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

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Next up is The Dispossessed for the August Book Club.

I finished The Dispossessed on the 20th and then promptly left for a few days on vacation, still need to get my thoughts in order for that. I did enjoy it though. Definitely a product of its time in the midst of the cold war.

While on vacation I managed to barely start Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey. The first Zane Grey book I have ever read, possibly the first western I have ever read. Something new and I am not sure what to expect. I am about 1/2 way through so far and it has been pretty good but a little too straightforward.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

While on vacation I managed to barely start Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey. The first Zane Grey book I have ever read, possibly the first western I have ever read. Something new and I am not sure what to expect. I am about 1/2 way through so far and it has been pretty good but a little too straightforward.

You might be interested in the Riders of the Purple Sage thread from a while back once you have finished it.

[bfisher]

Finished "Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety" by Eric Schlosser. This book was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for History and for the Lionel Gelber Prize.

It is really two books interleaved, one about a near thermonuclear disaster at a ICBM site near Little Rock in 1980, and the other a history of U.S. planning and deployment for nuclear warfare. The first provided a human counterpoint to the other and made it very readable, much more so than the average history book.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Now for Medics Wild! by Darrell Bain. A freebie from Fictionwise, also from 15 Sep 2004. Fictionalised Vietnam war by a veteran medic.

An odd mix of humour and tragedy.

Next: Into the Hinterlands by David Drake and John Lambshead

One of the back catalogue I bought from Baen in July. I like both their individual works, it will be interesting to see what they do together, although I suspect it's more plot provided by David Drake and writing by John Lambshead rather than a full collaboration.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I suspect it's more plot provided by David Drake and writing by John Lambshead rather than a full collaboration.

That's a pretty common practice at Baen. It's kind of like an apprenticeship; the established guy writes the outline, then passes it to a new (or newish) author for the actual writing.

[Yapyap]

Fate decided to play nice and deliver Skulduggery Pleasant: The Dying of the Light by Derek Landy into my greedy hands a day early, so that's what I spent eight straight hours on today.

This was not the kind of book I could just put down and go to sleep.

And.... Whoah. I'm terribly sad the series is over now - this was the ninth and final book - but it was an excellent ending, full of twists and turns and heartbreak and ... overall, a really fitting send-off to what started out as "oh, this is a fun children's series" and turned, over the course of five years, into my favourite series of all time. (And yes, I'm a grown-up. I'm not going to feel guilty about it. )

I feel rather bereft now, though. Don't think I'll feel up to reading anything else for the next week or few - especially as I'll be travelling to the UK next week, to get my books signed by Derek.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Today I completed reading The Paper Magician (The Paper Magician Trilogy #1) by Charlie N. Holmberg. I discovered that it deals with a quite unusual premise that requires a reader to really suspend their disbelief, which I was able to do, but only the protagonist is a fully rounded character, enough for the reader to really care about. Still, for me anyway, it was a quite enjoyable read.

Now on to Mr. Mercedes (Unnamed Trilogy #1) by Stephen King (one of my all-time 3 favorite authors).

I just finished reading Mr. Mercedes and, like all Stephen King novels I've read before it, I found it quite engrossing and highly entertaining.

I just began reading Raisins And Almonds (Phryne Fisher #9) by Kerry Greenwood.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I just finished reading Mr. Mercedes and, like all Stephen King novels I've read before it, I found it quite engrossing and highly entertaining.

I just began reading Raisins And Almonds (Phryne Fisher #9) by Kerry Greenwood.

Your reading tastes seems to be diametrically opposite to mine. This can be very useful. I'd know at least what to avoid,

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Luffy

Sounds like you both are making the best of a bad read. Maybe you both should quit before you begin wasting valuable reading time.

I didn't say it was bad. I am enjoying the story or I would have stopped. It's just a bit slow at parts. I've head many people say book 3 was the best. We'll see. I'm about 3 chapters into book 3. So far, so good.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I didn't say it was bad. I am enjoying the story or I would have stopped. It's just a bit slow at parts. I've head many people say book 3 was the best. We'll see. I'm about 3 chapters into book 3. So far, so good.

Well I'm glad you're a reasonable reader. Many people, however, find the glass half full even when it is empty.

[bfisher]

Finished "A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal" by Ben Macintyre (Double Cross, Operation Mincemeat).

The story of how Kim Philby as the consummate insider was able over a period of more than 20 years to betray so many British and American intelligence secrets and black ops to the Soviets.

There is an afterword by John le Carré which describes conversations he had with one of the principals (Elliott).

[WT Sharpe]

No, this isn't a picture thread, nor is it the Lounge, but you can't say this is off-topic. I just saw this on Facebook and thought I'd share.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

No, this isn't a picture thread, nor is it the Lounge, but you can't say this is off-topic. I just saw this on Facebook and thought I'd share.

I can't tell what it's reading, so that cat's got a lot to learn about becoming an active participant on MR.

[covingtoncat73]

I haven't posted here in awhile! I read Book of Life, the last in Deborah Harkness' "All Souls" trilogy. I enjoyed it but the best book is still the second, Shadow of Night.

I also read Magician's Land by Lev Grossman. This was another end of a trilogy and I loved it. It was a perfect ending, I thought.

I also read a few graphic novel series, Hellboy, Saga, and Sweetooth. Hellboy was the best but all were good. I really enjoyed Sweet Tooth and I wasn't sure I would. It took me awhile to warm up to the art but I ended up really appreciating it.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

I haven't posted here in awhile! I read Book of Life, the last in Deborah Harkness' "All Souls" trilogy. I enjoyed it but the best book is still the second, Shadow of Night.

I also read Magician's Land by Lev Grossman. This was another end of a trilogy and I loved it. It was a perfect ending, I thought.

I also read a few graphic novel series, Hellboy, Saga, and Sweetooth. Hellboy was the best but all were good. I really enjoyed Sweet Tooth and I wasn't sure I would. It took me awhile to warm up to the art but I ended up really appreciating it.

The last graphic novel I read was The Picture of Dorian Gray (Marvel Illustrated) by Oscar Wilde, Roy Thomas, and Sebastian Fiumara, and it was utterly fantastic as well as extremely faithful to the 1891 version. That the Marvel edition was a hardcover with an attractive cover was a bonus.