August 3 already? I’m not prepared for that. I could handle it being mid-July, but early August is…uncalled for, really.
Like I said Monday, I’m working on a couple of ARCs to start the week and then I’m tackling the home stretch for 20 Books of Summer. Then I’m shifting into the most ambitious project I’ve tried for the blog yet. I’ll get into details as it starts to come together, but now that I’ve said something, I’m going to have to get moving. (at least that’s the plan).
Enough of that, shall we tackle this WWW Wednesday?
This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Easy enough, right?
What are you currently reading?
I’m reading The Marauders, The Daughter, and The Dragon by K.R.R. Lockhaven, which he described as the first in a “humorous hopepunk nautical fantasy trilogy” when we did a Q&A last year, which seems like a pretty apt description. I just started listening to Summerland by Michael Chabon on audiobook. I remember almost nothing
What did you recently finish reading?
I just finished Nick Kolakowski’s Hell of a Mess—a welcome return to that series. I also just finished True Dead by Faith Hunter, Khristine Hvam (Narrator) on audio.
What do you think you’ll read next?
My next book should be Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker to see why Paul recommended it to me. My next audiobook should be Plugged by Eoin Colfer, John Keating (Narrator).
How are you starting August?
Allyson y Johnson
I’m currently reading “Under the Banner of Heaven” by Jon Krikauer, a thoughtful expose of radical fundamentalist Mormonism. A scary read, as it proposes that faith-driven measures, whether for good or for bad, are not subject to rational thought. Also reading Peter Kessler’s “Oracle Bones” as a bedside book, learning more about China at the turn of the 21st century.
I just finished a comfort book reread, Georgette Heyer’s “Venetia”, one of the key volumes which led to the whole Regency romance genre, and a very uncomfortable new read, Mira Jacob’s graphic novel “Good Talk”, a series of encounters showing how painfully awkward life can be for people-of-color in America. Highly recommend.
Next I will read, I will, I will I promise I will read “A Soldier of the Great War.” But probably I’ll first pick up another comfort book by Georgette Heyer as an antidote to daily headlines.
HCNewton
Kessler’s book looks good–have you read his previous book? The trilogy as a whole, while being something I’ll likely never get around to, seems fascinating.
I just put a request in at my library for Good Talk–thanks for the recommendation!
Good luck with Helprin!!
Allyson y Johnson
My bad – Peter HESSLER, not Kessler. I read his first book, “River Town” some time back, and eagerly read his articles in the “New Yorker”, mostly focused on China in the 80’s, 90’s, and currently.
Jen Porter
What am I currently reading? The Crooked Staircase, by Dean Koontz
What have I recently finished reading? Dear Susan, by Rhonda Barney
What will I read next? Probably either the next Jane Hawk novel, or the second book in the Wheel of Time series.
HCNewton
I had a bad experience or two with Koontz in the 90s and haven’t tried him since (despite encouragements from others), but those Jane Hawk books look intriguing…
Jen Porter
The Jane Hawk novels are pretty standard psycho-thrillers. I like them. Great kick-butt federal agent vigilante books with a scary and entirely-too-possible evil scheme. Good reads and fast-paced, overall, but not quite on the same par with his best and most intriguing or suspenseful novels.
I love Dean Koontz—he is one of my favorites—and I have only run across two of his books that I have personally read where I was like “Did you hire a ghostwriter? Who wrote this crap?” …And, I have heard that some of his earliest work was risqué, to put it nicely. I haven’t read any of those or any of the ones he wrote under pen names. I have read 30-40 of his 120+ books, mostly fairly recent ones, published since the 90s—and have found 99% to be extremely suspenseful, gritty, and realistic—with twisty complex plots, deep and funny characters, excellent vocabulary and writing style, and something essential to say about “humanity.” Hopeful endings, though some are less hopeful than others.
I would heartily recommend at least the following by him: Lightning, From the Corner of His Eye, By the Light of the Moon, Life Expectancy (heavy fast pace on that one…think I read it in a day), 77 Shadow Street…and many more. Those first four are probably my favorites. Watchers was also good if you like dogs. Lightning was my first novel by him and is also still one of my all-time favorites. The Taking is good if a) you lean toward horror/Stephen King-ish books, and b) you are a Christian. You might like it. I almost didn’t make it through because I do not like horror, just heavy suspense. The ending made it worth it to me as a Christian, but for non-Christians I have heard it was a put-off. Probably will never read it again, though! LOL
HCNewton
not often that you hear of non-Christian books being a put-off for non-Christians while working well for Christians. I’m intrigued.