotgun to Head. The use of brackets to explicit point out wordplay annoys me but otherwise it was an excellent poem.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

remotepush — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:12:55 -0800

i need to re-read wild sheep chase and dance, dance, dance for a second time and in the right order.

i finished "angelica's grotto" by russell hoban over the weekend. 72 year old man struggling to regain his inner voicer gets mixed up with the woman who runs the porn site angelican's grotto just to make his life more complicated. funny in ways, but also bleak.

about half way through "life of insects" by victor pelevin.
and started with the interview material in "disease of lanaguage" by moore and campbell.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

izenmania — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:46:55 -0800

Maybe it will pick up, but Dune Messiah already feels WAY not as good.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

nigredo — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:04:30 -0800

Re-reading this. As awesome and funny as the first time.

In real life, Pablo is the beer-swilling, hash-smoking, bacon-swallowing, croissant-craving, shower-avoiding black sheep of his immensely wealthy family. On the web, he's a reasonably well-known philosopher and he spends most of his time posting on the Metaphysical Club, but not many people know about that, including his family. The disappearance of his succesful, uptight brother triggers a surreal investigation that leads to forbidden and hilarious pleasures.

One of the most quotable novels ever. A cross between Crooked Little Vein and A Confederacy of Dunces.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

bschory — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:26:26 -0800

Currently reading MASKERADE by Terry Pratchett

Up next are ZEN WRAPPED IN KARMA DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE by Brad Warner and FEET OF CLAY by Terry Pratchett.

Thinking about picking up THE PLUTO FILES by Neil Degrasse Tyson too.

[edited wrong title]

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

nigredo — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:31:42 -0800

Maskerade and Feet of Clay are so good.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

mybrainhurts — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:16:17 -0800

Steve Aylett - Lint

I've been meaning to check this out for a while. I really enjoyed the Beerlight trilogy. This is great fun so far.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

infomancer — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:01:18 -0800

I've gotta pick up that new Brad Warner book too. I really dug the first two.

Right now though, it's The Pisstown Chaos by David Ohle and Deliver Me From Nowhere by Tennessee Jones.

Oh, and Zen and the Art of Postmodern Philosophy, by Carl Olson. Fascinating book.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

dot_xom — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:33:09 -0800

Just finished The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I still prefer Kavalier & Clay, but this book was just fantastic.

Now: Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert. Planning to read either the second James Bond novel or something from Ian M. Banks after that.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

256 — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 12:46:29 -0800

@ remotepush - re: Hoban - Have you read Fremder? Truly bizarre and remarkable.

Hokkaido Highway Blues by Will Ferguson - about one man's attempt to hitch-hike the length of Japan, north-to-south. Not quite as light in subject matter as the cover & writing style might lead you to believe, but incredibly easy to read.

That book made me want to read Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata but the library only had a really crummy translation of that so I drifted a bit to Narrow Road To A Far Province by Basho which I'd been intending to read for a while anyway.

Still chipping away at Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. Very mixed feelings about that man.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

sandman — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:34:48 -0800

Reading Lieber's "Lankhmar" (Orion's omnibus edition), Grimwood's "End of the world blues" and just getting ready to bite into Simmons' "Song of Kali".

First three books of Jordan's Wheel of Time are still waiting for me on the shelf after almost a year because I got stuck at the last third of the first book. Frankly I find the very idea of trudging throgh ELEVEN books like that...unappealing.
But I might change my mind one day, I don't exclude that option.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Stoto — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:49:59 -0800

"So," concluded Rosa Amalfitano, "if a policeman fucks you it's like being fucked by a mountain inside the mountain itself, and if a narco fucks you it's like being fucked by the desert air."

I'm becoming slightly obsessed with 2666.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

gjmiller — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:19:25 -0800

I've just started Japrocksampler by Julian Cope which is in a sort of timeline mode at the beginning. I'm hoping it breaks down into something like Our Band Could be Your Life, which is a book that I highly recommend.

I've also put Kavalier and Klay on my list again in the hopes that I can actually finish it this time.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

allana — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:06:18 -0800

i'm still #2348i245984445883dfi98e09458203589 back on the wait-list for the library copy of 2666. cannot wait!

this month's recommendation, especially for Canuckers, is Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner. it's got that mystical mix of nomadic hippies and native wisdom, cynical observations, beautiful descriptions....

also Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges. i got to "The Library of Babel" yesterday and fell in love, but there are so many other amazing ones ("Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote," "Funes the Memorious" ...) that i can't help but recommend the whole collection. these are way better than the first few stories i read in The Aleph And Other Stories, which were mostly accounts of gunslingers and sad women.

i spent most of today hunting in libraries and bookstores for A Thousand Plateaus by Deleuze and Guattari. i read the first few sections, filled three notebook pages with notes, and then realized i had to own it. this week i have a few more bookstores to check out before i start looking for copies online. it reads like a drug-fuelled pisstake of all philosophies, all anythings, and a proposal of every alternate system of being that could possibly or not possibly exist.

ummmm then the next library book is Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason which is all about gin and politics and society in the mid-1700s in England. i want insight into the legislature and legality of self-pleasing/harming....

AND for anyone in Toronto, the Sci-Fi collection at the kids' library at College and Spadina has a steampunk exhibit (not much of one, since it's essentially some books inside glass cases - whoever heard of putting a book in a glass case?!) that'll be up 'til April. i had never been to the collection before (i got out L Ron Hubbie's first two stories that involve the theories of dianetics) and the people both behind the counter and using the materials seem pretty neat. i might make more regular appearances.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

remotepush — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:32:48 -0800

@256 yeah i've read fremder, read most of his stuff, though ironically not riddley walker, which seems to be his big classic.
& i've also read that will ferguson book, enjoyed it a lot.

@allana i need to get on with the borges collection i have, i think fictions. i think he requires to be read in a certain way to get into the pacing/subtlety of the work. though certainly some pieces just click instantly.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Andre Navarro — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:54:07 -0800

Reading Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book". On chapter 3, not very impressed so far, but still six chapters to go.

"World War Z" is a very recommended read, and I quite liked "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas".

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

rickiep00h — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:59:20 -0800

@mybrainhurts

I thought the same thing inre: parenthetical wordplay. It's like assuming your audience is too stupid to get you're making some kind of literary pun or allusion. Considering it was published by MTV's book publishing (heh) I'm not surprised. And I also thought it ruined the flow of the read. I mean, how would you say those things if you were reading it out loud? With a wink and a nudge?

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

mybrainhurts — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:08:03 -0800

@rickiep00h: Yeah, that was exactly the way I felt about it.

I just finished Lint which was lots of fun. Started reading The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern, abridged by William Goldman.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

ScottS — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:16:14 -0800

Tomorrow (most likely) I will go out and buy FOOL, the new novel by the wonderfully deranged Christopher Moore.

Picked up Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation by Martin Millar the other day, and only barely cracked open the cover. Stupid job hunting is getting in the way of reading.

Started re-reading (kind of) Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Saw the movie the other day and thought it was enjoyable, but the book is, naturally, better.

Still have on the "to read pile"

FDR
Just Add Buddah
The Portable Atheist
I Am American and So Can You
M is For Magic
Nocturnes
The Moral Majority

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

sacredchao — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:38:35 -0800

Reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. It's pretty good, a little didactic at times and the occasional long winded explanations of how particular technology works are slightly irritating, but otherwise it is enjoyable. It's very convincing though in terms of "what could happen." Makes me worry, you know?

Also reading I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down by William Gay. I've only read the first two stories thus far, but It's an excellent book thus far.

Listening to The Eyre Affair, partly because you guys keep talking about the Thursday Next books, partly because my dad just read Something Rotten and described it as "part Raw Shark Texts, part Douglas Adams, and part (something else, I forget)."

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Brent Wilcox — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:38:58 -0800

Enjoying Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch right now. (Got the movie on my Netflix queue) Any comments on the rest of the series?

Just pre-ordered Chris Moore's Fool

(Generally killing time until that volcano about 150 miles downwind decides to blow and make my life more complicated for a couple weeks... maybe I'll be able up catch up on my reading)

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Finagle — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:23:09 -0800

@allana -

i spent most of today hunting in libraries and bookstores for A Thousand Plateaus by Deleuze and Guattari. i read the first few sections, filled three notebook pages with notes, and then realized i had to own it. this week i have a few more bookstores to check out before i start looking for copies online. it reads like a drug-fuelled pisstake of all philosophies, all anythings, and a proposal of every alternate system of being that could possibly or not possibly exist.

Alright, that's it. I'm starting a Deleuze and Guattari thread in a few days. We've got at least 4 people who have read it or have a continental philosophy background, so that's critical mass. In a few days I'll post a chunk from the /War Machine/ essay, perhaps, and we'll see what happens.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

MDominic — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:14:54 -0800

I've just finished, and have been raving about ever since, Michael Burstein's "I Remember the Future". It's good science fiction in the style of the masters (Asimov, Clarke, et al), without most of the space opera or BEM's (elthough there's a good story towards the back that involves a Catholic priest, a Rabbi and a pregnant insectoid alien, which is not the setup for a dirty joke that it sounds). It gets a bit schmaltzy in places, but it's well worth a read.
Available from publisher Apex through their store and, my preference, through Fictionwise as an ebook. (And no, I'm not a shill for the company...I just really like the book.)

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

lexmachine — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:31:35 -0800

@bschory - I think of all the Discworld I've read [maybe half?] Maskerade was my least favorite. Feet of Clay is on my top 3 though.
[I would just like to say that when I saw "discworld" underlined in red by the spellchecker, I thought that it was obviously bitching because it's wasn't capitalized...]

Currently working on Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler.

Also adding my recommend of World War Z to the ever growing pool.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

izenmania — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:57:01 -0800

Finally through Dune Messiah, on to Children of Dune.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

AWilliamsID — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:20:48 -0800

Finished Bach's Illusions.

A few pages into Stephen Graham Jones' Demon Theory . Not sure what to think about the style so far.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Admiral Neck — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:14:05 -0800

After putting Atlas Shrugged aside for a while after it made me hate reading (fucking shitty fucking fucking book), I blasted through A Writer's Tale by Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook, with the Dr. Who writer talking about his craft over a couple of years of running the show. As with all books by writers on their job, I found it vastly inspirational. After that I flew through Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, a YA novel similar to Battle Royale. As I'm considering writing a YA novel, it was bracing to find that there is a market for something as uncompromising and cruel as that while still retaining a lightness of touch that I think a lot of po-faced adult writers would be well advised to adopt. Next up, catching up on all of the comics I've not bought over the last few months, and then Stephen King's On Writing. I can't wait.

When I'm done with that, maybe back to Atlas Shrugged. It will be like driving a stake into the evil fucking thing so my mind can rest easy. Or I'll finally read Slaughterhouse 5, what with Lost going all Billy Pilgrim this season.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

undulatingungulate — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:16:01 -0800

Finally finished The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner. Brilliant; downer.

Next up probably either Ombria in Shadow by Patricia McKillip, or Bridge of Birds: A novel of an ancient China that never was, by Barry Hughart. Or maybe Using Your Brain For a Change by Richard Bandler.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

nigredo — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 06:20:21 -0800

About 200 pages in...not terribly impressed. Reads like an awkward cross between Eco, Walter Miller and Vonnegut so far...

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Smudge — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:21:04 -0800

Last books I've read:
About a Boy - Nick Hornby
Lullaby - Chuck Pallaniuk
Hi-fidelity - Nick Hornby
Pattern Recognition - William Gibson
Fight Club - Chuck Pallaniuk

Looking forward to picking up Gibson's new one, Spook Country

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

brittanica — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:01:22 -0800

picking and choosing through a collection of edgar allan poe's stories and poems.

love a lot of the stories, but just... so... long... winded...

interesting note: i first read "the cask of amontillado" in third grade (i think, around that time anyway). probably followed it soon after with "the masque of the red death". i was an interesting child.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

rickiep00h — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:22:44 -0800

@heil_brittanica

We read "Red Death" in fourth grade for school. I thought it was damn amazing, everyone else was bored or scared.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

AWilliamsID — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:29:42 -0800

Reading Stephen Graham Jones' Demon Theory. I love getting lost in his footnotes.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Osmosis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:01:09 -0800

Currently reading Butcher and Bolt, by David Loyn. It covers 200 years of foreign armies invading Afghanistan and getting cut to pieces. At the moment I have got as far as the second Anglo-Afghan War and can't help but marvel at the historical parallels. Somewhat poignant, as we just hit this anniversary.

Still savouring How to be Idle, by Tom Hodgkinson, editor of The Idler magazine. Lovely book, excellent for frittering away a dozy mid-morning or afternoon.

And I have a space for a novel to read, as I just finished Catch-22. I am not sure where I will go next; I may continue the cynical treatment of global war and pick up Slaughterhouse 5, or I do have a brand new copy of The Reluctant Fundamentalist on my shelves. Decisions ...

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

sacredchao — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:15:40 -0800

Reading The Women by T.C. Boyle, which just came out last week. It's pretty good, though it feels a little distant from the events that take place. He's going to be stopping in the bay area this weekend, so I'm going to try and catch that.

Still reading I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down by William Gay.

Listening to Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett. It's the third book in a series, and not nearly as interesting as the first two. It is kind of dwelling on themes that were adequately covered in the first two.

Probably going to read Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor next, partially because I just bought it, partially because Criterion is releasing the DVD in the next couple of months. Synchronicity, I guess.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Winther — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:30:40 -0800

Managed to get through World War Z, Butcher Bird and The Temporal Void while on vacation in Austria. Three very good reads, in their own ways. World War Z really surprised me, as I had somehow gotten the impression that it was fairly humorous in tone, like Zombie Survival Guide with more narrative flow. Instead, it was gripping and horrifyingly... realistic. Top notch.

Butcher Bird felt like what might happen if Crooked Little Vein and Neverwhere met in a dark alley and had nasty, sweaty sex. And since both those books are among my favorites, that's meant as a compliment.

Temporal Void... I don't think there are any authors out there who do big space opera like Peter F. Hamilton. And now I'm waiting very impatiently for The Evolutionary Void.

Still got Holmes on the Range and Stand on Zanzibar waiting. We'll see which one I grab first.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

QuidamTulpa — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:20:26 -0800

Just finished reading the four Ender books by Orson Scott Card. While I found the injection of religion a little annoying at times I decided to not let it influence my opinions of the books, because you have to write what you know and that's what he knows, besides his main character was agnostic to the end. It was a fantastic character driven series. The pro's; you became very attached to the characters even the ones you hated (and I mean hate like you want to nut-punch them every chance you get). The con's are in the science. The tech is never truly explained, therefor didn't have specific limits besides the time dilation, thus when the big revelations came they didn't have as much impact as they could have had. Understandably he favored the character development to the science and I can't fault him for that because he created some wonderfully memorable characters and species (limited though they were).
On to a for-the-hell-of-it Hellboy On Earth as it is in Hell novel then God's Demon by Wayne Barlow.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Justin Wrote This — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:06:31 -0800

Just started reading Nightlife by Rob Thurman, after which I will either read Supernatural: Bone Key by Keith R.A. Decandido or return to my newly-discovered fascination with The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Wakefield — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:13:26 -0800

The Changeling by Joy Williams
Change of Climate by Hilary Mantel

My friend just finished 2666 and sent me a text: "There's a prison scene in part five that almost made me vomit."

@ sacredchao

Did you get to The Paperhanger yet? That one left me unsettled.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

oddbill — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:11:36 -0800

@nigredo

About 200 pages in...not terribly impressed. Reads like an awkward cross between Eco, Walter Miller and Vonnegut so far...
(Re: Neal Stephenson's Anathem)

It gets way better past the midpoint. The finale is very good.

In the end, it might be my least favorite Stephenson, but that's still superior to most of the fiction I read. It does have a sort of tedious beginning, and some of the middle is a bit blah. The set piece at the end is great though.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

remotepush — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:51:47 -0800

@sacredchao Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett - sounds like i've been right to be putting that off. i enjoyed the first in the series, the second was a bit more iffy, and couldn't help but feel he wasn't going to sustain it right.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

pi8you — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:31:47 -0800

I'm fairly certain I started it somewheres in January, but I just finished up Terry Brooks' Running with the Demon with a push through the final quarter of the book, leaving me feeling accomplished as I've been downright terrible about reading for a while now(accursed games and anime and their death grip on me). Trying to decide if I want to push on with the trilogy so I can see how he bridges it to the Shannara books, or to rotate over to something else in my growing stack. Possibly looking to get back to Stanislaw Lem's Hospital of the Transfiguration, as I got sidetracked from it for one reason or another.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Kayne0X1 — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:43:22 -0800

Just finished reading Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons. They've been around for a while (they published 20 and 19 years ago respectively), but I'd never got around to them. Damn they were good.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Kayne0X1 — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:48:10 -0800

@ Brent Wilcox:

The next two Night Watch books are just as good as the first. Haven't read The Last Watch the fourth book, but I might pick it up tommorrow.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

johnplatt — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:32:37 -0800

101 Ways to Kill Your Boss by Graham Roumieu -- hilarious and DARK!

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

magatsu — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:47:16 -0800

Finished re-reading Time Enough For Love yesterday, and it is exactly as good as I remembered it. Still crazy and full of love.

Just picked up Heinlein's Revolt in 2100 | Methuselah's Children, and so far it's kind of creepy. Fundies (favorite new word, right next to "Long Island Special") scare me.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Final — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:19:18 -0800

Currently
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Stranger in a Strange Land - Heinlein

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

HoldingUpTheBar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:30:46 -0800

Just finished Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes - loved it, gonna try and get a copy of the film this weekend.

Also perusing a JG Ballard collection, as well as his Empire of the Sun. Picked up the three volumes of Asimov - The Early Years second hand for 50p each - they're very well thumbed but they smell GREAT. Got a Raymond Chandler collection on the shelf that keeps calling to me and I keep meaning to re-read Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.

2666 sounds great, gonna pick up a copy on payday.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

mybrainhurts — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:10:57 -0800

Just started 2666. Got it for my birthday.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

sacredchao — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:17:19 -0800

@Twicetold -
I just finished that one. It was pretty creepy.

@Remotepush -
Yeah, basically you are correct. It's kind of like he combined the plots from Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo, put them in a blender with some ice and rum, and out poured Bangkok Haunts.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

gjmiller — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:39:06 -0800

I've just finished Japrocksampler by Julian Cope. It's extremely good and I'm putting it up there with Our Band Could be Your Life.

Next up - The first two Gervase Fen mysteries by Edmund Crispin. I already read the third one and am really looking forward to these.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

izenmania — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:27:37 -0800

Okay, I am about ready to be done reading Dune books for a while. I've loved them, certainly, but I could do with a change after three straight. And not Cormac McCarthy, either... something a little lighter. Maybe Breakfast of Champions.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

johnplatt — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:35:13 -0800

Starting Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin. Wow.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Benji Alpha — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:23:13 -0800

I am currently rereading Guards Guard by Terry Pratchett. It is odd because the last time I read it I read the graphic novel (big comic) version) and although it is the same story it reads quite differently.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Fearlessfoz — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:07:14 -0800

Ok. Finished Of Human Bondage early in the month and really enjoyed it. Absolutely classic novel, autobiography, tale of coming of age and coming to terms with the world around you, and how you as an individual deal with it. Brilliant, and not sullied or dark when touching on the eternal questions of the human heart. There is darkness there... essentially its all in your head, no one cares, there is no god, and you are going to die alone and afraid... so make the most of it! Seriously it can't help but be inspirational when you stand back and look at the whole story.
So after that... i plunged right into Cormack McCarthy's The Road. Woah. I read that one at a suggestion of a friend. She had heard me pitching a post-apocalypic tale of my own and told me I should check this one out. I say again... woah. So that book was just like being awfully impressed with someone and having them punch you in the balls 2/3s of the time you are with them. I read it in 3 days and was mezmerised. Brutal... as a father I had way too many sick to my stomach and cold sinking feeling in my heart moments... but man... good writing. I wont forget that story for... well... ever.
After all that stuff I decided to take a romp through His Lordship's Crooked Little Vein. That was brilliant as well, and the perfect escape from all that emotional heaviness. Thanks Warren, that shit was exactly what I needed. ie... laughing out loud on the train wondering what poor Mike was going to stumble into next... or who(m) his filthy assistant was going to do next... I really enjoyed it.
Now I'm reading 2001 by A.C.Clark and about halfway through. Man Clark is a giant... but he sure sounds like he needs to get over himself in the introduction to the copy I bought. Good stuff so far... but I was already a huge fan of the movie... I'm liking it... and trying to decide which direction to go next.
I have a pair of Ian M Banks books on deck and The Stand which for some reason I've never read... but after doing the Dark Tower series at the end of last year I could go a while without reading any King for a few more months.
Happy reading...

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

J. Thaddeus — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:46:31 -0800

Just finished Orpahans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein. Very simple and easy read, but touches on some deep issues.
Also finished Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño. The book is divided up into 3 parts. The first part is journal entries and I loved it, totally enthralled with the writing and the subject. The second part is interviews, and while not as good as the first part it was still enjoyable. Third part returns to the journal and finishes up the story. Something about the way Bolaño writes just hooks me. I love the long, never ending sentences I guess. I have his giant opus 2666 sitting on my desk for when I have time to devote to it.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

magatsu — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:43:11 -0800

@J. Thaddeus
If you like Bolaño's sentence work, I think you might like Henry James—Bolaño is kind of like a colloquial James.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Smudge — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:49:58 -0800

@jgmiller - "Our Band..." is high on my list of books to pick up. I was heavily into the punk scene in the late 80's and 90's and am very interested in this one. I read "Come as You Are" by Azerrad and liked it quite a bit.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

256 — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:34:36 -0800

@Fearlessfoz - Clarke was the first author I came to love, but his introductions (to his works and those of others) are uniformly uncomfortable to read. His friends used to call him "The Ego". You can see why.

Finished Hokkaido Highway Blues and Narrow Road To A Far Province. Both very good. Also re-read In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami, which is brilliant. Enough Japanese stuff for the moment, so now reading A Balcony In The Forest by Julian Gracq (very good so far, with an interesting style) and the Edward Gorey collection Amphigorey (love). And, yes, still working on Vineland.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

dot_xom — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 10:47:14 -0800

Last book I read was Fleming's Live and Let Die. Just started yesterday on Chabon's Wonder Boys.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

undulatingungulate — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:25:08 -0800

Finished Patricia McKillip's Ombria in Shadow, a lovely dreamy rich and lush type fantasy.

About to start Bandler's Using Your Brain For a Change.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

MShades — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:02:16 -0800

Just finished "Shutting Out the Sun" by Michael Zielenziger and am now pondering exactly how to review it. In the meantime, I'm re-reading Haruki Murakami's "Underground," about the sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

outlawpoet — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:41:43 -0800

Trying again to read AGAINST THE DAY.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Steerpike — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 18:23:40 -0800

Slowly savoring Yiddish Policeman's Union. I'm tempted to pick up I Was Dora Suarez after that, as Derek Raymond's The Factory series has been reissued in the States and I loved How The Dead Live when I read it years ago.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Ryan S Thomason — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:07:35 -0800

Finished Ben Goldacre's Bad Science the other night. Tells you everything you need to know about all kinds of quackery and other bullshit. GIllian McKeith-proof yourself!

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Brent Wilcox — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:44 -0800

Christopher Moore's Fool

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

izenmania — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:20:51 -0800

Finally finished Children of Dune (reading time has taken a nose dive now that I'm commuting by bike instead of bus again)

Going to start on Microserfs today at lunch. It was gifted to me last July and I still haven't read it.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

ScottS — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:37:53 -0800

I finished Christopher Moore's FOOL about two days after I bought it (which would have been the day it was released naturally). I thought it was very amusing, with some laugh-out-loud moments. I will probably re-read it in a week or two, to see if I missed anything the first time around.

Currently reading Milk, Sulphate, & Alby Salvation by Martin Millar. So far it's good at giving off weird vibes and making me feel paranoid and wanting to buy complete runs of the first Silver Surfer series.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

nigredo — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:38:25 -0800

@ izenmania

Microserfs is my favourite Coupland book and I think his more well realised and convicing.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

WDavies — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:24:37 -0800

Currently speeding along through The Vesuvius Club and The Devil in Amber by Mark Gatiss. The publisher has kindly stapled them together back to back.

Quite a light read but very enjoybable.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Ebony14 — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:55:58 -0800

Went to a speculative lit convention this past weekend and picked up some new stuff (new for me anyway). Currently reading Daughter of Hounds by Caitlin R. Kiernan. It's an interesting story of ghouls living under Providence, RI, and the strangeness surrounding one of their changelings and a half-breed girl. Spooky and surreal, with just a touch of gangster action.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

remotepush — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:23:17 -0800

i re-read american gods by gaiman for the first time since it came out, and started anansi boys which i finally got round to buying.
i re-read books 1-4 of scott pilgrim and then read book 5.
i am half way through t.p. louise and ashley wood's lore collected book 2, which is art light, but fun.
i am making a second attempt at hoban's riddley walker, having gotten too distracted the last time i tried to read it.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Ananzitusq — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:13:53 -0800

just picked up the deluxe edition of the Portable Dorothy Parker, I've fallen in love.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

magatsu — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:43:05 -0800

Finished Revolt in 2100 a few days ago, and just worked my way into Methuselah's Children.

Debating a quick break from Heinlein to read a Stross book, or maybe do my re-reading of Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. We shall see.

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

dot_xom — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:22:31 -0800

Finished Wonder Boys, starting on A Wrinkle In Time (based on a recommendation from the girlfriend).

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

Edwin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:12:02 -0800

Finished:
Wally's World - bio about Wally Wood, not terribly well written, but wonderfully informing.

The Wolfen - Whitley Strieber - I first read this when I was about 12 and into anything concerning wolves, not realizing that is was not really aimed at the 12 year old psyche. Gave me some wonderfull vivid nightmares for weeks. So I naturally have to re-read this once every 10 years or so, and it still makes my inner 12 year-old twitchy at night...

Now reading:
Destiny Doll - Clifford Simak - Olden-Sci-Fi goodness!

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

MShades — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:00:34 -0800

Now reading Bruce Catton's "The Civil War." Great overview of the war, although I wish the maps were better - I can't quite visualize the detailed geography involved, and having both Confederate and Federal attack lines drawn with the same black arrows makes things unnecessarily confusing....

The Feburary 2009 Book Club

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The Feburary 2009 Book Club

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The Feburary 2009 Book Club

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