Both 'Out' and 'Grotesque' are definite reads.
The first one is a group of women that start out trying to hide a murder and are black-mailed into working with the Yacuza.
The second one is mainly from one woman's viewpoint. Her sister was murdered and an old school friend was also murdered.
You see what it was like growing up and you see what they become. Not a cheerful book-very psychological. The author is one of the top writers in Japan. I am surprised she only has two books translated here.
the list would probably also include dan brown i didnt think his books were that great but some people did
surprisingly i enjoyed the davinci code movie
I like Angels and Demons much better then the Da Vinci Code. The rest of his books....meh.
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This is turning out to be a successful thread!
The book Last Man Standing is phenominal by Jack Olsen. I too am a book nerd! My problem is that i become overly analytical about the books I am reading and will often re-read them to be sure that I correctly read what I read the first time. I also had developed this fascination with Hitler's regime for a while and read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich twice (once in order to read all the footnotes and then again to read it without the footnotes) and Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary which was used largely for the movie Downfall. SOOOOOOO GOOD to be a book nerd!
I just picked up Julie Andrews' new autobiography, "Home: A Memoir of my Early Years." So far, it's fantastic...fascinating and NOT ghost-written.
She's a real gem of a lady, imo.
'Charlie's Web' by Joy Fielding(love her books)
Also- for mainly Pulp Fiction:
Jim Thompson- he wrote 'After Dark,My Sweet', 'The Killer Inside Me' and some other novels.
'The Killer Inside Me' was made into a film(quite a few of his writing was made into films)
It is about a Sheriff who is also a serial killer.
I just read a new book, Rock n Roll Heaven, a book about all the pop musicians that are now in the big theater in the sky, with info on deaths, funerals, graves, etc.
i like Chuck Palahniuk, Choke is prob. my favorite from him.
angels and demons def. better then da vinci code.
the lovely bones is good, and depressing. i liked the idea of ryan gossling playing the dad more then marky mark.
liked anne rice and the vampire chronicles until memnoch the devil, i dont think i got through the first chapter.
favorite books:
their eyes were watching god - zora neale hurston
ordinary people - judith guest
I've never forgotten "Ordinary People" either, and I read it over 25 years ago! What a wonderful book (and also a great film, perfectly cast).
Judith Guest wrote a crime novel, "The Tarnished Eye," just a few years ago...about the mass murder of an entire family in their home and the investigation into, well, who dunnit. It was SUPERB and scary as hell, I literally couldn't put it down. Highly recommended for death hags!
Here a couple of books I am reading"
'The Ghosts on the 87th Lane' by M.L. Woelm
and
'Ghost Hunting' by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Michael Jan Friedman
My mom appears to be a closet Death Hag! She's highly recommended this book to me, about death and the American Civil War. My sister had to leave the room when my mom flashed pictures from the book of a man being embalmed and another dying of gangrene!
_This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War_ by Drew Gilpin Faust
Here's part of the review blurb from Washington Post's Book World on the book (as quoted on Amazon dot com):
"Faust shows how American institutions adapted to the staggering burden of this new kind of war and wholesale death with a blend of can-do humanitarianism, pragmatic improvisation, mawkish sentimentality, political cant, commercial hucksterism and downright fraud. Freelance embalmers flocked to battlefields in the aftermath of the fighting. "Bodies taken from Antietam Battle Field and delivered to Cars or Express Office at short notice and low rates," read the business card of one entrepreneur. "Bodies Embalmed by us NEVER TURN BLACK! But retain their natural color and appearance," boasted another. In 1863, a Washington undertaker was imprisoned on charges of making a practice of recovering and embalming dead soldiers without permission and then extorting payment from families that wanted the bodies returned.
Faust convincingly demonstrates that the trauma of the Civil War revolutionized the American military's approach to caring for the dead and notifying families. After the war, a massive and superbly organized effort by the War Department to recover, identify and rebury Union dead in newly established national cemeteries was an act of atonement for the nation's failings during the war itself."
I bought a bunch of books the other day-here are 2:
1) Harold and Maude by Colin Higgins
2)'The Exorcist and the Possessed:The Truth about Exorcism' by Christopher Neil-Smith
Here are some books that are supposed to be good(that I haven't personally read)
1) The Blood of Strangers:Stories from Emergency Medicine by Frank Huyler
2)Lustmord:The Writings and Artifacts of Murders Edited by Brian King
3)After The Funeral:The Posthumous Adventures of Famous Corpses by Edwin Murphy
4) Funeral Customs:Their Origin and Development by Bertram S. Puckle
Thought I would play alchemist and raise the dead.......(this thread I mean). I was wrong in the Goodfellas thread about the title of Henry Hill's book I was reading. It's called: Gangsters and Goodfellas: The Mob, Witness Protection, and Life On the Run. Good stuff; it picks up where Wiseguys left off. He answers all the questions you wondered about at the end of the movie! Pick it up TODAY!!!! Or else....
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World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. He's the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. I got it for Xmas and I've read it 5 or 6 times already.
I have just read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy......a suitable read for a deathhag.....harrowing and beautifully descriptive! Recommended!
Non death hag related:
I love anything by Douglas Coupland, he is hilarious and such differnt style of books.
I loved the book My Little Blue Dress by Bruno Maddox, it was such a bizzare book to read.
Also loved the book by Rosalie Ham called The Dressmaker. It is an Australian book, I loved it.
I love reading travel books, especially any by Bill Bryson. I laugh out loud reading them, his descriptions of people, places and observations are just fantastic! If ever you want to be cheered up, I highly recommend him.
Nick Hornby is good too, I just absolutely love his book High Fidelity (yes I thought the movie was great too).
Oh and while I am at it, American Gods & Anasai Boys by Neil Gaiman, they both were crazy amazing!
I am sure I will add some more later on! I love reading!!!!
I started rereading Alice Cooper, Golf Monster yesterday. I've also been sorta into the Chicken Soup books.
Let me know what you think Jacko I woke up in the middle of the night to keep reading it the other night!
Im a painter and just had a big MFA exhibition of my work at a very good Gallery in Sydney. The bloke who I got to hang it for me told me the paintings I had done reminded him so much of the book and that I should read it! He than settled on a painting of mine as payment for his work! That was enough for me to dash out and try very hard to find it! Its hard to get here!
Also books by Tim Winton, "Dirt Music", also "The Turning" (great short stories) are fantastic reads! He also wrote "Cloudstreet" beautiful, horrific stories set in Australia that are so evocative of the landscape and people here! He is in MHO our greatest writer.
Luke Davies is good too, He wrote "Candy" which was make into a film with Heath Leger!
There is my Australian input for the day!
Meanwhile Im also reading "Tropic of Cancer" by Henry Miller in spurts which is more palatable than in one big hit!
PvN73 would you agree on the Aussie plugs?
Last edited by cherryghost; 04-29-2008 at 03:34 AM.
I have just bought "The New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle to gain my equilibrium in this harsh world, I did love "The power of Now" and was able to stay in the moment all the time I was reading it and then got lost again! Oprah is now on his bandwagon and may be deconstructing his credibility but I... I... I... was put onto him by a friend who is a gay Jesuit priest! So there .... about 8 yrs ago! Not that its all about me or anything.
I like a good self help book cus Im very gullible when it comes to positive thinking even though Im a natural realist by nature!
Got a bit cynical by the Australian expose of "The Secret" I think it was written by an expat Aussie and she and her crew are being discredited by the Australian press here a lot! Let us know what you think all words are powerful and if it works for you thats all that matters! Ya!
I just bought "The New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle, I read "The Power of Now" recommended to me by a gay jesuit priest yrs ago and was able to stay in the moment untill I finished the book! Oprah has jumped on his band wagon and is possibly deconstucting his credibility somewhat but I still think the man is a good guide by just a few of his ideas at least!
Im very gullible to positive thought even though Im a natural born fatalist!
Last edited by cherryghost; 04-29-2008 at 03:50 AM.
I tried to read 'The Ghost of 87th Lane' and what I read was very
fascinating. Thing is, I didn't have the patience to finish it. I kept wondering why the family stayed there for so many years.
Here are some fun reads:
1) Ravenous by Ray Garton(almost anything by him is excellent)
2) House of Blood and Queen of Blood by Bryan Smith
Congratulations Cherry on getting an exhibition! That is AWESOME! My best friend is a painter so I know what a milestone it is to get shown in a decent gallery, much less a good one! I've got several of his pieces hung in my home...
I'd love to see some of your work if you ever want to post!
Like Just Jack said, congrats on the showing, that is great news! One day you might come down to Melbourne to show your work - let me know I would love to go!
Yes, great Aussie picks there, I saw that there was a big article on Tim Winton in the weekend papers but I didnt get around to stealing a copy from work to read it. I read Candy years ago as well I think when it had just come out, it was so heart wrenching to read (I have not seen the movie though).
I have read a few Australian books - have you read these ones:
Neal Drinnan - Pussy's bow (based in Melbourne, it was funny, strange but funny)
Sarah Dazmody - Ticket to Ride - a kinda travelly book based on her getting a green card to the US and going on the Greyhound bus for a few months, it is hilarious to read. I thoroughly enjoyed her observations.
Kate Holden - In my sking. About her heroin addiction and prostitution. I really liked reading it, she has a lovely writing style.
Andrew Humphries - The weight of the Sun. (based in Sydney) such an interesting read, I have recommended this to a few friends to read.
Stephen Lacy - The Tin Moon - very Australian. Brings back memories!
Dorian Mode - A cafe in Venice -what an enjoyable read!
Anyways, they are some other Australian author's that I have purchased and read. I love reading them because it all seems so familiar.
Thanks to all of you for the interesting titles. On to the library!!!
I've been reading Charlotte's Webb to my son. He doesn't care much for it,but I love that book. Haven't really read any good grownup books in awhile.
I am also reading 'Send Yourself Roses' by Kathleen Turner and Gloria Feldt.
Just finished Tony Dungy Bio........Very good chapter on his sons suicide.......Very good read if you like football and want a coaches perception of preparing for a big game with family responsibilities still a factor.
Thanks for the congrats on the show, sold a painting this week and one for a fundraiser at the National Art school Drawcard show also! Agreed its hard to sell paintings and I do hope to get some work in Melbourne sometime soon! Great art scene there! Damn have to figure posting of work out on here hahah! My artist brain is very right side of course!
Oh just finished "If I did it by OJ Simpson" ucky yahda yahda yahda as he was fond of saying! His description of the murders of Nichole and Ron were just too real! Its winter here so reading is great on these cold nights and mornings!
Last edited by cherryghost; 05-03-2008 at 05:27 AM.
I just finished the Twilight series. I know, they're young adult books, but I fell in love with them. The final book is coming out in August and then the movie based on the first book is coming out at Christmas.
Two books I just got from the library and I do not know if they are good. They seem intriguing though.
1) 'Elephants on Acid and other Bizarre Experiments' by Alex Boese
2) 'UFO Religion:Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture' by Gregory L. Reece
The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz was pretty good. He does mean, nasty, evil people so well! Plus, dogs figure prominently in this one and I love my dog kids.
Its called The Republic of Suffering. I ordered it today and its suppose to be about how bodies were taken care of during the Civil War I think. I just hope it doesnt turn out to be a bust.
Thanx
Opeth
Never heard of it......you will have to let us know if it's a good read
I will. I just hope it is worth the money. If you join Quality paperback book club they have a ton of books for death hags ive got alot of mine from them.
take care
Opeth
Last edited by Opeth32; 05-14-2008 at 11:35 PM. Reason: Misspelled words
I had a book called True Crime: Infamous murderers throuhout history. and there was a story in it about a woman from England in the late 1800's who had become a maid. She got mad at her mistress one night and then the lady of the house went missing. The maid took up residence in the house and most of the neighbors didnt take very much notice of it. She did the odd thing here and there for money, like selling fat drippings which the neighbors bought up like crazy! They couldn't get enough of it. It was the best they had ever had. Turns out she had boiled her mistress and was selling the drippings off to her neighbors. Needless to say when the truth came out, she didnt last to long herself.
*I cant remember her name though. I lent the book to an uncle of mine and have not seen it since. Just thought I would share.