What books are you reading for pleasure these days?

Recently finished Celine by Peter Heller. A really good novel of an aging private eye couple sensitively written, based on the author's own mother, who seems to have led a pretty extraordinary life. This guy can really write compelling narratives.

 
Terry Pratchettt: A Life With Footnotes - The Official Biography by Rob Wilkins. A somewhat bitter sweet read: pleasing to find out about the man, saddening to know he's no longer around to write more Discworld stories.
Read it a few weeks ago, agree it is a bitter sweet read, but he had a wonderful mind and such a loss - have you read The Shepherds Crown yet?
 
Ben Lerner, The Hatred of Poetry

A long essay in which the author argues that poetry is met with contempt, rather than indifference, much more often than other forms of art, and this stems from the fact that poetry promises to deliver some higher truths about the world—but inevitably fails to do so. However, he then turns the argument on its head and uses it to defend the art.
 
Read it a few weeks ago, agree it is a bitter sweet read, but he had a wonderful mind and such a loss - have you read The Shepherds Crown yet?
I’m only a few pages into the biography but have decided to stop.

For a host of reasons, I never got around to the last 5 or so Discworld books including The Shepherd’s Crown. Over Christmas my fantastic (sic) wife secretly bought me the books I was missing.

In the New Year I’ll start at the Colour of Magic and continue through the full set, finishing with the biography.
 
Ben Lerner, The Hatred of Poetry

A long essay in which the author argues that poetry is met with contempt, rather than indifference, much more often than other forms of art, and this stems from the fact that poetry promises to deliver some higher truths about the world—but inevitably fails to do so. However, he then turns the argument on its head and uses it to defend the art.
"My name is Ozymandias, King of kings,
Look on my works ye mighty, and despair
"
Etc. (Shelley)

As applicable today as a century and a half ago ...

[Edit] The entire poem is here.

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley | Poetry Foundation

Sobering observations indeed.
[End edit]
 
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Neal Shusterman "The Scythe".
While being labeled "young adult", I highly recommend this book and the 2 following in this series (Thunderhead and The Toll) if You are into sci-fi and fantasy.
What happens when death no longer exists and Earth is overwhelmed by the exploding number of inhabitants? You create a class of people that can "eliminate" anybody they like. What happens if that special class of people goes rampant?
 
I just finished The Deepest of Secrets, the final book on Kelley Armstrong's Rockton mystery series. It was a nice finale to the 7 book series. The first book of the follow up series Haven's Rock won't be out in paperback until late next year.
 
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