What are you reading at the moment?

d8m

Having been hooked by the TV show I have picked up the first GOT book.

Philly_Q

d8m said:

Having been hooked by the TV show I have picked up the first GOT book.

I bought it before I heard of the TV show, but then when I realised how many books there are it put me off starting...

I am a fan of George RR Martin's earlier work.  I don't know why, but it seems he took a decade long break from publishing in the mid-80s then came back with GOT.  I'd assumed he was dead.

I'm currently reading Uncle Silas by J Sheridan Le Fanu.

Jalapeno

The TV series will catch up with the books after the impending run - he needs to pull his finger out ....

Currently reading: The Peripheral - William Gibson.  Up to his usual visionary standard.

Hootsmon

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/8917/what-are-you-reading-at-the-moment/p1

Paul_C

I was reading The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell, but it was so badly written compared to Number 9 Dream (which is probably my favourite) that I gave up on it and am re-reading Soul Music by way of a farewell to Terry Pratchett.

Either I'm getting more fussy as I get older, or a number of authors whose work I've enjoyed in the past are getting sloppy. The last Neil Gaiman I read (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) was poor, the last TP - Raising Steam, understandably perhaps, but sadly, seemed to be a load of Terry Pratchett tropes stuck together and the last book by Neal Stephenson I also had to give up on as he appeared to have decided that if he thought of something that might be even loosely connected to the story it was going in, and it just got too mental for me.

China Miéville hasn't let me down yet, and the last Alastair Reynolds was ok but I'm two books behind so we'll see.

I'm loathe to try Iain Banks' last book as I generally loved his stuff but the reviews of it weren't great, so maybe one day but not now

speshul91

The divergent trilogy, read the first 2 in less than a week, started the last one today and they are brilliant

Sambostar

Legendary Front Pages from the NT News.  It's mostly photos with headlines mind.  Can't believe the size of crocs these days, when I was a kid these sorts of sizes were the stuff of legend and were only found in stuffed specimens in museums.  Common place now.  Stupid liberals, glad they've finally seen sense and reintroduced a culling programme.

xSkarloey

@Philly_q Le Fanu is great isn't he.

I'm currently dipping in and out of an anthology of English verse and a book-length magazine special on the Jaguar XJS car. I like variety.

HAL9000

Paul_C;576003" said:

I was reading The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell, but it was so badly written compared to Number 9 Dream (which is probably my favourite) that I gave up on it and am re-reading Soul Music by way of a farewell to Terry Pratchett.



Either I'm getting more fussy as I get older, or a number of authors whose work I've enjoyed in the past are getting sloppy. The last Neil Gaiman I read (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) was poor, the last TP - Raising Steam, understandably perhaps, but sadly, seemed to be a load of Terry Pratchett tropes stuck together and the last book by Neal Stephenson I also had to give up on as he appeared to have decided that if he thought of something that might be even loosely connected to the story it was going in, and it just got too mental for me.



China Miéville hasn't let me down yet, and the last Alastair Reynolds was ok but I'm two books behind so we'll see.



I'm loathe to try Iain Banks' last book as I generally loved his stuff but the reviews of it weren't great, so maybe one day but not now

Having just finished Bone Clocks I have to agree with you. Very poorly written compared to Cloud Atlas and Number 9 Dream. Would also agree re The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and the later offerings from Terry Pratchett (though I'm happy to give him the benefit of the doubt due to his suffering from Alzheimer's). Looking at the rest of your post it looks like our reading tastes are broadly similar. Have you read The Night Circus or House of Leaves? Could be up your street.

HAL9000

Shakey by Jimmy McDonough. A biography of Neil Young. Interesting read, but how anybody puts up with him is anybody's guess).

CloudNine

Currently just finishing book one of the 'The First Law Trilogy' by Joe Abercrombie. Been quite into Fantasy type stuff for the last few years, and this is really good so far.

Skipped

I am reading a Thatcher biography.
Which is pretty stupid really. Because I read just before sleeping, and for the past few days I seem to have been overdosing with current General Election coverage.
No wonder my dreams are vivid.

Philly_Q

Skarloey said:

@Philly_q Le Fanu is great isn't he.

@Skarloey  Yes, I've read quite a lot of his short stories, going right back to when I was a little kid, but never any of his novels.  I knew Uncle Silas as a famous title without really having any idea at all what it was about - it's not what I expected but I'm enjoying it.

Heartfeltdawn

Razzle. 

Paul_C

HAL9000 said:

Paul_C;576003" said:

I was reading The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell, but it was so badly written compared to Number 9 Dream (which is probably my favourite) that I gave up on it and am re-reading Soul Music by way of a farewell to Terry Pratchett.



Either I'm getting more fussy as I get older, or a number of authors whose work I've enjoyed in the past are getting sloppy. The last Neil Gaiman I read (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) was poor, the last TP - Raising Steam, understandably perhaps, but sadly, seemed to be a load of Terry Pratchett tropes stuck together and the last book by Neal Stephenson I also had to give up on as he appeared to have decided that if he thought of something that might be even loosely connected to the story it was going in, and it just got too mental for me.



China Miéville hasn't let me down yet, and the last Alastair Reynolds was ok but I'm two books behind so we'll see.



I'm loathe to try Iain Banks' last book as I generally loved his stuff but the reviews of it weren't great, so maybe one day but not now

Having just finished Bone Clocks I have to agree with you. Very poorly written compared to Cloud Atlas and Number 9 Dream. Would also agree re The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and the later offerings from Terry Pratchett (though I'm happy to give him the benefit of the doubt due to his suffering from Alzheimer's). Looking at the rest of your post it looks like our reading tastes are broadly similar. Have you read The Night Circus or House of Leaves? Could be up your street.

I've got House of Leaves and I have started it, but it's a bit big for reading in bed, so it might be a while before I finish it.

Grunfeld

A couple of things on the go but I've nearly finished this one:

Andy Weir, "The Martian"

I've not enjoyed a book this much for ages.  I'm savouring it, deliberately dragging it out despite it being a page turner.  I guess it's science fiction but I think only by default of the setting.  Just utterly brilliant so far, no idea how it's going to end.  Super enjoyable read, highly recommended. 

lloyd

Thread in off topic a about what you're reading, trying to get some tips/ideas.

Has this lame joke been done before?

boogieman

Just finished John Connolly's Wolf in Winter. Big return to form for Mr C after his last couple of extremely weird Charlie Parker books. Now reading Arcanum, a true account of how a German guy searching for the Philosophers Stone in the 1700's found the secret of making porcelain. Good read, far more interesting than it sounds.

snakemanStoo

IJF refereeing course materials.  So much Japanese it's making me confusedwaza

Blueingreen

Elena Ferrante: My Brilliant Friend.  Mind bogglingly good.

Knausgaard:  My Struggle.  Very interesting and well worth dipping into but not sure I'm up for reading the whole sequence.  There are definite longeurs and it runs to 3,600 pp.

Carl Wilson: Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste.  A re-read, but the subject (aesthetic value) is a bit of a hobbyhorse of mine.  Good although  the best popular book on the subject is John Carey's What Good Are The Arts.