What BOOK are you reading right now?

I've liked Annie Proulx, now quite a while ago, and, back then, a mix.

Reporting in -

George Pelicanos, The Turnaround: liked it, Pelicanos knows how to write.

John Lescroart, The Ophelia Cut: just passes, as I liked it way the least of the books I've read by him., which I usually enjoyed.

Ignazio Silone, Bread and Wine: I've read the author's notes; they were both explanatory and touched on why he rewrote the book a batch of decades later, all interesting to me. I often skip authors' notes until I finish the book, but this time I read up first. Of the book text, I'm only on page 21 but so far so good.

Ha! Thanks for the idea. I adored The Shipping News like nobody's business.

I'm hard-mulling Infinite Jest because of a real stubborn streak. It's the most oft-cited unfinished novel. And David Foster Wallace is arguably among the best writers America has produced.

I glowered at a copy for 20 minutes on Christmas Eve in the Georgia Tech bookstore. A good once-over is usually Round One of my Buying an Intimidating Book routine. So, nearly there.

Next up is Infinite Jest or something fun by David Sedaris.

The cosmos made my choice for me. The public library didn't have DFW's Infinite Jest: my choices were The Pale King - the book he didn't quite finish before his death, and The Broom of the Situation, which he wrote for his Ph.D. I wanted to save The Pale King, so selected the other. Also picked up Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential--started this one first--and it is delicious.

And picked up a professional read: Word Savvy by Nancy Ragno, but lost confidence when I found a word choice error in the How to Avoid Word Choice Errors chapter. I'm still hoping it was intentional and she'll mention it later.

Kitchen Confidential is surprisingly good.

Finished
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley;
Rereading Speaking from among the Bones.

I don't get much time to read books for pleasure these these days, but I was so disgusted with the hate bandied back in forth in this year's election that I read The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt.

Among other things, this book seeks to explain why people can seem so tribal in their approach to politics. Brilliant stuff.

OK, now.

So far I've finished The Ophelia Cut, which read as familiar but because of some of the usual people peopleing the text, I wasn't sure. This was, for a change, an eh.

Wild Fire by Nelson De Mille, aggravating to plow through, to me.

Tepper Isn't Going Out, Calvin Trillin - this is a known "I'm going to like it", he's a smart and often funny man, whom I first ran into now decades ago while reading one of his articles in the New Yorker, subject being how to make your own tripe (oh, my my). On the title, I've no idea who Tepper is, but I'll find out.

Finished it. I'll give it an A-, as I wanted him to hurry up at some points, but in retrospect, respect his pacing, and he's smarter.
It is actually quite an interesting book for a lot or reasons involving speech and government and much else, including whitefish: it's going on the save shelf. I presume a2k ny'ers know about the book, at least somewhat about the matter of parking.

Re De Mille's book, mine was a paperback, something like 740 pages, and besides that the paperback was ill printed, probably cheaply: for most of the book, I couldn't see the last printed letter(s) at the binding. I had to take two hands in a good grip to see the last letters in the binding area. Trying to see the type is aggravating and a publishing squash.

Finished:
The Outsorcerer's Apprentice (YouSpace, #3) by Tom Holt;
Ms. Marvel Vol. 6: Civil War II;
Paper Girls, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan (WOW!)

Ripped through the entire vol.5 (the final book) of Ex Machina by Bryan K. Vaughan, tonight.

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho. I have read this book ten times within 5 years. But I still feel that I have not understand all messages the author gave.

Easily tackled Scott Pilgrim vs the World vol.1 tonight.

I'm rereading The Laughing Policeman by Sjowall and Wahloo. I finished rereading their The Man on the Balcony yesterday.

As far a police procedurals are concerned, I consider them among the top.

I am reading a detective novel right now.

Xaxa!

Sleeping Beauty Killer co-authored by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. First thing I've ever read by Clark, but a long time fan of Burke. This is looking like a good combination.

I think I've read every book by them, but that was years ago now. I agree their in the top tier.

Is that the one where he goes to work for the London Underground?

Reading... FEAR and LOATHING The strange and terrible Saga of Hunter S. Thompson.
By Paul Perry.
Reader beware. This is a violently unauthorized biography.

Too bad I didn't spell they're correctly. Homophones trip me up.

I've finished 4 books and started a couple of others in the last month or so.

The most recent, finished yesterday, was The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. This is the first book I've read by him. I think I tried a few pages of another of his some years ago, but gave up on it.

This time I'll easily grant that he is a very able writer. The story is tough to start with and keeps being tough. I got impatient, but so did the characters, patience and continuing effort being a fair part of what the book is about. His writing, at least in this book, has a lot of rhythm to it. Sometimes I liked it for the rhythm, sometimes it wore me down. Some of the dialogue is repetitive on purpose, which makes sense with the story, but can also be wearing to the reader. I'll keep it on the bookshelves, at least for a while. I'm culling, trying to give away a bunch. It'll probably go, though, since I don't think I could read it again.

Dear Life, by Alice Munro: 14 short stories by the Nobel Prize winner.
I didn't like each of them equally, but I liked all of them.

The White Pearl, by Kate Furnivall, set in Malaya, 1941.
Interesting book, glad I read it, learned a lot about that time and place, but also found the characters interesting. Among the most interesting aspects were that some characters changed over time, so I found the book pretty lucid. I'd gladly read any of her books again.

I see I reported already about Tepper Isn't Going Out by Calvin Trillin. It's presently a shelf keeper, small book, smart book.

Now I'm on p. 55 of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I don't know yet.. I might enjoy it.