What are you reading at the moment? Recommendations welcome

[Peyton Stafford]

I read Cane by Jean Toomer for a U Chicago grad seminar. Most of us did not get it. Is it even a novel? We asked. The beautiful and wise Mary Lane Potter showed us how it was a novel, but a high modernist novel. Rather than following the chronology of people's lives, it moves from time to time and person to person. It shows life not as a Homeric Odyssey, but as a collective movement. Think James Joyce... I intend to reread it with a new vision.

Here is a link to her website. Ignore the woodcut of her face. She may be old, but she is beautiful.

Mary Lane Potter - Welcome!

The Web site maintained by Mary Lane Potter, teacher, fiction writer, and author of "A Woman of Salt" and "Strangers and Sojourners."

www.marylanepotter.com

 

[Pamela Jo]

You know when you get to the end of a book and you want to shake it upside down in case a point finally falls out of the pages? The Loney, by someone whose name I dont want to remember because they stole hours away from me. There was a film made and the Guardian gave it like 5 stars. It remains true. If the Guardian likes it I will probably not. Synopsis: Fanatically religious Londoners go to remote countryside on a pilgrimage to a Holy Well to cure a son of Down syndrome or whatever made him a "retard." A witch was once hung there for luring sailors to their death and eating them. Through a lot of grass sloughing and gratuitous violence by crude country people and their dogs, we learn the Holy well doesn't work. But in the only part of the book where somethingactualy happens-the last quarter- the story moves to the present where we see the "retard" is cured. He has a wife and children and has hired a shrink for the narrator who is depressed and well "mad." And the proper police have found a baby's skeleton at the "Loney." We learn the skeleton was a strange baby that somehow 'cured' the brother and then was shot by the two evil country brothers when they were done with it. THE END I read it because I am preparing to begin work on a gothic horror and thought this would be inspiring. . NOT.

 

[Hannah F]

You know when you get to the end of a book and you want to shake it upside down in case a point finally falls out of the pages? The Loney, by someone whose name I dont want to remember because they stole hours away from me. There was a film made and the Guardian gave it like 5 stars. It remains true. If the Guardian likes it I will probably not. Synopsis: Fanatically religious Londoners go to remote countryside on a pilgrimage to a Holy Well to cure a son of Down syndrome or whatever made him a "retard." A witch was once hung there for luring sailors to their death and eating them. Through a lot of grass sloughing and gratuitous violence by crude country people and their dogs, we learn the Holy well doesn't work. But in the only part of the book where somethingactualy happens-the last quarter- the story moves to the present where we see the "retard" is cured. He has a wife and children and has hired a shrink for the narrator who is depressed and well "mad." And the proper police have found a baby's skeleton at the "Loney." We learn the skeleton was a strange baby that somehow 'cured' the brother and then was shot by the two evil country brothers when they were done with it. THE END I read it because I am preparing to begin work on a gothic horror and thought this would be inspiring. . NOT.

Good gracious! How insulting to Down Syndrome people and their families!

 

[Pamela Jo]

Good gracious! How insulting to Down Syndrome people and their families!

The narrator refrained from saying what the boys problem was, but he was nonverbal, hid inside gorilla masks and used plastic dinosaurs to communicate. He could have been autistic. That was the worst bit. That's what made the narrator basically call him the R word. even tho in the book only the "bad" guys did. There was no diagnosis. Just a description of his disabilities. The writer traded on a disability, used the word and as you say presented the mother as being so benighted and unloving as to despise the child as he was. And the "Rosemary's Baby" aspect. The mysterious newborn creature has the power to heal great afflictions but can be shot with a rifle without consequences? This was a case for me of refusing to follow the rules of fantasy.

 

[Jonny]

Got a new tablet recently and loaded Roddy Doyle’s sublime Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments - The Snapper - The Van.

What a joy - and as I often remark - going by the craft rules of today’s writing rules gurus, these books wouldn’t see the light of day let alone be published.

For those who don’t know - they have shifted so many units and all were made into movies.

Doyle drives his coach and horses through the acres of “don’t do this” industry wisdom. Wisdom handed down on tablets of stone from a never-ending line of over-charging so-called experts. Most of whom have never been published.

Rant over - and breathe

 

[Pamela Jo]

Got a new tablet recently and loaded Roddy Doyle’s sublime Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments - The Snapper - The Van.

What a joy - and as I often remark - going by the craft rules of today’s writing rules gurus, these books wouldn’t see the light of day let alone be published.

For those who don’t know - they have shifted so many units and all were made into movies.

Doyle drives his coach and horses through the acres of “don’t do this” industry wisdom. Wisdom handed down on tablets of stone from a never-ending line of over-charging so-called experts. Most of whom have never been published.

Rant over - and breathe

. 1991 Jonny. NINETEEN NINETY ONE. Rant over.

 

[Hannah F]

Got a new tablet recently and loaded Roddy Doyle’s sublime Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments - The Snapper - The Van.

What a joy - and as I often remark - going by the craft rules of today’s writing rules gurus, these books wouldn’t see the light of day let alone be published.

For those who don’t know - they have shifted so many units and all were made into movies.

Doyle drives his coach and horses through the acres of “don’t do this” industry wisdom. Wisdom handed down on tablets of stone from a never-ending line of over-charging so-called experts. Most of whom have never been published.

Rant over - and breathe

Love The Commitments movie! Saw the fil_m at the cinema so I did.

 

[E G Logan]

Just starting a planned binge on O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker, first wife of poet, and father of 10, George Barker. Novelist Raffaella Barker is their daughter.

Elspeth Barker's only novel*, it was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and picked up three or four other prizes in its heyday (1991), but now languishes in obscurity. The (London) Times Books team recently attempted to resurrect it – it worked on me.

It's a tale of a family of weird Scots in a strange situation. Perfect.

Looks as if it's going to be a circular narrative, which sets the bar high. (Cf. Graham Greene's The Quiet American.) That wasn't a guess, and it isn't a spoiler either, as the very first sentence is: 'We begin with a corpse.'

More later if it's worth it.


*I believe the book was actually commissioned by an agent from scraps and notes. Great connections, what.

 

[E G Logan]

O Caledonia:
Sorry, folks. I have misled you. That first sentence wasn't from the novel itself but from the very appreciative (AKA gushing) introduction to the new reissued edition by Maggie O'Farrell. The situation it describes is, indeed, the start of the story.

Title O Caledonia comes from a poem by Sir Walter Scott, made clear in this edition. Not, as some critics have suggested, from Barker's classical education, or from the popular Scottish song 'Caledonia'. (I suspect Barker would have laughed till she coughed at the first idea and been completely horrified by the second.)
O'Farrell confirms what I had heard: an agent, whom she names, commissioned the novel from 'a few pages'. Those were the days.

 

[MattScho]

Really interesting read right now: The Engineer Trilogy, by KJ Parker. KJ Parker started writing under the name Tom Holt, and i became a big fan of his Prachett-esque fantasy works such as The Portable Door (which jonny tells me was made into an abysmal film). the Holt books, almost all worthwhile IMO, and fun and light.
This series, written as his KJ personna, is more along the Game of Thrones vibe narrative, with a bit of Crichton-esque pop-engineering tossed in. It's also dead cheap on kindle. I think I paid less than $10 for the trilogy, though that's kindle.

 

[Claire G]

I'm listening to How to Kill Your Family and I'm not sure how I feel about it, will probably depend on the ending.

I'm reading Fourth Wing on Kindle to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[RK Wallis]

I'm reading Fourth Wing on Kindle to see what all the fuss is about

I finished it early December. Same reason: wanted to see all the hype. I won't say anything yet. Let's compare notes after you finish

 

[Barbara]

I'm listening to How to Kill Your Family and I'm not sure how I feel about it, will probably depend on the ending.

I read it a while back. Let me know when you've finished it. I'm curious what you made of it.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I just finished Kylie Chan's Dark Heavens trilogy. I love her characters, and the way they interact with one another. I like how she can give even gods enough weaknesses to make them real. However, there were so many threads left unresolved at the end of the trilogy, I felt quite cheated. Of course, she wrote other series to carry on the threads left hanging, but I would have liked more closure after three books. Still, I'd recommend them. But if you want a shorter taste of Chan's fun characters, I'd suggest Scales of Empire, which is a standalone sci-fi (very different from the kung fu Dark Heavens setting), which I might describe as a middle-grade book for adults--all the fun and goofiness of MG fiction, but with adult themes and language.

 

[Claire G]

I finished it early December. Same reason: wanted to see all the hype. I won't say anything yet. Let's compare notes after you finish

Hi @RK Wallis

I finished Fourth Wing this morning. Gave it 4*s on Goodreads. There were elements I really enjoyed but there were flaws. Sometimes I couldn't picture the setting or what was happening clearly, and I think the book could have been shorter. I also think there are other books in this genre that are written with more fluidity, if that makes any sense. But who am I to talk? It's a massive hit and my own writing is far from literary genius!

What did you think?

Claire x

 

[Claire G]

I read it a while back. Let me know when you've finished it. I'm curious what you made of it.

Hi @Barbara

I haven't quite finished it but I was just listening to it and realised that I'm feeling quite uncomfortable. I think it's a very inventive perspective and I usually have no qualms about novels which evoke discomfort, but it's a bit on the nose (the glamorisation of it/the idea that I'm supposed to be entertained by Grace's actions). I've considered not finishing it but I'm going to persevere to see how it ends.

If it's supposed to be humorous, it's falling short with me in the majority of chapters, but here are some parts that made me chuckle:

"weeks of frog drudgery"
"Who doesn't want to dispatch someone with a bit of wit?"

I'll let you know my thoughts when I'm done with it.

Claire xx

 

[Claire G]

Hi @Barbara

I haven't quite finished it but I was just listening to it and realised that I'm feeling quite uncomfortable. I think it's a very inventive perspective and I usually have no qualms about novels which evoke discomfort, but it's a bit on the nose (the glamorisation of it/the idea that I'm supposed to be entertained by Grace's actions). I've considered not finishing it but I'm going to persevere to see how it ends.

If it's supposed to be humorous, it's falling short with me in the majority of chapters, but here are some parts that made me chuckle:

"weeks of frog drudgery"
"Who doesn't want to dispatch someone with a bit of wit?"

I'll let you know my thoughts when I'm done with it.

Claire xx

Ok @Barbara I've finished. Not impressed with the letter device, nor the use of a diary as a revelation tool. Disappointing. The Silent Patient used a similar device and that felt hammy to me too.

 

[Barbara]

I was just listening to it and realised that I'm feeling quite uncomfortable.

I was the same.

(The following might be a bit Swissglish. My English goes weird when I have a migraine.)

I felt like that because Grace seems quite flippant about killing them all. Probably because her motivations are wrong. Her reasons for killing her father (and everyone else for that matter) aren't deep/real enough. Her drive seems off. She doesn't have a serial killers's psychology, and because of that, she could (should) have proper second thoughts before and after each kill. There's a lot of time between the killings where most folk would reconsider their actions and maybe stop. But she more or less keeps going in the same vein. She doesn't need the serial killer mind to kill, but she still needs the correct emotions and incentive, which to me she doesn't. Her rich dad left her mum to have another family etc and that's bad, but that happens to so many kids and they don't go out on a revenge spree. I didn't see Grace damaged in a way she is capable of killing someone. The story might work better if she simply wanted some sort of resolution with him, instead of killing him; i.e. make peace with him and 'find a father', an emotional connection. Or if she was a much more troubled human who has the capacity to kill in the first place.

Still, having said all that, I gave the book to my sister for Xmas. The German translation.

it's a bit on the nose (the glamorisation of it/the idea that I'm supposed to be entertained by Grace's actions)

Yeah, I agree. It is glamourized somewhat. Or just handled badly. Probably because it was written for the humour, not the character. I think Grace is too one sided, shallow even. I didn't see genuine feelings or depth of character. It felt it's played for laughs. Her soul doesn't hurt enough, nor is she complex. I think the author had an idea but didn't take it as far as she could have done. It felt frivolous, and written for effect; just thrown out for the fun of it. In a hurry.

I don't think it's a topic an author can have fun with when writing. Not fun in the fun sense. A story like that can have fun and humour, but not the way she did it. She could have used the subject to create a meaningful story. Alas, she didn't.

I've considered not finishing it but I'm going to persevere to see how it ends

I was close to giving up too because of all the above but also because the MC's voice began to annoy me half way through. But you listened to it, so it may have been less annoying. I stuck with it mainly to see if it's a comp novel for mine.

Not impressed with the letter device, nor the use of a diary as a revelation tool. Disappointing.

Yeah, I hated it. It felt a 'simple' easy way to round it all off, and somewhat left field.

All in all, I thought it was an easy read, but fell short in many ways.

I read it because I'm writing a similar book (Mia - she too is looking for her dad to kill him. - I'm at the editing stage.) Mia has taken me 4 years so far because I want to get Mia (her character) just right. I wanted the depth, the damage, the pain of the past that drives her need to kill so she can have a future. Mia too has humour but the humour is dark and used as a tension breaker (that was the intension, anyway).

Humour and murder. Not an easy mix but an interesting one when it works.

 

[Claire G]

I was the same.

(The following might be a bit Swissglish. My English goes weird when I have a migraine.)

I felt like that because Grace seems quite flippant about killing them all. Probably because her motivations are wrong. Her reasons for killing her father (and everyone else for that matter) aren't deep/real enough. Her drive seems off. She doesn't have a serial killers's psychology, and because of that, she could (should) have proper second thoughts before and after each kill. There's a lot of time between the killings where most folk would reconsider their actions and maybe stop. But she more or less keeps going in the same vein. She doesn't need the serial killer mind to kill, but she still needs the correct emotions and incentive, which to me she doesn't. Her rich dad left her mum to have another family etc and that's bad, but that happens to so many kids and they don't go out on a revenge spree. I didn't see Grace damaged in a way she is capable of killing someone. The story might work better if she simply wanted some sort of resolution with him, instead of killing him; i.e. make peace with him and 'find a father', an emotional connection. Or if she was a much more troubled human who has the capacity to kill in the first place.

Still, having said all that, I gave the book to my sister for Xmas. The German translation.

Yeah, I agree. It is glamourized somewhat. Or just handled badly. Probably because it was written for the humour, not the character. I think Grace is too one sided, shallow even. I didn't see genuine feelings or depth of character. It felt it's played for laughs. Her soul doesn't hurt enough, nor is she complex. I think the author had an idea but didn't take it as far as she could have done. It felt frivolous, and written for effect; just thrown out for the fun of it. In a hurry.

I don't think it's a topic an author can have fun with when writing. Not fun in the fun sense. A story like that can have fun and humour, but not the way she did it. She could have used the subject to create a meaningful story. Alas, she didn't.


I was close to giving up too because of all the above but also because the MC's voice began to annoy me half way through. But you listened to it, so it may have been less annoying. I stuck with it mainly to see if it's a comp novel for mine.


Yeah, I hated it. It felt a 'simple' easy way to round it all off, and somewhat left field.

All in all, I thought it was an easy read, but fell short in many ways.

I read it because I'm writing a similar book (Mia - she too is looking for her dad to kill him. - I'm at the editing stage.) Mia has taken me 4 years so far because I want to get Mia (her character) just right. I wanted the depth, the damage, the pain of the past that drives her need to kill so she can have a future. Mia too has humour but the humour is dark and used as a tension breaker (that was the intension, anyway).

Humour and murder. Not an easy mix but an interesting one when it works.

So interesting to hear your thoughts. You've put into words a lot of what I felt but couldn't articulate. Thank you. Hope your migraine passes quickly xxx

 

[LJ Beck]

I'm reading Fourth Wing on Kindle to see what all the fuss is about.

Oh, can you please let me know what you think when you're done. The reviews are polarizing, and I can't decide if I should give it a try. I'm really not into romance as the main plot line, so I guess it depends on how much that takes over the other elements? I have given it a pass so far, but would be very keen to hear what you think.

OH! Should have kept reading down. Just saw your review. Sounds like you liked it but didn't love it. 4 *'s is pretty good though.

@RK Wallis what did you think?

Is romance the main element, or is it more of a bonus? Thank you!

 

[RK Wallis]

Hi @RK Wallis

I finished Fourth Wing this morning. Gave it 4*s on Goodreads. There were elements I really enjoyed but there were flaws. Sometimes I couldn't picture the setting or what was happening clearly, and I think the book could have been shorter. I also think there are other books in this genre that are written with more fluidity, if that makes any sense. But who am I to talk? It's a massive hit and my own writing is far from literary genius!

What did you think?

Claire x

Oh, can you please let me know what you think when you're done. The reviews are polarizing, and I can't decide if I should give it a try. I'm really not into romance as the main plot line, so I guess it depends on how much that takes over the other elements? I have given it a pass so far, but would be very keen to hear what you think.

OH! Should have kept reading down. Just saw your review. Sounds like you liked it but didn't love it. 4 *'s is pretty good though.

@RK Wallis what did you think?

Is romance the main element, or is it more of a bonus? Thank you!

My thoughts were exactly the same Claire. I gave it 4 stars too. The sister relationship was done well. The concept was developed well. The surprise (won't spoil @LJ Beck, just in case) was done well. We all know how hard it is to write a book, so I have to respect the effort. I personally wasn't into the romance, but that's because I'm jaded, lol. Showing my age. Someone much younger would enjoy it.

 

[RK Wallis]

Is romance the main element, or is it more of a bonus?

I didn't think it was. I skipped the sex, but I think that was only once or twice. There was enough of story to hold me, despite the romance, and I enjoyed how that all came out. To me, the ending was satisfying. Has 'our world' swearing rather than Brandon Sanderson 'book world' type of immersive swearing.

 

[Claire G]

Oh, can you please let me know what you think when you're done. The reviews are polarizing, and I can't decide if I should give it a try. I'm really not into romance as the main plot line, so I guess it depends on how much that takes over the other elements? I have given it a pass so far, but would be very keen to hear what you think.

OH! Should have kept reading down. Just saw your review. Sounds like you liked it but didn't love it. 4 *'s is pretty good though.

@RK Wallis what did you think?

Is romance the main element, or is it more of a bonus? Thank you!

Hi @LJ Beck

I'd call it New Adult romantasy, and it's pretty evenly split between romance and fantasy in my eyes. The world is interesting and more and more of the politics/history of it is revealed over the course of the book. Tensions ramp up and loyalties have to be decided. But yeah, there's a lot of romantic angst!

Claire xx

 

[LJ Beck]

Thank you @Claire G and @RK Wallis ! Appreciate the reviews and the answer to my romance question. Hum... I think I'll wait until I have caught up on everything else I am reading (!!), and then I'll see.

 

[Hannah F]

Just finished Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. Suits upper MG/Young YA (and me!). Charming storytelling. Increasingly powerful and emotive as the story progresses. I highly recommend it.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Just finished Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. Suits upper MG/Young YA (and me!). Charming storytelling. Increasingly powerful and emotive as the story progresses. I highly recommend it.

Interesting because I wasnt really captured by the free first chapter I got at the book store. And I really wanted to like Katharine Rundell. It just seemed too formulaic to me. But maybe it was the mood I was in.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Reading Fire and Hemlock and becoming more and more fascinated by Diana Wynn Jones. She definitely plowed her own furrow. I would call her a marmite writer. There are people who absolutely adore Fire and Hemlock, a modern retelling of Tam Lin but I'm not sure I would have stuck in there if I didn't know the ballad. But then again I might have because Jones writes like no one else. Where you expect a zig, there wont even be a zag but a jazz riff. It is a real jigsaw of a story, but not the kind of confusing that makes you despair of ever completing a puzzle picture. My favourite of her books so far is Howls Castle. I do think the anime version improved on her book ending, but good movies often do that. Strange Magic: Diana Wynne Jones’ Most Brilliant (and Often Overlooked) Books.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

My son went through his books when he was home for Christmas, pulling out a couple of boxes worth that he wanted to get rid of. Naturally, I've been reading them all before taking them to the second hand shop. LOL! Anyway, I just read Shooting Stars by Brian Falkner. I like Brian's books, but I hadn't read Shooting Stars before. Damn. Didn't pull any punches on that one. I can't say much without spoilers, but this is YA with a razor edge. Pushing the boundaries of acceptable, exploring the brutal realities of domestic violence. All while examining what it means to be a good human being.

 

[tylermoney]

I've been reading through the "Discworld" books by Terry Pratchett. Really fun, short reads. Mort is a great one, so is Wyrd Sisters. I'm reading them in "publishing" order, but realistically you can pick any one of them up and start there. I'm currently reading "Guards! Guards!."

Also, another great book I read this year was Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is easily one of my favorite books. If you're into scifi and liked The Martian, this is even better IMO.

And then I've been listening to the audio versions of the "Dark Tower" series by Stephen King. Superb. Creepy. It's got it all.

 

[Dragonrider]

I'm reading Paolini's Inheritance Cycle now.