I have a reading pile.

[sharplittleteeth]

I don't really like having a reading pile. It's evidence that I'm not reading enough. These days, I struggle to find the time to do anything except complain about struggling to find the time to do anything.

But I thought I should post this, to show you that my life doesn't revolve completely around Joss Whedon.

Currently reading: Dead Europe - Christos Tsolkias

In the Pile:
Metamorphosis and Other Stories - Franz Kafka
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Anno Dracula - Kim Newman
The Black Crusade - Richard Harland

Eyeing off:
The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

Hm. Lots of vampires and Eastern Europe there.

Comments

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Is The Black Crusade a kids book?
The marketing is a little confuzzling.

Have you never read Dracula before?

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

No, The Black Crusade is a sort of Monty-Python-meets-Cthulhu horror. Twisted humour. I haven't actually read it yet, so I can't really describe it.

And no, I've never read Dracula. It was given to me by a friend who wanted to rectify that.

I'm crap when it comes to the classics.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Have you read Brian Stapleford's Empire of Fear?
You should.

I'm crap when it comes to the classics.

You missed that phase of your teens.

[(Anonymous)]

Yep. Missed that phase.

[bar-bar-ella.livejournal.com]

Dead Europe - Christos Tsolkias

Has Christos actually learnt how to tell a story yet? I've only ever read his debut, Loaded. Some utterly brilliant bits of writing, but no actual plot. That didn't disadvantage the movie, Head On, much but for a read it's a bit... feh. Also, his aversion to quotation marks for dialogue... has he got over that? :)

Metamorphosis and Other Stories - Franz Kafka

There's an Australian adaptation of Metamorphosis coming at up at the Malthouse theatre next month. Starring Kim Gyngell and set in the Melburnian urban sprawl... Looks interesting.

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

I'm only a quarter the way into Dead Europe. There's two stories running through the book. The modern story, about an Australian-Greek photographer returning to his parent's homeland, is yet to really go anywhere. But the second story, about villagers in Greece during World War II has got a lot more going for it.

No quotation marks though. Where did that style come from, anyway?


Kim Gyngell turning into a cockroach... not that much of a change then.

[bar-bar-ella.livejournal.com]

Where did that style come from, anyway?

James Joyce, I reckon...

I'm trying to read The Bride Stripped Bare at the moment (yeah, yeah, I know... *rolls eyes* A friend insisted, but dear gods, it's fucking horrible), and again with the no quotation marks. I don't know what's up with people doing that, I really don't. They think they're being Joyce by doing it? He did it in the Twenties, ffs, what's so shithot about someone copying it *now*? *shrug*

Kim Gyngell turning into a cockroach... not that much of a change then.

Ouch! :)

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

The lack of quotation marks does lend a certain texture to the text. It's the literary equivalent of shaky hand-held camera work -- very verité.

[bar-bar-ella.livejournal.com]

Heh. :)

Actually, I've just thought of one writer who didn't have a problem with their doing it - Roddy Doyle. Somehow, he made it work. I'll have to go back and re-read some of his stuff and try to work out why it felt okay with him...