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

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I thoroughly enjoy Trollope's work.

"Can You Forgive Her?" is an excellent Victorian novel, full of the wonderful characterizations he is famous for.



Don

I've always enjoyed "Barchester Towers"; I usually read it every 5 or six years. I read "Phineas Finn" and "The Eustace Diamonds" about 20 years ago, but for some reason did not read the precursor. After I'm finished, I'll probably reread the sequels.

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I listened to Trollope's The Way We Live Now recently: 32 hours and so well done I swear I could've listened to the whole thing straight through!

I didn't realize it was available in audio. It has a wonderful opening (and the perfect title), but the size of the thing has always daunted me. Perhaps audio with a good reader would be the way to go.

[benham]

Virgil Flowers is always a good read.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by bfisher

I didn't realize it was available in audio. It has a wonderful opening (and the perfect title), but the size of the thing has always daunted me. Perhaps audio with a good reader would be the way to go.

Timothy West (Prunella Scales' husband) does an excellent job of reading it - that edition is available both via Audible, and Overdrive.

I bought his narration of The Eustace Diamonds as well, but am saving it for a long trip.

[jmilica]

Originally Posted by jmilica

Just finished reading BUtterfield 8 by Johh O'Hara. A rather compelling read with Great Depression, great description of New York during Prohibition , speakeasies, absolutely great dialogues, class defined characters. I seriously didn't expect so much sex, drugs and even pedophilia problems in the book written in forties of the last century.

I am now reading The Lockwood Concern from the same author - and it's even better! It's a pitty only three of his books are available in ebook format so I had to pick this one up in paperback from a friend.

I loved and thoroughly enjoyed the Lockwood Concern. Decided to read the most popular (but first) novel of John O'Hara Appointment in Samarra. I liked it, but not as much as Locwood, though I noticed it has much better reviews.

[dreams]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'm not a fan of Reacher, though I can definitely understand the appeal. Another you might find interesting is the Jane Whitefield series by Thomas Perry.

I read a bunch of Thomas Perry a few years ago and loved them. I remember really liking the Jane Whitefield character and her "job".

Spoiler:

http://www.thrillingdetective.com/eyes/whitefield.html
JANE WHITEFIELD is a clever and tough Native American woman who calls herself a "guide." She helps people who are in potentially life-threatening situations and uses her extensive resources to lead them "out of the world," to help them extricate themselves from their problems and assists them with documentation and credentials so they can start new lives.

Although her activities occasionally bend the law, she has a strict code of conduct and is very choosy about her clientele, and despite the fact that she's based in Deganawida, New York, her cases take her all over the country. Although more in the suspense genre than mystery, Whitefield occasionally gets in scrapes in which detective work is necessary, and Whitefield's Seneca heritage is also put to good use; the series is filled with all sorts of arcane knowledge about creating new identities, forging documentation, etc. etc.

But make no mistake -- she can more than handle herself, and she can be ruthless in pursuit of her goals.
.....
If you can't get enough of Jane, be sure to check out Silence (2007), featuring retired LAPD detective P.I. Jack Till, who has also been known to help people disappear, and P.I. fans should check out Nightlife (2006), featuring Portland private eye Joe Pitt and police detective Catherine Hobbes, and Death Benfits (2001), which pairs rookie insurance claims data analyst Johnny Walker with grizzled freelance investigator Max Spillman.

I am reading the Book Club selection of A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that I had thought to have read before, but I had not. I am really enjoying the story and, yes, I enjoy the TV program "Elementary".

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'm not a fan of Reacher, though I can definitely understand the appeal. Another you might find interesting is the Jane Whitefield series by Thomas Perry.

Wow Charlie! That series looks like it'll fit right in with Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee, Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak, and Mercedes Lackey's Jennifer Talldeer!

[CRussel]

Yup, it's pretty good. Especially the earlier ones.

[Ricky D'Angelo]

The government of North Korea has a website available with a list of articles such as the following entitled, "ON STAMPING OUT THE IDEOLOGICALLY EVIL CONSEQUENCES OF THE ANTI-PARTY, COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY ELEMENTS AND ESTABLISHING THE PARTY'S MONOLITHIC IDEOLOGICAL SYSTEM." (excerpt below)

Spoiler:

This plenary meeting exposed and criticized the crimes of the anti-Party, counter-revolutionary elements who had been scheming, lying low, within our Party for a long time, and took the resolute measure of removing the confirmed ringleaders from the Party ranks. However, the struggle against the anti-Party, counter-revolutionary elements is not over merely because several prime movers have been expelled. This struggle has only just started. . .Our revolutionary cause is not over and we have a difficult and complex revolutionary task ahead of us. We can never abandon or become lax in educating on the revolutionary traditions. Education on the revolutionary traditions is a powerful means for making people stalwart revolutionaries, by equipping them with a strong revolutionary spirit and fighting experience. . .In order to conduct this struggle effectively, we must give full play to inner-Party democracy. At the ideological review meeting every one should be encouraged to speak freely as he or she would like and actively express his or her opinion. In this way we can ensure that criticism is offered by many people without reserve. Everyone should be encouraged to take part in the ideological review meeting as befitting a person who feels himself master.. . In order to do away with the evil ideological aftereffects of the anti-Party, counter-revolutionary elements and firmly establish the Party's monolithic ideological system, the role of Party propaganda workers should be radically improved. Party propaganda workers should be politically sharper and stauncher in defending the leader's revolutionary idea than anyone else because they are in the front ranks on the ideological battle. However, in the past many Party propaganda workers followed the anti-Party, counter-revolutionary elements implicitly because they were blind. Faking their role in the field of Party ideological work for a long time, the anti-Party, counter-revolutionary elements craftily imposed bourgeois ideology, revisionist ideology and feudal-Confucian ideas, and Party propaganda workers listened to them failing to identify them. As a result, alien ideological venom was spread to a large extent in the Party. At the current ideological review meeting Party propaganda workers should use self-criticism and firmly establish the Party's monolithic ideological system. They must never again be taken in by false elements, acting blindly. Party propaganda workers must be firmly armed with the revolutionary idea of the leader and the Party's policy, its embodiment, and breathe, think and act in accordance with the Party's idea at all times and in all situations. Furthermore, they should judge everything by the standard of the leader's instructions and Party policy and, without the slightest compromise, make sterling efforts in the fight resolutely against anything that runs counter to them defending the Party and the leader in the face of any adversity. Party propaganda workers should effectively conduct their work to do away with the ideologically evil consequences of the anti-revolutionary elements and firmly establish the Party's monolithic ideological system by displaying a high sense of responsibility, proving themselves worthy of the great trust and expectations of the Party.

If anyone is fan of dystopian novels such as George Orwell's 1984 you may find reading articles such as these of interest. The articles are available at the Official Webpage of North Korea at the following link;

http://www.korea-dpr.com/e_library.html

[caleb72]

Thanks for that. I'm always surprised when people refer to 1984 as dated, or no longer relevant. In a way that attitude itself is scarier to me than what you posted.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by caleb72

Thanks for that. I'm always surprised when people refer to 1984 as dated, or no longer relevant. In a way that attitude itself is scarier to me than what you posted.

... or calling music from the 80's "Golden Oldies." I was married and divorced twice by then!


Stitchawl

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Well it turns out that I couldn't get into The Drowning Girl either! So I decided to try out Jack Reacher. I began reading Killing Floor (Jack Reacher #1) by Lee Child. It grabbed me and I am enjoying it, finally!

Killing Floor was so engrossing that I forgot to even begin reading Treachery in Outer Space so I'll read it along with my new selection, Vanishing Act, by Thomas Perry, the first book in the Jane Whitefield series!

[Joy736]

Originally Posted by Joy736

Moving on to Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

I looooooooved this book. It's an instant all-time favorite. Can't wait to read the sequel Scarlet. Now: The Selection by Kiera Cass

[DiapDealer]

Finished up the last two books in Patrick Lee's Breach trilogy (Ghost Country and Deep Sky). Over the top, action-packed, time-travelly thriller-type stuff. Very shallow entertainment. I really enjoyed the first book (The Breach), but the last two weren't quite as appealing. Still fun all-in-all (and quick), but there's a bit too much standing around pre-educating the reader about fake future-tech that's going to be integral to the trippy stuff coming later. That wouldn't be bad in itself except that it's always done via brainstorming sessions between the same handful of characters--and it's rarely very subtle about it.

Started reading Nick Harkaway's Angelmaker (Winner of The Kitschies prestigious Red Tentacle award). Weird, but I'm finding his style of writing deliciously amusing. I'm chuckling and snorting right along.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. My most recent purchase, a UK Kindle Daily Deal.

Wow. Excellent. As if Austen/Trollope/Heyer were writing in a society of dragons. Loved it. My best book of the year so far. Very highly recommended to anyone who likes dragons and any of those authors.

Next up: Fire with Fire by Charles E. Gammon. From the April 2013 Baen Monthly Bundle.