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

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

A very nice coming-of-age story, set in the Liaden universe, but not requiring any previous knowledge of the series. There's one spoiler for other books in the series, if you recognise one of the characters. Plenty of new material in the second half of the book for those of us who read the on-line serial.

Next: Saltation by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Hopefully a good follow-up.

[din155]

This weekend I finished The Gods themselves by Isaac Asimov and Storm Front by Jim butcher.
The Gods themselves started quite well but somehow I could not connect with the three part novel. There was enough interconnection among the three parts but the end seemed a bit hurried. Alternative to the electron pump was made just too easy. It was good read overall but not in the same league as Foundation trilogy.

Storm Front was suggestion in the MR book club this month. It didn’t win but I went ahead with the book anyway. It started with all the clichés of a mystery book involving paranormal creatures. But it picked up pace quite nicely and I couldn’t stop before finishing the book. The Dresden series is definitely going into my TBR list.

din

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

I'm currently reading the miniseries "Flashpoint" released by DC Comics. It's a series that has lead to the complete elimination of the old DC Universe and replaced it with a new universe.

In this new universe there is no Superman, Bruce Wayne is not Batman, Wonder Woman and the Amazons are at war with Aquaman and the Atlantians, and the war between the Amazons and the Atlantians is going to destroy the world. Only two individuals, The Flash (Barry Allen) and Booster Gold, know that the world has changed and they are working to restore the universe back to the one they knew before they completely lose their memories of their old universe.

The last issue of "Flashpoint" is going to be released on 31 August. This issue is supposed to lead to a reboot of the DC Universe, and 52 number one issues are going to be released in conjunction with the end of "Flashpoint."

The series and its crossovers have been excellent, and they features many surprises (such as who Batman and The Joker are in the Flashpoint universe). It's worth a read.

Thanks for that info. I saw that series, and assumed it was centered on one of the Flash characters.

I wonder what the reboot will be like. I hope they bring the Man of Steel closer to the original vision of his creators, and stop trying to make him ever more god-like.

[siraks]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

I'm currently reading the miniseries "Flashpoint" released by DC Comics. It's a series that has lead to the complete elimination of the old DC Universe and replaced it with a new universe

yes this does sound amazing, guess i'll have to do some hunting.

i did some wiki reading and they are releasing the comics in trade paperback form ( the ones that go together ) in 6 volumes / novels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashpoint_%28comics%29

also, i did a goodreads lookup and if you read all of the comics then you can use the novels (which are already listed ) as books read if you want to use them for your 2011 books read list.

this link - the top 5 are the world of flashpoint novels
http://www.goodreads.com/search?quer...+of+flashpoint

and this link takes you to the flashpoint collects, novel 1 or volume 1.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11501608-flashpoint

so you can wait for the novels or hunt down the comics and read how you want to read.
i'm looking for a checklist to see what order i should look these up in, to the comic shop i go.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Thanks for that info. I saw that series, and assumed it was centered on one of the Flash characters.

I wonder what the reboot will be like. I hope they bring the Man of Steel closer to the original vision of his creators, and stop trying to make him ever more god-like.

The series is centered on The Flash (Barry Allen). The Reverse Flash wants to kill The Flash, but the problem for him is that if he does so he loses his own powers and undoes everything he has ever done in his life (such as eliminating his own brother from existence). For the same reason he can't stop Barry Allen from becoming The Flash. So it appears that he has altered history to take away everything that Barry Allen knows and cares about. He doesn't care if the world will be destroyed, as long as he can hurt Barry Allen.

I'm looking forward to the new series as well. I just hope that DC does the reboot correctly and successfully. I've been through three reboots so far (Crisis On Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, and Infinite Crisis) and the problem has been that each time it hasn't gone far enough, which allows problems that eventually have to be corrected. If hope this is not the case this time.

I agree that they need to bring Superman back to being one of the best and most powerful superheroes, but not god-like. This is what they did in 1986 when John Byrne rebooted him and it worked very well. He was powerful, but returned to being someone who could be challenged by villains who are below the cosmic level.

[MickeyC]

Just finished Foreign Influence by Brad Thor. Next up Jole Blon's Bounce by James Lee Burke. Haven't read any of his in quite a while and am eager to get back to him.

[jgaiser]

On a Non-fiction kick right now.

Just finished Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit . We don't get many Florida tomatoes here in the Pacific Northwest, but if the California/Mexico tomato industry is anything to compare, I'm going to be really particular on what I eat. A sad and amazing tale.

Next up is Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It. Have the DVD on order, but thought I'd start with the ebook.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

The series is centered on The Flash (Barry Allen). The Reverse Flash wants to kill The Flash, but the problem for him is that if he does so he loses his own powers and undoes everything he has ever done in his life (such as eliminating his own brother from existence). For the same reason he can't stop Barry Allen from becoming The Flash. So it appears that he has altered history to take away everything that Barry Allen knows and cares about. He doesn't care if the world will be destroyed, as long as he can hurt Barry Allen.

I'm looking forward to the new series as well. I just hope that DC does the reboot correctly and successfully. I've been through three reboots so far (Crisis On Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, and Infinite Crisis) and the problem has been that each time it hasn't gone far enough, which allows problems that eventually have to be corrected. If hope this is not the case this time.

I agree that they need to bring Superman back to being one of the best and most powerful superheroes, but not god-like. This is what they did in 1986 when John Byrne rebooted him and it worked very well. He was powerful, but returned to being someone who could be challenged by villains who are below the cosmic level.

My son was buying comics during that time and I got to read quite a few of those John Byrne Supermans. They were great, and even brought him back to his roots as someone who was concerned about the downtrodden. I remember him agonizing over the police's chief's plight when he discovered that she had lost custody of her child because of her sexual preference. After he left the series, I lost interest. Myself, I don't read too much of the super-hero stuff, but I love some of the stand-alone graphic novels and mini-series that feature regular folks in extraordinary situations.

[Frida Fantastic]

Reading an epic fantasy ebook called Death of a Kingdom by M. Edward McNally for an upcoming review on my blog. I'm also 1/3rd through Filipino Speculative Fiction Vol. 2, a paperback that's only currently available in the Philippines. I'm also 1/3rd-1/2 through several non-fiction books. I also have some Borges on hold in the library and I have no idea how I'll prioritize the books I'm currently reading. It seems like I'm always reading, but I only finish the books which I have committed to review @_@

[SneakySnake]

I knew it would happen. As soon as I started reading 'Fatal Liaision', I found it difficult to put down again, so I finished it too quickly. waaaaaaaaaaah! Now who knows how long I have to wait for the next one. Get a move on Vicki!

I have lots to read on my reader now, but a couple false starts with books have put me off a bit. 'The Lost Symbol' by Dan Brown?

I think I might have a go at another MR indie Shayne Parkinson.

[lila55]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

On a Non-fiction kick right now.

Just finished Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit . We don't get many Florida tomatoes here in the Pacific Northwest, but if the California/Mexico tomato industry is anything to compare, I'm going to be really particular on what I eat. A sad and amazing tale.

Next up is Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It. Have the DVD on order, but thought I'd start with the ebook.

Judging by the books you are just reading, you might also enjoy "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver, which I just finished reading.

[Crusader]

I finished Robopocalypse yesterday and absolutely loved it (my review here). I think it's a pity that since it's done in the same style as World War Z most people will dismiss it has WWZ with robots.

It can definitely stand on it's own and makes for a very entertaining read.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Reading the short Escape From the World Trade Center by Leslie Haskin.

[maianhvk]

Reading Principles of Economics by N. Gregory Mankiw, again.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

On a Non-fiction kick right now.

Just finished Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit . We don't get many Florida tomatoes here in the Pacific Northwest, but if the California/Mexico tomato industry is anything to compare, I'm going to be really particular on what I eat. A sad and amazing tale.

Next up is Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It. Have the DVD on order, but thought I'd start with the ebook.

I read some excerpts from the tomato book. I grow almost all my own now and can. I used to freeze them, but prefer the taste of canned. This year was really hard--the heat killed all but one plant that I'm nursing along until fall to see if it will produce again (I know it will if it makes it; done it before.) But I eat a lot of grape-sized heat tolerant tomatoes. I only get the big juicy ones in the spring for a short duration before the heat takes over.

The cucumbers didn't fare well this year at all--heat and bugs (organic gardening doesn't always work).