I'm not supposed to post because I am just a NooB but - MAN you people read some great books! I have a small library but now you've just cost me a lot of money on amazon used books to read some of these!

I personally just finished ;

Mountain Man: A Novel of Male and Female in the Early American West :rolleyes:
I was underwhelmed. However, since I am currently researching that time period in order to write "The Last Rendezvous", perhaps I my vision is clouded.

Lonesome Dove: A Novel (23rd time, I just keep going back to it) :) :) I love the way he brings a reader into the reality of the book.

Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls: True Stories of Castaways and Other Survivors :clap: A GREAT READ :clap: You should try it :clap:

"The Beautiful and the Damned" -- F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- F. Scott Fitzgerald (haven't seen movie yet)

"Absalom, Absalom" -- William Faulkner

Dan Simmons-Summer Of Night

I'm reading Playing for Pizza by John Grisham. Pretty good book

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I read it last night in a single 3 hour sitting. Cool story of a family's life as told by their dog, a self aware lab mix who dreams of being reincarnated as a race car driver.

Read it!

I have been on a Philip K Dick run as of late.

Ubik - Damn good.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Really enjoyed it but it did drag at times.
Time Out of Joint - About half way though and it has been ok but showing potential.

That is an amazing book, and would make a great movie if done by someone with a brain in their head.

My autographed copy of that book is one of my prized possessions. I wish Bruce could get the John Travolta treatment ala Quentin Tarantino.

Finally got Neal Stephenson's System of the World from the library. It's been a couple of years since I read the first two in the Baroque Cycle, so I'm a little lost at this point. Looking forward to immersing in it, though. Love me some Stephenson.

Can't recommend this one enough.

What's it about?




I finally read 1984. Didn't care for the ending, though I understand it completely.

The author, Michael Downs, was born in Hartford, CT. He moved away to begin his journalism career, but moved back in the late 80's/early 90's to work for the Hartford paper covering high school news and sports. He met these 5 kids from the Hartford Public football team who each pledged to go to college then come back and live and work in the Hartford community, to try and make it something other than the shitty, disaster of an inner city that it was/is (like every inner city).

The book sees Michael finding out whatever happened to those kids and their pledge. At the same time, he examines his own choice to move away from the city of his birth despite his grandparents' failing health. This stunning work of creative nonfiction explores what really owe to where we grow up, what/how much sacrifice is ok in life, and on an antecedent level it explores the American city.

Added to my wishlist. Gotta finish two books first, but then that's up, I think.

Though, it is expensive at $15 for a paperback.

Its a university press. I know I'd rather it be a hardcover, but whatevs.

I met the author before I'd ever heard or him or this book earlier this year at the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) convention. We talked about The Wire for like 15 minutes.

All this culture, so little time.