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

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Asimov's "Black Widower" stories are just great! I still have them all in paperback - there are a total of 5 paperback collections of them. The particular story you mention, however (and I won't give away the "secret") is a good example of how sometimes stories don't "translate" well to other countries, because the particular "cultural referrent" involved is a solely American one which meant nothing to me, first reading them as a British teenager.

Asimov wrote another wonderful detective story - a novel this time - called "Murder at the ABA", set at the convention of the American Bookseller's Association. Do try and read it if you can; it's a great story, and Asimov includes himself as a character in it, in which he gives an absolutely wonderful parody of himself as the archetypical "aging hack writer" who tries to sleep with all the pretty girls, and will sign an autograph on anything that stands still long enough. A great read .

oh, i love the black widower series too !!! i highly recommend them to anyone who likes a good mystery. hm, maybe now would be a good time to re-read them, i'm pretty sure i haven't read all 5 and the ones i did read were in french. they are really excellent.

Murder at the ABA sounds good too, thanks for the recommendation. i will have to look out for that... i wish Asimov had written more mysteries.

[HarryT]

The complete collection of "Black Widowers" books is:

Tales of the Black Widowers
More Tales of the Black Widowers
Casebook of the Black Widowers
Banquets of the Black Widowers
Puzzles of the Black Widowers

In addition, a posthumous collection called "The Return of the Black Widowers" was published in 2003 containing 6 stories not previously published, together with 10 older ones published in the earlier books. I don't have this book myself yet.

[nekokami]

I got some of the Black Widowers books for my 13 year old nephew for Christmas, at his request. Another reader in the family!

[Lobolover]

Have finished Zanoni and started "Vathek" by Beckford.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by cassidym

Unlike you brains reading science, I'm plowing through yet another SDN (Sleazy Detective Novel). This is New York Dead by Stuart Woods. First one of his I've read and am now looking forward to working my way through the series.

Okay, it's not all SDNs. I'm also reading The Infinite Book by Barrow and A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Nothing like an SDN. Try reading the Budayeen series my Alec Effinger. I read the first 3 or 4 and they are fun. When Gravity Fails is excellent and has plenty of pulp fictionness to it. I have not found and ebook version of this series yet. Would love to have them around when the mood strikes. Basically if you liked Sin City you will love this series.

The Asimov mysteries are likely the sort of stories you might also enjoy. Plus they have puzzles built in...and the answers are always right there in front of you...yet somehow you can't see them until the end, even if then...

I just looked up Stuart Woods and will add him to my author to read something by list for sure...thanks!

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The original Gor "trilogy" was quite reasonable, but after that it basically degenerated into "soft porn" with lots of whips and bondage thrown in for good measure.

hahaha...yeah, exactly. I stuck it out for a bit after that but, you hit the nail on the head...after the original trilogy things did sorta just get, well, weird...and a tad freaky-deeky. But I can recommend the first three to anyone who like the Science Fantasy kinda stuff and has never read them. Plus they can be had used for a song here in the US.

EDIT: BTW, did you ever see the Gor movie? It actually was a good try at the whole thing. It was awful but for the period it was not a bad try...if they did it today it might make for an interesting set of movies and likely be more accepted by the public.

Asimov's "Black Widower" stories are just great! I still have them all in paperback - there are a total of 5 paperback collections of them. The particular story you mention, however (and I won't give away the "secret") is a good example of how sometimes stories don't "translate" well to other countries, because the particular "cultural referrent" involved is a solely American one which meant nothing to me, first reading them as a British teenager.

Oh, geeze, I never thought of that part. Yeah, no way anyone outside the US would get the reference. d'oh!!

Asimov wrote another wonderful detective story - a novel this time - called "Murder at the ABA", set at the convention of the American Bookseller's Association. Do try and read it if you can; it's a great story, and Asimov includes himself as a character in it, in which he gives an absolutely wonderful parody of himself as the archetypical "aging hack writer" who tries to sleep with all the pretty girls, and will sign an autograph on anything that stands still long enough. A great read .

I have the weirdest feeling I either read it way back when but also have a feeling it was on my wish list. See, all my books came from what you call car-boot sales and also, geeze I forget the UK term, we call them Flea Markets or Swap Meets. The family biz had me out shopping for antiques with the family every weekend so I also hunted things I enjoyed...books!! And fishing equipment too...

Either way I am gonna have to find it now.

[Lobolover]

well,reading "Kwaidan" by Hearn in Book form and "The were wolf" by Clemence Housman on the computer.

[nekokami]

I'm supposed to be reading House of Sand and Fog for class. (On paper, as usual for assigned reading.) I just can't make myself read this book. Bleah.

Instead, I'm re-reading James Clavell's Shogun (ebook).

[Lobolover]

Finished Kwaidan and started reading "House of the seven gables" by Hawthorne (as in book form)

[Lobolover]

also reading "The Necromancer" from Teuthold/Flammenberg/Will/Whoever.

[montsnmags]

I've just finished Perdido Street Station (China Miéville) last night, and I'm about to start The Philosopher's Dog (Raimond Gaita).

Perdido was good, though not great. It was certainly good enough that I will follow it with The Scar and Iron Council some time (which is saying something, since my TBR pile is threatening collapse and my TBR list on my Iliad requires a separate compact flash card to store it).

Cheers,
Marc

[astra]

Finished PSS a couple of months ago.

I absolutely loved the book and Mieville's incerdible imagination ....but I hated the ending so much that I don't think I am going to read The Scar in a near future (2-3 years). Many disagree with me but I believe the ending is abrupt and the story is a cut-off, too many protagonists' fates are left unresolved/untold...

[Sparrow]

I really enjoyed 'Perdido Street Station' and 'The Scar', I thought they were both excellent. But I gave up half way through 'Iron Council' - I didn't find it at all engrossing, and ended up bored with it.

Currently reading 'The Time Traveller's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger.

[Lobolover]

monts-do it like me.Ive got more then two full closets and three full shelves of books.

[MickeyC]

Just finished Stuart Woods New York Dead. First one of his I've read. If his other books are as good, I've got lots of enjoyable reading of my favorite genre (trashy detective novels) in front of me.

Just starting The Enemy by Lee Child