BOOKS THREAD

I hate the feeling of only a few pages remaining between the fingers of my right hand when I'm loving a book. Knowing I have something tempting waiting helps.

 

Have about 50 pages left on Chabon. It's not Kavalier & Klay and I don't like it as much as Yiddish but I am loving it. The writing is just...well, you know [insert Chabon simile here]. Interested to hear your take on the sentence that stretches 12 pages.

 

Just finished "The Art of Fielding." Beautifully written, ached for Skrimshander, thought the baseball scenes were excellent. Also thought it lacked a lot. The plot got silly in some places and I think I stopped feeling the heart somewhere along the way. But...still an entertaining read and one I finished as quickly as I could.

Oh, and I think I read somewhere on this thread that Pella was not well-written. I would disagree with that. I thought she was written gorgeously.

 

Just finished the three "Hunger Games" books by Suzanne Collins.

Really enjoyed all three -- yes, even the last one, "Mockingjay." Without spoiling it, I'll just say the "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" ending worked well for me.

Nothing like a series about the near re-destruction of post apocalypse America to send you off to sleep each night!

 

Based on posts here I've read Savages and Kings of Cool over the past couple weeks. Fun books that move quickly and intelligently. Winslow does a nice job of bringing his story lines together in meaningful ways, which is something that Suzanne Collins drove me crazy with in the Hunger Games books.

 

Just finished "Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter. Loved it. It jumped around a bit to different time periods, characters and locations (Hollywood, WWII Italy, Cinque Terre, Idaho), but Walter ties it all together quite nicely.

 

I like Jess Walter a lot. I've been mulling picking that one up. The Financial Lives of Poets was a great read.

 

Walter is outstanding, DD. Can't believe I've never read any of his stuff. I flew through "Beautiful Ruins" and I don't often speed through many books.

 

Just Finished "Telegraph Avenue." Chabon writes as only he can. Definitely enjoyed it, but at times the constant allusions and pop culture references make the text seem overly dense.

 

I read this book earlier this year and loved it. He has great descriptive writing.

 

My librarian aunt gifted me a copy of "My Friend Dahmer," a surprisingly emotional graphic novel by a high school classmate — and excellent artist — of Jeffrey Dahmer. First graphic novel on the nightstand in more than six months. This was a good way to break back in with them: http://www.amazon.com/My-Friend-Dahmer-Derf-Backderf/dp/1419702173/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1325535044&sr=8-1

 

The guy can write. But a lot of filler, and even more of "My God, who gives a rat's ass".