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

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I've almost finished Mike Carey's The Devil You Know, the first book in the Felix Castor series. It's an urban fantasy series about a down on his luck London exorcist. It's very similar to the Dresden Files in tone, humour and type of characters. Not as good, though, but still worth reading whilst waiting for the next Dresden installment.

In this book Castor, who's taking a long sabatical from being an exorcist after failing to help a friend, is persuaded to take an exorcist job, helping an archive to get rid of a ghost that has become violent. Of course, things aren't as easy as they first appear. Entertaining and a quick read.

Hmmm...sounds interesting. Alex Verus turned out to be a so maybe this London-based character will also. Thanks Rumpelteazer!

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by BenG

A question for our English members: How is "ha'penny" pronounced?

Hayp-nee when I've heard it, usually.

[Stephjk]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Hayp-nee when I've heard it, usually.

That's correct

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Hayp-nee when I've heard it, usually.

Yes, that seems right to me.

[Mivo]

Originally Posted by Mivo

Test-read the first couple chapters of The Templar Legacy and couldn't put it down, so, the Cotton Malone series it is.

Finished this a few days back and enjoyed it!

Decided to take a break from thrillers for a couple book, so I'm currently reading When the Eagle Hunts, the third book in Simon Scarrow's Roman-themed historical adventure series. I liked the previous books, and this one continues the trend.

I also picked up a copy of Er ist wieder da, a German satirical "autobiography" of Hitler, who finds himself waking up in Berlin of 2011, and tries to win over the country a second time. So far it is a delicious novel. The author imitates Hitler's writing style (Mein Kampf) and way of talking superbly, and it's clever, comic, tongue-in-cheek and thought-provoking. Like political cabaret in book form.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Hmm... I'm about a third of the way through, and I can't say I'm enjoying the experience. Does it get better, or is the rest of the book similar to the first third?...

It seems to me to have moments of sheer brilliance surrounded by lots of what seems like at times to be aimless rambling. That may be a matter of style and culture; for this Western reader it appears to be an acquired taste. Some of it is laugh out loud funny, some of it is thought-provoking, and some of it is very courageous in the way it openly asks questions that some people appear to feel are off-limits. It's certainly not the easiest book in the world to read.

[DrNefario]

I've just finished the second of two non-fiction books, Julian Symons' Bloody Murder - From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel: A History. Since this was the 1972 edition, it's more half a history, but I actually wanted to know more about the Golden Age, which is roughly the twenties and thirties, so I was happy enough with that. There was a second edition in the eighties, I believe, but since I was relying on second-hand book stores, I didn't get to choose.

I found it entertaining and informative, if opinionated, but I do seem to have made quite slow going of it. I also doubt it is going to be good for my TBR over all.

The other piece of non-fiction was It's Behind You: The Making of a Computer Game by Bob Pape, which is available free as a PDF from his website. It contains colour images and two-column text, so is probably more for tablets than ereaders.

Anyway, it's a shortish book about the making of the ZX Spectrum version of the arcade game R-Type, and I found it a fascinating insight into the industry culture of that period. I don't know what a disinterested layman would get out of it, but I enjoyed it.

Definitely time for some fiction now, though.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Mivo

Finished this a few days back and enjoyed it!

Decided to take a break from thrillers for a couple book, so I'm currently reading When the Eagle Hunts, the third book in Simon Scarrow's Roman-themed historical adventure series. I liked the previous books, and this one continues the trend.

I also picked up a copy of Er ist wieder da, a German satirical "autobiography" of Hitler, who finds himself waking up in Berlin of 2011, and tries to win over the country a second time. So far it is a delicious novel. The author imitates Hitler's writing style (Mein Kampf) and way of talking superbly, and it's clever, comic, tongue-in-cheek and thought-provoking. Like political cabaret in book form.

This book sounds very interesting and I will be getting it. Amazon UK is showing March 27, 2014 as the release date for the ebook translation. Amazon.com is showing the same date, but only for the Hard Cover.
Apache

[BenG]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Hayp-nee when I've heard it, usually.

Thanks, mentally I was pronouncing it like half penny with the 'lf' missing but that seemed awkward.

I haven't started the book yet, but as I said, I really enjoyed Farthing. Walton said it was inspired by Josehine Tey's Brat Farrar and certain discrepancies in the timeline like people mentioning vacationing on the Continent 5 years earlier when we were still fighting WWII. Walton decided that rather than being a mistake, it was an alternate history where the war ended early and set her book in that universe.

The book itself starts out with a typical English country house mystery at an estate called Farthing. The murder victim is the man who led the effort to oust Churchill and accept Rudolph Hess' offer of peace. At the beginning the mystery is at the forefront and the alternate history is mainly in the background but becomes more important as the plot develops.

It's part of a trilogy. The murder plot is wrapped up in the first book but larger issues remain unresolved.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now I'm reading 1636: The Devil's Opera by Eric Flint and David Carrico. More of the main-stream 1632 storyline, with an emphasis on some musicians that we've met before in Grantville Gazette stories. Looking good so far.

And it was indeed a good read. And now I'm reading Redshirts by John Scalzi.

[Apache]

I just started Distant Thunders by Taylor Anderson. It is the fourth book in the Destroyermen Series. I read number one a while back. I picked up number two last week and am now on four. I have enjoyed the series so far.
Apache

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

In the middle of reading Treecat Wars, but jumped out to read an Elizabeth Moon -- Limits of Power, the fourth in her Paladin story arc set in the world of Paksenarrion. I'll be back to Treecat Wars shortly, but wanted to take a break from it for a bit. I can tell already that it won't get more than about 3.5 out of 5 here.

Finished Limits of Power, and enjoyed it, though it clearly is a set-up for the rest of the series. The good news is that Paks is clearly about to play a more central role, though not yet in this book.

Now, back to Treecat Wars.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And it was indeed a good read. And now I'm reading Redshirts by John Scalzi.

I just finished Redshirts... it didn't go where I expected it at all.. and started much better than it finished. I rated it 3.5 of 5 stars on Librarything.

Not sure what to read next.

BOb

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by caleb72

Now, my next book needs a drum roll.................

For the first time this year I'm actually reading a non-fiction book! Yep, it happened. I've picked up Sybil Exposed by Debbie Nathan from my library. It's a book looking at the story behind the famous Multiple Personality case which became the book Sybil and later, a movie of the same name.

Phew! Finally finished that one.

This was an interesting book, especially as I didn't know much about the facts behind this case. My issue with it was that the author was so contemptuous of the perpetrators of this alleged hoax that her writing drips with her disapproval. I very rarely trust informative writing that exposes such a bias as I think analysis becomes clouded with the introduction of emotion. Having said that, the whole Sybil case seems to be a case of scientific theories masquerading as facts and capturing a public's imagination to serious detrimental effect; a pretty sobering lesson, which I don't think we ever learn.

I'm in the last stages of The Satanic Verses at the moment and I'm really enjoying it. I'll complete this novel before I continue on with anything else.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'm reading Redshirts by John Scalzi.

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I just finished Redshirts... it didn't go where I expected it at all.. and started much better than it finished. I rated it 3.5 of 5 stars on Librarything.

How interesting. It was almost exactly what I was expecting, but much better. I loved the ending, and the Coda afterwords. One of the best books I've read this year.

Next up: The Bull God by Roberta Gellis.

From a Baen bundle I bought back in November 2003. My oldest unread bought ebook.