the COMC is my all time fav novel just such an epic tale of revenge and so perfectly crafted.

it also makes for a great audiobook just make sure you pick a good narrator and of course the unabridged version.

it's sooooooooooooooo good.

I always liked that guy's sandwiches. And the movie version with the great Richard Chamberlain.

48 hour ban.

There's a new film of COMC out. Very good reviews. It's three hours long, but then any adaptation of this book should have a lengthy runtime.

oh sweet had no idea ty for the heads up

Loved Gone Baby, Gone.

Shutter Island just seemed very predictable and silly by the end. JMHO.

COMC is so goaty. Best tale of revenge ever.

Currently reading The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner. Very impressed about 30% of the way in. I can see why it was Nat Book award finalist.

The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox - this is a contemporary-set fantasy, highly praised by mainstream critics for reasons that escape me. It starts well enough, with the protagonist, Taryn the historian, arranging the revenge killing of her sister's murderer. The police get suspicious. Mysterious things start happening, and then Taryn and detective Jacob literally stumble into fairlyland, and the book goes downhill.

There's a distinct lack of wtf-ing when they discover fairyland, which is indicative of how bad the character writing is. The dialogue is the stiffest I've read. Every time a character opens their mouth, it took me out of the novel because I couldn't believe this was a person talking. This is a a quote of Jacob talking while in mortal danger:

He goes on for much longer. He is a cop about to die, but sounds like a university professor delivering a lecture. At another point, Jacob says:
Again, this is meant to be a policeman having a conversation. I found it impossible to care about anyone as they weren't credible people.

I said the reasons for the praise eluded me, but re-reading the Guardian review, I get it: Hit the leftist high notes and you score big with some critics, no matter how heavy handed your approach. The book's ending devolves into a ridiculously clumsy vision of a greener, less capitalist world. I'm in danger of sounding like a right-wing loon, but it's the approach which is objectionable, not the message.

As a proud, dyed-in-the-wool right-wing loon myself, I'll probably steer clear of that book.

I've been rereading parts of Sarah Bakewell's Humanly Possible, and I still can't get over how she's choosing to align herself with somebody like ****ing Bertrand Russell. ugh

I still love her previous 2 books though, on the existentialists and Montaigne respectively.

Thumbs-up to the Flamethrowers.

Started Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, never read any of his non- WoT books.

I liked the Mistborns a bunch. I think a lot lighter than WoT. Very easy to read and hard to put down.

Bookbub is literary crack. A daily alerter of heavily discounted Amazon ebooks. My digital library is becoming like a gamer's Steam library during a summer sale; keep buying books that I don't know when I'll get around to reading.

have you checked out libby? just need any library card and you get access to the entire library of audiobooks which is massive obv.

I have an audible membership as backup but man libby is awesome and has cut down on the number of audible purchases I make in a BIG way.