What book(s) are you reading currently?
 

I am the sort of person who reads several books in parallel, probably expressing a restless, superficial mind. Currently, I am re-reading 'The Stand', by Stephen King, after Leprechaun's contribution to the recent Bird Flu thread reminded me how much I had enjoyed this book over a decade ago.

I am also reading Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' for the umteenth time, and Elizabeth Gaskell's 'North and South': nothing to do with the terrible TV series I hastily switch over from, which seems to be like Gone With The Wind rewritten for idiots. This one is the same plot as Pride and Prejudice but with some very different takes on the social divide: less good because there is very little humour, but clever and interesting.

'Pride and Prejudice' is one of my multi-read favorites, as well (I own four different filmed versions - finding something good in each). Now, currently . . .

1) Non-fiction: 'Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for no-limit hold 'em'
2) Graphic short stories: 'The best of The Spirit' by Will Eisner (I refused to see the movie).
3) Queued-up fiction: Recently purchased a new copy of, and plan to re-read 'Farewell, My Lovely' by Raymond Chandler. A terrific film noir under the title "Murder My Sweet."

I also have a couple of fly-fishing and golf magazines laying around.

Just finished Les Carlyon's books on the AIF in WWI:
Gallipoli & The Western Front
Two outstanding novels on the Civil War:
Andersonville, by MacKinlay Kantor, which won the Pulitzer. It's the best book I've ever read; and
Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier.

I usually have a few books on the go, at the moment they are:- Pythons autobiography by the Pythons, New Europe by Michael Palin and Race to Dakar by Charlie Boorman. I usually have somthing a bit meatier on the go as well but not at the moment as VEF takes up so much time.:D

Watchmen - finally. I've just finished reading chapter 4.
Also on the go right now Boats of the Glen Carrig (William Hope Hodgson), Werewolf of Paris (Guy Endore), the Sixth Pan book of Horror Stories and Essential Marvel Horror vol 2.

Raymond Chandler
 

Chandler's books spawned a number of top notch Hollywood b/w film noir thrillers, most notably The Big Sleep with Humphrey Bogart. The Big Sleep, The Lady in the Lake and The Long Goodbye are (IMO) his best works: totally effortless tours de force in storytelling, no arty farty attempts at ''style'' or ''art'' but in fact they are beautifully written because Chandler merely tells the story, making every word count. He could write ten million times better than the average Booker Prize winner today and without even trying: in his non-fiction writings he sometimes makes disparaging remarks about ''fine writing'', and clearly had no use for it. What mattered (and what paid the bills) was telling the story.

Farewell, My Lovely is good stuff. I think you will not be disappointed, snorkie.

Great thread.

The Breaks Richard Price
Ladies Man Richard Price
Mozart* Marcia Davenport

*This one I just started, as I have been in a major Mozart mode lately, listening to the Requiem, Die Zauberflote, the Clarinet Concerto, Eine Kliene Nachtmusik, etc., etc... practicing the B Flat Major Piano Sonata, and so forth. This is undoubtedly one of the great biographies of the twentieth century.[/URL]

Totally agree. Just the way Chandler describes bar drinks early in "The Long Goodbye" demonstrates what a master he was. Where Hammett purposely aimed for literary fiction, Chandler seemed to easily hit that mark. Both were able to make crime fiction something more than simple potboilers.

Flashman
 

Gentlemen, may I recommend the 'Flashman' series by George MacDonald Fraser? Highly entertaining and superbly politically-incorrect. If you don't find Flashman a truly inspirational character, then you should probably be reading something by Enid Blyton.

A Nomad of the Time Streams by Michael Moorcock