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Book Read in 2017 - For Board Members

Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
edited January 2017 in The Dark Tower Companion
1) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

Despite that trademark coolness UK writers write with, The Bone Clocks touches the heart strings by the time you get to the end of it. I really enjoyed - Cloud Atlas - but I liked this one even more. Touches of Fringe and The Dark Tower skirt around the page edges of The Bone Clock. It's a bit murky at times, intentionally or not I'm not sure - maybe it's just me, but I wasn't sure who were the bad and good guys until very far into the book.

Beyond the intricate plotting and use of language, the one thing that really sticks out to me about Mitchell's writing is how well he depicts unlikable yet fascinating characters.  I want to say they're scoundrels but often they are not. They are really as bad as they seem to be yet they are engrossing to read about. A nifty trick that.

On deck - Ready Player One.

Comments

  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    2) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

    A helluva of a nostalgic and high energy/stakes competition through the 1980s and geek/nerd culture.  Yes, it's a whole lot of fun but there's a sobering message here too about where the world could be headed. Even though the message is that reality is always better than fantasy, in this world, it's hard to argue for that point. Being plugged is better than the reality of Ready Player One unless you are one of the priviledged few. 

    Fun read.

    Up next - On Writing by Stephen King - reread.
  • BevVincentBevVincent
    Have you ever read This is Not a Game by Walter Jon Williams?
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    No, not heard of it. Thanks for the heads up.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    edited January 2017
    3) On Writing by Stephen King

    Every time I re-read this book, the more is revealed. Or maybe, it's a hopeful sign of my writing evolution. I have experienced the heady energization that King talks about in this book. It is indeed one of the greatest joys one can experience when they get into the zone.

    Also like how King sets up Chekovian guns in the opening section that he pays off in the closing part of the book. Really makes the messages he is putting across about the craft of writing, resonate.

    Next to The Shawshank Redemption, this is one of my go to inspirational touchstones.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    4) You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott

    Pretty nifty thriller that keeps you guessing for a long stretch but reveals its hand as close to the climax as possible. It mostly works though the protagonist comes across as an unreliable narrator due to her emotional blinders. Also her daughter is kept a cypher throughout most of the book which in the end felt like a slight cheat. I say slight because her persona fits the discipline of an Olympic hopeful athlete. Still waters run deep as they say but hers were kept too murky.
  • BevVincentBevVincent
    I enjoy Abbott's books -- she seems to really understand the mentality of young people these days.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    5) Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal

    Great premise and solidly written.

    This type of genre fiction is not really my thing so the arc of the story did not truly grab me emotionally. As a constant listener to the Writing Podcast, it has been my intention to read works from all the main participants. My sensibilities lie more towards the type of fiction Dan Wells writes and I enjoyed his Teenage Serial Killer book the most out of the ones I sampled.

    I so  loved the premise of this book and wanted to see it explored it so many different ways, none of which Ghost Talkers pursued. It can certainly be seen that Mary practices what she preaches and this book is evidence.

    Looking at the ratings here, those that enjoy this type of Austenian fiction really like this one.  

    Enjoyable read, just not my cup of tea.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    6) The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne - reread. Great writing tool book by Coyne.


  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    7) Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

    Well done Sarah. Well done. The first second door was guessable. The second one is so out there, that even with one big clue, it was near impossible to see coming.

    Loved it though I suspect people expecting a traditional thriller will be put off by the fantasy of the second door and how it used - especially at the end.
  • BevVincentBevVincent
    The book has been doing very well for her, so people don't seem to be put on in general. She told me that only a couple of people have successfully guessed the ending.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    Good to hear and I tip my hat off to those that did.  
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    8) Slipping by Lauren Beukes - starts out strong but fades about 2/3 of the way in
    9) Broken Promise by Linwood Barclay - quick read, lots of twists but nothing that resonates
    10) Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris - reread, a true classic but the rare case where the movie is superior

  • BevVincentBevVincent
    Have you read Red Dragon lately? That's the book I chose for THRILLERS: 100 MUST READS. It really established the genre that's become so traditional these days.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    edited April 2017
    No not lately, it's been a while. So you picked Red Dragon over Silence?  Intriguing. 

    11) The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes - this book has her most sympathetic protagonist of the ones I have read to date. Fun read but there were a lot of unanswered questions, especially about the house and its relationship with the antagonist, that hindered my full enjoyment of the book. Not all evil has to be explained but explaining the house would have made for a more engrossing read IMO.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    12) Words Are My Matter by Ursula K. LeGuin
    - engrossing series of lectures and review by LeGuin

    13) Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch
    This Dutch writer is the real deal. He takes familiar story ideas and runs them off in new direction. This one has Stephen King vibes dealing with - a past his prime writer - whose most famous book is about an unsolved murder. The book deals a lot with a writer and his public versus private image.  Great stuff.

    Currently re-reading IT in prep for the movie which appears to be following the book more closely than the mini-series. Will not be re-reading any of the DT books for that movie as I want to come into the movie with as little pre-conceptual baggage as possible.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    edited June 2017
    14) IT by Stephen King - looooooong time since I read this. Appreciated the adult stuff better but the kid portions of the story are much more powerful. Still don't like that the adults can't remember at the end. Forgetting as kids makes sense but the adults earned the right to remember in my mind.

    15) Gwendy's Button Box - by Stephen King & Richard Chizmar - fun one sitting read but the actions of Richard Farris in the story cause a narrative dissonance. He is out of character here as a benevolent and sympathetic benefactor to Gwendy.  Unless he is not whom he seems to be. Kept on waiting for the other shoe to drop but it never did. 

    Maybe in a sequel?

    16) Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - what a wonderful way to look at not just the creative process but life.

    Be at trickster!  Not a martyr.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    17) Children of the Earth and Sky - Guy Gavriel Kay

    First book I've read by this Canadian fantasy writer. Wanted to read at least one book of his before When Words Collide con happens this August in Calgary. This is a fictional historical series with a light touch of fantasy. Sort of a Game of Thrones done in one book. Very well done. Some beautiful writing here. Look forward to reading more of his works.
  • Lou_SytsmaLou_Sytsma
    18) Pretty Wicked by Kelly Charron
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