Finished

It's okay. I'm listening to it on audio and sometimes I find myself zoning out or unable to picture the sorts of creatures and landscapes the author describes. The narrators approach is a little dry, and his UK sensibilities include a few interesting word pronunciations.

I am pleased to announce that I have FINALLY finished Les Miserable!!!!!!!


I am done reading forever.


This and Moby Dick have been two books I struggled with. War and Peace was more entertaining (if that would be the correct word to use). I think I'm going to reread something to get my reading mojo back in shape.

Finished:

Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum



I pretty much summed up my feelings for the book in my last post; it was pretty good, but I don't see myself ever thinking, "Gee, I should read that again," in the future.

Currently reading:

Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost

Finished the last two books. Started 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' by Reni Eddo-Lodge.
It's about British race relations but it was 3 bucks at Goodwill and it's worthwhile no matter what. Maybe I should start a Political Book Talk thread, which would disappear entirely!

Congrats Bronkster. I gather you probably weren't crying for the last 100 pages of Les Mis like I was ...

Honestly, I had no emotional attachment or feelings towards any of the characters. If anything, a lot of their actions - and the weird motivations for them - kinda irked me a bit. I'm glad I finally read it, but I guess I just didn't relate to it. I will NOT be planning on watching the movie.

For a complete change, I almost picked up Project Hail Mary again, but it hasn't been long enough since I first read it (but I will! It's too good not to!) - so I started The Martian. Was immediately engrossed.

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey. I never read The Expanse (watched the series though), so my first book by them. Probably when I can't remember the show I'll tackle The Expanse. I did like that each book, while part of a series, seemed like it told a story (like the season of a show) so I'm not hesitant of starting an unfinished series (and the authors seem to have a good record at putting material out). Interesting start to a series here, though difficult to imagine as a tv show (lots of aliens). I like how it shows humans having absolutely no chance in conflict with a far advanced species, with the story focusing on the aftermath. I'm interested to see where it goes next.


Maggie's Grave by David Sodergren. The third book I've read from him, so I knew what I was getting into. He writes short, schlocky, gory B-horror. While fine dining can be great, sometimes you're in the mood for a cheap greasy burger I did like the Scottish atmosphere of this and The Haar. Though atmosphere goes out the window in the second half when it turns into The Terminator with a witch.

Having read all of The Expanse - before watching it - I'm very curious about delving into another series by Corey.

Finished

I can finally say I have read this series. Man, what a ride. It didnt all hit, but I loved the big swings it took and overall it was an awesome journey. Count me as someone who loved the ending.

Just finished:The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art and Scandal at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont by Shawn Levy.



It’s a niche topic for sure but if you’re a fan of old Hollywood, this is a pretty interesting book. It covers the hotel’s (and much of the Sunset Strip) history from the 1920s to present day. Although Levy has a tendency to romanticize the hotel a bit too much, it’s still and enjoyable read.

This is the first Jones novel I’ve read so I’m not sure how his writing style is for the others. I will admit that I found his style a little frustrating in BHH because he uses a lot of “Indian Speak” which took me awhile to figure out. I’ve wanted to read The Only Good Indians but I’m a little worried he’ll use the same frustrating Indian speak for it as well. It took me a lots longer to read BHH because the writing didn’t flow as well as I typically like because it was so stilted with the language barrier for the Indians.

Cool! He wrote for the Oregonian for years. Might have to check this out.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I bought it thinking the John Belushi stuff would be interesting and I ended up being more intrigued by the 1920s-1950s stories about the hotel and Hollywood.

Levy has a few other books about Hollywood, a DeNiro book, a Paul Newman book, and a book about the Rat Pack. I might track some of those down at some point.

Just finished this. Thoroughly enjoyed it! I saw the movie years ago and thought it was alright, and had no intention of bothering with this until I read Project Hail Mary (which I loved! LOVED!!). So, once again, the book is vastly better than the movie! Even knowing the plot, this was so much fun! And had a line that had me giggling for about five minutes (won't say what, because it's dependent on build-up.). Very fun book!

Finished:

Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost



I thought that this book had some interesting things to say about China, but what I mostly came away with is that a) China is horribly polluted, b) the Chinese lose all sense of decorum when in crowds, especially if said crowds are trying to get to a taxi or on a train, and c) as long as you avoid the mega-cities, China can be a pretty nice place to visit. It was a fun (and quick) read, but it's no classic of travel literature.

Currently reading:

Pet Sematary by Stephen King



I read this when it was first published over forty years ago, and it's more than overdue for a re-read.

It’s been almost a month and I finally got to the halfway point… and this book is a tough read. Way too wordy. Claremont takes five pages to describe some encounter and then the character winds up in some new location and you’re wondering when and how they got there.

The story is coming back to me as I read it, but dang it this book is confusing.

Austin Kleon says “life is too short to finish a bad book,” but I’m considering it.

I might put it in my DNF pile… but as I said before, I’m a glutton for punishment.

Finished High Fidelity by Nick Hornby.


Still also working my way through House of Leaves, but the part I'm at is a bit of a slog, so to speak.