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

[pilotbob]

I finished The Martian a really good book. I rated it 4.5 of 5 stars on Librarything.

As I got near the end I really...

Spoiler:

...expected everyone on Hermes to die. I mean, the way the book was going, how could his luck hold.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by orlok

I really enjoyed this book when I read it many years ago. My edition has a glossary, so that you can translate the Russian-based slang. Doesn't sound like yours has that?

I read the Kindle edition. It didn't have a glossary. It would've been very useful though.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I finished The Martian a really good book. I rated it 4.5 of 5 stars on Librarything.



As I got near the end I really...

Spoiler:

...expected everyone on Hermes to die. I mean, the way the book was going, how could his luck hold.

No! I wouldn't have liked that!

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I completed Crocodile on the Sandbank. It was really an enjoyable read and I suspect I'll be reading others in this series in the future. Now on to Urn Burial (Phryne Fisher #8) by Kerry Greenwood.

I finished reading Urn Burial and as always really enjoyed the continuing adventures of Phryne Fisher. Now on to Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot #23) by Agatha Christie.

[Gazella]

Anyone who enjoys reading non-fiction should to take a look at The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. For those who do not read non-fiction should also check it out; I guarantee you, after reading this book you'll be wanting to read more of the same. It's about the University of Washington's varsity rowing crew and their quest for an Olympic gold medal. Please do not let that be a turn off for you. I didn't know a lot about rowing prior to reading this book. Nor do I watch this sport (though I'm interested now) but this definitely did not stop me from enjoying the book. It's centered around the life of one of the varsity crew member, Joe Rantz. The narration jumps between Rantz's life and his and his crew's quest to the Olympics and then goes to talk about an important event that occured during that time; like the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, Hitler's reign/life, etc.

I immensely enjoy reading non-fiction and my favorite in the genre has always been Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken however, after reading The Boys in the Boat, it has become my all-time favorite right above Hillenbrand's. Yes it's that good, and even better. The author, Daniel James Brown did an outstanding job writing this book. His storytelling skills are extraordinary. I've read a lot of non-fictions that are dull but this one is far from that. Literally, the best book I've read so far. A truly entertaining and remarkable work of narrative non-fiction. Highly recommended.

I'm going to post the link to the Kindle edition for anyone interested. It's $10.99 but totally worth the price.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Gazella

No! I wouldn't have liked that!

This sort of spoils the end of the book... so...

Spoiler:

Yes, there is something I recall reading, but I don't recall where or when that talked about the culture of the happy ending. People want a happy ending. They can love a book, but if the hero dies at the end, or nothing is resolved or whatever, people decide they don't like the book.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

This sort of spoils the end of the book... so...

Spoiler:

Yes, there is something I recall reading, but I don't recall where or when that talked about the culture of the happy ending. People want a happy ending. They can love a book, but if the hero dies at the end, or nothing is resolved or whatever, people decide they don't like the book.

Interesting. And true

[Namekuseijin]

I'm back full-throttle into A Game of Thrones - book one, chapter 32 from 72. I had halted after zapping for awhile...

and to think there's 4 extra heavy tomes after that.

but it grabbed me. Fine, fine prose and narrative arcs focusing on many viewpoints, interesting characters and plot and subplots. Never watched the TV series...

in the meanwhile also bought Dan Brown's Da Vinci and Stephen King's The Shining (incredibly low bargain price). I also see Plato and Dickens waving at me from under the pile.

can a man ever find the time to pursue all his interests?

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I am going to have to try Bury Your Dead. I read the first four, enjoyed them, and then have abandoned the 5th one at least three times. Just don't like it. Not sure what it is, but what ever it is, started in the 4th, but got worse in the 5th.

OTOH, you're not the first person who has liked the 6th, and my DW even said to just skip the 5th. Whatever it is that's bugging me about the 5th, it bothered her as well, but not enough to abandon it. So I guess I'll have to give the 6th a try. It's in Calibre, since she bought it, so it won't count against my $$.

For what it's worth, I hated #5 and you lose nothing by skipping it since the case is rehashed in its entirety in the next book, although I don't recommend reading either. My comments in this thread about these two books from last summer are spoilered below:

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by Synamon

Brutal Telling and Bury Your Dead (#5 and 6 of the Three Pines series) by Louise Penny were read back to back. I was very annoyed when the investigation in #5 of the series was rushed and wrong and a complete waste of time. The next book re-opens the case and starts over, plus they manage to save the world from terrorists. Yes, it is as lame as it sounds. I want my cozy Three Pines stories back.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Synamon

For what it's worth, I hated #5 and you lose nothing by skipping it since the case is rehashed in its entirety in the next book, although I don't recommend reading either. My comments in this thread about these two books from last summer are spoilered below:

Oh, dear. Maybe I'll just wait on that, and find something else to read. Ah, I've got it! Nothing cozier than a Miss Silver mystery.

Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver mysteries are starting to make it to eBook. They are PD in some places, but not in others, and IAC there are good versions available for cheap. I'm currently reading Case is Closed, #2 in the series. I had read it years ago, but have forgotten almost all the plot so enjoying it quite a bit again.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I ended up reading Honor Harrington #8, Echoes of Honor, and really enjoyed it. I may start #9, Ashes of Victory, since none of my library holds have come in yet. At least the first couple chapters to see what the fallout from the last book is.

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I have found myself skipping and skimming large sections* of Ashes of Victory which is not a good sign. If it gets worse, I will put it on hold for a while and move on to something else. Either way I will be taking a break from Honor Harrington after this.

*The info dumps seem to be more numerous and longer in the last couple books than the previous ones. Hopefully, assuming I finish this one before I take a break, the anthologies will help me get back into the Honorverse when I decide to continue. I will be following pdurrant's suggested reading order I think.

Well, it took forever, but I finally finished Ashes of Victory. Not a very satisfying ending, but it was fun there for a while. It will probably be a while before I start the next one.

Next is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde for the book club.

[CharredScribe]

Just finished Ghost in the Machine, by Ed James (self-published). Story wasn't bad, but the story-telling was amateurish.

Right now, reading The Giver, by Lois Lowry - dystopian science fiction. Read it many, many, many times as a teenager and early 20s, but not for several years, so I'm actually really enjoying rediscovering it.

I hear a movie based on the book is being made.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver mysteries are starting to make it to eBook. They are PD in some places, but not in others

Patricia Wentworth died in 1961, so they're out of copyright in life+50 countries (e.g. Canada), but won't be out of copyright in life+70 until 2032.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver mysteries are starting to make it to eBook. They are PD in some places, but not in others, and IAC there are good versions available for cheap. I'm currently reading Case is Closed, #2 in the series. I had read it years ago, but have forgotten almost all the plot so enjoying it quite a bit again.

Can you advise where they are available cheaply? They are £3.95 at Amazon UK, which I wouldn't regard as cheap, although it's certainly not outrageous.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

I am reading Fever: A Novel by Mary Beth Keane. It is based on "Typhoid Mary." I'm 7% in and finding it good so far.

If you're interested, Typhoid Mary by Anthony Bourdain is currently $1.99 at Amazon (originally $9.59; $10.99 at B&N)