books to read

[NeppuNeppu]

Finished The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and it was pretty rad. Not the most outstanding book, but it was really good. Still working through The Situationist International Anthology and it's some of the sickest philosophy I've read.
Going to start Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe by Thomas Ligotti soon.

[botefdunn]

k. sello duiker, thirteen cents


read it for a lit class, really good though heavy. streets if capetown from a kids perspective,  somethinglike Tsotsi if you've see it, i don't have many references for south african stories though.

[Trashcon]

If anyone liked "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk" (Stooges, MC5, Ramones, Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, Blondie, etc) check out "We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001" talks about Oblivians, New Bomb Turks, The Spits, Mummies, Jay Reatard, etc. Great read if you're into this music. Even if you're not, most of these punk heroes got into some heavy stuff that's interesting to read about.

[slappies]

If anyone liked "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk" (Stooges, MC5, Ramones, Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, Blondie, etc) check out "We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001" talks about Oblivians, New Bomb Turks, The Spits, Mummies, Jay Reatard, etc. Great read if you're into this music. Even if you're not, most of these punk heroes got into some heavy stuff that's interesting to read about.

Woah good suggestion, I wasn't even aware of that book.
To add to this, check out "Treat Me Like Dirt" it's essentially the Canadian equivalent to "Please Kill Me". It focuses on the Toronto/Hamilton scene in the same time frame.

[fergus]

Rereading Mother Night by Vonnegut, even better the second time around.

[SFblah]

If you like Cormac McCarthy then you’ll love this. A Swede travels across the country during early 1900s.


Found this Scottish press called Charco that translates contemporary Latin American authors. I ordered all 5 they published so far. This is a really short read that has dictator undertones.

[tortfeasor]

pretty early into this and already ready to say it will probably land on my top 10 nonfiction books of all time....





probably the only time i have used the phrase "fucking gnar" in a book review.

[SFblah]

I knew Mark Suciu was getting some type of literature degree and thought of him while I was on Goodreads so if you wanna know what he reads here it is. Wonder what other pros have a Goodreads.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/57272458-mark-suciu

Anyone here on GR?

[Alan]

Ha!

I haven't updated mine in years... It's kinda a chore.

[Grind King Rims]

As always, +1 for absolute nerdery.

[tortfeasor]

my reading taste is far too plebeian to clink glasses with the fine reviewers of good reads.  so fuck that... ill stick to amazon reviews thank you very much.

[shark tits]

'the stranger in the woods' by michael finkel. it's about a hermit in maine who burgled cabins and avoided human contact for 27 yrs.
i'm 33% done and he said he never got sick because you get sick from touching other humans. craze!
haven't got into the why's of it all but as someone who's contemplated going 'into the wild' it's curious.
he's kind of a book snob and he's locked up in augusta, i lived there for a few months. check it out if you like maine, hermits or interviews w/ jailbirds. 

[Lobo]

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,I read it every year and now is the time!
Great read btw.

[streetsoup]

Been loving Zane Grey novels lately. Classic westerns based throughout the united states, based on facts regarding native american conflicts, settling land, etc. Two that are really good are "The Last of the Plainsmen" and "Riders of the Purple Sage"

[BuckyFellini]

Just finished Ubik by Philip K Dick. I got kind of burnt out on PKD a while ago after reading a bunch of his books in a row  - didn't even finish the last one I started. Some of his work is so out there that I don't even think he knew how to bring it back. But I'm so glad I finally bought Ubik. It's actually one of my favourites from him now. Really great story with good pacing.

A few others I've read recently:

Suttree - Cormac McCarthy, which was the last book of his for me to read. It was actually a nice way to wrap up his novels as it's lighter than most of his other work and doesn't leave you with a feeling of absolute despair at the end. I actually laughed out loud a couple times which I never thought would happen reading McCarthy.

Pimp - Iceberg Slim. This book is worth reading just for the dialogue alone. It's amazing.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote. Picked up this one based on recommendations from this thread. Wasn't sure if I wanted to read over 350 pages centered on one crime scene but really enjoyed it. The thing that hooked me in right away with this book was Capote's writing style. Will have to check out the 1967 movie.

I Heard You Paint Houses": Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa - Charles Brandt. Loved this book, read through it super fast. It has a shitload of gnarly stories. Frank Sheeran had a lot to tell. Everything from union busting to mafia dealings to WWII to JFK to Hoffa. Martin Scorsese is actually making a movie based on this book called The Irishman. Really looking forward to it.


Next up is Notes on Blood Meridian: Revised and Expanded Edition - John Sepich, which almost definitely means I'll be rereading Blood Meridian right after that. Might have to check out that Hernan Diaz book posted above as well.

[Andrefosho]

I did not have an idea about Dr. Sacks, this book just showed up in some year-best-books list. I was compelled to start it because of the motorcycle stories and by glancing over his bio on wikipedia convinced me to learn about this man. Thoroughly enjoyed the book and I plan to visit other Dr. Sacks writings.

 
I'm fascinated by spaceflight and by people who are doing it. This book dives into the characters who are born with the stuff to fly jets.


Same spaceflight obsession, and reading Endurance led me to read The Right Stuff. Good insight what happens at modern day spaceflight operation.


This I "read" as an audiobook. I will join tortfeasor and describe this as "fucking gnar". I picked up this book because my girlfriend's father has been sent to Afghanistan as part of his mandatory military service still when our country was part of USSR. Unfortunately damage has been done and he is not in his best shape neither physically nor mentally. War is the worst.

[tortfeasor]

took longer than i thought but finished "Rise and Kill First" book was fucking amazing and led to a lot of side research.
i would give it a glowing 8/10 (5 being average).  Really heavy book though.  Since the rest of my queue is apears to also cover some seriously heavy topics i have decided to lighten up my content and throw this book into the mix.   excited for this one. easily one of my top 5 writers.


   

[handsclapanin]

Recently finished another Haruki Murakami book. Kafka on the Shore. After reading so many of his books in a row; they all kind of blend together with their similar themes. Decided to stop using this thread as a Post you reading Thread and actually take some recommendations.
That being said:

Recently read this for the second time. It's a semi-autobiographical satire about the Devil coming to Moscow and laying bare hypocrisy and corruption. Bulgakov was never published in his lifetime - he struggled with censorship and was marginalized because his work didn't contain heroic communist characters. The Master and Margarita is his seminal novel and his life's work - he dictated revisions to his wife shortly before his death. A staggering, wonderful book.

Just finished this and really enjoyed it. If not likable; he made the Devil out to be not such a bad guy. And Behemoth, the cat, was hilarious. Thanks for the rec!

[Grind King Rims]

handsclapanin, which Murakami book would you recommend to start on?

Just finished Women by Bukowski and I do not know why I read so much Bukowski, but that had to have been the worst. It really lacked anything of substance.

[handsclapanin]

handsclapanin, which Murakami book would you recommend to start on?

I'd go with After Dark.
It's one of his shorter ones.
Kafka on the Shore and Wind Up Bird Chronicles are his long big novels.
I feel like you still get the same elements in his shorter works. Dreams, music (jazz & classical) and a little sex seem to permeate all his writing.

[Grind King Rims]

Right on, right on, I can get down with all of the above. Cheers man.

[7 year old]

I wouldn't recommend reading the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles.
I just finished it the other day, it's a good book, but there was no fucking reason it should have been that long. Felt like he was throwing shit at the wall a lot of the time.

I like his book of short stories called After the Quake. I got a lot more (in less time) out of that one.

[ShredWilliams]

handsclapanin, which Murakami book would you recommend to start on?

Just finished Women by Bukowski and I do not know why I read so much Bukowski, but that had to have been the worst. It really lacked anything of substance.

I’m not handsclapanin, but I would recommend Norwegian Wood. That was my first Murakami. Quick and easy read. Not as far out as some of the others.

[Grind King Rims]

Expand Quote

handsclapanin, which Murakami book would you recommend to start on?

Just finished Women by Bukowski and I do not know why I read so much Bukowski, but that had to have been the worst. It really lacked anything of substance.

[close]

I’m not handsclapanin, but I would recommend Norwegian Wood. That was my first Murakami. Quick and easy read. Not as far out as some of the others.

Thank you. +1

[Chinaski's underpants]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

handsclapanin, which Murakami book would you recommend to start on?

Just finished Women by Bukowski and I do not know why I read so much Bukowski, but that had to have been the worst. It really lacked anything of substance.

[close]

I’m not handsclapanin, but I would recommend Norwegian Wood. That was my first Murakami. Quick and easy read. Not as far out as some of the others.

[close]

Thank you. +1

I would also recommend 'Hard-boiled Wonderland...', much more straightforward sci-fi, closer to a Vonnegut novel.

[Lobo]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

handsclapanin, which Murakami book would you recommend to start on?

Just finished Women by Bukowski and I do not know why I read so much Bukowski, but that had to have been the worst. It really lacked anything of substance.

[close]

I’m not handsclapanin, but I would recommend Norwegian Wood. That was my first Murakami. Quick and easy read. Not as far out as some of the others.

[close]

Thank you. +1

"What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" is the only Murakam that I have read and man...such a damn borefest it was ,that I never dared to pick another book from that guy!
I will try Norwegian Wood guys,but I sure hope he dropped talking about running!
"Born to Run – Christopher McDougall" the greatest fucking sport book !!...
pardon my grammar,it`s 3am,I am stoned and was cleaning my dogs shit from the carpet for the last hour,,,poor thing doesen`t like the new brand of food

[ShredWilliams]

Paul Auster’s “New York Trilogy” Anybody else read this one?

[shark tits]

haven't finished but digging the hell out of 'the moonshine war' by elmore leonard.
some of you know i'm a big fan of Justified which is based on 'fire in the hole' and other raylan givens novels. this is not a raylan given novel, it's set in prohibition times but it is in the deep dark hills of eastern kentucky.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Read Murakami's short stories, way better than his novels imho...

[ShredWilliams]

“The Twenty-Seventh City” by Jonathan Franzen. I loved it, but I’m a sucker for all of Franzen’s work.