What are you reading?

[Visutox 188]

Finished reading The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, and gotta say that it was a good and interesting reading. I'm happy about it because I was a bit skeptical at first, as I said before, because I'm not very familiar with poems. But I really enjoyed reading this book, even though I had to get used to the Yoda writing style. The comments made by Christopher Tolkien are great and they give some interesting information about the Norse mythology, and some links there are between it and the Tolkien universe. 

 

Anyway, since a lot of friends and my brother have been telling me to read The Witcher, I considered it was time to do so. Finished reading the first chapter just now, and so far so good, I've gotta say. This is my first serious interaction with the saga (even though I remember starting The Witcher 2 on PC but dropping it immediately after because my config was deplorable), so I'm discovering Geralt and even though I can't judge a character based on a few pages out of a saga of seven books, I can say for now that he doesn't seem really badass for now. Will keep on reading and hoping to start appreciating him more.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Visutox

[platy 3018]

I finished The Widow

 

It's a murder mystery that is told backwards, we already know the facts from the first page and we are told how it developed. I loved how the characters were written, specifically the two main suspects. I'm still here trying to figure them out, since even though we can see into the head of one of them, she still doesn't let out a lot so I feel like we had an unreliable narrator the whole time.

 

There's no huge climax, no chase, nothing too extravagant. It's actually surprisingly mundane, but I was hooked from the first page. I recommend it to anyone who like The Girl on The Train or Gone Girl, it's a little less crazy than those, but still packs emotional impact.

[efuru 255]

What Makes You Not A Buddhist by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

[Visutox 188]

Just finished reading Silence by Shusaku Endo and maaan it was so good. I thought it was a bit slow at first in the build up but then it got better and better. I'm a sucker for any historical books and films about Japan and this one didn't disappoint! I'm gonna watch the 1971 film and the new one afterwards.

 

No idea what to read next though 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Just finished End of Watch by Stephen King. Originally I wasn't much of a fan of the first installment of his 'Detective Hodges' trilogy, but it was not bad (tho mediocre by King standards imo). This is the third part of that trilogy, and was a bit better. Even though there's nothing new here (ooh telekinesis!), it was an exciting read. I guess now I'll have to track down the middle part too, huh?  

 

Right now I'm reading Glue by Irvine Welsh. This guy is totally mental, meaning that in the most respectful way possible. It's crazy how he made up this massive universe of characters that span different books. And all of them are memorable too! Seriously, if he just re-wrote the phonebook in an Edinburgh Scots dialect, I'd read that as well, lol.

[Tokage 5930]

I read Glue back in April or something as well, great book. Took me ages to finish it due to constantly getting sidetracked by uni stuff tho. 

 

Anyway, now that summer vacation's finally here, I've had some more time for reading. Here's a bunch of stuff I've gone through in the last month or so:

 

The Secret of Ventriloquism by Jon Padgett. As far as I know, this is the man's first short story collection. Ligotti's nihilistic & surreal brand of horror is a VERY clear influence here. I like how all the stories are interconnected, and elements or locations constantly reappear throughout the book. The stories Origami Dreams, 20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism, and The Infusorium especially stand out among the others in terms of sheer atmosphere and mindfuckery. If you like your horror weird, you'd do well to give this one a try. I enjoyed it so much I basically went through the whole thing in one day.

 

The Spectral Link by Thomas Ligotti. Disappointment. That's the first thing that comes to mind. To call this a short story collection would be generous, as there's only two stories here. Unfortunately, it feels like Ligotti's pessimistic philosophical leanings have subsumed his ability to write compelling, unnerving stories. At least, that's the impression I got here. I loved Teatro Grottesco, My Work Is Not Yet Done, and the assorted other stories I've read by the man, but these just did nothing for me. I'm not sure whether it's something similar to how I feel about Haruki Murakami's writing nowadays (i.e. if you've read about 3 or 4 of his books, you basically sort of get the idea), or due to the fact that it felt like the material I was reading was just some cut material from The Conspiracy Against the Human Race with a very thin fictional frame around it. The second story was, admittedly, somewhat more engaging w/ its 'They Live!'-type of atmosphere, but... I don't know. Not recommended for anyone but die hard fans.

 

300000000 by Blake Butler. I actually ended up dropping this one less than 100 pages from the end because I just couldn't sit through the excessive word saladyness of it all. The novel started off interesting, by showing the notes of a crazy cannibalistic cult leader/mass murderer along w/ liner notes by certain detectives and cult members, some of which begin to eventually contradict one another & even to deny each other's existence. After that it focuses on the case report written by the officer primarily in charge of the case, once again with a bunch of strange metatextual & mindfucking elements sprinkled around. After that second part, though, everything completely goes off the rails and just turns into a jumbled mess without any real sense of narrative structure or plot. The investigator eventually ends up trapped in a tape recording with something that may or may not be his dead wife, but after that point I kind of lost the plot entirely. Still, I can't say I HATED reading it: there's some very interesting, beautiful, and also at times very grotesque imagery here,  but the word salad just ended up marring the overall experience for me.

 

Automated Alice by Jeff Noon. Ever since I read Vurt years ago, I've been wanting to read more of his stuff. I finally managed to get my hands on physical copies of 2 of his books. This was the first one I read. Based on the blurb on the novel's back cover, I was expecting something COMPLETELY different from what I actually ended up getting. I thought this would end up being some sort of trippy, post-modern sci-fi meta take on Alice in Wonderland, but instead I simply ended up getting the semi-science fiction sequel to Through the Looking Glass that Carroll never wrote. Luckily, there's still enough weirdness and puns (some pretty good, some horrible) to keep all but the most 'NO FUN ALLOWED'-type of reader entertained. If you're hoping for something similar to Vurt, you're out of luck, but if you're looking for that sort of 'fractured fairy tale'-type of feeling, look no further

 

The Physiognomy by Jeffrey Ford. This is the third full-length novel I've read by Ford, and the fourth book in total. By now, I'm pretty much certain that Ford ranks among some of my favorites of modern weird fiction (next to Jeff Vandermeer, China Mieville & Thomas Ligotti). His stories cover a wide variety of different themes and topics, with some being somewhat more on the surreal and dreamlike end of things, and others being more on the (slightly) more realistic side of things. The Physiognomy, first part of the so-called Well-Built City trilogy definitely falls within the former category. The world Ford has created here is mesmerizing; plant people, bartending monkeys, steampunk-esque cyborg fighting rings, a dictator ruling a city that is the physical representation of his memory palace, etc. Gonna have to get around to hunting down some sort of copy of the remaining two parts, because I'm very much intrigued by the world Ford created here. Highly rec'd to anyone w/ even a passing interest in New Weird fiction. 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

On 6/25/2017 at 11:30 PM, Tokage said:

Automated Alice by Jeff Noon. Ever since I read Vurt years ago, I've been wanting to read more of his stuff. I finally managed to get my hands on physical copies of 2 of his books. This was the first one I read. Based on the blurb on the novel's back cover, I was expecting something COMPLETELY different from what I actually ended up getting. I thought this would end up being some sort of trippy, post-modern sci-fi meta take on Alice in Wonderland, but instead I simply ended up getting the semi-science fiction sequel to Through the Looking Glass that Carroll never wrote. Luckily, there's still enough weirdness and puns (some pretty good, some horrible) to keep all but the most 'NO FUN ALLOWED'-type of reader entertained. If you're hoping for something similar to Vurt, you're out of luck, but if you're looking for that sort of 'fractured fairy tale'-type of feeling, look no further

 

This reminds me I gotta step up my Jeff Noon game, Vurt was great.

 

Currently reading:

- Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman: an interesting and vivid account of mental illness, with some appropriately weird and quirky scenes.

- Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño: can't decide if this is supposed to be darkly humorous or just dark, but it sure is bleak and somehow elegant.

[Nagisa 131]

I just finished reading Kinkakuji a few days ago. It had been a while since I had read fiction in Japanese, so it felt good to be able to go back to it. Right now I'm reading Monograph of the Genus Genlisea. Not fiction but still pretty interesting. After that I plan to read Nepenthes of the Old World: Volume One. I finished Volume Two before starting Kinkakuji, and when I went to the library to return it I saw that they had Volume One, which wasn't even in the catalog. Pretty lucky to be able to read both.

[nekkichi 6043]

kawaii hennies, help your bff out!

 

is there any japanese epic fantasy that's been translated to English and has an emphasis on local mythology and all that stuff?

 

I only found Nahoko Uehashi's two books so far, and a fair abundance of Chad Whites writing their oriental fantasias out (I might resort to that, but I can't tolerate bad fantasy writing, and a lot of fantasy is borderline awful on, like, several layers; I'm terrified to imagine what forms weaboo graphomania is capable of taking.)

 

manga recs are also encouraged if they fit what I'm asking for.

[gwsm 24]

Currently reading Grifter's game by Lawrence Block.

[L'air 15]

Much about oersonal development. But rait now, coaching magazine, where the topic is, how can ppl be working, staying alive in a corpo. Quite interesting, it gaves much stuff to think

[PsychoΔelica 648]

Right now I am reading a book by Victor Pelevin called Pineapple Water For The Fair Lady. Next I want to read Faust by Goethe.

[Tokage 5930]

Finally getting started with Dhalgren after having it on my shelf for a while now. If anything, it should be an interesting experience.

[Zhane182 2]

I'm currently checking out Manga's at the libary, I recently finished reading couple of the Yu-Gi-Oh series: Zexal and 5D's. Turned out  I read the series backward lol. I'm sort of on the break of reading now since Winter break is coming up. I will resume my reading after the break is over. I will be checking GX series next.

[geist 227]

The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Required reading for anyone wanting a first-hand account of the atrocities carried out by the Bolsheviks starting in 1918 and accelerating into the 30s and 40s.

 

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

Edited November 29, 2017 by geist

[plastic_rainbow 2162]

After a long time I picked up reading again and started Nightmare Japan: Contemporary Japanese Horror Cinema. I first found out about the book at my college library years ago and read a few pages but never finished it cuz of my piled up academic readings......Then I bought a copy not too long ago and it's been laying on my shelf until now. The content is college level stuff but it's quite an interesting read and gives you a deep analysis on Japanese horror films in relation to some of Japan's historical happenings and reformation. First chapter is about torture films and the Guinea Pig series, which I have not seen any before but have only recently heard of. Can't wait to read more and learn about other horror films I haven't seen.

Edited December 9, 2017 by plastic_rainbow

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Currently reading:

 

- Compendium Maleficarum by Francesco Maria Guazzo: basically a witch-hunter's manual from 17th century Italy. Interesting stuff.

- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: somehow I only got around to reading this now. Took a bit to pull me in, but now I'm hooked.

 

Plus some random quirky book by a Hungarian author who likes wordplay and weird language, so it's not much point mentioning it rly, lol.

[platy 3018]

I started IT by Stephen King. It took a while to get me interested and also it's a really heavy read. Never mind carrying that mammoth book around (1050 ish pages, I should've got the audiobook! ) the writing is very detailed which is fine, but there's  loads of unnecessary info. The worst part being how the author describes all these streets and places in the US down to the highways you need to go down by car. It's meaningless and boring to me lol Quite hard to read but I am enjoying it. 

[Azaeroe 40]

Didn't realise there was a thread like this here.

 

Lately I've read Decameron, the Prose Edda, Presocratic philosophy, a Yeats biography, some criticism from Baudelaire, parts of Ulysses and parts of the bible.

 

I am currently reading Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, who wrote Narnia. It is an introduction to Christianity which was adapted from some radio talks he made during WWII. I thought it would just be for Anglicans, but he states it is for all Christians.

 

After that I plan on reading The Outline of Sanity by Chesterton, which outlines the political philosophy known as Distributism. Other vague interests include the Mahabharata and a book on the influences of Greek culture on Wagner which I have ordered and should come in January. I should probably return to Homer, Virgil and Ovid. My initial plan was to develop an understanding of classical philosophy, which would lead to an understanding of Christian philosophy and ultimately later philosophers as well, but I might just stick with Plato, Aristotle, Augustine and Aquinas and start attending church, together with my reading of the bible and Lewis/Chesterton. My understanding of political philosophy could rest on Distributism. I see no need to concern myself with Marx or Burke. And last but not least I would like to read Tacitus and maybe some Irish history.

Edited December 16, 2017 by Azaeroe

[nekoyume 1]

I'm currently reading The Exploits of Moominpappa by Tove Jansson

[violetchain 912]

I'm reading the manga series "Kamisama no iu toori", and it's kind of amazing. It's like Gantz, only instead of using cool guns and suits they survive by methods like throwing magic beans at the monsters, summoning the spirits of their dead grandmothers to beat them up, having homoerotic stargazing fantasies and playing rock paper scissors. 

 

Also Neil Gaiman's "Anansi Boys". I put off reading it because I couldn't deal with the main character being named "Fat Charlie", but I finally decided to give it a shot last week and it's been a fun read. I didn't realize it had such a comedic tone.

[Nagisa 131]

I just finished reading 新耳袋殴り込み 最恐伝説, about a group of people who visited some ruins in Osaka that were supposedly haunted to make a horror documentary. I've never watched any of the DVDs but I've read all the books and they are pretty interesting (and funny). I'm going to start reading Sadako vs. Kayako soon.

[Azaeroe 40]

Der Wagner Clan - Jonathan Carr

[Shaolan974 6185]

Altered Carbon followed by Broken Angels and Woken Furies.

Takeshi Kovacs series by Richard K. Morgan

[Tokage 5930]

I've just absolutely been devouring Laird Barron's works over the past month or two, I really, REALLY love his style of horror writing. Anyone who likes weird fiction would do well to check his short story collections and his novel The Croning out. Real good stuff.

 

Simultaneously, I've also been reading Thomas Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer & Grimscribe, and I'm beginning to feel that, now that I've read quite a few collections of Ligotti's works, and I'm reading both Ligotti and Barron side by side, I'm starting to kind of get tired of Ligotti's general style. He's still very good and very atmospheric, don't get me wrong, but his works often feel just a tad too one-note in the sense that just about every single one of the narrators in his short stories are interchangeable for the most part and they by and large all share the exact same character type... It's completely fine in small doses, but it really starts to show in a bad way in a collection with over 20 stories.