The Book Thread Book • Page 153

I have found the editor thing to be the case on the vast majority of the canon classics. Especially the “paid by the length” era.

 

Yeah that’s true, but this even feels long in that contest, some people definitely wrote tighter novels by that point haha

 

My Best Friend’s Exorcism…which makes me think I wouldn’t like his others at all since this seems to be his consensus best. It was fine - if anything, I found myself getting bored with it. I didn’t like the characters at all, and most of the attempts at camp just fell flat for me, at best.

 

Finished Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs by Jamie Loftus last night. Easy and funny read. Did not expect I'd ever read a book about hot dogs, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Finished book three of the Slough House series. Quite solid. It was fun imagining Gary Oldman saying the things his character in the book said. Trying to determine how far I want to get into the series as I do not want to get too far ahead of the TV series and spoil too many things.

Next book is The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It. I know quite a bit of baseball history, but it is hilarious reading some of these oral histories by players who lived through them. I can see why this is a cult classic in the baseball world.

 

Just finished Blood Meridian, I'd read it back in high school and I've since read most of McCarthy, but wow it felt like reading it for the first time and I'm sure I still only absorbed a sliver of its wisdom.

There are like 50 passages in that book that have haunted me since. I really don't see how this could ever be a successful movie; without McCarthy's descriptions, it'd be an account of a group of truly depraved psychos committing heinous acts of violence over and over, mixed in with some great dialogue from the judge. (On this read, though, I found the kid to be a much more sympathetic -- by the book's standards anyway -- character than I recalled.)

"It makes no difference what men think of war. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner."

 

I’m about 50 pages into Tender is the Flesh and this shit is so weird, haha.

 

Currently reading Geoff Rickly’s Someone Who Isn’t Me and it is amazing. Disturbing—but amazing so far. Always loved Thursday’s lyrics so it’s great to fully immerse myself in a book full of Geoff’s prose.

 

I really loved Horrorstor which is the only one I’ve read so far.

 

picked up a lot of stuff today, haven't bought anything new in months because of moving so I went nuts with it. most excited to read My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, loved his book The Only Good Indians. also got Child of God and Suttree by McCarthy (RIP)

 

Have had The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving on my shelf for years. Finally started it today and I can’t put it down.

Planning to head to HPB soon to pick up more of his books. Can easily see him becoming a new favorite author.

 

Irving is phenomenal, love everything I’ve read by him so much.

 

The books I have read so far this year, with ratings. I sometimes felt like I went weeks without proper reading, so I'm kind of surprised at how long this list is regardless.

 

Couple cool finds lately!

 

Just finished it. Loved it. Very fucked up and difficult to read at times, but still loved it.

 

I already have my John Adams biography but Washington is so fascinating that I can't stop listening to podcasts about him lol

 

Finished Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner which is an excellent meditation on friendships and how those evolve as you age. Very sad ending. I will have to check out his other works which are more Western influenced so quite different than this one, but his writing is so good that I imagine I will enjoy them just as much.

Going on vacation later this week so will need to find a beach read to accompany me when not traversing Yosemite and Muir Woods.

 

I have that on my shelf, still haven’t cracked it open but it’s been staring me down lately.

 

Reading David Milch’s memoir now. Great stuff

 

I started Abnormal Statistics by Max Booth III, a writer I’ve never read before, and jesus, it is grim. I am still on the first story and loving it.

 

Okay okay. I am now 80 pages in. This is a book I've been so intimidated to start and tried & stopped months ago (I mentioned here), but I know I am going to love it. The cover. The writing. The plot. It all screams like something I'll love. And we doing it!

No idea whatsoever where this will go, but I want to know!

Mostly posting to hold myself accountable to keep up with it.

 

As I’ve said, the book meanders a lot, but the overall plot becomes clearer and clearer as the author reveals each element over several chapters. Hang in there, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

 

I started Abnormal Statistics by Max Booth III, and the opening novella, Indiana Death Song, was incredible. Highly recommended, but note that it’s dark.

 

Did you read/finish House Across The Lake?

 

UGH I didn't. So I always read based on "vibes" at the time and what I'm craving and when I went up to the lake a few weeks ago I ended up wanting a campy slasher instead. It is still my list along with the newest one The Only One Left which I've heard good things about from a lot of people on Book Tok.