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

[LovesMacs]

I'm still reading À la recherche du temps perdu, about 300 pages into the first volume, and Monsieur Swann's still jealous about Odette.

I'm feeling a little Proust fatigue so I've also been reading The American Heritage History of World War II by C.L. Sulzberger and revised by Stephen Ambrose. It's quite readable and probably a better introduction to WW II as a whole than William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

Finally, I'm reading the comics omnibus of X-Men Days of Future Past, the inspiration for the new movie.

[mewmartigan]

Just finished Gardens of the Moon and going to start Deadhouse Gates. I've got a long journey through the Malazan Empire ahead of me.

[bfisher]

I finished "The Interloper: Lee Harvey Oswald Inside the Soviet Union" by Peter Savodnik. A nice detailed description of Oswald's attempts to find something like a home, and his repeated inability to fit in.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Now for a recent Baen publication, bought from Kobo using a 75% off coupon: The Sea of Time by P C Hodgell. The continuing adventures of Jame in a fantasy universe.

Which I enjoyed, although there still seems to be an awful lot of stuff happening that's plain weird. And it ends rather abruptly, one would have expected more build-up/description/reactions to the final scenes, if they are really portraying what they seem to be portraying.

Next: An art-based murder mystery from Aaron and Charlotte Elkins, A Dangerous Talent

[HarryT]

I've just finished "In the Heart of Darkness" - the second book in the "Belisarius" military SF series by Eric Flint and David Drake. I actually read it in the omnibus edition called "Thunder at Dawn", which is a re-issued version of the original series. This is an alternate history SF series whose protagonist is the real 6th century Roman general Belisarius, who (in our world) re-conquered the Western Roman Empire on behalf of the Emperor Justinian. In this alternate history he is fighting the Malwa empire in India.

Very, very good military SF. Highly recommended.

[Gronk]

I finally got through the waiting list at the library for the download of The Martian. I was in the middle of East of Eden by Steinbeck so I didn't get to it right away. I had gotten about ten chapters in and my library loan expired. I was enjoying it but I'm not big on SF so I won't be buying it. I got back on the waiting list. :-)

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I finished the available 5 chapters of Skin Game - LOVED IT!

While waiting for Skin Game's imminent release I've begun reading Savage Run (Joe Pickett #2) by C.J. Box.

Skin Game was released on Tuesday so I paused in reading Savage Run (I've read 25% so far) and read the rest of Skin Game, finishing it last evening. It's really a blockbuster! Now back to Savage Run.

[Dr. Drib]

I'm currently finishing this year's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "The Goldfinch," by Donna Tartt.

Highly recommended, if you enjoy literary novels, as I do.

Here's the link, if you want to check it out:


http://www.amazon.com/Goldfinch-Nove...ds=donna+tartt

This novel has had 9,050 customer reviews. Donna Tartt is a wonderful prose stylist.

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I'm currently finishing this year's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "The Goldfinch," by Donna Tartt.

Highly recommended, if you enjoy literary novels, as I do.

Here's the link, if you want to check it out:


http://www.amazon.com/Goldfinch-Nove...ds=donna+tartt

This novel has had 9,050 customer reviews. Donna Tartt is a wonderful prose stylist.

Oh, I do love a wordsmith and I enjoyed The Goldfinch as well.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I'm currently finishing this year's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "The Goldfinch," by Donna Tartt.

Highly recommended, if you enjoy literary novels, as I do.

Here's the link, if you want to check it out:


http://www.amazon.com/Goldfinch-Nove...ds=donna+tartt

This novel has had 9,050 customer reviews. Donna Tartt is a wonderful prose stylist.

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

Oh, I do love a wordsmith and I enjoyed The Goldfinch as well.

It's one of the contenders for the June selection for the MobileRead Book Club, but if you'd like vote for it, you need to hurry! There are only two days left in the poll!

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Next is a re-read of The Martian by Andy Weir. I read the original last year and want to compare the "professional" version to the indie version I had already read. In a very cursory look I don't see much if anything that has changed, so I am guessing very little.

I am almost done with my re-read, with any luck I will get it done tonight.

For anyone who is curious, there are basically no changes between the original version and this one. I didn't do a direct comparison so there might be minor spelling/grammar fixes as would be expected in any revision/new edition, but nothing major at all so far.

Edit: Ok, the ending is abbreviated from the original, same basic idea, but removes the last little bit. Can't say it is any worse than the original just a little different.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I'm currently finishing this year's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "The Goldfinch," by Donna Tartt.

Highly recommended, if you enjoy literary novels, as I do.

Here's the link, if you want to check it out:


http://www.amazon.com/Goldfinch-Nove...ds=donna+tartt

This novel has had 9,050 customer reviews. Donna Tartt is a wonderful prose stylist.

And it's published by Hachette

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've just finished "In the Heart of Darkness" - the second book in the "Belisarius" military SF series by Eric Flint and David Drake. I actually read it in the omnibus edition called "Thunder at Dawn", which is a re-issued version of the original series. This is an alternate history SF series whose protagonist is the real 6th century Roman general Belisarius, who (in our world) re-conquered the Western Roman Empire on behalf of the Emperor Justinian. In this alternate history he is fighting the Malwa empire in India.

Very, very good military SF. Highly recommended.

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'm on #3 in the Belisarius series, which is hardly a cozy.

In addition to the Belisarius book, I'm also reading Deployment Fundamentals, Vol4 (not exactly a genre thriller ), & Mash, by Richard Hooker. The book on which the TV series was originally based. All three books are quite good, although very different obviously.

I'm a bit ahead of you, Harry, though for me it's a first read. I finished Destiny's Shield, #3, and am now on to Fortune's Stroke. And I am enjoying the series quite a bit.

Finished MASH. Interesting and enjoyable, and one can see how the movie and then series got its start. Also finished Deployment Fundamentals, Vol4, which was good, though not quite as good as I'd hoped. There were several places where I would have appreciated more depth and/or discussion of other alternative paths. But overall, worth the time and effort.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Finished MASH. Interesting and enjoyable, and one can see how the movie and then series got its start. Also finished Deployment Fundamentals, Vol4, which was good, though not quite as good as I'd hoped. There were several places where I would have appreciated more depth and/or discussion of other alternative paths. But overall, worth the time and effort.

Mash goes to Maine is a decent sequel to Mash. It is not as good as Mash, but it is still a good read. Stay away from the other Mash books. They are actually written by WEB Griffin under his real name William E. Butterworth. They are formulaic and not very good in my opinion. They are not available as Ebooks either, including Mash Goes to Maine.
Apache

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Apache

Mash goes to Maine is a decent sequel to Mash. It is not as good as Mash, but it is still a good read. Stay away from the other Mash books. They are actually written by WEB Griffin under his real name William E. Butterworth. They are formulaic and not very good in my opinion. They are not available as Ebooks either, including Mash Goes to Maine.
Apache

I read some of the later ones (long ago in paperback), and I agree that they're not a patch on MASH. But I remember them as being quite funnny in a madcap sort of way.