What Are You Reading?

It was okay, but seemed at times like the generic version of not-quite-feminist "women's consciousness" of the time (middle class white girl finds plenty of sex and dangerous ideas in the big city, even if Theresa herself was from the Bronx). Interesting in retrospect to see the protagonist so skeptical of some of the era's social currents (though I much preferred Iris Owens's fantastic After Claude in that department). Pretty hot in places (I personally would have guarded this book with my life in seventh grade), but rather depressing in retrospect. I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I'll hold onto it either.

Those are both great, but I love his book on the Hells Angels. 

I'm re-reading The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James.

Finishing Railsea by China Mieville, then starting up on Robin McKinley's Pegasus. And then it will be time for me to make another trip to the library! 

What is with everyone suddenly reading Hell House?! I'd never even heard of that book until like two weeks ago. WEIRD.

I finished Emma by Jane Austen and it was balllllllsssssss and now I'm reading What Matters in Jane Austen?, non-fiction, which is okay but not rocking my world.

And then it's apparently on to The Flamethrowers, which I guess I should have confirmed before I voted for it for book club: this is about Zartan's Dreadnok henchman with the flamethrower, leather boy Torch, right?

I skimmed The Godfather for that reason. I had heard it was dirtier than the movie. Which it was.

Wanted to update that I did finally finish "Lonesome Dove" a couple days ago. I planned on finishing that in December, but life happened. Anyway, I've been sick lately and it finally gave me the time to finish the last 150 pages. Wow, that is a much better book than I was expecting. I love how vivid the characters are. Love the exploration of the friendship between Gus and Call.

This one is a rare Pulitzer winner which I have absolutely loved. I've never seen the mini-series. How is it?

Finished McKinley's Pegasus and am pissed because I didn't know it was a cliffhanger, and now I can't find the next part anywhere!

Moved on to Nick Offerman's Paddle Your Own Canoe, which is fantastic. 

Since I finished the January book, The Flamethrowers, early, and there was talk of reading All the Pretty Horses next month, I remembered that I have owned The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy for years now, but have yet to read it. It's probably the only McCarthy novel I have not read. I am about a quarter of the way into it, and I already love it.

I've been chipping away at a couple of books that I probably should have finished months ago. I'm about halfway through "At the Mountains of Madness" and "Winesburg, Ohio," the latter of which being way better than I remembered it from high school. I like what Madness is going for and appreciate it as the touchstone it is for sci-fi and horror, but it's losing some steam in its build towards a conclusion. Getting a little Longfellow and Neruda in too, here and there.

Yo nachomatrimony, I was just complaining about that shitty middle part of Mountains of Madness in the shoutbox. That part sucks, huh? It'll get better again...eventually.

I'm now finally - FINALLY - reading Aphra Behn, after having a conversation about her with someone (maybe K. Thrace?) like eight months ago and saying "I'm gonna stop putting this off and read some Aphra Behn starting right now." It's pretty good!

I'm sorry I missed that. It would have been the perfect opportunity to start shoutboxing/complain about that stupid part. Because I'm reading it on an e-reader in a collection with some of his other works I have no way to meaningfully gauge how long the story is, which may be exaggerating the tedium of it. Oh well, I'll soldier on.

nachomatrimony The printed edition I have has the story at little under 100 pages. I got the book for free and figured I'd give it a try, I'm not encouraged...

Can't remember if my previous post here was already about J.R, I'm currently reading J.R., it's very good fun, the style (almost strictly dialogue) makes it very lively, more as I continue (it will go quicker once I'm done with the Flamethrowers, should be done with that mid-next week).

What a great, strange pairing (only about a decade or so apart, too; Winesburg, Ohio came out while Lovecraft was still in his Dunsanian phase that I didn't like). I really ought to reread Winesburg one of these days. If memory serves, it was one of my former co-worker's favorite books. I fucking love At The Mountains of Madness top to bottom: easily my favorite Lovecraft work, but I can see why people would get frustrated with it.

Dr. Dastardly, I want to say I mentioned Aphra Behn at some point, but I don't remember a "conversation" as such (Oronooko was okay, and some of her comedies were pretty decent, if you like that Restoration style).

Judith Tarr's A Wind In Cairo, telling the story of a spoiled Egyptian aristocrat of the twelfth century who's turned into a horse. Pretty good, taking place against the background of Saladin's rise to power and featuring a deceptively feisty heroine (not the horse, its mistress). Apparently came out the same year as Tarr's Ars Magica, her historical fantasy "biofic" of Gerbert of Aurillac, aka Pope Sylvester II; they make a pretty nice pair.

Just started Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and am already squirming about fifteen pages in after Claire mentions her WW2 service with the "Royal Army." The characters are fun and engaging, and there's a slight Wicker Man vibe to their present environs, but I suspect I'll have issues with some of the cultural mistranslations all the way through. It's been recommended to me since the mid-90s, though, and I intend to see it through. The pile's getting smaller, and that's all that matters.

That said, picked up Gary Shteyngart's memoir (which I didn't think was coming out for another couple of months) at the bookstore along with The Flamethrowers Tuesday, and will probably start that tomorrow and like it better.