What are you currently reading?
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sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 21, 2025 07:07 PM)
I picked up
The Bean Trees
on a whim after coming across a copy for less than a dollar in a local thrift store, and having enjoyed the two Kingsolver novels mentioned above. It's a very short novel and my main takeaway is that she was already an excellent writer before I was born, with a skill for well-drawn characters. What surprised me, based on my experience with her other novels, was how funny it was in places. The plot is pretty standard: a young woman leaving home and making her way in the world, though her interaction with undocumented migrants could make it particularly pertinent to our time. I could quibble with how often major plot points hinge on pure chance, but I won't. This doesn't reach the heights of
Demon Copperhead
or
The Poisonwood Bible
, but it's very, very good. I definitely should read her other novels sometime.
Before getting into my next read, let's take a moment to appreciate how badass the cover art for Stephen King's novels used to be. This cover is my personal favorite, but all of his old school covers are wonderful in their own way.
I bring this up, because they have now devolved into… whatever the **** this is:
Still, one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Holly Gibney has been a divisive character among King fans. Personally I like her, even if the books featuring her - and King's late-career foray into crime fiction in general - are very hit or miss. At this point in his career, I'm not expecting a masterpiece, merely an entertaining story told in a voice that I've been reading for over two decades now. The literary equivalent of comfort food. I'm hoping it meets those expectations.
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sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 24, 2025 11:15 AM)
Never Flinch
was solid mid-tier King, which was about as expected. This is a pretty straightforward crime thriller, with no supernatural elements to be found (these elements do pop up from time to time in some, but not all, of the stories and novels featuring Holly Gibney), and it remains engaging throughout, even if the skills and achievements ascribed to the Robinson siblings are becoming increasingly far-fetched as the series progresses. Like it's immediate predecessor
Holly
, the novel is very political in nature. As someone who tends to agree with King's politics, I both cheer that on in the present moment and ultimately recognize that such pointed references are likely to make the novel age poorly in a way that King's true classics have not.
Next, I will be diving into the latest from legendary author Joyce Carol Oates.
Oates is far too prolific for me to be an expert on her work (and unlike King, I didn't begin reading her at 11), but I am a fan of the novels and short stories I have read and this one in particular has been getting tremendous reviews. At nearly 700 pages, it's unlikely I'll finish it in my typical 2-3 days, especially with the new season of
The Bear
dropping tomorrow.
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Sophievirus — 9 months ago(June 26, 2025 10:08 PM)
still reading
Young Stalin
which i take in small doses, a chapter a day basically. it's utterly fascinating and i need to absorb what i'm reading by taking my time with the material. great ****ing account on the early days of this person's path of life, the people he met along the way and his times.
finished
The Vegetarian
by Han Kang the other day. hasn't left my mind since.
Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams—invasive images of blood and brutality—torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It’s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that’s become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman’s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.
started today:
July's People
by Nadine Gordimer
For years, it had been what is called a “deteriorating situation.” Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales family—liberal whites—are rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to the Smaleses and to July—the shifts in character and relationships—gives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.
Nadine Gordimer was a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
suck it. -
sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 26, 2025 11:37 PM)
still reading Young Stalin which i take in small doses, a chapter a day basically.
I typically only read one book at a time, but will make exceptions when I'm working through volumes of short stories or poetry. But I used to be able to read like three or four books at once.
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sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 01:17 AM)
So how I mentioned above that I was going to make a Peter Straub book an annual October tradition? On second thought, **** that. The year has 12 months last time I checked
Dude is gooood… Even better than I remembered!
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Celestia Bloodshed — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 01:21 AM)
On second thought, **** that. The year has 12 months last time I checked
true lol
oh btw since you're here, there's one chapter in
The Flamethrowers
that is dedicated to Barbara Loden's film
Wanda
. just saying.
cursed, scarred & forever possessed -
sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 01:35 AM)
That is a promising touch for sure… I mentioned it the other day as one of the greatest Appalachian films.
1.
Harlan County USA
(1976, Barbara Kopple)
2.
Wanda
(1970, Barbara Loden)
3.
Matewan
(1987, John Sayles)
4.
Spring Night, Summer Night
(1967, Joseph L. Anderson)
5.
Lawless
(2012, John Hillcoat)
6.
The Devil All the Time
(2020, Antonio Campos)
7.
Coal Miner's Daughter
(1980, Michael Apted)
8.
Cold Mountain
(2003, Anthony Minghella)
9.
Where the Lilies Bloom
(1974, William A. Graham)
10.
The Deer Hunter
(1978, Michael Cimino)
Honorable mention:
Justified
(2010-2015)
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Celestia Bloodshed — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 10:22 PM)
i've only seen 2, 6, 7, 8 & 9 from this list and liked them all pretty much. Matewan and Harlan County are the ones i really wanna catch up with tho.
back to
The Flamethrowers
tho, now that i'm 3/4 through it i can say that after a challenging start, the novel becomes much more accessible later on. maybe it's just that i got used to Kushner's style or whatever, but i can't put it down as it is. she's a great writer and i love the images she creates with her style which is really quite something else, but i'm not sure how much depth especially her main characters have here. as of now, i can't see or feel much of that and i'm finding myself not really caring about any of them tbh…
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sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 10:51 PM)
Yeah, I sort of got that vibe with
Creation Lake
too. The lead character was kind of the least interesting of them.
I'm still working my way through
Halloween Party
. I set it aside for a virtual movie night yesterday evening, but should finish it pretty soon. Classic Agatha Christie so far!
After that… George R.R. Martin vampire book or revisit some Laird Barron short stories?
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sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 10, 2025 12:14 AM)
With this in mind and given that it is October… complete chronological list of all King books with my rankings.
Carrie
(9.5/10)
'Salem's Lot
(10/10)
The Shining
(9/10)
Rage
(7.5/10)
Night Shift
short story collection (10/10)
The Stand
(10/10)
The Long Walk
(8/10)
The Dead Zone
(8/10)
Firestarter
(7/10)
Roadwork
(7.5/10)
Danse Macabre
nonfiction (8/10)
Cujo
(8/10)
The Running Man
(8/10)
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
(7.5/10)
Different Seasons
novella collection (10/10)
Christine
(7.5/10)
Pet Sematary
(10/10)
Cycle of the Werwolf
(6/10)
The Talisman
w/ Peter Straub (8.5/10)
The Eyes of the Dragon
(7/10)
Thinner
(6.5/10)
Skeleton Crew
short story collection (9/10)
It
(10/10)
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
(9.5/10)
Misery
(9.5/10)
The Tommyknockers
(3/10)
SOBRIETY
The Dark Half
(6/10)
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
(8/10)
Needful Things
(9/10)
Gerald's Game
(6.5/10)
Dolores Claiborne
(8.5/10)
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
short story collection (8/10)
Insomnia
(7.5/10)
Rose Madder
(8.5/10)
The Green Mile
(9/10)
Desperation
(6.5/10)
The Regulators
(7/10)
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
(10/10)
Bag of Bones
(8/10)
The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon
(6/10)
Hearts in Atlantis
novella collection (9.5/10)
VAN ACCIDENT
On Writing
nonfiction (10/10)
Dreamcatcher
(3/10)
Black House
with Peter Straub (7/10)
Everything's Eventual
short story collection (7.5/10)
From a Buick 8
(6/10)
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
(6/10)
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
(5/10)
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
(2/10)
Faithful
nonfiction with Stewart O'Nan (1/10)
The Colorado Kid
(2/10)
Cell
(4/10)
Lisey's Story
(9.5/10)
Blaze
(6.5/10)
Duma Key
(7/10)
Just After Sunset
short story collection (7/10)
Under the Dome
(7/10)
Full Dark, No Stars
novella collection (10/10)
11/22/63
(10/10)
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
(8/10)
Joyland
(8/10)
Doctor Sleep
(8/10)
Mr. Mercedes
(7/10)
Revival
(10/10)
Finders Keepers
(5/10)
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
short story collection (6.5/10)
End of Watch
(5.5/10)
Gwendy's Button Box
with Richard Chizmar (3.5/10)
Sleeping Beauties
with Owen King (5/10)
The Outsider
(9.5/10)
Elevation
(6/10)
The Institute
(6/10)
Later
(6/10)
If It Bleeds
novella collection (8/10)
Billy Summers
(8/10)
Gwendy's Final Task
with Richard Chizmar (1/10)
Fairy Tale
(7/10)
Holly
(7.5/10)
You Like It Darker
short story collection (7/10)
Never Flinch
(5.5/10)
Hansel and Gretel
with Maurice Sendak (7/10)
@Celestia Bloodshed
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Celestia Bloodshed — 5 months ago(October 10, 2025 12:36 AM)
wow thank you for this list! that's a ****load to catch up on…!!
i think i mentioned already that i have
Misery
&
The Stand
waiting in my shelf for me to read. i do keep on glancing at Misery especially every now and then, so i guess that will be the first one i'm gonna start, soon.
one thing tho: i get the "Sobriety" time mark, but what does "Van Accident" have to do with King's subsequent output?
also this,
Faithful nonfiction with Stewart O'Nan (1/10)
just curious, what is wrong with this one? i've read
The Speed Queen
by Stewart O'Nan last year and really liked it… so i'm just curious who is to blame for that low ranking? lol
on another note, Pynchon's new novel is out now since a couple of days ago, are you going to get it and planning to read it?
cursed, scarred & forever possessed -
sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 10, 2025 12:47 AM)
So he was hit by a van while walking back in 1999 and afterwards he was addicted to prescription opioids for a time and kept threatening to retire once he'd wrapped up The Dark Tower series (quite badly, tbh). It kind of explains how wildly inconsistent he was in those years immediately following. He recently had a surgery as a result of the aftereffects of the accident and walks with a cane these days, but I think that he and the fans both have lower expectations these days… And are pleasantly surprised when he still delivers a home run now and then
Yes, the new Pynchon is on my list. Hopefully I'll get to it in November. Along with
Notes from Underground
and probably returning to Barbara Kingsolver again.
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Celestia Bloodshed — 5 months ago(October 10, 2025 01:03 AM)
oh okay, i see. yeah that's the sort of background context i needed here
you know, i sort of wish you'd go with
Crime and Punishment
as your first Dostoevsky novel instead of
Notes from Underground
bc as fascinating as a study of a soul Notes from Underground is, it's really just the author rambling on about how miserable things are with and around him. Crime and Punishment has character arcs and exciting plotlines ruling supreme and works much better as a novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entire time. so, i really HOPE you'll like Notes from Underground and are not going to be discouraged exploring more from the writer if you will end up not liking it. so, you've been warned lol
on the plus side, Notes is a shawty. Dostoevsky usually operates on much larger scales, and his big 5 novels are the ones where he truly shines. still, my fingers are crossed.
cursed, scarred & forever possessed -
sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 10, 2025 01:36 AM)
I'll keep that in mind…
The Brothers Karamazov
is the one I'm really looking forward to, based on everything I've heard about it. But I want to work my way up to that one.
I picked
Notes from Underground
first partially because it's short and also because I was told it influenced
Taxi Driver
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