What book are you reading tonight?

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. I last read this one about 30 years ago. Excellent sci-fi.

The House of the Sleeping Beauties (1969) by Yasunari Kawabata.

The House of the Sleeping Beauties (1969) by Yasunari Kawabata.

I like Kawabata, but this novel is not my favorite among his works.
My favorite novel is Snow Country. The final chapter is one of the most beautiful pieses of literature ever produced.

Personally Iā€™m reading: Richard Dawkins, The Ancestorā€™s Tale, a pilgrimage to the dawn of life.

I like it - it starts out really nice - I like the atmosphere. I got interested in Kawabata after watching Shinodaā€™s very good With Beauty and Sadness. The next book Iā€™ve got on my pile is Thousand Cranes (and now Iā€™ll buy Snow Country too).

Havenā€™t read many Japanese books, mostly Abe. Iā€™m planning to read some stuff by Kenzaburō Ōe as well. Apart from that, Iā€™ve recently bought a series of works by Pasolini including Empirismo eretico, Scritti corsari, Lettere luterane. I want to read some of his novels too, havenā€™t decided which Iā€™m going to read first, possibly The Ragazzi.

OĆ« is good. Tanizaki too (never think youā€™ve read a literary erotic novel until youā€™ve read a Tanizaki, The Key is excellent, The Diary of an old Fool too), but Mishima is the best Japanese author of the 20th Century (itā€™s a close race with Kawabata though). The sailor who fell from grace with the sea is exceptional (and not too long, some of his best works are). His short story Patriotism (sometimes also called: Mourning for the Fatherland) is called by some one of the very best short stories in history, up there with the best things done by a Checkov, Gogol, Maupassant or Poe. Itā€™s a graphic, gruesome depiction of a seppuko (hara kiri); itā€™s in fact so graphic and gruesome that some readers have fainted while reading it.

Since you know Abe, I guess you know Woman in the Dunes, to me one of the great Japanese novels too.

And of the greatest Japanese films as well. :wink:

Iā€™ve read a lot of stuff about Mishima and he seemed fascinated with the act of seppuku - he also killed himself in this manner if my memory serves me right. So many books to readā€¦ Moravia appears to be very interesting too.

Am currently half way through Edward Abbeyā€™s Good News and enjoying it mightily.
Have only ever read one of Abbeyā€™s novels before (The Brave Cowboy which was adapted for the screen as Lonely are the Brave) and that was terrific so no surprise this one should be equally as good. The surprise really is in the change of style. Itā€™s still set in the west (and even shares its protagonist with The Brave Cowboy) but this one is more of a post apocalyptic (economic and political, not nuclear) almost sci fi story.
Havenā€™t finished it yet but so far would highly recommend it. I suspect some here would enjoy its blend of genres.

Iā€™ve just ended The House of the Sleeping Beauties by Kawabata. Its plot gets a little repetitive after some time, but overall psychologically profound and worth reading. Thousand Cranes tonight.

Bought The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Aristotle, Locke and Inception and Philosophy: Because Itā€™s Never Just a Dream last night, started on the first one. Well, I like 'em anyway. Interesting and undemanding.

Cemetery Jones

Iā€™ve been gradually reading a graphic novel called Jew Gangster by Joe Kubert.

Iā€™ve finally started this one:

I love covers from Vintage, theyā€™re really beautiful.

Iā€™m struggling to remember the last novel I readā€¦ None since the Summer at any rate - in the meantime Iā€™ve been determinedly ploughing through my unread books on film, ranging from biography, criticism to history.

Bought these in the last few days:

Wonā€™t be starting either of them tonight though. Maybe at the weekend.

Sharpeā€™s Waterloo.
Not the best of the series but quite enjoyable all the same.

Finished Assholes Finish First by Tucker Max yesterday.

I donā€™t like reading much, but this guyā€™s books are a lot of fun. Bad taste right up my alley.

[quote=ā€œjesse james, post:495, topic:1204ā€]Sharpeā€™s Waterloo.
Not the best of the series but quite enjoyable all the same.[/quote]

Iā€™m currently reading the last pages of ā€œSharpeā€™s Goldā€. Still entertaining but I prefer Sharpeā€™s adventures in India. Which one is your favourite, jesse?

I recently finished Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King. The sequel to The Shining. I enjoyed it.

Meanwhile, Iā€™ve been trying to finish Kingā€™s 11/22/63 the past couple years, and made it past half-way, but itā€™s been difficult to finish it up. IMO, some of Kingā€™s works are captivatingā€¦The Shining, It, Desperation, Under the Dome, Doctor Sleep, and The Talisman(co-written with Peter Straub), and some others; but I find that King can sometimes go off on a tangent and the pacing of some of his other novels grinds to a screeching halt.

Finished Snow Country by Kawabata and started this one:

MASSACRE! John J. McLaglen

This series was co-written by the late Laurence James and John Harvey, two members of the infamous Piccadilly Cowboys. If you enjoy spaghetti oaters (and who the heck doesnā€™t on this site), youā€™d love the books these guys spit out.

Iā€™m sure everyone here is familiar with Terry (George G. Gilman) Harknettā€™s EDGE series, yes?