Reading Neil Gaiman's short story collection "Smoke and mirrors"

So far I've read 4-5 stories and they are all very different. Some are only 5-8 pages and some are longer. There was one only 100 words long. Its the first time I read short stories but I'm liking it so far. The stories doesn't as much tell a story as is tells a feeling or a moment.

wUndertUnge

United States1125 Posts

June 11 2013 18:17 GMT

#1445

Seriously thinking about re-reading The Fermata by Nicholson Baker. Our protagonist is Arno Strine, a 35 year old temp who is a budding erotica writer and time freeze fondler. It’s one of the raunchiest, funniest, and smartest books I’ve ever read. The prose is lush, almost a little too much, but it’s also super intelligent and even romantic. It’s sick, too, but there’s a definite moral center to the book. His actions are fun and titillating, but it’s always skirting the line. When does titillation become transgression?’

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Just to give an example of what he does…he buys two vibrators, a regular dildo and then a butterfly. He finds a woman who attracts him at the library and follows her onto the train. He freezes time and slips the butterfly on her, then unfreezes time, turning the butterfly on ever so slightly. Then when she reaches down to feel, he freezes time and removes it. Then he puts it back on her when she’s convinced that she’s just spontaneously being pleasured as he brings her to full orgasm.

Hot, creepy, funny, smart. I’ve given it to a few friends, both male and female to a myriad of reactions. I want to reread it to see if I still find it brilliant after the shock is gone.

MagmaPunch

Bulgaria536 Posts

June 11 2013 19:35 GMT

#1446

Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant

ChAoS-AnGeLs

Canada13 Posts

June 11 2013 19:55 GMT

#1447

I read

It was the hardest book I've ever read.

corumjhaelen

France6884 Posts

June 11 2013 19:55 GMT

#1448

@Bel-Ami I'll need to read this one day, tell me what you think !
Finally finished the 3rd Critic, and well, it's complicated. I think Kant contradicts himself in some places, and is brilliant in others, as expected. The hexagon on a beach argument was super duper cool, some much implications I can't really make out. Overall a tough read, but worth it, even if I didn't get everything by far.
Now back to some novel. Chose it short and simple, Balzac's La Duchesse de Langeais. Very funny so far, even if there was a longish political digression that wasn't that well constructed.

RvB

Netherlands6261 Posts

June 11 2013 19:58 GMT

#1449

On June 12 2013 04:55 ChAoS-AnGeLs wrote:
I read

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It was the hardest book I've ever read.

The interviews are always the best, there are hardly any women in there between all the commercials.

elt

Thailand1092 Posts

June 11 2013 20:00 GMT

#1450

On June 10 2013 11:49 babylon wrote:

Show nested quote +

Don't get me wrong, I think she's enjoyable to read; I just find the sheer number (and nature) of trials she puts her characters through to be brutal. It's very emotionally taxing on me. It's not unlike reading GRRM. (They also both write characters that are just designed to be loathed by the readers. I mean, Regal and Joffrey are the two big ones for me; Kyle in the Liveship series is grating on me too. It's hard to get through books when you just want to strangle some of the spotlight characters.)

Yeah, third book of the Fitz series was a drag; nothing happened for the longest time. The ending was really good though.

Agreed. Maybe I'm just a sucker but the last third of Fool's Fate is good enough to make me forget everything that has happened to Fitz and close the book with a smile.

MagmaPunch

Bulgaria536 Posts

June 11 2013 20:12 GMT

#1451

On June 12 2013 04:55 corumjhaelen wrote:
@Bel-Ami I'll need to read this one day, tell me what you think !
Finally finished the 3rd Critic, and well, it's complicated. I think Kant contradicts himself in some places, and is brilliant in others, as expected. The hexagon on a beach argument was super duper cool, some much implications I can't really make out. Overall a tough read, but worth it, even if I didn't get everything by far.
Now back to some novel. Chose it short and simple, Balzac's La Duchesse de Langeais. Very funny so far, even if there was a longish political digression that wasn't that well constructed.

Well, I've just started it so I don't have a competent and fully built opinion on the book, but I like it so far. When I finish reading it , I would express my thoughts

)

Targe

United Kingdom14103 Posts

June 12 2013 09:37 GMT

#1452

I've currently been slowly reading Heaven's Net Is Wide and Cider With Rosie, I spend so little time reading though compared to what I used to :/

dcnb

Austria45 Posts

June 12 2013 09:54 GMT

#1453

Last finished:

hmmm, think it was Song of Ice and Fire 7 (german edition)

Currently reading:

- Kevin Powers : The Yellow Birds
- Haruki Murakami: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

planning next:

dunno now, looking for input

PlutoNZ

New Zealand410 Posts

June 12 2013 10:16 GMT

#1454

On June 11 2013 09:43 ticklishmusic wrote:
Working through "The First Law" trilogy. Pretty good, Glokta reminds me of Tyrion from ASOIAF.

I'm a huge Joe Abercrombie fan. I loved The First Law. I felt parts of the first book were a little slow, didn't really care for the fencing story. I've also read Best Served Cold, which is amazing. If you enjoy The First Law, I highly recommend you read it.
I've also read The Heroes, which is quite good as well. I plan on starting Joe Abercrombie's newest book Red Country in a couple weeks.

TOCHMY

Sweden1692 Posts

June 12 2013 12:08 GMT

#1455

Nevermind my ignorance