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Pit Book/Discussion Thread

Finished the first book of Wheel of Time (finally). The final 100-150 pages made up for the time spent on the journey to get there. Definitely left it in a good place for the next book/few books. Going to go ahead and get them and see how they go.
 
I have four John Grisham books on my shelf that I have either read a long time ago, or gotten halfway through. Gonna try to blitz through those next, as they are pretty easy reads.

Starting with The Appeal.

Basically a Sue Grafton type writer for men.

I dig the storylines, but everything is so black and white (good vs. bad) that it's comical. He also jams so many political/legal things into every book that it is just a parody of itself.
 
re-read The Giver because I grabbed it from one the neighborhood free library boxes

reading Nobody Move by Denis Johnson now -- reads like Leonard Elmore wrote it (blurbs have a lot of Cormac McCarthy references but I don't see it; guess I haven't read the write McCarthy books)

Nobody Move has too-witty-by-half snappy dialogue that I often hate (see: Aaron Sorkin) but it works in the right hands, I guess -- Johnson is great
 
How did The Giver hold up? I saw the movie for the first time like a year ago.

I have The Road and Blood Meridian on my bookshelf, but I've always had trouble with Cormac books for some reason. They are on my list for the year.
 
The Giver was kinda what I remembered -- not a lick of subtlety, but competently written and worthy of its status as an early reader classic

kinda assumed there was a movie, but had never heard of it so I googled -- to be honest, wasn't surprised a movie of the book had pretty negative reviews on RT
 
Deacsfan27 said:
I have The Road and Blood Meridian on my bookshelf, but I've always had trouble with Cormac books for some reason. They are on my list for the year.
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I read The Road, No Country for Old Men, and half of All the Pretty Horses about 10 years ago (my mid 20's) and only really enjoyed No Country for Old Men. I had no previous experience with minimalist novels when I read The Road, so undoubtedly missed out on why it won a Pulitzer. I imagine I'd appreciate it more these days, but I doubt I'll ever find out.
 
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JuiceCrewAllStar said:
re-read The Giver because I grabbed it from one the neighborhood free library boxes

reading Nobody Move by Denis Johnson now -- reads like Leonard Elmore wrote it (blurbs have a lot of Cormac McCarthy references but I don't see it; guess I haven't read the write McCarthy books)

Nobody Move has too-witty-by-half snappy dialogue that I often hate (see: Aaron Sorkin) but it works in the right hands, I guess -- Johnson is great
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Nobody Move was a romp

next up is The Information by Martin Amis, my first book of his
 
Maybe too casual for the intellectual crowd but I just picked up Daisy Jones and the Six which all of my female acquaintances are raving about. Finished a quick 75 pages this afternoon. Very breezy. I also really liked this author’s other book Malibu Rising.
 
Anybody read poetry? I just finished up "Flowers on the Moon" by Billy Chapata and LOVED it. First time really diving into poetry but those words spoke straight to my heart and soul. Would love to read more like him if anyone is familiar with his work and can provide recommendations.
 
Oh man, I love all sorts of poetry, but never heard of leftcoast's guy. I can get with pretty traditional stuff or super way out there. Last thing I really got into was Charles Olson's Maximus Poems and some John Barryman's Dream Songs.
 
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These set of old documentaries on American poets were super cool:



Feel like someone quoted a Sexton poem in the CT the other day, or I read it somewhere, I forget now. (ed. Nah, it was on twitter)

www.poetryfoundation.org

The Truth the Dead Know by Anne Sexton | Poetry Foundation

Gone, I say and walk from church,
www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org

Charles Olson one:



Probably not a similar tone to what leftcoast was mentioning, just glancing over that guy's stuff. But anyway,
 
Demon Copperhead, the new Barbara Kingsolver, is a real return to form. It takes its title and themes from David Copperfield, but set in her native Appalachia. It’s a really profoundly disturbing look at opioids, rural and generational poverty, and in my view a poignant and deeply empathetic look at the American rural/urban divide. Though it’s a massive gut punch I think it’s the best book I’ve read in years.
 
TownieDeac said:
Demon Copperhead, the new Barbara Kingsolver, is a real return to form. It takes its title and themes from David Copperfield, but set in her native Appalachia. It’s a really profoundly disturbing look at opioids, rural and generational poverty, and in my view a poignant and deeply empathetic look at the American rural/urban divide. Though it’s a massive gut punch I think it’s the best book I’ve read in years.
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I agree. My brother, sister, and our cousin all ended up reading it at the same time (unplanned) and we can't stop discussing it.
 
Well those are pretty strong recommendations, gonna add that one to the list. Plotting out my next reads. I'm thinking Demon Copperhead, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, a Ted Chiang collection, and maybe something by Lois McMaster Bujold
 
Caught up on some reading last week while on vacation:
"All the Light We Cannot See" - Anthony Doerr
I know a bunch of you have read this...I liked it, but not as much as "Cloud Cuckoo Land"

"All the Ugly and Wonderful Things" - Bryn Greenwood
Big WTF with this one. Also, trigger warning as there are some fairly detailed descriptions of sexual assault. I wasn't really sure what I was getting when I picked this book and it was something. Very highly reviewed, but a few days from completion and I'm still unsure of how this one sits with me.

"The Only Good Indians" - Stephen Graham Jones
Another book that I think a bunch of you read. I freaking loved this book, especially after the previously mentioned book. Open to any recommendations that are like this.
 
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