Topic: Books You're Currently Reading?

@MightyDemon82
Love Flowers for Algernon. Do try not to cry 😭 though.

Currently working through The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. Have read Tortilla Flat, The Red Pony and Of Mice and Men. Just begun The Moon is Down.

@sorteddan I'm a big softy, so I will most definitely cry if it's that upsetting.

I read Of Mice & Men last year, will have to check out Steinbecks other works!

@MightyDemon82
if you liked that one you should add The Grapes of Wrath to your for fire list, in my opinion it's easily the best he's written, at least that I have read. Again though be warned it may upset you as it's a pretty grim downbeat tale.

@Black_Swordsman you should "James". A retelling of Huck Finn. From Jim's perspective. I just finished it. It's very good!

@Elodin Thanks friend 😃 I'll be sure to pick that one up. Is it written in the type of language that Twain chooses to portray Jim's speech with? 'Cause I find his speech quite hard to decipher in Huck Finn, although I'm sure I can still manage it, if, like you say, it's worth reading.

@Black_Swordsman Jim's speech is much easier to read. Also as it is written from his perspective, you get eloquent thoughts throughout. Percival Everett prose is quite good. I need to now read his book Erasure, the book they based the film American Fiction on. As for "James", it's my leading candidate for book of the year. If you read it let me know what you think.

@Elodin I will endeavour to remember that, and to let you know what I think, be sure to let me know how you get on with Erasure as well, please. My next intended book is Mr. Palomar by Italo Calvino or You Can't Win by Jack Black (not that one) , but I should get on to Everett's James right after that ,take care now, and thanks again for the recommendation. 😃

@sorteddan I finished Flowers for Algernon and I did get a bit misty eyed. I will add Grapes of wrath to the list.

I just finished A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Goodreads page) and what an easy five-star read that was! Not only is it beautifully written (with some exceptional turns of phrase as well as few cases of truly inspired alliteration, which I always enjoy), but it is also an incredibly heartwarming and joyous story with some truly delightful characters (chief among them, the main character himself).
The story follows the day-to-day life of Count Rostov, who is confined to house arrest in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow for life following the Russian revolution.
The book has been adapted into a TV series that debuted on Showtime just a few days ago with Ewan McGregor as the count and I believe he is perfect for the role. The trailer for the show (which can be viewed on YouTube from this link) gives a very good indication of what to expect from the novel as well.
I cannot recommend this enough to the readers on here that may enjoy a quiet but enthralling read.

Next up I will finish my Witcher project with the last book published (for now), Season of Storms (Goodreads page)

@MightyDemon82 @sorteddan @Elodin @Black_Swordsman So, that was "Flowers for Algernon", "Grapes of Wrath" and "Erasure" added to my backlog. I'm intrigued by "James" as well, but considering that I haven't read any Twain since... whoah, some time in the 80's, maybe?, I should probably freshen up on Huckleberry Finn first.

Empire of the Damned, sequel to Empire of the Vampire.
I should have finished it by now but I'm taking my time with it.
Read these books.

@XandertheWise
How are you finding that stretch of the Wheel of Time books?
So many people dread the middle third of the series, but I always enjoyed it.

I'm biased though. It's my favourite series. In the last 26 years I've read it through twice. I've been feeling an itch to go through it all again.

@FuriousMachine Yeah sounds like a plan, would probably enhance your reading of James .

@FuriousMachine
Oh sorry. I didn't mean to contribute to an unmanageable backlog (booklog?) You should read what you want, not what you're told. 😉

Regarding Algernon, I think it's really special that such a short piece of fiction had such a lasting effect on me. I mean I've only read it twice, and not for a few years now but just thinking of it makes me remember how sad I felt the tale was. But not in a bad way but in a way that made me reflect on myself and my interactions and relationships with others. Like am I the character being laughed at or the one doing the laughing?
I think I initially only stumbled across it as it was on a list of best Sci-Fi or something but I think that genre categorisation may put some people off from approaching it which is a shame. I mean it's not really sci-fi in the way most people think of it.
Anyway, forgive my rambling but I really hold that book dear and think it should be lauded whenever possible.

@sorteddan Hang on! Are you saying that I'm under no obligation to read every book recommendation I come across? Well, that simplifies things. I expect my booklog (word adopted!) will by sooo much more manageable from here on out...

I like a good ramble and I absolutely agree, when something has such a profound effect it should be revered and shared.

@sorteddan Yes, I agree. I know I only just finished the book but Charlie Gordon will stick in my head for years to come.

first time for me to get to books 7 to 9 since back then when I was in high school in the mid late 1990s all there was for Wheel of Time were books 1 through 5 or at least 6. then I sort of lost interest of waiting for the next book to come around. Books 6-8 I'm a bit mad they got rid of Moiraine and her Warder Lan. But I did like reading books 7 to 8 anyway but then I realized too many characters kept popping up etc.

I'm going to be reading Winter's Heart this month to get back in the saddle of reading the rest of Wheel of Time.

@XandertheWise Ah I remember those 90s days when we only had 6 books and had to wait forever for the next one. That's taking me back.

It's a shame Robert Jordan died before he could finish them, but he had so much of it done that Sanderson was able to just use his notes plus what was already written to step in and finish it.

Enjoy the rest of it!

I finished The Portable Mark Twain , I found that it was very good, the man was clearly one of the leading intellectuals of his day, and the complete reproduction ofThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was expectedly the highlight of the book. Highly recommend for anyone who wants a complete and overall perspective on Twain.

Now onto You Can't Win by Jack Black (not that one) seems like a winner so far.

Just finished Season of Storms (Goodreads page), a standalone Witcher story and the last book published about everyone's favourite white haired Witcher.
I think any book I could have chosen to follow the phenomenally good A Gentleman in Moscow would have struggled to impress, but this was nonetheless an entertaining yarn, and I think I prefer this entry and its smaller scope to the sweeping saga of the previous novels. Here's hoping Sapkowski will return with more stories like this in the future.

Now it's on to the fourth novel in Peter May's "China thrillers", Snakehead (Goodreads page)