BOOKS THREAD

The most "beautiful" writer I've read in awhile is Luis Alberto Urrea.

My intro to his work was "Devil's Highway," which is a non-fiction book about human smuggling (and a read I highly recommend if one is at all interested in the issue of human smuggling from Mexico to the US). It's almost jarring, how lyrical the prose is contrasted with how grim the story is.

I picked up "The Hummingbird's Daughter," a historical fiction piece by the same guy, though I haven't cracked it yet.

 

I'm in Canuckistan but I think you just made me want to read this again.

 

Have begun reading "Dearie," the ginormous biography of Julia Child.

 

Reading "11/22/63" by Stephen King. Can't put it down.

Love the fact that his work endures through the decades. I read "The Shining" and "It" in HS and college and fell in love with his writing. So, so good.

 

My wife gave me 11/22/63 for my birthday last year and, I'm now sad to say, it was my first Stephen King book other than On Writing. But from there, I've read Under the Dome and From a Buick 8. Through a couple of rummage sales and library used book sales, I've increased by Stephen King library from one to about 20. I'm hooked.

 

"Nightwoods" by Charles Frazier

Not what I expected and I was surprised by turns in the story throughout the book. Loved the writing.

The odd thing was that the book - a paperback - literally fell apart while I was reading it. I've never had that happen with a new book. Chunks of pages kept separating from the binding. It's annoying because now I can't pass it on to someone else.

 

Just finished the new Tana French book "Broken Harbor." It was so freaking good. Spooky, twisty, gloomy...I loved it. Highly recommend. As good as "Gone Girl."

 

That's on my wish list. I skipped the third book in her series but I liked the first two. I'm on vacation this week and "Broken Harbor" is on my short list of books to read.

 

Just finished "Ready Player One" (instead of typing in SportsJournalists.com college football poll ballots).

As someone else mentioned, it's like brain candy. It includes:

* A re-creation of a key moment from "2112."

* Plenty more nerd-dom for those of us who grew up in the 1980s.

* Even a geeky love story.

Great writing, with a deep message about a post-apocalypse world? No. But tons of fun ... I couldn't put this book down.

 

There have been some pretty good Stephen King debates around these parts. No dedicated thread, but I'm pretty sure some multi-page digressions that are well-worth checking out.

 

Recently finished Nick Cohen's "You Can’t Read This Book: Censorship in an Age of Freedom". It honestly forced me to evaluate (and re-evaluate) some of my attitudes about the limits of tolerance. Fascinating topic, well written, highly recommended.

 

My annual plug for the New Yorker Festival, tickets going on sale Friday. If you're in the NYC area, it's a lot of fun. I've gone past two years. Schedule.

http://www.newyorker.com/festival/program-guide

Among the ones I'm eyeing are the future of sitcoms panel, which includes, among others, Michael Schur of Parks and Recs and Fire Joe Morgan fame, ReReading David Foster Wallace, and Salman Rushdie with David Remnick.

Tix are 30 bucks for most events.