Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 492

BearMountainBooks · 12-10-2010, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roger the rabbit

Interesting how tastes vary. I thoroughly enjoyed most of Grishams work previously. This one (The Innocent Man) I did not. Read it some time ago so I don't remember exactly now why, but noted that I thought it was poor.

Have just read *The Confession*. Almost gave up after 10% or so but stuck with it to the end. And wonder why I did. It disappoints me when an Author chooses to use their commercial position as a soap box to express their own political opinions. I may be wrong but that is how I saw this "novel"?.

I realize the subject is an emotive one in the US.

Why is it thought reasonable to expect their readers to pay to read work like this, (Fortunately for me it was a library copy in this case). Michael Chichton was another prize example of this.

FWIW my book club didn't think it was a great idea either--the political opining. I didnt read it so can't say, but can say it annoys me no end when an author does it.

slenderperson1 · 12-10-2010, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edbro

I'm reading Pat Conroy's My Reading Life. It is about the books, writers and teachers that shaped his life.

My TBR list has grown considerably as I make note of some of the books he praises.

Cool. I was wondering about this book. I'll put it on my list and then add books he loves.

slenderperson1 · 12-10-2010, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

They both sound interesting! I read a lot of non-fiction, actually. Or rather, I go through periods where I read a lot of non fiction. I think I'll check out "The Inland Sea". Thanks for sharing.

Me too. I actually perfer non-fiction. I will look into these two. Thanks for the recomendation.

SeaBookGuy · 12-10-2010, 12:24 PM

Thanks, folks -- I'm less hesitant to mention my non-fiction finds now!

Last night I started The Way of Herodotus: Travels with the Man Who Invented History, which I originally intended only to read enough to see whether I liked it or not, and was through 50 pages before I put it down!

Shazza · 12-10-2010, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I just finished a pretty short read (100 pages epub +extensive appendix) called "Pink Noise" by Leonid Korogodski. It's a "posthuman tale" and, to me, it was akin to falling down Alice's rabbit hole.... review here

Thanks Grace, sounds interesting, I just added sample to my (ridiculously extensive) TBR pile.

Happy reading! Sharon

WT Sharpe · 12-10-2010, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CW Johnson

Sorry,LOL. Thank you for reading and reviewing my book 'The Son of Man.'

You're welcome! I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

BearMountainBooks · 12-10-2010, 02:24 PM

I just finished The Heretic by Joe Nassisse and all I can say is WOW. I LOVED it. If you ever read and liked The Adept series by Katherine Kurtz, you will probably like this series. I believe it was first out by Pocket Books, but the author took it to Kindle recently (if I remember right.) Wow. I read it on the plane--I usually choose light reading because I can't concentrate. This wasn't light, but it sucked me in so thoroughly I didn't have trouble staying focused. I was mad when we arrived and I had to wait two days to get back to it.

I am glad it's a series. It solves the case, but there are a lot of loose threads/ends. This is one of the VERY rare books with multiple POV that didn't bother me. Usually multiple POV annoy the bajeebers out of me, but the characters were so well-developed I was right there along for the ride.

Book starts out rather "clinical," almost military, so I wasn't sure I'd warm up to the characters, but...it's effective. Very much so, especially when there are some...violent scenes? I dunno. I just really liked it. It was a fabulous read. I have something else to read on the way back, but I might just download book two instead.

I'll be posting a review eventually (on my blog and Amazon) --but you can probably tell it's going to be 5 stars. I didn't read a lot this year, but this book is on the tops list for the year...and probably some of my other top lists too.

jgaiser · 12-10-2010, 02:25 PM

Finished "Citizen of the Galaxy" by Robert Heinlein this morning. Part of the Heinlein Bundle from Baen, mentioned earlier here on MR.

I've read a lot of Heinlein's later stuff, but this was the first time I tried any of his juveniles. While it's not one of his finest novels, it was a fun read and an interesting look at an earlier RAH and his take on slavery, wealth, learning and the growth of a young boy.

kennyc · 12-10-2010, 03:20 PM

JUst finished Bill Bryson's - A Short History of Nearly Everything. I can't recommend this highly enough. Excellent book to give virtually anyone an understanding of science/history/personalities that brought us to where we are.

Latinandgreek · 12-10-2010, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

Thanks, folks -- I'm less hesitant to mention my non-fiction finds now!

Last night I started The Way of Herodotus: Travels with the Man Who Invented History, which I originally intended only to read enough to see whether I liked it or not, and was through 50 pages before I put it down!

You had me at Herodotus

boxcorner · 12-10-2010, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

JUst finished Bill Bryson's - A Short History of Nearly Everything. I can't recommend this highly enough. Excellent book to give virtually anyone an understanding of science/history/personalities that brought us to where we are.

Sounds in a similar vein to the paper book that I'm currently reading, Theories for Everything: Forty Centuries of Science by John Langone, Bruce Stutz and Andrea Gianopoulos. Galileo Galilei has just been summoned to Rome, put on trial, found guilty of heresy, forced to recant and put under house arrest, for daring to act as spokesman for Copernicus' heliocentric universe. Seems he got off lightly, as the Inquisition wasn't best known for its merciful acts.

SeaBookGuy · 12-10-2010, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

You had me at Herodotus

Earlier this year, I read Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski. I liked it as a modern travel narrative, though not the gory quotes from Herodotus focused on maiming and killing.

Belfaborac · 12-10-2010, 07:36 PM

I recently finished reading John Julius Norwich's wonderful work on Byzantium ("Byzantium: The Early Years", "Byzantium: The Apogee" and "Byzantium: The Decline and Fall"). Unlike so many scholarly works which are brimful of knowledge, but close to unreadable, "Byzantium" is an absolute joy to read and one of my 3 favourite works of its kind. The two others, by the way, are Shelby Foote's "The Civil War: A Narrative" and "Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire" by Lord Kinross (Patrick Balfour, 3rd Baron Kinross).

For those interested in the history of the areas in question, I simply cannot praise these works sufficiently.

lilac_jive · 12-10-2010, 08:06 PM

I'm still working on the Cleo Coyle Coffee House series, now on "Murder Most Frothy."

SeaBookGuy · 12-10-2010, 08:09 PM

I've started a mystery series I wasn't sure I'd like, but find myself easily able to get into the first one:
Bad Faith: A Sister Agatha Mystery. My library only has the hardcovers, so after this I'll have decide
whether I want to read those, or buy the Agency-priced e-books.

12-10-2010, 07:36 PM	#7378
Belfaborac Wizard Posts: 1,498 Karma: 5199835 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Norway Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-950	I recently finished reading John Julius Norwich's wonderful work on Byzantium ("Byzantium: The Early Years", "Byzantium: The Apogee" and "Byzantium: The Decline and Fall"). Unlike so many scholarly works which are brimful of knowledge, but close to unreadable, "Byzantium" is an absolute joy to read and one of my 3 favourite works of its kind. The two others, by the way, are Shelby Foote's "The Civil War: A Narrative" and "Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire" by Lord Kinross (Patrick Balfour, 3rd Baron Kinross). For those interested in the history of the areas in question, I simply cannot praise these works sufficiently. Last edited by Belfaborac; 12-10-2010 at 07:39 PM.

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12-10-2010, 12:24 PM	#7369
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	Thanks, folks -- I'm less hesitant to mention my non-fiction finds now! Last night I started The Way of Herodotus: Travels with the Man Who Invented History, which I originally intended only to read enough to see whether I liked it or not, and was through 50 pages before I put it down!

12-10-2010, 02:24 PM	#7372
BearMountainBooks Maria Schneider Posts: 3,746 Karma: 26439330 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Near Austin, Texas Device: 3g Kindle Keyboard	I just finished The Heretic by Joe Nassisse and all I can say is WOW. I LOVED it. If you ever read and liked The Adept series by Katherine Kurtz, you will probably like this series. I believe it was first out by Pocket Books, but the author took it to Kindle recently (if I remember right.) Wow. I read it on the plane--I usually choose light reading because I can't concentrate. This wasn't light, but it sucked me in so thoroughly I didn't have trouble staying focused. I was mad when we arrived and I had to wait two days to get back to it. I am glad it's a series. It solves the case, but there are a lot of loose threads/ends. This is one of the VERY rare books with multiple POV that didn't bother me. Usually multiple POV annoy the bajeebers out of me, but the characters were so well-developed I was right there along for the ride. Book starts out rather "clinical," almost military, so I wasn't sure I'd warm up to the characters, but...it's effective. Very much so, especially when there are some...violent scenes? I dunno. I just really liked it. It was a fabulous read. I have something else to read on the way back, but I might just download book two instead. I'll be posting a review eventually (on my blog and Amazon) --but you can probably tell it's going to be 5 stars. I didn't read a lot this year, but this book is on the tops list for the year...and probably some of my other top lists too.

12-10-2010, 02:25 PM	#7373
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 "Citizen of the Galaxy" by Robert Heinlein this morning. Part of the Heinlein Bundle from Baen, mentioned earlier here on MR. I've read a lot of Heinlein's later stuff, but this was the first time I tried any of his juveniles. While it's not one of his finest novels, it was a fun read and an interesting look at an earlier RAH and his take on slavery, wealth, learning and the growth of a young boy.

12-10-2010, 03:20 PM	#7374
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,904 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	JUst finished Bill Bryson's - A Short History of Nearly Everything. I can't recommend this highly enough. Excellent book to give virtually anyone an understanding of science/history/personalities that brought us to where we are.

12-10-2010, 08:06 PM	#7379
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	I'm still working on the Cleo Coyle Coffee House series, now on "Murder Most Frothy."

12-10-2010, 08:09 PM	#7380
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	I've started a mystery series I wasn't sure I'd like, but find myself easily able to get into the first one: Bad Faith: A Sister Agatha Mystery. My library only has the hardcovers, so after this I'll have decide whether I want to read those, or buy the Agency-priced e-books.