What Are You Reading Now?

[SteelBlue]

I've worked hard to recover my attention which I had surrendered to my phone the past few years. I feel like I've made good progress, and my reading has picked up.

The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell was a good read. It's the same characters from The House on Vesper Sands and again, you miss them when the book ends. This one was darker and the mystery was relatively easy to solve, but it's the characters that make it worth picking up.

All Fours by Miranda July was on a lot of "Best of 2024" lists. I know her from The Last Bad Man which I read a few years ago and so I knew this would be a good pick for my yearly "read something way out of your comfort zone" read. Uh, let's just say it was several zip codes out of my comfort zone. She's funny and a good writer but man, no filter.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. A classic that I'd not yet read but of course I knew it culturally. I was surprised at its similarity to Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and learned that it preceded that novel by 4-5 years. Similar in tone also to the writings of Sheridan Le Fanu who I feel did it better than both RLS and Wilde.

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma. A collection of short stories that was on the NYT Best of 23 list. Strange and enjoyable. Utah figured prominently as Ma lived there upon first moving to the U.S.


Currently reading: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. Enjoying the premise so far. Time travel plot.

[SteelBlue]

He is an excellent writer. I am finally reading The Maker of Swans right now.

I'm a bit surprised he hasn't blown up. He's still one of the best authors that very few have heard of. I just learned he was diagnosed with MS and found this piece he wrote in the Irish Times. If anyone wants to see his talent without reading an entire novel, then here you go:

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/b...made-1.4168380

[BigPiney]

I think a few of you also enjoyed this one. Just thought I'd let you know he has a new novel coming out on the 25th of this month. The Naming of the Birds. I got a review copy and am on chapter 3 but already I'm immensely enjoying his style.

He is an excellent writer. I am finally reading The Maker of Swans right now.

[SteelBlue]

The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'Donnell. Highly recommend to all. Victorian inspired murder mystery that also manages to be incredibly funny.

I think a few of you also enjoyed this one. Just thought I'd let you know he has a new novel coming out on the 25th of this month. The Naming of the Birds. I got a review copy and am on chapter 3 but already I'm immensely enjoying his style.

[UtahDan]

Jade City
Will of the Many
Shadow of the Gods
Sword of Kaigen
The Spear Cuts Through Water
The Fifth Season
Light Bringer

Wind and Truth is sitting in queue but it’s daunting. They’re so long.

[Shaka]

It was amazing. I highly recommend it.

I did my mission in Cape Town. Back then it was the whole coast of southern Africa from Namibia down to the Cape and right back up to Mozambique. I was there a couple of years ago and drove the Garden Route.

[BigPiney]

Did you have a good trip?

It was amazing. I highly recommend it.

[Shaka]

I took a trip to South Africa, and while traveling I like to read books from that area.

I hadn't read any South African literature, but I really enjoyed my literary trip.

I'm halfway through Nelson Mandela's autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom. Really interesting and a must read for me after visiting Robben Island.

I also read Trevor Noah's book, Born a Crime. This was excellent. I don't find him funny as a comedian but this was really good. Him growing up in a country that came out of apartheid was really unique.

In terms of novels. I went with Booker award winners. J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace was good but uncomfortable. A professor seduces a student and it spirals from there in post-apartheid SA. No happy endings for this one.

Damon Galgut's The Promise, was really good as well. Follows a family though each's death and funeral and the unfilled promise (that may or may not have been made) of giving part of their land and a small house to their black maid.

I'm also finishing up Galgut's The Good Doctor. I like it.

Did you have a good trip?

[SteelBlue]

3/4 of the way through Murakami's newest, The City and Its Uncertain Walls. I am admittedly a huge fan and am giving him a ton of leeway. I've purposely avoided reviews so I don't see spoilers but my guess is this one isn't going to be well received. I'm still reserving judgment until I've finished.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Just finished Men to Match My Mountains by Irving Stone. It tells the story of the exploration and settlement of the American West, with emphasis on California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. One of the best audiobooks I have listened to in a while. 22 hrs and I was sad when it ended. Highly recommended.

[BigPiney]

Just finished Richard Osman's latest, "We Solve Murders". This is not part of the "Thursday Murder Club" series, but a standalone (well, at least for now). Having said that, there are a lot of similarities to the TMC books. A bunch of quirky characters, some humor, some meditations on life and death, and a mystery to solve. If you like the TMC books I am pretty confident you will like this one. Overall, I think I liked the characters a bit more in this one (I guess a young dynamo like me has a hard time identifying with a bunch of retirees). It's not the most astounding or surprising plot for a mystery, but it is told well.

One of the judgments I use when I listen to audio books is based on playback speed. I usually start at 110%. I'll keep it there maybe 40% of the time. Another 40% of the time I will increase it to somewhere between 120% and 150% (If I get it to 150%, I am generally not loving it, but want for some reason to get through it). Maybe 20% of books I will slow down to 100% because I am happy to keep listening to it for a little longer. I liked this one enough that I slowed it to 100%

Finished that this week as well. I really like his books. For all the killing they seem like feel good books. They really are pick me ups.

[Clark Addison]

Just finished Richard Osman's latest, "We Solve Murders". This is not part of the "Thursday Murder Club" series, but a standalone (well, at least for now). Having said that, there are a lot of similarities to the TMC books. A bunch of quirky characters, some humor, some meditations on life and death, and a mystery to solve. If you like the TMC books I am pretty confident you will like this one. Overall, I think I liked the characters a bit more in this one (I guess a young dynamo like me has a hard time identifying with a bunch of retirees). It's not the most astounding or surprising plot for a mystery, but it is told well.

One of the judgments I use when I listen to audio books is based on playback speed. I usually start at 110%. I'll keep it there maybe 40% of the time. Another 40% of the time I will increase it to somewhere between 120% and 150% (If I get it to 150%, I am generally not loving it, but want for some reason to get through it). Maybe 20% of books I will slow down to 100% because I am happy to keep listening to it for a little longer. I liked this one enough that I slowed it to 100%

[BigPiney]

I assume you've already read The Power of One? One of my favorite novels.

I have not. Just requested it.

[Donuthole]

I took a trip to South Africa, and while traveling I like to read books from that area.

I hadn't read any South African literature, but I really enjoyed my literary trip.

I'm halfway through Nelson Mandela's autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom. Really interesting and a must read for me after visiting Robben Island.

I also read Trevor Noah's book, Born a Crime. This was excellent. I don't find him funny as a comedian but this was really good. Him growing up in a country that came out of apartheid was really unique.

In terms of novels. I went with Booker award winners. J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace was good but uncomfortable. A professor seduces a student and it spirals from there in post-apartheid SA. No happy endings for this one.

Damon Galgut's The Promise, was really good as well. Follows a family though each's death and funeral and the unfilled promise (that may or may not have been made) of giving part of their land and a small house to their black maid.

I'm also finishing up Galgut's The Good Doctor. I like it.

I assume you've already read The Power of One? One of my favorite novels.

[BigPiney]

I took a trip to South Africa, and while traveling I like to read books from that area.

I hadn't read any South African literature, but I really enjoyed my literary trip.

I'm halfway through Nelson Mandela's autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom. Really interesting and a must read for me after visiting Robben Island.

I also read Trevor Noah's book, Born a Crime. This was excellent. I don't find him funny as a comedian but this was really good. Him growing up in a country that came out of apartheid was really unique.

In terms of novels. I went with Booker award winners. J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace was good but uncomfortable. A professor seduces a student and it spirals from there in post-apartheid SA. No happy endings for this one.

Damon Galgut's The Promise, was really good as well. Follows a family though each's death and funeral and the unfilled promise (that may or may not have been made) of giving part of their land and a small house to their black maid.

I'm also finishing up Galgut's The Good Doctor. I like it.