What are you reading?

[crni1976]

I don't think this topic has been touched yet. Still, I enjoy reading and am hoping some of you might do so as well. So, let us know what your are reading or if you have any suggestions.

I recently enjoyed a book by Michael Muhammad Knight about a fictitious Islamic hardcore and punk rock scene in the United States. A novel that planted the seed for the real thing afterwards, and sparked a movie about the scene as well.

http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n61/n306240.jpg

Currently I am reading a fun and easygoing novel by Chuck Klosterman, set in a fictional town in North Dakota, and portraying a host of vivid and often quite funny characters.

http://www.michaelpetralia.com/images/books/downtown%20owl_klosterman.jpg

[fallingskyline]

Last read:

- The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
- Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

[Wiltzuh]

Stephen King

[i am a snail]

how to win friends (because i am sad and alone shut up)
the islanders
dune (again)
cloud atlas

[agusbmxarg]

I finished reading 'The Book of Five Rings' (similar to Hagakure, the Bushido and such, japanese philosophy and swordmanship stuff).
Now I'd like to get off amazon 'The Playboy interviews: Directors' (Interviews of Eastwood, Bergman, Cohen bros and more film directors). I hope I don't have any issues with local customs by ordering a book abroads :/

[SK8ERatWAR]

silmarillion. I have never read tolkien before, so I thought I'd start with the actual first one.
I'm not a big reader actually, the last thing I read that amused me were the walking dead comics.. and before that I only read if I had to for school..

[crni1976]

Currently finishing up rereading After Dark, by my favourite author Haruki Murakami. Another Japanese author, new to me, is up next...

http://img.dooyoo.co.uk/GB_EN/orig/0/6/8/6/4/686449.jpg

http://kimbofo.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451bcff69e20115711f00b8970c-300wi

[InsideManager]

Reading two books at the moment, one for University and one for enjoyment, but both have been enjoyable.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5110FR8QF9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://dekalblibrary.org/podcasts/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/wil_haygood_book_cover.jpg

[echoturbo]

found this book to be a real page turner https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBuaQL_uaA21JYRleQ2wW5DYUJs8Rmf 7nMq5-Ays2c3aWSURAHgw

[andreas]

I'm currently reading the profiles of my matches for blackpeoplemeet.com I'm really sick and tired of being single.

[Boris Magee]

I recently finished high school and have had time to lapse into reading again like i used to.
recent ones have been

-crime and punishment
-l'etranger
- of mice and men
- to the lighthouse
- romeo and juliet
- notes from the undeground
- been working on some ts eliot stuff in preparation for university
- emily dickinson

[mamba12]

silmarillion. I have never read tolkien before, so I thought I'd start with the actual first one.
I'm not a big reader actually, the last thing I read that amused me were the walking dead comics.. and before that I only read if I had to for school..

I love tolkien, but the silmarillion is mind-numbingly boring. Like reading a god damn history text book. Still worth reading though

I actually just finished the hobbit again. Next on the list is Catch-22

[SK8ERatWAR]

I love tolkien, but the silmarillion is mind-numbingly boring. Like reading a god damn history text book. Still worth reading though

I actually just finished the hobbit again. Next on the list is Catch-22

I like history text books haha, When I read a story I wanna know aaaall the history behind it

[crni1976]

Next on the list is Catch-22

It's supposedly a classic. I read it, but couldn't quite get into it at the time. I should reread it sometime.

[mamba12]

It's supposedly a classic. I read it, but couldn't quite get into it at the time. I should reread it sometime.

I don't have much time to read so the time i do have, i try to read "the classics". 1984, Brave New World, the Sound and the Fury, and Catcher in the Rye were some of the ones i read last year.

[Legba]

Besides Transworld and other skate-related stuff (Mullen's autobiography, Impossible, The evolution of the deck, etc) and whatever the fuck I'm reading for class, I tend to split my reading between the bathroom and the rest of my life lol.
here are my 3 currents:

Toilet:
http://ticker.baruchconnect.com/files/2012/12/12102012210449-ei-Screen%20Shot%202012-12-10%20at%204.04.53%20PM.jpg
Encounters - My school's bi-quarterly literature publication. Poems, short stories, and plenty of great photos. Perfect for me to pick up & put down at nature's whim.

Everywhere Else:
http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/59461657550218175_kgzCmNon_b.jpg
A great book championing for the acceptance and celebration of natural hair among African Americans (most black people hate their hair)
&
http://www.entrepreneur.com/dbimages/article/harvey_mackay_dig_your_well_before_youre_thirsty1. jpg
A crumby book on networking. Cuz I'm great at meeting people, but I'm terrible at doing so with a goal in mind....either I like you or I don't, and I don't really ask for favors...but I intend to write for magazines, so I need to work on my Rolodex in that industry :/

[sk8tatter]

Most people aren't ready for this book,but its a very good and informed read,its even on youtube voiced by the author if you hate reading

http://www.blackhistorychannel.org/images/wiliam%20cooper%20behold%20pale%20horse.jpg

[replicant]

Just finished Frozen Heat by Richard Castle.
http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/97/81/40/13/24/9781401324445_500X500.jpg

Might read Hunger Games or Otherland next. Not sure.

[Wiltzuh]

I like history text books haha, When I read a story I wanna know aaaall the history behind it

EXCACTLY...my name should be Stevie 2 tho

[SK8ERatWAR]

EXCACTLY...my name should be Stevie 2 tho

haha I'm waiting on your clips Stevie 2!

[echoturbo]

http://www.blackhistorychannel.org/images/wiliam%20cooper%20behold%20pale%20horse.jpg
i knew it was only a matter of time before someone posted this book

[crni1976]

Just started this, and it will likely turn out to be a weird experience.

http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347511919l/15722657.jpg

[Granka]

http://www.kulturdelen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/97891435118952.jpg
Reading this at the moment. "Livet Deluxe" (Life Deluxe), the last book in the Stockholm Noir-trilogy. Really good stuff.

After that one I will start to read one of these three:
http://d3ul33mn5j3zdl.cloudfront.net/bokrea/img/cache/book_823_large_9789186629502.jpg
http://www.nikki-sixx.com/img/sec/books/The_Dirt_cover.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZorYTzsDemo/TY_brbMTLWI/AAAAAAAALGI/BvWTrixi8o8/s1600/dead+man+running.jpg

[crni1976]

http://www.kulturdelen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/97891435118952.jpg
Reading this at the moment. "Livet Deluxe" (Life Deluxe), the last book in the Stockholm Noir-trilogy. Really good stuff.

I usually am not into the whole crimi genre. Only read the Larsson trilogy, and that was okay and entertaining.

Thanks for that Jens Lapidus suggestion though. I will check that one out, that is, if I can find a translation.

[mamba12]

http://cannonballread4.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/a-clash-of-kings.jpg and http://cdn-ugc.cafemom.com/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/06/07/13/2e/v8/posxxvgtog.jpg

Gotta finish 2 and start 3 before the new season starts!

[m.seven]

http://totalseeker.com/uploads/tx_multishop/images/products/normal/the/the-art-of-war-by-sun-tzu-1.jpeg

[pawnluvguitarist]

http://cannonballread4.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/a-clash-of-kings.jpg and http://cdn-ugc.cafemom.com/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/06/07/13/2e/v8/posxxvgtog.jpg

Gotta finish 2 and start 3 before the new season starts!

Nice, yeah I just finished the second one, gonna watch season 3 before I read the third book though. I think I prefer watching first then reading.

[mamba12]

That's how i've done it so far, but i can tell you i was quite lost for the first few episodes. Just so many characters. But i think we've been introduced to most of the characters on the show at this point, so it shouldn't be too hard to follow season three.

Also, without getting too off topic, book 3 will be split into two separate seasons. And i do believe i read that the chronology of the book will be shifted around to make the show more sensible. So maybe you have the right idea.

[crni1976]

That's how i've done it so far, but i can tell you i was quite lost for the first few episodes. Just so many characters. But i think we've been introduced to most of the characters on the show at this point, so it shouldn't be too hard to follow season three.

Also, without getting too off topic, book 3 will be split into two separate seasons. And i do believe i read that the chronology of the book will be shifted around to make the show more sensible. So maybe you have the right idea.

Would you say you really have to be into fantasy to enjoy these works? I read good reviews about the series (especially the books) but for some reason it still puts me off, being pretty much a fantasy illiterate (not considering Tolkien though).. .

[mamba12]

Would you say you really have to be into fantasy to enjoy these works? I read good reviews about the series (especially the books) but for some reason it still puts me off, being pretty much a fantasy illiterate (not considering Tolkien though).. .

Definitely not, there's no elves or orcs, but i guess Dragons kinda count.

Taken from wikipedia

"Drawing inspiration from historical events such as the English period of the Wars of the Roses, Martin defied the conventions of the high fantasy genre. The series received praise for its realism; it subdues magic in favor of battles and political intrigue. The first novel contains practically no magic at all, yet the presence of magic keeps growing for each book."

[agusbmxarg]

http://totalseeker.com/uploads/tx_multishop/images/products/normal/the/the-art-of-war-by-sun-tzu-1.jpeg

Yess. I went thru it last year, but once I while I jump on a random page and look for some phrase to refresh the spirit.
If you like it, look out for Hagakure, and Bushido Shoshinzu.

[crni1976]

And now for some bizarro. ..

http://jordankrall.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/tentacledeathtrip.jpg?w=518&h=800

[knexzor]

Recently read:
Nelson Mandela's autobiography (Long Walk to Freedom)
Keith Richard's autobiography (Life)
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (about climbing Mt Everest)

Currently reading Disgrace by John Coetzee

[crni1976]

Recently read:
Nelson Mandela's autobiography (Long Walk to Freedom)
Keith Richard's autobiography (Life)
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (about climbing Mt Everest)

Currently reading Disgrace by John Coetzee

That is some serious reading right there. I have read both Into Thin Air and Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer and definitely enjoyed his work.. .

[crni1976]

Just read these (short) stories:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ztZ-zKUkL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-73,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PlE%2BnV2pL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-73,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XxdVwjPNL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-67,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

and

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41pzn8PgYJL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-67,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[Demzilla]

i dont read a lot...
usually wondering through like 5 books at once....

currently on...
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fm1aLQbOL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

and

http://www.imagehostplus.com/v2/is.php?i=925835&img=countdown_to_danger_cover.jpg
yes my copy is that fucking gross too....


sidenote...
when i see these i cant really help myself..
they end up in the trash 3 months later but who cares...
too good to pass up....
http://ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/geekydreamboats.jpg

[crni1976]

sidenote...
when i see these i cant really help myself..
they end up in the trash 3 months later but who cares...
too good to pass up....
http://ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/geekydreamboats.jpg

wtf?! :D

[Hobbs]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VQIEl5vuEx0/T08HEFzwWdI/AAAAAAAAAso/qBZZbPxF7us/s1600/KillOrderCoverFlat.jpg
i might be a little young for this thread... lol
http://bookboxdaily.scholastic.com/wp-content/uploads//2012/06/Mark-of-Athena-Cover.jpg

[crni1976]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411Sd7liCsL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-64,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[m.seven]

damn hobbs,couldn't find bigger pictures?
started reading "The Walking Dead" comics from the beginning a couple weeks ago,up to about issue 40 now.

[Seanne1986]

Only read one book in my life and thats The Game by Neil Strauss. But I guess I don't need it anymore since I have a fiancée ^^

[crni1976]

http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n61/n307384.jpg

From the Back Cover:

I Am a Chechen! offers a lyrical fusion of exotic legends, stories and memories of Chechnya: a land of wondrous beauty, site of genocides past and present, and the author's ancestral home.

Haunted by memories of the land he deserted, Sadulaev tells the stories of those who stayed behind. He brings to life his friends - some now dead - revisiting their first loves, their passion for rock music, their quests for martyrdom. And he immerses us in the intoxicating beauty of his homeland's mountains, blossoms and the flocks of migratory swallows that fill its skies.

I Am a Chechen! is an intensely personal journey through the carnage of the war, exploring the pain, the challenge, and above all the meaning of being a Chechen and in German Sadulaev it announces the first compelling voice in fiction to emerge from the Chechen War.

German Sadulaev was born in 1973 and grew up in the Chechen village of Shali. At sixteen, before the start of the first Chechen war, he left to study law in St Petersburg. He lives there now. He is the author of five books, of which I Am a Chechen! is the second. Sadulaev's work makes highly uncomfortable reading for those in power in Russia and has unleashed heated debate there.

[Hobbs]

damn hobbs,couldn't find bigger pictures?
started reading "The Walking Dead" comics from the beginning a couple weeks ago,up to about issue 40 now.

lol i didnt know they were going to be that big sorry

[itsNJ]

I'm currently re-reading The Doors of Perception and Heaven & Hell

[BannerBoy360]

"the wisdom of psychopaths" - really good.

"History of western philosophy" - written in the 20's but very good also.

[crni1976]

"the wisdom of psychopaths" - really good.

"History of western philosophy" - written in the 20's but very good also.

That is one hell of a literary combination son lol

[crni1976]

Now for some more Bizarro

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zupwYFjpYuE/TxYX6qw48bI/AAAAAAAAAVM/Bl1ZZB3Wy1k/s1600/Crab+Town.jpg

[crni1976]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61HOaUi%2BBUL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-67,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

Poor Dennis. He’s a regular sort of guy who’s recently been dealt a shitty hand by life: he lost his job, his wife hates him and wants a divorce, and it turns out she was also cheating on him as well. Now he’s living on his brother’s couch. Holy fuck, that sucks. Dennis can’t imagine things could get much worse, and that’s why he jumped at the opportunity to take part in a new reality game show: a “sexcathlon” where the first person to achieve 10 increasingly difficult and perverted sexual challenges wins a million dollars and is crowned King of the Perverts. Dennis doesn’t care about the title, he just wants the money, but now he’s not sure he can make it to the end. Enduring a golden shower and following through with an Abe Lincoln are hard enough, but he’s losing his nerve and fears what act of perversion will come next. He’d like to drop out, but his Russian bear of a cameraman, Mongo, has other plans for him and that million dollar prize, and Dennis has to decide which is worse: winning the King of the Perverts, or losing it.

[crni1976]

Recently read these, quite the hilarious and absurd stuff, but do check for yourselves.. .

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411Sd7liCsL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-64,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

The title story features a man who drinks because of the pain. He drinks because of the squeaky things. He drinks because the moon makes terrible sounds. On a night by the sea, a young girl will show him how to escape the moon and all the other horrors eating him from the inside. The shower-inducing concluding tale,"The Sex Beast of Scurvy Island," is a gory and bizarre horror comedy featuring a group of young pornographers called upon to find and bring to justice the man or creature who has been impregnating all the prostitutes of a tropical island.This collection also features "The Man With the Face Like a Bruise" and "The Photographer."

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zZKHNAqrL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-67,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

A pocket guide to the twenty-three most painful things in life, written by the most well-adjusted man in the universe.

Does it make you sad to be alive?

Boo-hoo. You're living all wrong.
My name is Andersen Prunty. I'm happiest while napping. I am a man with tennis shoes. They get older every time I put them on. This is how I deal with the pain of being alive. Now is our chance to deal with our pain together. You'll thank me later.
Lover and euphoria,
Andersen :)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tJsJJ4rVL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-67,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

Homicidal Wendigos!
Limb-lopping samurai!
Ambitionless slackers!
Marijuana!
A redhead!
Robo-Dick!

It’s been a few weeks since Benson returned to his parents’ home in the idyllic gated community of Grand Acres. He hasn’t seen them since. Ever since locking himself in the house with his supply of junk food and pot, he hasn’t seen much of anyone. When he’s finally coerced from the house and joins an ominous neighborhood group know as the Brown Shirts, Benson realizes things in Grand Acres aren’t nearly as tranquil as he thought. Even worse, there’s a samurai on the loose who is settling grudges in very violent ways.

[crni1976]

Been reading the Autumn series by David Moody on and off. About halfway through the third book in a series of six, and I hope to stick with it till the end this time around.

http://www.lastoftheliving.net/covers/en/autumn_purification_thumbnail.jpg

[crni1976]

On with the next one.. .

http://www.lastoftheliving.net/covers/en/autumn_disintegration_thumbnail.jpg

[Deacon]

I've read these book numerous times. I'm halfway through the last book and can safely say that they do not lose their appeal over time. I think it helps I was a big fan of the TV series, so I visualize the book using the TV show as reference and for me it really brings it all to life. If like comedy Sci-Fi I would highly recommend these books.
http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/news/2008/07/04/unabridged-audiobook-released/unabridged-audiobook-released-1l.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-By1FIe0RP2w/T_wAVDpi29I/AAAAAAAAFqg/I8LbwPcYYmI/s1600/betterthanlife.jpg
http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1171427523l/98785.jpg

[crni1976]

I bought the complete Red Dwarf series on DVD not that long ago, boosted by the rave reviews the series still get today. Having watched a couple of episodes, I haven't been able yet to get into it myself though. Maybe because one of the main actors puts me off, or maybe I just need to stick with it a bit longer...

[BannerBoy360]

That is one hell of a literary combination son lol
thank you sir.

[Deacon]

I bought the complete Red Dwarf series on DVD not that long ago, boosted by the rave reviews the series still get today. Having watched a couple of episodes, I haven't been able yet to get into it myself though. Maybe because one of the main actors puts me off, or maybe I just need to stick with it a bit longer...

The Red Dwarf TV show, is a strange entity, its comedy sci fi by but doesn't lean one way or the others, it mixes both equally. the first season takes a while to get into. I hope you stick with it and enjoy it, as IMO it get just kept getting better.

In relation to the books, although they have elements from the TV show and the characters, they are very different.

[crni1976]

The Devil All The Time, by Donald Ray Pollock

A dark and riveting vision of America from the award-winning author of Knockemstiff. For fans of No Country for Old Men and Natural Born Killers.

[i am a snail]

im gonna wait until ocean full of bowling balls is out in 50 years or so

[crni1976]

I Pass Like Night, by Jonathan Ames

When Alexander Vine finishes his work day, he leaves his post as a doorman at Manhattan's exclusive Four Seasons restaurant -- and enters a nighttime landscape of chance and danger, excitement and reinvention in the city's erotic underworld. Walking a tightrope between sexual desire and self-extinction, Alexander Vine charts his destructive course -- and his struggle for redemption -- with startling, unadorned clarity.

[crni1976]

A Stranger In This World, by Kevin Canty.

In the tradition of the works of Raymond Carver and Richard Ford, this fiction debut shines with verbal brilliance. Disturbing yet compellingly readable, the stories in this collection explore the gap between disappointment and hope, between life as it could be and life as it is.

[mamba12]

Fury, by Salman Rushdie

A difficult read when i only dedicate my lunch breaks to it. But i find the character study very interesting.

[crni1976]

The Bottoms, by Joe R. Lansdale

A thriller with echoes of William Faulkner and Harper Lee, The Bottoms is classic American storytelling in its truest, darkest, and more affecting form.

Its 1933 in East Texas and the Depression lingers in the air like a slow moving storm. When a young Harry Collins and his little sister stumble across the body of a black woman who has been savagely mutilated and left to die in the bottoms of the Sabine River, their small town is instantly charged with tension. When a second body turns up, this time of a white woman, there is little Harry can do from stopping his Klan neighbors from lynching an innocent black man. Together with his younger sister, Harry sets out to discover who the real killer is, and to do so they will search for a truth that resides far deeper than any river or skin color.

[crni1976]

Edge Of Dark Water, by Joe R. Lansdale

May Lynn dreamed of being a movie star. But her future was short, and it wasn't on the silver screen. It was down in the dark depths of the Sabine River with a sewing machine wired to her feet.

In Depression-era Texas, a better life is hard to come by. May Lynn's friends Sue Ellen, Terry and Jinx know they need to leave, and now they have a reason - they're going to take May's ashes all the way to Hollywood.

But silent obstacles stand in their way: a family's worth of betrayal, a fortune's worth of stolen gold, and a legendary killer who'll stop at nothing...

Joe R. Lansdale is one of the great American crime writers and Edge of Dark Water shows him at his finest. If you haven't read him yet, you're missing out.

[crni1976]

This doesn't need an introduction. Actually, I only found out recently about this book, happy to finally give it a go now.. .

http://images.betterworldbooks.com/006/The-Mutt-Mullen-Rodney-9780060556198.jpg

[Goon_Panda]

I'm reading that too. For some reason I thought it would be poos but I underestimated it.

[crni1976]

I can definitely recommend this book for anyone who has ever felt passionate about skateboarding. Reading about the endless lonely hours Rodney put in is outright inspiring; the tremendous joy of landing a new trick for the first time identifiable.

Also, I am very much struck by the honesty of this account, as it intimately etches the portrait of person who has come a long way and tried to find ways to cope with some very adverse personal circumstances (which I knew nothing about before).

Rodney's continuous attempts to come to terms with the past and to find some peace of mind and heart by revisiting places and people that once defined him strike a chord with me, and deepen my respect for a man whose influence on modern skateboarding can not be overestimated.


This doesn't need an introduction. Actually, I only found out recently about this book, happy to finally give it a go now.. .

http://images.betterworldbooks.com/006/The-Mutt-Mullen-Rodney-9780060556198.jpg

[Goon_Panda]

http://www.thrashhits.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/this-is-a-call.jpg

[Goon_Panda]

https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328049153l/6419153.jpg

[crni1976]

Some more by my favourite author Haruki Murakami, South Of The Border, West Of The Sun

Growing up in the suburbs in post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. Together they spent long afternoons listening to her father's record collection. But when his family moved away, the two lost touch.

Now Hajime is in his thirties. After a decade of drifting he has found happiness with his loving wife and two daughters, and success running a jazz bar. Then Shimamoto reappears. She is beautiful, intense, enveloped in mystery. Hajime is catapulted into the past, putting at risk all he has in the present.

[Granka]

http://s.cdon.com/media-dynamic/images/product/book/book/image0/blod_eld_dod-jefferson_klingberg_jon-21219644-3839390505-frnt.jpg
Reading this right now, Blod Eld Död = Blood Fire Death. A book about the history of swedish death metal and black metal.

[crni1976]

Not really into the whole black metal scene, but from what I've picked up there's a pretty vivid scene (and full fledged nutjobs) around in your neck of the woods. Should be an interesting read. Thanks for sharing.

[pawnluvguitarist]

I can definitely recommend this book for anyone who has ever felt passionate about skateboarding. Reading about the endless lonely hours Rodney put in is outright inspiring; the tremendous joy of landing a new trick for the first time identifiable.

Also, I am very much struck by the honesty of this account, as it intimately etches the portrait of person who has come a long way and tried to find ways to cope with some very adverse personal circumstances (which I knew nothing about before).

Rodney's continuous attempts to come to terms with the past and to find some peace of mind and heart by revisiting places and people that once defined him strike a chord with me, and deepen my respect for a man whose influence on modern skateboarding can not be overestimated.

Such a great book, I got it right when it came out and have read it several times, truly inspiring and a must read for Mullen fans and skateboarders in general.

[crni1976]

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, by Yukio Mishima

The novel chronicles the story of Ryuji, a sailor with vague notions of a special honor awaiting him at sea. He meets a woman called Fusako with whom he falls deeply in love, and he ultimately decides to marry her. Fusako's 13-year-old son, Noboru, is in a band of savage boys who believe in "objectivity", rejecting the adult world as illusory, hypocritical and sentimental.
As Ryuji begins to draw close to Fusako, a woman of the shore, he is eventually torn away from the dreams he's pursued his entire life. Fusako's son, Noboru, who shares an especially close bond with his mother through a voyeuristic ritual, hates the idea of losing his mother to a man who has let his hope and freedom die. This anger and fear of loneliness translates into terrible, savage acts performed by Noboru and the gang of which he is a part.

[crni1976]

http://jordankrall.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/spb-word-press.jpg?w=151&h=233

Three novellas of squishy-noir from Jordan Krall.
On the surface, Thompson looks like any other blue collar New Jersey town. But beneath the working class exterior lies a bizarro world of fetishistic crime, sleazy motels, and squid. In these three bizarro-noir novellas, the reader is thrown into a world of murderers, drugs made from squid parts, deformed war veterans, and a mischievous apocalyptic donkey...

THE HABERDASHER

Red Henry Hooper just got out on parole. He meets his friends, fellow small-time criminals Dix Hayden and Grant Minissi, in a cheap motel to drink a couple beers and perhaps plan another job. Things go sour when Grant takes some bad drugs. Meanwhile, in the next room, strange things are happening that will make Henry's day even worse: a woman is missing her feet and a notorious local gangster Robert Hapertas (aka The Haberdasher) is on his way. And he's not pleased...

THE LONGHEADS

Tommy Pingpong knew it was a mistake sending his partner Jake into the meeting with their boss. Now they were on the run from Peachy, a diaper-wearing gangster who would like nothing better than to kill the both of them. On top of that, the deformed war veterans called the longheads are buying up all the guns in town, planning something big that'll have severe implications for the town of Thompson.

THE APOCALYPSE DONKEY

When Simon Palmer took the black envelope from the tall man in the parking lot, he didn't know that this case of mistaken identity would make his day take such a weird turn for the worst. When the man finally realizes that he gave the envelope to the wrong guy, Simon is thrown into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that finally leads to a sleazy carnival of squid violence...

[Goon_Panda]

OH MY GOD I WANT TO READ THAT RIGHT NOW.

[Granka]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bf/The_Dirt.jpg/250px-The_Dirt.jpg
Started reading this a week ago. So far really good and interesting.

[BannerBoy360]

i found a collection of malcolm x's speechs. amazing. and a walking dead type thing thats actually very good the first of the series is called the remaining.

[crni1976]

Norwegian Wood, one of few books by my favourite author Haruki Murakami I have not read yet

When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire - to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life and he has to choose between the future and the past.

[adda89ldn]

Currently:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5282/5287598521_6dd70e7c04_m.jpg

Just finished:
http://covers.booktopia.com.au/big/9781780335537/all-the-madmen.jpg
Would recommend it to anyone into music from he late 60's - early 70's..

[crni1976]

The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova
Khava Gaisanova lives in Chermen, a village in the heart of the North Caucasus. In 2007 her husband disappeared, like so many men in the North Caucasus disappear without a trace – kidnapped, arrested or simply executed and buried in anonymous graves. The unstable North Caucasus described in this book lies on the other side of the mountains from Sochi. In The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova, a grim picture unfolds of the region hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics.

http://iphorblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/voorkant-the-secret-history.jpg?w=357&h=300

[HCH Media]

Day by Day Armageddon J.L. Bourne best book since the og necronomicon , helter skelter , and the worst of all the bibel

[Granka]

Finished this a few weeks ago, really good one. More insight on models and a lot of their unhealthy lives of eating-disorders and such. I really enjoyed it.
http://www.hungryforchange.com/2013/03/15/crystal%20renn%20hungry.jpg

And right now I'm reading this one.
http://static.oprah.com/images/201210/omag/201210-omag-books-echols-284xfall.jpg

[EmmitBrown]

http://riskdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/OTTHR-hard-book.jpg

pretty sick info. lots to digest tho. enjoying it.

[crni1976]

Interesting reading material guys. Fluckers be intellectualising!

[kieran]

I've started reading alot of John Steinbeck(Grapes of Wrath atm)but besides from that not much else.My nearest book shop is terrible and the library is not even open any more, so seeing what all of you read helps to choose something.

[mamba12]

hey remember on the first page when i made fun of The Silmarillion? Totally just finished that again. Much more rewarding the second time. Seemed much more like a narrative than a textbook this time.

Now continuing on my Tolkien kick with The Children of Hurin

[crni1976]

I've started reading alot of John Steinbeck(Grapes of Wrath atm)but besides from that not much else.My nearest book shop is terrible and the library is not even open any more, so seeing what all of you read helps to choose something.

Damn man, sorry to read this. I sometimes forget that even in our industrialized Western society is still is not always obvious to get your hands on whatever it is you want to read. I hope you still have some options though, and that this thread might provide you with a number of interesting suggestions to look out for.

Some words regarding my next read. I have not listened to Metallica for a long, long time and pretty much gave up on the band after the Black Album. I always very much enjoyed their earlier work though, up until the ...And Justice for All album, yet after that my interest started to dwindle.

Still, checking out the latest Nyjah solo these last couple of days, it struck me once more how much I love the song Fade to Black, so I picked up my copy of the Live Shit: Binge & Purge live album from the 1993 Nowhere Else to Roam tour and am appreciating it once more. I still remember seeing Metallica live in Belgium around that time and having a blast.

And then just yesterday, I decided to order Enter Night by Mick Wall. I am expecting it in the mail early next week and am definitely looking forward to catch up on some Metallica history.

http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1308544241l/9650019.jpg

Their roots lie in the heavy rock of 70s groups like Deep Purple. The music they played--heavy metal mixed with punk attitude--became its own genre: thrash. Their bassist died and they survived to became the biggest-selling band in the world. As grunge threatened to overtake them, they reinvented themselves. Then their singer went into rehab and they almost fell apart. They are Metallica, the most influential heavy metal band of the last thirty years.

As Led Zeppelin was for hard rock and the Sex Pistols were for punk, Metallica became the band that defined the look and sound of 1980s heavy metal. Inventors of thrash metal--Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth followed--it was always Metallica who led the way, who pushed to another level, who became the last of the superstar rockers.

Metallica is the fifth-largest selling artist of all time, with 100 million records sold worldwide. Their music has extended its reach beyond rock and metal, and into the pop mainstream, as they went from speed metal to MTV with their hit single "Enter Sandman." Until now there hasn't been a critical, authoritative, in-depth portrait of the band. Mick Wall's thoroughly researched, insightful work is enriched by his interviews with band members, record company execs, roadies, and fellow musicians. He tells the story of how a tennis-playing, music-loving Danish immigrant named Lars Ulrich created a band with singer James Hetfield and made his dreams a reality. "Enter Night" follows the band through tragedy and triumph, from the bus crash that killed their bassist Cliff Burton in 1986 to the 2004 documentary "Some Kind of Monster," and on to their current status as the leaders of the Big Four festival that played to a million fans in Britain and Europe and continues in the U.S. in 2011.

"Enter Night" delves into the various incarnations of the band, and the personalities of all key members, past and present--especially Ulrich and Hetfield--to produce the definitive word on the biggest metal band on the planet.

[crni1976]

Quickly reading You Are Sloth! by Steve Lowe on the side

"Why you are sloth? Because fuck you is why! HAHAHAHAHA!!1!"

That's the last response you got from The Spammer, who's developed an insidious computer virus that transforms people into their power animals. You never should have opened that email from the Philippino Sherriff's Attaché to East Berlin. So many missed warning signs there, but you were drunk last night. Things have been rough lately - you can't pay your rent, your neighbors are annoying, you keep getting strange calls from horny guys with unique and unsettling fetishes, you're way behind with work, and your computer is suddenly crapping out on you. And now you're a goddamn sloth. Nice going, genius. But there's more at play here than simple animal hijinks. You've been added to the Homeland Security Terror Watch List, and the cops want to question you about the mysterious disappearances of several gay men, who all seem to have called your phone just before they vanished. Not only has this Spammer fuck turned you into a sloth, he's framed your slow ass, too! You've had enough of this shit. With the help of your neighbors, Cross the Asshole and Randy the Retard, you form the SLOTH SQUAD. It's time to track that Spammer down and reap some three-toed vengeance on his ass.

You are Sloth!

[crni1976]

Quickly reading You Are Sloth! by Steve Lowe on the side

If you are looking for something that makes no sense whatsoever, but is absolutely hilarious, then this is it. And it includes an infamous death by bukkake scene.

[crni1976]

Rereading The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle

[EmmitBrown]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mzmJUEc5L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[agusbmxarg]

Half way thru A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.
Got into science reading mainly after watching Sagan's Cosmos series.
Firsthand I started reading The Emperor's New Mind by Roger Penrose but it was too complex, plus I was told to start reading this Hawking's book.
So far, very interesting.

[crni1976]

Some interesting entries and suggestions guys!

I picked up a bunch of books recently, can't seem to help it. Right now I am looking forward to reading Dirt by David Vann.

Publisher’s description: The year is 1985, and twenty-two-year-old Galen lives with his emotionally dependent mother in a secluded old house surrounded by a walnut orchard in a suburb of Sacramento. He doesn’t know who his father is, his abusive grandfather is dead, and his grandmother, losing her memory, has been shipped off to a nursing home. Galen and his mother survive on the family’s trust fund—old money that his aunt, Helen, and seventeen-year-old cousin, Jennifer, are determined to get their hands on.

Galen, a New Age believer who considers himself an old soul, yearns for transformation: to free himself from the corporeal, to be as weightless as air, to walk on water. But he’s powerless to stop the manic binges that overtake him, leading him to fixate on forbidden desires. A prisoner of his body, he is obsessed with thoughts of the boldly flirtatious Jennifer and dreams of shedding himself of the clinging mother whose fears and needs weigh him down.

When the family takes a trip to an old cabin in the Sierras, near South Lake Tahoe, tensions crescendo. Caught in a compromising position, Galen will discover the shocking truth of just how far he will go to attain the transcendence he craves.

An exhilarating portrayal of a legacy of violence and madness, Dirt is an entirely feverish read.

[crni1976]

Right now I am looking forward to reading Dirt by David Vann

A slightly disturbing, dark yet very compelling read by an upcoming author I can only recommend. It only took me two sittings to finish this, with another novel already in the mail.

My next read is a book I have been considering for a long long time, but for some reason I just did not get around to picking up a copy. It is generally considered a classic: Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.

Amazon review

It took Vonnegut more than 20 years to put his Dresden experiences into words. He explained, "there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again." Slaughterhouse Five is a powerful novel incorporating a number of genres. Only those who have fought in wars can say whether it represents the experience well. However, what the novel does do is invite the reader to look at the absurdity of war. Human versus human, hedonist politicians pressing buttons and ordering millions to their deaths all for ideologies many cannot even comprehend. Flicking between the US, 1940's Germany and Tralfamadore, Vonnegut's semi- autobiographical protagonist Billy Pilgrim finds himself very lost. One minute he is being viewed as a specimen in a Tralfamadorian Zoo, the next he is wandering a post-apocalyptic city looking for corpses. Slaughterhouse Five-Or The Children's Crusade A Duty-Dance with Death is a remarkable blend of black humour, irony, the truth and the absurd. The author regards his work a "failure", millions of readers do not. Released the same time bombs were falling on South East Asia, this title caused controversy and awakening. Essential reading for all. So it goes. --Jon Smith

[crni1976]

My next read is a book I have been considering for a long long time, but for some reason I just did not get around to picking up a copy. It is generally considered a classic: Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.

A fascinating book for sure, although I do not quite know yet what to make of it, in terms of structure and symbolism. Maybe because I expected it to be different, more along the lines of Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.. .

Anyways, my next stop is a contemporary American writer I am somewhat familiar with, a "laureate of American lowlife". The book being The Post Office, the man Charles Bukowski. It'll give me something to ponder and chew on as I approach middle age myself.

"It began as a mistake." By middle age, Henry Chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to the U.S. Postal Service. In a world where his three true, bitter pleasures are women, booze, and racetrack betting, he somehow drags his hangover out of bed every dawn to lug waterlogged mailbags up mud-soaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the day-to-day trials of sadistic bosses and certifiable coworkers. This classic 1971 novel—the one that catapulted its author to national fame—is the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of legendary writer, poet, and Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski and his fictional alter ego, Chinaski.

[crni1976]

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Havana, Hemingway's magnificent fable is the story of an old man, a young boy and a giant fish. In a perfectly crafted story, which won for Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature, is a unique and timeless vision of the beauty and grief of man's challenge to the elements in which he lives.

[oKwiider]

http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9780143117568_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dc9bdb7qYmE/Ur8atU_kJiI/AAAAAAABXEg/cqhfr3HC98Q/s1600/Ship+of+Theseus.jpg

[crni1976]

Great suggestions, I will look into these

[crni1976]

New work by Haruki Murakami, his latest: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. The Dutch version since the English translation will not hit the market till this summer.. .

[crni1976]

Reading Fierce Bitches (Kindle edition) by Jedidiah Ayres on the side

Across the border lies Politoburg: hell on earth, home to putas, punks and psychos.
Escape is not in the stars, redemption is not in the cards, but reckoning might just be on the menu. Stand back. The pit is about to spit something back out.

[crni1976]

Still immersed in (and most definitely enjoying) Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (Murakami pretty much curbs the surreal this time around), but I can not keep from sidetracking, especially not when it comes to promising and challenging work such as Our Blood In Its Blind Circuit by J. David Osborne. I will be downloading and reading the Kindle edition tonight!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1/1426648_10152049555388428_2134726757_n.jpg

Crooked cops cover their bodies in chicken blood and living tattoos to protect themselves from the cartels. A Civil War vet tracks his wife's heart across the desert. A detective, poised to take down a local drug ring, is suddenly possessed by the spirit of Sasha Fierce. Shadows drip feathers and wounds bleed ants. Puppets run on human hearts and barfighting hillbillies ride dragons into the sun. OUR BLOOD IN ITS BLIND CIRCUIT is a dark, genre-bending collection of weird crime fiction by the award-winning author of LOW DOWN DEATH RIGHT EASY and BY THE TIME WE LEAVE HERE, WE'LL BE FRIENDS.

[Hitmanx123]

have never posted in the thread because i was afraid that id get made fun of fo not being able to read. but i just read this and it got me hyped to start up my zombie/apocalypse concept drawings again.

http://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/1136755.jpg

[crni1976]

I am not all that familiar with all things Zombie, even though I very much enjoy The Walking Dead TV series and of course have seen a couple of classic movies related to the genre. I have been wondering about World War Z as well, and had the book in my hands atleast a couple of times. I haven't purchased it yet, but probably will sometime soon. Thanks for posting Hitman, anything that gets your creative outlet going is worth mentioning, and it served as a useful reminder for me personally.

I am finishing up Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, and am already reading something new on the side, something fresh, something damn well crafted, something transcending genres. If that is your thing, you might want to check out We Live Inside You by Jeremy Robert Johnson.

"WE LIVE INSIDE YOU is fucking terrific. Jeremy Robert Johnson is dancing to a way different drummer. He loves language, he loves the edge, and he loves us people. These stories have range and style and wit. This is entertainment... and literature."--JACK KETCHUM, author of Off Season, The Girl Next Door, and The Woman (w/Lucky McKee)

We are within you, and we are growing. Watching. Waiting for your empires to fall. It won't be long now.

We are the fear of death that drives you and the terrible hunger that reshapes you in its name. We are the vengeance born from senseless slaughter and the pulsing reptile desire that negates your consciousness. We are the lie on your lips, the collapsing star in your heart, and the still-warm gun in your shaking hands. The illusion of control is all we'll allow you, and no matter what you do...

WE LIVE INSIDE YOU

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CxIP26sPL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[crni1976]

Reading quite a bit of Bizarro, Crime and Noir lately, I chanced upon the work of a young and upcoming writer named J. David Osborne and found out that he took the plunge recently and started his own publishing house Broken River Books, specializing in the Crime genre.

He funded this project through Kickstarter and managed to collect no less than five titles by critically acclaimed authors for the launch of this literary venture. And supposedly these are not just crime or noir stories, but gut-wrenching, hard-hitting and provocative tales that leave the reader disoriented and morally lost at sea.

I felt intrigued and ordered all five titles on the spur of the moment. I will be reading through these during the next couple of weeks, and expect to be knocked da fuck out.

First one on the list, The Least of My Scars by Stephen Graham Jones.


http://crimespreemag.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/brb-covers.jpg

If you would like some more information, this is the place to go: http://jdavidosborne.com/2013/10/11/broken-river-books-the-launch-titles/

Enjoy.

[crni1976]

March in literature, with added asterisk for the ones I particularly enjoyed (should anyone care):

The Least of My Scars, by Stephen Graham Jones (reread)*
Peckerwood, by Jedidiah Ayres*
Street Raised, by Pearce Hansen
Gravesend, by William Boyle*
XXX Shamus, by Red Hammond (aka Anthony Neil Smith)
A Life's Music, by Andreï Makine*
Extinction Journals, by Jeremy Robert Johnson
King Scratch, by Jordan Krall
The Last Porno Theater, by Nick Cato

[crni1976]

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ypsuq8h5mzgyg1e/AAAQ7SHLobYkwkkTusbMhINRa

Let me elaborate. This FREE downloadable file contains samplers of all 11 (!) titles published by a new and upcoming publishing house called Broken River Books, run by young entrepreneur (and gifted writer) J David Osborne. If hard-hitting, gut-wrenching yet fresh and challenging Crime Fiction / Noir is your thing, or if you are simply looking for something that packs a punch, then please do check out these releases. They can be ordered through Amazon and are print-on-demand, which basically means these are NEVER out-of-print (even if stated otherwise). Trust me, do yourself a favor, and check this!