Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 1117

WT Sharpe · 05-30-2013, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Just finished Ethan Rutherford's collection of short-stories entitled: The Peripatetic Coffin and Other Stories....

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

...I just downloaded a sample to my Paperwhite, but when and if I shall ever get around to it is known only to the Fates.

Hmmm....

The December 2013 MobileRead Book Club category is Short Stories.

HarryT · 05-30-2013, 10:28 AM

Just finished "Photo Finish" by Ngaio Marsh, the 31st (and penultimate) book in the "Inspector Alleyn" series. A classic "house party" murder: a famous operatic soprano is murdered during a storm in a villa on an island in a lake. Superb book. Unlike Agatha Christie, who really should have stopped writing long before she did, Ngaio Marsh just got better and better with age. Her last books are far better than the early ones. Only one more to go (plus a book of short stories) - I've been reading the series over the last two years, interspersed with other things, and I'll be sad to finish.

HomeInMyShoes · 05-30-2013, 11:26 AM

I finished We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Phillip Gourevitch. Very good.

Now I'm on to some more non-fiction with Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City by Anthony Flint.

Dazrin · 05-30-2013, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazella

I don't understand what the big deal is. I've read a lot of posts about people saying don't start the series until book 3 is out ( I am by no means referring to you but people in other forums who keep whining what's taking the author so long). Why? It's a series, do they expect the books to just get released all at the same time, of course they'd have to wait for the next books, wait impatiently that is.

The way the person I quoted said it didn't make it sound like they knew it was a series, so I wanted to make sure they knew that it wasn't complete yet.

For me, I have been a bit gun-shy of starting a new series until it is completed due to some long series that have taken 20+ years to complete (WoT, GRRM, etc.). With Rothfuss it was a 3+ year gap between the first two books which is longer than most authors take and was longer than they said it would be (he explains part of that in his blog) and until he has shown that he will regularly release books, even if they are at 3 year intervals, I am taking him a little cautiously. I really loved the first book, so when the second was delayed for about a year after their initial target date it really bothered me. With some authors I will go ahead and read books while the series is in progress, with others I have learned that it just leads to frustration.

DiapDealer · 05-30-2013, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

This looks interesting, and your write up of the book makes it sound even more so. I just downloaded a sample to my Paperwhite, but when and if I shall ever get around to it is known only to the Fates.

Such pressure! I hope you enjoy it -- whenever you happen to get to it. Just remember to forget I praised it all up if you happen to hate it.

DiapDealer · 05-30-2013, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazella

I don't understand what the big deal is. I've read a lot of posts about people saying don't start the series until book 3 is out ( I am by no means referring to you but people in other forums who keep whining what's taking the author so long). Why? It's a series, do they expect the books to just get released all at the same time, of course they'd have to wait for the next books, wait impatiently that is.

The Rothfuss situation is a bit of a special case. When the first book of the series was published, he went on the record and announced that all three books were "written" and would likely be released in a relatively timely manner. That's really the only reason I took a chance on starting the first book (I would normally wait patiently until a series is close to completion before starting it). Clearly Patrick has a different definition of "written" than most people do.

Whatever the reasons were that "already written" turned into a 5 year edit/rewrite, Rothfuss has no one to blame but himself for fans being upset about his clearly premature (if not outright misleading) anouncement about the series' state of completion.

EDIT: for the record, I don't think holding his feet to the fire over a lapse in judgement/foresight that's over and done with is something a fan needs to continue to do forever, either. I just understand the initial frustration of fans when "timely" turned into half a decade.

HarryT · 05-30-2013, 05:22 PM

I've been waiting more than 20 years for David Gerrold to continue his "War Against the Chtorr" series, which he left hanging in 1993

. The next book is now promised for 2014, but I'll believe it when I see it

.

Apache · 05-30-2013, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've been waiting more than 20 years for David Gerrold to continue his "War Against the Chtorr" series, which he left hanging in 1993

. The next book is now promised for 2014, but I'll believe it when I see it

.

Me too. And this will be a good excuse to reread the series beforehand.
Apache

Fbone · 05-30-2013, 06:52 PM

With Jack Vance's death Wednesday I realized I haven't read anything by him. Can anyone recommend one his sci-fi titles that doesn't include fantasy elements?

gmw · 05-31-2013, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

With Jack Vance's death Wednesday I realized I haven't read anything by him. Can anyone recommend one his sci-fi titles that doesn't include fantasy elements?

I just finished re-reading his Durdane series ("The Anome", "The Brave Free Men" and "The Austra" - all quite short). These are definitely Sci-Fi not fantasy. I don't think they've aged very well, they are definitely Sci-Fi of their time (early 70s) - I mean this in relation to story style rather than (or as much as) content. Not a lot to get you involved with the characters, but the story is entertaining enough and he definitely has a talent for description. It's too long since I've read anything else of his to offer a more useful suggestion (these were ones I just happened to have on my shelf after a recent discussion on another thread).

HarryT · 05-31-2013, 03:20 AM

Just finished "Minds, Machines, and Evolution" by James P. Hogan, published by Baen. A very enjoyable collection of short SF, essays on science, and general chit-chat about his life, how he became a writer, etc. Highly recommended. Reading this as a part of my ongoing quest to catch up on some of my old unread "Webscriptions" ebooks. I see that I originally bought this one in December 1999

.

pdurrant · 05-31-2013, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I see that I originally bought this one in December 1999

.

My earliest unread ebook is only from March 2002!

HarryT · 05-31-2013, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

My earliest unread ebook is only from March 2002!

This was my last book from the 1990s. Next up on my Baen list is "Dragonne's Eg" by Mary Brown, from Jan 2000.

tecweston · 05-31-2013, 10:41 AM

Just Finished:

- Horns by Joe Hill - I think this is my favorite of Joe Hill's so far.

Currently Reading:

- O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King (58%)
- Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie (54%)
- NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (9%)

pilotbob · 05-31-2013, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

This was my last book from the 1990s. Next up on my Baen list is "Dragonne's Eg" by Mary Brown, from Jan 2000.

I've found that the average human can accumulate ebooks faster than he can read them. The above average, well, we know who that is.

BOb

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05-30-2013, 10:28 AM	#16742
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,556 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Just finished "Photo Finish" by Ngaio Marsh, the 31st (and penultimate) book in the "Inspector Alleyn" series. A classic "house party" murder: a famous operatic soprano is murdered during a storm in a villa on an island in a lake. Superb book. Unlike Agatha Christie, who really should have stopped writing long before she did, Ngaio Marsh just got better and better with age. Her last books are far better than the early ones. Only one more to go (plus a book of short stories) - I've been reading the series over the last two years, interspersed with other things, and I'll be sad to finish.

05-30-2013, 11:26 AM	#16743
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	I finished We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Phillip Gourevitch. Very good. Now I'm on to some more non-fiction with Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City by Anthony Flint.

05-30-2013, 05:22 PM	#16747
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,556 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I've been waiting more than 20 years for David Gerrold to continue his "War Against the Chtorr" series, which he left hanging in 1993 . The next book is now promised for 2014, but I'll believe it when I see it .

05-30-2013, 06:52 PM	#16749
Fbone Is that a sandwich? Posts: 8,296 Karma: 101697116 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	With Jack Vance's death Wednesday I realized I haven't read anything by him. Can anyone recommend one his sci-fi titles that doesn't include fantasy elements?

05-31-2013, 03:20 AM	#16751
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,556 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Just finished "Minds, Machines, and Evolution" by James P. Hogan, published by Baen. A very enjoyable collection of short SF, essays on science, and general chit-chat about his life, how he became a writer, etc. Highly recommended. Reading this as a part of my ongoing quest to catch up on some of my old unread "Webscriptions" ebooks. I see that I originally bought this one in December 1999 .

05-31-2013, 10:41 AM	#16754
tecweston Comic book artist Posts: 553 Karma: 1760679 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Detroit Device: Nook Glowlight, iPad, iPhone	Just Finished: - Horns by Joe Hill - I think this is my favorite of Joe Hill's so far. Currently Reading: - O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King (58%) - Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie (54%) - NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (9%)