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

[CRussel]

A worthy re-read, Paul. I very much like Wen's work, and this is one of her best.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Next up, the latest Bruno, Chief of Police--The Children Return, which I must have pre-ordered because it just showed up on my Kindles. Perfect timing, and definitely a book to look forward to.

Wow, I wasn't quite expecting that in the St. Denis! But still a wonderful book, and the series continues to surprise and please me. A compelling book that I couldn't put down last night, and I'm paying the price today after not nearly enough sleep. But worth it.

Next up, Shogun. I read this some 40 years ago, and was enthralled then, but will be curious to read it now after having worked for a Japanese automaker for 12 years. Then, I knew absolutely nothing about Japan except that we'd dropped a couple of atomic bombs on them, but now I have at least a limited understanding and appreciation for their culture and society.

Meanwhile, for an audiobook, as soon as I finish Sharpe's Trafalgar (nearly done), I'll start the second in the Last of the Herald Mages series from Mercedes Lackey.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now for A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer. A re-read, just because I feel like it, even with 721 books in my TBR pile!

Fascinating. I remembered the world Wen Spencer had created quite well, but I'd pretty much forgotten the story. It was great to re-visit the world and re-read the story. An excellent book.

Next up: The Billion Dollar Boy by Charles Sheffield. It seems to be an SF retelling of Kipling's Captains Courageous.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by CRussel;3094138
Next up, [I

Shogun[/I]. I read this some 40 years ago, and was enthralled then, but will be curious to read it now after having worked for a Japanese automaker for 12 years. Then, I knew absolutely nothing about Japan except that we'd dropped a couple of atomic bombs on them, but now I have at least a limited understanding and appreciation for their culture and society.

I think 'Shogun' was my all-time winner for 'Best Book Read.' Having lived in Japan for 15 years studying the culture, I found the accuracy of Shogun to be amazing! When combined with the movie 'The Last Samurai,' (which wasn't the greatest movie but did portray Japanese culture of that era very well,) one can get a pretty clear understanding of the strict rules that bound each person to their role in society. Many of those rules make no sense to a modern Westerner (or even some modern Japanese,) but they were/are the mainstay of the culture.

Book-wise, reading Clevell's 'Asian Series' in order is a treat! First 'Shogun,' followed by 'Taipan' (Clevell's accurate study of the founding of Hong Kong,) then 'King Rat,' followed by 'Noble House' (the modern extension of the Hong Kong trading community, with important characters from 'King Rat' playing a role in the storyline. If you visit Hong Kong, you can find 'real' names for the characters in the book, and locate all the streets, restaurants, and locations mentioned, bringing a sense of realism to the book. Great reads, all!


Stitchawl

[AstoundingBruce]

This is a wonderfully delightful book by Elizabeth Grace. It is an excellent choice to read aloud to a child.

The entire story is told from the perspective of Mr. Waggles, who laments the fact he is a "mutt." His person, Peter, has just purchased an old hotel and plans to turn it into a pet resort. It is fun to read about the exotic mix of animals that come to the resort for a stay. And one of Mr. Waggles' friends discovers something unusual buried in the lawn.

A fun story in which Mr. Waggles makes some friends and a few enemies, too. The book includes some simple illustrations, but they don't particularly add to the story. I look forward to more of Mr. Waggles' adventures.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

FNext up: The Billion Dollar Boy by Charles Sheffield. It seems to be an SF retelling of Kipling's Captains Courageous.

And it was exactly that. Not too bad.

Next up: The Mallet of Loving Correction by John Scalzi. Selected posts from his blog. Good so far - funny and insightful.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And it was exactly that. Not too bad.

Next up: The Mallet of Loving Correction by John Scalzi. Selected posts from his blog. Good so far - funny and insightful.

I just finished Le Guin; I may just do this one next.

[Rev. Bob]

Oh, dear.

I just noticed that the Viggle ebook store carries the Discworld books. And they're cheap, too; I'd have to log in to be sure of the final point cost*, but two days' worth of maximum points would easily cover most of the ones I've checked. I've read one or two, but always meant to get around to more. I'm not sure how many are in print, but I count at least 33 in the shop, ranging between 11K and 27K points.

Maybe if I bought one a week...

* I'm guessing the logged-in prices compensate for tax. An 8000-point book becomes 9000, and a 27K jumps up to 29,500, so that's around a 10% surcharge. That's pretty close to my local tax rate.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

I just noticed that the Viggle ebook store carries the Discworld books. And they're cheap, too; I'd have to log in to be sure of the final point cost*, but two days' worth of maximum points would easily cover most of the ones I've checked. I've read one or two, but always meant to get around to more. I'm not sure how many are in print, but I count at least 33 in the shop, ranging between 11K and 27K points.

There are 40 discworld books, if we include the YA discworld books. And a 41st due to be published mid-2015. Naturally, some are better than others, but all are worth reading.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

There are 40 discworld books, if we include the YA discworld books. And a 41st due to be published mid-2015. Naturally, some are better than others, but all are worth reading.

I saw a 4-in-1 collection after my original post, which would bring the tally on that site to at least 37/40, and it's entirely possible that I missed the other three. At any rate, I expect to be linkifying an up-to-date bibliography later this year, so I'll have that to go by... or, if I get impatient, there's always the Goodreads list.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Wow, I wasn't quite expecting that in the St. Denis! But still a wonderful book, and the series continues to surprise and please me. A compelling book that I couldn't put down last night, and I'm paying the price today after not nearly enough sleep. But worth it.

Next up, Shogun. I read this some 40 years ago, and was enthralled then, but will be curious to read it now after having worked for a Japanese automaker for 12 years. Then, I knew absolutely nothing about Japan except that we'd dropped a couple of atomic bombs on them, but now I have at least a limited understanding and appreciation for their culture and society.

Meanwhile, for an audiobook, as soon as I finish Sharpe's Trafalgar (nearly done), I'll start the second in the Last of the Herald Mages series from Mercedes Lackey.

Reading and listening to Shogun. This is a huge book, so it will take a while. Meanwhile, I finished Sharpe's Trafalgar, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Richard Sharpe books are fun, if somewhat predictable. And historically well researched. Next up will be Sharpe's Prey, but there'll be a couple of other things in there first.

[missimpossible]

Just finished The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway. That was just so, so much fun. It's perhaps 50ish pages too long, but that's largely in the first half. The language is fantastic and what could easily come across as overly "random" or quirky is, in fact, charming and refreshing. The last 100 pages were thoroughly gripping and I feel kind of bereft now that I'm finished.

Not sure where to go next!

[HarryT]

Just finished "The Veil of Years" by L. Warren Douglas; the second book in a trilogy (also called "The Veil of Years") and the sequel to "The Sacred Pool", although it's not essential to have read this first - each book in the trilogy is a self-contained story. I bought this in 2001 from Baen.

Baen description:

The young apprentice mage, Pierette, discovers that the pages in the history books are fading away. Like stars going behind a passing cloud, the events that define the sunny world she loves are winking out one by one, and the shadows of ancient headless Gauls—souls of the dead whose heads once adorned the pillars of the city of Provence—are seen by night . . .

Is the Black Time coming, when evil will reign supreme The answer lies in the long ago, when Provence was a Roman camp, and Pierette must brave the otherworld to journey there.

Excellent and thought-provoking fantasy, based on mediaeval French legends. It probably won't appeal to everyone, but personally I think this is a wonderful series.

[AstoundingBruce]

This cookbook by Angela Anottacelli is part of the Caveman Cookbooks series.

I learned three things from this book:

1. I have a lot to learn about intermittent fasting.
2. I have a lot to learn about the Paleo Diet.
3. I have a lot to learn in the kitchen.

All of which means I am probably not the best person to review this book. Of course, I'm not going to let that stop me.

As far as my research tells me, intermittent fasting is just what it sounds like, so I fail to understand what "Intermittent Fasting Recipes" are. As for the Paleo Diet, I thought it was eating only the kinds of foods cavemen might have eaten, but the book has a lot of ingredients such as yogurt (a favorite) and coconut milk. I also hadn't given much thought to how a Paleo meal is prepared, but Anottacelli includes recipes that use techniques I'm sure Paleolithic people couldn't have; things like deep frying and freezing.

And as for me in the kitchen, what can I say? I had no idea a mandolin was anything other than a stringed instrument.

Realizing it would be best if someone else did the actual cooking, I have not made any of the recipes in the book. Not yet, at least. I'm not sure where to find hemp hearts or ghee, either. It would have helped to have a guide to let the reader know where to purchase the more exotic ingredients.

Still, the recipes sound yummy. I'll see if I can get someone to help me out in the kitchen. (If I use a mandolin to cut the sweet potatoes, is the music sharp?)

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I completed reading (and enjoying) Penumbra, which was the 3rd and last book in the series, Spook Squad. It was actually quite disappointing that this series seems to just stop here but is certainly not really finished, although it was published 10 years ago. I guess you could say that Keri Arthur just abandonded it!

Now on to a YA urban fantasy called, Another Me by Cathy MacPhail.

The author calls Another Me is a ghost story!! I'm going to find out!

I just completed reading Another Me which I enjoyed ot a lot! Now on to my May selection of a freebie from the Amazon lending library, The Living Bomb (Ed Noon #12) by Michael Avallone.