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I read about 2/3 of World War Z back when it first came out. Not a huge fan of the carnivorous zombie genre but Brooks did a decent job of it. Forget why I didn't finish. Possibly life interrupted. I've been dancing around books recently, but the one I am definitely going to finish is The Flame, Leonard Cohen's final collection. It includes poems, sketches, selections from his notebooks and some other bits and bobs. The book was planned before his death and Cohen had basically finished a lot of the work of selecting items and had even arranged the poetry section but died before it was finished so a pair of editors and his son Adam finished the work.
Micro of the Day Stories: The Target - an assassin gets more than he bargained for Voldar -she mourns her city and rages at its failed defender
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Mendalla wrote:I read about 2/3 of World War Z back when it first came out. Not a huge fan of the carnivorous zombie genre but Brooks did a decent job of it. Forget why I didn't finish. Possibly life interrupted.
I've been dancing around books recently, but the one I am definitely going to finish is The Flame, Leonard Cohen's final collection. It includes poems, sketches, selections from his notebooks and some other bits and bobs. The book was planned before his death and Cohen had basically finished a lot of the work of selecting items and had even arranged the poetry section but died before it was finished so a pair of editors and his son Adam finished the work. If you ever do return to it, consider checking out the audio book. Since there are so many characters, it's read by a really awesome cast: Nathan Fillion, Jeri Ryan, Mark Hamill, Simon Pegg, and more.
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I just finished reading Milkman, by Anna Burns, which was awarded the Man Booker prize two weeks ago. It is an enthralling epic, and put me in mind of Homer's Iliad in many ways. It takes place in an unnamed city (which is actually Belfast), in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The narrator is a young woman of eighteen, who navigates the complexities of life in that time and place, the complex rules of her community, and she also endures being stalked by the eponymous Milkman of the title. No-one is given a proper name, but instead the characters are named and delineated by their relationships to the narrator, or she to them. This gives rise to "first sister", "wee sisters", "longest childhood friend from elementray school", "maybe-boyfriend", and so on.
It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but then, what is? It is well worth reading, in my opinion.
The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures. Junius
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Re-reading Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. It was such a long time ago that I read it, I can't recall the details as the story unfolds, so it's almost like reading for the first time.
The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures. Junius
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Now starting to read God Is An Englishman by R. F. Delderfield. I read it years ago and just felt like getting engrossed in a thumping good story again. It's the most enjoyable novel about commerce in Britain in the mid 19th century. Sounds rather boring, I suppose. Anyway, I got pleasure out of it once upon a time. I will again, I'm sure.
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I'm about halfway through 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' by Eric Idel of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus, fame. It's sorta his version of a memoir/autobio and is LOL funny in many places. Idel is the 'reader' on the audio version which is, therefore, highly recommended. 
It happened at a church summer camp so it must be true, right? ;)OF WAR, AND PEACE, AND MARY BETH: my contest winner, honestFor Whom the Good Tolls an 'RR' and it's short, no kidding[/url]
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After watching Castlevania on Netflix and a discussion with DamonX of the other place, I am re-reading Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's in my top 10, probably top 5, novels of all time and I haven't read it through in probably a decade or more. Nice to re-engage with an old friend (even if he does have fangs and wants to suck my blood) and noticing some little character details that I had forgotten over the years. It's a much better, more nuanced piece of fiction than someone only familiar with the various media adaptations might realize. Not to diss those. There are very few Dracula adaptations that I don't like to at least some degree. Castlevania, by the way, has very little to do with Stoker's novel, though its portrayal of Count Dracula seems more informed by the novel than some straight-up adaptations. It is, however, an excellent piece of horror/dark fantasy, surprising given that it's a videogame adaptation, which are usually terrible.
Micro of the Day Stories: The Target - an assassin gets more than he bargained for Voldar -she mourns her city and rages at its failed defender
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Mendalla wrote:After watching Castlevania on Netflix and a discussion with DamonX of the other place, I am re-reading Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's in my top 10, probably top 5, novels of all time and I haven't read it through in probably a decade or more. Nice to re-engage with an old friend (even if he does have fangs and wants to suck my blood) and noticing some little character details that I had forgotten over the years. It's a much better, more nuanced piece of fiction than someone only familiar with the various media adaptations might realize. Not to diss those. There are very few Dracula adaptations that I don't like to at least some degree.
Castlevania, by the way, has very little to do with Stoker's novel, though its portrayal of Count Dracula seems more informed by the novel than some straight-up adaptations. It is, however, an excellent piece of horror/dark fantasy, surprising given that it's a videogame adaptation, which are usually terrible. I had not realized that they made a movie of Castlevania. I only knew it at a video game from my kids. I will check it out. I reread Dracula periodically too. It is one of my all-time favorite books. Because of that, I have watched most of the adaptions made. I recently rewatched the movie with Gary Oldman. I am reading The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I have read all of his books but could never get into the Dark Tower series. I'm giving it another go and have just finished the first. I enjoyed it so I am on to the next.
Some of my stuff. https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/memoirs/learning-to-fly.aspxhttps://www.storiesspace.com/stories/memoirs/misery-loves-company.aspxhttps://www.storiesspace.com/stories/poetry/we-always-go-on.aspxhttps://www.storiesspace.com/stories/poetry/heart-flutters.aspx
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I just finished reading every post in this thread. The range of reading material is great!
The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures. Junius
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gillianleeza wrote:
I had not realized that they made a movie of Castlevania. I only knew it at a video game from my kids. I will check it out.
Series, actually. 4 episode first season and 8 episode second season. I'm halfway through the latter. gillianleeza wrote:I recently rewatched the movie with Gary Oldman. Been thinking about that as well. Netflix Canada has it up right now. I remember being blown away by it in the theatre back when it came out and watched it a couple times since. It diverges wildly from Stoker on a couple points but is very faithful on some others (Dracula's changing apparent age, for instance). gillianleeza wrote:
I am reading The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I have read all of his books but could never get into the Dark Tower series. I'm giving it another go and have just finished the first.
I loved the early novels but fizzled out about halfway through. The completion of the series happened when I was a new parent and very busy with life in general so I never finished Wizard and Glass (fourth book).
Micro of the Day Stories: The Target - an assassin gets more than he bargained for Voldar -she mourns her city and rages at its failed defender
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The Taking of K-129.
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reading myth adventure books. they are very funny.
You can't get there from here, because when you get there you're still here and here is now there.
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Currently, I'm reading The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. A great book. It starts from the Ancient times and covers every major era of our history. Also, he explains complicated things, so you can understand them easily.
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About to plunge into God Can't by Thomas Jay Oord for a book study group on another forum. It's about the problem of evil and how viewing God differently can resolve it.
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Reading. Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke. It's a fun cozy murder mystery that has recipes tucked in it here and there for fun desserts . it's #22 in a series of 24 books ... Books 23 &24 just came out the last couple months and my library doesn't have them yet.. It's a great series based in a small Minnesota town and the main character owns a bakery/coffee shop and always find mischief and mysteries
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Just finished Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero. It's riffing on teen detectives with a special focus on Scooby Doo (where the title comes from). Basically, a Scooby gang-like group of kids (and one dog), now grown up, who used to solve mysteries reunites when they start to realize that their last case may be much deeper and darker than the original mundane solution. Combines Scooby Doo with H. P. Lovecraft in a very entertaining bit of storytelling. Even has a well-played lesbian romance as a subplot. Still reading Jade War by Fonda Lee. Part two of her Greenbones trilogy, it continues the story begun in her previous novel Jade City. Basically, it's a Godfather-esque tale of the family that leads a powerful underworld clan in a faux-Asian setting, but combined with magical martial arts powered by jade. They are at war with another clan that is determined to finish them off and control the jade supply for their own benefit. Lee is both a crime novel aficionado and a practicing martial artist so she nails both elements perfectly. This novel has had a couple "holy crap, did she really write that?" moments already and I'm only at the halfway point.
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philliptennyson wrote:Currently, I'm reading The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. A great book. It starts from the Ancient times and covers every major era of our history. Also, he explains complicated things, so you can understand them easily. Failed to comment on this before. One of my best friends back in high school and university was obsessed with Russell (mostly because of Russell's views on religion). I have a copy of History... that the friend gave me. Never read all the way through, but have read parts that interested me.
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The book I am in the middle of at this moment is a collection of short fiction mysteries by Rex Stout. Each story was published separately but the four were collected and have been published together in several formats over the years. This volume is a paperback version. It has the usual suspects, including Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, Theodore Horstmann, Fritz Brenner, Inspector Kramer, Sgt. Purley Stebbins, and Saul Panzer. Other regulars are also on display. It is always a fun read. I believe I have read this book perhaps five or six times over the years. 
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Picked up John Grisham's lastest The Guardian.. When I was at the library recently. It is pretty good I'm about 30 pages in. It's in line with is usual legal theme . I'm excited to see what happens next 
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Dostoyevsky. The Brother's Karamatzov.
A re-read for me. Jesus Himself confronts The Grand Inquisitor on the merits of the human race.
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Stephen Overholser. Shadow Valley Rising."
Just finished this and loved it. It is about the Civil War out West near Denver and the Cheyenne. It really shows the human tragedy a civil war is.
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I’m about to start another Erin Kelly novel. Got The Sick Rose this time. I love her books.
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
My Wordpress website - https://authorhelenmerrick.wordpress.com/
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 Hands up, those of you who are surprised! 
The third part of this epic journey starts here... https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/drama/the-long-road-home-chapter-1.aspx  If anyone wishes to find the beginning of this epic saga, here it is:https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/drama/-the-nurses-.aspx"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
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Finished up The Guardian and it didn't disappoint. Now my making use of the library's e-book app and got my hands on the latest Hannah Swesen book #26 in the series... Coconut Layer Cake Murder Its a fun little cozy murder mystery .
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Well, I've been working my way through a Great Courses series on the Arthurian canon and found a translated collection of Chretien de Troyes' works on Hoopla (library e-lending service) so I've been reading Lancelot, or the Knight of the Cart, which was the first recorded appearance of Lancelot as a character. I am scouting around to see if there's some recent Arthurian fiction and found one about, oddly enough, Lancelot but it uses a historical Dark Ages Arthurian setting and I find Lancelot is a tough character to make fit in those. He's very much a product of medieval French romances, unlike Gawain or Percival/Parsival, who have antecedents in old Welsh texts.
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philliptennyson wrote:Currently, I'm reading The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. A great book. It starts from the Ancient times and covers every major era of our history. Also, he explains complicated things, so you can understand them easily. That is a great book. He can be comical at times.
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Herbert Spiegelberg. The Phenomenological Movement.
Classic and perhaps most scholarly text on the movement. Amazing breadth and depth.
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