What are you currently reading?

[NikF]

Victorian filth first published in 1880 or thereabouts.

This differs from much of the other material I've read of that genre/era, in that it ranges from being generally less than charming, to (as in the account offered by dear wheelchair bound Lady Beatrice as she imparts her love of the dick) being delivered in an air where camphor fights with lavender, but both failing in a combined bid to hide slowly decaying health, withering and rot that's brought on by natural human frailty, all hurried along by an excess of the good things in life. But as they say, we've all got to go some time. 

I suspect reading this can only be augmented with random glances at the often well stuffed period upholstery depicted by Henry Hayler of Pimlico (good luck there) and/or a soundtrack of the Rondo alla Zingarese, courtesy Brahms Op. 25

[Karl Henning]

Alexa, Should We Trust You?

[Ken B]

Rereading The Talented Mr Ripley, by Patricia Highsmith.

[Karl Henning]

How the Yankees Became Baseball's Most Improbable Underdogs

[Karl Henning]

Verne Troyer, Mini-Me of 'Austin Powers,' fought a drinking addiction. His death was ruled a suicide by alcohol intoxication.

[aligreto]

Dan Brown: Origin





I had promised someone that I would read this book after a discussion that I had with them as to why I had decided to stop reading Dan Brown. I am about twenty per cent of the way into this book and I am struggling with it and it has already confirmed why I originally made my decision. My thesis is that he has a template, changes the concept involved, changes the name of the protagonists and the City involved and then makes a ton of money. Good luck to him.
[Disclaimer: I did not buy this book - it was given to me to read.]

[JBS]

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

I had promised someone that I would read this book after a discussion that I had with them as to why I had decided to stop reading Dan Brown. I am about twenty per cent of the way into this book and I am struggling with it and it has already confirmed why I originally made my decision. My thesis is that he has a template, changes the concept involved, changes the name of the protagonists and the City involved and then makes a ton of money. Good luck to him.
[Disclaimer: I did not buy this book - it was given to me to read.]

The Da Vinci code was immensely entertaining. I was not tempted to read further, for the reasons you cite.

[aligreto]

The Da Vinci code was immensely entertaining. I was not tempted to read further, for the reasons you cite.

You have, essentially, covered it all there.

[André]

I'm still in the Introduction (80 pages long). I read practically all of Maupassant's novels and contes (tales) when I was a teen. Now I'm going back to the Contes normands, or Tales from Normandy. That's another 800 pages, and is but a fraction of his output. The rest will wait some more, I think.

[Ken B]

I'm still in the Introduction (80 pages long). I read practically all of Maupassant's novels and contes (tales) when I was a teen. Now I'm going back to the Contes normands, or Tales from Normandy. That's another 800 pages, and is but a fraction of his output. The rest will wait some more, I think.

Probably my favorite writer.

[aligreto]

I'm still in the Introduction (80 pages long). I read practically all of Maupassant's novels and contes (tales) when I was a teen. Now I'm going back to the Contes normands, or Tales from Normandy. That's another 800 pages, and is but a fraction of his output. The rest will wait some more, I think.

Probably my favorite writer.

An author definitely worth reading.

[Ken B]

STEM is bad! Bad STEM! Bad!

https://pjmedia.com/trending/canadian-profs-claim-stem-promotes-eurocentrism-and-white-supremacy/

[bwv 1080]

STEM is bad! Bad STEM! Bad!

https://pjmedia.com/trending/canadian-profs-claim-stem-promotes-eurocentrism-and-white-supremacy/

Funny, I always thought it promoted Asiacentrism and Indo-Sino-supremacy

[SimonNZ]

Finished:



Jack Reacher #6.

I'm enjoying this series more than I thought I would, especially as the quality of the writing has been improving as they progress after the quite clunky #1 and the okayish #2. I hope though that at some point he learns to create an endind that is something other than a mano-a-mano showdown with a damsel in distress, and villains that are other than sociopaths, A large amount of detail of secret service bodyguard duty in this one, which seemed very well researched.

Started:

[NikF]

Started:

I'm not usually one for indulging in (what appears to be) mere trivia, but this looks cool.

[SimonNZ]

I'm not usually one for indulging in (what appears to be) mere trivia, but this looks cool.

Yeah, even only a small way in I can immediately tell its a more carefully and intelligently edited collection than others with a similar idea.

[NikF]

Yeah, even only a small way in I can immediately tell its a more carefully and intelligently edited collection than others with a similar idea.

If you find it continues in that manner, do update? It does sound to have the potential to be cool.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Probably my favorite writer.

I am a huge fan of French literature but haven't read Maupassant yet. My favorite French writers are Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas pére.

[Ken B]

I am a huge fan of French literature but haven't read Maupassant yet. My favorite French writers are Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas pére.

His best stuff are the stories rather than the novels.
I once flipped through several different anthologies of "best stories". There was almost no overlap, because there are so many to choose from.