AR Book Club

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

1. Plenty: Carrie, Christine, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Misery (Just to name a few).

3. Keep in mind that most adaptations of his work usually aren't very good, with just a few exceptions.

[Avaitor]

Misery is probably my favorite of his, tbh.

[gunswordfist]

...never heard of it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

...never heard of it.

It's the movie that made Kathy Bates a star.

[Pharass]

I've been reading The King Must Die by Mary Renault. Its the second book of hers that I've read and much as I enjoyed my first (The Persian Boy), this one's even better. Basically, its Renault's take on the myth of Theseus, though viewed through a historical context. For example, the minotaur in this novel is not a half-bull half-man, but the queen's illegitimate son, etc. Renault brings all the characters as well as the world they inhabit to life excellently, a great novel which I warmly recommend.

By the way, the "Greatest Novel"-tournament has come to a complete halt and I'm starting to wonder if there's any point in keeping it going. Currently, there doesn't seem to be much interest. Which I can understand, there were so many different tournaments going for awhile that its understandable if people are a bit burned out on the whole thing.

[Avaitor]

I'm definitely interested in keeping it going, but it does feel like we need a tiebreaker to come over and help us out. Those were pretty tough matches!

[Dr. Insomniac]

Fucking Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine making me want to cry in the middle of a subway.

[Pharass]

I learned recently that Umberto Eco and Harper Lee have both passed away at the ages of 84 and 89, respectively.
2016, we need to talk..

[Daikun]

I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school. It was a great story and an equally great movie.

R.I.P. Harper Lee

EDIT: Berkeley Breathed shares his letter from Lee.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

R.I.P. to both.

I especially have fond memories of To Kill a Mockingbird.

[gunswordfist]

R.I.P. Eco and Lee.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I've been reading War for the Oaks by Emma Bull and some of the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Surprised to find out the former was published in the 80s, because it felt more modern to me.

[Pharass]

I read the first book in The Hyperion Cantos not too long ago. Good stuff, among the better science fiction novels. I should check out the rest of the series at some point.
Currently, I'm reading When Christ And His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman. Its my first Penman and I find myself wondering why I haven't checked out her work earlier, because this is seriously great. Its historical fiction detailing the civil war between the empress Maude and her cousin Stephen for the throne of England. If you're a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, I strongly recommend this book.

[Pharass]

Currently reading A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James and I must say that the book is well deserving of all the praise it has received. I do wish that there had been some kind of glossary for all the Jamaican slang used by the characters, but aside from that, its a great read.

[Dr. Insomniac]

So Alan Moore's 1184-page brick of a book that he's slaved over in his cave for more than a decade will finally be out in a week. I put it on hold at my local library, and I'm afraid of it.