books to read

[alien porkchop]

i recently learned the bosch tv series is based on a bunch of novels. i’ve read the first two so far. they are fast paced and enjoyable.

[Atiba Applebum]

i recently learned the bosch tv series is based on a bunch of novels. i’ve read the first two so far. they are fast paced and enjoyable.

Seriously?    Well if you want to dive into the lore, his half-brother is the Lincoln Lawyer and there’s a Bosch spin-off called Ballard that he’s in a lot that kinda wraps up his series (Ballard pops up in the series finale of Bosch:legacy)

[oyolar]

@oyolar yea, definitely not my cup of tea. I also grabbed a few Anthony Bourdain titles I hadn't read yet. Reading Medium Raw right now and I forgot how honest he was with his personal addictions and problems. It's not something to be glad to read, but hopefully it can help people with similar issues.

I read all of Bourdain's non-fiction stuff. Amazing stuff. A really, really great human being.

[alien porkchop]

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i recently learned the bosch tv series is based on a bunch of novels. i’ve read the first two so far. they are fast paced and enjoyable.

[close]

Seriously?    Well if you want to dive into the lore, his half-brother is the Lincoln Lawyer and there’s a Bosch spin-off called Ballard that he’s in a lot that kinda wraps up his series (Ballard pops up in the series finale of Bosch:legacy)

i seen bosch and bosch legacy. I really liked how surreal the korea town killer season got. i was watching an episode of ballard and got curious about where her house was located exactly, and when i looked that up i stumbled on all the lore from the books. a lot of the show seemed to make more sense after learning they were based on novels. i think connelly did some good work building the bosch universe. he helped write the show as well. it’s interesting how they had to adapt the stories to the current time, reinventing his past to make the timeline fit.

[Atiba Applebum]

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i recently learned the bosch tv series is based on a bunch of novels. i’ve read the first two so far. they are fast paced and enjoyable.

[close]

Seriously?    Well if you want to dive into the lore, his half-brother is the Lincoln Lawyer and there’s a Bosch spin-off called Ballard that he’s in a lot that kinda wraps up his series (Ballard pops up in the series finale of Bosch:legacy)

[close]

i seen bosch and bosch legacy. I really liked how surreal the korea town killer season got. i was watching an episode of ballard and got curious about where her house was located exactly, and when i looked that up i stumbled on all the lore from the books. a lot of the show seemed to make more sense after learning they were based on novels. i think connelly did some good work building the bosch universe. he helped write the show as well. it’s interesting how they had to adapt the stories to the current time, reinventing his past to make the timeline fit.

I kinda liked Bosch because I live a few blocks from his station so it’s kinda neat to see a show like that from the perspective of a local - I just never felt satisfied with the crime solving part and his daughter kinda annoyed me.   Titus Welliver seems like a cool dude in real life

Lincoln Lawyer show kinda sucks because they randomly made him this Mexican guy (which isn’t the issue) with zero charisma.  THe actor also randomly pops up in the new Jurassic Park movie as random Latino dad with kids that kinda kills the movie.   

[alien porkchop]

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i recently learned the bosch tv series is based on a bunch of novels. i’ve read the first two so far. they are fast paced and enjoyable.

[close]

Seriously?    Well if you want to dive into the lore, his half-brother is the Lincoln Lawyer and there’s a Bosch spin-off called Ballard that he’s in a lot that kinda wraps up his series (Ballard pops up in the series finale of Bosch:legacy)

[close]

i seen bosch and bosch legacy. I really liked how surreal the korea town killer season got. i was watching an episode of ballard and got curious about where her house was located exactly, and when i looked that up i stumbled on all the lore from the books. a lot of the show seemed to make more sense after learning they were based on novels. i think connelly did some good work building the bosch universe. he helped write the show as well. it’s interesting how they had to adapt the stories to the current time, reinventing his past to make the timeline fit.

[close]

I kinda liked Bosch because I live a few blocks from his station so it’s kinda neat to see a show like that from the perspective of a local - I just never felt satisfied with the crime solving part and his daughter kinda annoyed me.   Titus Welliver seems like a cool dude in real life

Lincoln Lawyer show kinda sucks because they randomly made him this Mexican guy (which isn’t the issue) with zero charisma.  THe actor also randomly pops up in the new Jurassic Park movie as random Latino dad with kids that kinda kills the movie.

lincoln lawyer never jumped out at me. depending on how these bosch novels go, i might try the lincoln lawyer books.

[brycickle]

If you guys like Bosch, you should check out Ghettoside by Jill Leovy. It's non-fiction but it dives deep into murder investigations in LA, and really takes a deep look at some of the underlying reasons behind black on black crime. Not quite as in depth as David Simon's book, but still really enlightening.

[Atiba Applebum]

The first stop for LA Crime needs to be James Ellroy and the LA Quartet (LA Confidential is the 3rd book - they can all be read independently).   Its like 40s - 50s based

[Mr. Kamikazi]

There's a younger kid that works at a gas station I frequent and he tries to strike up a conversation about horror movies with me every time he's there. That's cool, I'm always down for a friendly how do you do type of interaction. He told me to check out some books he's been wanting to read and I saw one at a used bookstore recently.

It's a quick, shorter read. So I breezed through it in a couple days, but jeez Louise. It's called Cows by Mathew Stokoe. It felt like it was written by someone who just learned some bad words and is trying really hard to be edgy. definitely felt like I needed a fedora while reading it.

Anyways, there's a part where someone kills someone by pulling their teeth out with pliers, duct taping their mouth to his butthole, and pooping down their throat until they suffocate and die. Check it out if that's your type of deal

Sounds like an event in Naked Lunch.

[Alan]

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Do you read something easy when in a slump? I find it helps jump start my desire to read.

Has anyone read William Gibson's Agency? I bought it a couple of years ago but have never got past the first few pages. It's not an albatross around my neck but I am annoyed that I can't get into it.

[close]

I'll usually reread something if I'm struggling. Love to not only just get in the groove of something familiar but it's always great to pick up on things you didn't fully catch the first time around.

I only recently read Neuromancer and wanted to read more Gibson. I found that hard to get into but knew that I usually have a hard time with sci fi like that and just ripped through once I forced myself to get 1/4 of the way through. I think since the books are on the shorter side it's a bit easier to power through that initial apprehension.

That's my problem, it's gotta click early on, otherwise I lose interest. But I'll keep trying because I like the premise.

[Rusty Shackleford]

wholly hell i'm really enjoying the dungeon crawler carl series, verrrrrry approachable yet refined science fiction

[sharkjumper]

You can't win by Jack Black really really good book.

Love that book.

[botefdunn]

Found this at a Moab library sale and just finished it. Love all the living in the same pair of pants for a month, travelling, never working, and only giving a shit about her dog and touching stone.

[Alan]

^^ That looks interesting. Adding it to me mental reading list. I had a friend who was almost nearly about that life (working just enough to support his climbing habit) so I'd love to read a memoir from that perspective.

I just finished The Glass Key by Dashiel Hammet. Not his best work but enjoyable enough.

Before that I tried reading The Forensic Records Society by Magnus Mills. It was good but my e reader took ages to turn pages on this particular book so I kinda gave up. I'll probably try to find another copy because I like Mills's stuff.

Haven't decided what's next. Maybe something by Jennifer Egan since I got a few of her books after enjoying A Visit from the Goon Squad a few years back, but never got round to them.

[Atiba Applebum]

^^ That looks interesting. Adding it to me mental reading list. I had a friend who was almost nearly about that life (working just enough to support his climbing habit) so I'd love to read a memoir from that perspective.

I just finished The Glass Key by Dashiel Hammet. Not his best work but enjoyable enough.

Before that I tried reading The Forensic Records Society by Magnus Mills. It was good but my e reader took ages to turn pages on this particular book so I kinda gave up. I'll probably try to find another copy because I like Mills's stuff.

Haven't decided what's next. Maybe something by Jennifer Egan since I got a few of her books after enjoying A Visit from the Goon Squad a few years back, but never got round to them.

I love Egan, but one of her books has some embarrassing skateboarding prose.   “Ollie flip” levels.  It’s only on one page so it’s minor, but it sticks with you if you know better

[Alan]

Sounds "radical!"

[steve]

Re-reading The Windup Bird Chronicle after having first reading around 2011/12. I’m taking my time and enjoying it quite a bit.

Tried re-reading some Saunders after a hiatus of similar length, primarily Pastoralia. It doesn’t hit like it did when I was an older undergrad English major on track to an MFA that never happened.

Bruce Machart short story collection “Men in the Making” drew comparisons to McCarthy during early 10s and the writing stands up at this point.

Louise Erdrich “the sentence” is worth a read. Written during peak covid, in Minneapolis, about Minneapolis from an Indigenous perspective, like all of her work, its serious in the history and lived experiences, while drawing a good deal of emotion, feeling, and entertainment.

[Atiba Applebum]

Re-reading The Windup Bird Chronicle after having first reading around 2011/12. I’m taking my time and enjoying it quite a bit.

Tried re-reading some Saunders after a hiatus of similar length, primarily Pastoralia. It doesn’t hit like it did when I was an older undergrad English major on track to an MFA that never happened.

Bruce Machart short story collection “Men in the Making” drew comparisons to McCarthy during early 10s and the writing stands up at this point.

Louise Erdrich “the sentence” is worth a read. Written during peak covid, in Minneapolis, about Minneapolis from an Indigenous perspective, like all of her work, its serious in the history and lived experiences, while drawing a good deal of emotion, feeling, and entertainment.

It was a trip a handful of years ago when I realized I was hanging out with Saunders’s daughter.    I believe Richard Ford’s son was in the group of friends brought along.   Doing the Hollywood writer’s assistant thing from what I remember.   I wonder if I’ll feel the same way you do about the Russian Lit book he wrote I’ve been considering going back to.   I usually can’t stand writers on writing (I guess I shouldn’t be surprised I didn’t like Stephen King’s book if I don’t like Stephen King books)

Anyone love Amor Towles like I do?   Don’t usually go for short story collections, but made an exception for him (Table for Two) and have been really enjoying it. 

[skateboardnorth]

You can't win by Jack Black really really good book.

Putting that one on my list.  I'm just finishing up the second book in "The Dark Tower" series, but I think I'll sneak this book in before I start the next Dark Tower book.

[MichaelJacksonsGhost]

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You can't win by Jack Black really really good book.

[close]

Putting that one on my list.  I'm just finishing up the second book in "The Dark Tower" series, but I think I'll sneak this book in before I start the next Dark Tower book.

William Burroughs considered this one of the best books ever written, iirc. The scene where the other train hopper gets his head smashed by the logs is super gnarly.


I’m reading Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon. I don’t read travel stuff too often, but I usually enjoy it when I do. Was stoked to see he went to my hometown and had nice things to say about it. The prose is solid too.

[skateboardnorth]

If anyone here is into true survival stories, "438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea" is absolutely incredible.  There are points in the book where the guy is barely surviving, and you think to yourself, "he has no idea that he has another 200 days to go".  It's very wild.  The story doesn't end when he finally hits land either.

[fall colors]

over this last break between semesters, i read the last two novels that Cormac McCarthy wrote--The Passenger and Stella Maris.

i've read every novel that Cormac McCarthy wrote and i'll be damned if these two aren't the most confounding stories i've read--never walked away feeling like i need to reread something so bad, but honestly not up to it. he was definitely not focused on this country in too direct of a way, like he was throughout the rest of his canon--these are far more existential (ontological?), which i guess makes sense, considering where he was in his life. also, dear god, all of the math and science and theory and philosophy throughout both books ties into this feeling like i missed a lot, although i have my own theories about at least part of what he is trying to convey. i know throughout the last stretch of his life he was a figure at the Santa Fe Institute, and one of the only ones to not have a STEM background of some kind.

anyway, long way around the barn to get to asking if anyone else has tussled with either of those last two books and what you might have walked away with...

[Abyss1]

If anyone here is into true survival stories, "438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea" is absolutely incredible.  There are points in the book where the guy is barely surviving, and you think to yourself, "he has no idea that he has another 200 days to go".  It's very wild.  The story doesn't end when he finally hits land either.

you convinced me to get this made me think of that story Heath talks about 

[rusty knees]

I finally got glasses and have a stack of books i've accumulated.

just finished the Zombie Survival Guide by max brooks

found a spelling mistake and then had to ask AI if there was another way to spell campsite (it was spelled camp sight)

had to correct AI after it told me there was no spelling mistake in the book.

i told it which page exactly and then it agreed with me. so i asked if i win a prize and it said no.

[Atiba Applebum]

I finally got glasses and have a stack of books i've accumulated.

just finished the Zombie Survival Guide by max brooks

found a spelling mistake and then had to ask AI if there was another way to spell campsite (it was spelled camp sight)

had to correct AI after it told me there was no spelling mistake in the book.

i told it which page exactly and then it agreed with me. so i asked if i win a prize and it said no.

Sounds like you learned a lesson on why you shouldn’t consult AI

[ToySanta]

Long as I can remember, I haven’t liked Thanksgiving and this solidifies my dislike even more. Not for the faint of heart (detailed animal sexual assault), but is a short read. It’s an expansion of this essay Singer wrote, which I haven’t read:

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-singer-turkey-suffering-thanksgiving-20161122-story.html

[JoseCansnake0]

I just re-read Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. Great book

I remember when I was 20 I was "interviewing" with the defense and prosecuting attorneys to be on jury for a homicide. The judge asked me what book I was reading and he went off on a personal story about that book, and was generally stoked and wished me well. Shout out to one of my old chefs for recommending it

[funeral_tuxedo]

Do books on tape count?



During my commute to and from work I’ve been listening to The Exorcist read by the author William Peter Blatty. He had a good, smoky voice and I’m enjoying how different it is from the movie.
My attention span has been fucked lately so I’ve also been reading The Shark Infested Custard by Charles Willeford when I can’t focus on The Exorcist. It’s good and Willeford is a solid crime writer but man he just couldn’t get over affirmative action and had to constantly bring it up in his novels.

[oyolar]

Audiobooks definitely count in my opinion. I'm going through a few of those. Nothing notable.

Willeford is fun. I've only read The Burnt Orange Heresy and that was quick and good.

I'm starting a 4-week class on Georges Bataille, a French writer I like, so I'm going to read two of his pieces this weekend before the first class and then see what else I'll need to read from there. It'll be cool to not have a choice and have to read stuff.

[Kumiko]

I'm starting a 4-week class on Georges Bataille, a French writer I like, so I'm going to read two of his pieces this weekend before the first class and then see what else I'll need to read from there. It'll be cool to not have a choice and have to read stuff.

Is that the class through BISR? Was looking into it, but it didn't really fit into my schedule. So I started Erotism by Bataille on my own. It's alright, but after going through The Sacred Conspiracy and Story of the Eye, I feel like I like the idea of Bataille more than I actually like Bataille.