Iron Fist

This week over at The Collective they’ve been running a book meme, so I thought I’d talk a little about the enormous stack of books that is slowly building up on my desk. I love to read, but it also seems that I love to buy books faster than I can get through them. Part of this, no doubt, is due to living in Portland and having a giant independent bookstore like Powell’s within walking distance. I’m there nearly every Sunday, often just browsing but I do bring home new books pretty frequently.

Here’s a quick rundown of recently acquired books that I’ve either just read, am in the process of reading, or will read very soon.

• The Lost Books of the Odyssey: I spied this one on their ‘Upcoming Readings’ shelf and bought my copy after hearing Zachary Mason read a few of the passages. The premise is that the book is from a recently deciphered document that has foiled scholars for ages, and that it’s a sort of apocryphal compilation of stories surrounding Homer’s The Odyssey. The writing is exceptional, the stories fascinating. This is one of the smartest books I’ve read so far this year.
• The City of Saints and Madmen: I first heard Jeff VanDerMeer’s name dropped by one of my favorite authors at another reading I was attending, when a member of the audience asked Richard Morgan who he was reading these days. I picked up the Veniss Underground novella and absolutely loved it. I grabbed this one recently and have only had time to just start it.
• Three from Richard Brautigan: I know that Brandon had mentioned Brautigan more than once, but usually this would be after I’d had a few drinks and so would promptly forget about it until the next time he brought it up. After our most recent meet-up I decided I wasn’t going to forget this time, so I pulled a pen out and scribbled ‘Brautigan’ on my hand. If I had to be honest about which book I’m actually ‘currently reading’, it would be this one.
• The War of Art and The Artist’s Way: Both of these were on the same endcap, and both were mentioned in a post by the Communicatrix. I took that as a sign and picked them both up.
• The Great Gatsby: Kat sure seems to like this book. Also, I was able to get a used copy for, like, five bucks.
• Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days: Alastair Reynolds is currently my favorite science-fiction author. I grabbed this one the other day and added it to my queue because I have to have at least one awesome sci-fi novel going at all times.

Like books? Head over to Phone It In Friday and let the Collective know. Also feel free to friendify me on GoodReads.

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