I love to find out what other people are reading. (It's all part of my obsession with books. It's like when I go into someone's house for the first time...I'm always trying to peek at their books to see what they've got. Assuming they have books. If they don't have books, I just drink their liquor and leave.)
I'm currently reading James Grady's Mad Dogs. It's odd, but fascinating.
How about you?
I'm about to finish Lee Child's latest, The Hard Way, another exciting Jack Reacher tale, and John Barry's The Great Influenza, a sobering look at the deadly pandemic of 1919-18. Both are excellent and highly recommended.
Next up will be The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen. This novel centers on the inhabitants of a small logging town in Washington state and what happens when they take drastic measures (quarantine) to try and protect themselves from the deadly flu epidemic of 1918. (Yeah, after reading Barry's book, I just had to find a fictionalized account.)
Or, it might be The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries by Marilyn Johnson. It looks to be a gread read by a journalist who loves to write and to read the obits. It garnered a starred review in Publishers Weekly so I'm looking forward to reading it.
Posted by: Garry | October 14, 2006 at 12:03 PM
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Cormac McCarthy.
Good stuff.
Victor
Posted by: Victor Gischler | October 14, 2006 at 01:35 PM
Just finished Kent Harrington's American Boys. Not enough people know Harrington...and they need to. Also recently read and enjoyed Never Fear by Scott Frost and Ken Bruen's latest American Skin. Now I'm reading Christopher Hyde's late 80's town-in-crisis thriller Jericho Falls...very good so far. If you're enjoying the new show Jericho...Jericho Falls is right up your alley.
Posted by: Dan | October 14, 2006 at 01:52 PM
I'm reading David Baldacci's ABSOLUTE POWER, which I'm finding, much to my surprise, to be extremely well written. I've read some of his later books, and they come nowhere close to the quality of this debut.
After that, I plan on reading SEE JANE RUN, by Joy Fielding, an underrated writer.
Posted by: Lana Lang | October 14, 2006 at 01:58 PM
Dan, I have to agree with you regarding Kent HArrington. one of the best and very few people know him. I'm having a great deal of difficulty getting a big house contract.
Me, I'm reading AMERICAN SKIN by Ken Bruen, THE LIGHTNING RULE by Brett Ellen Block (excellent story set during the 1967 New Jersey riots) and just finished the ARC of Harry Shannon's new book THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS (highly recommended!)
Posted by: Aldo | October 14, 2006 at 04:05 PM
Just finished THE BLONDE by Duane Swierczynski which was very good and am starting THE SORCERERS CIRCLE by Michael Siverling which is about a P.I. who runs a firm with his mother. It's a great concept and I'm loving the mother-son interplay.
Toldja MAD DOGS was great.
Posted by: Cameron | October 14, 2006 at 04:47 PM
I wouldn't say Mad Dogs was great -- I just finished it -- but it's definitely interesting. I thought it was very good in parts and it held my interest, but there were some frustrating things about it, too. I'll probably post a review on here soon.
I'm now going to furiously read the new Stephen King book for a rush review job.
Posted by: David Montgomery | October 14, 2006 at 04:54 PM
Finished a thriller "The Second Horseman" which was all right so long as you don't think too much about it afterwards.
Lana, I agree with you about Joy. I remember "Tell No One" and thought it was a great book. She knows how to turn the screws on a heroine.
I'm going through Neil Gaiman's short story collection "Fragile Things" now. I admit to being somewhat puzzled. I like his work, and they're addicting to read, but there seems to be something missing. An emotional connection, perhaps?
Maybe I'm just reading too much.
Posted by: Bill Peschel | October 14, 2006 at 05:19 PM
Just finished the quite excellent "Echo Park" by Michael Connelly. It is one to read again, as getting all the subtleties in Mr. Connelly's novels on one read is tough to do.
Am now addicted to John Katzenbach's "The Wrong Man."
One of the creepiest villains in crime fiction.
Posted by: Ken Van Durand | October 14, 2006 at 06:03 PM
I just started F Paul Wilson's "Legacies." Repairman Jack #2 in the series. "The Tomb" was a little different from what I thought it would be, considering that it was my first try at a Wilson book.
I just finished Robert Harris's new book "Imperium."
Posted by: Cory | October 14, 2006 at 09:26 PM
I just finished Wilke Collins THE WOMAN IN WHITE - which was wonderful. I can't believe I haven't read Collins before.
Now I'm reading THE MEANING OF NIGHT by Michael Cox. It's an interesting juxaposition.
Same time period, same location, but ones written 150 years after the other.
So far I prefer the Collins but I just started the Cox.
Posted by: M.J. | October 14, 2006 at 11:29 PM
I'm weird. I read different books in different places. At Borders, where I write every day, I'm reading Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things. (I'm loving it, Bill. I agree, it's very addicting!)
In the living room, I'm reading Nora Roberts' Dance of the Gods. (Her writing is particularly vivid in this book.)
Before I drift off to sleep, I'm reading Karin Tabke's Good Girl Gone Bad. (Hot cops!)
Posted by: spyscribbler | October 15, 2006 at 10:20 AM
Just finished HOSE MONKEY by Tony Spinosa (aka Reed Farrel Coleman). Because of the silly monkey on the cover I thought it would be a silly book, but it's dark and sad and violent with deep character development. Loved it.
I'm now halfway through Peter Spiegelman's BLACK MAPS. I'm surprised I hadn't discovered him sooner, but I met him at Bouchercon and he was the only person who showed up at my library event in Ridgefield, Conn., so since he's such a nice guy I picked up the book. It's great and I can't wait to read all his work.
Posted by: Karen | October 15, 2006 at 10:42 AM
I'm between books at the moment, but later today I'll be starting either DEAD CAT BOUNCE by Norman Green or THE NIGHT GARDENER by George Pelecanos, whichever one jumps out at me.
Posted by: James Reasoner | October 15, 2006 at 02:31 PM
Currently reading Echo Park. Just finished TO THE POWER OF THREE and THE KILL CLAUSE by Gregg Hurwitz is up next.
Posted by: Dave White | October 15, 2006 at 07:33 PM
How we got inspid by Jonathan Lethem
I'm still waiting for Ed Norton's film version of Motherless Brooklyn
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385887/
Posted by: Iain | October 15, 2006 at 09:53 PM
You folks are reading some damn interesting books!
I'm always impressed by the reading tastes of the people who visit this blog.
Posted by: David Montgomery | October 16, 2006 at 12:04 PM
I just finished DOPE by Sara Gran, and I'll probably try THE BIG KISS-OFF OF 1944 next.
Posted by: Graham | October 16, 2006 at 01:12 PM
I recently finished CHASING THE DEAD by Joe Schreiber, which was a fast, hardboiled horror novel--a real treat. Now I'm in the middle of Gerald Butler's KISS THE BLOOD OFF MY HANDS, which I'm loving.
Posted by: Duane Swierczynski | October 16, 2006 at 03:37 PM
Over the weekend, I finished THE PRESTIGE by Christopher Priest. Very enjoyable and I'm curious to see how the book will translate to film since it's told using competing diary entries.
Now, I'm reading AMERICAN SKIN and after that it will be CAUGHT STEALING by Charlie Huston.
Posted by: Josh Lucas | October 17, 2006 at 09:34 AM
I'm struggling through PAINT IT BLACK by Janet Fitch. After all the noise about White Oleander - I was really looking forward to reading this.
Alas, that ain't the case. This is page after page after page (I'm not kidding!) of repetitive angst that makes you want to scream -"I got it the first time, okay? And the second, third, ect, time!" The constant barage of metaphors about the same damn problem - is more than annoying. It makes me wonder how this person is qualified to be a 'master teacher of fiction.' This is one of the few books in my entire lifetime I'd like to ask for a refund.
Posted by: Elaine Flinn | October 18, 2006 at 10:46 PM
all right, you'll think i'm a dork, but i just read CRIME & PUNISHMENT for the first time and it bitch slapped me from here to Tuesday. i guess there's a reason it's talked about more than a century after Fyodr excreted it :).
Posted by: Pearce Hansen | October 20, 2006 at 02:43 AM
A W GRAY - KILLINGS...one in a series about a Texas lawyer Bino Phillips
Posted by: colman | October 20, 2006 at 06:01 AM
I've just finished Total Chaos, that fascinating first novel in Jean-Claude Izzo's Maresilles trilogy. Once I'm done with this comment, I'll take a stroll down Charing Cross Road to Murder One bookshop and load up on a pile of new things to read.
============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
Posted by: Peter | October 23, 2006 at 04:43 AM
James O. Born's WALKING MONEY. It's terrific. There are two more in the Tasker series (so far) that I'm now really looking forward to.
And Duane Swierczynski's THE BLONDE - a lot of fun.
John McF
Posted by: John McFetridge | October 24, 2006 at 11:12 AM
It's well known that money makes us autonomous. But what to do when somebody has no money? The one way only is to get the loan and bank loan.
Posted by: SusanBass | July 03, 2010 at 11:28 AM