BOOKS: What are you reading?

[SFLMAN]

I've been reading some possibly semi-fictional biographies by Darwin Porter: James Dean, Paul Newman, and Steve McQueen. While I do believe that there is a lot of truth in these biographies, I also think that parts of them have not been verified, although they may still be true. If they are true, then it appears that Hollywood in the early/mid 1950s was very gay, or at least bisexual. I think it is fairly well documented that James Dean had a lot of gay affairs, but I did not realize that he had had that many, including one with Paul Newman. I knew Paul Newman was bisexual because I've known people who have seen him at gay parties. According to his bio by Darwin Porter, he had crushes on Robert Wagner (who was also bisexual), Robert Redford, and Tom Cruise, although these three were never consummated, unlike his relationships with Steve McQueen, James Dean, and Marlon Brando.

Normally I do not read that much fiction, but Darwin Porter has also written a novel, Hollywood's Silent Closet, about gay affairs of silent film stars. I started reading this also, but the author has a bit of trouble keeping his stories straight - or at least the chronologies and ages of the characters.

More often I read books on anthropology, but I recently started rereading a Kierkegaard anthology.

Someone else said that it appears people here do not read books that much, and I had been looking for this thread without success until today.

I'm very curious as to what others think about Darwin Porter.

I read Porter's biography on Merv Griffin several years ago. It was interesting, but I wonder how much in any of his books are true.

 

[zoltanspawn]

I expected that Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (2013) would be about thinking tools. It is, sort of.

But after a few chapters, it becomes more about Dennett's philosophical interests: meaning, consciousness and free will. Although his writing is interesting and insightful, I couldn't quite get over the title's misnomer.

 

[zacefronobsessed]

Fifty shades of grey

 

[Matt89]

Jurassic Park: The Lost World By Michael Chrichton
The Book Of Dust Volume One La Belle Sauvage By Philip Pullman
Ready Player One By Ernest Cline

 

[zoltanspawn]

The Book Of Dust Volume One La Belle Sauvage By Philip Pullman

Whadda ya think about it?

 

[Matt89]

Whadda ya think about it?

Good so far. Have not read a heap of it yet.

 

[zoltanspawn]

Good so far. Have not read a heap of it yet.

Let us know when you've finished.

 

[SFLMAN]

After reading the book several years ago and now just last weekend seeing the movie, I am going to re-read the book, Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman.
I loved the book the first time around and enjoyed the movie a lot.

 

[Matt89]

Let us know when you've finished.

Will do!

 

[Kulindahr]

Over the last week I finished off one fantasy trilogy and one science fiction quad-whatever. Now I'm wading through Original Sin:A Cultural History, by Alan Jacobs.

 

[Matt89]

Finished The Book Of Dust Volume One La Belle Sauvage By Philip Pullman. It was really good! A bit slow to start off but well worth your time.

 

[Kulindahr]

Just finished Variable Star, a book Robert Heinlein outlines most of the way through early in his career but never actually wrote, though he did put together a lot of background material on cards. The outline and background materials were discovered and a longtime friend of the family, Spider Robinson, was shanghaied into writing the novel in keeping with other Heinlein works (fans will recognize a number of links to other novels).

 

[zoltanspawn]

Finished The Book Of Dust Volume One La Belle Sauvage By Philip Pullman. It was really good! A bit slow to start off but well worth your time.

I agree that it was a really good book, but I think it would have been better if it had expanded on Lyra's world rather than piggybacked onto it. For example, it's a place with magic instruments, daemons, witches and whatnot, somewhere sufficiently stocked with mysterious possibility within which to enact a plot. Why is there now suddenly even more,

Spoiler

a submarine titan and a fairy realm?
Must Lyra, even as an infant bundle, re-appear to do even more work?

Pullman could have found another story within the world to tell, and not just introduced new exercises and obstacles into an old one.

I don't want to sound overly critical, as I certainly enjoyed it. The villain! The canoe! But I'm hoping the forthcoming books diminish my disappointments.

 

[theworldwithout]

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett.

 

[hornyalltime]

Yasmine Galenorn's MOON SHIMMERS (my favorite series of hers OTHERWORLD/SISTERS OF THE MOON)

and

BATMAN: NIGHTWALKER

 

[Connorz]

I just started Jere' M Fishback's book Kevin Corrigan and Me. Good reviews on Goodreads.com.

 

[luckynumbah7]

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett.

Ooooo, that's one of my favorites of his. I'm rereading Jingo.

 

[theworldwithout]

Ooooo, that's one of my favorites of his. I'm rereading Jingo.

Night Watch is a really good book, and so is Jingo. When I first started reading the Discworld books I was leaning towards the Granny Weatherwax works as my favorites. Now that I'm getting near the end of the series I'm finding I like the ones that focus on Vimes and the Watch more.

Reading:

Monsterous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

 

[luckynumbah7]

Night Watch is a really good book, and so is Jingo. When I first started reading the Discworld books I was leaning towards the Granny Weatherwax works as my favorites. Now that I'm getting near the end of the series I'm finding I like the ones that focus on Vimes and the Watch more.

Reading:

Monsterous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

That one is also a favorite! I've read all his works, he was a wonderful author. I remember being impressed that he didn't go for any of the cheap shots you usually see in writing re; crossdressing.

I believe his last two books were written differently due to his illness, so when you read 'em, keep that in mind. Still worth reading.

 

[MakeDigitalLove]

This last month Books have dominated me.

-Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick

This is the book that the Blade Runner series is based off of. If you the movies, this book is a must read. The original
Movie derived from the book significantly but that’s a good thing because it makes each the film and the book strong in their own mediums.

-Annihilation - James VanderMeer

Really good existential horror. Moved through this book like nobodies business. The build in tension and mystery just keep you going. About 4 female research team that goes into a place called “Area X” where other research teams have either died or killed themselves when trying to investigate this place.

-Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Very fun young adult novel read that is basically a 80’s nostalgia media trip. People can put on what is basically a VR headset that takes them into a game that is just filled so many different worlds of this medium, there is a contest that is held in this world that keeps the story moving. The challenges are really the coolest part of this book.

-The Gunslinger - Stephen King

This my actual first SK novel and I really enjoyed it. Those not familiar with this one is basically the Gunslinger is going after the Man in Black through a world in ruin. Very cool darker adventure book, will definitely be continuing the series.

-Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan

Basically a cyberpunk noir book that follows Takeshi Kovacs investigating a murder. The difference here is that people’s consciousness can be downloaded into other bodies (sleeves) if you can afford it. Definitely my favorite read so far, really cool action, gets raunchy at a couple parts and pretty violent. Fantastic writing, I was really brought into this world.

-The Girl With All The Gifts - M.R. Carey

Reading this based on a reccomendation, actually not finished it yet but I will be within the day. Really enjoying it, wouldn’t otherwise read a zombie apocalypse book but this has a little more to it that keeps it engaging. There are children who are not fully “hungries” and who can function like normal human children, really adds a nice element to the genre and reading from one of these Children’s perspective makes this book all the more engaging.

Have a few more reads in mind and will update when I get to them.