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

[ATDrake]

Re-read Charles Stross' The Nightmare Stacks, latest in his Laundry Files series, before returning it to the library over the weekend, paying a little more attention to the details this time.

The past couple of books have been switching away from usual narrator Bob Howard's viewpoint to present alternate looks into the organization, ostensibly because Bob has now leveled up too much in powerset and experience to be a particularly plausible beleaguered character for the cases being dealt with. While Stross' first-person narrative voice in the series tends to suffer from a certain sameness, IMHO, he seems to be getting a bit better at conveying different internal character styles, and it was nice to see him get experimental with the bits set in the alternate fantasy locale.

I enjoyed seeing how the Laundry and its Lovecraftian bureaucratic procedures looked from the outsider perspective of new recruits Alex and Pete the Vicar, as well as catching up with some older guest characters, and also seeing how our modern human society might look to people not actually from it. Which brings me to Best Out-Of-Context Quote, which beats the usual reptoid royal family conspiracy theories:

Well, there is a queen. — has memories of seeing her on television, waving and smiling. Waving and smiling, not smiting. It's a mystery. How does this ancient and undoubtedly powerful sorceress compel the obedience of so many subjects, if she refrains from smiting?

I also liked that one of the new characters introduced whom I thought would end up playing only a supporting role for one of the established characters, ended up having the roles reversed so that the established character became an adjunct to their character development and storyline instead, which was a nice play on the usual way that particular trope is handled. Interestingly enough, there was an unusual double footnote at some point leading to separate notes for the same reference, which I normally only see on the backs of my Terry Pratchett paperbacks*†, which I'm wondering how the e-book version will convey, since they usually switch to using single asterisked endnotes throughout, from the copies I already have.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how the fallout of the rather surprising ending will work, given that Stross has stated on his blog that Brexit has jossed what he had in mind and he's now frantically rewriting the political bits which address that in next year's book #8, which is supposed to bring us back to Bob Howard's POV, now that everything has hit the fan and become in need of his leveled up crisis-dealing skills.

Recommended as another entertaining installment for continuing readers of the series, and possibly for interested newbies as well. Apparently this was written with the idea of being a mid-series jumping-on point for new readers, who'd get introduced to how the Laundry worked alongside with recent recruit Alex. This one was a lot more on the action adventure side than usual, if you think you might be interested in seeing the logistics of some fantasy military stuff in the modern world (and don't mind being spoilered for some of the characters' introductory backstory presented in book #5, some of which was originally presented as a mystery for Bob to figure out).

* Informing me that the prices for Australia and New Zealand are only suggested, and not fixed like the ones for the UK and Canada. Presumably this has something to do with fluctuating currency values or import stuff.

† And that the suggested price for one country includes GST (but not the other).

[Hampshire Nanny]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Next is a library book, The Last Policeman by Ben H Winters. The description caught my interest.

Hmmm... looked it up on Amazon. Great description and now I'm interested, but the cover and the HTML mark-up in the description are both off-putting. I'd never have taken a look at it without this recommendation.

Originally Posted by HarryT

Finished "Friday the Rabbi Slept Late", by Harry Kemelman. This is the first book in the "Rabbi Small" series of detective stories.

I loved this series and it's one I'd like to re-read. (I almost *NEVER* re-read a book, much less an entire series.) I found myself challenged to think deeply about morality and faith as Rabbi Small counselled those who came to him with questions.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Well, it was OK. The bit with the immersion video game seems to have been strNext: Asimov's SF for September 2016.

Which was an average issue.

Next up: Limbo System by Rick Cook. A recent Baen purchase.

[Dngrsone]

Finished Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. I already commented on how awesome the book started; the finish is as good.

Now on another non-fic: Seduced by Madness by Carol Pogash. This is the story behind the Susan Polk murder case, and so far it is kind of scary, considering I have a family member who is nearly as batsh*t crazy as Mrs. Polk...

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Just finished "Dead on My Feet", by William Mark Simmons, which I bought from Baen in 2003. A sequel to "One Foot in the Grave". Baen description:



Very enjoyable. Recommended.

That sounds like fun, Harry. I'll have to look it up.

I am actually thoroughly enjoying To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis now. Once it got going and the protagonist was in Victorian Oxford, I was into it. 70% done

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

That sounds like fun, Harry. I'll have to look it up.

It is fun, but read the first book, "One Foot In the Grave" first. Although the second book certainly can be read as a standalone novel, you'll get more from it if you've read the first book.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

That sounds like fun, Harry. I'll have to look it up.

I am actually thoroughly enjoying To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis now. Once it got going and the protagonist was in Victorian Oxford, I was into it. 70% done

Originally Posted by HarryT

It is fun, but read the first book, "One Foot In the Grave" first. Although the second book certainly can be read as a standalone novel, you'll get more from it if you've read the first book.

I remember reading them in paper many years ago and enjoyed them.
Apache

[HarryT]

There are, I believe, four books in the series. I look forward to reading the other two when I get to the appropriate points in my Baen backlog.

[drjd]

Originally Posted by drjd

Next up, The Girl from Baghdad by Michelle Nouri.

Finished The Girl from Baghdad by Michelle Nouri. Its a memoir written by Michelle Nourie, narrating her early years in Baghdad not before too long the world Michelle knows collapses: a war breaks out with Iran, and her own father betrays her. Impoverished and abandoned, her only option is to flee to Czechoslovakia, and to embark on a painful and emotional journey between different cultures: Arabic, ex-communist and Western.

Next up, The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ by Nicolas Notovitch.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Currently reading The North Water by Ian McGuire. Longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.

It's a bit more seedy than I would have liked, but we'll see how it turns out. A very short novel.

A talented author--no doubt. But wow! That's some of the darkest, foulest, bleakest, misanthropic stuff I've ever read. Not a single redeemable character; not a single ray of sunshine to be found. This was not a thriller set aboard a whaling vessel. It was not "Jack London on Crack." It was Black. Pitch. Freaking. Black.

Don't get me wrong: "Black" may have been exactly what the author was going for. Kudos if so--he nailed it. And he didn't do anything "wrong" (in fact I think his command of the language is vast). He just wrote a story that I couldn't take anything positive away from for myself. That doesn't happen very often.

Perhaps the Man Booker judges will love it. Good on Mr. McGuire, if so.

[fantasyfan]

edited post below.

[fantasyfan]

I have recently finished reading Letters From Earth by Mark Twain.

It is Twain at his darkest and most bitter,

In essence he takes the view that Nature is so filled with irrational horror and pain that existence is hardly worth having. Humankind is not much better as its members thrive on stupid contradictions and cruelty. The Bible is filled with thousands of lies and Jesus Christ was himself a sadistic liar.

In such a cosmos God is incredibly stupid, evil, or non-existent. That last is the most comforting thought as it at least allows human beings to concentrate on their own survival without worrying about meaningless idiotic rituals.

There is no doubt but that Twain is deeply sensitive to the very real terrors and pain of life and these are challenges that everyone must face. Unfortunately, Twain thought that humans were merely complicated automatons. If that is the case, they haven't free will and their ability to freely change anything is questionable. So don't look for answers in this challenging piece. But then Twain wasn't trying to provide an answer; he wanted to force the reader to confront the ethical dilemma of existence.

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by fantasyfan

I have recently finished reading Letters From Earth by Mark Twain.

It is Twain at his darkest and most bitter,

In essence he takes the view that Nature is so filled with irrational horror and pain that existence is hardly worth having. Humankind is not much better as its members thrive on stupid contradictions and cruelty. The Bible is filled with thousands of lies and Jesus Christ was himself a sadistic liar.

In such a cosmos God is incredibly stupid, evil, or non-existent. That last is the most comforting thought as it at least allows human beings to concentrate on their own survival without worrying about meaningless idiotic rituals.

There is no doubt but that Twain is deeply sensitive to the very real terrors and pain of life and these are challenges that everyone must face. Unfortunately, Twain thought that humans were merely complicated automatons. If that is the case, they haven't free will and their ability to freely change anything is questionable. So don't look for answers in this challenging piece. But then Twain wasn't trying to provide an answer; he wanted to force the reader to confront the ethical dilemma of existence.

He's right, you know. That is a Twain I should read and haven't.

The Crooked Man in John Connolly's Book of Lost Things, which I read again recently, put it pretty well and he ended up being right, for all he was The Crooked Man...

"And even if you avoid warfare and violent death, little boy, what else do you think life has in store for you? You have already seen what it is capable of doing. It took your mother from you, drained her of health and beauty, and then cast her aside like the withered rotten husk of a fruit. It will take others from you too, mark me. Those whom you care about-lovers, children-will fall by the wayside, and your love will not be enough to save them. Your health will fail you. You will become old and sick. Your limbs will ache, your eyesight will fade, and your skin will grow lined and aged. There will be pains deep within that no doctor will be able to cure. Diseases will find a warm, moist place inside you and there they will breed, spreading through your system, corrupting it cell by cell until you pray for the doctors to let you die, to put you out of your misery, but they will not. Instead you will linger on, with no one to hold your hand or soothe your brow, as Death comes and beckons you into his darkness."

~John Connolly, The Book of Lost Things

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Currently reading The North Water by Ian McGuire. Longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

A talented author--no doubt. But wow! That's some of the darkest, foulest, bleakest, misanthropic stuff I've ever read. Not a single redeemable character; not a single ray of sunshine to be found. [ ... ] a story that I couldn't take anything positive away from for myself. That doesn't happen very often.

Thank you so much for saving me from reading at least one book I have NO desire to ever read.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Thank you so much for saving me from reading at least one book I have NO desire to ever read.

Glad to help!

It was pretty short, so I didn't feel overly put out. Still ... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking for something fairly whimsical and quirky to "balance the scales," so to speak.