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

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by rkomar

That last line seems to indicate that he's talking about more than just a walk in the local woods. It would make me suspicious of his answer, if I was one of those professors. I would think, "He probably just doesn't like talking about the deeper meaning of his poems". He wouldn't be the first to feel that way.

If you study Frost, and understand that poetry to him was not his primary interest, and learn more about the man himself, you'd discover that he rarely had hidden meanings. There are hundreds of unpublished poems of his that I've had the privilege to read. Instead of buying Hallmark Christmas cards or birthday cards for his neighbors in town, Frost would compose a new short poem just for that individual, write it on card stock, and send it off. There was an old woman in the same town (Ripton, VT.) who collected many many many of these from other Ripton folks over the years. (Ripton really is a tiny village in the Green Mountains of Vermont, with a population between 500-700 people now.) As people would pass away, they would bequeath their Frost cards to this one woman who was a very close friend of his.

For several years I co-ran a 1-credit college weekend workshop about him, his life, and his writing, where we would camp in the woods near the house in which he lived, and read his poetry around the campfire at night, spend time in the 'printers cabin' on the Middlbury College 'Breadloaf Campus' where Frost did so much of his writing, discussing his work and listening to local English professors from the famous 'Breadloaf Campus Writers Conference (the oldest writers' conference in America. Since 1926, it has convened at Middlebury's Bread Loaf campus in Ripton,) give us their views, and during this same weekend, we would spend several hours with the woman who told us about Frost, the person, and let us sit and read all of his wonderful unpublished works.

She's long since passed away, and I've long since moved away. But someone, somewhere, has a big box of Robert Frost's unpublished (and he insisted that they never BE published) poems.

No... Despite all of our desires (and I feel them too,) to read more into that poem, it IS what Robe Frost wrote it to be. However, just as everyone else, I too often use it to be a metaphor for life.

Stitchawl

[HomeInMyShoes]

Finished Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins. Not as good as Another Roadside Attraction which was amazing, but a good read.

Now it's off to Eric by Terry Pratchett and then After the Quake by Haruki Murakami.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

...Next up will be The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (Nancy Drew #25) by Carolyn Keene (Mildred Wirt Benson) and Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #17) (Colonel Race, #3) by Agatha Christie, which will be my first Hercule Poirot book (and my first Colonel Race book) and my second book by Agatha Christie. The first was And Then There Were None.

Thus far I'm 75% finished reading both The Ghost of Blackwood Hall and Death on the Nile and have been enjoying them both a lot.

I got an email today from a friend that I recommended that he read Wool Omnibus telling me this:

I finished reading Wool, REALLY held my interest. More than any other book I've read in quite a while. Thanks for recommending it!

Then he went on to recommend that I read Damocles by S.G. Redling. I found it in the Amazon Prime Lending Library, got it for my PaperWhite and read the first chapter. It hooked me!

[caleb72]

Over the last few days I've finished two books:

Game of Souls by Terry C Simpson (an MR member) is the first book of an epic fantasy trilogy. It was a pretty good start I think although I wasn't quite as impressed as I wanted to be. It could have had a few more proof-reading passes as a few too many errors seemed to slip through and there was the odd occasion where I felt the story wasn't flowing the way I would have liked. However, I liked the attempt the author made to come up with a magic system. I liked the way he didn't feel the need to explain it all in detail within the narrative itself and I liked the darkness of the story. I liked the political machinations and the idea behind the Game of Souls itself, although at times I felt that those machinations didn't resolve in a clear way for me as a reader.

Basically, although this doesn't go to the top of my list of loved books for 2013, I will hang around for the second book when it comes out. 3.5 stars

The Long and the Short Swords by Gary A Ballard (also an MR member) is the fourth book in the Bridge Chronicles. I've really enjoyed this series so far, mainly because I love the main character, Artemis (aka Amoral) Bridge. The author does tend to push believability as he progresses through this series and I'm wondering if he went a bit too far in this one. Additionally, it lacks some meat at only 164 pages. However, if you love Artemis from previous books you'll enjoy getting another fix from him in this one. 3.5 stars.

Now I'm taking a break from indie to read The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck. It's been on my "to do" list for this year and the desire to read the 1932 Pulitzer Prize winner has achieved critical mass.

[HarryT]

"Murder on the Links" by Agatha Christie. Her 3rd published book, and the 2nd Poirot book, published in 1923. Poirot receives a letter asking for his help from a South American millionaire living in France, but when he arrives he finds he's too late - the man has already been murdered. An ingenious plot, albeit with a ludicrously over-complex solution involving the coincidence of twins and identical copies of the murder weapon, but still a very good read.

[Apache]

I have read a number of books since I last posted.
To Honor You Call Us and For Honor We Stand are the first two in the Man of War Trilogy. This is Military Sci Fi and is good. If you like Honor Harrington and the Aubrey–Maturin series I think you will like these books.
http://www.amazon.com/To-Honor-You-C...or+you+call+us

The Terran Union has spent the last thirty years fighting a vast interstellar war spanning a thousand light years and encompassing hundreds of worlds. The Union’s enemies in this war are the Krag, implacable aliens whose goal is to exterminate the human race. Now, in the year 2315, with the future of mankind hanging in the balance, wily 28 year old Cajun Max Robichaux is promoted to command of the U.S.S. Cumberland, a Destroyer with state of the art capabilities but a combat record so bad that she is known throughout the fleet as the “Cumberland Gap.” Captain Robichaux’s first mission: take his compact warship among the independent systems of the Free Corridor where the Krag have been secretly purchasing strategic materials, and seize or destroy any ships carrying cargo for the enemy. Max must shoot it out with the Krag convoys or, if he is outgunned, win the day by liberal use of guile, ruse, and military deception. Far from the fleet and under enforced radio silence, the young skipper can rely only on his determination, his wits and, to his surprise, the support, advice, and, increasingly, the friendship, of his Chief Medical Officer, the brilliant and mysterious Doctor Ibrahim Sahin, surgeon, trader, scientist, swordsman, and diplomat. But, while facing the Cumberland’s shipboard problems and carrying out her dangerous assignment, Max and Doctor Sahin suddenly discover that the Cumberland and her misfit crew are all that stands in the way of a deadly all-out Krag attack that exploits a hidden flaw in the Union’s defenses to strike deep into the heart of the Human Space, threatening to end the war and spell the extinction of humanity.

To Honor You Call Us combines the gritty slice of life naval realism found in the classic “Ships of Wood and Men of Iron” novels with the razzle-dazzle of a Cold War Techno-Thriller, all placed in a believable galactic military setting 300 years in the future. Authors H. Paul Honsinger and Harvey G. Phillips immerse the reader in a richly-imagined universe, bringing to vivid life the officers, men, ships, weapons, tactics, and strategy of space combat in the year 2315, giving the reader a healthy dose of exciting battle action as well as opening a window into the conflict, camaraderie, and customs of the wardroom and the lower decks. But, beyond the hardware and the clash of arms, To Honor You Call Us is a sweeping tale in the classic mold, of honor and courage, friendship and loyalty, daring and sacrifice, and of the unconquerable human spirit.

http://www.amazon.com/For-Honor-Stan...or+you+call+us

Max is back! Captain Max Robichaux, Doctor Ibrahim Sahin, and the crew of the Union Space Navy Khyber Class Destroyer, USS Cumberland, return for more dangerous missions in For Honor We Stand, Volume II of the Man of War trilogy, the exciting sequel to the military science-fiction best-seller To Honor You Call Us.

The date is March 15, 2315. The Earth Union has been at war with the Krag Hegemony for more than thirty years. The Krag are slowly winning. With less than two months of warship command under his belt, 28 year old Captain Max Robichaux faces a series of challenges that would daunt the fleet’s most experienced skippers. His trials include playing a life and death game of hide and seek among the complex moon system of an exotic alien planet, defending a critical diplomatic convoy against ruthless Krag assault, and working with allied commanders to save their moored fleet from a Pearl Harbor-like sneak attack. And, when he isn’t dodging nuclear-tipped missiles and pulse cannon blasts, the young skipper must navigate his way through encounters with dangerous and advanced aliens, thorny crew training and proficiency issues, clashes with superiors, and a below-decks conspiracy that threatens the lives of every man on board.

Meanwhile, Doctor Sahin receives a coded message summoning him to a secret meeting that could forge an alliance changing the balance of power in Known Space. But, first, he has to get past the fighter ships and heavily armed special forces troops of the traitorous Emir trying to kill him before he can even sit down at the negotiating table. On the heels of these adventures, both men must call upon their developing skills and their growing friendship to bear the burden of carrying between the Krag Hegemony and the Earth Union a fateful ultimatum and the shocking answer: an answer that could spell eternal slavery, or even extinction, for all mankind.

For Honor We Stand is a twenty-fourth century swashbuckler, combining elements of Military Science Fiction, Space Opera and the classic English novels about the Age of Sail into what the authors call “Space Naval Fiction.” It is both timeless and futuristic: the age old tale of men going to war in ships--played out, not on the Earth’s turbulent oceans, but in the cold, dark, vast battleground of space. For Honor We Stand is a full length, 154,000 + word novel and is the second volume of the Man of War trilogy. The third volume, Brothers in Valor, is planned for release in mid-2013. After completion of the Man of War series, the authors plan many more books following the further adventures of Captain Robichaux and Doctor Sahin. The next trilogy is tentatively entitled The Sting of Battle. Its first volume, now with the working title of Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat is currently planned for release in late 2013 or early 2014.

I next read Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos. I also enjoyed this one and will read it again. It reminded me of Starship Troopers in some ways.
http://www.amazon.com/Terms-of-Enlis...+of+enlistment

The year is 2108, and the North American Commonwealth is bursting at the seams. For welfare rats like Andrew Grayson, there are only two ways out of the crime-ridden and filthy welfare tenements, where you're restricted to 2,000 calories of badly flavored soy every day:
You can hope to win the lottery and draw a ticket on a colony ship settling off-world, or you can join the service.

With the colony lottery a pipe-dream, Andrew chooses to enlist in the armed forces for a shot at real food, a retirement bonus, and maybe a ticket off Earth. But as he starts a career of supposed privilege, he soon learns that the good food and decent health care come at a steep price…and that the settled galaxy holds far greater dangers than military bureaucrats or the gangs that rule the slums.

The debut novel from Marko Kloos, Terms of Enlistment is a new addition to the great military sci-fi tradition of Robert Heinlein, Joe Haldeman, and John Scalzi.

Next was The Privateer by William Zellmann. I seem to be on a Sci Fi kick right now. This was another enjoyable read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Privateer-...1149929&sr=1-2

Adventure for space opera fans! John Smith was a crusading attorney on Peltir IV, whose crusade ended in a rigged trial and a sentence of slavery in the mines – a death sentence. He and his fellow slaves escaped and stole an ore carrier. They failed at trade, and desperation and hatred drove them to piracy. John was a huge success at piracy, building an entire fleet, until forced to confront the horrors committed by his men. He grabs a ship and a collection of gems, and runs away, in hopes of regaining the honor and self-respect he had once had. Pursued by his former colleagues, he must change both his and his ship's identities and appearance, and then convert his gems into more useful form before seeking a sanctuary. Along the way, he learns that his ship is much more than a simple yacht, deals with a stowaway girl, buys an orbital scrap yard almost by accident, finds himself responsible for a beautiful young woman, fights off a pirate attack, makes a friend, and learns that his defenseless proposed refuge has been invaded by another planet. John, now Cale, and his friends formulate a plan to use derelicts from his scrap yard to free his sanctuary planet from the invading forces. But can a bunch of resurrected hulks really defeat a planetary fleet? and what IS a Privateer, anyway?

The new Longmire book was next. A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson. In my opinion this is the best book of the series yet. I definitely recommend this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Serpents-Tooth...1150294&sr=1-1

The success of Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series that began with The Cold Dish continues to grow after A&E’s hit show Longmire introduced new fans to the Wyoming sheriff. As the Crow Flies marked the series’ highest debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Now, in his ninth Western mystery, Longmire stares down his most dangerous foes yet.

It’s homecoming in Absaroka County, but the football and festivities are interrupted when a homeless boy wanders into town. A Mormon “lost boy,” Cord Lynear is searching for his missing mother but clues are scarce. Longmire and his companions, feisty deputy Victoria Moretti and longtime friend Henry Standing Bear, embark on a high plains scavenger hunt in hopes of reuniting mother and son. The trail leads them to an interstate polygamy group that’s presiding over a stockpile of weapons and harboring a vicious vendetta.

Next up was The Resistance Man by Martin Walker. this is the newest in his Bruno Chief of Police novels. I also like this series a lot and recommend it highly. Unfortunately, if you live in the US of A you will have to have an account with Amazon UK or wait until February 25, 2014 to buy it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Resistance-B...resistance+man

Bruno, chief of police, can't get a moment's peace. He's uncovered a cache of old bank notes and is also dealing with a wave of burglaries. The victims include the recently retired head of Britain's Joint Intelligence Committee, which brings old flame Isabelle back to St Denis.

The next burglary ends in murder: the victim's bludgeoned body found by his lover - the prime suspect. But Bruno is on another track.

Meanwhile, the Mayor introduces Bruno to Jacqueline, who is researching the theory that American funds were used to prevent Communism in France, which led the US to give clandestine support to the nuclear program.

When Jacqueline's home is subsequently burgled, the stakes become much higher. Jacqueline's work, suggests the Mayor, is political dynamite.

I am currently reading The Return of the Marines by Col. Jonathan P. Brazee. He is a retired marine and this series is good. This is an omnibus of the trilogy comprised of The Few, The Proud and The Marines. Buying the omnibus is like getting one book free. I have finished the first book and have started the second. I definitely recommend this series. Especially if you liked WEB Griffin's The Corps Series.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Return-Mar...of+the+marines

The Few: Book 1

Gunnery Sergeant Jacob McCardle is the commander of the Marine Detachment at the US Embassy, New Delhi, when the president of the United States arrives on an official visit, the same man who, as a Congressman, sponsored the bill that had decimated the Corps in a cost-cutting effort. As the president arrives, the embassy is attacked and isolated by a mob of nationalists. With the Indian government seemingly unwilling to take action to restore order and with an ambitious vice-president seizing this as an opportunity to move up to the White House, it is up to Gunny McCardle and his small band of Marines to keep the president alive. Faced with tremendous odds, Gunny has to lead his Marines in an almost impossible task. That is nothing new to the US Marines. Impossible tasks are the Corps' forte. But can his small detachment keep up the tradition of the Corps and succeed despite tremendous odds?


The Proud: Book 2

After the events at the US Embassy in New Delhi, the Marines are being brought back as a combat unit. Newly commissioned 2dLt Anthony Niimoto, a hero of the embassy takeover, is with the first Marine battalion to get back into the deployment cycle. Assigned to anti-piracy, this is supposed to be a dull deployment. But when a US ship is seized by Somali pirates, it's First Platoon, K 3/6 at the tip of the spear. With SSgt Davidson, an ex-Ranger who returns to his Marines roots, the two of them must lead their platoon into harms way, ever conscious of Black Hawk Down, the Battle of Mogadishu.

Was Tony Niimoto a one-shot wonder in New Delhi, or does he really have what it takes to be a leader of Marines?


The Marines: Book 3

China is growing in power and in need of raw materials. When an aggressive general, with encouragement from an unnamed puppet master in the Politburo, moves to seize the Spratly Islands from The Philippines and Taiwan, the Marines of the 15th MEU are the only unit in position to do anything about it. What makes things more difficult is that the Chinese have made great strides in cyber-warfare that have negated America's technological superiority. What will be the result of years of letting China manufacture electronic components and even parts for the US aircraft, satellites, and communications systems?

"Every Marine is a rifleman" has never been more true when the ultimate weapon in the nation's arsenal is the basic infantryman. But can Captain Tony Niimoto, a hero of both the embassy takeover in New Delhi and the hostage rescue in Somalia, lead his company against an overwhelming force of the finest of the People's Liberation Army? Can Sergeant Harrington Steptoe, Sergeant "Jay" McNamara, and First Lieutenant Peter Van Slyke step up into the mantle of leadership when all the odds are against them?

Apache

[JSWolf]

Last night I finished Angels & Demons. I also saw the extended version on blu-ray last night as well. I found the movie to be so-so because it was changed quite a bit from the book. I liked the book better. You can forget the movie and red the book.

Now, I am reading the current Star Trek book.

STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES: THE SHOCKS OF ADVERSITY by William Leisner

Located far beyond the boundaries of explored space, the Goeg Domain is a political union of dozens of planets and races. When the U.S.S. Enterprise arrives in its territory to investigate an interstellar phenomenon, Commander Laspas of the Domain Defense Corps is at first guarded, then fascinated to discover the existence of an alliance of worlds much like his own, and finds a kindred spirit in Captain James T. Kirk. And when the Enterprise is attacked by the Domain’s enemies, crippling the starship’s warp capability and leaving its crew facing the prospect of a slow, months-long journey home, the Goeg leader volunteers the help of his own ship, offering to combine the resources of both vessels to bring the Enterprise to a nearby Domain facility to make the necessary repairs.

But what at first seems to be an act of peace and friendship soon turns out to be a devil’s bargain, as Kirk and the Enterprise crew learn that there are perhaps more differences than similarities between the Federation and the Domain. When the Goeg’s adversaries strike again, the Enterprise is drawn deeper and inexorably into the conflict, and Kirk begins to realize that they may have allied themselves with the wrong side....

[CRussel]

So, Tuesday afternoon, I finished reading (or rather re-reading) Balance of Trade, a standalone book in the Liaden Universe by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. An excellent book in my all time favourite SF universe, and an excellent entry point to the series if you're new to Liad. (Oh, and if you are, I'm completely and totally envious of the wonderful discovery in front of you!) I did a re-read of this book primarily because I'm hoping to see an eARC of Trade Secrets, the sequel to Balance of Trade any day now.

Anyway, so here I am in a hotel with my current book finished, and trying to decide what to read now. I'm tired, and clearly not thinking straight, since I noticed Runner, the 6th of the Jane Whitefield books by Thomas Perry sitting in my TBR collection on the Kindle and thought that would be a good read. BAD. REALLY BAD IDEA. I finally fell asleep around 4AM, to turn around and be up for an 8AM meeting. These books are SERIOUSLY good reads and absolute page-turners. Do NOT start one just before bed. Sigh.

So, in this book,

Spoiler:

Jane has been a full time Doctor's Wife for 5 years, but when Christine shows up, 6 months pregnant and with 6 thugs chasing her, Jane can't turn her away. What follows shows the changes in how things have to be done in a post-911 world and how much more difficult it is to disappear. And Jane must play a more warrior role in this one.

All in all, a great read. If you haven't discovered these books, the first is Vanishing Act and I highly recommend it.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by CRussel

...So, in this book, Jane has been a full time Doctor's Wife for 5 years, but when Christine shows up, 6 months pregnant and with 6 thugs chasing her, Jane can't turn her away. What follows shows the changes in how things have to be done in a post-911 world and how much more difficult it is to disappear. And Jane must play a more warrior role in this one. All in all, a great read. If you haven't discovered these books, the first is Vanishing Act and I highly recommend it.

Yikes! Please, easy with the spoilers, even when they're concerning the series arc. I really didn't want to know that!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CRussel

If you haven't discovered these books, the first is Vanishing Act and I highly recommend it.

I just borrowed Vanishing Act from the library. I'll be reading it soon.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Yikes! Please, easy with the spoilers, even when they're concerning the series arc. I really didn't want to know that!

Sorry, alansplace! I didn't really think of it as providing much in the way of spoiler, since the comments were so general. But I certainly don't want to give you more information than you wanted. I've encased the offending text in Spoiler tags. So, just go ahead and read it. You'll not regret, I'm sure.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Sorry, alansplace! I didn't really think of it as providing much in the way of spoiler, since the comments were so general. But I certainly don't want to give you more information than you wanted. So, just go ahead and read it. You'll not regret, I'm sure.

Oh, I will definitely read it when I get up to #6, no problem there. Just wanted to mention that it seemed to me I was getting TMI!

[Latinandgreek]

I am reading "Fool's Errand", by Robin Hobb. It's really great to be back in Fitz's world.

[Geralt]

After Game of Thrones season 3 ended, I am craving so much to go back and start reading Martin again. I stopped after finishing book 2.
I'm also 100 or so pages away from finishing the "Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville which I loved.
However, I am swamped by school work and I'm reading stuff related to that.
Hopefully in a week or two I'll be able to relax and go back to my beloved fantasy.

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by Geralt

I'm also 100 or so pages away from finishing the "Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville which I loved.

Ah, this is good to know! I had put it on my reading list at the start of the year but it didn't receive overwhelming praise in one of the threads discussing China Mieville so I was waffling about reading it.