What are you reading now?

[Leyline]

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene. So brilliant it hurts. Lines of such elegant power that they inspire stories in my head.

[nicolam2711]

Currently trying to give A Casual Vacancy J. K. Rowling. Can't seem to get hooked on it... Determined to finish it though!

[Lilly Davidson]

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene. So brilliant it hurts. Lines of such elegant power that they inspire stories in my head.

Hi
Now I have never read that, although I have read a couple of his other books. I am making a note to do so at some point.

[ppsage]

Working on: Peregrine: Primus by Davidson. Just passed the bit with Ulyzus and the oar. Such erudite slapstick is right up my alley (ouch!); Deathbird Stories by Ellison. Just the foreward quotes about God, from Shaw's letter to Tolstoy, are worth the ptice of admission. And a scorching dust jacket by the Dillons; listening to (third time in as many decades) Ulysses. CD 20 of 40, in case anyone's forgot, Joyce wanted to be a singer more than a writer and listening it's possible to think he succeeded. Am also still trudging along in Rivers of Gold by Hugh Thomas. This is history, of 16 century Spanish Empire, mostly for the reign of their Catholic Majesties and mostly slanted toward New Spain. Sir Thomas is England's dean of the Spanish Empire but, like Stenton on the Anglo-Saxons, terribly dated and pedestrian. At least Sir Frank has the excuse of being 40 years deceased. There are many good volumes on this topic, but I've read most of them already I think. Or they're too expensive.

[moderan]

Deathbird Stories is magical. Strange Wine, the previous collection, I thought his best since Partners in Wonder, the collaborative anthology. I hope you enjoy it.

[moderan]

The Best of Barry N Malzberg. A replacement volume. Excellent short stories by an sf master. Highly recommended. My copy cost a buck.

[Lilly Davidson]

Hi Moderan
I like the sound of that author and his science fiction short stories. I noted him on my ongoing list and will check him out, especially if the price is kindle-friendly.

[moderan]

Hi Lilly,
Don't think it's on kindle (isn't, after checking). There are about a dozen of his novels, but no short story collections, and the prices aren't too friendly. The paperback is dirt-cheap, as noted above.

[moderan]

I got nostalgic and am now reading the Best from Orbit, volumes 1-10.

It is easily in the top 10 of SF anthologies of all time. Possibly in the top 5. Here's a full TOC (copied from here:
The Best from Orbit ed. Damon Knight (Berkley, 1975, hc)

• · A Sort of Introduction · Damon Knight · in
• · The Secret Place · Richard M. McKenna · ss Orbit 1, ed. Damon Knight, Berkley Medallion, 1966
• · The Loolies Are Here · Allison Rice · ss Orbit 1, ed. Damon Knight, Berkley Medallion, 1966
• · The Doctor · Theodore L. Thomas · ss Orbit 2, ed. Damon Knight, Berkley Medallion, 1967
• · Baby, You Were Great · Kate Wilhelm · ss Orbit 2, ed. Damon Knight, Berkley Medallion, 1967
• · The Hole on the Corner · R. A. Lafferty · ss Orbit 2, ed. Damon Knight, Berkley Medallion, 1967
• · I Gave Her Sack and Sherry [Alyx] · Joanna Russ · nv Orbit 2, ed. Damon Knight, Berkley Medallion, 1967
• · Mother to the World · Richard Wilson · nv Orbit 3, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1968
• · Don’t Wash the Carats · Philip José Farmer · ss Orbit 3, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1968
• · The Planners · Kate Wilhelm · ss Orbit 3, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1968
• · The Changeling · Gene Wolfe · ss Orbit 3, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1968
• · Passengers · Robert Silverberg · ss Orbit 4, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1968
• · Shattered Like a Glass Goblin · Harlan Ellison · ss Orbit 4, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1968
• · The Time Machine · Langdon Jones · nv Orbit 5, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1969
• · Look, You Think You’ve Got Troubles · Carol Carr · ss Orbit 5, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1969
• · The Big Flash · Norman Spinrad · nv Orbit 5, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1969
• · Jim and Mary G · James Sallis · ss Orbit 7, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · The End · Ursula K. Le Guin · ss Orbit 6, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · Continued on Next Rock · R. A. Lafferty · nv Orbit 7, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories · Gene Wolfe · ss Orbit 7, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · Horse of Air · Gardner R. Dozois · ss Orbit 8, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty · Harlan Ellison · ss Orbit 8, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · Rite of Spring · Avram Davidson · ss Orbit 8, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · The Bystander · Thom Lee Wharton · ss Orbit 8, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · The Encounter · Kate Wilhelm · nv Orbit 8, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
• · Gleepsite · Joanna Russ · ss Orbit 9, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1971
• · Binaries · James Sallis · ss Orbit 9, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1971
• · Al · Carol Emshwiller · ss Orbit 10, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1972
• · Live, from Berchtesgaden · George Alec Effinger · ss Orbit 10, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1972

There is not a bad story in the bunch. Several of them are among my favorite stories of all time (Passengers, The Big Flash, The Hole On The Corner, The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories). Many of them are award-winners, or multiple award-winners. You should get it right now.
I'm serious. I can't think of anyone whose life wouldn't be enhanced by reading this volume. And then go out and get the others:Dangerous Visions, Again, Dangerous Visions, Epoch, Adventures in Time and Space, A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, The Essential Ellison, The Best of C.M. Kornbluth, The Past Through Tomorrow, The Doors of his Face, The Lamps of His Mouth,and The Robert Silverberg Omnibus.
Yeah, that's my top ten list. It changes from time to time, but I'm sure that fellow aficionados would recognize the quality of each of those volumes.

[Nee]

Birdman by Mo Hayder

Infected by Scott Sigler MP3 audio

The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais CD audio
And,
Snakes in Suits: when psychopaths go to work, by
Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare.