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

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by BenG

Timothy West

Not who I would have expected - but I can see that working.

Thanks.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Scott Nicholson

Just finished the excellent dark fantasy historical novel 33 AD--vampires in the time of Jesus--and now reading David H. Burton's dark fantasy The Second Coming.

Scott

Did Jesus drive a stake through any of them? Maybe that's what the temple cleansing scene was really all about!

EDIT: This one sounds interesting. I just downloaded a sample from Amazon.

[cearbhallain]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

Now I'm reading "This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All," which, obviously, I got from the library. On the cover the cartoon librarian is holding an ereader, which I found to be charming.

If you like that you'll probably like Marilyn's earlier book _The Dead Beat_ about obituaries and their writers.

[MickeyC]

Originally Posted by BenG

I just finished Flashman and the Angel of the Lord by George MacDonald Fraser on audio. A great book like all the Flashman series. The "Angel" is the abolitionist John Brown (whose body lies a-moulderin' in the grave).

If you liked this one, you will enjoy the entire Flashman series. Superb,and hilarious, historical fiction.

[crc]

Finished The Second Coming by David H. Burton last night and Lambs Hide, Tigers Seek by Steve Jordan today. Starting on As the Mirror Cracks after I watch Doctor Who tonight.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by cearbhallain

If you like that you'll probably like Marilyn's earlier book _The Dead Beat_ about obituaries and their writers.

I saw her mention it a few times in the book, I may have to check it out.

I got all excited towards the end when she mentions Penn State (my alma mater) then got really mad when she spelled Mt. Nittany "Nitanny." Argh!

Picked up publisher's remainders of "The Snowball" by Alice Schroeder and "The Billlionaire's Vinegar" today at B&N, and at first I thought, wow, these books are so different, then I realized they both dealt with billionaire's (d'oh!). I'll probably start "Vinegar" next, as "Snowball" is an absolute tome, but I also just put in a request at the library for "Priceless" by Robert Wittman, not to mention I noticed today that I missed a short story by Poe on my list of 1001 Books To Read Before You Die ("The Purloined Letter"). Ahh, decisions.

[WT Sharpe]

No, I haven't read this one, nor do I plan to, but something tells me the following book could be of interest to certain MobileRead members.

My grandson tonight told me of one of his favorite books, which he's read twice. It's called The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling, with illustrations by Margot Apple. It's about a young boy named John Midas who has an insatiable appetite for chocolate. After an encounter with a magic candy shop, he discovers that anything he eats transforms into chocolate as soon as it touches his lips.

Wonder if GeoffC would like the address of that candy shop?

[neilmarr]

For sheer fun and feelgood, I must admit that one of the best books I've read (several times since I edited it) is *The Movie* by Bosley Gravel. Released earlier this year.

You guys know me well enough by now to realise that I don't advertise and sell our titles here -- just the odd spontaneous giveaway to chums at MR when something might grab ya. So if anyone would like to take a look at this American Classic-in-the-making, just drop me a line and I'll be happy to send it along in PDF, ePub or Mobi.

If you want to check it out first, just visit the bookshop section of www.bewrite.net. Email me on ntmarrATbewrite.net (using the @sign, natch).

Don't ask me why I went for this one in a big way ... maybe it's something to do with the fact that the original title (which I kept in the book and subtly include in the cover art, was *Cannibal Lesbian Zombies from Outer Space - versus - Doctor Clockwork and His Furious Plastic Surgeons of Doom*. It's a tag-writer's dream.

Reminded me, too, of a book I just had to buy back in the seventies from Alan Curran: The cover showed a naked lady against a huge Nazi flag and was called *Golfing for Cats*. Alan told me later, when I got to know him* that it was a tongue-in-cheek attempt to cash in on the interest of every book browser when publishers were shit hot on genre. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Anyway, if you want some good clean fun with *The Movie* just holler me some time this week and it's yours in the ebook format of your choice. A wee review is always welcome but by no means an obligation. I'll be happy if you just enjoy the read.

Bestest. Neil

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars and Green Mars in an omnibus volume. Hey - it's even still available from Fictionwise, though only in PDB or PDF formats. But a lot cheaper than buying the separate volumes at Amazon.

I've heard good things about these, now to find out if I agree.

Well, sort of. It's an interesting near-future story (much nearer now than when it was written). But even for the time it was written, I think it was overly optimistic on technological advances.

The bit where it loses me is when it's apparent that complex electronics are quickly and easily manufactured. Well, that and the likelihood of a massive international effort to Mars.

Some of the characters are interesting, but we're not really allowed to become deeply involved with any of them, as the story isn't really about them, but about Mars, technology and politics. Which is why it's surprising that there's not more about how the effort could ever have got off the ground.

We start off with a murder as a hook. But, throughout the rest of the story, filling in the background leading up to the murder, and then carrying on after the murder, we're never really giving any convincing motive for the murder. No-one ever find out that the death was planned by the murderer. A very odd sub-plot that goes nowhere.

And much of the rest of the story is like that. It may be an attempt to depict reality — that often there aren't grand designs behind events, they just happen, with no-one really planning them in advance.

But it didn't really work for me. So I stopped after Red Mars. I might well go on and read Green Mars (although it seems to be longer than Red Mars, which was more than long enough) when I've gone through more of my backlog.

Speaking of which - now onto Night of Madness, by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Sadly only available in paper, not ebook formats. I have it in paper, but I've never got around to it. So I've had to improvise a solution.

It should be a quick, fun read.

[FlorenceArt]

I couldn't finish Red Mars, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the book, which I thought was OK. Being locked up inside a rocket, and later a station, with 99 other people is a bit too close to my personal conception of Hell

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

I couldn't finish Red Mars, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the book, which I thought was OK. Being locked up inside a rocket, and later a station, with 99 other people is a bit too close to my personal conception of Hell

I couldn't finish it either - once they got to Mars, I got totally bogged down in the technical details of establishing the colony and lost all interest in the characters.

[BTW - are those volunteers still in the capsule simulating the trip to Mars?]

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

... never really giving any convincing motive for the murder ...

Does the author also write murder mysteries for MobileRead contests?

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

We start off with a murder as a hook. But, throughout the rest of the story, filling in the background leading up to the murder, and then carrying on after the murder, we're never really giving any convincing motive for the murder. No-one ever find out that the death was planned by the murderer. A very odd sub-plot that goes nowhere.

I think that being stuck in a close environment with anyone for several years should be motive enough

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

For me... the books is, while not bad, a bit slow... especially considering this month was suspense/thriller. I'm almost 1/2 way through it...

I was really hoping for an edge of the seat nail biter this month... almost wish Shutter Island won.

BOb

We would have been better off with Last Man Standing by David Baldacci. I found Thirty-Nine Steps to be not worth the price I paid for it and it was free. It held no suspense and wasn't thrilling at all. The only reason I finished it was because it was short. It was also highly unbelievable too.

This is what we get for voting on a book based on the price and not the fact that it's a good book.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by obs20

Just finished The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/034...pf_rd_i=507846
This was the first book I ever read by her. It won't be the last.

I've read that one and found it excellent.