Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien Been meaning to make my way back to O'Brien after teaching The Things They Carried a few years ago. Man the guy can write.
On the decidely non-Tim O'Brien front (don't get me wrong, the man is a great writer), my wife had this sent to her by a publisher or distributor or somebody, and I found myself surprsingly dragged in... I've read a bit by her that's not entitled Little Women, and it was interesting, but I somehow missed that she's in the great tradition of American writers who experiment with opium and other drugs.
Ooohhhh - that looks good. Let us know when you're done if it's as good as his Haroun and the Sea of Stories
I read TTTC in high school and really dug it. Enough to pick up GAC on my own and I liked it even more.
Yeah, I'm holding off buying that just because I'd be shocked if someone doesn't get it for me for Xmas. I'm sorta hoping this one gets me jazzed about Rushdie again, as I've had a hard time getting into his last few. Probably need to give them another chance.
Just finished this on Saturday. I am going to miss that series and the characters. At least I have the movies to look forward too.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/War-Peace-Leo-Tolstoy/dp/0307266931/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top"]Amazon.com: War and Peace (9780307266934): Leo Tolstoy, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky: Books[/ame] Richard Peaver and Larissa Volokonsky make for some really readable translations from the Russian. As to their accuracy, I don't know. But they read well.
I really like highly researched historical fiction. When they keep all the people, places and dates in place, and fill in the relationships in a calculated reasonable manner its usually a great read. Also, its good when they can write fictionalized dialogue. Penman, like Colleen McCullough, can do all of that very well. This one has an agenda, rehabilitate RIchard III from Shakespears Tudor sucking hatchet job. VERY well done. Hugely recommended.
I haven't had much time to read lately, but I've been slowly working through a couple. The Last Gig by Norman Green. Its a typical tough guy (although this one is actually a girl) detective book. The mystery is decent, but the characters are a little one-dimensional and hard to connect to. Probably worth reading if you a are big fan of the genre. The Early Work of Philip K. Dick, Volume 1. As with the early stories of most authors, they can be a bit rough and undeveloped; however, you can see the talent and imagination at work here. So far I'm really enjoying this one.