Now Reading

Read yesterday....

Cartoonist Sam Zabel hasn’t drawn a comic in years. Stuck in a nightmare of creative block and despair, Sam spends his days writing superhero stories for a large American comics publisher and staring at a blank piece of paper, unable to draw a single line. Then one day he finds a mysterious old comic book set on Mars and is suddenly thrown headlong into a wild, fantastic journey through centuries of comics, stories, and imaginary worlds. Accompanied by a young webcomic creator named Alice and an enigmatic schoolgirl with rocket boots and a bag full of comics, Sam goes in search of the Magic Pen, encountering sex-crazed aliens, medieval monks, pirates, pixies and ― of course ― cartoonists. Funny, erotic, and thoughtful, Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen explores the pleasures, dangers, and moral consequences of fantasy.

Hannu Rajaniemi - The Quantum Thief

I'm currently 2/3rds of the way through A Romance With Cocaine (also called Novel With Cocaine) by "M. Ageyev" (a false name).

The mystery about the author and subject really interested me, but it's pretty boring. The first section is kind of an early, russian Catcher in the Rye, except the character is just plainly an asshole. He spends the second section boning a married woman, and has only just came in contact with any cocaine in the third section.

Wytches by Scott Snyder, never been really creeped out by a graphic novel before but this one is doing the business.

^That's a really good comic. Have you ever read Fell by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith? That's also p creepy.

I had to restart Authority by Jeff Vandermeer after putting it down for so long. Also reading a bunch of books about teaching and literary theory for dummies.

  On 12/17/2015 at 4:03 PM, doublename said:

^That's a really good comic. Have you ever read Fell by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith? That's also p creepy.

 

I had to restart Authority by Jeff Vandermeer after putting it down for so long. Also reading a bunch of books about teaching and literary theory for dummies.

Yup, picked it up on a recommendation from here actually! Really enjoyed it but breaks my heart that there hasn't been a second volume.

  On 12/17/2015 at 10:33 AM, tec said:

Wytches by Scott Snyder, never been really creeped out by a graphic novel before but this one is doing the business.

ta for this Mr Tec, not really a graphic novel fan since Arkham Asylum (sp?), but this is heaviness. Its so subtle and visceral at the same time and really bores into subconscious/parental fear buttons with the skill of a psych-surgeon and the imagery/story to underpin it all. Sorted 2 problem xmas-wank presents too.

its truly been a benevolent universe today, strewth Ruth & tips cap

Just started Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis and oh my I think I'm really going to enjoy it.

It's about fifteen dogs (duh) given human sentience by two Gods due to a wager, the wager being one of them will be happier than humans after a year has passed.

Sounds like it was a big deal in Canada but it's only just come this way in England. The book is less weird than the premise sounds.

  On 12/18/2015 at 9:37 PM, cwmbrancity said:

 

  On 12/17/2015 at 10:33 AM, tec said:

Wytches by Scott Snyder, never been really creeped out by a graphic novel before but this one is doing the business.

 

ta for this Mr Tec, not really a graphic novel fan since Arkham Asylum (sp?), but this is heaviness. Its so subtle and visceral at the same time and really bores into subconscious/parental fear buttons with the skill of a psych-surgeon and the imagery/story to underpin it all. Sorted 2 problem xmas-wank presents too.

 

its truly been a benevolent universe today, strewth Ruth & tips cap

 

Awesome, glad to hear it mate.

On the usual seven nightshifts in a row so I've decided to reread The Dark Tower books.

I don't think I've actually read them all in a row before so the contrast between the first 4 and the last 3 should be interesting.

More accurately maybe would be contrast between first three, which I've read and reread countless times, Vol.4 which I've read 2 or 3 times and the last three which I've only read once.

The Nameless

The Influence

The Darkest Part Of The Woods

The Parasite

all by Ramsey Campbell.

Grendel by John Gardner

'Tis the season for M.R James.

William Gibson - Count Zero

The Devil in the White City, think this one could be horrific.

That was my best book of 2015 (Devil in the White City). Both stories were really amazing.

Finished Umbrella by Will Self, very good book once you get past the whole endless sentence business. Moving onto The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood.

  On 1/3/2016 at 2:50 AM, Bechuga said:

Finished Umbrella by Will Self, very good book once you get past the whole endless sentence business. Moving onto The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood.

I've got "My Idea of Fun" here by Self, haven't finished it yet.

It also has some rather long running sentences.

  On 1/3/2016 at 2:56 AM, StephenG said:

 

  On 1/3/2016 at 2:50 AM, Bechuga said:

Finished Umbrella by Will Self, very good book once you get past the whole endless sentence business. Moving onto The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood.

I've got "My Idea of Fun" here by Self, haven't finished it yet.

 

It also has some rather long running sentences.

 

At the beginning it felt unwieldy but by the end I was completely absorbed in the style, to the point I felt that it might ruin my reading of other books.

No paragraphs, no chapter headings, rare punctuation and switches from character to character and time period to time period without notice or warning.

But I loved it, and will definitely get Shark, which I hear is written in a similar style.

I generally dislike Fantasy, but The Vorrh, The Fifth Season and The Grace of Kings have all piqued my interest.

Currently reading The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow and Black Flags by Joby Warrick.

  On 1/3/2016 at 3:33 AM, Bechuga said:

 

  On 1/3/2016 at 2:56 AM, StephenG said:

 

  On 1/3/2016 at 2:50 AM, Bechuga said:

Finished Umbrella by Will Self, very good book once you get past the whole endless sentence business. Moving onto The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood.

I've got "My Idea of Fun" here by Self, haven't finished it yet.

 

It also has some rather long running sentences.

 

 

At the beginning it felt unwieldy but by the end I was completely absorbed in the style, to the point I felt that it might ruin my reading of other books.

No paragraphs, no chapter headings, rare punctuation and switches from character to character and time period to time period without notice or warning.

But I loved it, and will definitely get Shark, which I hear is written in a similar style.

 

Have you read any Hubert Selby JR? Sounds similar to his style.

Recently started Bonita Avenue by Peter Buwalda. Big book, may take some time to get through.

I need to catch up on Will Self, used to be one of my fave authors. Last thing I read was The Butt I think.

I've only read Liver by Self. The first story was pretty good. The 2nd was pretty boring and I didn't finish it. Wasn't very impressed tbh. Seemed a bit dry. Anything particular worth checking of his?

The only Will Self I've read is Dorian. I thought was p good, but it depends on your interest in coked out 80s/90s decadence.