Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 775

issybird · 12-06-2011, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I've almost bought this several times—because I really enjoyed his Devil in the White City. I'm just afraid that Pre-WWII Germany won't hold the same fascination for me that the Chicago World's Fair did. I should probably just break down and try it, though.

Garden of Beasts isn't as good as White City. The world is not as fully realized. It is, however, far better than Thunderstruck, which was chock full of errors and ultimately unreadable (IMO).

caleb72 · 12-06-2011, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I finished up Earnest Cline's Ready Player One and loved every bit of it. It's probably not going to win any literary awards—and I'm not going to say he was a master of characterization and complex plotting. But he made me laugh every-other sentence, and THAT'S an accomplishment in itself. It very well could only have a niche market (those in their 40's), but it doesn't limit itself completely to '80s pop culture (though that IS quite dominant). There's also the late '70s and early '90s.

Just a funny, entertaining blast from MY past. Thank you Mr. Cline!

Got this one on my wish list at my eLibrary. Thanks for the endorsement.

caleb72 · 12-06-2011, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Just finished The Gates by John Connolly. This one was wickedly funny; in the way only a book about the gates of Hell being opened and the Great Malevolence coming to Earth to rule with his army of demons can be. It's in the Young Adult section, but I suspect there are many other adults besides me who will eat this one up.

I could see this one being made into a movie.

I've got this author on my to-read list and I'm determined to read one of his books next year. I was leaning towards Nocturnes or The Book of Lost Things, but I also had The Gates on my radar.

covingtoncat73 · 12-06-2011, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caleb72

I've got this author on my to-read list and I'm determined to read one of his books next year. I was leaning towards Nocturnes or The Book of Lost Things, but I also had The Gates on my radar.

The Book of Lost Things is one of my favorites but I'm a Fairy Tale fanatic. I really enjoyed The Gates and its sequel, The Infernals, as well.

I'm 291/696 done with 11/22/63 by King. I'm liking it a lot but I'm a sucker for time travel. It is long but the pages are flying by by my standards.

DiapDealer · 12-06-2011, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

Garden of Beasts isn't as good as White City. The world is not as fully realized. It is, however, far better than Thunderstruck, which was chock full of errors and ultimately unreadable (IMO).

Thanks for the input.

JSWolf · 12-06-2011, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

Garden of Beasts isn't as good as White City. The world is not as fully realized. It is, however, far better than Thunderstruck, which was chock full of errors and ultimately unreadable (IMO).

I do plan on reading The Devil in the White City. I believe it's available at the library. So once I find it, I can get in line.

SeaBookGuy · 12-06-2011, 09:37 PM

I gave up on Devil in the White City. Perhaps I just don't care for the narrative (historical) nonfiction genre, as I recently bailed on the much acclaimed Destiny of the Republic, too.

Ron. · 12-07-2011, 03:02 AM

Right now I am reading Tigana

In a desperate attempt to revive the memory of a land banished from existence and to restore freedom to a battered world, a wandering musician and his small band of compatriots traverse a countryside bowed under the weight of its sorcerer-conquerors. The author of "The Fionavar Tapestry" trilogy creates a brilliant single-volume epic fantasy, rich in intrigue and subtlety. Memorable characters and cultures add depth to a gracefully plotted story. Highly recommended.

Of all the Guy Gavriel Kay books I have read ( 7 or 8 of them) this is my favorite so far.

Fbone · 12-07-2011, 04:22 AM

Just started The Practice Effect by David Brin. My first attempt with this author.

DiapDealer · 12-07-2011, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron.

Of all the Guy Gavriel Kay books I have read ( 7 or 8 of them) this is my favorite so far.

Mine too. But it was a tough decision between it and The Lions of Al-Rassan.

Ron. · 12-07-2011, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Mine too. But it was a tough decision between it and The Lions of Al-Rassan.

I also really liked The Fionavar Tapestry books, I read The Last Light of the Sun a few days ago I enjoyed that as well but oddly enough other than the title I can't remember a thing about it. The Lions of Al-Rassan was my least favorite of his books, I wasn't even going to read anything by him again after that book I was so disappointed in it.

DiapDealer · 12-07-2011, 10:41 AM

Quote:

The Lions of Al-Rassan was my least favorite of his books, I wasn't even going to read anything by him again after that book I was so disappointed in it.

Wow! OK. The vast majority of GGK fans usually list Lions and Tigana as their favorites, but whatever... I'm certainly glad you didn't give up based on that one bad apple.

Quake1028 · 12-07-2011, 11:17 AM

Big update time:

11/22/63 by Stephen King
Tore through this is around 8 days, and I didn't have a ton of reading time during those 8 days. The book was just that hard to put down, and a breeze to read. I was only negative 16 when the assassination happened, so I don't have any clue what that time period was like. King did a wonderful job recreating the feeling of that time. It's my favorite book of the year, so far. - ****

The Deputy by Victor Gischler
Super quick read. The overall story was okay, and the main character was fleshed out enough, but I didn't feel like we had enough backstory or motivations for the other characters. It was fun to read, with the exceptions of the numerous formatting and spelling/grammar errors, which started to become bothersome. Still, for free, I can't complain too much. - **1/2

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Maybe the most enjoyable read of the year for me. Sure, it has it's problems, the characters and dialgoue aren't the greatest, but it's just a blast to read, and a book that will make you experience some serious nostalgia on several occasions if you were a nerd who grew up in the 80's. I loved the basic overall premise, and the MMO feel of the book. Loved it. - ***1/2

The Affair: A Reacher Novel by Lee Child
I've only read the first entry in the series, I believe for a book club either here or elsewhere. This is a prequel entry. We join Reacher when he's already well into his Army career, so we don't get a ton of backstory on him still. The book is very well done, plot, pacing, etc., are all superb. Lots of twists and turns in this one, I was kept guessing right up until the last page for some things to come to resolution. I have a few minor gripes on how easily a few things were resolved, but those don't take away from the book in any significant way. - ***1/2

Crusader · 12-07-2011, 02:02 PM

Finished and reviewed Running Black by Patrick Todoroff. It's his debut novel and it was the most well-written and polished indie novel I've reviewed to date. It's a sci-fi action novel set in the near-future that centers around corporate espionage. There are some Christian themes and religious quotes but it's an essential part of the novel and not preachy at all. I really enjoyed it. It's well worth looking into if you want a fast-paced action novel that deals with some serious moral issues.

Stitchawl · 12-07-2011, 07:27 PM

I'm about 1/3 of the way through Jeffery Deaver's version of a 007 James Bond thriller called 'Carte Blanche.' It's not nearly as engrossing as Deaver's 'Lincoln Rhyme' series, nor as 'British' as Ian Flemming's Bond, but it moves along. I'm hoping for some typical Deaver double punch misdirection, but so far there hasn't been much.

Stitchawl

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12-06-2011, 09:37 PM	#11617
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 gave up on Devil in the White City. Perhaps I just don't care for the narrative (historical) nonfiction genre, as I recently bailed on the much acclaimed Destiny of the Republic, too.

12-07-2011, 03:02 AM	#11618
Ron. Evangelist Posts: 448 Karma: 864744 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3, LookBook, Nook Simple Touch	Right now I am reading Tigana In a desperate attempt to revive the memory of a land banished from existence and to restore freedom to a battered world, a wandering musician and his small band of compatriots traverse a countryside bowed under the weight of its sorcerer-conquerors. The author of "The Fionavar Tapestry" trilogy creates a brilliant single-volume epic fantasy, rich in intrigue and subtlety. Memorable characters and cultures add depth to a gracefully plotted story. Highly recommended. Of all the Guy Gavriel Kay books I have read ( 7 or 8 of them) this is my favorite so far.

12-07-2011, 04:22 AM	#11619
Fbone Is that a sandwich? Posts: 8,313 Karma: 103930826 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	Just started The Practice Effect by David Brin. My first attempt with this author.

12-07-2011, 11:17 AM	#11623
Quake1028 Guru Posts: 917 Karma: 9155462 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Tampa, FL Device: See signature	Big update time: 11/22/63 by Stephen King Tore through this is around 8 days, and I didn't have a ton of reading time during those 8 days. The book was just that hard to put down, and a breeze to read. I was only negative 16 when the assassination happened, so I don't have any clue what that time period was like. King did a wonderful job recreating the feeling of that time. It's my favorite book of the year, so far. - ****** The Deputy by Victor Gischler Super quick read. The overall story was okay, and the main character was fleshed out enough, but I didn't feel like we had enough backstory or motivations for the other characters. It was fun to read, with the exceptions of the numerous formatting and spelling/grammar errors, which started to become bothersome. Still, for free, I can't complain too much. - 1/2 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Maybe the most enjoyable read of the year for me. Sure, it has it's problems, the characters and dialgoue aren't the greatest, but it's just a blast to read, and a book that will make you experience some serious nostalgia on several occasions if you were a nerd who grew up in the 80's. I loved the basic overall premise, and the MMO feel of the book. Loved it. - *1/2 The Affair: A Reacher Novel by Lee Child I've only read the first entry in the series, I believe for a book club either here or elsewhere. This is a prequel entry. We join Reacher when he's already well into his Army career, so we don't get a ton of backstory on him still. The book is very well done, plot, pacing, etc., are all superb. Lots of twists and turns in this one, I was kept guessing right up until the last page for some things to come to resolution. I have a few minor gripes on how easily a few things were resolved, but those don't take away from the book in any significant way. - *1/2

12-07-2011, 02:02 PM	#11624
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Finished and reviewed Running Black by Patrick Todoroff. It's his debut novel and it was the most well-written and polished indie novel I've reviewed to date. It's a sci-fi action novel set in the near-future that centers around corporate espionage. There are some Christian themes and religious quotes but it's an essential part of the novel and not preachy at all. I really enjoyed it. It's well worth looking into if you want a fast-paced action novel that deals with some serious moral issues.

12-07-2011, 07:27 PM	#11625
Stitchawl Opsimath Posts: 12,344 Karma: 187123287 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand Device: Sony PRS-650, iPhone 5, Kobo Glo, Sony PRS-350, iPad, Samsung Galaxy	I'm about 1/3 of the way through Jeffery Deaver's version of a 007 James Bond thriller called 'Carte Blanche.' It's not nearly as engrossing as Deaver's 'Lincoln Rhyme' series, nor as 'British' as Ian Flemming's Bond, but it moves along. I'm hoping for some typical Deaver double punch misdirection, but so far there hasn't been much. Stitchawl