Thread: What books are you currently reading?

I have just finished reading The Perfect Spy by John le Carre. I gave it two out of five stars on Goodreads. I found its prose too tortuous and overly dense and complicated. It wasn't an easy read. The story was interesting, but the method of telling that story wasn't. And there is a nearly continuous switching of perspective. Looking at the reviews on Goodreads, it seems as if people who didn't like it came to the same conclusion I did. But there are equally as many people who loved it. Your mileage may vary.


I picked up the le Carre book when I was half done with Britain After Rome. I am now resuming this non-fiction book. It's fascinating. The author spends more time describing the life and times of the so-called dark ages and less time listing the Kings and rulers of the seven or so Kingdoms.

Originally Posted by atsizat

I ain't in a habit of reading books.

Maybe you could pick up a volume of short stories as a starting point.

Originally Posted by SixFootScowl

Maybe you could pick up a volume of short stories as a starting point.

I second that suggestion. Perhaps you may like "A Madman's Diary" by Lu Xun, which is a metaphorical short story about the decay of Chinese language after the Qing dynasty. I find the writing to be engaging and the premise to be intriguing. One of the best short stories I have read. It doesn't require a lot of prior knowledge of Chinese history to appreciate it.

Here's the link: Selected Stories of Lu Hsun

Note: some of the terminology are different from other versions due to different phonetic system, but it shouldn't distract you from the story, unless you have a heavy (almost academic) interest in Chinese history and culture.

If you like the story after reading it and want to read more stories from the author, I suggest reading "The True Story of Ah Q" which is longer but is worthwhile once you "get into it".

After a break with several detective novels (not worth mentioning) I am back to the last third of The Magic Mountain.

I wish I had read calvinpv's post before I chose the detective novels. I picked up a Ross McDonald last year after not having read one in 50 years (at which time I read a number of them). It was around then that he was being lionized. I remember an especially glowing review in the NY Times (June 1, 1969 - I checked). But I didn't think they would hold up. I was wrong.

After starting it last summer and reluctantly putting it aside after finding it a bit impenetratable, I’ve taken up Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! again. Wow, how perceptions change. I’m totally hooked. Positively rich writing, just lyrical and opulent and magnetic. A haunting, wistful tale told by one of the finest literary psychologists and prose stylists of the century. The impossibly long sentences take a while to get into, however, and are probably the most significant barrier to understanding the novel.

Originally Posted by Allegro Con Brio

After starting it last summer and reluctantly putting it aside after finding it a bit impenetratable, I’ve taken up Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! again. Wow, how perceptions change. I’m totally hooked. Positively rich writing, just lyrical and opulent and magnetic. A haunting, wistful tale told by one of the finest literary psychologists and prose stylists of the century. The impossibly long sentences take a while to get into, however, and are probably the most significant barrier to understanding the novel.

I also finished it, and it was utterly wonderful! The character development is simply marvellous.

I finished Sartre's "Nausea" and, while I do not agree with a lot of Sartre's philosophy, it was so elegantly and vividly written. Really an amazing book.

Halfway through Joe Hill’s Horns. I knew his work through his graphic novel output but if his other novels are like Horns they will be on my reading list quick-smart. Of course he has good writing genes but that doesn’t always follow!