What are you reading right now?

I'm rampaging through Agatha Christie currently. Partly because it's a fun break from the real world, and partly because her books are easy to race through and thus catch me up a bit on my reading goal for the year. I don't know how I got so behind on it, but I really am.

I'm reading With Nails: The Film Diaries of Richard E Grant.

Oooh how is it? I feel a strange fondness for him.

He's great. He's so bilious and catty yet filled with evident compassion and eloquence on all manner of ego problems. He's kind of like if Withnail had become successful except with a sense of humor.

I just finished The Goblin Emperor which is a splendid book. Think it'll become a comfort read favourite.

I'm reading Starless Sea and it is phenomenally gorgeous.

I am reading The Hobbit

Way-y-y better than all three movies put together.

sophistikitty wrote:I'm rampaging through Agatha Christie currently. Partly because it's a fun break from the real world, and partly because her books are easy to race through and thus catch me up a bit on my reading goal for the year. I don't know how I got so behind on it, but I really am.

I recently went through and Agatha Christie audiobook binge. Mostly while showering. There's something kind of fun about a murder mystery shower. But anyway I don't know why I never noticed it reading but Poirot is like low key a wannabe murderer or someone who likes murderers to be murdered or kill themselves. Like there were one too many times where he's just pro their death. I've gone full Marple.

dogimo wrote:Way-y-y better than all three movies put together.

I concur! Actually, I don't know if I concur. But I might as I never found myself yelling at the book the way I yelled at those movies.

Oh! and I am currently reading absolutely nothing but I just recently finished American Gods and I'm very much missing Shadow. Probably why I'm not reading another book yet. I'm trying to wait for another book that has him.

velitas wrote:

sophistikitty wrote:I'm rampaging through Agatha Christie currently. Partly because it's a fun break from the real world, and partly because her books are easy to race through and thus catch me up a bit on my reading goal for the year. I don't know how I got so behind on it, but I really am.

I recently went through and Agatha Christie audiobook binge. Mostly while showering. There's something kind of fun about a murder mystery shower. But anyway I don't know why I never noticed it reading but Poirot is like low key a wannabe murderer or someone who likes murderers to be murdered or kill themselves. Like there were one too many times where he's just pro their death. I've gone full Marple.

TRUE. But I kind of enjoy that about him. He's got a wee bit of homicide in that eye twinkle of his. On the other hand he's very forgiving in Murder On The Orient Express.

It's an interesting twist on Poirot to theorize that as he investigates, he's laying little plots and traps perchance to spring to result in their DEATH. If so, "Ah, bon."

I can't picture David Suchet taking any such tack. Or...oh, wow. Yeah I can. It's the characteristic BRUTAL RATIONALITY of THE FRENCH!

See, he'd totally kill me for that.

Murder Showers sounds like a way more interesting business venture than those murder dinner parties. Which I believe Poirot somewhat pioneered, at least in one episode of the tv show. EDIT: of course it turned into a real murder. Poirot gives good value.

sophistikitty wrote:

velitas wrote:

sophistikitty wrote:I'm rampaging through Agatha Christie currently. Partly because it's a fun break from the real world, and partly because her books are easy to race through and thus catch me up a bit on my reading goal for the year. I don't know how I got so behind on it, but I really am.

I recently went through and Agatha Christie audiobook binge. Mostly while showering. There's something kind of fun about a murder mystery shower. But anyway I don't know why I never noticed it reading but Poirot is like low key a wannabe murderer or someone who likes murderers to be murdered or kill themselves. Like there were one too many times where he's just pro their death. I've gone full Marple.

TRUE. But I kind of enjoy that about him. He's got a wee bit of homicide in that eye twinkle of his. On the other hand he's very forgiving in Murder On The Orient Express.

To the point where now I'm like HOW UNCHARACTERISTIC! Was it truly Poirot?! Was Christie drunk?? I mean obviously no one could truly impersonate Poirot to anyone who'd actually met him. Yes. He was very forgiving on the Orient Express. I was very satisfied with that ending myself. I suppose it wasn't uncharacteristic in that he seeks justice and those people worked together to seek the sort of justice he does but in their own way. SO IT IS VERY CHARACTERISTIC. Okay I forgive everyone and Poirot was the first Dexter but who knew better than to do the dirty work himself.

Still. I find him a little unsettling.

dogimo wrote:It's an interesting twist on Poirot to theorize that as he investigates, he's laying little plots and traps perchance to spring to result in their DEATH. If so, "Ah, bon."

LOL

I finished The Hobbit, and had a delightful time. Now I am starting 1984.

velitas wrote:

sophistikitty wrote:TRUE. But I kind of enjoy that about him. He's got a wee bit of homicide in that eye twinkle of his. On the other hand he's very forgiving in Murder On The Orient Express.

To the point where now I'm like HOW UNCHARACTERISTIC! Was it truly Poirot?! Was Christie drunk?? I mean obviously no one could truly impersonate Poirot to anyone who'd actually met him. Yes. He was very forgiving on the Orient Express. I was very satisfied with that ending myself. I suppose it wasn't uncharacteristic in that he seeks justice and those people worked together to seek the sort of justice he does but in their own way. SO IT IS VERY CHARACTERISTIC.  Okay I forgive everyone and Poirot was the first Dexter but who knew better than to do the dirty work himself.

Still. I find him a little unsettling.

I feel like it is entirely in character because degree of ego would make him feel that it was entirely right for him to deal out justice, whether in the form of forgiveness, or that little nudge towards self-destruction for a naughty, naughty murderer. I don't feel like there's any discrepancy in characterisation between the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, for example.

The cold calculation that has to lie behind his comfortable smileyness is unsettling though.

emmyjoye wrote:I finished The Hobbit, and had a delightful time. Now I am starting 1984.

Another delightful English classic storybook I suspect! Enjoy enjoy enjoy emmyjoye

I bought a copy of Dune a while ago, but I've been a bit hesitant to start reading it. I've been a little bit occupied with other stuff, but other than that, I'm not really sure why.

I get like that sometimes. I'm often resistant to starting a book that's new to me, because there isn't the guarantee of deep involvement in it. Sometimes I want to bury myself in a familiar world.

I've just started reading The Handmaid's Tale (very late to the party) as a break from murder. Not that I don't enjoy the murder.

I'm about 100 pages into 1984 and so far, I hate it. What a misogynistic trash fire. I'm hoping something gets better.

I've finished 1984 (thank god), and have just started Mudlark: In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames. It is super interesting and delightful.

I still haven't read 1984. We had the choice of that or Brave New World in school, and I went with the Huxley.

I haven't read Brave New World, but I suspect that was the right choice.

Yeah, I'm happy with it. Between that and Fahrenheit 451 I feel pretty covered, dystopia-wise.