What Are You Reading? vX.x - Page 15

rowech · 05-26-2012, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

Just finished The Rising Tide by Jeff Shaara. Good book about the Allied campaign in North Africa and Sicily. I'm going to jump into Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer. He tells great stories.

Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about Archer. Kane and Abel along with As the Crow Flies are two books nobody ever mentions and they are both outstanding.

cougarfreak · 05-26-2012, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rowech

Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about Archer. Kane and Abel along with As the Crow Flies are two books nobody ever mentions and they are both outstanding.

Kane and Abel was a hell of a read, one of my top 10's of all time. I think Archer and some of Follet's books are comparable (The Fall of Giants, Pillars of the Earth), as far as story telling goes. I've not read As the Crow Flies.

Autumn · 05-26-2012, 05:01 PM

Read it for a class I'm taking, but the verse translation of Beowulf by Seamus Heaney is quite fantastic. I really enjoyed the modern translations of the Iliad and others done by Stanley Lombardo - this reminded me of that. The story became really easy to get into in this translation. It's a quick read, definitely worth it.

Grover · 05-26-2012, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autumn

Read it for a class I'm taking, but the verse translation of Beowulf by Seamus Heaney is quite fantastic. I really enjoyed the modern translations of the Iliad and others done by Stanley Lombardo - this reminded me of that. The story became really easy to get into in this translation. It's a quick read, definitely worth it.

+1. This sits on my bookshelf and the spine is quite worn.

PurdueBrad · 05-26-2012, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autumn

Read it for a class I'm taking, but the verse translation of Beowulf by Seamus Heaney is quite fantastic. I really enjoyed the modern translations of the Iliad and others done by Stanley Lombardo - this reminded me of that. The story became really easy to get into in this translation. It's a quick read, definitely worth it.

We use the Heaney for my seniors and the Lombardo Illiad for our juniors at the high school. Both are very, very good versions.

whomario · 05-27-2012, 09:15 AM

anybody have any suggestions for good fiction set in the american Civil War era and also books that deal with events in the "Indian Wars" (fiction or non-fiction) ?

Passacaglia · 05-27-2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whomario

good fiction set in the american Civil War era

Gone with the Wind?

EDIT: Although probably less than half the book takes place during the Civil War, the rest is Reconstruction.

PurdueBrad · 05-27-2012, 11:46 AM

I've taken the plunge on the Dresden Files books and am really enjoying them. I've read the first five in the last couple days and am looking forward to going through the rest over the next week or so. Highly recommend thus far but I assume I'm pretty late to the party with these so many of you have probably already read them.

cougarfreak · 05-27-2012, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whomario

anybody have any suggestions for good fiction set in the american Civil War era and also books that deal with events in the "Indian Wars" (fiction or non-fiction) ?

Honestly, if you're looking for "alternative" history from that era, the Newt Gingrich books are pretty good.

rowech · 05-27-2012, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whomario

anybody have any suggestions for good fiction set in the american Civil War era and also books that deal with events in the "Indian Wars" (fiction or non-fiction) ?

If you haven't read The Frontiersmen then you need to...

Amazon.com: The Frontiersmen eBook: Allan W. Eckert: Kindle Store

whomario · 05-29-2012, 04:59 PM

thanks guys

Have just bought Frontiersmen first, seems right up my alley

portnoise · 06-17-2012, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Just finished The Rising Tide by Jeff Shaara. Good book about the Allied campaign in North Africa and Sicily. I'm going to jump into Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer. He tells great stories.

Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about Archer. Kane and Abel along with As the Crow Flies are two books nobody ever mentions and they are both outstanding.

As the Crow Flies is good, but Ann-Marie McDonald's best is Fall On Your Knees.

PS. My favorite reads so far this year are 11/22/63, Name of the Wind and it's sequel, Thinking Fast and Slow, and Scorecasting.

Read the first Dresden Files, partly because of this thread, but found it wasn't really my thing. Does it get better?

Working on Sabbath's Theater by Philip Roth now.

Anyone on Goodreads?

terpkristin · 06-17-2012, 07:24 AM

I'm currently reading Endymion. I'm enjoying it...the May book pick for my book club was Hyperion, which I had read before...without knowing that it was the first in a series and was itself half a book. This time, I read Fall of Hyperion right afterward and really enjoyed it. I moved quickly onto Endymion and really like it, as well. I'm trying to finish it and Rise of Endymion before my book club starts the July pick, which will also be a science fiction book.

I'm also reading Tigana, my first book by Guy Gavriel Kay. I'm not enjoying it very much. I'm finding the flowery language distracting and am getting bored by character descriptions/introductions that don't move the plot along. It's the "June" pick for my book club, but I'm ready to give it up. People who have finished it say it "gets good at around page 500" (out of 678), I'm not sure I care to invest that much time. I'm listening to the audio version, so at least I'm not taking away from Endymion to read it (only listen when I drive and stuff, when I can't read).

/tk

rowech · 06-17-2012, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by portnoise

As the Crow Flies is good, but Ann-Marie McDonald's best is Fall On Your Knees.

That was in reference to Archer's "As the Crow Flies."

Chief Rum · 06-17-2012, 05:19 PM

Been a bit since I checked in here, so to update...

I finished Reynolds "House of Suns". I thought it was excellent. I have since read some reviews and found them mixed, and I understand the complaints. For me myself, though, I loved it and found it to be a fantastic bit of hard sci fi. In particular, I was very impressed with the scope of time and context Reynolds worked with here (we're talking hundreds of thousands of years of actual events on a background of characters with million-year lives). And the ending was very touching.

I since read another book in the Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry, which is good thriller work in the vein of Dan Brown. That was actually an offshoot book of the Malone series that related to the Catholic Church.

I then read a spy book that was good, but that right now I am totally drawing a blank on title and author. The lead character was a spy named The Scorpion. It's rather Bourne-ish.

And now I am tearing threw the Farsee series by Hobb. Already a fifth of the way into the third book. It's terrific.

rowech · 06-17-2012, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Been a bit since I checked in here, so to update...

I finished Reynolds "House of Suns". I thought it was excellent. I have since read some reviews and found them mixed, and I understand the complaints. For me myself, though, I loved it and found it to be a fantastic bit of hard sci fi. In particular, I was very impressed with the scope of time and context Reynolds worked with here (we're talking hundreds of thousands of years of actual events on a background of characters with million-year lives). And the ending was very touching.

I since read another book in the Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry, which is good thriller work in the vein of Dan Brown. That was actually an offshoot book of the Malone series that related to the Catholic Church.

I then read a spy book that was good, but that right now I am totally drawing a blank on title and author. The lead character was a spy named The Scorpion. It's rather Bourne-ish.

And now I am tearing threw the Farsee series by Hobb. Already a fifth of the way into the third book. It's terrific.

What is Reynolds' best book in your (or anyone else's) opinion?

OldGiants · 06-23-2012, 11:34 AM

congrats to TerpKristen for getting her question to George R. R. Martin on this week's episode of Sword and Laser. Martin's long answer takes up a good bit of the segment, so good job, TK.

Marc Vaughan · 06-23-2012, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

And now I am tearing threw the Farsee series by Hobb. Already a fifth of the way into the third book. It's terrific.

Awesome series - I second this nomination.

terpkristin · 06-23-2012, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldGiants

congrats to TerpKristen for getting her question to George R. R. Martin on this week's episode of Sword and Laser. Martin's long answer takes up a good bit of the segment, so good job, TK.

No way! I haven't been able to catch the interview yet, I'm stoked to hear they asked the question. I've been a long-time member of the S&L community and there were easily the most questions I've ever seen posted by members, and a lot of them were interesting (and a lot of them were what you'd expect like "Who are Jon Snow's parents")...cool that they asked mine. I'll have to check it out when I'm near a WiFi signal.

/tk

stevew · 06-23-2012, 03:28 PM

I can't read, but I just finished "Not Taco Bell Material" by Adam Carolla. The audiobook was hilarious. Some of the stories were recycled from the podcast, but there was enough funny original material.

Also listening to Kasher in the Rye by Moshe Kasher. Not very far into it, but he's a Jewish standup who grew up in Oakland with deaf parents.

Peregrine · 06-27-2012, 04:28 AM

I thought I had mentioned Mike Carey's Felix Castor series here before, but a search shows otherwise. It is fantastic across the board - a bit along the lines of the Dresden Files, but more interesting IMO. Carey is a well known comic writer who has written on a ton of titles for several companies, and started the Castor Books in 2006.

They are set in a London which has become haunted with ghosts, talking zombies, demons and other strange creatures. Felix Castor is an exorcist, part of a small group that make their living by driving out ghosts that have taken residence in homes and businesses. For me there is always an interesting element of mystery in the books as he has to investigate why the ghost is there, and of course gets into a lot of trouble along the way.

I definitely recommend these - they are great.

The Devil You Know
Vicious Circle
Dead Men's Boots
Thicker Than Water
The Naming Of the Beasts

Chief Rum · 06-27-2012, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Awesome series - I second this nomination.

I just finished it. I ended up not liking the third book as much as the first two, but I did still enjoy it. Just the third book got a little bit too "out there" at times.

That said, I look forward to checking out the other series Hobbs has written in this universe. I know the Tawny Man series goes back to dealing with the same characters, which I definitely want to check out. But it seems that the Liveship Traders series might ahve an impact as well, but not deal directly with too many of the characters from the Farseer series.

So my question is, when I get back to this (gonna read non-fantasy for a bit), is it worth it to read the Liveship Traders or should I go straight to the Tawny Man?

Chief Rum · 06-27-2012, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rowech

What is Reynolds' best book in your (or anyone else's) opinion?

Sorry, rowech, I somehow missed this until now.

As a standalone, I think House of Suns is probably my favorite, but I have enjoyed most of Reynolds' standalone novels.

I would think nevessary reading on Reynolds would start with the Revelation Space series. That's Revelation Space, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap. I think I liked Ark (the middle one) the best out of those.

Reynolds has a lot of strange ideas, just to warn you. He really takes things far with respect to the hard science. I respect that, but wow, he goes some weird places.

Scoobz0202 · 07-10-2012, 08:17 PM

I discovered Half-Priced Books today, the brick and mortar store.

Where have you been all my life.

molson · 08-06-2012, 04:49 PM

I finished Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick, which looked the lives of ordinary North Koreans during the 1990s famine through the accounts of defectors. Very interesting, it pretty much answered the question I had that caused me to read this book, "What's the deal with North Korea?"

The other thing I took from this book is - USA, USA, USA!!! Our lives pretty much rule.

Groundhog · 08-07-2012, 01:53 AM

Picked up 'The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade' by Wise Bauer. Only read the section on Constantine so far, but so far so good. I don't know a lot about this early era.

SackAttack · 08-07-2012, 04:10 AM

11/22/63, Stephen King.

Fits the pattern of a lot of King novels - great build-up and a 'what just happened?' ending. In this case, having the ending be so abrupt kind of made sense in the context of what was going on, unlike some of his other works where he gets about 600 pages in and says "and they all lived happily ever after...or not."

I'm actually surprised, between this and Under the Dome. I thought he was in semi-retirement, but he keeps cranking out these fairly hefty books.

Groundhog · 08-07-2012, 04:24 AM

What's the consensus on Under the Dome? They had a copy in a hotel I stayed at last year, and outside of that I'd never heard of it. Sounds interesting in a "The Simpsons Movie" kind of way.

Drake · 08-07-2012, 06:22 AM

I despise Under the Dome. Just a horrible, horrible book...and anytime I hear someone say it's their favorite Stephen King book, I automatically assume they're mentally ill.

Absolutely, ludicrously terrible.

dfisher · 08-07-2012, 08:33 AM

I enjoyed Under the Dome for the most part, but that ending is one of his worst.

panerd · 08-07-2012, 09:48 AM

Yeah Under the Dome wasn't horrible. It actually was a pretty good story until (like dfisher) said the ending. Without going into too much detail I am not sure there would be a reasonable way to end the book but the way he chose was probably about the most far fetched way possible. That said the story within the town was enjoyable. (There are certainly far better reads for 700+ pages and/or King)

I am not sure how many Stephen King books you have read Drake but am just curious on why the hatred for this book in particular where many of his books share similar angles/themes?

cougarfreak · 08-07-2012, 10:22 AM

I thought under the dome was good read, but he ending was pretty goofy. I loved the JFK book, but thought it was kind of hard to wrap up, with an unexpected twist, which I think is what he wanted.

Drake · 08-07-2012, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by panerd

I am not sure how many Stephen King books you have read Drake but am just curious on why the hatred for this book in particular where many of his books share similar angles/themes?

I've read pretty much every book he's ever written. Some of his older ones are favorites. (Pet Sematery, The Stand, It, etc. Adore his short story collections. i even found some redeeming value in Cujo. I liked Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher quite a bit less, but they were solid enough.)

Under the Dome was just abysmal for me. It felt like the whole thing was constructed from caricatures of Stephen King Characters(tm)...and yeah, the ending.

Understand that UtD was also my bathroom book. I keep a book in the bathroom that I read only in the bathroom until it's done. I've done this for years. It seriously took something like 17 months to read UtD, once or twice a day, in 8-10 minute intervals.

So, srsly, I had shit right there to compare it to the whole way through, and there were a ton of similarities.

Grover · 08-07-2012, 11:50 AM

I'm in the same boat with Drake, but then again The Eyes of the Dragon is my favorite King novel.

SackAttack · 08-07-2012, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grover

I'm in the same boat with Drake, but then again The Eyes of the Dragon is my favorite King novel.

Eyes of the Dragon is fantastic.

Under the Dome was mediocre. Good enough that I recently acquired a copy a year or two after having read it, but poor enough that it took me being able to secure said copy for free before I DID acquire it.

Drake · 08-07-2012, 12:39 PM

I just picked up Neal Stephenson's Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing, and am inappropriately giddy to start reading it. It stretches back to 1994, so not all of it will be new, but how can I resist when there are essays with titles like "Metaphysics in the Royal Sociaty 1715-2010" and "Under-Constable Proudfoot"?

IlliniCub · 08-07-2012, 04:46 PM

I enjoyed Under the Dome until the end..Another case of King not being able to finish well. Not his best work. I've recently started Duma Key, am I going to be disappointed?

panerd · 08-07-2012, 05:18 PM

I don't want to confuse anyone into thinking that I thought the ending was good I just didn't think the unusual townspeople, a few of which had serious psychopathic tendencies, were that far removed from a lot of his previous work. And the story was pretty fun and interesting... until they got up to the inner workings of the dome that is. So I wouldn't offer a recommendation to anyone but that’s more due to the length of the book than thinking it was pure garbage.

I would love to hear some more detailed opinions on the last hundred or so pages but didn't know if anyone was planning on reading the book and didn't want to spoil it for them.

terpkristin · 08-08-2012, 08:54 PM

I'm listening to the special "uncut" version of The Stand. I'm about halfway through and can easily say it's my favorite King book so far (others I've read: It, On Writing, Dark Tower 1 and 2 and start of 3). I think the story is about to transition a bit, I hope I continue to like it.

Also, in advance of the movie coming out in October, I'm reading Cloud Atlas right now with some people in my book club. I'm only about 75 pages in, and am not really sure I get what the story exactly is. But I like it so far.

/tk

samifan24 · 08-24-2012, 02:39 PM

A family friend just published his first novel for the Kindle (paperback, too) and I just thought I'd share it with FOFC. It's a political thriller called "The First Lady Sleeps" and is on sale for 99 cents this weekend. Here's a brief synopsis:

Quote:

Secret Service agent Tom Gleason has taken every precaution to keep the President and the pregnant First Lady safe during a pre-election campaign stop in Detroit. However, simultaneous terrorist attacks on the President and the First Lady are orchestrated by an insider familiar with their different schedules for the day. The guilt racked Gleason’s investigation points to a terrorist mastermind hiding in plain sight. What he does not realize is that he himself has become an instrument of the president’s destruction.

bob · 08-26-2012, 07:14 AM

Other than Contact and Space by Michener are there any good space exploration novels?

rowech · 08-26-2012, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob

Other than Contact and Space by Michener are there any good space exploration novels?

I have not read it but I've always been intrigued by "Voyage" by Stephen Baxter.

DaddyTorgo · 09-03-2012, 08:14 PM

New S.M. Stirling out tomorrow

Amazon.com: Lord of Mountains: A Novel of the Change (Change Series) (9780451464767): S. M. Stirling: Books

Can hardly wait to pick up my copy after work and dive right in!

terpkristin · 09-15-2012, 05:06 PM

My recent travel to London was pretty much abysmal for a variety of reasons, but it did have a bright spot: I finished reading (listening to) The Stand and reading (really reading) Cloud Atlas.

The Stand was really good, though I'll admit that I was more drawn in by the characters than the plot per se. As the story started drawing toward its inevitable "stand," I found myself not as interested in the details of the events as what happened to the people. I listened to the "uncut" version and felt that there were some places that could have been edited down...I'm not sure if they were in the original or if they were there because King has more money than God and just wanted them there. Anyway, it was definitely my favorite King book, but wasn't so good that I want to dive back into The Dark Tower anytime soon.

Cloud Atlas was a wholly different beast. I started reading it because it was a "renegade read" for August and September in my book club, with the movie coming out in late October. Turns out it's also going to be my book club's pick in October, but that wasn't public knowledge when I started reading it with the group. I really really really enjoyed this book, though I admit it took a little while to get into the groove of the story and kinda grok what was going on. That said, I'm reasonably well-convinced that even with the crew doing the film version, the movie will be terrible. Too much relies on the use of language and the feel of the words that were written, in addition to the story-telling. But seriously, it's a good book.

After those hefty volumes, I needed some lighter stuff (plus, I have a goal of reading 52 books this year and I'll never make it if they're ALL 1,000+ page beasts...). I've also had a yen for epic fantasy. I know, those two things don't really "go" together. I decided this was best handled by listening to some of the lighter audiobooks in my Audible backlog and reading Way of Kings on my Kindle. Then I decided that I wanted to read Way of Kings while I'm in the hospital, so I actually got it in mass market paperback, too. And I downloaded the audio version. I'm locked, stocked, and...ready? I'm only about 100 pages in but I was sucked in from the start.

Some of the lighter stuff I've read or am reading or am about to read:
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. This was very similar to "Bossypants" by Tina Fey, but written by someone who isn't as funny and isn't as accomplished as Fey. And though Kaling seems smarter than I expected, I'm also not sure she's as smart as Fey. This is worth skipping.

Fun House: A John Ceepak Mystery by Chris Grabenstein. This is apparently the 7th book in the Ceepak series and has the same feel as most of the others...I actually think it's the weakest of the bunch, but haven't written up my review yet. It's odd, at one point I wrote in one (or more) of my reviews of these books that they weren't going to win any awards for fantastic writing or anything, but apparently Tilt-A-Whirl in the series did win an Anthony Award for best first novel. This one was more predictable than some of the others, but still was enjoyable as a quick, fun, beach book.

Tough Sh*t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good by Kevin Smith. I'm listening to this now. It's ok. I like Kevin Smith's flicks (well, the ones I've seen), but I'm really not a movie person in general...so a lot of the stuff he talks about, which focuses on creativity, film intrigue, the film world...just isn't doing it for me. But there are some interesting things, and actually some more generic takeaway messages in it. And I've added 2 more Kevin Smith movies to my "to watch" list (one's even available on Netflix...Red State).

Leader of the Pack by David Rosenfelt. This is yet another entry into the Andy Carpenter series, which is hands down my favorite "popcorn book" series. It's also in the mystery-thriller genre and is also (like the Ceepak books) a series based in New Jersey. They're good fun, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book with my favorite lazy lawyer.

After I finish that, I'll have exhausted my "easy pickings" in my queue, but I've got 2 books to review for SFFAudio.com that look relatively short, so I'll probably move onto those while continuing to read Way of Kings. I don't want to read any other fantasy while reading Way of Kings, to ensure I don't end up crossing stories or anything...

/tk

(Note, all links here go to my Goodreads reviews...for some, the review isn't posted yet)

Chief Rum · 09-15-2012, 06:35 PM

I am almost done with the Liveship Traders trilogy. Glad I didn't skip to get back to Fitz-Chivalry in the Tawny Man series. Liveship Traders is excellent. Each book so far has been better than the last, and that is rare. I am about 100 pages from the conclusion of Ship of Destiny.

Glengoyne · 09-15-2012, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

I am almost done with the Liveship Traders trilogy. Glad I didn't skip to get back to Fitz-Chivalry in the Tawny Man series. Liveship Traders is excellent. Each book so far has been better than the last, and that is rare. I am about 100 pages from the conclusion of Ship of Destiny.

I just finished the Assassin's Quest earlier this summer, and The Liveship Traders is next on my list. I'm currently in the middle of the "Red Seas Under Red Skies", the follow up to the "Lies of Locke Lamora". I'm enjoying both of these authors, while I wait for Brandon Sanderson to complete the Wheel of Time and get back to the Stormlight Archive.

On top of that some friends have loaned me the first several of R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novels. They are intriguing if not near as good as the rest of what I read.

MacroGuru · 09-16-2012, 09:30 AM

I decided to re-read the Dragonlance Dragons series...just wanted a decent and fun fantasy read, plus they are out on the kindle now.

spleen1015 · 12-25-2012, 01:23 PM

Started reading American Gods yesterday.

I am very confused by this book.

Spoiler

sterlingice · 12-25-2012, 01:41 PM

Yeah, that's how it goes. A book called American Gods is not going to be total realism.

SI

cougarfreak · 12-25-2012, 03:10 PM

Has anyone ever read the Draka series by Stirling? It just became available on Kindle, and I'm thinking about picking it up.

05-27-2012, 09:15 AM	#706
whomario Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2007	anybody have any suggestions for good fiction set in the american Civil War era and also books that deal with events in the "Indian Wars" (fiction or non-fiction) ? __________________ “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”

05-29-2012, 04:59 PM	#711
whomario Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2007	thanks guys Have just bought Frontiersmen first, seems right up my alley __________________ “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”

06-17-2012, 07:24 AM	#713
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	I'm currently reading Endymion. I'm enjoying it...the May book pick for my book club was Hyperion, which I had read before...without knowing that it was the first in a series and was itself half a book. This time, I read Fall of Hyperion right afterward and really enjoyed it. I moved quickly onto Endymion and really like it, as well. I'm trying to finish it and Rise of Endymion before my book club starts the July pick, which will also be a science fiction book. I'm also reading Tigana, my first book by Guy Gavriel Kay. I'm not enjoying it very much. I'm finding the flowery language distracting and am getting bored by character descriptions/introductions that don't move the plot along. It's the "June" pick for my book club, but I'm ready to give it up. People who have finished it say it "gets good at around page 500" (out of 678), I'm not sure I care to invest that much time. I'm listening to the audio version, so at least I'm not taking away from Endymion to read it (only listen when I drive and stuff, when I can't read). /tk __________________ GO TERPS! https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

06-17-2012, 05:19 PM	#715
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Been a bit since I checked in here, so to update... I finished Reynolds "House of Suns". I thought it was excellent. I have since read some reviews and found them mixed, and I understand the complaints. For me myself, though, I loved it and found it to be a fantastic bit of hard sci fi. In particular, I was very impressed with the scope of time and context Reynolds worked with here (we're talking hundreds of thousands of years of actual events on a background of characters with million-year lives). And the ending was very touching. I since read another book in the Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry, which is good thriller work in the vein of Dan Brown. That was actually an offshoot book of the Malone series that related to the Catholic Church. I then read a spy book that was good, but that right now I am totally drawing a blank on title and author. The lead character was a spy named The Scorpion. It's rather Bourne-ish. And now I am tearing threw the Farsee series by Hobb. Already a fifth of the way into the third book. It's terrific. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

06-23-2012, 11:34 AM	#717
OldGiants College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Location, Location, Location	congrats to TerpKristen for getting her question to George R. R. Martin on this week's episode of Sword and Laser. Martin's long answer takes up a good bit of the segment, so good job, TK. __________________ "The case of Great Britain is the most astonishing in this matter of inequality of rights in world soccer championships. The way they explained it to me as a child, God is one but He's three: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I could never understand it. And I still don't understand why Great Britain is one but she's four....while [others] continue to be no more than one despite the diverse nationalities that make them up." Eduardo Galeano, SOCCER IN SUN AND SHADOW

05-26-2012, 05:01 PM	#703
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	Read it for a class I'm taking, but the verse translation of Beowulf by Seamus Heaney is quite fantastic. I really enjoyed the modern translations of the Iliad and others done by Stanley Lombardo - this reminded me of that. The story became really easy to get into in this translation. It's a quick read, definitely worth it.

06-23-2012, 03:28 PM	#720
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	I can't read, but I just finished "Not Taco Bell Material" by Adam Carolla. The audiobook was hilarious. Some of the stories were recycled from the podcast, but there was enough funny original material. Also listening to Kasher in the Rye by Moshe Kasher. Not very far into it, but he's a Jewish standup who grew up in Oakland with deaf parents.

06-27-2012, 04:28 AM	#721
Peregrine Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cary, NC	I thought I had mentioned Mike Carey's Felix Castor series here before, but a search shows otherwise. It is fantastic across the board - a bit along the lines of the Dresden Files, but more interesting IMO. Carey is a well known comic writer who has written on a ton of titles for several companies, and started the Castor Books in 2006. They are set in a London which has become haunted with ghosts, talking zombies, demons and other strange creatures. Felix Castor is an exorcist, part of a small group that make their living by driving out ghosts that have taken residence in homes and businesses. For me there is always an interesting element of mystery in the books as he has to investigate why the ghost is there, and of course gets into a lot of trouble along the way. I definitely recommend these - they are great. The Devil You Know Vicious Circle Dead Men's Boots Thicker Than Water The Naming Of the Beasts Last edited by Peregrine : 06-27-2012 at 04:29 AM.

07-10-2012, 08:17 PM	#724
Scoobz0202 Pro Rookie Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Dayton, Ohio	I discovered Half-Priced Books today, the brick and mortar store. Where have you been all my life.

08-06-2012, 04:49 PM	#725
molson General Manager Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Mountains	I finished Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick, which looked the lives of ordinary North Koreans during the 1990s famine through the accounts of defectors. Very interesting, it pretty much answered the question I had that caused me to read this book, "What's the deal with North Korea?" The other thing I took from this book is - USA, USA, USA!!! Our lives pretty much rule.

08-07-2012, 01:53 AM	#726
Groundhog Coordinator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia	Picked up 'The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade' by Wise Bauer. Only read the section on Constantine so far, but so far so good. I don't know a lot about this early era. __________________ Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. --Ambrose Bierce

08-07-2012, 04:10 AM	#727
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	11/22/63, Stephen King. Fits the pattern of a lot of King novels - great build-up and a 'what just happened?' ending. In this case, having the ending be so abrupt kind of made sense in the context of what was going on, unlike some of his other works where he gets about 600 pages in and says "and they all lived happily ever after...or not." I'm actually surprised, between this and Under the Dome. I thought he was in semi-retirement, but he keeps cranking out these fairly hefty books.

08-07-2012, 04:24 AM	#728
Groundhog Coordinator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia	What's the consensus on Under the Dome? They had a copy in a hotel I stayed at last year, and outside of that I'd never heard of it. Sounds interesting in a "The Simpsons Movie" kind of way. __________________ Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. --Ambrose Bierce

08-07-2012, 06:22 AM	#729
Drake assmaster Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Bloomington, IN	I despise Under the Dome. Just a horrible, horrible book...and anytime I hear someone say it's their favorite Stephen King book, I automatically assume they're mentally ill. Absolutely, ludicrously terrible.

08-07-2012, 08:33 AM	#730
dfisher High School JV Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Hatboro, PA	I enjoyed Under the Dome for the most part, but that ending is one of his worst.

08-07-2012, 09:48 AM	#731
panerd Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: St. Louis	Yeah Under the Dome wasn't horrible. It actually was a pretty good story until (like dfisher) said the ending. Without going into too much detail I am not sure there would be a reasonable way to end the book but the way he chose was probably about the most far fetched way possible. That said the story within the town was enjoyable. (There are certainly far better reads for 700+ pages and/or King) I am not sure how many Stephen King books you have read Drake but am just curious on why the hatred for this book in particular where many of his books share similar angles/themes? Last edited by panerd : 08-07-2012 at 09:49 AM.

08-07-2012, 10:22 AM	#732
cougarfreak College Starter Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Out of Grad School Hell :)	I thought under the dome was good read, but he ending was pretty goofy. I loved the JFK book, but thought it was kind of hard to wrap up, with an unexpected twist, which I think is what he wanted. __________________ “I don’t like the Cubs,” Joey Votto said. “And I’m not going to pat anybody with a Cubs uniform on the back."

08-07-2012, 11:50 AM	#734
Grover Pro Starter Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Lisboa, ME	I'm in the same boat with Drake, but then again The Eyes of the Dragon is my favorite King novel. __________________ Come On You Irons! West Ham United \| Philadelphia Flyers \| Cincinnati Bengals \| Kansas City Royals FOFC Greatest Band Draft Runner Up FOFC Movie Remake Draft Winner FOFC Movie Comedy Draft Winner

08-07-2012, 12:39 PM	#736
Drake assmaster Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Bloomington, IN	I just picked up Neal Stephenson's Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing, and am inappropriately giddy to start reading it. It stretches back to 1994, so not all of it will be new, but how can I resist when there are essays with titles like "Metaphysics in the Royal Sociaty 1715-2010" and "Under-Constable Proudfoot"?

08-07-2012, 04:46 PM	#737
IlliniCub High School Varsity Join Date: Mar 2012	I enjoyed Under the Dome until the end..Another case of King not being able to finish well. Not his best work. I've recently started Duma Key, am I going to be disappointed?

08-07-2012, 05:18 PM	#738
panerd Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: St. Louis	I don't want to confuse anyone into thinking that I thought the ending was good I just didn't think the unusual townspeople, a few of which had serious psychopathic tendencies, were that far removed from a lot of his previous work. And the story was pretty fun and interesting... until they got up to the inner workings of the dome that is. So I wouldn't offer a recommendation to anyone but that’s more due to the length of the book than thinking it was pure garbage. I would love to hear some more detailed opinions on the last hundred or so pages but didn't know if anyone was planning on reading the book and didn't want to spoil it for them.

08-08-2012, 08:54 PM	#739
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	I'm listening to the special "uncut" version of The Stand. I'm about halfway through and can easily say it's my favorite King book so far (others I've read: It, On Writing, Dark Tower 1 and 2 and start of 3). I think the story is about to transition a bit, I hope I continue to like it. Also, in advance of the movie coming out in October, I'm reading Cloud Atlas right now with some people in my book club. I'm only about 75 pages in, and am not really sure I get what the story exactly is. But I like it so far. /tk __________________ GO TERPS! https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

08-26-2012, 07:14 AM	#741
bob College Starter Join Date: Oct 2004	Other than Contact and Space by Michener are there any good space exploration novels?

09-03-2012, 08:14 PM	#743
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	New S.M. Stirling out tomorrow Amazon.com: Lord of Mountains: A Novel of the Change (Change Series) (9780451464767): S. M. Stirling: Books Can hardly wait to pick up my copy after work and dive right in!

09-15-2012, 05:06 PM	#744
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	My recent travel to London was pretty much abysmal for a variety of reasons, but it did have a bright spot: I finished reading (listening to) The Stand and reading (really reading) Cloud Atlas. The Stand was really good, though I'll admit that I was more drawn in by the characters than the plot per se. As the story started drawing toward its inevitable "stand," I found myself not as interested in the details of the events as what happened to the people. I listened to the "uncut" version and felt that there were some places that could have been edited down...I'm not sure if they were in the original or if they were there because King has more money than God and just wanted them there. Anyway, it was definitely my favorite King book, but wasn't so good that I want to dive back into The Dark Tower anytime soon. Cloud Atlas was a wholly different beast. I started reading it because it was a "renegade read" for August and September in my book club, with the movie coming out in late October. Turns out it's also going to be my book club's pick in October, but that wasn't public knowledge when I started reading it with the group. I really really really enjoyed this book, though I admit it took a little while to get into the groove of the story and kinda grok what was going on. That said, I'm reasonably well-convinced that even with the crew doing the film version, the movie will be terrible. Too much relies on the use of language and the feel of the words that were written, in addition to the story-telling. But seriously, it's a good book. After those hefty volumes, I needed some lighter stuff (plus, I have a goal of reading 52 books this year and I'll never make it if they're *ALL* 1,000+ page beasts...). I've also had a yen for epic fantasy. I know, those two things don't really "go" together. I decided this was best handled by listening to some of the lighter audiobooks in my Audible backlog and reading Way of Kings on my Kindle. Then I decided that I wanted to read Way of Kings while I'm in the hospital, so I actually got it in mass market paperback, too. And I downloaded the audio version. I'm locked, stocked, and...ready? I'm only about 100 pages in but I was sucked in from the start. Some of the lighter stuff I've read or am reading or am about to read: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. This was very similar to "Bossypants" by Tina Fey, but written by someone who isn't as funny and isn't as accomplished as Fey. And though Kaling seems smarter than I expected, I'm also not sure she's as smart as Fey. This is worth skipping. Fun House: A John Ceepak Mystery by Chris Grabenstein. This is apparently the 7th book in the Ceepak series and has the same feel as most of the others...I actually think it's the weakest of the bunch, but haven't written up my review yet. It's odd, at one point I wrote in one (or more) of my reviews of these books that they weren't going to win any awards for fantastic writing or anything, but apparently Tilt-A-Whirl in the series did win an Anthony Award for best first novel. This one was more predictable than some of the others, but still was enjoyable as a quick, fun, beach book. Tough Sht: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good by Kevin Smith. I'm listening to this now. It's ok. I like Kevin Smith's flicks (well, the ones I've seen), but I'm really not a movie person in general...so a lot of the stuff he talks about, which focuses on creativity, film intrigue, the film world...just isn't doing it for me. But there are some interesting things, and actually some more generic takeaway messages in it. And I've added 2 more Kevin Smith movies to my "to watch" list (one's even available on Netflix...Red State). Leader of the Pack by David Rosenfelt. This is yet another entry into the Andy Carpenter series, which is hands down my favorite "popcorn book" series. It's also in the mystery-thriller genre and is also (like the Ceepak books) a series based in New Jersey. They're good fun, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book with my favorite lazy lawyer. After I finish that, I'll have exhausted my "easy pickings" in my queue, but I've got 2 books to review for SFFAudio.com that look relatively short, so I'll probably move onto those while continuing to read Way of Kings. I don't want to read any other fantasy while reading Way of Kings, to ensure I don't end up crossing stories or anything... /tk (Note, all links here go to my Goodreads reviews...for some, the review isn't posted yet) __________________ GO TERPS!* https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

09-15-2012, 06:35 PM	#745
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	I am almost done with the Liveship Traders trilogy. Glad I didn't skip to get back to Fitz-Chivalry in the Tawny Man series. Liveship Traders is excellent. Each book so far has been better than the last, and that is rare. I am about 100 pages from the conclusion of Ship of Destiny. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

09-16-2012, 09:30 AM	#747
MacroGuru Coordinator Join Date: May 2003 Location: Utah	I decided to re-read the Dragonlance Dragons series...just wanted a decent and fun fantasy read, plus they are out on the kindle now. __________________ "forgetting what is in the past, I strive for the future"

12-25-2012, 01:23 PM	#748
spleen1015 Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2003	Started reading American Gods yesterday. I am very confused by this book. Spoiler Shadow's wife just paid him a visit the night of her funeral. __________________ Why choose failure when success is an option?

12-25-2012, 01:41 PM	#749
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	Yeah, that's how it goes. A book called American Gods is not going to be total realism. SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

12-25-2012, 03:10 PM	#750
cougarfreak College Starter Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Out of Grad School Hell :)	Has anyone ever read the Draka series by Stirling? It just became available on Kindle, and I'm thinking about picking it up. __________________ “I don’t like the Cubs,” Joey Votto said. “And I’m not going to pat anybody with a Cubs uniform on the back."

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