What BOOK are you reading right now?

Haven't started yet, but I just found The Long War. It's co-authored by Terry Pratchett of Discworld fame, so it can't be all bad. I was not even aware that he was still writing.

I didn't realise either - I've never been a huge fan, but liked the few I've read OK. I just looked it up on wikipedia and he is cowriting with Stephen Baxter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Pratchett which is a semi-odd pairing - I've read a bit of Baxter and my recollection is he is 'hard' SF with an astrophysics background - interesting frisson - I wonder how Pratchett's rare version of alzheimers is affecting his contributions, if at all.

I'll try to remember to report back after I've read it, and it's next up on the list. I did hear of the alzheimer's, but no details regarding its rarity. I'll check your link for a clue.

One of my favorites.

sounds good

I read it while traveling in Sicily, and loved every bit of it. :-) I was also struck by the fact that it was rejected by a number of publishers (to Lampedusa's great chagrin) and got bad reviews when it came out, because it was seen as "too classical" in a decade (50s) fascinated by such easily forgettable movements as nouveau roman.

60 years later, nobody reads Robbe Grillet anymore...

Just finished Dog Stars by Peter Heller. Very good.

I read it twice. It's one of those books I like the words in, the sound of them, the images, the sense of place. I remember liking some sentence about the dog - but not the actual words of the sentence. Oh, and I liked the story and the manner of story telling.
Got impatient with the movie some time later.

On Robbe-Grillet, never read him. Saw the movie (Marienbad) or maybe I dreamt it. In any case, not my thing at all.

Travelling in Sicily, I never made it there. Have read this and that - Peter Robb, Mary Taylor Semeti, Leonard Sciascia, DH Lawrence, and a wad of those Inspector Montalbani books. Probably others that don't come to mind.

The Leopard's style is indeed almost sensual, a great book through and through including the style. Have an issue with the English title though. El Gatopardo is a different animal. I guess "The Cheetah" didn't have quite the same ring to it.. I only have a vague recollection of the movie, seen decades ago. Should watch it again. Delon would make a decent Tancredo...

BTW, I think the dog is somehow the author himself. In any case Lampedusa said cryptically it was the key to the novel.

I also love the Montalbano series by Camilleri. Has it been translated into English?

Yes, for years now. I'm in the US, but I read some of what is going on elsewhere, and recently I read in The Guardian (I think it was) that the television series in Britain based on Camillieri's books has spawned a large amount of tourist traffic.
Tourist traffic not to see the places Montalbano frequented in Camillieri's books, nor any of Camillieri's own personal places, but the places featured in the television series - that were different than those in the books. It boggles the mind.

Have you read Gianrico Carofiglio? He writes good (to me) legal procedurals set in Apulia. In italian, naturally. I've read three translated to English, but I think there are four. I'm not sure how many he has written in italian.
Best to read those in the order written, for continuity.

Adds, I read italian but with a dictionary at hand; also, the books are easier to get here in english.

I know the TV series is quite the craze in Italy, much beyond readers of Camilleri, but didn't know an English version existed. Will try and Amazon it.

It might not be an english version - the tv series, I mean. Or maybe it is subtitled?

In Italian with English subtitles
http://www.amazon.com/Detective-Montalbano-Episode-Track-Sand/dp/B00AVRW1RC/

Not what book I am reading now but a message about reading:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/reading-for-pleasure-significantly-increases-kids-school-performance_b77702#.UjcRt2AK_xw.facebook

Bouncing back and forth between a reread of Gogol's Taras Bulba, which is as pleasurable as I recalled. Nothing like some old Russian literature to hold my attention, and also reading Let Nobody Turn Us Around, (Voices of Resistance, Reform and Renewal), by several authors and edited by the late Manning Marable and Leith Mullings. Quite an interesting read.

I just finished Catapult: Harry and I build a Siege Weapon by Jim Paul. It has similarities to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. First, it seemed to be a sort of middle age "coming of age" novel. Second, it had very little to do with catapults. Finally, I have no idea why I finished either one of them.

For what it's worth, our library had a discard sale last week, and several of the others look much more promising.

I agree wholeheartedly!

Fat Girl, Terrestrial

I'm having trouble reading a book I like and am off into the NYer instead - which sends me to a lot more questions.

Back when I report of the book that bothers me.

I'm reading the station series of novels by David Downing. I'm currently on the 5th, I forget which station it is.