Books

[Eoin McLove]

Frankenstein is savage.

I just finished The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. There were a few elements that irked me in a minor way but overall it was really good. Arguably a bit long at 600+ pages (!) but it kept me turning the pages throughout. Nice black ending to it, too. Could work well as a film.

[Mooncat]

Currently reading To Be the Man by Ric Flair. Very fast and entertaining read. Moves along just exactly like you'd expect it to with not much insight (though some interesting stuff about the politics of wrestling) but stuffed full of entertaining stories. Very short childhood and pre-wrestling section too, you're into the wrestling road stories within 15min or so 

[Carnage]

I'm about halfway through Cixin Liu: The Three-Body Problem at the moment, in advance of watching the Netflix series. It's grand so far, very strange and I'm not sure where it's all heading yet. Lots of technical jargon but handy enough to follow, I'm aware that it's the first part of a trilogy so could go anywhere at this point.

[Don Gately]

Frankenstein is savage.

I just finished The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. There were a few elements that irked me in a minor way but overall it was really good. Arguably a bit long at 600+ pages (!) but it kept me turning the pages throughout. Nice black ending to it, too. Could work well as a film.

Must check out Bee Sting, I tried Skippy dies a few years back bit gave up. I can't remember why...probably something else came my way.

Anyone read A Little Life or the Goldfinch?

[astfgyl]

I'm about halfway through Cixin Liu: The Three-Body Problem at the moment, in advance of watching the Netflix series. It's grand so far, very strange and I'm not sure where it's all heading yet. Lots of technical jargon but handy enough to follow, I'm aware that it's the first part of a trilogy so could go anywhere at this point.

Does this mean the Game of Thrones lads have taken into another unfinished book series or that there's a finished trilogy that you've just not read yet? A dangerous game if that is the case

Edit: Actually, thinking about that,  ASOIAF is never going to be finished is it. Fair annoying the way that turned out

[Carnage]

No, the trilogy's finished alright. A friend read all three and recommended them highly.

Yeah, Martin's gonna pop his clogs before it's close to being finished. It'll ve the same as the Wheel Of Time series, finished by another author.

[Mooncat]

No, the trilogy's finished alright. A friend read all three and recommended them highly.

Yeah, Martin's gonna pop his clogs before it's close to being finished. It'll ve the same as the Wheel Of Time series, finished by another author.

At this point it probably wouldn't even be that jarring; it's so many years since I read Dance With Dragons that I can't remember his writing style at all.

[astfgyl]

No, the trilogy's finished alright. A friend read all three and recommended them highly.

Yeah, Martin's gonna pop his clogs before it's close to being finished. It'll ve the same as the Wheel Of Time series, finished by another author.

At this point it probably wouldn't even be that jarring; it's so many years since I read Dance With Dragons that I can't remember his writing style at all.

Aye, same here. The momentum is entirely gone and I don't feel like rereading the rest of it in anticipation. I only read the books about 2017 or 2018 and I've lost hope so I can only imagine how long ago that happened for anyone who'd been in on it from the start. Fuckin waster so he is really. One chance at a serious legacy after the travesty of the TV series and he doesn't have it in him. Couldn't even be arsed reading the sample chapters and there's rakes of them up online already. Really fucked it up.

Don't think I have any interest in reading it if someone else finishes it out either.

Anyway that sounds like I'm bothered but it's not even that, it's just a crap end like the series - unfinished and unsatisfactory.

[Eoin McLove]

I just finished up a re-read of Disgrace by J.M.Coetzee. I thin when I read it before I was a bit upping to be fully impacted by its brilliance. Or maybe I loved it and have forgotten, but it is a fantastic read. Monumental? Possibly so. And as i mentioned in the Mourning Beloveth thread, a clear influence on A Disease for the Ages. I recently read Slow Man by him, which was interesting but this hit harder. I also read Youth a couple of decades ago but it is completely gone from my memory so I think I'll have to keep an eye out for it and any more of his books.

[Anvil]

Just seen CJ Samson has passed away.  I liked the Shardlake books. 

[Carnage]

And just as a Disney+ series based on them is about to come out. I've read the first 2, enjoyed them and have the rest on the shelf. Might get into Sovereign when I've finished the ones I'm currently on.

[StoutAndAle]

"'Salem's Lot" by Stephen King. Very enjoyable. Not as good as "The Dead Zone" but good fun. Looking forward to watching the film.

Is Stephen King's "The Stand" worth reading?

As in - if I watched one of the TV adaptations - would I be as well off?

I read "It" a few months back and found myself flicking to the back to see how many pages were left. There's a great 650 page novel within the 1200 pages. 

[Carnage]

The Stand is great, well worth reading. There are a few different versions, you want the complete, unabridged version. I saw the '90s TV version at the time, thought it was OK at best and from the bits I saw on a recent repeat, it's aged badly. I haven't seen the more recent one.

[Don Gately]

I read the Stand last year. It was good, not sure if it was worth all the time though.

[Born of Fire]

"'Salem's Lot" by Stephen King. Very enjoyable. Not as good as "The Dead Zone" but good fun. Looking forward to watching the film.

Is Stephen King's "The Stand" worth reading?

As in - if I watched one of the TV adaptations - would I be as well off?

I read "It" a few months back and found myself flicking to the back to see how many pages were left. There's a great 650 page novel within the 1200 pages. 

I have both The Stand and The Dead Zone in the waiting to be read pile, I'll get there someday! Salems Lot was a good read but I just got done with Pet Semetary and I enjoyed that a lot more.