Non-fiction?  The best that I've read lately is Water Wars though I can't remember the author, and I've given the book back.

On the Fiction tip, I just finished Shella by Andrew Vachss, which I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone here.

-cg

Kafka on the Shore

by

Haruki Murakami

Translated by

Philip Gabriel

This book is excellent

twitter/ josephallenart 

josephallenart.com 

Well, this book is only for the Danish people here. Sorry.

I just finished reading "16 år i Sibirien" (16 years in Siberia) by Rachel and Israel Rachlin. They tell their story about when they got deported from Lithuania to different places in Siberia. They survived out there for 16 years with 3 kids!!! It´s an AMAZING book!! I can strongly recommend it! Don´t think it was ever translated....

Ditte 

I am almost finished reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which I think people on this forum would like a lot.  It's one of those post-apocalyptic traveller novels, but with the added bonus of a frightened child.

On the same tip, I recently read Samuel Delaney's dhalgren, which is similar in basic plot line, but more on the side of disturbing sexual and racial dynamics.  It's not as easy a read as McCarthy, but Delaney is well worth the effort in my opinion.

-cg

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

Personally my fave SK novel is Different Seasons, though to be honest, The Stand and IT are the two books of his I reread the most. They remind me of a time when he wasn't a complete hack (anything prior to 1997).

I still think he's a much more talented short story writer than a novel writer. He's got the skill to write really interesting plots, but it's when he has to flesh out those plots into a full-length story that he gets into trouble. When he's on, he's very very on. Books like The Stand and IT prove that. But often times he's not on (oh Dreamcatcher, thou stolest six hours of my life I will never get back). I've always felt that if you have to throw that much superfluous crap into a story to get it up to hundreds of pages, that's your writer's mind telling you that what you've got there is meant to be a short story and not a whole book. (Wizard and Glass should have been treated as such!)

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

Currently in the middle of The Remains of the Day.  Thought I'd get my depressing English manservant on for the summer.

-cg

Two of my favorite and greatest books about filmmaking are All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger and Make Your Own Damn Movie, both by Lloyd Kaufman.

My favorite fiction book is King Dork by Frank Portman.  Check it out. 

That has gotten a nod of approval.

-cg

Bleep you, & bleep the establishment, and bleep all of you who are trying to make me part of the unestablished establishment.

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

Gene Wolfe's 5 book set, The Book of the New Sun, is not to be missed.  The first installment is The  Shadow of the Torturer, which follows the young torturer's apprentice Severian as he leaves his guild and begins his journey to becoming...well I won't say.  It all takes place in a post-apocalyptic Urth, and Severian meets all kinds of beings along the way.  Beautiful language, deep, philosophical, Qabalistic and  mystical Christian imagery.  Anything by Wolfe is outstanding, but start with Severian.  Also try  Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Salman Rushdie's Shalimar the Clown, and for the Margaret Atwood fans, my favorite was Cat's Eye.  Oh yeah, John Fowles' The Magus is a trip.  As an ex-librarian, I could go on and on, but that's good for now...

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper