The Reader’s Nook - The N&G Book Thread

Finally finished Neverwhere. I thought it was great, if not a little predictable towards the end. It did have some really powerful imagery that made me just the right amount of uncomfortable... Especially the Ordeal of the Key.

Moving on to The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz. I really don't know much about it, just picked it up on a recommendation from a couple of years ago.
 
Just finished the Malcolm X part of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Still have Haley's thoughts to read. I grew up with a certain view of Malcolm X being taught to me and though some of that is echoed by him in the book, I was amazed at how varied his life was and how empathetic and accepting he became of others later in his (much too short) life.
 
Bull Shannon said:
Broken Earth is super good! I completely understand wanting a buffer on it (I put around six months between each installment, though that's kinda where I'm at as a reader in general; I like spacing out a series rather than reading them all back-to-back), but I found each installment was more rewarding than the last.
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I'll check these out after I finish The Nonexistent Knight. I need some sci-fi in my veins.
 
Started A Clash of Kings, but I’ve set it aside to catch up on the ever-growing pile of other books I have.

Just finished Erin Lee Carr’s memoir All That You Leave Behind. Yes, it’s about David Carr, her father, but it’s also about generational addiction. I also got the sense that she wrote this all out essentially as a way of dealing with her grief over her father’s death. She’s made some incredible documentaries, and had easily carved out a career of her own, spectate from her dad’s legacy. I enjoyed the book, though I’m sure it’ll have some detractors.

Now I’m onto Swamplandia! I’ve been wanting to read it for a while. Hoping to finish it up quickly and then move onto her (Karen Russell, that is) short story collections.
 
AudioAce said:
Been reading How Music Works by David Byrne on and off for the past couple of weeks.

Any other music books anybody could recommend?
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I'll recommend Amanda Petrusich's Do Not Sell At Any Price. Read it last year. It's about 78 collectors, their weird little subculture, and kind of the history of them. Very fascinating read, and for my money she's the best music/culture writer we have right now.

Also read last year Perfecting Sound Forever by Greg Milner. It's a bit long, but it's fantastic, too. It's about the history of recorded music (mainly the technology, but also how its development influenced the music itself, too) starting with Edison's cylinders.
 
Bennnnn said:
Just finished Erin Lee Carr’s memoir All That You Leave Behind. Yes, it’s about David Carr, her father, but it’s also about generational addiction. I also got the sense that she wrote this all out essentially as a way of dealing with her grief over her father’s death. She’s made some incredible documentaries, and had easily carved out a career of her own, spectate from her dad’s legacy. I enjoyed the book, though I’m sure it’ll have some detractors.
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This book broke me in two. It was so good.
 
Dash said:
Just finished the Malcolm X part of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Still have Haley's thoughts to read. I grew up with a certain view of Malcolm X being taught to me and though some of that is echoed by him in the book, I was amazed at how varied his life was and how empathetic and accepting he became of others later in his (much too short) life.
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Finished the whole book. Thought Haley's thoughts were nice and painted a fuller story of Malcolm X's words. My wife read a little bit over my shoulder one night and said "this is a boring read" and I understood. I was in the middle of the chapter about his Hajj pilgrimage and he really just gets into the nitty gritty, but I found a lot of those minor details so interesting and so central to what made the book so good. Knowing the ins and outs of a civil rights icon is pretty wild.

Now I'm going to read David Lynch's Room to Dream!
 
AudioAce said:
Been reading How Music Works by David Byrne on and off for the past couple of weeks.

Any other music books anybody could recommend?
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If you’re into the early 2000s indie rock scene in any capacity, Meet Me In The Bathroom is a fantastic read. It’s an oral history so despite its length it moves very quickly.

Also a lot of Chuck Klosterman’s essay books have tons of music writing in them but it also focuses largely on pop culture in general.

Jessica Hopper’s first essay collection is great too (haven’t read her newest one yet).

Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein is great, if you enjoy Sleater-Kinney. I mean, even if you don’t, it’s still great.

How Music Got Free is also an incredible book. It’s about the creation and rise of the mp3, and how that directly coincides with illegal downloads of music. It’s just a really compelling story. It’s like looking deeply at a subject you haven’t thought that much about before.
 
Bull Shannon said:
Currently ~50% through The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah for my book club. I was actually kinda looking forward to this one, as it got a lot of rave reviews and made a few year-end lists last year.

But...

It's some hot garbage. The writing is fine and not bad, but there is a nexus of alcoholism-domestic abuse-PTSD in the depiction of the father which I am not fond of. The author manages to strip the mother character of any agency, as well as the father himself; they just spew cliches and appear to behave the way they do because the author saw other books/movies about abuse and thought they must hit the same notes. There's literally a morning-after-a-fight scene where the protagonist begs her mom to leave the father, and the mom says "I know...but I love him."

Also, all the characters have nicknames that indicate who they are. This includes Mad Earl, Crazy Larry, and...

Large Marge.

I shit you not.

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I'm right there with you (read it last year). I don't need likeable characters, but I do need them to be less annoying than they are in this book.
 
I haven't been able to read this year (catch me in the mental health thread! Wheeeeeee!) But last week I managed to pick up and finish a Terry Pratchett book (Reaper Man) that I'd read about 10% of 6 months ago. So now I'm finally reading Good Omens, since the show is out and it seems to strike a tone I can enjoy. I've missed reading.
 
GritNGlitter said:
I haven't been able to read this year (catch me in the mental health thread! Wheeeeeee!) But last week I managed to pick up and finish a Terry Pratchett book (Reaper Man) that I'd read about 10% of 6 months ago. So now I'm finally reading Good Omens, since the show is out and it seems to strike a tone I can enjoy. I've missed reading.
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I just listened to Good Omens on audiobook this week for a reread. As a novel, it's got a few issues, but as a joke delivery system, it's gold.
 
LeSamourai said:
I just listened to Good Omens on audiobook this week for a reread. As a novel, it's got a few issues, but as a joke delivery system, it's gold.
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My depression is very on board with joke delivery systems, hence the Discworld novel last week.
 
Took an impromptu trip to the library with mrs. englishbob and came back with Stephen King’s The Outsider. About 150 pages in and so far so good. At first I thought it was a werewolf story, now i’m Thinking doppelganger story. We’ll see where it goes.
 
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