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Second book I've read by this author and will look for Underground Railroad soon.

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A quick, fun book, fictionalizing the days leading up to the filming of Frankenstein. Really has me eager to watch the movie again!

Kurtie, have you read this film book? A compelling look at the making of Chinatown, starting with its embryonic beginnings in Towne's imagination (the book claims it was virtually co-written by a friend of his, Edward Taylor, and finished off by Polanski), and a bit of insight into the last Golden Age of American cinema.

have not! (But I think I will ...)

One of the most interesting aspects of the book, from a writer's perspective, is the description of the tortuous development of the screenplay.

I have it on my 'For Later' shelf on my library app. Still working through Jude the Obscure and have a collection of Chinese Sci-Fi on deck.

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Finished

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Rex Stout - Gambit. A Nero Wolfe mystery. It's a good book to listen to while on a road trip. Michael Prichard is a great reader.

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Really enjoyed Stoner, but this one was a real slog for me to get through. After having similar experiences with Dracula and a few others, I think I can say I need to stay away from any books whose story is told through letters/diaries/articles/etc. That structure really grinds my pace to a halt.

Was planning on picking up Butcher's Crossing, but I may need to wait a few months to let the memory of this one fade away

^I just bought his debut novel, "Nothing but the Night", but haven't begun it yet. It's a slim read.

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A mildly entertaining story of a Korean family living in Hawai'i, and some obnoxious ghosts in Korea.

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Haven't been posting in the last couple of weeks since I've been on vacation in Europe. Have a little down time now ... here are some books I've finished since my last post in this thread:

Ringworld by Larry Niven. You know ... despite having read lots of Niven books, I have no recollection of this book (or anything in the Ringworld series). Like a lot of older sci-fi, this packs a lot of story into around 200 pages. And it doesn't feel like it even begins to scratch the surface of stories that can be told in this setting (although I've read the follow-up novels are weaker).

The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion. Not badly written, but this didn't end up being my thing. I thought it was going to be some kind of ghost or suspense/thriller story, but it was much lighter and more mundane. I should've looked at the author's bibliography more closely, where I would've seen she writes mainly the book equivalent of Hallmark Channel women's romances.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Very different from Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell ... but that's not a bad thing. Short, mysterious, but it comes together by the end. A shame the author doesn't write more. From what I read, she's had health and psychological issues (but I suppose her debut novel did so well she doesn't need to write if she doesn't want to).

Started this today:


Only had time to read the first chapter, but if it's indicative of the rest of the book, I think I'm going to enjoy this ride!

Finished:

Finished:

Maddeningly repetitive, and expertly so.

Chuck lives near me I think. I was reading his Fargo Rock City while next to him at a Starbucks a couple years ago ...

Kurtie, another juicy Hollywood tome I just finished is Biskind's well-known "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls", which you may have already read. Lots of interesting background and tidbits on the 1970s American "New Hollywood" movement. Huge egos, and a lot of Grade-A assholes. I had no idea that Altman, who always seemed so avuncular, was such an unbearable jerk. Really, none of the major writers or directors is depicted in a flattering light. Maybe George Lucas emerges looking the least bad. Bert Schneider, a key independent producer (BBS) of the period, is viewed rather reverently, including in another book I finished recently, but almost everyone else is spoken of as intolerably arrogant, self-aggrandizing, tyrannical, and mean-spirited, not to mention debauched (rampant drugs, alcoholism, promiscuity, and adultery).

Another one for the 'later' shelf!