*** What are you reading at the moment?

[Rev Jones]

As for comedic short stories T. Coraghessan Boyle. I'm reading his collected short stories now. Not all of them are hits but at the very least they are entertaining. Some examples : a Lassie parody, a man suspects his scientist wife of having a fling with her monkey study object etc

Not all of them are comedy, I just finished one where it rains blood from the sky (literally, I mean) and it was quite sickening, but in a good way ha

He has novels out too but I'm not familiar with them.

A thriller author I enjoy is Robert Harris. Fast paced, good world building. Some of his books have a historic setting, others an alternative history setting. His books are real good page turners.

[b-dolo]

As for comedic short stories T. Coraghessan Boyle. I'm reading his collected short stories now. Not all of them are hits but at the very least they are entertaining. Some examples : a Lassie parody, a man suspects his scientist wife of having a fling with her monkey study object etc

Not all of them are comedy, I just finished one where it rains blood from the sky (literally, I mean) and it was quite sickening, but in a good way ha

He has novels out too but I'm not familiar with them.

A thriller author I enjoy is Robert Harris. Fast paced, good world building. Some of his books have a historic setting, others an alternative history setting. His books are real good page turners.

Thanks. I haven't been to the library in over a year because of everything being shut down. It opened up a few months back, but it is frequented by transients so I have stayed away. Plan on going soon though.

[b-dolo]

As for comedic short stories T. Coraghessan Boyle. I'm reading his collected short stories now. Not all of them are hits but at the very least they are entertaining. Some examples : a Lassie parody, a man suspects his scientist wife of having a fling with her monkey study object etc

Not all of them are comedy, I just finished one where it rains blood from the sky (literally, I mean) and it was quite sickening, but in a good way ha

He has novels out too but I'm not familiar with them.

A thriller author I enjoy is Robert Harris. Fast paced, good world building. Some of his books have a historic setting, others an alternative history setting. His books are real good page turners.

Thanks. Local library opened up a few months back. I am looking forward to going back soon with some good recommendations.

[Rev Jones]

Good to hear the library's open again.

Another thriller author I enjoy is Nelson DeMille. He has a ton of books out. I read about 5 of them. The only one I didn't enjoy too much was 'Spencerville'. I loved the other ones. Not really sure if this is the kind of author libraries stock. I bought my copies second hand.

[b-dolo]

Good to hear the library's open again.

Another thriller author I enjoy is Nelson DeMille. He has a ton of books out. I read about 5 of them. The only one I didn't enjoy too much was 'Spencerville'. I loved the other ones. Not really sure if this is the kind of author libraries stock. I bought my copies second hand.

I will definitely check out all your suggestions. Going to wait a just a little longer wait go back library. Purchased hummingbird by Jude Angelini online. Going to read that first. Should be classic.

[b-dolo]

What was that book you got your user name from again? I going to library today. Going to see if it available.

[Rev Jones]

'Infinite Jest' by David Foster Wallace

[b-dolo]

'Infinite Jest' by David Foster Wallace

I did end up reading through this. Some really high points, but also some times it really drags. I almost feel this is one that needs to be reread a time or two to fully comprehend. It is solid B for me, there is a classic tale in the novel. It needed to be even more edited to make it a better read, just my personal opinion though.

[Rev Jones]

I did end up reading through this. Some really high points, but also some times it really drags. I almost feel this is one that needs to be reread a time or two to fully comprehend. It is solid B for me, there is a classic tale in the novel. It needed to be even more edited to make it a better read, just my personal opinion though.

I totally see what you mean. it is excessive with some of the story lines and the endless end notes

I bet some publishers would have shaved off another 100 pages at least


I dug up this fun fact for you and me :

"If you think Infinite Jest – at 1,100-odd pages – is a long book, be advised that it started longer. Wallace wrote to a friend that “the fucker’s cut by 600 pages from the first version”. He proofread the book, according to DT Max’s fine biography Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story, “with loose pages of Infinite Jest spread out in front of him, watching the movie Beethoven over and over again on a TV/VCR combo from Rent-A-Center”. He claimed, variously, to have caught 47,000 and 712,000 typos. Beethoven is a film about a St Bernard dog."

[b-dolo]

Another 600 pages. That would be something else to have an unedited version.

[Rev Jones]

I don't think I could make it through the full version even though it's my favorite book. there's gotta be a good reason those pages were scrapped. plot lines were probably condensed and maybe some plot lines were axed

[b-dolo]

Who is Alex Trebek? A biography.

[Rev Jones]

^^interesting bio?

I'm trying to read an anthology of short stories of writers who were invited to write an E.A. Poe like story. so far it's pretty okay. it's called "Poe in the polders" (it's Dutch and Belgian writers, hence the title, there are a lot of polders in Flanders and the Netherlands)


I got an amazing offer of a lot novels, anthologies, short stories in magazines by Belgian crime writer Georges Simenon (he created the Maigret character - there's a new Maigret movie in cinemas now btw), $110 for the whole lot. as an absolute figure it's kind of expensive for me right now but as an offer it's really a steal. it also includes long biographical portraits and interviews from magazines you can't find on your own. it's a collector friend who is selling his doubles

Simenon is really 'a fast read', just like Agatha Christie, but with much more psychological depth to the characters and their relationships

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Simenon

[Rev Jones]

Short stories by Kate Chopin from the 1890s. The stories are set near and sometimes in New Orleans. The stories themselves are okay but not spectacular, I enjoy the setting, the mixture of French and English too.

[b-dolo]

Just finished reading Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. I would recommend it, entertaining dark humor. Any ever read this?