What are you reading now?

[Dogmatix]

I'm a member of another online book forum and a popular thread is the "What are you reading now?"

I'll start :)

Number 9 Dream - David Mitchell

Last year I read Mitchell's - Cloud Atlas and it really knocked my socks off.

Number 9 Dream From Publishers Weekly
A young Japanese man's quest to find his estranged parents throws him into a bizarre world of mobsters, dream villains and cyber-tricksters in Mitchell's second novel (after Ghostwritten), a hyperactive, erratic sprawl of a book that begins when narrator Eiji Miyake finds himself out on his own after his twin sister, Anju, dies: his alcoholic mother had had a nervous breakdown and left her two children with their grandmother when they were very young, and they have never met their father. Miyake makes the move from rural Japan to Tokyo to stake out the company where his father is a powerful executive. But his search lands him in a nebulous yet dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with an equally powerful Japanese mobster who uses Miyake's need to find his parents to kidnap and threaten him in a series of malevolent and nearly inexplicable scenes. The most coherent sequence in the narrative takes place when Miyake is contacted by his grandfather, a former seaman who gives Miyake his diary, a poignant account of his stint on a submarine in the final days of WWII, as the Japanese frantically scrambled to deploy a new undersea warhead. Miyake eventually manages to meet his parents, but those potentially affecting scenes are overwhelmed and overshadowed by Mitchell's relentless tendency to spin out futuristic, over-the-top scenarios in which Miyake is whisked away into strange settings and then abused as if he were the hero in a deadly video game. Mitchell showed considerable promise in his highly acclaimed debut, but his sophomore effort is so chaotic that it will test even the most diligent and devoted reader. (Feb. 26)Forecast: Rave reviews from the British press, a Booker Prize nomination and a five-city author tour will give this challenging novel a needed boost.

[Kymm Coveney]

On vacation, I'm trying to read The Master and Margarita, so it's even more bizarre than I think it might normally be. Slow goin' but I'll get there.

@ Sarah: Did you read Ahab's Wife? Made me go back to Moby Dick again.

[Julia Havelick]

I am reading "The Garden of Last Days" by Andre Dubus III. It's a great read and shows that anyone can make mistakes. I have never read any of Dubus' novels, but so far I like how he writes in such a way that makes you sympathize with all of the trails that each character goes through. It has made me realize that even the most cold hearted characters have hearts and that many, many different types of people end up in bad situations.

What will be the next (or current) selection for the BPP Book Club?

[Miss Maybelline]

At Swim Two Boys, Jamie O'Neill -current read.
The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan -up next
Great Books I read this summer:
Middlesex, Jefferey Eugenides
La Perdida, Jessica Abel (graphic novel)
Peace Like a River, Leif Enger
The Road, Cormac McCarthy

[David Wiley]

Seth in Kansas said:

I got over my magazine habit -- except for Cooks Ilustrated, which I still read word for word every month.

Shall I brag to you about my new Thermopen, or does that discussion belong in the Mangia! group?

I embarrassed that I had to look up two words in here. Thermopen: it turns out I have one, but have never known what it was called. It's just "that thing I got from Amazon that tells temperatures really fast." (In German that would be one word.) I still don't know what Mangia is, though. Google failed me.

I do like Cooks Illustrated, but not enough to subscribe. My magazines have been trimmed down to Science News and The Week. As for books I'm making my way through _All I Did Was Ask_, by Terry Gross. I've been thinking about queuing up some hard SF next, but am short on ideas. Any help here?

[Stewart]

Mangia! is the BPPDiner's food group.

SF: I'm of little help because I'm generally not a fan, but I will make my standard recommendation: if you have not already, read The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. If you have already, read them again. The latter in particular is my favorite SF book ever.

I was introduced to Bester's work in college, by my department mentor Jack Williamson, who was a contemporary of his back during the Golden Age days.

David Wiley said:

Seth in Kansas said:

I got over my magazine habit -- except for Cooks Ilustrated, which I still read word for word every month.

Shall I brag to you about my new Thermopen, or does that discussion belong in the Mangia! group?

I embarrassed that I had to look up two words in here. Thermopen: it turns out I have one, but have never known what it was called. It's just "that thing I got from Amazon that tells temperatures really fast." (In German that would be one word.) I still don't know what Mangia is, though. Google failed me.

I do like Cooks Illustrated, but not enough to subscribe. My magazines have been trimmed down to Science News and The Week. As for books I'm making my way through _All I Did Was Ask_, by Terry Gross. I've been thinking about queuing up some hard SF next, but am short on ideas. Any help here?

[Molly]

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

[Rob Paterson]

Sarah Goodyear said:

I'm reading Moby-Dick. It's the fifth time in my life that I've read it. I was inspired to do so again by Marianne Wiggins's excellent novel Evidence of Things Unseen, which features Melville's book prominently.

Anyway, I love Moby-Dick and always have. It's a real treat for me to read something other than contemporary fiction.

One of my faves too - read it first as a boy and was enthralled by the whaling and the story. Read it again as a man in full mid life crisis - also a wonderful deep metaphor for a life. There is a especially apt chapter - The Lee Shore - I think - that makes the point that when confronted by a great storm, the most dangerous place is near port and the safest in the deep ocean where there is lots of sea room - a great book

[Dan M]

I just started Matt Taibbi's book "The Great Derangement." Only a few chapters in, but so far it's really witty and perceptive. (If you like some biting, bittersweet humor with your political/social commentary that is.) He writes a blog, too, which I just discovered.
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/author/matt_taibbi

[Rob Paterson]

Rob Paterson said:

Sarah Goodyear said:

I'm reading Moby-Dick. It's the fifth time in my life that I've read it. I was inspired to do so again by Marianne Wiggins's excellent novel Evidence of Things Unseen, which features Melville's book prominently.

Anyway, I love Moby-Dick and always have. It's a real treat for me to read something other than contemporary fiction.

One of my faves too - read it first as a boy and was enthralled by the whaling and the story. Read it again as a man in full mid life crisis - also a wonderful deep metaphor for a life. There is a especially apt chapter - The Lee Shore - I think - that makes the point that when confronted by a great storm, the most dangerous place is near port and the safest in the deep ocean where there is lots of sea room - a great book

Here is the passage:

Let me only say that it fared with him as with the storm-tossed ship, that miserably drives along the leeward land. The port would fain give succor; the port is pitiful; in the port is safety, comfort, hearthstone, supper, warm blankets, friends, all that's kind to our mortalities. But in that gale, the port, the land, is that ship's direst jeopardy; she must fly all hospitality; one touch of land, though it but graze the keel, would make her shudder through and through. With all her might she crowds all sail off shore; in so doing, fights 'gainst the very winds that fain would blow her homeward; seeks all the lashed sea's landlessness again; for refuge's sake forlornly rushing into peril; her only friend her bitterest foe!

[David Wiley]

SF: I'm of little help because I'm generally not a fan, but I will make my standard recommendation: if you have not already, read The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. If you have already, read them again. The latter in particular is my favorite SF book ever.

Excellent idea. I've read many references to The Stars My Destination, but I've never the novel itself. I know J. Michael Straczynski thought enough of Bester to name a character in Babylon 5 after him (deliciously, evilly portrayed by Walter Koenig). Thanks for the tip!

To non-SF fans I'll recommend without reservation _Snowcrash_ by Neil Stephenson. (Actually I'd recommend almost anything by Neil Stephenson, but he writes in several genres). This book is without question science fiction, but so full of well-realized characters and provocative ideas that most people I have recommended it to have also loved it. Wikipedia has a summary if you are not spoiler averse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowcrash). I was absolutely hooked from the pizza delivery scene in the first chapter.

[Sarah Goodyear]

Yes, Rob! I was savoring that passage a few days ago. Very apt for my life right now.

What I love about the book is the way Melville takes these metaphors from the natural world and the nautical world and just sets them off like fireworks at the end of every chapter. God he's good.

Rob Paterson said:

Rob Paterson said:

Sarah Goodyear said:

I'm reading Moby-Dick. It's the fifth time in my life that I've read it. I was inspired to do so again by Marianne Wiggins's excellent novel Evidence of Things Unseen, which features Melville's book prominently.

Anyway, I love Moby-Dick and always have. It's a real treat for me to read something other than contemporary fiction.

One of my faves too - read it first as a boy and was enthralled by the whaling and the story. Read it again as a man in full mid life crisis - also a wonderful deep metaphor for a life. There is a especially apt chapter - The Lee Shore - I think - that makes the point that when confronted by a great storm, the most dangerous place is near port and the safest in the deep ocean where there is lots of sea room - a great book

Here is the passage:

Let me only say that it fared with him as with the storm-tossed ship, that miserably drives along the leeward land. The port would fain give succor; the port is pitiful; in the port is safety, comfort, hearthstone, supper, warm blankets, friends, all that's kind to our mortalities. But in that gale, the port, the land, is that ship's direst jeopardy; she must fly all hospitality; one touch of land, though it but graze the keel, would make her shudder through and through. With all her might she crowds all sail off shore; in so doing, fights 'gainst the very winds that fain would blow her homeward; seeks all the lashed sea's landlessness again; for refuge's sake forlornly rushing into peril; her only friend her bitterest foe!

[Leo77]

Most recently, for my departing flight to the Philippines, picked up "Blindsight" by Peter Watts based solely on the good reviews on amazon and comparing the brief plot synopsis with that of other sci-fi based books like Scalzi's "Old Man's War" (the latter I have not read yet). Read the first three chapters and it really bored me. Just too technical for my tastes in the beginning. Will try to continue reading if I have the stamina.

For my arriving flight back to the states, I tried reading Ian McDonald's "River of Gods" and found the first three chapters so alluringly descriptive and fast paced. Loved the juxtaposition of old world living meets high tech lifestyle. But still fell asleep the rest of the flight cuz I was tired

I finished "Next" by Michael Crichton 4 months ago and really liked it. The science was so intriguing and new to me. Also really liked the thrilling interweaving story lines. Took me the span of 6 months to read all of it.

Still planning on picking up "Say You're Not One of Them" by Uwem Akpan from an NPR review and "Our Dumb World" from the Onion for fun reading. Just read the BPP book review of "Like You'd Understand, Anyway" and would like to pick that one up too!