Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 1211

alansplace · 11-16-2013, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alansplace

After reading Side Jobs I next read the 7 short stories published in assorted anthologies that I'd mentioned above including the one which hasn't actually been published yet anywhere, but since there's an excerpt available I've included that excerpt in this re-reading. Now on to Ghost Story!

I finished re-reading Ghost Story and will now re-read the final (t4th) book in The Dresden Files series, Cold Days!

DrNefario · 11-17-2013, 06:28 AM

I finished John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man last night, said to be the greatest ever locked-room mystery. It was fairly satisfying. I'm not 100% convinced that one part of it could have worked, but maybe I'm wrong.

I wasn't too fond of the writing style. The characters didn't seem to speak like real people. There was none of the easy flow of Agatha Christie. It was pretty much all about the puzzle. Carr was producing four books a year at that time, though, so maybe it's not too surprising. I'm not sure I'll be pursuing Carr's work much further. I have one other Gideon Fell mystery, actually an earlier one in the series, but I thought I might as well go for the more famous book.

BookGyrlinMO · 11-17-2013, 11:12 AM

I finished "The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton yesterday, have started "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman. It will be my first by Mr Gaiman, enjoying it so far.

Gazella · 11-17-2013, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookGyrlinMO

I finished "The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton yesterday.

Oh! I have added this one to my wish list on November 2012. Actually, this is the first book I added to my wish list, and the price has dropped 26% (was $12.99, now $9.56) since. Anyway, I'm interested to know what you thought of it. The synopsis seems intriguing.

Fbone · 11-17-2013, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I finished John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man last night, said to be the greatest ever locked-room mystery. It was fairly satisfying. I'm not 100% convinced that one part of it could have worked, but maybe I'm wrong.

I wasn't too fond of the writing style. The characters didn't seem to speak like real people. There was none of the easy flow of Agatha Christie. It was pretty much all about the puzzle. Carr was producing four books a year at that time, though, so maybe it's not too surprising. I'm not sure I'll be pursuing Carr's work much further. I have one other Gideon Fell mystery, actually an earlier one in the series, but I thought I might as well go for the more famous book.

I enjoyed Carr's He Who Whispers which I recently read. The quality of his books vary. Fortunately, they are discountable at Kobo so not very expensive.

pdurrant · 11-18-2013, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Elvenbane by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton. Another start of a fantasy series. We shall see.

Hmm... it might be a stand-alone. I just assumed a series.

Well, it's quite fun, and rolls along merrily, and then there's a very sudden and unsatisfactory 'resolution'.

Next up: The Man-Kzin Wars XIV. The next in the long-running series of short stories/novellas set in that particular aspect of Larry Niven's Known Space universe.

fantasyfan · 11-18-2013, 01:47 PM

I finished The Seedling Stars (1957) by James Blish. It is a series of thematically linked novellas and one short story as follows:

Book 1: "Seeding Program" introduces the main linking concept--"Pantropy": the ability to genetically modify humankind so as to make it possible to live on planets which would normally be completely inimical to human life. Set on Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the story skillfully blends a number of motifs particularly the danger posed by of power-hungry corporations.

Book 2 "The thing In the Attic" sounds like a horror story, but it's really just another clever variation on the adapted man theme. It is nicely done until the contrived ending.

Book 3 "Surface Tension" This; the longest piece, is the gem of the entire book--brilliantly imaginative. it is often anthologised as a stand-alone. If you haven't read this story read it. You're missing something.

Book 4 "Watershed" is rather a coda to the first three. Only about 10 pages long, it deals with a significant theme--a variation on racism--and is quite effective. Still, it seems an anticlimax coming after the brilliant "Surface Tension".

Dazrin · 11-19-2013, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Next up is Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. I have heard good things about this, but it is one of the longer books I have read recently. I was a little hesitant to start something this long since I have been enjoying the shorter (3-400 page) books recently and I am worried about the length of the book club selection for November.

Excellent read, but took a lot longer than I was hoping for. It doesn't look like I will be able to read the book club selection this month since this took so long.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

It's a strange kind of book. I found myself completely intrigued and you keep reading, but you can't quite put your finger on exactly why you keep reading. The story is disjointed at times and just seems to fade out towards the end.

Exactly my thoughts.

Yapyap · 11-19-2013, 03:50 PM

I can't even remember what I last posted about as having read, but it must have been a number of books ago...

In general, November's been a little less disappointing than September and October were. My last dozen reads (half of them still in October):

Rick Riordan - The House of Hades: I've not been as enthusiastic about the Heroes of Olympus series as I was with the first Percy Jackson series, but still great fun. Four stars.

Jason M. Hough - The Exodus Towers: second in the Dire Earth Cycle, scifi action/adventure with zombies and aliens. This is the kind of stuff I have to be in the right mood for, but fortunately I was, so I ended up enjoying it as much as the first book (The Darwin Elevator). Four stars.

Derek Landy - The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage: Tenth Doctor short story in Puffin's Doctor Who 50th Anniversary set of short stories. Very, very enjoyable. (I admit, I'm biased. By this point, I think Landy could write a phone book and I'd read it and give it five stars.) Five stars.

Veronica Roth - Allegiant. Meh. Major disappointment; I loved the first two books but that was me counting on getting some serious answers in the last book, and while we get an attempt at answers, I thought those answers sucked (not in a "I didn't like them" way but more "made no sense whatsoever" way). Two stars.

Louisa May Alcott - Little Women. I tried to like this, and there was quite a bit I did like about it, but overall, disappointing. Three stars.

Seanan McGuire - One Salt Sea. The October Daye series is one of the rare urban fantasy series I've persisted with (most I've given up on after one or two books, or not given up on but just keep putting off reading the next book), and I think it's been getting better with every book. This one (the fifth one) was definitely my favourite of the lot. Four stars.

Eoin Colfer - The Opal Deception. I've mostly been reading the Artemis Fowl books whenever I am really tired and need something very easy but still moderately enjoyable; I actually rather disliked the first book but the next ones have been better. I think I'd need to be a nine-year-old boy to appreciate all the bodily excretion and fart jokes, though, which are in abundance in these books, so that will always make me wince and decrease my enjoyment somewhat. Three stars.

Jonathan L. Howard - Katya's War. I loved the first book in this series (Katya's World) and this one was very good at all. Good, solid, "gritty" YA sci-fi with zero romance, in spite of starring a 16-year-old female protagonist. Four stars.

Neal Shusterman - UnSouled. Third in the Unwind series; dystopian YA. I thought the first book was decent (even if it reminded me a bit too much about Kazuo Ishiguro's superior Never Let Me Go), but the series has really grown into its own with the second and third book. Five stars.

Diana Pharaoh Francis - Shadow City. Third book in a rather original (and quite dark) urban fantasy series; to me, this was the best yet in this series. Oddly enough, after some consideration (and looking at some reviews), I think I'm also done with the series - it ended at a good place and I'd rather leave it with good memories. Four stars.

Laurie R. King - The God of the Hive. The tenth book in her Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series; not my favourite out of the lot but this has become a truly reliable series for me - I can depend on getting a good, solid read, and I wasn't disappointed. Four stars.

David Gibbins - Pharaoh. Interesting mixture of present-day underwater archaeological treasure hunt and historical war fiction; I very much enjoyed the bulk of the novel, which was the story of a Royal Engineers officer during the Gordon relief expedition in the Sudan in 1885, but felt the framing present-day story was rather weak, especially in comparison. Three stars.

And now I'm reading Susan Ee's World After; Angelfall turned out to be one of my favourite reads last year and while I wasn't quite as eagerly anticipating World After as many others I know, so far I'm finding it pretty good.

alansplace · 11-19-2013, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yapyap

I can't even remember what I last posted about as having read, but it must have been a number of books ago...

On 10-18-2013 you last posted, "I'm currently making my way through The Exodus Towers by Jason Hough..."

Yapyap · 11-19-2013, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alansplace

On 10-18-2013 you last posted, "I'm currently making my way through The Exodus Towers by Jason Hough..."

LOL, thanks! Well, at least I didn't repeat too many then.

alansplace · 11-19-2013, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alansplace

I finished re-reading Ghost Story and will now re-read the final (t4th) book in The Dresden Files series, Cold Days!

I finished re-reading Cold Days which also completed my annual The Dresden Files re-read! As always, I really enjoyed the re-read!

Next I'm taking a shot at reading a new (to me) author, J.R. Rain. A couple of weeks ago his newest release was on special in the Kindle store and the price was $0.00. It's up to $4.99 right now and it's on pre-order till December 1st! It's a mystery and is called, Silent Echo.

ucfgrad93 · 11-19-2013, 05:49 PM

I am currently reading The Natural Gas Revolution: At the Pivot of the World's Energy Future on my Kindle. It is rather expensive, but I got it for free about 10 days ago.

Crusader · 11-20-2013, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Exactly my thoughts.

Glad to see it wasn't just me who thinks that.

pdurrant · 11-20-2013, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Man-Kzin Wars XIV.

An enjoyable set of stories, two long ones and a handful of short shories.

And now for something completely different: A Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer.

11-19-2013, 05:49 PM	#18163
ucfgrad93 Wizard Posts: 2,360 Karma: 9026681 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Colorado Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2nd Gen	I am currently reading The Natural Gas Revolution: At the Pivot of the World's Energy Future on my Kindle. It is rather expensive, but I got it for free about 10 days ago. Attached Thumbnails

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11-17-2013, 06:28 AM	#18152
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,101 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	I finished John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man last night, said to be the greatest ever locked-room mystery. It was fairly satisfying. I'm not 100% convinced that one part of it could have worked, but maybe I'm wrong. I wasn't too fond of the writing style. The characters didn't seem to speak like real people. There was none of the easy flow of Agatha Christie. It was pretty much all about the puzzle. Carr was producing four books a year at that time, though, so maybe it's not too surprising. I'm not sure I'll be pursuing Carr's work much further. I have one other Gideon Fell mystery, actually an earlier one in the series, but I thought I might as well go for the more famous book.

11-17-2013, 11:12 AM	#18153
BookGyrlinMO Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Missouri Device: Kindle Fire	I finished "The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton yesterday, have started "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman. It will be my first by Mr Gaiman, enjoying it so far.

11-18-2013, 01:47 PM	#18157
fantasyfan Wizard Posts: 1,368 Karma: 26886344 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Oasis 3, 4G, iPad Air 2, iPhone IE	I finished The Seedling Stars (1957) by James Blish. It is a series of thematically linked novellas and one short story as follows: Book 1: "Seeding Program" introduces the main linking concept--"Pantropy": the ability to genetically modify humankind so as to make it possible to live on planets which would normally be completely inimical to human life. Set on Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the story skillfully blends a number of motifs particularly the danger posed by of power-hungry corporations. Book 2 "The thing In the Attic" sounds like a horror story, but it's really just another clever variation on the adapted man theme. It is nicely done until the contrived ending. Book 3 "Surface Tension" This; the longest piece, is the gem of the entire book--brilliantly imaginative. it is often anthologised as a stand-alone. If you haven't read this story read it. You're missing something. Book 4 "Watershed" is rather a coda to the first three. Only about 10 pages long, it deals with a significant theme--a variation on racism--and is quite effective. Still, it seems an anticlimax coming after the brilliant "Surface Tension".

11-19-2013, 03:50 PM	#18159
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	I can't even remember what I last posted about as having read, but it must have been a number of books ago... In general, November's been a little less disappointing than September and October were. My last dozen reads (half of them still in October): Rick Riordan - The House of Hades: I've not been as enthusiastic about the Heroes of Olympus series as I was with the first Percy Jackson series, but still great fun. Four stars. Jason M. Hough - The Exodus Towers: second in the Dire Earth Cycle, scifi action/adventure with zombies and aliens. This is the kind of stuff I have to be in the right mood for, but fortunately I was, so I ended up enjoying it as much as the first book (The Darwin Elevator). Four stars. Derek Landy - The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage: Tenth Doctor short story in Puffin's Doctor Who 50th Anniversary set of short stories. Very, very enjoyable. (I admit, I'm biased. By this point, I think Landy could write a phone book and I'd read it and give it five stars.) Five stars. Veronica Roth - Allegiant. Meh. Major disappointment; I loved the first two books but that was me counting on getting some serious answers in the last book, and while we get an attempt at answers, I thought those answers sucked (not in a "I didn't like them" way but more "made no sense whatsoever" way). Two stars. Louisa May Alcott - Little Women. I tried to like this, and there was quite a bit I did like about it, but overall, disappointing. Three stars. Seanan McGuire - One Salt Sea. The October Daye series is one of the rare urban fantasy series I've persisted with (most I've given up on after one or two books, or not given up on but just keep putting off reading the next book), and I think it's been getting better with every book. This one (the fifth one) was definitely my favourite of the lot. Four stars. Eoin Colfer - The Opal Deception. I've mostly been reading the Artemis Fowl books whenever I am really tired and need something very easy but still moderately enjoyable; I actually rather disliked the first book but the next ones have been better. I think I'd need to be a nine-year-old boy to appreciate all the bodily excretion and fart jokes, though, which are in abundance in these books, so that will always make me wince and decrease my enjoyment somewhat. Three stars. Jonathan L. Howard - Katya's War. I loved the first book in this series (Katya's World) and this one was very good at all. Good, solid, "gritty" YA sci-fi with zero romance, in spite of starring a 16-year-old female protagonist. Four stars. Neal Shusterman - UnSouled. Third in the Unwind series; dystopian YA. I thought the first book was decent (even if it reminded me a bit too much about Kazuo Ishiguro's superior Never Let Me Go), but the series has really grown into its own with the second and third book. Five stars. Diana Pharaoh Francis - Shadow City. Third book in a rather original (and quite dark) urban fantasy series; to me, this was the best yet in this series. Oddly enough, after some consideration (and looking at some reviews), I think I'm also done with the series - it ended at a good place and I'd rather leave it with good memories. Four stars. Laurie R. King - The God of the Hive. The tenth book in her Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series; not my favourite out of the lot but this has become a truly reliable series for me - I can depend on getting a good, solid read, and I wasn't disappointed. Four stars. David Gibbins - Pharaoh. Interesting mixture of present-day underwater archaeological treasure hunt and historical war fiction; I very much enjoyed the bulk of the novel, which was the story of a Royal Engineers officer during the Gordon relief expedition in the Sudan in 1885, but felt the framing present-day story was rather weak, especially in comparison. Three stars. And now I'm reading Susan Ee's World After; Angelfall turned out to be one of my favourite reads last year and while I wasn't quite as eagerly anticipating World After as many others I know, so far I'm finding it pretty good.