2226 replies to this topic

[dodge]

The Empty Copper Sea, a McGee-er by John D. MacDonald.

05/22: Just finished it and, sad to say, it has one of the worst endings of any mystery I've read.

[Kilroy6644]

I finally finished "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman," and I'm starting on James Michener's "Poland."

[Gabe Vieira]

Ok, well...please tell me you enjoy(ed) Great Expectations, [/i]The Great Gatsby[/i], or Othello?

And no there doesn't have to be authors you don't like. I love literature so much, I love them all!

Never read Great Expectations or Othello, but I did like The Great Gatsby. I'm more of a Catcher in the Rye person.

Oh, and I finished Good Omens. On to Neverwhere.

[Slight Inferiority Complex]

Maintaining the Charles Dickens theme I'm reading Hard Times.

I love both Great Expectations and The Great Gatsby, too.

[elizabeth]

Another Dickens classic that I love is A Christmas Carol.

[dodge]

Another Dickens classic that I love is A Christmas Carol.

That one's a miracle, isn't it? Hard to think of a character who should seem less sympathetic than Scrooge at the beginning...but who engages us more.

[OmarB]

And Another Thing. That's the new Hitchhiker's Guide by that other author. I just started it this morning and can't really give an impression yet 14 pages in. But there are some funny lines so far.

[solace]

Currently reading Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell. First of his books I've read but so far Im loving it. Anyone else a fan of his work?

[elizabeth]

Another Dickens classic that I love is A Christmas Carol.

That one's a miracle, isn't it? Hard to think of a character who should seem less sympathetic than Scrooge at the beginning...but who engages us more.

True. And there are so many truths in that book that make it a true classic, and it makes one hell of a dynamic duo with Great Expectations.

[dodge]

Michael Connelly's 2009 novel, The Scarecrow. Great stuff from one of the top wizards working in the mystery field.

[bond 16.05.72]

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, so far I'm enjoying it, 100 pages in.

[dodge]

Looking for something new now: has anyone read any of the mysteries by Scottish writer Denise Mina?

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

Goodbye to All That - Robert Graves' autobiography

[Harmsway]

THE MAGUS by John Fowles.

I was only able to obtain Fowles' 1976 revision of the novel. I hope it is satisfactory. I've done some loose investigation, but I haven't found much written about Fowles or THE MAGUS. What I did find indicated that both the original and the revision are held with esteem.

[Loomis]

Ah, I'm a huge fan of THE MAGUS. Re-read it recently, in fact (the revision, which is very much Fowles' "director's cut" and thus should be considered the definitive version).

It's beautifully written, compelling and - as far as I can tell - very original. Whether you will fully embrace the book and where it ultimately takes you, I don't know, but I'm certain that you'll have a fascinating, thought-provoking reading experience along the way. Like a couple of my other favourite "modern" novels (THE SECRET HISTORY and SHANTARAM), it is, at the very least, a book that makes one think: well, I've never read anything else like that.

I've long been interested in the supposedly dreadful film version (scripted by Fowles), about which Woody Allen is said to have quipped "If I had to live my life all over again, the one thing I wouldn't do is see THE MAGUS", but it seems to be unavailable on DVD in Britain.

[Harmsway]

Ah, I'm a huge fan of THE MAGUS. Re-read it recently, in fact (the revision, which is very much Fowles' "director's cut" and thus should be considered the definitive version).

Well, there are books where later revised versions are not considered definitive. For example, scholarship is much more interested in the 1818 edition of FRANKENSTEIN than in the 1831 revised edition. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that it's this version of THE MAGUS which you hold dear (I only picked it up because you stated it was one of your favorites).

It's beautifully written, compelling and - as far as I can tell - very original. Whether you will fully embrace the book and where it ultimately takes you, I don't know, but I'm certain that you'll have a fascinating, thought-provoking reading experience along the way. Like a couple of my other favourite "modern" novels (THE SECRET HISTORY and SHANTARAM), it is, at the very least, a book that makes one think: well, I've never read anything else like that.

That's exactly what I was hoping for.

[Kilroy6644]

A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler. Or The Mask of, if you prefer. We in America get the coffin.

[Loomis]

(I only picked it up because you stated it was one of your favorites).

I'm flattered. Given some of the things I believe you are interested in (drama, history, literature, music, philosophy, religion, travelogue, and filmmakers like Fincher and Polanski), I'm sure that you will have a whale of a time with THE MAGUS.

I can't put it better than a reviewer on Amazon: "Combining the epic richness of a Dickens novel with the macabre touches of a Poe, Lovecraft, or Kafka story, and set to an exotic, luxuriant backdrop of a beautiful Greek island, 'The Magus' is one of the most enchanting, fun, and lovingly frustrating novels I've ever read, one I'm not likely to forget."

[Matt_13]

GHOST WARS.

[killkenny kid]

The Professional - Robert B. Parker

[dodge]

Ah, I'm a huge fan of THE MAGUS. Re-read it recently, in fact (the revision, which is very much Fowles' "director's cut" and thus should be considered the definitive version).

Well, there are books where later revised versions are not considered definitive. For example, scholarship is much more interested in the 1818 edition of FRANKENSTEIN than in the 1831 revised edition. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that it's this version of THE MAGUS which you hold dear (I only picked it up because you stated it was one of your favorites).

It's beautifully written, compelling and - as far as I can tell - very original. Whether you will fully embrace the book and where it ultimately takes you, I don't know, but I'm certain that you'll have a fascinating, thought-provoking reading experience along the way. Like a couple of my other favourite "modern" novels (THE SECRET HISTORY and SHANTARAM), it is, at the very least, a book that makes one think: well, I've never read anything else like that.

That's exactly what I was hoping for.

I don't think you'll be disappointed, Harms. Magnificently written, with mindblowing twists.

[Sark2.0]

The 48 Laws of Power. so far.

[elizabeth]

Finished The Da Vinci Code. I learned a lot that clashes with my faith! Yay! But it was still interesting to read. Looking forward to Angels and Demons!

Now I'm trying to finish Brisingr by Christopher Paolini before the 4th book comes out.

[Kilroy6644]

The Mummy, by Anne Rice.

[dodge]

The 48 Laws of Power. so far.

It is an awesome book. You might also want to check out his book on the Laws of Seduction. Very provocative reading.

[Trident]

The City & The City by China Miéville

My first Miéville and I'm impressed. TC&TC is a crime mystery set in a bizarre locale that is divided in two cities, Ul Qoma and Beszel, by a mysterious power, the Breach. Physically, both cities occupy the same space, the division being purely in the perception of the inhabitants who are 'unseeing' the other city and its citizens, i.e. ignoring them, as physically they are of course all around each other. The murder of a young Ul Qoma woman whose body was found in Beszel pulls Tyador Borlu of the Beszel police deep into a dangerous conspiracy that threatens both his life and the future of the two cities.

A thought-provoking book that, while clearly depicting a crime mystery, also is a fantasy tale. Reverberations of Kafka and Orwell, as well as The Third Man and Gorky Park. Recommended for fans of genre-spreading works.

[dodge]

Reading "Witch Hunt' by Scottish crime lord Ian Rankin. Involving and interesting tale of the hunt for a female assassin. All the more interesting because it makes no attempt to compete in its pacing with, say, Day of the Jackal. The emphasis is far more, so far at least, on mystery, characterization and mood than on action set pieces. And I find that refreshing. Gotta read more of this fine writer's work.

[Harmsway]

After I finish with THE MAGUS, which won't be for a little while yet, I'll be pushing on to MATTER by Ian M. Banks, which I'm informed is an extraordinary bit of contemporary sci-fi.

[Kilroy6644]

The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.

[Sark2.0]

The 48 Laws of Power. so far.

It is an awesome book. You might also want to check out his book on the Laws of Seduction. Very provocative reading.

I definitely plan to. I'm not sure if I want to recommend the 48 Laws to anyone, in spite of how much I liked it, because they might use it against me