The Book Thread Book • Page 115

Finished Moby Dick. Wow, what a ride. The first 300 pages I was absolutely infatuated with it, the middle chunk of the book definitely had some trying moments (I liked a lot of the weird whaling chapters, but as they started to pile up in the middle I found myself skimming or stalling) -- but then the last 100 or so pages were insane and some of the best writing I've ever come across.

Highly recommend for anyone who like me was intimidated to give it a try. The language is dense and poetic, but if you're familiar with some of the authors inspired by Melville like Cormac McCarthy, it's very readable and fun. The middle section of the book can be frustrating but it's worth it for the one of the most incredible final acts I've ever read.

 

@Colby Searcy I just began the new Riley Sager book and loving it so far (about 50 pages in). I read the Amityville Horror book last year so I have always been intrigued by "real life ghost story" novels. So this kind of plot is right up my alley.

The setting of the book also sort of reminds me of the movie Sinister, which has been one of my favorite horror movies for years. Just the premise of a struggling author moving into a home where a murder occurred.

 

this sounds good. I’ve noticed you guys talking about the author and the books sound good. Might have to grab one one of these days, maybe this one (as I too fuck with Sinister)

 

Yeah I like this author. Super easy quick reading! I enjoyed Final Girls much more than Colby so I’d recommend that, however, the other books by Sager are still solid.

And yeah this one is more “daughter of haunted ghost novel revisits home” more than “Ethan Hawk tries to solve crime.” However, I don’t know where it’ll go I’m still very early in.

 

Home Before Dark has been my favorite of his thus far.

He's an author that I definitely enjoy and will continue to read but his endings tend to make me roll my eyes a bit and that's what is frustrating to me. Home Before Dark is the first one that I wasn't really annoyed by haha.

His stories, writing, plots tend to be pretty basic but with it being the thriller mystery genre there are definitely twists and turns throughout.

As @Donnie Ruth said they are very easy to read and very readable. A nice palate cleanser sometimes if you are reading something a little more challenging (although I wouldn't consider much of what I read challenging).

 

Exactly this ^

I wanted to read this next as a "less challenging" read and a quicker/easy thriller. Like you, I am never reading anything too challenging but sometimes a Stephen King novel takes a lot more out of me as its filled with depth and characters so I like to mix in a Ruth Ware/Shari Lapena novel every now and again.

Funny enough, the last book I was reading was Dracul. I love Baker's writing (thanks to your solid recommendation) and I have been more into vampires as of late so figured this was a good mix. It was alright. Having never read Dracula I guess I probably missed lots of references and the bigger picture. I flew through the first 2-300 pages but got super busy and found myself struggling to want to get back into it.

 

I'm still trying to get caught up on JD! My wife just read his book he did with James Patterson, and I'm really interested in that but I STILL haven't finished 4MK trilogy or read his horror novel from earlier this year.

Did you read his most recent 2?

 

During the quarantine I plowed through She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be. I really enjoyed it, but not as much as I enjoyed the 4MK series. I read it so quickly that some of the details of it are blurry but definitely remember enjoying it.

As for his James Patterson book, totally forgot about it. May add this to my list!

 

A character in Ready Player Two is black and lgbt and has no other defining characteristics. Ernest Cline's only reference for an African charity is the movie Black Panther



I have to read this shit so so do you

 

lol awful

 

oh no

 

this thread...

 

I just finished Malorie the bird box sequel. It was ok but I don't think I'll be returning to Malerman unless he writes something else with rave reviews.

Next onto Devolution by Max Brooks.

 

Just started The Witch Elm by Tana French

 

My mom gifted me A Promised Land. It's pretty interesting. Well written too.

 

@Colby Searcy Home After Dark was great and easily my favorite from that author! The ending was quite a ride lol.

It felt good to blow through a book in a couple of sittings as I have been TERRRIBLE at reading the last few months. I needed an easy read like this.

 

Very glad you felt the same way I did. I felt like this ending was less dumb(for lack of a better word) than the past couple for sure. While there was definitely some obvious foreshadowing and you could see the twists coming easily, early on. It kept me engaged and I definitely didn't end up rolling my eyes at all, which I can't say for some of the other endings haha.

Edit: I also feel like the writing improved with this one!

 

@Vivatoto

Have you read Summer of Night by Dan Simmons?

 

I totally agree! I actually predicted a completely different ending and was very excited when I was totally wrong lol

 

Yes! Dan Simmons was one of the authors I went to right after I finished going through King bibliography years ago. I read all of his horror back then, and now I think I've read all of his other genre work as well. That's not my favorite of his, though it is very good. I know it gets favorably compared to IT. I might not have it be my first Dan Simmons book, if I'm recalling correctly you've read The Terror though? He gets more in depth on his subjects than any other author I've read, certainly anyone in the horror field. He's a Moby Dick fan who liked the intricacies of whaling bits the most. And it's great, but can be a lot if you're not ready for it/in the mood for it. I believe the focus in Summer of Night is Gothic horror, particularly architecture. It's one I would like to read again because it's probably been over a decade.

 

Just finished this myself (having lurked this thread and found it available through my library's ebook rentals) and I agree lol.

 

@Night Channels Have you read anything by Robert Jackson Bennet? I read Mr Shiver's a little bit ago and enjoyed it but I'm reading a book now called American Elswhere that I love. It's a 600+ page monster but it's giving me major Imaginary Friend vibes, especially because so much is constantly happening you're thinking how can this possibly go on for hundreds of more pages.

 

I was wondering if this was the same RJB (name couldn't be coincidental) that is writing Founders and it is! I've wanted to delve into the earlier books but had no idea what to do.

 

Oh weird, Amazon has been pushing that on me for awhile, I've had it on my fantasy list. Definitely didn't put the two together. Shit I'll be moving that up the list.

 

Staring Stanley Kubrick and Me.