What Are You Reading

[DancesWithWerewolves]

Finished all 9 novels in the James Ellroy-verse, now waiting for my copies of Don Winslow's Cartel trilogy, which I've heard are incredible.

I started The Border (I think) and I couldn't get past the first 100 pages. It was going fine until there was a prison break that felt like I was reading a 60's Batman Villain escape, and from then on I couldn't take it seriously. Hope you have better luck.

[Headhunter]

Finished all 9 novels in the James Ellroy-verse, now waiting for my copies of Don Winslow's Cartel trilogy, which I've heard are incredible.

I started The Border (I think) and I couldn't get past the first 100 pages. It was going fine until there was a prison break that felt like I was reading a 60's Batman Villain escape, and from then on I couldn't take it seriously. Hope you have better luck.

That’s part 3, got a long way to go before I run into that. Been recommended Winslow’s books for a long time

[Headhunter]

Power of the Dog is really good so far. It’s a nice transition from the bebop staccato style of Ellroy’s recent works.

Y’all need to read American Tabloid though. It is incredible. I really think that is the “Great American Novel” of the last 30 years.

[Tiggnutz]

Got the From Russia With Love audiobook. At almost 9 hours its substantially longer than the previous 4. Hopefully this motivates me to get back on the treadmill

[Headhunter]

Finished Power of the Dog and it’s a fucking masterpiece. Diving right into the sequel, The Cartel.

[Tiggnutz]

5 chapters onto From Russia With Love and it's been all about Red Grant and Russia and I'm loving it I'm really invested.

[Slaughterhouserock]

Just finished Tales of the Dying Earth. Been meaning to read that for the past twenty years. It's interesting to see where all these D&D ideas came from, but Jack Vance is not what I'd call a good writer. Interesting characters, magic, world, etc. Plot? Not so much.

[DancesWithWerewolves]

After a long break away from it, read a short Brandon Sanderson book (forgot the title off hand, but it was short), I finally finished The Wind Through The Keyhole tonight.

Not the worst thing I've read from King (that honor still goes to Roadwork and The Tommyknockers), but what a bland filler doozy.

[Jigsaw]

I've not nearly read all of King's work yet, but The Tommyknockers was certainly an experience.

[DancesWithWerewolves]

Since it's been mentioned that my book would fit easily in the Urban Fantasy genre (which doesn't really seem like a genre, but it's a thing), I'm trying to read more of it. Tried the first Dresden Files book several months ago, and didn't like it. Now I'm going to try Mooncursed by Patricia Briggs.

[Slaughterhouserock]

After a long break away from it, read a short Brandon Sanderson book (forgot the title off hand, but it was short), I finally finished The Wind Through The Keyhole tonight.

Not the worst thing I've read from King (that honor still goes to Roadwork and The Tommyknockers), but what a bland filler doozy.

I think Roadwork is the only King book I never got around to reading. Wind was an afterthought, so I didn't expect much from it.

[Slaughterhouserock]

Since it's been mentioned that my book would fit easily in the Urban Fantasy genre (which doesn't really seem like a genre, but it's a thing), I'm trying to read more of it. Tried the first Dresden Files book several months ago, and didn't like it. Now I'm going to try Mooncursed by Patricia Briggs.

Urban fantasy is just fantasy set in modern day opposed to the standard medieval style setting. Not really my thing, since I read fantasy for the setting as well as the fantastical elements, but I've tried the Dresden Files. A couple of the books are decent, but yeah, the rest are garbage. I will never understand how that series has spawned so many sequels.

[DancesWithWerewolves]

Since it's been mentioned that my book would fit easily in the Urban Fantasy genre (which doesn't really seem like a genre, but it's a thing), I'm trying to read more of it. Tried the first Dresden Files book several months ago, and didn't like it. Now I'm going to try Mooncursed by Patricia Briggs.

Urban fantasy is just fantasy set in modern day opposed to the standard medieval style setting. Not really my thing, since I read fantasy for the setting as well as the fantastical elements, but I've tried the Dresden Files. A couple of the books are decent, but yeah, the rest are garbage. I will never understand how that series has spawned so many sequels.

Yeah, I know what it is after looking into it. Often with "black leather clad heroine" and shit. Though mine's not clad in leather, but I get the point. Urban Fantasy really covers a lot of ground though. Even horror can fall into that as long as they're supernatural elements in modern setting.

I only touched the first Dresden book. Wasn't impressed enough to check out others.

I know I'm avoiding the romance end the the "genre" though, since that seems to be a heavy trope in them. More action-horror bent, than supernatural-love-triangle, and I'm happy being on that side.

[Headhunter]

Somehow, The Cartel was even better than its predecessor. Gonna get into some light reading before starting The Border, this one was just too damn engrossing and fucked up and powerful to dive into another 700+ pages of drug war insanity immediately.

[DancesWithWerewolves]

You didn't get a campy Adam West batman villain vibe from the prison escape?

[Headhunter]

Not at all. Hell he was really only in the prison as a temporary means of protection from his rivals for snitching while he got things in order, not like there was going to be much effort required to get out once they decided to. Prison riot diversion is more or less the typical escape trope. Felt realistic enough for me. Keep in mind most events in the series are based on things that really happened in Mexico, just with fictional characters and a narrative tying it all together.

[Headhunter]

The first 100 pages are kind of a drag though. It’s a big come down from Power of the Dog. Only really interesting thing that happens before Adán’s escape is seeing how much of a joke his “prison life” is.

It quickly transitions into all our war pretty much the rest of the way after that.

[Tiggnutz]

Passed the 500 page mark of The Stand. Not halfway yet but getting close. Great book so far

[DancesWithWerewolves]

Since it's been mentioned that my book would fit easily in the Urban Fantasy genre (which doesn't really seem like a genre, but it's a thing), I'm trying to read more of it. Tried the first Dresden Files book several months ago, and didn't like it. Now I'm going to try Mooncursed by Patricia Briggs.

About halfway through Mooncursed. Curious about the plot setup, but does seem to fit into the very tropy mafia-mentality wolfpack thing that I hear about, and now the B stories are coming in and definitely setting up a love triangle, which just made me roll my eyes. Still, a better read than the first Dresden book, so I'll see it through.

[Monster]

NOES 3
Some interesting differences. Kirsten has both a mom and dad, Will is named Laredo and walks just fine, Taryn's dream power is breathing fire, Jennifer can fade so the razors pass right through her, and Kincaid can fly. Also, Nancy's old house was a sanitarium in the 30s, presumably where Freddy was conceived, though I haven't made it that far.