What are you currently reading?

[Bogey]

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

Easily in my top 10....probably top 5....would not be surprised if in my top 3.

[Joe_Campbell]

Easily in my top 10....probably top 5....would not be surprised if in my top 3.

It is excellent. I might have to pick up The Importance of Being Earnest when I'm done, since Mr. Wilde never wrote any other books.

[Bogey]

It is excellent. I might have to pick up The Importance of Being Earnest when I'm done, since Mr. Wilde never wrote any other books.

Might as well blow it out JC, for about 20 bones:



Oscar has a Colorado connection, believe it or not.  Here it be, from the town of Leadville.:

In 1882, the Tabor Opera House hosted Oscar Wilde on his lecture tour of the West, one of many celebrities who graced the city. Mayor David H. Dougan invited Wilde to tour the Matchless silver mine and open their new lode: "The Oscar." Wilde later recounted a visit to a local saloon, "where I saw the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across. Over the piano was printed a notice - 'Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.'"

[SonicMan46]

The Rest is Noise (2007) by Alex Ross (music critic of The New Yorker) - we already have a dedicated thread to this writer/book - reviews have been numerous & outstanding - I'm just a third through the volume; just a 'sweeping' survey of 20th century music (of all kinds) - of course, this approach can be disjointed since the coverage includes classic & popular genres, but a worth a read for those wanting to better understand the dynamics of 20th century music - numerous (an variable comments) reviews on Amazon HERE - take a look and decide; the paperback is cheap and I'm sure local libraries will have copies; not a book to be ignore! 

[karlhenning]

It's an excellent read, Dave!

[karlhenning]

The Rest is Noise (2007) by Alex Ross (music critic of The New Yorker) - we already have a dedicated thread to this writer/book - reviews have been numerous & outstanding - I'm just a third through the volume; just a 'sweeping' survey of 20th century music (of all kinds) - of course, this approach can be disjointed since the coverage includes classic & popular genres, but a worth a read for those wanting to better understand the dynamics of 20th century music - numerous (an variable comments) reviews on Amazon HERE - take a look and decide; the paperback is cheap and I'm sure local libraries will have copies; not a book to be ignore! 

An interesting review on Mixed Meters.

[SonicMan46]

An interesting review on Mixed Meters.

Karl - thanks for the link! There are nearly 4 pages of 'recommended comments' on the front pages of this book, and I'm sure numerous 'positive' links could be provided - I'm feeling that although just a third through this tome, that the book will be an historic comment on 20th century music - thanks for your comments & endorsement, just hope some others will take up the read! Dave 

[jchen]

I have no interesting books to read. The book I really really want to read is Brisingr!!!
I love reading!!!!!!!!!! 

[Renfield]

I have no interesting books to read. The book I really really want to read is Brisingr!!!
I love reading!!!!!!!!!! 

Do I sense a fantasy fan?

[jchen]

I love fantasy books, and also adventure and animal ^_^ I just LOVE fiction. oh, and also mystery... I love reading!! As long as I understand what I am reading!! I am a Harry Potter Fan too ^_^ 
For non-fiction books, those that have cool facts are my favs.

[Bunny]

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, by John M. Barry.

This is a fascinating study of a pandemic which killed more people in 24 months than Aids has killed in 24 years (estimated morbidity of at least 50 to 100 million people worldwide in 24 months!). It killed the strongest and healthiest adults rapidly, not just the very young and very old as is typical with influenza most recently.  It was deadlier than the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages, and it's been almost completely forgotten.   

The book tells the story of how the confluence of war and disease resulted in world wide pandemic.  Because of the self-censorship of the news media during World War 1, the influenza which probably arose in the United States was called the "Spanish Flu" because it was first covered in the Spanish Newspapers.  Spain was neutral during the War so there was reason not to cover the pandemic.  American, German, British and French news media refrained voluntarily or by government request from printing anything about the epidemic and the enormous death rates of troops from the flu for fear of weakening troop morale and national support for the war. 

It also is a history of how the practice of medicine and medical education was modernized in the early years of the 20th century in the United States.  America lagged behind Germany and Britain until the founding of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Rockefeller University.  Soon America had caught up and become a leader in the development of antitoxin sera against diptheria, menigitis, pneumonia, and tetanus as well as the vaccines for diptheria and pneumococcal pneumonia.  In an age before antibiotics, bacteriologists and pathologists learned to manipulate the immune systems of men and animals to conquer a number of serious diseases.  Now with the advent of super-bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, this technology is once again being explored.  Because the author is also a good writer, the book is easy to read and very compelling.  Highly recommended!

[Bunny]

With that many references to it in Lunar Park, I felt like re-reading American Psycho. Equally enjoyable the second time around.

Not the most enjoyable book for me by a long shot!  Metrosexual kills for the fun of it.  ugh. 

[Anne]

I read The Great Influenza also.  Highly recommended.

[Renfield]

I love fantasy books, and also adventure and animal ^_^ I just LOVE fiction. oh, and also mystery... I love reading!! As long as I understand what I am reading!! I am a Harry Potter Fan too ^_^ 
For non-fiction books, those that have cool facts are my favs.

Which is why I didn't even mention the Harry Potter novels: I was quite certain you'd gotten there already.

Have you read the Chronicles of Narnia? Old-school, but classic for a reason, and it's dead-center between "fantasy", "adventure" and "animal". And of course The Lord of the Rings, but that might not qualify in the "understanding what you're reading" department just yet. ^_^



Bunny, re American Psycho, its brilliance is in its function as a piece of social critique. The metrosexual psychopath is, of course, a caricature; but brilliantly put together, as is practically every other character in that book.

Have you read the whole thing? The ending is highly indicative of the point Ellis is making.


Although sadly, it would appear that none of the other Ellis novels quite manage to reach that level - orbital, correct me if I'm wrong on this.

[orbital]

Which is why I didn't even mention the Harry Potter novels: I was quite certain you'd gotten there already.

Have you read the Chronicles of Narnia? Old-school, but classic for a reason, and it's dead-center between "fantasy", "adventure" and "animal". And of course The Lord of the Rings, but that might not qualify in the "understanding what you're reading" department just yet. ^_^



Bunny, re American Psycho, its brilliance is in its function as a piece of social critique. The metrosexual psychopath is, of course, a caricature; but brilliantly put together, as is practically every other character in that book.

Have you read the whole thing? The ending is highly indicative of the point Ellis is making.

Exactly. This is going to sound cliche, but the novel is indeed a sweeping critique of the booming 80s, and not of Wall Street culture alone.

Of course, I did not mean to say it is enjoyable because of the gory murder scenes, but the book is full of excess in every topic it touches. Murder is one of them, but so are luxury brands, electronic equipment, popular music, etc.

Although sadly, it would appear that none of the other Ellis novels quite manage to reach that level - orbital, correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Admittedly I have only read this one, The Rules of Attraction and Lunar Park. The Rules of Attraction actually is one of these few instances where the material works better as a film. The Lunar Park was pretty good, but it owed a lot to themes from American Psycho 

[Drasko]

The Rules of Attraction actually is one of these few instances where the material works better as a film.

Haven't read anything, but have seen and liked The Rules of Attraction. The reviews were mostly very negative though.

[Bunny]

Bunny, re American Psycho, its brilliance is in its function as a piece of social critique. The metrosexual psychopath is, of course, a caricature; but brilliantly put together, as is practically every other character in that book.

Have you read the whole thing? The ending is highly indicative of the point Ellis is making.


Although sadly, it would appear that none of the other Ellis novels quite manage to reach that level - orbital, correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Exactly. This is going to sound cliche, but the novel is indeed a sweeping critique of the booming 80s, and not of Wall Street culture alone.

Of course, I did not mean to say it is enjoyable because of the gory murder scenes, but the book is full of excess in every topic it touches. Murder is one of them, but so are luxury brands, electronic equipment, popular music, etc.

Admittedly I have only read this one, The Rules of Attraction and Lunar Park. The Rules of Attraction actually is one of these few instances where the material works better as a film. The Lunar Park was pretty good, but it owed a lot to themes from American Psycho 

I think Brett Easton Ellis is a very sick individual.  You don't need explicit scenes of the sexual torture and humiliation of only women to make a satirical point about the excesses of the 1980s.  Would an anti-war satire that includes explicit information about the construction of pipe bombs and improvised explosive devices along with explicit descriptions of how human bodies are destroyed by them be interesting to you as well?   One could as well argue that a novel that about a sexually sadistic Nazi guard at a concentration camp who is obsessed with his appearance is a satire about World War 2. 

When Ellis wrote the book he was "in the closet." After the book came out, his sexual orientation became public as well as his deep misogyny.  As it is, the novel is about torture and murder merely disguised as satire.

[Renfield]

As it is, the novel is about torture and murder merely disguised as satire.

It is very far from evident why that should be the case, instead of the opposite. And I feel you are not reading it objectively.

There are many literary works in history that feature psychopathic protagonists, cruel acts and murder; and many of them using this sort of personal depravity as a caricature for social depravity, including demeaning views of women.

Kafka, Camus, Anthony Burgess ("A Clockwork Orange") - I won't even touch Dostoyevski: prima facie, they all wrote very depraved things.


In any affair, you are of course free to reject Ellis' work, or anyone else's. But I still think the ad hominem was unwarranted.

[PSmith08]

One could as well argue that a novel that about a sexually sadistic Nazi guard at a concentration camp who is obsessed with his appearance is a satire about World War 2. 

And here I thought Dirk Bogarde was good in The Night Porter. Now, I see that he, too, was just a gay woman-hater with a torture kink.

Which makes perfect sense.

[orbital]

I think Brett Easton Ellis is a very sick individual.  You don't need explicit scenes of the sexual torture and humiliation of only women to make a satirical point about the excesses of the 1980s.  Would an anti-war satire that includes explicit information about the construction of pipe bombs and improvised explosive devices along with explicit descriptions of how human bodies are destroyed by them be interesting to you as well?   One could as well argue that a novel that about a sexually sadistic Nazi guard at a concentration camp who is obsessed with his appearance is a satire about World War 2. 

The difference being that a satire about World War 2 would be tasteless with or without involving a Nazi officer obsessed with his looks. When it is about the 80s, a time period which is not remembered with particularly strong negative feelings, let alone personal accounts of misery and destruction, a satire would be very well placed.

Also, please remember that the murder scenes do not involve women alone. What about the beggars, the guy with the bow tie and the most graphic of all, of Paul Owen (small font size for disclaimer purposes)
That is not to say the book is not purposefully misogynistic. But it bothers me much more when it is done in a concealed manner, such as in Auto Da Fe -a book that I could not go through