What book are you currently reading?

[Jowen]

"The Sisters Brothers" by Patrick DeWitt. A very different Western told from the POV of hired killer, Eli. All the bawdiness and thuggery of the Wild West 1850s goldrush era, juxtaposed with surprisingly gentlemanly dialogue, sensitivity and kindness. Love it.

[louiseh87]

Nearly finished Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams. The style is very different to what I'd usually read but I'm finding the story intriguing.

[booklover]

A Moveable Feast by Don George, seems to be a good book, so far.

[LMGilbert]

I thought "A Moveable Feast" was a Hemingway title?

I'm reading a collection of short stories called "Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm" and am totally hooked on Stella Gibbons.

[LMGilbert]

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous, as they say; I'm now reading "Mockingjay" from the library, of course, because I don't want to contribute any more to the author's wealth. It's one of those guilty pleasures.

[LMGilbert]

Well, it (Mockingjay) was a pleasure for a few chapters. Then, less and less so. By now I have absolutely no interest in what happens to any of these people. None. It will probably go back to the library half-finished. I will probably console myself by re-reading a REAL trilogy, Robertson Davies' "The Deptford Trilogy" consisting of The Fifth Business, The Manticore, and World of Wonders.

[LMGilbert]

Made myself finish "Mockingjay".... ok, fine, whatever. Let's just say there were no surprises. Now reading a collection of Shirley Jackson work, which includes a lot of short stories as well as "Haunting of Hill House" and "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," which I haven't read since high school, and am REALLY looking forward to, esp after having done with the best-selling trilogy that shall not be named.

[wdarcy]

Made myself finish "Mockingjay".... ok, fine, whatever. Let's just say there were no surprises. Now reading a collection of Shirley Jackson work, which includes a lot of short stories as well as "Haunting of Hill House" and "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," which I haven't read since high school, and am REALLY looking forward to, esp after having done with the best-selling trilogy that shall not be named.

I am a dyed in the wool horror fan, and I must say "Haunting of Hill House" is one of the most terrifying novels ever written. Some claim the film based upon it, "The Haunting," is the scariest movie ever made, but imho it pales compared to the novel. So read it at night, just before bed, with the lights dimmed.

Decades ago I started reading "The Bird's Nest" by SJ, about a woman with multiple personality disorder, and I found it so disturbing I had to stop reading. Very uncharacteristic of me! A couple years ago I read it all the way through, and it gave me ideas for my second novel, about a young pianist with MPD whose different personalities manifest themselves in her playing.

I also recall loving "The Sundial." And of course there is always her infamous short story "The Lottery."

Shirley Jackson is terrific, so enjoy!

--Warren

[LMGilbert]

I'm a major Shirley Jackson fan, she had an unearthly talent. I've read a little biographical info about her, and she sounds like a very troubled, perhaps "disturbed" person herself. I would love to be able to make one of my stories do what hers do.

[tinachris]

The SISTERS BROTHERS – guns, gold, whores and, yes, there’s violence but it’s the Wild West of the l800s. The narrator tells his story in journal form and I found I cared for the two brothers, especially tubby Eli the story-teller. The characters were believable and the story was unique. However at times I wondered how an uneducated gunslinger would write in an educated, sophisticated way using such phrases as: “aesthetic silence”, “fortuitous energy”, “she is a dynamo”, “verbatim report”, “bonafide heat” ….. Perhaps the story should have been “told to the writer by Eli Sister” for it to be more believable. Should I advise the author before the movie comes out? In spite of the bloodshed, I found this different type of Western hard to put down.