What's the last book you read?

[Andrea]

I read The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz this Summer which is pretty good. It's a mystery in a mystery, so that added some fun to the whole thing. Some of it reminded me very much of an Agatha Christie novel.

[CC]

Well, maybe you'd like novels by J. Jefferson Farjeon .
I read Mystery in White and Thirteen guests last year. These books are part of a special edition of the British Library (British Library Crime Classics).
The stories have some of ACs charme and resemblances with regard to plot developement, though I enjoyed Farjeons character depiction and dialogues much more.

If you liked ACs locked room mysteries, than Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne might be something for you - it contains a very surprising murdering method.

[Nancy]

I like Ruth Rendell's standalone novels, not her Inspector Wexford ones. Try A Judgment in Stone or The Bridesmaid if you like creepy murder stories. I also highly recommend RR's Barbara Vine suspense novels: A Dark-Adapted Eye is my favorite.

[twistedround]

The Humans, by Matt Haig.

Took me forever to finish it. Mainly as I found a lot of it (the first half especially) predictable, but cheap airlines with no tv forced me to finish it, and by the end I quite enjoyed it and rather liked the writers style. I wouldn't want to read a sequel but I might try one of his other works. Got me some Oscar Wilde and Augusten Burroughs to work through next though.

[Adam]

I read The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz this Summer which is pretty good. It's a mystery in a mystery, so that added some fun to the whole thing. Some of it reminded me very much of an Agatha Christie novel.

I second this. Also, the Alex Cross books ( Patterson I believe?) are fun but nowhere near being literary fiction. If you want a blockbuster movie experience where you're just in the mood for something fun, those are good.


Question: anyone here familiar with Octavia Butler? I've been hearing of her and am very intrigued. When I'm done with the stack I'm going through, she's next. Where should I start? The Dawn trilogy? Thanks in advance.

[obsceno pajaro]

Question: anyone here familiar with Octavia Butler? I've been hearing of her and am very intrigued. When I'm done with the stack I'm going through, she's next. Where should I start? The Dawn trilogy? Thanks in advance.

I love her! one of my favorite writers. the Dawn trilogy is a good start, though Wild Seed (part of a series, but works perfectly as a standalone) might be an easier way in.

[just owls]

Question: anyone here familiar with Octavia Butler? I've been hearing of her and am very intrigued. When I'm done with the stack I'm going through, she's next. Where should I start? The Dawn trilogy? Thanks in advance.

I'm only familiar with the Parable series, which is excellent, and highly recommend it. It's astounding how prescient the series is.

[Regina Phalange]

The new iTunes won't automatically sync your books. There are workarounds and stuff, but be careful if you use iOS as a reader. Do some research before you update. *grumble grumble too early in the a.m. for this shit*

[Sansa Spark]

I'm only familiar with the Parable series, which is excellent, and highly recommend it. It's astounding how prescient the series is.

Oh god, yes. These books are stunning. Kindred, though, is one of my all-time favorites.

[Adam]

@obsceno pajaro, @just owls, @Sansa Spark Thank you so much! I’m going to go to B&N tomorrow and start to dive in!

[The Markness]

The Sundial, Shirley Jackson

One of Jackson's earlier novels. A rich dysfunctional family becomes convinced the world is going to end and starts doomsday prepping on their vast estate. It's very different in its way from something like We Have Always Lived in the Castle or The Haunting of Hill House. It has more of a blackly comic tone, and the narrative is a bit more fragmented. I didn't like it nearly as much as Castle or Hill House, but there are parts of it that have the classic Shirley Jackson flavor that most people are familiar with. I'm glad I read it; I feel like it's kind of ripe for a good film adaptation that could focus on its strengths as a story.

[Sansa Spark]

I just finished Kindred and i REALLY enjoyed it!

I've never read anything else like it! It subverts fantasy tropes so elegantly. I definitely need to re-read it.

[Rebel Angel]

Just finished The Pier Falls by Mark Haddon. A book of stories without a happy end. Loved it! One story, The Boys Who Left Home To Learn Fear, tells of a group of men that goes into the jungle in search of a lost expedition party. They come upon a text in Old Greek, that isn’t explained in the story. Can anyone help? Am getting curious!

φυγή φυγή
νωθές πέδαιρε κόλον,
εκποδών έλα

Anyone?

[.chris]

Just read The Angel of History by Rabih Alamedd. I randomly picked it up off the shelves at the library. It was a fantastic read. The story is about a man going through a dark night of the soul in a the waiting room of a psychiatric facility. The novel is punctuated by short stories written by the main character, poetry, and interviews that Satan conducts with death and 14 saints that have helped the main character throughout his life. I highly recommend it.

[CC]

The Ladies' Paradise by Emile Zola.

I saw the BBC series season 1 - it was way too cheesy for me, but made me curious for the book it is based upon by Zola.
The book is wonderful! It tells the story of the evolution of a huge department store in Paris in the middle of the 19th century.
The descriptions of the mall and departments, all the decorations and special treats for the female customers are fascinating.
It also depicts the disastrous effects of modern trade business on small retailers and employees in general.
It gives you a very good insight into various perpectives, motivations and living conditions of that time - and gossip plays also a big part in it.
With all these themes: it felt very modern to me.
Although there is some kind of love story build around it, the real focus is on the store and a young woman who tries to stay independent.