Books: What are you reading tonight?
We have ongoing threads on t.v. and movies we're watching lately; it's time for one for books. daveT's thread on favori
Stoner (1965) by John Williams - an 'academic' novel about an English professor's ordinary, mediocre, small life. The story charts Stoner's entry to university, his unhappy marriage, average career and eventual death. He's a mostly passive figure - things happen to and around him and, except for a couple of notable instances, he accepts them. I think the book's aiming for an ex
Dude sounds like the homeless man’s Philip Roth.
Biggest Game In Town was great but felt it could’ve been better. Of the two similar books I preferred Positively Fifth Street.
For the time I think it was perfect. It was the book that made me wanna learn poker. Positively Fifth Street is definitely on the short list along with The Professer, The Banker and the Suicide King, Shut Up and Deal, The Theory of Poker and a
I read BGIT in my mom’s New Yorkers in 1984. Hooked from the start. Still holds up, must read, obviously dated af but it’s totally irrelevant. A fresh time capsule.
I read an advance copy of PFS, it certainly could’ve used some editing & proofreading. But it might be the best book ever written by/about an ordinary schmoe swept up in extraordinary events. And he’s never gotten the credit he deserves imo for the unflinching, unsparingly brutal way he laid out all his own shortcomings, on every level.
Jesse May is a talented writer but I thought he tried too hard fir the Gonzo vibe, especially in his later columns.
Entertaining?? Gotta read King Of A Small World, man!
Biggest Game in Town is a fantastic read, probably the best poker book.
For fictional books on games, can't go wrong with either The Hustler, or The Queen's Gambit. --Both written by Walter Tevis.
Think I'm gonna tackle Brightness Falls next.
Two stories in, so far so good.
Congrats to your GF, Dom, and to you on landing her.
I just read a new biography of Larry McMurtry written by a friend of his, the Pulitzer-winning tech writer David Streitfeld. Western Star:The Lives and Legends of Larry McMurtry
I've never been a fan of Larry McMurtry's writing, and now I'm not a fan of him as a human being either. He did very well for himself though, in terms of worldly success. I was hoping for much more about the son, James, who is one of my favorite country music singer-songwriters ever, flat-out genius.
Larry McMurtry wasn't a good writer. But Lonesome Dove is a great book. I read it three times for the story, and the miniseries captured the feel of the book perfectly. I watched that again last year. One of my favorite Robert Duvall roles, and a role he loved as well.
There are at least three book sequels which deteriorate rapidly. I never made it through a non-Lonesome Dove McMurtry book. The second one is has a quite good story about a rogue assassin bandit with a German sniper rifle. James Garner plays McCall in the movie for that one and he is not correct for the role. McCall is a mean, menacing figure. James Garner is like a wry sarcastic guy. It's a bad performance from him, which still means pretty damn good.
George Carlin is in it though!
I've read some of Dalla's stuff, I too wish he'd hire an editor and put it all together.
The Grantland oral history on the 10th anniversary of Moneymaker "When We Held Kings" is fantastic.
Another guy from that era (and a friend of Nolan's) who writes beautifully is Dan Goldman, of Poker Stars fame. I'll try to find out if his blog is still an active url. If so, I'll post a link here.
So, what's the case against Larry McMurtry as a person and a writer?
Person idk. Writer, he just doesn't know how to put together compelling sentences. Have you ever read Brandon Sanderson? Same deal. Basic prose, repetitive, and unpolished. And very prolific. You're basically reading a published draft.
Oooo nice, I have The Stand and this one in my library queue. Looking forward to hearing it the rest of the stories are solid.
I recently started The Dark Tower series which I know overlaps or is at least loosely tied to The Stand.
Have 3.5 more books to go before moving to another venture, maybe straight to The Stand.
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I recently started The Dark Tower series which I know overlaps or is at least loosely tied to The Stand.
Have 3.5 more books to go before moving to another venture, maybe straight to The Stand.
Be sure to read Wind Through The Keyhole right after WG.
You can honestly skip vols 6&7. I can email you a two paragraph summary of what you need to know after you finish Wolves.
They both overall really suck, much worse than HP7 & Narnia 7 did.
That said, they’re The Dead Zone & Firestarter compared to Holly & Never Flinch.
Be sure to read Wind Through The Keyhole right after WG.
You can honestly skip vols 6&7. I can email you a two paragraph summary of what you need to know after you finish Wolves.
They both overall really suck, much worse than HP7 & Narnia 7 did.
That said, they're The Dead Zone & Firestarter compared to Holly & Never Flinch.
I’m actually in the middle of Wind Through the Keyhole currently. I figured being 4.5 made logical sense to read it next.
That’s disappointing to hear about 6/7. I’ll likely still do it after coming so far.
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Be sure to read Wind Through The Keyhole right after WG.You can honestly skip vols 6&7. I can email you a two paragraph summary of what you need to know after you finish Wolves.They both overall really suck, much worse than HP7 & Narnia 7 did.That said, they're The Dead Zone & Firestarter compared to Holly & Never Flinch.
I’m actually in the middle of Wind Through the Keyhole cu
It was very surprising to me as imo Wizard especially & Wolves were easily the best of the series.
Obviously, you’re going to read them. They were just frustrating for me. Weird combo imo of him not wanting it to end (JKR’s problem) and feeling compelled to finish quickly just in case. He utilizes an embarrassing plot device, and there’s a stupefying continuity error at the very end.
London Falling - new true crime book by investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe (probably best known for writing Say Nothing about The Troubles). Had it recommended a bunch recently.
Looking into the suicide of a 19yo man in the Thames, Keefe discovers that he led a secretive crazy double life. If it were fiction, I'd be starting to almost think it's all is a bit far-fetched!
I'm 20% thru The Brothers Karamazov and optimistic about finishing it before I die. It's quite brilliant, just like they all said.
Oooo nice, I have The Stand and this one in my library queue. Looking forward to hearing it the rest of the stories are solid.I recently started The Dark Tower series which I know overlaps or is at least loosely tied to The Stand.Have 3.5 more books to go before moving to another venture, maybe straight to The Stand.
Eight stories in, it’s about as good as I reasonably could’ve hoped for. No shock that Bev Vincent’s reads like a lost chapter from the original, and that Joe R. Lansdale perfectly melds Captain Trips into a story you could see him writing anyway.
How you liking Keyhole?
This should interest some folks here, There Is No Anti-Mimetics Division by qntm. I read one of their other books and I thought they did so little with the premise they set up that I wasn't looking forward to this one at all but I did want the ideas in it.
Also I hesitated because it's SCP fan fiction and I hate fan fiction. I started a book last year called Alchemized just because of great reviews. I could immediately tell something was wrong with it. Turns out, Alchemized is Harry Potter fan fiction [emoji2961]
The book does a great job exploring its ideas.
I thoroughly enjoyed There Is No Anti-Mimetics Division without even knowing what SCP stood for (a term used a lot in the book).
Short book but very fun.
What does SCP stand for
