Topic: Books You're Currently Reading?

@GirlVersusGame It's worth mentioning that my non-fiction shelf (along with short-story-project and classics-project shelves) are books I have yet to read, I use the shelves as tags for when I want to pick a new book to read in that category. Once I've read them I "un-tag" them. Also, the site doesn't really show my collection (as most of my physical books are in storage), but books I've read since I started reading books regularly again back in 2013 (apart from a few additions made when I initially joined the site) and books I want to read.
Looking forward to exploring your shelves

@FuriousMachine Okay now that makes sense. My 'to read' shelf is behind at the moment, I seem to have grabbed most of them and I'm sure a few of them have been read. For a while I'd grab a box and take the time to note down everything. It helped with accidentally buying doubles. How do you usually find suggestions for what to read next? do you go down the Readers also enjoyed rabbithole? I think I saw Mary Roache's Stiff on there too, it was a bit of a tough read but kind of fascinating once you get passed the discomfort. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is kind of similar and quite a good read. I think Quakeland has been suggested to me a couple of times but I never got around to it. I had to make sure I hadn't tabbed back to my own lists a few times, we have a lot of the same titles down. It took about an hour to get through your shelves, I've found so many good books by taking the time to read through peoples lists. It makes me want to get mine up to date, I've been catching up on all the movies I missed over the summer too. I must have watched Weapons three times now, I was hoping they'd release a movie novelization.

@GirlVersusGame Yeah, I will browse through the shelves of people I've recently "befriended" on there, putting most focus on books that are rated and reviewed, but every now and then a title may catch my eye and lead me to investigate.
Most new additions to my to-read pile come from this thread and the "updates" feed on Goodreads. I pay particular attention to the readers I know have similar tastes to mine, but I also make sure to try something outside my usual diet every once in a while.
As to how I choose what to pick from my to-read pile to be my next read, that is a way longer discussion
Short version is that I put some work into organising the top 30-40 books on my to-read list, as that should cover the next year of reading, roughly. The list isn't sacrosanct and I frequently push new books in there at the top for various reasons, but I try to stick with it as much as possible. I'm a guy who needs a high level of variation, so much so that even when reading a trilogy with a continuing story I will interject standalone novels in between for variation. I also try to keep a balance between the various genres, non-fiction, short-stories, classics etc for that list.
Reasons for pushing new books to the top of the list are most typically the announcement of an upcoming adaptation I want to see (I prefer my reading the source before watching the adaptation for works where I'm interested in doing both) or there's a new release from an author I'm a fan of or a series I'm reading (The Harry Bosch universe books, for example). Every now and then a recommendation is just so interesting that I want to get to it as soon as possible, so those get bumped, too.
This of course leads to pages and pages of "wasteland" in the middle of my list where books languish, forgotten and desperately wanting to be read. One day... one day....

And yeah, "Weapons" was fantastic, one of the best so far this year!

I've started The Last Chronicle of Barset, so far I have gleaned the impression that Trollope's purpose in writing it was a sort of tying-up of loose ends of the previous threads and strands in the preceding novels that he had left unresolved until this point. Really enjoying it so far. And, yes, my feelings would make sense as it is the final novel in the series.

So, there are only five more books, (three are literature) ,on my current WishList, then I should be diving almost exclusively into the printed worlds of Art, Cricket, Graphic Novels & Manga.

I've finished The Last Chronicle of Barset now, which means I have read all six novels in Anthony Trollope's Chronicles of Barset sextology. Which I found to be a thoroughly satisfying literary experience. Next, I am about to start The Portrait of a Lady ,by Henry James, which is the next book on my reading list.

Edit: I've started it now, and it as coming across as quite 'strong' writing so far, definitely luring me in to see the oncoming 'story beats' etc. .

I finished Sigrid Undsets epic story Olav Audunssøn and it was a alright book, a bit old fashioned written and at times it felt like a story that didnt have any progress, like telling a tale where the passing of time was the most important thing to tell.
I finished Eva Lundgrens Knuteby koden, which is a book that tells the story of a christian community in Sweden where people get brainwashed and in the end killed. Fact based book written by a professor so it was a interesting read about cult behaviour.
Last but not least i have started reading Thorvald Steens Konstantinopel, which is a book about Sigurd Jorsalfare the son of the last viking king Magnus Berføtt. It is a fiction book based on some historical fact about Sigurds crusader adventures. The read had been good

I enjoyed Red Dragon, I'll make sure to read the other books in the series.

Also just finished Manhunters: How we took down Pablo Escobar. Will have to watch Narcos now, it's based on this book. I heard his name many a time but I had no idea just how evil a man Escobar was.

Next up 'Killer on the Road' by Stephen Graham Jones. Since it's October may as well get some horror in.

Still reading The Portrait of a Lady ,I like the strong-minded nature of the protagonist and the way James details the inner workings of her mind, even if I don't always agree with her decisions in the novel. Looking forward to reading Mrs. Osmond ,by John Banville, which is something of a sequel to 'Portrait' and Answered Prayers by Truman Capote, next.

Edit: About halfway through 'Portrait' now and thoroughly enjoying it.

Edit II: Finished 'Portrait' now, five stars, it was stellar, and am about to start Mrs. Osmond ,next. Man, I wish I could get through games as quickly as I can get through books, when I want to.

Edit III: Very disappointed by the opening of Mrs Osmond. Perhaps one to avoid, no one, it seems ,besides Henry James is capable of writing like Henry James. Abandoning that, now, and moving on to Answered Prayers.

Edit IV: Answered Prayers had a very disappointing/disturbing, at least for me, anyway, opening, so I've decided to move on again. Watch this space, will update soon with details of my next literary quest.

@MightyDemon82 The combination of "Manhunters" and "Red Dragon" in your post lit up a particular connection in my brain: The non-fiction accounts of John E. Douglas, who served as the model for the character Jack Crawford in Harris' novels and whom the series "Mindhunter" is based on - Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. Very interesting, though at times uncomfortable and disturbing. Might be something you'd like.

I finished Cold Storage, which is the first novel of screenwriter of some stellar and some not so stellar movies David Koepp and it does indeed read like a fast-paced though somewhat shallow movie. Tackling the now familiar story of a mutant Cordyceps fungus infecting poor humans, this manages to avoid being both "The Last of Us - the novel" or yet another global infection re-tread by remaining refreshingly contained, both in terms of geography and character count, which works well in its favour. It's brisk read that probably won't take up much brainspace afterwards, but I found it entertaining and the characters were likeable enough to spend a few hours with. Three and a half stars.

From Stephen King's Night Shift collection I read Quitters Inc., an okay short story about an unorthodox smoke quitting service; interesting, but fails to pick up any steam. Three stars.

And just the other day I finished The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi, a very good serial killer thriller with a unique setting and a great (and original) "final girl". Very cinematic, with excellent characters and enough red herrings to keep the identity of the killer far enough from being obvious. I had a small issue with the killer reveal, but I won't go into it in order to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say, it was a minor issue and did in no way diminish my enjoyment of the proceedings. Four stars.

Next up is All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

Currently reading The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories by Henry James. Diving into his supposedly "impenetrable" style, after hankering after more after reading The Portrait of a Lady. Not much of a horror hound myself, unlike @FuriousMachine, so I don't think I'll do any more exploring of the genre after this book, but it might be your thing, Furious, perhaps worth looking at a couple of reviews on your beloved website, 'Goodreads' or something like that, I believe it's called?. 😉

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Thanks for the tip, I'll have a look, but "impenetrable style" makes me a bit wary of it
I recently attempted "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", it being the season for it and all, and at only 40 pages long it should be done in an evening. I got about half way through before giving up. That man Irving did not like ending sentences! Also, the verbosity bordered on the absurd and I am sure he often heard "My God man, get to the point!" by his peers (in my head I can hear it in the voice of Cary Elwes, for some reason ). So even horror can't defeat dense prose for me.

Still, I'll give the reviews a look, and these classics are often quite cheap on Kindle, so the price won't be a barrier to just try it out for myself. I've gotten good at putting away things I don't enjoy instead of forcing myself get through it, so there's no harm in trying

@FuriousMachine That's the "spirit!" No pun intended. Ok...maybe there was. 😉 Get it? Ghost Stories? 'Spirit'? I'll be here all week folks!

The last few: Mort, Wyrd Sisters, Guards! Guards!, Eric, Small Gods, Night Watch, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. Only You can Save The World. The Exorcist (read by Peter Blatty) Salem's Lot (featuring Doug Bradley from Hellraiser) Dracula, Sleepy Hollow (read by Sir Christopher Lee) All the Terry Pratchett ones were part of the BBC Radio Drama Collection and I've picked up the recent Penguin Collection featuring Peter Serafinowicz, Jon Culshaw, Steven Cree, Bill Nighy, Indira Varma, Colin Morgan, Stephen Briggs but there's over forty of them to get through so it will take a while and a lot of gaming. Right now I'm listening to An American Werewolf in London while I do some base building. As much as I enjoy actual reading I find the audio format helps with comprehension, vocabulary, pronunciation and it allows for a lot of multitasking.

@MightyDemon82 Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers is quite a good book to look out for too. It's similar to the book Furious mentioned.

From the FBI’s former assistant director, a shocking journey to the dark side of America’s highways, revealing the FBI Highway Serial Killings Initiative’s hunt for the long-haul truckers behind an astonishing 850 murders–and counting. Based on his own on-the-ground research and drawing on his twenty-five-year career as an FBI special agent, Frank Figliuzzi investigates the most terrifying cases. He also rides in a big-rig with a long-haul trucker for thousands of miles, gaining an intimate understanding of the life and habits of drivers and their roadside culture. And he interviews the courageous trafficked victims of these crimes, and their inspiring efforts to now help others avoid similar fates.

Long Haul is a gripping exploration of a violent, disordered world hiding in plain sight, and the heroes racing to end the horror. It will forever unsettle how you travel on the road.

Shortlisted for four 2025 True Crime Awards

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN 😅I love puns, so I'll quote another pun-lover: "Stop saying 'no pun' intended, intend your puns, you cowards!" and I'd imagine him shaking his fist to the sky 😅All in good fun, of course.

@FuriousMachine The Portrait of a Lady ,which ,despite possessing long sentences, which I know you have an aversion for, is notoriously one of, if not the most accessible of James' novels, according to readers of his work. So that might be a starting point and worth adding to the Classics Project along with your other items that you considered appropriate for the list. Also, it is now tied with The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann for my favourite book of all time. I thought it was excellent.

I am reading What Maisie Knew by Henry James, now, as I prefer non-supernatural fiction to supernatural fiction for the most part, and hope that, at least for the majority of the novel, it can rival the quality of the, as above described, fabulous 'Portrait' novel by the same author.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Took a gander at the sample on Amazon and that didn't look too bad, so bought it and added it to my to-read pile

And there are long sentences and then there's word m**turbation... I mean:

"In one corner stood a huge bag of wool ready to be spun; in another, a quantity of linsey-woolsey just from the loom; ears of Indian corn, and strings of dried apples and peaches, hung in gay festoons along the walls, mingled with the gaud of red peppers; and a door left ajar gave him a peep into the best parlor, where the claw-footed chairs, and dark mahogany tables, shone like mirrors; and irons, with their accompanying shovel and tongs, glistened from their covert of asparagus tops; mock-oranges and conch-shells decorated the mantel-piece; strings of various-colored birds’ eggs were suspended above it; a great ostrich egg was hung from the centre of the room, and a corner cupboard, knowingly left open, displayed immense treasures of old silver and well-mended china"

I mean, I fell asleep halfway through the sentence

@FuriousMachine 😃 I hope you get something out of the book anyway, but I'll admit, as much as I love the book, that is a very long sentence, indeed.

I've also been diving into a massive philosophy tome, which from what I believe I know of your tastes, I won't be recommending to you, Furious.

It's part of my ongoing struggle to find wordy or lofty-themed books that are edifying for the mind, body and spirit in addition to the Classics genre, which I will have essentially have exhausted in terms of the most well-known and some lesser-known authors, after I am done with James and Trollope. So far I've got Art, Philosophy and Cricket, perhaps some Jazz Biography or something as well, any further suggestions?