Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[Kindoll]

Ash by James Herbert and I'm really getting into it.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'm assuming you've already read Master and Commander, the first book in the series? It's not an absolute, certainly, the books stand alone. But there is so much history and character development across the series that it's useful to start at the beginning. Or, if not, go back and read the earlier book(s) when you can.

This is one of my all time favourite series, full stop.

I am reading them in order, just not back to back.
And yes they are very enjoyable.
Apache

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Apache

I am reading them in order, just not back to back.
And yes they are very enjoyable.
Apache

No, back to back would be too much, plus it would kill off the anticipatory pleasure of knowing I have one of them in my TBR.

[Stitchawl]

I had forgotten just how good Lawrence Block's "Matt Scudder" books were! I'm re-reading "A Dance at the Slaughterhouse," having first read it many years ago when it came out. So long ago that it's as if I've never read it before. I have no idea how he's going to resolve the two different threads he's weaving in this book. Really... a great read!


Stitchawl

[CRussel]

Yes, they ARE good, aren't they? I've got several sitting in my TBR. Need to push a couple to the top of it...

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Another interesting set of stories. I probably should have read this closer to the time I bought them! I'll start adding one in every so often.

Next: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September/October 2012. I didn't notice that this had come out. Good so far.

Overall, just an OK issue. Nothing that really stood out for me.


Next: Grantville Gazette 43 edited by Paula Goodlett

More soap opera in the 1632 universe.

[sun surfer]

I finished A Thousand Miles Up the Nile by Amelia Edwards. It's a 19th century travelogue about taking a boat, well, a thousand miles up the Nile in Egypt. It has a lot of very interesting parts - her small party discovered a room and ruins buried under sand for thousands of years, in one town they were led through back rooms trying to buy illegal antiques and ended up trying to be forced to buy an actual mummy in front of them, boat racing up the Nile, at one point an angry mob (almost justifiably) attacking a member of her party, and seeing Egyptian life from the poorest "fellah" to the well-off "sheyk" with "hareems" full of women. I also really liked the writer's zest for adventure, and there's plenty of illustrations of various places made by the writer herself throughout the book.

However, I felt the book had many dry spots, as the writer was extremely interested in all the ruins and described many in almost too much detail. Even sometimes she'd say she'd "only give a brief description" of a particular ruin and then that would last 2 pages, so imagine the less brief ones! It becomes a bit monotonous when the descriptions occur because so many are so similar. I usually abhor abridged editions of fiction books, but for this old non-fiction book, I think it would do to have an abridged version with much of the ruin descriptions cut down.

Aside from over-description, it is interesting reading about ruins which quite a few of are now gone or inaccessible (especially near the end of her journey in "Nubia"; there is now a dam on the Nile that flooded many of the towns and ruins she visited and made a lake), and all the rest of the book is fascinating. Overall, I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars as a very interesting book of real-life adventure and a culture already so changed, but that one needs to put up with recurrent dry spells of overlong ruin descriptions to savour the sweet parts of the rest.

Next up for me is Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, the pick for the Lit Club here this month. Published five or so years ago, all I mainly know is that it's a story about a boy in England in the 80s. Hope it's good!

[Apache]

Originally Posted by CRussel

No, back to back would be too much, plus it would kill off the anticipatory pleasure of knowing I have one of them in my TBR.

I enjoyed HMS Surprise so much I decided to continue on with The Mauritius Command.
Apache

[HarryT]

Just finished "Spinsters in Jeopardy", by Ngaio Marsh, the 17th book in the "Inspector Alleyn" series. In this outing, published in 1953, Alleyn is sent under cover to France, with his family (he's gained a 6-year-old son somehow since the last book!) to investigate the connection between an ancient French fortress, occupied by what today we'd call a "new age cult", and an international heroin distribution operation. Many adventures follow, including the kidnapping of Alleyn's young son, Ricky, and his (Alleyn's) attempt to infiltrate the cult to find out what's going on.

I thoroughly enjoyed this - it's one of the best of the series so far, I think. A good mix of adventure, solid detective work, and with the occasional bit of humour thrown in, too. Highly recommended.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Apache

I enjoyed HMS Surprise so much I decided to continue on with The Mauritius Command.
Apache

Warning: they just keep getting better. The thing about this series is that I honestly didn't think there was a dud in it.

Originally Posted by HarryT

Just finished "Spinsters in Jeopardy", by Ngaio Marsh, the 17th book in the "Inspector Alleyn" series. In this outing, published in 1953, Alleyn is sent under cover to France, with his family (he's gained a 6-year-old son somehow since the last book!) to investigate the connection between an ancient French fortress, occupied by what today we'd call a "new age cult", and an international heroin distribution operation. Many adventures follow, including the kidnapping of Alleyn's young son, Ricky, and his (Alleyn's) attempt to infiltrate the cult to find out what's going on.

I thoroughly enjoyed this - it's one of the best of the series so far, I think. A good mix of adventure, solid detective work, and with the occasional bit of humour thrown in, too. Highly recommended.

Agreed, an excellent one. And I'm glad it wasn't just that I'd somehow missed the birth of their son. I read these in no particular order, so I had just assumed I'd managed to miss the one(s) where Troy was pregnant and/or gave birth.

Meanwhile, I'm struggling through An Infamous Army. One of my least favourite Heyer's. And at the same time, I'm listening to Crystal Dragon by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. A good book, but with some real dead spots at the beginning.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I've completed reading Stephen King's 11/22/63: A Novel and really really enjoyed it. Also I know a lot more about Lee Harvey Oswald and the J.F.K. assassination than I ever wanted to. But that's okay because King makes it all so very interesting and I became quite absorbed in the tale. Anyway, tomorrow I'm going to start a re-read of the three books in the James Potter series by G. Norman Lippert.

I finished my re-read of the first book in the James Potter series by G. Norman Lippert, James Potter and the The Hall of Elders Crossing. As with the first time I read it this was a very fun read this second time around as well.

I've decided to spread out the James Potter fun by interspersing the three Potter books with other types of stories so Im going to next read the just released 12th Mary Russell novel, Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King.

[dreams]

Over the last month or so, I have been reading freebies by Stephanie Bond. Light, easy, fun little books.

Kill the Competition (a humorous romantic mystery)
Our Husband (a humorous romantic mystery)
Three Wishes (a romantic comedy)
I Think I Love You (a humorous romantic mystery)
In Deep Voodoo (Mojo, Louisiana humorous mystery series #1)
Got Your Number (a humorous romantic mystery)
Whole Lotta Trouble (a humorous romantic mystery)

And I found one more freebie to read by her.
Baby, I'm Yours (Southern Roads)

I had forgotton, how light and fun these are to read in between other more intense books. I am still reading A Thousand Miles Up the Nile and trying to figure out how to make the whispersync work between a Kindle book and an Audible book.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next: Grantville Gazette 43 edited by Paula Goodlett

More soap opera in the 1632 universe.

An OK edition. I found the Jane Austen story rather too contrived and confusing.

Next up: Another Agatha Christie: Death Comes as the End.

I picked this up back in March 2010, to fill in a hole in the large collection of Agatha Christie's I bought in February 2010.

This one is an oddity - set in ancient Egypt, ca. 2000BCE.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Another Agatha Christie: Death Comes as the End.

I picked this up back in March 2010, to fill in a hole in the large collection of Agatha Christie's I bought in February 2010.

This one is an oddity - set in ancient Egypt, ca. 2000BCE.

Perhaps explained by the fact that Christie was married to one of the foremost acheologists of his day, Sir Max Mallowan. Although this is the only one of her stories set in the past, a number involve archeological settings, such as "Murder in Mesopotamia" and "Death on the Nile".

I enjoyed this book, personally.

[JSWolf]

I am currently reading Blood Rites by Jim Butcher.

For Harry Dresden, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Still, there’s something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film’s producer believes he’s the target of a sinister curse-but it’s the women around him who are dying.

Harry’s even more frustrated because he only got involved with this bizarre mystery as a favor to Thomas-his flirtatious, self-absorbed vampire acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can’t quite figure out. But Harry is about to discover that Thomas’ family tree has been hiding a shocking revelation that will change his life forever…

So far, it's not as action packed as Death Masks was. But we are getting some good character development so far.