OT: Whatcha reading? Whatcha watching?

[Baron Blubba]

This might be a fun way to review and discover some good stuff.

I'm currently reading Boys and Girls Together, by William Goldman. Goldman is best known as the author of The Princess Bride, although he didn't actually write The Princess Bride, S Morgenstern did. Which might be why William Goldman, not to be confused with William Golding, is not as well known as perhaps he ought to be. He also wrote the novels and screenplays for Marathon Man, All the President's Men, Magic, Heat, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, among many many others.

Anyway, this is my second time reading Boys and Girls Together in, hmmm, around a decade. I'm blessed with a poor memory for certain things, which means I get to enjoy my favorite books more than once.
It's a long book but an easy breezy read. The story follows several boys and girls, and their progeny, and sometimes their progeny's progeny, as they get together and, almost as often, fall apart, either together or alone, internally or externally. It can be read as a grim, cynical, voyeuristic, dim-view-of-humanity book, or it can be read with a sense of humor: The author knows he's being very unkind to his characters, and therefore to people in general, since his characters cover such a broad swathe of humanity.
I read it with a mouthful of humorous salt, and the real world experience to know that 99.9% of people are not as bad or sad as the ones in the book, so whether I'm laughing or crying, it's always in an 'I'm being entertained' sort of way.

Goldman is one of the only authors who can make me forget my rumbling tummy and lose track of the time until I realize I should have had dinner an hour ago.

If you're okay with a little (a lot) of naturalistic voyeurism in your literature, this book is a masterpiece.

[NHAero]

I'm in two book groups this year. One is reading mid-20th century novels and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a terrific book by an amazing woman. The other is a century earlier and we read Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, which some say is the first real mystery novel - I liked it! We're now into Bleak House by Dickens, which is occasionally very funny and occasionally a slog.
I've been working my way through Peter Attia's book Outlive on staying healthy and living longer. On my pile is Victoria Riskin's book about her parents, the screenwriter Robert Riskin, and King Kong's favorite woman, Fay Wray.
For something more out there, I will recommend Nevada, by Imogen Binnie. Nothing I have ever read or seen gave me as much insight into the live of a trans person.

[benb]

Reading half-man, half bike right now and it’s getting me stoked for the season.

Spent most of the last couple months reading American Prometheus. Great book.

Also supposed to be getting through Deep Learning with PyTorch for work.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by NHAero

I'm in two book groups this year. One is reading mid-20th century novels and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a terrific book by an amazing woman. The other is a century earlier and we read Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, which some say is the first real mystery novel - I liked it! We're now into Bleak House by Dickens, which is occasionally very funny and occasionally a slog.

It’s a personal fav. So under-appreciated, yet perhaps Dickens at his best. I found it much less of a slog as compared to Tale of Two Cities, which verged on the neigh unreadable until the last third of the book. Talk about a slog…

I’ve been reading a lot of Le Carré lately and found Spy Who Came in from the Cold to be excellent. It’s the first book i re-read in ages.

[Ken Robb]

Just finished reading "The Boys in the Boat". It is a fine book about overcoming adversity and the value of friends and supportive team mates. Oh yeah--there's a fine woman in there too.

[NHAero]

+1 on both Boys in the Boat and American Prometheus. If you liked American Prometheus, read Road to Surrender by Evan Thomas.

[Likes2ridefar]

I recently read the princess bride for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve not read anything else by the author but now will revisit after finishing a few others I already have.

I just tore through the Vorkosigan Saga, all 16 or so books, over the last few months and enjoyed them all.

I’m just starting Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman.

I don’t watch any shows regularly but the others in the family just finished binge watching all of young Sheldon on Netflix.

[jamesdak]

While I just finished up, My Life as an Indian by J.W. Schultz. Pretty frank look into tribal life that doesn't fit today's "notions".



And now I'm a few chapters into The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Always a fan of the King Arthur myth and this was recommended as a decent telling of the tale.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by echappist

I’ve been reading a lot of Le Carré lately and found Spy Who Came in from the Cold to be excellent. It’s the first book i re-read in ages.

For a more real life version try The Billion Dollar Spy (or something like that).

The book about Feynman is excellent.

[BryanE]

Watching Resident Alien. Highly recommended.
Also Astrid is mandatory.

[cgolvin]

I enjoy crime drama, not to be confused with mysteries. So, love Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, James Ellroy; not a fan of Agatha Christie style whodunit.

After watching the first season of Slow Horses on AppleTV, I tore through all the books, and now I've started reading his (Mick Herron) earlier books. The books are excellent, as is the show, especially if you're a fan of Gary Oldman (which I am).

I less enjoyed the show Dark Winds on AMC because I didn't think it did justice to Tony Hillerman's novels. They are crime drama/mystery set on the Navajo reservation, a little similar to the recent season of True Detective what with the spirit world mumbo jumbo mixing with plain old human criminality.

And currently enjoying the 99% Invisible series in which Roman and another person (Elliott something, forgot his last name) re-read The Power Broker, including interviews with knowledgeable people (including Robert Caro himself). The Power Broker is quite the tome, worth every minute, but if you can't make the slog yourself the podcast will give you an excellent sense of it (and maybe convince you to read it). I keep saying I'll read the LBJ books but it's kind of a daunting task.

And, returning to James Ellroy, if you enjoyed the movie L.A. Confidential you should read his LA Quartet. And if you haven't seen that movie, you should.

[Tz779]

just finished Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy. not the ending i expected.

[Tz779]

Originally Posted by echappist

I’ve been reading a lot of Le Carré lately and found Spy Who Came in from the Cold to be excellent. It’s the first book i re-read in ages.

espionage novels are my fave. the Red Sparrow trilogy is great but there was an author who commented on Matthew's books who i cannot recall right now. he is also a former CIA operative and wrote three novels as well. i will check my library checkout history (if its still up) and report back.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold IS excellent.

[NHAero]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

I enjoy crime drama, not to be confused with mysteries. So, love Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, James Ellroy; not a fan of Agatha Christie style whodunit.

Snip

And, returning to James Ellroy, if you enjoyed the movie L.A. Confidential you should read his LA Quartet. And if you haven't seen that movie, you should.

Charles, we can hang.
Chandler is still the top. There's a two volume set which has everything he ever published and a bunch of his letters too.

I'm a big fan of Dennis Lehane and Tana French.

[edgerat]

Mistakes were made, but not by me