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

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

I finished Blood Meridan, by Cormack McCarthy, and started The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño (in translation, unfortunately).

What did you think of BM?

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by kennyc

What did you think of BM?

Hard to express. I've read two books by Cormack McCarthy and both left me speechless. I liked the sparse sober style of The Road better, but Blood Meridian is still a great book.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Hard to express. I've read two books by Cormack McCarthy and both left me speechless. I liked the sparse sober style of The Road better, but Blood Meridian is still a great book.

Thx I've started All the pretty horses...

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Thx I've started All the pretty horses...

Ah yes, I haven't read that one yet, but I think I need a break first

[carpetmojo]

The Wallander canon - again ! {Henning Mankell )

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Ah yes, I haven't read that one yet, but I think I need a break first

Well, I got several chapters in and have it on hold at the moment. I know what you mean. Variety, variety, variety!

[thinkpad]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Kings of the North by Elizabeth Moon. The next in the Paksenarrion series. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

I liked that book, much more than Runemarks that I just finished.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by thinkpadx

I liked that book, much more than Runemarks that I just finished.

So far it seems to be a good continuation of Oath of Fealty. My one worry is that it might be trying to follow too many threads. But so far it's doing well.

[BearMountainBooks]

Halfway through Tamora Pierce's "Wild Magic." It's good. It's YA and I've read some of her YA and really enjoyed it. This one is perhaps a tad more YA than her others, which I thought crossed over to adult without a hitch. There's been a couple of overly-contrived situations and the protag is one of those chosen/gifted where everyone is a little too much in awe of her. Sometimes the protag is all brains and the adults a bit too stupid and then something simple will stump the protag (like asking what a "Magelet" is when someone refers to her as such when she already knows what a Mage is. I mean, let's face it, any 13 year old can put that together without an explanation.) All that said, it's a good, old fashioned fantasy and enjoyable.

I should also mention I'm listening to the audio, so it makes it impossible to skip over the sometimes long descriptions of what everyone is wearing and why. I guess I'm not much of a fashionista (looks down at her t-shirt and shorts. Complete with wrinkles. Nope, no fashionista here.)

[MickeyC]

Just finished The Reversal by Michael Connelly and it was very good. Unlike most authors, Connelly seems to get better over the years.

Next up, The Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

[bZkindle]

about time I got around to this:

Bush at War- Bob Woodward

http://www.amazon.com/Bush-at-War-eb...2486097&sr=8-1

Bush at War focuses on the three months following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, during which the U.S. prepared for war in Afghanistan, took steps toward a preemptive strike against Iraq, intensified homeland defense, and began a well-funded CIA covert war against terrorism around the world. The narrative is classic Woodward: using his inside access to the major players, he offers a nearly day-by-day account of the decision-making processes and power battles behind the headlines. Woodward's information is based on tape-recorded interviews of over a hundred sources (some unnamed), including four hours of exclusive interviews with the president, along with notes from cabinet meetings and access to some classified reports.
Woodward's analysis of President Bush's leadership style is especially fascinating. A self-described "gut player" who relies heavily on instinct, Bush comes across as a man of action continually pressing his cabinet for concrete results. The revelation that the president developed and publicly stated the so-called Bush Doctrine--the policy that the U.S. would not only go after terrorists everywhere but also those governments or groups which harbor them--without first consulting Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, or Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is particularly telling. Other principals are examined with equal scrutiny. Though National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice emerges as soft-spoken and even tentative during group meetings, it becomes clear that Bush is dependent on her for candid advice as well as for conveying his thoughts to his cabinet. The relationship between Powell and Rumsfeld (and to a lesser degree Powell and Cheney) is often strained, exposing their differences regarding how to deal with Iraq and whether coalition building or unilateralism is most appropriate. Woodward also describes how CIA director George Tenet prepared a paramilitary team to infiltrate Afghanistan to set the groundwork for invasion, and how this ushered in a new era of cooperation between the defense department and the CIA. A worthwhile and often enlightening read, this is a revealing and informative first draft of the Bush legacy. --Shawn Carkonen

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Ohhh! ooooh! Hope you like it! I love it myself as well as the follow on Year of the Flood

Oh - it's a follow-on? I know I gave that book to my mum and she really liked it, but I didn't know there was a pre-cursor. I'll need to remember to read Oryx and Crake first if I get around to it.

Also - just found another gift idea for my mother's birthday coming up.

Regards
Caleb

[Sondar]

Reading? I'm much too busy LOADING books to actually read any!
About the only reading that I'm doing is of the calibre user manual!

[kennyc]

Ah. A collector.



Welcome to MR!

[anijh]

Falling Star by Philip Chen. It's a sci-fi/indie book.