What are you currently reading?

Question

How do you like it so far?

Try to sell it to me.
I mostly want to see the variety.

Answer 1

I've been re-reading my favorite parts of Lester Bangs' Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung. He was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Almost Famous.



The subtitle is: "The Work of a Legendary Critic, Rock 'n' Roll as Literature and Literature as Rock 'n' Roll."



Bangs was a fantastic writer. On the death of John Lennon, for example: "I can't mourn John Lennon. I didn't know the guy. But I do know that when all is said and done, that's all he was -- a guy. The refusal of his fans to ever let him just be that was finally almost as lethal as his "assassin" (and please, let's have no more talk of this being a "political" killing, and don't call him a "rock-n-roll martyr"). Did you watch the TV specials on Tuesday night? Did you see all those people standing in the street in front of the Dakota apartment where Lennon lived singing "Hey Jude"? What do you think the real -- cynical, sneeringly sarcastic, witheringly witty and iconoclastic -- John Lennon would have said about that? John Lennon at his best despised cheap sentiment and had to learn the hard way that once you've made your mark on history those who can't will be so grateful they'll turn it into a cage for you. Those who choose to falsify their memories -- to pine for a neverland 1960s that never really happened that way in the first place -- insult the retroactive Eden they enshrine."



Bangs had a particular passion for/hatred of/crush on Lou Reed and there is an entire section devoted to his Reed-centric writing. The best is "Let Us Now Praise Famous Death Dwarves, or, How I Slugged It Out with Lou Reed and Stayed Awake" (1975). It is an interview from the Berlin/Metal Machine Music era. He and Reed are so vicious to each other (Reed is described as "a liar, a wasted talent, an artist continually in flux, and a huckster selling pounds of his own flesh"), yet there is, beneath the profane insults and drugs, still this sense of a deep respect. It's a fascinating contradiction and perhaps the best Interview with a Pop Star ever.



Oh, and I love this quote: "Take it from me, Dave. Heaven was Detroit, Michigan. Who woulda thunk it? Eternally yours, Bangs."

Answer 2

Sooo... Not sure if this counts, but...



I'm reading Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Or rather, I WAS. I just finished it. I saw the trailer for the new movie that's comin' out and I was like, "That. Is. EPIC. WHY have I been putting off reading these graphic novels?" xD



Basically it's about this loser (sometimes bass guitarist) guy who falls in love with this girl...but he has to defeat her seven evil exes in order to stay with her. And I'm assuming they can only get more weird. (Her ex-boyfriends have, like, superpowers and they've all banded together to take down Scott. The first one could summon demon chicks and the second one was a skateboarder with some mad skillz.)



It's a love story, but with an insanely quirky twist. And lots of video game-esque action. As ridiculous as the premise is, anything goes in the comic book world, and I'm absolutely lovin' it. I wish I had more money to buy the other three books available, and I'm really sorry to admit it took Hollywood making a movie out of the series to get me to read it.

Answer 3

The Difficult Questions, by Dave Magill, is mostly a collection of contemporary poetry, all free verse, which has always seems like glorified prose to me, but Dave is pretty good at it. His book contains a few short stories and some of The Buk Show interviews with Buk's guests. Dave is known around YAP as Buk. He appears to be a fan of Charles Bukowski. Enough said.

Answer 4

1984. I like it a lot, considering I've read it like 20 times.

It was written in '48(published '49). George Orwell(Author) was sort of "predicting" how things would be like in the inverted year, 1984. Which would be our country ran under totalitarian government. This included the infamous: BIG BROTHER, telescreens/microphones everywhere, Hate Week, Thought Police, etc. People in the society are brainwashed, yet, the main character along with his love interest try to rebel against said society, even though they are being watched 24/7(literally). Great read.

Answer 5

I am reading Clive Cussler's "Plague Ship". I'm about halfway through it, and like all of his books, this one is very entertaining. Cussler actually works for an agency that finds shipwrecks, so his fiction books have a definite authenticity to them. His Dirk Pitt novels have sold millions of copies worldwide. (One of them, "Raise the Titanic", was written and published just before the actual discovery of the resting place of the real Titanic.) This story is about a rogue organization that investigates situations involving clandestine ocean shipping to and from foreign countries, using a high-tech ship that appears to be an old tramp steamer. During one of their missions (in the Middle East), they come across a large cruise ship on which everyone seems to be dead - possibly from a biological pathogen. While investigating it (in hazmat suits), bombs go off and the ship sinks; the captain of the group's ship is trapped below decks.

Answer 6

The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter

So far I am on to chapter 6 and I can't wait to find out what will happen next. I hope that the Dark Hunters find a way to save Aeron from the angel that is sent to kill him and that in the end he will get the girl.

Answer 7

I Don't Want to be Crazy by Sarah Schultz. It's actually an autobiography about a girl with anxiety disorder and how she deals with it. It's very good!

Also I'm reading Burned by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, which is in the series. It's about vampires but WAIT don't stop reading this because it's not your typical vampire story about love. I was pleasantly surprised when I read it, they're very good.

Answer 8

Vampire Diaries the awakening:nightfall

i thought that after the fourth book i would start getting bored like with The Sookie novels but somehow i'm not. Especially now Damon narrates, too.I like Damon. I like the books.I recommend if you wanna read something light and romantic.

Answer 9

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory MacGuire



Its really good! I love it! A whole new perspective on The Wizard of Oz.

Answer 10

i'm reading some books today. Mockingjay by utilising Suzanne Collins The Lord of the earrings: both Towers by utilising J.R.R. Tolkien the fast 2d existence of Bree Tanner by utilising Stephanie Meyer The Spinal twine theory by utilising Joshua S. Porter

Answer 11

The Diviner's Son by Gary Crew.



It's pretty good so far, though I'm only about 20 pages in. But I've read another book by the same author, and it was excellent, so I have high hopes for this one. :D

Answer 12

I'm in the middle of Sputnik Caledonia by Andrew Crumey; it's pretty addictive so far. I love the author (his book, Mobius Dick, is one of my favorites). He's a very interesting combination of high level physics and political discussion with a dash of philosophy thrown in, slammed with a side of alternate history. And he's Scottish.

Answer 13

Lol ok. I read girly book so if you;re a guy you can get in touch with your feminine side :). I'm reading 'Thirst' by Christopher Pike. The main character Alisa is a seductress that proves that looks can kill. She's a vampire. Surprising, huh? This books is filled with tons of gore. Well, I gave it a good shot. Hope this helpled.

Answer 14

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub

Very good but kind of slow in the beginning.

Answer 15

Red, by Ted Dekker. Pretty interesting series.

Answer 16

Just finished reading 'shiver' last night

Now I'm reading 'the forest of hands and teeth'

:)

Answer 17

i am reading 'crusader' by sara douglass

she'sa reallllly good reader, i recommend her



hope thats good for you :D