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Pit Book/Discussion Thread

Sula was my entry point, but Song of Solomon might be my favorite

the baby constipation passage in Sula is one of the most memorable I've ever read
 
So, I’ve been reading the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly recently after watching the Amazon series. They’re pretty good for what they are.

I don’t have to think about them too much.
 
So, I’ve been reading the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly recently after watching the Amazon series. They’re pretty good for what they are.

I don’t have to think about them too much.

I like the Bernie Gunther novels for that. Also good for what they are. Cool setting of post-Weimar/Depression-era Germany, WWII, and immediate post-War. Private Dick stuff. Breezy noir-ish historical thrillers.
 
I've read some selections of the Kaminsky Deaf Republic and I want to read the Krasznahorkai at some point, but who knows.
 
I'll give a shout to the last non-fic book I read, this weird memoir-ish travelogue called All The Devils Are Here, by David Seabrook. Came out in 2002. It's pretty dark and mysterious, and he later died under dark and mysterious circumstances, about which you can't find much.

"In his first book, David Seabrook takes us on a deranged exploration of the Kentish coastal towns of Thanet and Medway. He fuses his observation of these depression landscapes, city centres full of unemployed young men and asylum seekers and dodgy characters, with literary and historical associations that seem through his eyes more like bad dreams than heritage advertisements for the local tourist board."
 
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https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/tom-oneill/chaos/9780316477574/

Chaos by Tom O Neil

A journalist's twenty-year fascination with the Manson murders leads to shocking new revelations about the FBI's involvement in this riveting reassessment of an infamous case in American history.
Over two grim nights in Los Angeles, the young followers of Charles Manson murdered seven people, including the actress Sharon Tate, then eight months pregnant. With no mercy and seemingly no motive, the Manson Family followed their leader's every order-their crimes lit a flame of paranoia across the nation, spelling the end of the sixties. Manson became one of history's most infamous criminals, his name forever attached to an era when charlatans mixed with prodigies, free love was as possible as brainwashing, and utopia-or dystopia-was just an acid trip away.


Twenty years ago, when journalist Tom O'Neill was reporting a magazine piece about the murders, he worried there was nothing new to say. Then he unearthed shocking evidence of a cover-up behind the "official" story, including police carelessness, legal misconduct, and potential surveillance by intelligence agents. When a tense interview with Vincent Bugliosi-prosecutor of the Manson Family, and author of Helter Skelter-turned a friendly source into a nemesis, O'Neill knew he was onto something. But every discovery brought more questions:



Who were Manson's real friends in Hollywood, and how far would they go to hide their ties?
Why didn't law enforcement, including Manson's own parole officer, act on their many chances to stop him?
And how did Manson-an illiterate ex-con-turn a group of peaceful hippies into remorseless killers?


O'Neill's quest for the truth led him from reclusive celebrities to seasoned spies, from San Francisco's summer of love to the shadowy sites of the CIA's mind-control experiments, on a trail rife with shady cover-ups and suspicious coincidences. The product of two decades of reporting, hundreds of new interviews, and dozens of never-before-seen documents from the LAPD, the FBI, and the CIA, CHAOS mounts an argument that could be, according to Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Steven Kay, strong enough to overturn the verdicts on the Manson murders. This is a book that overturns our understanding of a pivotal time in American history.
 
Yep. Helter Skelter is FICTION, man. Bugliosi cooked that whole thing up! It was shameless self-promotion. Charlie was FRAMED.

I need to read that, I have a thing about the Manson murders and serial killers in general, I guess. I might be p fucked up in the head.
 
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Yep. Helter Skelter is FICTION, man. Bugliosi cooked that whole thing up! It was shameless self-promotion. Charlie was FRAMED.

I need to read that, I have a thing about the Manson murders and serial killers in general, I guess. I might be p fucked up in the head.

well you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer
 
Slate list of 50 best non-fiction books of last 25 years: https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/11/50-best-nonfiction-books.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

some pretty good ones on there

I defs read more fiction than non-fiction -- any on there (or otherwise) people have loved lately?

I have read a handful on that list. The Warmth of Other Suns is my favorite. The amount of research and work she had to put into it was incredible, but the way she presented it lifted it to the ranks of lists like this.

I preferred other works by some of the authors listed. For David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon. For Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower. Under the Banner of Heaven for Krakauer.

Lately I have loved the Spy and The Traitor, Bad Blood, and the Billion Dollar Whale. The Places in Between by Rory Stewart is an all time favorite. Asne Sierstadt and Tahir Shah are two who have several great nonfiction works.

Thanks for the list. There are a few on there I want to check out.
 
I was recommended Erin Morgenstern from a friend after her debut fantasy novel: "The Nigh Circus". I haven't read that, but i'm about 1/4 of the way through her followup novel:
The Starless Sea and am infatuated with her unique way of encouraging wonder.
 
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Any other Colum McCann fans out there? I just finished his short story "Treaty." The phrase "all the truth; none of the honesty" is one I will be borrowing a lot.
 
So, I’ve been reading the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly recently after watching the Amazon series. They’re pretty good for what they are.

I don’t have to think about them too much.

Nope, which is why I am a fan. There's a 2019 issue out there.
 
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Been following this guy Tom Cox for a while now, read a book of his 21st Century Yokel, as well as a number of shorter pieces he puts on his site. He seems alright. Pretty funny, whimsical nature-y/folklore-y/pastoral type writing, but with cool 60s/70s psychedelic folk rock vibes. He wrote a collection of short stories, which I haven't read, and his first few books revolve around his cats (but aren't cat books, necessarily, apparently, maybe), but he is coming out with one that is probably like 21st Century Yokel, and I'm gonna check it out. It's called Ring The Hill and I just ordered it.

http://tom-cox.com/

Anyway, check some shit out and maybe it will interest you. It's not genius or anything, but he is pretty funny and likes good music; however, I had to stop listening to his occasional radio show, because I can't really stand his midlands accent.
 
Finally resolving to tackle some more meaningful reads that have been on the shelf for awhile. Currently 1/3 through Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. Really enjoying it so far. Will report back when I finish.
 
Just finished Neuromancer and started the next book in the Sprawl trilogy, Count Zero. William Gibson's writing can be dense and fast paced, but gets easier to follow as you get used to the somewhat dated hacker terminology. Still, Neuromancer was fantastic and its influence on the whole cyberpunk genre and beyond is obvious.
 
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