What are you currently reading?

[sholloman81]

Feel like I am on a string of bad luck with my recent reads.  I tried completing my Suntup AGE of Patrick McCabe's "The Butcher Boy" but could not do it.  Just could not connect to the story or characters no matter how much I tried.  This is the first book that I have DNF'd in forever and I feel like crap for doing it.  Luckily, this was a random buy during one of Suntup's dinged sales so I didn't pay full-price.  

After this one, I decided to read my Suntup AGE of David Seltzer's "The Omen".  This was a first time read for me.  I found it to be very underwhelming.  Not a bad book by any means, but nothing really special either.  I just could not connect to the main characters, especially the husband Jermey Thorn, which I think took a lot of the air out of the story for me.  I also think it took way too long for the scary bits to kick-in.  Once they finally did, in the last quarter of the book, I had pretty much checked-out which is too bad as there were some genuinely scary parts by that point, especially the dog attack in the cemetery.  As a side note, I have never seen the movie and wonder if I would have more affinity for this book if I had.  Overall, I would give this a D+ to C- rating.

I am now reading my Suntup AGE of Blake Crouch's "Dark Matter".  This is a first time read for me as well and I have very high hopes as I loved his Pines trilogy!     

[JeremyM]

Just wrapped up 'Roadside Picnic' - the new FS version illustrated by Dave McKean. I really enjoyed it, though the ending felt a little abrupt. It reminded me a little of Gibson's short story 'The Hinterlands', which is also an alien encounter story without the aliens. Was surprised to learn that AMC had commissioned a TV series based on the novel that got as far as a pilot but failed to go to full production - trailer for the pilot can be found on the internet. Arguably 'Tales from the Loop' also owes a bit to 'Roadside Picnic' as well, though that certainly has a more optimistic worldview to go along with the uncertainty of discovery.

[TacomaDiver]

I'm glad your shark wasn't feeling hungry, TD!

Luckily this species (six-gill shark) isn't known to be aggressive.

The BEST part is immediately after not being dead, I was able to get three pictures of a shark pup. At the time, I was the only known diver to have seen a shark pup, AND I had photographs to prove it too.

[TacomaDiver]

I'm about 3/4 of the way through Winterset Hollow by Johnathan Edward Durham. I hadn't ever heard of this book before, but someone mentioned here that it might be one of Suntup's next releases (debut novel, a book about a book, etc.)

So far I'm really enjoying it. The twist that occurred in the beginning really through me for a loop and I can't wait to see where it goes.

My next book may be the new Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel that just came today - Silver Nitrate. I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic and this one sounds really good.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Suntup AGE of Balke Crouch's "Dark Matter". This was a first time read and it blew my mind. It was exactly the book I needed as the last few reads have been duds for me. Not this one! Had previously read Crouch's Pines trilogy and enjoyed it, but this book feels extra special. It kept me surprised throughout and had tons of thought provoking scenes and ideas. Also enjoyed pretty much every character, and they all felt fleshed out and real. For me, this was sci-fi/adventure done right! I hope one day that we get to find out what may have happened to the main characters travel companion Amanda, as there might be a story to tell. I would give this book an A grade for sure.

Am now reading Joyce Carol Oates' "Zombie", another first time read for me. Have only read a few of her short stories in random anthologies.

[brlesh]

Finished Jaws.

[brlesh]

Finished Jaws. Definitely liked it more today than the first time I read it 40 years ago, though I can easily see why my pre-teen self didn’t like the book.

There’s a lot more going on in the book, and the decision (either Spielberg’s or the producers) to cut out the melodrama, make the characters likable, and focus on the shark we’re the right ones for the movie.

After Jaws, picked up Monsters, a three story anthology of novella length stories dealing with monsters. This is the second book in the Dark Tide series from CLP that I’ve read, and I haven’t cared for either one. Actually didn’t even finish the third story in this one.

After Monsters, I started The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

100 pages in and the story is a little slow at this point.

I really liked SMG’s Mexican Gothic and am a big fan of the original story by Wells, so hoping this one picks up soon.

B

[brlesh]

Just finished reading the Suntup AGE of Balke Crouch's "Dark Matter". This was a first time read and it blew my mind. It was exactly the book I needed as the last few reads have been duds for me. Not this one! Had previously read Crouch's Pines trilogy and enjoyed it, but this book feels extra special. It kept me surprised throughout and had tons of thought provoking scenes and ideas. Also enjoyed pretty much every character, and they all felt fleshed out and real. For me, this was sci-fi/adventure done right! I hope one day that we get to find out what may have happened to the main characters travel companion Amanda, as there might be a story to tell. I would give this book an A grade for sure.

Am now reading Joyce Carol Oates' "Zombie", another first time read for me. Have only read a few of her short stories in random anthologies.

I was in a similar situation when I read Zombie earlier this year. Had read some of JCO short stories in different anthologies over the years, but had never read any of her novels. I found her short fiction to be hit or miss.

Hard to say I liked Zombie, as it was a very disturbing book, though it did hold my interest.

Similar to Let’s Go Play at the Adams’ and The Girl Next Door, it evokes a visceral response on the reader, though not at the same level as those two books.

B

[brlesh]

I lost the video over the years which is a bummer - it was a great video in the style of Blair Witch - shaky cam, darkness, flashlight flashing, and a SHARK!

This isn't the one that knocked me over, but it was the one I saw right before I saw the one that knocked me over.

IMAG0010.jpg

This is the one did knock me over:
IMAG0015.jpg
(I always thought that these pics were of different sharks - I may have been mistake by looking at them now, regardless of what my notes may say.)

Wow, those are great pictures!

How deep were you diving?

Aren’t six gills supposed to be deep water species?

B

[TacomaDiver]

Wow, those are great pictures!

How deep were you diving?

Aren’t six gills supposed to be deep water species?

B

Thanks!

I believe I was around 120' when I took those photos - yeah a little deeper than most recreational divers, but I do have the appropriate certifications, plus I wasn't at that depth too long.

And you're right about the six gills being deep water fish. I know the BBC had footage of them at a few thousand feet, but the theory is they come up shallow to give birth.

The Puget Sound area has routine sightings of them in the summer; usually around 75-100' down. Summertime has the worst visibility so who knows how many are out there. This particular summer was a HOT BED of sightings - it felt like every time you got into the water, there was a shark.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Suntup AGE of Joyce Carol Oates' "Zombie", a first time read for me. This is an admittedly hard book to both read and review. Obviously, the lead character is a repulsive loser; so, it's pretty much impossible to make any sort of connection, but it was fascinating to get into his head space and to see his evolution & how his psyche may have been formed. Also was fascinated by his immediate family and their impulse to explain away odd/bad behavior. That felt very real to me. This story was very well written by Oates and I'm glad to have read it, but I'm not sure that it's a book that I will ever care to re-reread and may decide to offload my copy in the near future. Overall, I would give this a solid B grade.

Am now reading the SST LE of Joe Lansdale's "Terror is Our Business: Dana Roberts' Casebook of Horrors". Happy these stories were finally collected and look forward to reading them all!

[sholloman81]

Just finished the SST LE of Joe Lansdale's "Terror is Our Business: Dana Roberts' Casebook of Horrors". Had previously read some but not all of the stories. Enjoyed them all. These are really fun characters and I enjoy the overall tone of these stories. Hope Lansdale writes more of them in the future. Overall, I would give this book a C+ to B- rating.

Am now reading the SST LE of Paul Tremblay's "No Sleep Till Wonderland", a first time read for me. Enjoyed the previous book and have high hopes for this sequel.

[RonClinton]

Currently reading my first book from Willy Vlautin, THE NIGHT ALWAYS COMES, and loving this contemporary noir…definitely won’t be my last Vlautin. Probably give his MOTEL LIFE a shot next.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the SST LE of Paul Tremblay's "No Sleep Till Wonderland", a first time read for me. I did read the first book in this series awhile back and enjoyed it; so, I had high hopes for this one as well. Luckily, it doesn't disappoint. The main narcoleptic detective character, Mark Genovich, really works for me. I enjoy his inner dialogue and how he tries to juggle his cases and illness. If I had one complaint with this book, it would be that it spends a bit too much time rehashing his illness and its symptoms. I'm guessing that the vast majority of readers probably read the previous book; so, it felt bit unnecessary and repetitive. Other than that, it's a pretty strong read. Hopefully, Tremblay will revisit this character in the future, but I doubt it. Overall, I would give this a C+ to B- grade.

Am now reading the SST LE of Stephen Graham Jones' "Demon Theory", a first time read for me. This version is his original never seen before text so I'm glad that I get to read this version first! Hope it lives up to his other books as I'm a huge SGJ fan.

[Chuggers]

Reading TITANIUM NOIR by Nick Harkaway...my first experience with this author but so far very enjoyable. The noir elements are really driving this one, would definitely recommend to fans of the genre