What book are you reading?

[Voon]

Now halfway through book 3, The Karamazov Brothers again. Wow. Their dad is a total fucking git. What the fuck...

Also, I never knew that Howl's Moving Castle was a children's book back in the 80s! I've just watched the Miyazaki classic and that was pretty much closer to the book; just a bit shorter with lesser detail.

[Shane]

...Listening to Grasshoppers: Field Notes on Democracy - Arundhati Roy

Roy is one of the few writers who give you a clear picture of what India is about.

[Splynter]

Also, I never knew that Howl's Moving Castle was a children's book back in the 80s! I've just watched the Miyazaki classic and that was pretty much closer to the book; just a bit shorter with lesser detail.

That book and Wynne Jones' other output are really quite good. I think I read everything she wrote when I was a kid, and the young adult/adult novels she wrote are also very entertaining.

OT:

I've just started The Adventures of Augie March. It's pretty good so far, and well written, so we'll see how it goes.

[Rakysh]

Just finishing up Tom Holland's Rubicon. Despite the title, it's the tale of the fall of the Roman republic, not the origin of the tropical soft drink. Even so it's rather interesting, although I do think that Holland has got a bit of an unnecessary downer on Cicero.

[Jockie]

That book and Wynne Jones' other output are really quite good. I think I read everything she wrote when I was a kid, and the young adult/adult novels she wrote are also very entertaining.

Yeah, I devoured most of Wynne Jone's books as a youngster. I'd read her over JK Rowling any day.

Currently reading The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, it's a travel through the west with a couple of bickering brothers, who happen to be paid killers. Liking it so far, although I'm not far in.

[Voon]

Dunno how close this scene is compared to the book but man, this is chilling

[Fumarole]

It's definitely something I have a hard time putting down.

[squirrel]

Just finished with novel The Reversal by Mr. Michael Connelly.

The 3rd installment of 4 of "The Lincoln Lawyer" series, this time Michael "Mickey" Haller, a well-known criminal defense lawyer who are reputed for defending damned and underdogs of the system, was then hired by the L.A. District Attorney to re-prosecute Jason Jessup, a formerly convicted felon accused of murdering a 13 year-old girl 24 years ago. But for this job, Haller still was working for the underdog, considering how vulnerable the DA's position was in this case. The conviction was overthrown by the State Supreme Court after the by then non-existing DNA proved that the semen found on the girl's dress was not Jessup's. It seems the State government had to accept responsibility and repair the damage, but the DA, after referring to the DNA match, decided that his predecessor didn't get the wrong guy, and therefore took a risky political adventure (L.A. DA position is an elected rather than appointed one) to prosecute Jessup again, and to ensure independent decision making he hired the infamous Haller as a special independent prosecutor exclusively for this very prosecution case. Haller, who might or might not believe in Jessup's guiltiness, decided to take the case to became "Haller for the People", just to appeal to his prosecutor ex-wife and his 13 year-old daughter. Being a prosecutor didn't change Haller's nature as a street-smart lawyer. He chose not to protest against bail-out of Jessup, in the hope that LAPD would put him under tight surveillance, tempt him for further wrong-doing and then burst him. Such tactics, while might lead to victory in court, ultimately led to a disastrous result.

Currently "The Lincoln Lawyer" series has only 4 installments. I am so fascinated by this series. While the people may be corrupted, the system is not. It is far from perfect, but it is still an effective one. Break the rule and you will ultimately pay for it.

[Kadayi]

I read the first Hunger Games yesterday, to see what the fuss is all about and yeah, it's tautly told and engaged my primary story nodes and any book that gets finished in one sitting is doing something right.

But it kind of annoyed me as well because it didn't have much to say. The 'reality tv' aspect of it seemed to be there more because it can facilitate some melodrama than because he author wanted to say anything about human nature, or technology and violence. Same with the setting overall, 'people who are privledged and have money can be callous and overly concerned with fashion' is hardly revelatory stuff. But maybe I went in expecting too much - I like a degree of allegory and rumination with my sci-fi, no matter how pulpy it is, everything felt a bit black and white and a bit straightforward in Hunger Games.

Plus the ending was a big pile of shit, presumably the cliffhanger is supposed to make us buy the next book, it just left me a bit cold. From what I hear, it goes downhill from hereon in, so think I'll give the rest of the series a miss.

Gave it a go as it was cheapies on the Kindle and ploughed through it yesterday (sorry fellow ME3rs). Storytelling was pretty well done, though it's clearly written for young adults (no swears, and nothing beyond a few chaste kisses). Agree that the ending was a little hokey, but didn't find it overly offensive.

Didn't really know much about it before going in save the comparisons with Battle Royale, so I rather enjoyed the whole take on the reality TV angle, and how the games are a kind of spectacle in that sense, with the tributes as the talent. Certainly not the first to toy with that idea of players effectively being part of a game show (See Running man & series 7), but the whole styling/presentation and necessity to win over the audience in order to garner sponsorship advantages as the game progresses was an interesting addition. That the heroine is forced to perpetuate a masquerade in order to do so I thought was a great take on the insidious nature of reality TV in how its presence, and the demands it exacts alter the lives of those under its gaze to perform.

[Althea]

though it's clearly written for young adults (no swears, and nothing beyond a few chaste kisses).

You've not read much YA fiction, have you?

[Kadayi]

You've not read much YA fiction, have you?

It's not my usual arena for sure (I'm more a JG Ballard/Umberto Eco type of guy) . I'm more commenting on the general cleanliness/simplicity though (there's no shitting in the woods, worrying about that time of the month or uncomfortable realizations about what's poking into her back at night either). Not a bad thing in itself, merely an observation.

[Althea]

It's not my usual arena for sure (I'm more a JG Ballard/Umberto Eco type of guy) . I'm more commenting on the general cleanliness/simplicity though (there's no shitting in the woods, worrying about that time of the month or uncomfortable realizations about what's poking into her back at night either). Not a bad thing in itself, merely an observation.

I read a fair amount of YA - well, I'd say maybe 25% of my reading at least is YA - and it can be quite graphic at times.

What the Hunger Games doesn't give in terms of affection (with good reason), it makes up for in violence.

[Kadayi]

I'm not slating it Althea. I think it's a pretty well done story, and I can see why people enjoyed it. I wouldn't of read it in one sitting if I didn't find it entertaining.

[Althea]

I didn't say you were slating it :p It just read that you assumed YA was all sparkly OMG I LOVE YOU PLEASE KISS ME BUT NOTHING MORE BECAUSE THAT IS NOT ALLOWED stuff, that's all.

[frenz0rz]

Right now I'm reading Brave New World. So far its not quite what I'd expected - similar in some ways to 1984, but mostly very, very different.

[Kadayi]

I didn't say you were slating it :p It just read that you assumed YA was all sparkly OMG I LOVE YOU PLEASE KISS ME BUT NOTHING MORE BECAUSE THAT IS NOT ALLOWED stuff, that's all.

Well tbh given the sorry state of both them, I doubt that shagging was ever going to be on the cards. However there was a fair amount of sanitization taking place (even with the violence) that just walks a particular line. It's a good little story (I'm about to read the follow up), but it's not exactly treading 'The Road' territory in terms of unrelenting grimness. I don't doubt that YA fiction can be dark and or realistic, but I would expect that as a literary 'genre' it holds to certain moral concepts as universal/inherent (and that is not a bad thing). However I defer to your expertise on these things.

[Althea]

Well tbh given the sorry state of both them, I doubt that shagging was ever going to be on the cards. However there was a fair amount of sanitization taking place (even with the violence) that just walks a particular line. It's a good little story (I'm about to read the follow up), but it's not exactly treading 'The Road' territory in terms of unrelenting grimness. I don't doubt that YA fiction can be dark and or realistic, but I would expect that as a literary 'genre' it holds to certain moral concepts as universal/inherent (and that is not a bad thing). However I defer to your expertise on these things.

For me it was less about Suzanne Collins keeping it "clean" and more about Katniss not being interested in Peeta or Gale. Or boys. Or anyone. She struck me, largely, as being asexual.

[Kadayi]

For me it was less about Suzanne Collins keeping it "clean" and more about Katniss not being interested in Peeta or Gale. Or boys. Or anyone. She struck me, largely, as being asexual.

I don't disagree with that assessment of Katniss (she's very much in the now, and practically minded) but the point is Peeta is obviously emotionally invested in her (or at least appears to be judging from the first book). I'd of expected some degree of passion from him (even if just through words), given the circumstances they find themselves in. The romance may be a masquerade to her, but it's not to him.

[Althea]

I never felt it was for him.

[Kadayi]

I never felt it was for him.

Can you elaborate why? Given only one person could survive the event, there didn't seem to be any play/strategy to him declaring his affections for Katniss from the viewpoint of duplicity without some degree of foresight as to how things would play out. He could never know that things would work out the way that they did.