the documentary on that book is really interesting trig.

just finished 'tough guy' by louis ferrente, another mob book. i love these crime stories, love how crazy these guys were (and how creatively smart at times). fun book.

starting 'different seasons' by stephen king now. looks promising w/ stand by me and shawshank in this book. not sure what the other stories are about but i generally like stephen king, so we'll see.

Apt Pupil is a fantastic story, movie wasnt great, but its probably the best from that book. I dont remember what the other one was or was about.

One of his best collections. Shawshank, Apt Pupil, and Stand By Me make it worthwhile. Also, while many of his introductions/forewords/codas/etc feel exceedingly self-indulgent, the foreword of Different Seasons includes some wonderful observations on short fiction in general, as well as a couple of interesting stories about his career. I felt the Breathing Method was kind of meh, but not so awful it destroyed the book.

Just finished the first Bourne novel. I am blown away. I loved it. The film is on its way here from Netflix. It's been quite a while since I saw it, so I'm interested to see with a fresh perspective how much they changed since so many say it only retains a passing resemblance to the novel.

I'm also interested to finish the trilogy, then move on to the Van Lustbader continuations. From what I understand, the trilogy pretty much resolved the major character arc, so I can't understand how the story continues except for the benefit of milking a cash cow.

Not as good as Consider The Lobster but very good nonetheless.

Has anyone read any of Dale Carnegie's books? I randomly picked up an edition that had How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living last time I was at B&N for like $10.

Finished How to Win Friends and Influence People already. Super quick read and generally seems like good advice. Reinforces some things I know I am terrible with (like remembering people's names).

Started How to Stop Worrying last night. Also seems like generally good advice but doesn't seem very useful for me. It has me thinking that if anything I might be on the "too laid back" end of the spectrum, not the worried end. Maybe a healthy education in variance (through poker) is actually good for you.

Also really liking The Code Book so far.

you should read the other, earlier Ludlum thrillers. They're almost all great.

I'm curious: How often do you guys start a book and then stop before finishing it? I've done this a couple of times in the last month.

Rationally, I say: "I'm reading for my own enjoyment. I am not enjoying this book. I don't have to finish it."

Irrationally, I say: "Many people enjoyed this book. The author is talented. Maybe I need to finish it."

I stopped reading E.L. Doctorow's "The Waterworks" about nine chapters in because the story, what little of it had so far been shown, was all told in third-party flashbacks and I found myself skipping forward and backwards and looking for narrative and getting lost and generally working too hard at a book I thought I should like because the narrator sometimes had good lines.

I also stopped reading Hunter Thompson's "Songs of the Doomed, More Notes on the Death of the American Dream, Gonzo Papers Vol. 3," though for this one I felt a little more reasonable. Much of the book is really about other books I haven't read, so that gets in the way. And it's not a start-to-finish narrative so much as, as the title says, "notes." And some parts were great. But at some point I just decided the book stopped being relevant to what I wanted.

Earlier this year I was reading Paul Theroux's "The Old Patagonia Express" and quit it because I found him to be mean spirited and superior. I've read other books by him which I enjoyed, but this one, despite its acclaim, struck me wrong.

Anyway. Just wondering.

I just finished Outcasts United by Warren St. John. It's a very interesting story about a group of refugee children in a poor Atlanta neighborhood that form a soccer team. There is a lot of interesting stuff - their terrible experiences prior to being relocated to the US by the UN, their assimilation into a new culture, the conflict between them and the existing citizens of the town, and of course the unique combination of ethnicities and religions that make up the team. I highly recommend it.

I do this all the time. I loved Ragtime, but I gave up on Doctorow's Loon Lake very early. I loved Theroux's memoir about VS Naipaul, but gave up on his Iron Rooster travel book early.

As I get older, I often give up on books, and I mean early. Like Paul Simon said in his Bodyguard song about span of attention.

That one is on order... will read that after I finish Hwang's new PLO book.

I do this too. I thought I was the only one. You think it really is an attention span thing? I get so busy that I never make time to read. The only books I've read all the way through in the past couple years have been the Lounge book club books, I think because I felt obligated.

For me it's an attention span thing, and it kills me. I miss reading a lot of books so much. I assume it comes from getting older, but who knows?

That'll be a good thread, I think. I would have alot to post on that subject for sure.

I'm reading less as I get older too. Not a good sign.

El, i guess i give up on books when i find them untolerable. though my tolerance is pretty large and im usually pretty dedicated in terms of finishing a book, whether i enjoy it or not.

speaking of which, im actually reading a book now that i pretty much hate. but i'm like halfway done with it and i need to finish it. some ****ty something kellerman book i picked up (used) in a bookstore here in thailand...options are pretty slim here.

I am reading "Save While You Spend" by Rick Goldfeller.

Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. Gets pretty hardcore econ halfway through put it does give you a new outlook on how things can be subtly changed and influenced. Would recommend.

"A Perfect Peace". Any Amos Oz fans here? He's my favorite author.

orange, have I ever told you that I'm pretty jealous of your life? haha.

well, i'm very blessed and lucky to have done well in poker to give me these opportunities...though theres not much about me that you should be jealous about :P im a lazy dumb hick who got lucky in poker :P

Is Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series good? The only fantasy I've ever read is A Song of Ice and Fire which I loved. I don't like it when the text is too dense/a chore to get through and I like it when things happen, not slow character building crap with layers and themes to interpret, not a fan of feeling like I have to solve a murder mystery just to understand what is happening.

You probably won't like Erikson's books then. They're really good, but in the dense complicated way.

I don't think it's about attention span of aging. I think it has to do with how rapidly new things fight for your attention.

I used to listen to Howard Stern on SIRIUS. Since discovering podcasts the idea of listening to the same person for my entire drive seems ridiculous (let alone paying for it), and listening to regular radio with commercials, laughable.

Same thing with books, if a book doesn't grab your attention as much as a a new Showtime show, podcast, online video game, facebook, whatever you'll loose interest.

Five years ago there were half as many ways to entertain yourself, in five more years there will be double as many.

By the way, I think this is a good thing.

Ken