What book are you reading?

[maggie2101]

Originally Posted by Dissent

I saw that in wal mart sounds really good. I am not a big King reader but that one does look good enough to read.

Yeah, I lost my love for King many years ago sometime after The Stand, but this book is hard to put down.

[netwit]

Dandj - about The Night Circus - found my copy, exactly where it should have been, of course - and I don't know if it's your style of book, although I really did like it. It's been years since I read Ghost Story by Peter Straub but unless my memory is deceiving me now, the atmosphere it invokes reminds me of that book.

The Night Circus evokes the magic of the circus, but in the case of the book, it's kind of a magical circus and the magicians are real magicians. I wouldn't call it magic realism but it kind of skirts that style. It is very well-written though.

I know you've said before that you stay away from fantasy and other such genres. I wouldn't put this in the fantasy genre unless everything impossible belongs there, but it's definitely got at least 3 toes dipped n the fantasy/magic realism style.

Me, I'm still on Matterhorn, the Vietnam war book. It's a very compelling book, very stark look at war and at the men who fight wars (Ketabcha, maybe it's up your alley?) It is not a quick read and also requires a close read. Due to the intensity of the subject matter, I've been taking a few breaks during the reading of it to read other books.

Sooo, that means I read Dean Koontz's new book, 77 Shadow Street. I had kind of given up on Koontz. His recent books are too light and too quick of a read, and all sound the same to me. 77 Shadow Street, unlike most, of not all of his more recent books, is at least not written in the first person, which means that he has more characters to play with, and more angles to the story.

So because of that, I'd judge it a better read than anything else he's published for years now but not as good as his early books. The way he introduces the many characters of 77 Shadow Street reminded me of King's way of having a lot of characters in his books.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by netwit

Dandj - about The Night Circus - found my copy, exactly where it should have been, of course - and I don't know if it's your style of book, although I really did like it. It's been years since I read Ghost Story by Peter Straub but unless my memory is deceiving me now, the atmosphere it invokes reminds me of that book.

The Night Circus evokes the magic of the circus, but in the case of the book, it's kind of a magical circus and the magicians are real magicians. I wouldn't call it magic realism but it kind of skirts that style. It is very well-written though.

I know you've said before that you stay away from fantasy and other such genres. I wouldn't put this in the fantasy genre unless everything impossible belongs there, but it's definitely got at least 3 toes dipped n the fantasy/magic realism style.

Thanks for that! Now there's no way that I'll BUY it, that's for sure. When it's my turn at the library Kindle (sometime in 2015, by the looks of it), I'll give it a try anyway because it won't cost me anything but a little bit of time. And I won't feel guilty if I only make it to page six before I return it to the library.

[midge1021]

Originally Posted by netwit

Me, I'm still on Matterhorn, the Vietnam war book. It's a very compelling book, very stark look at war and at the men who fight wars (Ketabcha, maybe it's up your alley?) It is not a quick read and also requires a close read. Due to the intensity of the subject matter, I've been taking a few breaks during the reading of it to read other books.

Please let me know what you think of Matterhorn when you finish it. It is on my immense list of books I want to read, but my father-in-law recently recommended Marlantes's books to me and so I'm thinking about reading it sooner rather than later. I like military nonfiction, as a result of my being married to a Marine, and although Matterhorn is fiction, since it's based on Marlantes's experiences as a Marine I think I'll like it. Thanks!

[tdna]

The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid

[alphamale]

American Crisis: George Washington and the Dangerous two years after Yorktown. 1781-1783

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by Ketabcha

A friend recommended The End of Normal by Stephanie Madoff Mack.

I was hesitant to read it because of my intense dislike of Bernie Madoff. Stephanie is his daughter-in-law, and was married to his son Mark.

This is actually an interesting read and is a bit of a horror story because of what a parent can do to ruin the lives of loved ones. It's well written and the story behind what Madoff's actions did to his children is almost unbelievable but we all saw it unfold in the headlines. This book is one of the back stories.

Totally NOT my type of book but I've been on the waiting list at the library, for the Kindle version, for a while now.

I would never pay money for this book -- I still don't trust any of the Madoffs, even those who married into the family (and even those who are now divorced and or widowed from it) -- but I am a bit interested in Stephanie's take on things. We can't know how true it is, or how much she's whitewashed things to make herself look good, but I hope that she skewered Bernie, at least a bit. And Ruth, too.

[Ketabcha]

Originally Posted by DandJ

Totally NOT my type of book but I've been on the waiting list at the library, for the Kindle version, for a while now.

I would never pay money for this book -- I still don't trust any of the Madoffs, even those who married into the family (and even those who are now divorced and or widowed from it) -- but I am a bit interested in Stephanie's take on things. We can't know how true it is, or how much she's whitewashed things to make herself look good, but I hope that she skewered Bernie, at least a bit. And Ruth, too.

Not to worry. Stephanie lets Bernie and Ruth have it with no holes barred.

The book rings very true to me. She is extremely open about her life. Bernie stole one million dollars from her parents even when he knew his house of cards was collapsing. He stole from everyone and that includes friends and relatives. I simply don't understand it. He didn't need the money. Besides leaving so many people destitute and broken he also ruined the lives of his two boys and the family of one of them.

I believe her.

[midge1021]

Originally Posted by DandJ

Totally NOT my type of book but I've been on the waiting list at the library, for the Kindle version, for a while now.

I would never pay money for this book -- I still don't trust any of the Madoffs, even those who married into the family (and even those who are now divorced and or widowed from it) -- but I am a bit interested in Stephanie's take on things. We can't know how true it is, or how much she's whitewashed things to make herself look good, but I hope that she skewered Bernie, at least a bit. And Ruth, too.

My husband and I saw Ruth's interview on 60 Minutes and I'll tell you, we had a hard time feeling sorry for her. I did feel sorry for the sons and their families, though.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by Ketabcha

Not to worry. Stephanie lets Bernie and Ruth have it with no holes barred.

The book rings very true to me. She is extremely open about her life. Bernie stole one million dollars from her parents even when he knew his house of cards was collapsing. He stole from everyone and that includes friends and relatives. I simply don't understand it. He didn't need the money. Besides leaving so many people destitute and broken he also ruined the lives of his two boys and the family of one of them.

I believe her.

OK, I'll read it with a bit more open mind.

Originally Posted by midge1021

My husband and I saw Ruth's interview on 60 Minutes and I'll tell you, we had a hard time feeling sorry for her. I did feel sorry for the sons and their families, though.

I saw that too! I really have a hard time with her. There's no way that you sleep in the same bed with a man and not know anything about his business. It's just not possible.