A few things on and off.
I'm skim reading various USMC manuals, the most recent focus was the sniper one. Sadly, I settled on Scout Sniper for my character. It's not what I intended, and makes me cringe deeper at the perception of piling on more cliches. To balance out his super-dude-who-can-do-everything, I have him throwing rocks, falling on his face trying to swing a sword and...why am I reading this manual again?!
I'm still reading Dune. I have been since last year... Every time I read it, I get inspired by something, so the reading stops often. I find the fremens and the middle eastern influences most interesting. It's more an educational read, but since the father died, I've been sluggish in my commitment to finish the novel. All the other characters seem flat. I really don't enjoy Paul Attreides, the all talented super chosen kid -- kinda like my sniper guy.... I definitely got the sense that Herbert draws from sentiments of the time. Still, I should finish this sci-fi classic one day...
I'm also reading Haruki Marukumi's memoir on his thoughts on running. Basically it's the only book I can find that is an engaging read about writing and running. I was really struggling to balance my running goals with my writing goals a while ago. Basically, I can't sit still behind my desk... I read a bit of that from time to time.
I'm also reading a Peter Straub collection of horror short stories. But I only got it to read The Buffalo Hunter. Again, reading focus is limited, so a few pages here and there. I really wanted to reread this weird story from my teen years. It's about a man who's depressed, doesn't know how to interact with women and he started collecting baby bottles. It all ends badly/strangely (from memory).
Finally, I'm reading an indulgent romance featuring blue aliens. I'll not horrify people here with the detail or extend an already long-winded post any longer.
(Not spell checked. Not grammar checked! No excuses, I'm just lazy!)
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