Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 474

Rumpelteazer · 11-12-2010, 04:58 PM

Still reading The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, 170 pages to go. I must say the last 300 pages of the book have become a chore, although the book is okay I just want to finish it.

My main two gripes are that there are too many main characters and Follett switches between them often. It might have been better if the focus was on one or two groups and the other groups/characters weren't described in such detail. Second, when something happens Follett has the tendency to switch to another character/group right after the climax. When the book returns to the characters again only a short or no reference at all is made what happened after the "action".

Hopefully I'll finish on Sunday or Monday, next book will be something light and fast; either Two for the Money by Janet Evanovich or The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen which I picked up at the second hand bookstore today.

357mag · 11-12-2010, 08:35 PM

Just read The Lost Souls by Dean Koonts. I read that on my Droid. Now I am reading Altered Carbon by Richard K Morgan, my first book on my new Kindle. A much nicer reading experience than my Droid. It is good hard science fiction set 500 years in the future.

fantasyISbetter · 11-12-2010, 11:58 PM

Just read Elegy Beach (sequel to Ariel) by Steven Boyett- thought it was quite good. Started Labyrinth by Kat Richardson- I like her Greywalker series. Read Linda Robertson's Vicious Circle and thought it was pretty bad, heroine with little brain and too many relatives- no more of her. I ready mostly urban fantasy, pther fantasy (love Stephen Brust's Paths of the Dead, Lord of Castle Black, Phoenix Guards, Jacqueline Carey, Christopher Moore, Simon Green, Terry Pratchett), but also read military SF (William Dietz, Tanya Huff's Valor series), other SF (Kristine Kathryn Rusch Disappeared series, Kathryn Smith's Code of Conduct and sequels, the Deathstalker novels), mysteries of varying kinds (Laurie King's Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series, Evelyn Smith's Miss Melville series, Robert Fate's Baby Shark series, Elizabeth Peters' Emerson/Peabody egyptologist series). Thanks for sharing book ideas.

lilac_jive · 11-13-2010, 01:35 PM

Sign of the Book by Dunning was awesome, my favorite of his so far. Now onto "Cabinet of Curiosities" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, which I snagged used in paperback.

Steve Anderson · 11-13-2010, 02:26 PM

Just finished The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith, a fellow author who you may know from these boards. I found her here. Good stuff. If Patricia Highsmith wrote dystopian fiction but had more of a sense of humor, it might be something like this. I'll definitely read more from her.

Also, just started Matterhorn, which so far reminds me of The Naked and the Dead but in Vietnam. Promising so far.

thinkpad · 11-13-2010, 02:36 PM

I just finished the fantasy novel: The Paladin by C. J. Cherryh, and although it was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1989 I can't say I found it very captivating.

Since I'm not a native English speaker I found the language and the way the sentences was constructed hard to follow.

The first half of the book was good and got me interested but from there it went downhill.

Although the book is categorised as fantasy it features no actual magic or supernatural occurrences.

If this book is an indication of the style of writing for any of her other books I think I will pass.

phenomshel · 11-13-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

Sign of the Book by Dunning was awesome, my favorite of his so far. Now onto "Cabinet of Curiosities" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, which I snagged used in paperback.

Just looked up John Dunning and added to overflowing and evergrowing Mt. TBR. Currently reading Done Gone Wrong, by Cathy Pickens. Second in the Avery Andrews series, about a female lawyer who goes home to Dacus, SC.

lilac_jive · 11-13-2010, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Just looked up John Dunning and added to overflowing and evergrowing Mt. TBR. Currently reading Done Gone Wrong, by Cathy Pickens. Second in the Avery Andrews series, about a female lawyer who goes home to Dacus, SC.

He's more hard-boiled, reminds me of Raymond Chandler (who I love). Hope you like him! Did you read Fundraising the Dead yet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Anderson

Just finished The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith, a fellow author who you may know from these boards. I found her here. Good stuff. If Patricia Highsmith wrote dystopian fiction but had more of a sense of humor, it might be something like this. I'll definitely read more from her.

Also, just started Matterhorn, which so far reminds me of The Naked and the Dead but in Vietnam. Promising so far.

The Miracle Inspector sounds really interesting. I will have to check her out

WT Sharpe · 11-13-2010, 04:50 PM

I just finished reading The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, (the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation). It's the second translation of the book I've read this year; the first was the H.F. Cary translation (the Harvard Classics edition). In addition, I downloaded a course on the poem, read the syllabus, and listened to all 24 lectures (12 hours), and I'm still not sure what's going on. It would surely help is my knowledge of Medieval Italian history wasn't so sparse. Next year, I'm going to run through the course again and read yet another translation; this one by A.S. Kline. Unlike the others, it is written in prose style, and from what I've looked at appears much easier to get a handle on than the others.

Also this week I finished Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas by the Bible scholar Elaine Pagels. It is a wonderful and well-researched book that puts forth the author's reasons why she believes the Gospel of John won out over the Gospel of Thomas for a position in the canon. Pagels has a lot to say about some very interesting early Church history.

thinkpad · 11-13-2010, 04:50 PM

Since I haven't read any dragon fantasy in a while I've picked up Dragon's Ring by Dave Freer

thrawn_aj · 11-13-2010, 07:03 PM

Just finished Geek Mafia by Rick Dakan. Loved it so much that I'll be starting the next one in the series soon. Escapist fantasy but a well-written and highly entertaining escapist fantasy

.

jgaiser · 11-13-2010, 09:24 PM

Finished a couple of books in the last week.

A reread of "Zodiac" by Neal Stephenson. The ending was a lot more satisfying "Cryptonomicon" and "Snow Crash".

This month's Book Club read has got me hooked on John Scalzi (read first two novels, "Old Man's War" and "The Ghost Brigades"). His short novel "The Sagan Diary" was offered on his website as an audio book. Finished it as drive to work listen. Different from his first two novels. It's basically Jane Sagan's mental love letter to John Perry.

phenomshel · 11-13-2010, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

He's more hard-boiled, reminds me of Raymond Chandler (who I love). Hope you like him! Did you read Fundraising the Dead yet?

The Miracle Inspector sounds really interesting. I will have to check her out

Yes, but I haven't got to Priceless yet.

thrawn_aj · 11-13-2010, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaiser

This month's Book Club read has got me hooked on John Scalzi (read first two novels, "Old Man's War" and "The Ghost Brigades").

Ooh! Scalzi is a very entertaining writer. Have you tried his humorous SF novel - Agent to the Stars? It is very well-written and available for free from the author.

lilac_jive · 11-13-2010, 10:14 PM

Just finished Cabinet of Curiosities and now I'm sufficiently creeped out. Onto Barry Eisler's "Requiem for an Assassin," the sixth book in his John Rain series.

Right now on the History channel is a program "I Am Alive," about the plane crash with the rugby players in the Andes. Now I'll probably have to read that after Eisler.

11-12-2010, 08:35 PM	#7097
357mag Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 248 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: iPad and Galaxy S5	just finished my first ebook Just read The Lost Souls by Dean Koonts. I read that on my Droid. Now I am reading Altered Carbon by Richard K Morgan, my first book on my new Kindle. A much nicer reading experience than my Droid. It is good hard science fiction set 500 years in the future.

11-13-2010, 07:03 PM	#7106
thrawn_aj quantum mechanic Posts: 705 Karma: 483827 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NorCal Device: Nook1, Samsung Transform, Nook2	Just finished Geek Mafia by Rick Dakan. Loved it so much that I'll be starting the next one in the series soon. Escapist fantasy but a well-written and highly entertaining escapist fantasy . Last edited by thrawn_aj; 11-13-2010 at 07:15 PM. Reason: typo in book title

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11-12-2010, 04:58 PM	#7096
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,337 Karma: 27919658 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	Still reading The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, 170 pages to go. I must say the last 300 pages of the book have become a chore, although the book is okay I just want to finish it. My main two gripes are that there are too many main characters and Follett switches between them often. It might have been better if the focus was on one or two groups and the other groups/characters weren't described in such detail. Second, when something happens Follett has the tendency to switch to another character/group right after the climax. When the book returns to the characters again only a short or no reference at all is made what happened after the "action". Hopefully I'll finish on Sunday or Monday, next book will be something light and fast; either Two for the Money by Janet Evanovich or The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen which I picked up at the second hand bookstore today.

11-12-2010, 11:58 PM	#7098
fantasyISbetter FantasyisBetter Posts: 66 Karma: 1221124 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: none	Just read Elegy Beach (sequel to Ariel) by Steven Boyett- thought it was quite good. Started Labyrinth by Kat Richardson- I like her Greywalker series. Read Linda Robertson's Vicious Circle and thought it was pretty bad, heroine with little brain and too many relatives- no more of her. I ready mostly urban fantasy, pther fantasy (love Stephen Brust's Paths of the Dead, Lord of Castle Black, Phoenix Guards, Jacqueline Carey, Christopher Moore, Simon Green, Terry Pratchett), but also read military SF (William Dietz, Tanya Huff's Valor series), other SF (Kristine Kathryn Rusch Disappeared series, Kathryn Smith's Code of Conduct and sequels, the Deathstalker novels), mysteries of varying kinds (Laurie King's Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series, Evelyn Smith's Miss Melville series, Robert Fate's Baby Shark series, Elizabeth Peters' Emerson/Peabody egyptologist series). Thanks for sharing book ideas.

11-13-2010, 01:35 PM	#7099
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	Sign of the Book by Dunning was awesome, my favorite of his so far. Now onto "Cabinet of Curiosities" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, which I snagged used in paperback.

11-13-2010, 02:26 PM	#7100
Steve Anderson Addict Posts: 226 Karma: 260821 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Portland, Oregon USA Device: iPhone, laptop, more	Just finished The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith, a fellow author who you may know from these boards. I found her here. Good stuff. If Patricia Highsmith wrote dystopian fiction but had more of a sense of humor, it might be something like this. I'll definitely read more from her. Also, just started Matterhorn, which so far reminds me of The Naked and the Dead but in Vietnam. Promising so far.

11-13-2010, 02:36 PM	#7101
thinkpad David Posts: 1,808 Karma: 8916183 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Norway Device: Kindle, E.Edge (sold), Irex Iliad (retired)	I just finished the fantasy novel: The Paladin by C. J. Cherryh, and although it was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1989 I can't say I found it very captivating. Since I'm not a native English speaker I found the language and the way the sentences was constructed hard to follow. The first half of the book was good and got me interested but from there it went downhill. Although the book is categorised as fantasy it features no actual magic or supernatural occurrences. If this book is an indication of the style of writing for any of her other books I think I will pass.

11-13-2010, 04:50 PM	#7104
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	I just finished reading The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, (the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation). It's the second translation of the book I've read this year; the first was the H.F. Cary translation (the Harvard Classics edition). In addition, I downloaded a course on the poem, read the syllabus, and listened to all 24 lectures (12 hours), and I'm still not sure what's going on. It would surely help is my knowledge of Medieval Italian history wasn't so sparse. Next year, I'm going to run through the course again and read yet another translation; this one by A.S. Kline. Unlike the others, it is written in prose style, and from what I've looked at appears much easier to get a handle on than the others. Also this week I finished *Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas* by the Bible scholar Elaine Pagels. It is a wonderful and well-researched book that puts forth the author's reasons why she believes the Gospel of John won out over the Gospel of Thomas for a position in the canon. Pagels has a lot to say about some very interesting early Church history.

11-13-2010, 04:50 PM	#7105
thinkpad David Posts: 1,808 Karma: 8916183 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Norway Device: Kindle, E.Edge (sold), Irex Iliad (retired)	Since I haven't read any dragon fantasy in a while I've picked up Dragon's Ring by Dave Freer

11-13-2010, 09:24 PM	#7107
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,283 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Finished a couple of books in the last week. A reread of "Zodiac" by Neal Stephenson. The ending was a lot more satisfying "Cryptonomicon" and "Snow Crash". This month's Book Club read has got me hooked on John Scalzi (read first two novels, "Old Man's War" and "The Ghost Brigades"). His short novel "The Sagan Diary" was offered on his website as an audio book. Finished it as drive to work listen. Different from his first two novels. It's basically Jane Sagan's mental love letter to John Perry.

11-13-2010, 10:14 PM	#7110
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	Just finished Cabinet of Curiosities and now I'm sufficiently creeped out. Onto Barry Eisler's "Requiem for an Assassin," the sixth book in his John Rain series. Right now on the History channel is a program "I Am Alive," about the plane crash with the rugby players in the Andes. Now I'll probably have to read that after Eisler.